Blog Hop Madness!!!!

 Hello there friends of all things beautiful, lovely and inspiring!  I'm so glad you stopped by today as we are having a super fun Blog Hop with Lily Bee Design.  If you're coming in order, than you've just arrived here from  the fabulous Melissa Mann's Blog.  In case you didn't get to that, let me give you the full list of hoppers for today.

Deanna Misner
Melissa Mann
Ursula Schneider (you are HERE!)
Becky Williams
Lily Bee Design blog

Now, as you know, there is always a good reason for a Blog Hop!  This week, we're celebrating Lily Bee Designs Fourth Birthday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY BEE DESIGN!!!!! 

And I bet you know that there are usually prizes involved for hopping around excited with all of (in a celebretory manner of course!)

Now on with the blog hop. We have a lot of chances for you to win a prize package from Lily Bee each day of the hop! Here’s what you need to do to be eligible to win:

• Follow the Lily Bee Design blog
• Leave a comment on each designer’s blog
• Leave a comment on the Lily Bee Design blog telling us what your favorite new embellishments are from our collections 

• Bonus entry opportunities:
  • Like Lily Bee Design on Facebook 
  • Follow Lily Bee Design on Instagram and tag yourself and at least one friend on the Lily Bee Design blog hop photo.
  • Follow Lily Bee Design on Twitter and Tweet or Re-Tweet the blog hop info
  • Follow Lily Bee design on Pinterest
  • Pin any of this week’s design team projects that have inspired you, tagging #lilybeedesign so we can easily find the entries.

That’s a lot of ways to win! Plus, since this is a 3-day blog hop with new projects every day, there's even more chances if you participate in our hop tomorrow and go back to yesterday's as well! You have until Sunday March 3, 2013 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced next week!

Since today is card Wednesday, we've all created some fun cards to help make the celebration complete.  Here are my offerings.

Lily Bee Supplies Used (Victoria Park: 6x6 Paper Pad, Persnickety: 6x6 Paper Pad, ABC Cardstock Stickers, Christmas Cheer: 6x6 Paper Pad, Buttercup: 6x6 Paper Pad, Double Dutch: 6x6 Paper Pad)

I got happy with confetti for this first one.  In order to create a cellophane bag, I simply used packaging from some scrap item or another and sewed it inside the pocket in the size I needed.  Super easy to do.

I die cut the card on my Silhouette SD to get the balloon shape and Celebrate word and then added patterned paper behind them.

This one is an invitation.  Die cut a question mark that has options for two patterned papers.  Glue them together, add gold leafing pen around the edges and around the edges of the card.  Add gold mist droplets and sequins and Voila!

Lily Bee Supplies used: Persnickety (Patterned paper, ABC Cardstock Stickers, ABC Mixed Cardstock Stickers) Christmas Cheer: (Patterned Paper, Acrylic Stamps)

Thanks so much for celebrating with us today.  Make sure and complete the hop and leave lots of comments for your chance to win!  And don't forget to check at Lily Bee Design tomorrow for the final round!

A Valentine's Card

Hey there.  Time has slipped by me lightning fast this week.  Here it is already Wednesday and this is my first post.  Oh well, better late then never.

Are you late getting those Valentine's Day cards made??

I have a quick share for you today.  Quick as in, I don't have tons to say but I have a Valentine's Day card idea to share that is super quick to make!

I used a Tim Holtz Sixxix die, Stacked Words: Valentine's to create this card along with some white and red cardstock, a heart punch, some mist, some ink and a Studio Calico gem.  This card goes together super quick but I think it has great impact.

The die I used is all sold out over at Blue Moon Scrapbooking, but you could get a very similar effect using an alphabet die such as this and cutting out a few of the x and o.

(Psst, Blue Moon Scrapbooking has been getting in a ton of the new goodies from CHA including lots of new Crate, Maggie Holmes, Amy Tangerine, Studio Calico and so much more!)

Ok, back to the regularly scheduled programming.

All you need to do is cut your shapes out of white cardstock, with exception to one of them, which you'll cut from Red Cardstock.  Mist one using red and pink mists.  Ink one using a very pale pink ink.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad SPUN SUGAR.  Line them up along the edge of your card and glue them down. 

Finish by punching a small heart shape.  Add a foam dot (these are my favorites) to pop it up and glue it in the center of the red 'O'.  Add a gem to the heart and you all are set.

You can do this concept using a variety of shapes.  Hearts, the word 'LOVE'.  Really, the possibilities are endless.  Have fun!

Hello Friday -- Time's flying

This week seems to have sailed by much quicker than I imagined possible.  I've been MIA haven't I?

