Everyone loves a challenge

What is it about scrapbookers that makes us love a good challenge? Is it our creative juices or are we all just a little bit competitive? Either way, it's fun, and I've got a great new challenge for you. Check out this sketch by Sarah de Guzman:



It's the Imaginisce sketch challenge for August, and it's a really fun sketch to work with. Here's what I came up with.


I used the brand-new Apple Cider collection from Imaginisce -- love how this line can have a masculine look -- along with a Jillibean soup journaling spots and some of my beloved baker's twine.

Check out the rules for the August sketch challenge on the Imaginisce Blog and start working on your entry. This company is very generous with the prize packages, and here's a chance to get yours. Just follow the instructions on their blog, and be sure to leave a comment!

Also, for a little more inspiration (and more chances to win), be sure to HOP on over to the other Imaginisce design team members' blogs to see their take on the sketch. Leave a comment on each blog for an additional entry into the giveaway:

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with your latest challenge!

CHA...a crafter's paradise!

Just got back from Chicago this afternoon, and I was pretty sad to leave. It's not that I didn't get to see a lot of stuff -- I walked the whole show SEVERAL times! I think it was the wonderful people I met and the atmosphere of being surrounded by hundreds of folks who get just as giddy as I do over paper and cutting tools -- that's what I really miss now that I'm back.


That's me on the left with Lori Allred (Imaginisce Design Team Coordinator) and my fellow design team member Liz Qualman, sporting our blinged out i-rock aprons at the Make and Take table. We had such a great crowd...thanks to all those who stopped by!

The Imaginisce booth looked awesome (check out the photos here), and the i-rock tool was a big hit. It was fun to watch people in the Make and Take getting just as addicted to this little tool as I am. Once they started adding the stones, they couldn't stop.

I was fortunate to have plenty of time to venture outside the Imaginisce booth. Here are some things that caught my eye:


I loved this display of the new Dear Lizzy collection (and yes, Elizabeth Kartchner was there promoting it).


These flowers in the old soda bottles are going to have me scouring junk and antique stores for the next several months. On second thought, this sounds like an assignment for my mother-in-law. Oh, Susan...

As for my favorite new find at the show, I'm going to go with Epiphany Crafts.


Not only did they have the cutest booth (and they have the CHA award to prove it!), they have this fun little gadget that makes epoxy buttons and "pebbles" using your own paper, photos or printouts.


And if you want to go a step further, you can attach the finished pebbles to one of these layered felt flowers and snap it onto a ring, headband or barrette. Yes, this is a must-have for my house o' girls.


I also loved the Websters Pages booth. Check out these gorgeous window boxes with the big paper flowers:


And I'll end with a couple of photos of the Making Memories area. I was blown away by the detail in these displays:


The photo really doesn't do this justice. All of the leaves on this tree (which had a real tree trunk with live bark) were cut from the new Paper Reverie collection. Gorgeous colors: deep reds, vibrant yellow gold, black, cream.


This is the Je T'Adore collection. I remember just enough French to know that means "I Love You," and I loved this little scene they created. I didn't see anyone sit in those chair or dive into those delectable looking cupcakes (which were also made of paper), but I know I wasn't the only one who was tempted.

My first CHA was everything I hoped and then some. Can't wait 'til the next one!

Notice anything new?

If you're a regular visitor, you might be thinking you're in the wrong place. My blog got a bit of a makeover this week. The fabulous Kristina Proffitt (of Two Happy Mamas) created the design, and I love it!

Only one more sleep until I leave for CHA, and excited doesn't begin to describe how I'm feeling. I've spent the past three days working on this (which I'll be sporting on Tuesday):


I found the hot pink tricot trim at JoAnn and fell in love with it immediately. I was crazy enough to think I could hand-sew it onto the pocket, but I failed to remember that my hand-stitching ability is, well, pathetic. I somehow got it done, but the underside looks like my 6-year-old did it. Maybe that's the story I'll stick with. She'll never know, right?


On the upside, I've gotten so good at the i-rock that I didn't even burn myself this time. Pretty impressive for a klutz like me.


If you're at CHA on Tuesday afternoon, stop by the Imaginisce booth and say hi! I'll be doing a Make 'N Take with Liz Qualman from 3 to 5 pm. I'd love to meet you!

Cool

Another week, another Imaginisce Release Party! (Hmmm, almost like CHA is nearby...)

