|

Christmas Blog Hop

Good morning!!
Boy, am I excited about today! I just love the DeNami Blog Hops….they are so much fun and I always love going through all of the blogs! If you started from the beginning, you should be coming from Ayana’s blog. (Love that girl!) Just in case you get lost, or start mid-way, be sure to visit the DeNami Design blog– there’s a list of all the participants (and the details of the hop).
When I originally came up with the theme for this month, I had an idea of what I wanted to do. Well, with work being crazy lately, that didn’t exactly turn out. After browsing through my stash of stamps, I came across the adorable Santa hat from the Ho-Ho-Holidays stamp set. I then saw the Playful Puppies stamp set and went to town.
I was originally only going to do a row of puppies, but I couldn’t help but try to make a pyramid. Once I did it, I knew I *had* to keep it. Seriously, doesn’t this make you smile? Honestly, the part that took the longest was choosing what puppy I want to use. :)
As you can see from this picture, I stamped some adorable snowflakes from the Holiday stamp set. I don’t know if I’ve ever used these stamps before, but I seriously love them now. Definitely going to be using this set again SOON!
Well, enough of my ramblings…you’re probably ready to head to the next stop, which is Vera’s blog.  She always has adorable cards, so I know you’re in for a treat. Be sure to leave a comment on each blog for the highest chance of winning a gift certificate. (Plus, you’ll be brightening all the blog posters days!) :)
Have a fabulous rest of your Sunday!
Ink: Timber Brown, Sea Breeze
Other: Red grosgrain, Spellbinders scallop squares die, brown pen, twine, Copics

Let’s try this again

Oh goodness, even just typing that title was painful. Yup, you probably guessed it, I’m getting back to the gym….

For those who’ve been reading my blog, you know that I had a trainer and was a “gym rat” for a good 6 months or so. I was at the place where I was seeing results and actually LIKED going to the gym. (Who thought that could happen?!) Well, with some big deadlines for work and just the busyness of life, I set aside the gym. I thought it’d be for a month, maybe two at the max. Well, it has been a good SIX months since I was completely committed to losing weight. After the deadlines, I needed “me” time and then proceeded to come up with a ton of excuses for not going to the gym. Still kicking myself for this. :(

Today I have a session with my new trainer. Sadly, during the time I was away, my old trainer went off to school. I don’t deal with change all that well, so it’ll take me a while to warm up to this new person. She seems super sweet, but has a completely different style than my old trainer. It’s not a bad thing, just something I will have to get used to. Anyways….we had our first session today. It was SUPPOSED to be 30 minutes, but we only were able to do 15 minutes. Why? Cause I’m so out of shape that I felt SICK when my body started lifting weights. Yes, literally sick. I was so embarrassed and also mad at myself. How was I in such good shape and now I’m back to the very beginning? Thankfully she was understanding and didn’t make me feel pathetic. (I was already thinking this enough for the both of us.)

I’m going to try to get back into a routine of going to the gym 4-6 times a week again. Really hoping that I’ll continue to stay motivated…these pants are starting to get snug and I don’t want to go back to my “fat jeans”. I had set a goal to lose weight this year, and I did. However, I gained it all back! I think these extra 20 pounds love me a little too much…..

Hanukkah DeNami Style

Hello there!
Today I have a first here on my blog…..my first Hanukkah card post! Recently my sweet friend (and fellow DeNami DT member) Michele created a Hanukkah card. I was so inspired, that I wanted to create a few myself! It’s always hard to find inspiration for this occasion, so we thought we’d both dedicate posts to Hanukkah today. 
This first card has all the elements that I LOVE in a card- rhinestones, ribbons, buttons and a great image. I think the Menorah is such a beautiful image; and it’s also perfect for a focal point! I did something I rarely do, I embossed! Makes this card just a tad bit more special. :)
I love how this picture captures the true sparkle that the Silver rhinestones bring to the card. **Just in case any of you want to know, I use Versamark for all of my embossing, then my favorite DeNami embossing powders. **
This next card is on the simple side, but I love it just the same. I ,once again, used the Menorah as my focal point. (What can I say, it’s an awesome image!)  I *had* to create some sort of patterned background, so I used the Mini Star and made a quick patterned paper.
I just had to add some sparkle to the “flames”, so I used more Silver rhinestones. I love the way it turned out- I’m gonna try it next time I stamp a birthday cake!
I had SO much fun making these cards, and can’t wait to send them! Do you have some Jewish friends or family members? I know they’d love to receive a special card- especially since this holiday tends to get overlooked by the busyness of Christmas. 
Be sure to visit Michele’s blog for her Hanuakkah card.It is truly A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. When I first saw it, I literally was taken aback- that girl never ceases to amaze me!
Thanks for spending some time with me today! I hope you were inspired!
Paper: White, Brown Kraft, Navy, Blueberry Sky (PTI)
Ink: Majestic Blue, Versamark
Other: Silver embossing powder, Silver rhinestones, Lemon Tart twill, button, Spellbinders Labels 9 die
Paper: White, Brown Kraft, Navy, Blueberry Sky (PTI)

