La-La Land Crafts Blog Hop - New Releases!!!

Hello! Welcome to the INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH THE NEW RELEASE Blog Hop for La-La Land Crafts!! We are introducing to you NINE new images from La-La Land Crafts!! This is a sneak peak type of Blog Hop. The stamps will be available on January 20th, but are available to pre-order now in the online store!!

Each of the Design Team members and Guest Designers has made a card featuring one of the new stamps. And here is the treat for you!! There is Blog Candy being given away on every blog!! Just follow the order of the Blog Hop and leave a comment on every blog that you visit for a chance to win the stamp featured on that blog!!

Then go back to the La-La Land Crafts blog for one more chance at winning. Leave a comment there and the winner will receive a stamp of their choice! We will draw the winners on Tuesday, January 12th at around 10 pm PST.

If you arrived here from Jane's blog, then you are on the right track. If you want to start from the beginning, go to the La-La Land Crafts blog to start the hop.

Now, without further ado, here is the image I am sampling, Birthday Maya:

Don't you just LOVE Maya? I decided she was perfect for the Hope Springs Eternal Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #40, so I whipped out an old TE Key Ingredients kit and went to work! I just love love love those brads! They... and the DP...are by Doodlebug Designs.

Edited to add: I won Top 5 for this challenge at Hope Stamps Eternal!!! Thanks Rachel!!!

And here she is, all dressed up and ready for the party!!!


Now, on you go to my friend Kim's blog! Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win Birthday Maya! Enjoy the hop!

Love You Lots!

Hello my friends! Is this not one of the cutest images you've ever seen!!! It's from Eskimo Kisses, a new mini stamp set being released by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps on Thursday, January 7th. I just love love love this cute stamp and the three sweet sayings it comes with! You can get peeks at the other five stamp sets being released on Thursday at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog.

My card follows Sketch Challenge 261 at Splitcoaststampers. So fun! The DP is from Papertrey Ink (Rustic Snowflakes).

I realize this is a short post today, but I've only got a few minutes during my lunch hour at work. It's taking me a couple of days to get fully back in the swing of things.

Please join me tomorrow for a blog hop you won't want to miss!!!

Have a wonderful day!

A Birthday Card for Cameron, and a Pretty Flower Girl

Believe it or not, this is my third post for today. Please scroll down for the other two, including this week's card for Stampin' Sisters in Christ.

I tried... I really did. I wanted to complete all of the 12 Days of Sketches at Splendid Stamping With The Greeting Farm, but I didn't pace myself properly. It was about 4:30 this afternoon (Pacific time), when I was half-way through my 10th of 12, that I realized there was no way I'd finish them all on time for the drawing without doing a total slap-up job, and I'm just not up to that. So I took a break and took a nap! Hahahaha! It was bliss... because tomorrow, it's back to work and the so-called "normal" routine after two fabulous weeks at home.

My son Avery needs a birthday card for a friend, so I used My Guy Ian.

This was also a good excuse to use that metal sheet and emboss it with my CB folder to make a more masculine card. Avery was a little worried when I said I'd make Cameron a card... he's seen so many of my "girly" cards, he probably thought I'd make something too goofy for his friend. But he likes it! I think it's the metal that got him. In his words, "cool!" Plus, of course, I kept the embellies to a minimum.

This card was based on Sketch 6 by my blogging buddy Cindy Haffner. I LOVE her art, and I LOVE her sketches! The DP is from the Mr. Campy collection by Cosmo Cricket. I can't remember where I got the metal sheets, but the screw brads are from GinaK.



My next card features one of the new Miss Anyas from the Miss Anya Love collection. I LOVE her hair! And, of course, I love anything with flowers.


This follows Sketch 7 by the amazing Jessica Diedrich. The DP is from a past Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients kit, but you can still get the paper... the Feeling Groovy Collection.

I got half-way finished with a card based on Sketch 11, which I'll finish and post another day. And who knows? I may still do the other two sketches. Why not? It's been fun!