This week's release is the holiday line: Cottage Christmas

Not sure about the rest of you, but we've got plenty of hot weather to spare in Texas. So much that when I saw the new snowflake crystals in the Cottage Christmas collection, I went a little snow-crazy!


I loved them so much, I started experimenting a bit. On this one, I sprayed Glimmer Mist (in Starfish) and, while the mist was still wet, I sprinkled on some clear glitter. It turned out with a sugary, sprinkle effect (think sugar cookies with red sprinkles...yum!).


And yes, that is an irock crystal in the middle of the snowflake! Can't get enough of that little tool. Love adding blingy accents with the glam rocks to finish off a project.


Kinda makes me wish for a snow day. Or even a snow cone.

If you're loving this collection as much as I do, check out the Imaginisce blog for a chance to win it! Giveaways are happening all week -- plenty of chances to win!

Make a Wish!

One last Birthday Bash project to share, and it's a "trash-to-treasure" project.


I had a white store gift bag stashed away and thought it would be fun to give it a new life. I added some patterned paper to cover the logo, then I changed out the handles with matching ribbon and added some beads for a little touch of fun. I also added the Make a Wish springy sticker to the corner and voila: new gift bag!

The votive has been sitting on my desk for a while. I got it for free when I was hosting a party and it had a logo sticker on it. I peeled off the sticker and gave it a good cleaning, then applied rub-ons from the Birthday Bash collection. Simple and fun.

Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment for last weeks' giveaway. I loved reading about your favorite birthday gifts.

And the winner of the Birthday Bash prize pack is...

cindyj said...
Wow...I love finding new great blogs to follow and would love to win these goodies! :) Love what you've done with this new line! My favorie birthday day gift was a new bike when I was 11! Banana seat and all! LOL...yes...long long ago! ;)
July 8, 2010 7:32 AM

Cindy, please email me at robmab at yahoo dot com and I will get your prize in the mail this week. Congratulations!!

Party On!! --- with a GIVEAWAY!

My mom likes birthdays almost as much as I do. But her birthday is two days before Christmas, so we joke that she has a "birthday season" that starts at the beginning of December and goes right through New Year's -- because everyone is so preoccupied with Christmas that she gets presents before, after and on her actual birthday.

So in the spirit of "birthday seasons," I'm keeping the party going throughout July with lots more birthday-themed projects using the new Birthday Bash line from Imaginisce. Today I have a quick and easy birthday card for you.


Aren't those rolled paper candles SWEET?! I deconstructed the "Let's Celebrate" paper ribbon banner because I wanted to use the letters by themselves. I love how they're all different sizes and colors.

Have you checked out the release party projects on the Imaginisce Blog this week? Our Design Team has done so many fun things with this collection!

Ready to win some Birthday Bash goodies of your own? Become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already) and leave a comment below telling me the best birthday present you ever received. Entries will close at noon on Sunday, July 11, and I'll randomly choose a winner that evening to receive a full set of Birthday Bash papers, plus some of the fun embellishments from this line!
Good luck! And party on!!!

It's a Birthday Bash!

It's July, and someone is having a birthday this month. Any guesses? Oh wait...just remembered that I stopped having birthdays somewhere around the 29-mark. (But I still accept presents...I'm not stupid.)

In honor of my birthday month, Imaginisce released a birthday-themed line! Wasn't that cool of them? Well, okay. It was sort of coincidental. But I appreciate it just the same. And this week, they're doing the official "release party" -- so what better time to show off the projects I've been working on!

Since my birthday is a few weeks away, I decided to use this oh-so-cute line on the photos from my 4-year-old's birthday party. Let's face it: they're a lot cuter than any photos of my birthday festivities will be.


Notice the subtle i-rock bling on the letters? It's my "go-to" tool every time I need that last little bit of oomph on a layout.


And the red glossy cardstock I used on the die-cut letters? It's the backing that came with the rub-ons. I love it more than any piece of chipboard or cardstock I had in my stash. And I'm saving the planet, right?


And this one features one of my all-time favorite pics...blowing out the candles on those same yummy cupcakes...


After seeing the handmade banners all over scrappy-land this year, it's kinda fun to have some pre-made versions. Imaginisce calls them "paper ribbon."

Check back tomorrow for more Birthday Bash projects. Because the best parties are the ones that keep on going, right?