Well, that is ok, I've enjoyed a week off so to speak.  I think I may have over-crafted myself so I took a week break and did some other things that needed attending too.

But I did find this little card that had been overlooked, so I'll just share that with you today!

That 'Oh' is stamped from a retired Studio Calico stamp set which I scored quite some time ago.  I think it's called Natalie, but I'm not sure of that.

The banner is created by folding various washi tapes over a piece of twine and cutting a bit of shape into them.  Tapes courtesy of Freckled Fawn!

Fun and simple!  Oh Happy Day!  Hope you are having one today!

Hello Friday -- A card to share

Quick post today.  I'm sharing a sweet little card I made using the Persnickety Line for Lily Bee Design. 

I like it when a card can be used for most anything and this is an example of that.

I added layers of clouds to create depth.

And wavy stitching to create the idea of the movement of the clouds across the sky.

The ABC card-stock stickers have so many you can easily create a whole sentence.  Love that.

Here's hoping you are having an 'On Cloud Nine' kind of day!

Happy Birthday to Mama!

Yesterday was my beautiful mother's birthday, so of course, there needed to be a card. If you know me, you know that I don't often make cards.  Somehow I have a tough time getting inspired for them.  I can't quite figure out why that is.

At any rate, I DID get inspired this time around and here is the result.







I recently picked up the box full of happiness that Sassafras Lass has been offering on their blog.  I am sorry to report that they are all sold out now, but I did get my hands on one of each.  So, since I have such a collection of Sass goodness, what better products to use then they.

I have been collecting Sass papers for.....well....a very long time and I pulled out one from the earlier collections because it was so darn pretty all by itself.  I cut out a bit with a journaling spot and folded it over my card base.

After that, I simply layered some of their flowers, stuck a bird pin into the flower, cut a couple of borders with a border punch, a heart with my new layered heart punch and added some words.  Oh, and don't forget that adorable Elle's Studio Birthday banner tag. Love that.

Always good to use the stash!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Oh, and don't forget that there is still a little time left on my fun little giveaway.

A bit about Inspiration

I thought I'd share a bit about how I get inspired.  I have to admit that there is no hard and fast rule for me, but lately, things have had a very Pinteresting vibe goin' on.

If you haven't heard about Pinterest then you need to.  It's a fabulous site where brilliant people from everywhere share images from all over the internet that they think are interesting.  It's a sort of pinboard where you can pin your favorites onto particular boards of your own.  You can make your own boards, or if you find a particularly savvy individual on Pinterest keeps pinning all your favorite things, you can simply follow them. 

It's a wonderful world.

Recently, while I was have a yellow and grey pinning fest, I came across this image.

Isn't it gorgeous!? 

Well I thought it was quite inspiring and so I shared it with some of my friends on Studio Calico where we are working on a Layout a Week Challenge.  Everyone is using the piece I chose to create a layout.  For this one, I was really inspired by the clusters of flowers and so I came up with three different projects as a result.  You've already seen them but I'll share the pics again so that you don't have to hunt them down.  

Anticipate

She's Determined To Move

Celebrate You Card

So that is a small peek into how I get inspired.  Maybe you'll be inspired by that gorgeous cluster of 9!?  If you are, I hope you'll let me know what you end up making!

A wee Card

I've been trying to be motivated to make more cards (as per my previous post) but I am afraid I kind of stink at it.(meaning I stink at doing it very often)  I think it may be partly because I don't look at enough cards for inspiration.

I know that when I am looking at project and layout galleries I get really inspired.  Maybe I need to subscribe to Scrapbook Trends Cards eh.

How do you get inspired to create cards?  Tell me all your tips and secrets so that I can learn from all you expert card-makers!

For now, take a peek at my latest card.

This particular card was very much inspired by this layout!  I made the layout and had the negative cut-outs from the flowers.  I took a look at those and thought, 'Now wouldn't that make a fun card!  And voila!  What do you think?

Foray into Cardmaking!

We'll see how this adventure turns out.   I recently decided that I know a lot of ladies who could use a pick me up now and then.  I also know a lot of pretty fantastic things about many of those ladies. With that in mind, I decided that I should begin making cards and sending off one a week to a lady I think is pretty special.  It will have a personalized note and my hope is that these ladies will know and believe that they are valuable and loved.

So, here is my very first card intended for a special friend.  I am going to be looking at card blogs and magazines to get more ideas but this is my start.  Tell me what you think.

I picked up a pack of true kraft cardstock from Rebinder's and that is the base of the card.  Then I added some 7gypsies stamps and some paper from one of my kits and, voila!  a simple design.  Hope you enjoy!