Turtle Friends

Hello there!
May I announce now that I am O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D? Yup, enough to where I even added the dashes in between the letters! At work I’ve been swamped with a ton of projects, so naturally when I get home, crafting is the last thing on my mind. Honestly, the only thing that I think about constantly is sleep. *wink* These next few weeks (or possibly months?) I’ll do my best to post often.
Today’s card features Harold’s ABC’s, Bannerific and Critters in the Sea by Lawn Fawn. I wanted to create a happy card since well, friends generally make you happy. :) I thought the rays from You’re Dandy (by Practicing Creativity) would be PERFECT for this card. Did you notice the sparkles on the waves? I added some glitter and boy, does it sparkle in real life!
I hope this card brought some sunshine into your day. Here in Washington it’s been really dreary and cold- really makes me wish I could jump into this card! :)
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!

Stamps: You’re Dandy, Harold’s ABC’s, Bannerific, Critters in the Sea (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: White, Sky Blue, Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Summer Sunrise (PTI)
Other: Quickie Glue Pen, Blue Ice glitter, Copics

Friends to the End

Good morning! 
I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was filled with good food, time with family and friends, and I even got some chores around the house finished! Didn’t get very much crafting done, going through another spell of not feeling creative…..hopefully that will change soon!
Today I have a sweet Mimi card to share. For those new to DeNami Design, we have a huge selection of Mimi images- each of them so unique and fun! (Click here to view the line) For this card, I featured the Girls on the Go stamp. I always love coloring these designs, this one was particularly fun since I used my Copics. :)
I hope you all have a great start to your week. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Stamps: Girls on the Go, Mega Mixed Messages, Background Basics: Retro (PTI)
Paper: White, Sweet Blush, Smokey Shadow (PTI)
Ink: Jet Black, Smoky Grey
Other: Spellbinder Labels 1 die, Copics
|

2 in 1

Good morning!
It’s not very often that I have the time, to play in challenges outside of my DT responsibilities. However, I’m all caught up on my projects and really wanted to make something for a challenge. Well, I found TWO that I waned to play with, so I combined them into one card. I followed the yummy colors of this weeks Play Date Cafe Challenge #54, and then the Taylored Expressions Sketch #133.
I had a hard time choosing which stamps I wanted to use- there are so many! I finally decided on the Round Leafy Tree for my focal point (by DeNami Design), then stamped the Harlequin Border and Polka Dot Background for my “patterned papers”. On the sketch, there were some circles on the right side, so I decided to use some yummy Champagne Rhinestones. Once they were put against the coral paper, it looked like they were the same color!
 
I’m hoping this creative bug will stick around for a while so I can play in some more challenges! :) Thanks so much for visiting my blog, and leaving some love!
Paper: White, Brown Kraft, Spring Moss, Melon Berry (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Spring Moss, Tea Dye Duo (PTI)
Other: Champagne rhinestones, Melon Berry grosgrain, SU! scallop border punch, twine
|

DeNami Color Challenge #5

**Sorry for the delay- for some reason Blogger didn’t post this at the scheduled time!**
Happy Friday to you!
It’s time for a brand new color challenge on the DeNami blog! The other day I was trying to think of what my favorite challenges are, and I think I would have to say they are color ones. There are some super unique color combos, then there are some ones that you would actually use on a card. *wink* Today we have one of those for you……
I’m still on a kick of using the Cornstalks, if you couldn’t tell. There’s something about this image that I really love. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I rarely see cornstalks here in Washington. Or maybe it’s because I love coloring them. Yes, I do believe it’s the latter. ;)
I used the Harlequin Border to create my background, then the Autumn stamp set for the panel behind the corn. All of these stamps are so versatile- that’s probably why I keep coming back to them!  To finish off the card, I added just a few Espresso Boutique Buttons to the corners. LOVE the colors in this pack so much!
Be sure to visit the DeNami blog for all the details, along with links to the other DT blogs- they made some super pretty things!  As usual, there are 10 days to join in on the fun. We can’t wait to see what YOU create!
Paper: White, Brown Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Ripe Avocado, Tea Dye Duo (PTI)
Other: Orange grosgrain, Espresso Boutique Buttons, Copics, Spellbinders Labels 17 die