But first, stay tuned for a sneak peek of some ADORABLE new stamps being released on January 7th from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps AND a wonderful new set coming soon from Waltzingmouse Stamps, and nine... count 'em nine... new stamps coming from La-La Land Crafts (huge blog hop with lots of prizes coming up on Wednesday!).

As they say, we now return to our regular programming. Be sure and check back for a week of fun!!!

Just a Hello... and aaahhh....

This is my second post for today. To see my post for Stampin Sisters in Christ, please scroll down. Thanks!
Hello again! I'm just popping in quickly to post the other two cards I finished yesterday for the 12 Days of Sketches at Splendid Stamping With The Greeting Farm.

The first is for Sketch 12 by my pal Jessica Diedrich. I had to square mine off to accommodate this SWEET digi image called Chibi Lolli. Isn't she adorable!!! I colored her up to match the DP... Winnie's Walls by SEI, part of a sold-out Key Ingredients Kit from Taylored Expressions. I'm definitely going to play with Lolli (and her friends) again... they are just so cute and fun to color!

My next card is for Sketch 4 by sketch master Mercy Kerin!

This is what I plan to do after I finish all the sketch challenges! These adorable image are from Me Time Anya. I was actually thinking of my friend Lisa when I made this card. This is exactly what she needs with a new baby in the house.

A natural match was the Spa Key Ingredients kit.

Okay, back to my craft room I go! Wish me luck! It's a race with the clock!

A New Creation!

It's time for our very first challenge of the new year at Stampin' Sisters in Christ, and the key to this week's challenge is "NEW," as in new life in Christ.

Our hostess this week is Laurie Gatton, and she chose as the inspiration scripture 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" All I can say is Amen, and Amen! There truly is new life in Christ, my friends. A life in which you experience peace that passes all understanding.

The challenge is to make a card or project celebrating the birth of a new baby or the "birth" of a new Christian.

As you may know, I'm determined to finish all of the 12 Days of Sketches at Splendid Stamping With The Greeting Farm. My card follows Sketch 10. I printed the challenge scripture on vanilla cardstock and then stamped the little deer from Forest Friends next to it. The DP is October Afternoon from the Farm Fresh collection, and the felt butterfly is from Heidi Swapp.

I have 7 cards done and 5 to go. Do you think I can make it? It's been a long time since I've made five cards in one day, but I'm determined to try. After all, what better way to spend my last day off before the normal routine of work (and school for the kids) starts tomorrow?

I'll be back soon!

Happy Birthday Irina!!!

Woo hoo!! Today is a VERY special day... Irina's Birthday!!! For those who may not know, Irina is the owner of La-La Land Crafts. She is the sweetest, most talented lady you would ever want to meet. I'm blessed to know her and work with her as part of her Design Team...and the feeling is mutual, as current and past members of her Design Team are holding a special blog hop today in Irina's honor!

If you arrived here from Kathy's blog, you're on the right track. Otherwise, click on over to the La-La Land Crafts Blog to start from the beginning. You won't want to miss this treat!

Without further ado, here is the card I made for Irina:

I know I've said this before, but seriously, I think Fairy Lala is my favorite (*grin*)! She is so much fun to color, probably because you can color her hair any color and bling her up as much as you want. No wonder people love fairies! I used Shimmerz paint to color her wings, and added glitter to her dress, wand and hair for added sparkle. The sketch is Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #54.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRINA!
FAIRY LALA IS HERE TO GRANT
YOUR BIRTHDAY WISHES!

My wish for you is for a year filled with much happiness, good health and prosperity!

Now, on you go to Katie's blog. Enjoy!

Sassy Suzi and Emmett

Hi everyone! I hope you're enjoying the first day of the new year. My friends overseas are already into Day 2. Yikes, time is already flying! {LOL}

I'm just popping in for a quick post to share two more cards I've completed for the 12 Days of Sketches at Splendid Stamping with The Greeting Farm. The first is based on Sketch 5 by Mercy Kerin (love her sketches!).

