New Contributor to Pretty Pink Posh

2013 will be a year of growth, changes and excitement here at Pretty Pink Posh. If you haven’t already, be sure to Subscribe to Pretty Pink Posh by Email so you don’t miss any posts. I have new sponsors, giveaways, Featured Bloggers and much, much more coming!

One of the things I’m most excited about? My sister will be contributing her amazing crafty creations & food items to this blog occasionally! Now you may be wondering why I’m bringing on someone new to add content to the blog, I know I did before when visiting other blogs. The biggest reason: you get fabulous inspiration from another source with a different style. 

Krista majored in Professional Baking at a local community college during high school and graduated with honors and an increasing desire to learn more than just the art of baking and pastry work. She began the Culinary Arts program while taking outside courses to achieve her degree in Applied Sciences.  She had the opportunity to compete for the Student Chef of the Year 2010 competition for Washington State and achieved the title “ ACF Student Chef of the Year”. After graduating, she interned at a prestigious restaurant in Seattle and was later hired on and became a sous chef. While working, she was also on the ACF Culinary Youth Team for the United States and competed in Germany for the competition among young chef worldwide.  {The team won both gold and silver!} Now she is resting up after her whirlwind adventures to Germany and Japan and planning where she wants to go next.

While Krista has gone into the culinary field professionally, she is EXTREMELY talented in crafting and photography as well. I’m constantly amazed at her talent and skills. It’s not unusual to find her sewing, creating unique decor items, trying out new crafting techniques or doing random photo shoots.

Here’s a peek at some of the things she made in December…..

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I have told Krista about the amazing community of people I have met via blogging and I can’t wait for her to get to know you all {and vice versa}.  Please join me in giving her a great big welcome- she’s a little hesitant about this new endeavor.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope your new year is off to a great start!

10 Minute Craft Dash DT Call

CD_DTcallIt’s true…..after many requests, I will be opening up a DT call for the 10 Minute Craft Dash! The Craft Dash has grown leaps and bounds and I’m hoping in 2013, word about the challenge will continue to spread. I always love seeing new names & faces in the entries!

I am looking for a small group of crafters who will promote the challenge and provide inspiration for each new challenge. In return, you’ll get lots of exposure to your blog and you’ll get to meet some amazing blog friends along the way!

* Term will be February- June 2013*

If you can create beautiful things within 10 minutes, are good at deadlines and want to join in a growing challenge, I would love to hear from you!
 
Please email me with the information below:
prettypinkposh@gmail.com
and have “10 Minute Craft Dash DT Call” in the subject line
 
  • Your name, email address and blog link
  • 4 photos of your work that was created within 10 minutes. {Please include time within your email}
  • Short bio that includes any past design accomplishments and Design Team experience.
  • Current Design Teams and term lengths

Deadline to apply is January 13th, 12 pm PST

Notifications will be sent out no later than January 20th.

borderI’m looking forward to seeing your beautiful DT submissions and hopefully getting a chance to work with some of you! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or send me an email!

Pretty Pink Posh via Email

Hi all!

Some of you may have noticed that my blog posts aren’t coming via Google Friend Connect any longer. Unfortunately, with WordPress, they no longer allow non-Google sites to have this feature. However, you can still receive ALL of my new blog posts- this time directly to your email!

Subscribe to Pretty Pink Posh by Email

I hope you all had a very special Christmas. I’ve been enjoying my time off, but I’ll be back with a post sometime soon!

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Christmas Is Not About Gifts…..

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I will  be the first to admit that I love buying gifts for people, almost to a fault. I love showing the people I hold dear how much they mean to me-  in cards, random acts of kindness and gifts. Showing them in tangible ways how much I treasure our relationship is definitely my love language.

It’s so easy during this time of year to get caught up in the busyness of the season. Buying presents, sending out cards, Christmas parties, holiday baking…… I’ll admit, I sometimes find myself getting sucked into all of it as well. This year, since I was relying on everyone else for rides to get presents, I was getting really starting to get stressed out that it all wouldn’t get done. In the craziness, I had to step back and remember what the TRUE meaning of the season is. Sure, it’s fun to take part of the hustle and bustle, but really this season is so much more than this.

TREASURE the precious moments you have with your loved ones and friends. I know that this year has been financially tough on many- DON’T stress about the presents. Those who are around you {who truly care about you} don’t want things, they want quality time and moments to create memories. How do I know? Every loved one around me has said these words to me.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting a list of some special things you can do {with young and old} to create memories. They won’t necessarily be things just for the Christmas season- there will be things that can be done throughout the year as well.

I’m hoping each of you will join me tomorrow- you can help list items that I missed! :) I hope you all are enjoying this special holiday season this year. So glad you decided to spend a little bit of time with me today!

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……

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?