Happy Christmas

**This is my second post today. Scroll down for my OTWC post.**
It’s the final day of the Practicing Creativity sneak peeks. Are you excited about the sets releasing tonight? I’m sure you are overflowing with ideas; the DT has brought so many beautiful creations!
Today Courtney challenged us to create something other than a card. Oh, such a hard thing for me to do. I am such a cardmaker; it takes so much brain power to think of creating other things. I decided to make some fun favor boxes- perfect for handing out at Christmas parties and such. These boxes have a bunch of sets, as you can see below. :)
Background: Retro Christmas Backgrounds & Everyday Prints
Polka Dot Tree: Retro Christmas
“Happy” sentiment: You’re the Man
“Christmas” sentiment: Everyday Prints
If you’ve been following my posts with PCD each month, I almost make it my mission to see how many sets I can get onto one card/ project. It’s so fun! That’s the beauty of the sets; they can intermix so easily!
In closing, I want to mention that today Courtney is giving away a ribbon prize- how fun is that?There are so many new ribbons she is releasing- so beautiful! I can’t wait to pull out my little stash and play. :)
Well, I hope you’ve had fun these past few days with the sneak peeks! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving me some love, sweet blog friends. I’ll see you tomorrow with my card for the new DeNami challenge!
Stamps: Retro Christmas Backgrounds, Retro Christmas, You’re the Man, Everyday Prints (releases 11/5)
Paper: White,Ripe Avocado (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Satin Red, Ripe Avocado, Tea Dye Duo (PTI)
Other:Small Gift Box templates
|

DeNami + OTWC challenge

Happy Thursday to you!
Today I’m excited to be bringing you this fall card, which was inspired by the brand new OTWC challenge #32. Kim does such a lovely job with her challenge site, each week bringing new sponsors and fun prizes. This week, we (DeNami Design) are the sponsors. A few of my fellow DeNami DT girls were excited that Kim invited us to play along; who could pass up these yummy colors?

As you know, I can’t get enough of the Large Winter Tree. It’s so versatile and fun to use! Here in Washington almost all of the trees are bare now, so I thought it’d be fun to reflect that on  this card. Then, since Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, I *had* to add the cute pumpkins from the Autumn stamp set.
Be sure to stop by these fellow DeNami DT blogs:
Hope you’ll get to play along in the challenge! Can’t wait to see what you create. :)
Paper: White, Simply Chartreuse, Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Versamark, Simply Chartreuse (PTI)
Other: Quickie Glue Pen, Desert Orange glitter, Orange Zest grosgrain, brown pen

Rejoice

Good morning!
Today I am excited to be bringing you a card featuring “Rejoice” one of the new sets by Practicing Creativity. This set is great for your inside/ outside cards, something that I struggle with. However, with these great sentiments, it’s easy as 1-2-3! 
For the front of the card, I combined Retro Christmas Backgrounds and Rejoice. I think they go together beautifully, don’t you? Love the star- it makes such a great background.   
On the inside of my card, I used the outline star along with a beautiful verse. So many times it’s easy to get caught up in the commercial side of Christmas- it’s so great to get back to the TRUE meaning of the holiday. This set also has some other great sentiments; the other DT girls will show you that! 
Isn’t this a great set? Be sure to visit the other PCD DT blogs for even more peeks at the set! Courtney is giving away this set, so you’ll definitely want to stop by her blog.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! I’ll see you tomorrow for a peek at the other set- you won’t want to miss it!
Stamps: Retro Christmas Backgrounds, Rejoice (releases 11/5)
Paper: White, Spring Moss, Blueberry Sky
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Spring Moss, Fresh Snow (PTI)
Other: Dark Chocolate twill, Prima flower, SU! scallop border punch