My card features the adorable Sassy Suzi, designed by one of my best buddies and La-La Land Crafts Design Teammate Kim Yu! Kim won the "Design My Sprout" contest at The Greeting Farm a few months ago... I was soooo thrilled and happy for her! I told her I wanted my stamp autographed. Well, she not only autographed one for me, but surprised me with it as a gift for my birthday!! I'm just embarrassed about how long it's taken me to ink her up, but hopefully it was worth the wait. I'm really pleased with how my Sassy Suzi turned out. Thank you Kim!!! This one's for you, girlfriend!

The DP is by October Afternoon from the Farm Fresh and Report Card collections.

My second card is for Jodi Collin's Twi-day Challenge. Behold Emmett Cullen, I mean Dressy Jeremy.
Okay, so I admit I'm not well-versed in all things Twilight, but Jodi's enthusiasm is infectious, so I'm compelled to do these challenges (besides which, of course, I LOVE all things TGF!!!). But I think I need to consult the web before I make my next card to make sure I get the hair right. I checked out The World of Twilight website AFTER making my card, to make sure I got the name right, and realized that I was coloring Emmett, not Jasper, and that he has DARK hair! Please bear with me Jodi! I'll do better next time, I promise!

Of course, now I understand why Emmett has such a "mad face." His quote on The World of Twilight website was "The hell you will. I'm not missing another fight." Now I recall that he was the one who fought to the death with that bad vampire to save Bella in the first Twilight movie.

This card follows Sketch 9 by the sweet and uber- talented Jessica Diedrich. (I wish I had one-tenth of her energy!) The DP is by Cosmo Cricket from the Earth Love collection.

Okay, my friends, I've got 4 done and 8 to go, so I'd better get back to it. I'm determined to finish this challenge, even if I have to stay up all night! Ha! And to those who I owe blog visits and emails, now you know what I'm doing when I should be surfing! Please forgive me!

Thanks for checking in. I'll be back again soon!

Wishing Ewe A Happy New Year!

Woo Hoo!!! Happy New Year!!! I pray that 2010 will be the best year ever for each and every one of us!!!

What better way to start the new crafting year than with a brand new Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!!! And I'm loving this one!

Since this is New Year's Day, I couldn't help but make a New Year's card. This cute digi image and greeting are from Whimsie Doodles. I don't drink very often, but when I do, it's usually a Grey Goose martini straight up with three olives for me! Delicious!

I put a hint of color on the lamb with my B0000 Copic Sketch marker, and then used Cotton Ball White Fun Flock for texture. The DP is from the Farm Fresh collection by October Afternoon (love!). And, yes, that's a hidden tag... which you can see here:

Be sure to hop around to see what the rest of the Sketch Crew has created to inspire you:

Jami Sibley: More is More
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme

Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
and of course Taylor herself: Taylored Expressions

Before you go, I want to wish each and every one of you a blessed New Year. At church last evening, our pastor delivered an awesome message he called "A Magnificent Seven For the New Year." The sermon notes included this quote:

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the years, 'give me a light that I may safely tread into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be unto you better than light and safer than any known way.'" Anonymous

He then shared with us the "magnificent seven," which I list for you here, with the referenced scriptures (I'm not typing out all of the scriptures... I'm hoping you'll decide to look them up... I truly believe you'll be blessed if you do).

1. Travel light (Ephesians 4:26-27) (i.e., lose the baggage)
   
2. Live one day at a time (Matthew 6:33-34)
3. Be kind (Colossians 3:12-14) (and forgiving!)
   
4. Face your problems with faith and courage (1 Peter 5:6-7)
5. If you cannot change your circumstances, change your attitude (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
6. The secret of relaxation (i.e., peace) is essential to health (Psalm 23:1-3)
7. Pray for God's Spirit that you may trust in Him for the future (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

Every single one of these resonated with me, how about you?

Happy New Year my friends!