GIVEAWAY time!

Hi crafty peeps! I had a super nice gal ask if she could send me some of her Washi Tape to work with to help get her business name, Washi Wishes out there. Well... uh, YES! Please do send it! I *LOVE* working with Washi tapes- they are easy, removable, versatile, and add so much to any project. They are a definite must have for any crafter!

So, this is what I made with the generous package of samples that came my way!

This Thank You card was a snap to make and really packs a punch. The flower was easily made by pleating the tape in a circle making a flower. I added a brad and the sentiment is an SRM sticker.

Sometimes, birthday cards for boys are hard for me to create. Well, using some cute boy paper a stamped sentiment and a little Washi Tape at the top- BAM! Done!

My last project is this Christmas tree card. I used the green and yellow and red and yellow striped tape only on this card. However, I got out my Copic markers and colored the yellow stripe. In the tree, I colored it grass green, and in the gifts, chartreuse and prawn. I finished it of with a glittered button at the top of the tree and some sequins and rhinestones at the top of the gifts. Fun and bright!

And for you? Washi Wishes sent me *two* full rolls of tape to giveaway! Yippee!

 Argyle Print

Bright Stripe

Leave a comment below by Saturday and I will randomly choose two people to get a fun roll of Washi Tape in the mail! In the meantime, visit Washi Wishes site and browse through their selection of tapes.

Use the code: Fall Tape Fun to save 10% on your entire order too!
*If you can only choose one roll to purchase... get the green stripe. My fave!

A day late...

And a dollar short. I am so behind that I thought today was Wednesday. If  I were in school, and blogging was a subject, I would get an "F" with comments from the teacher that said, "unorganized, unfocused, tardy and missing assignments." Sheesh... I have been taking week long breaks between posts and that is just unacceptable! I'm going to have to do some extra credit work to make it up to you. Read on...

This is my Jingle Belles card for the week. The challenge was "Deck the Halls" and to use a ATC (artist trading card) or playing card on your handmade card. I printed my own ATC's- vintage kids decorating a snowman. I added it to a shipping tag and embellished with fabric leaves and a button tied with twine.

I mounted the tag to some Basic Grey Jovial paper, added a strip of red and tied some blue seam binding ribbon around it. I added a punched star and a decorative stick pin and it was done.

And now, to try and win your hearts over again (I am not above bribery), let's do a little giveaway. I have made several of these tags and they are for sale in my Etsy shop. You can add them to gifts, scrapbook pages, or like I did above, to a card. I am GIVING AWAY one set of 3 tags.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you will do with the tags and I will choose a winner on Saturday afternoon. I'll be back here tomorrow... I am pre-posting now so I don't get side tracked! :)

Scrapping Everyday Miracles Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Scrapping Everyday Miracles first ever blog hop! If you are coming from Roulien's blog, welcome! If I'm your first stop, see below for the hopping map! I'm proud to say that not only am I their first guest designer, but I'm also sponsoring the first challenge! ;) More on that later!

One everyday miracle that sometimes, I take for granite, is the fact that my three brothers and I are so close. The best part, all of our kids love each other and get so excited to play and spend time with one another! It certainly makes life easy that 9 kids always look forward to seeing each other- and we get together a lot!

I love these pictures of Elan and his cousin, Daniel. Not only are they perfect playmates and cousins, but they are best friends! They rarely stand still long enough to get a photo taken, but I must have been quicker than they were!

So, now it's time to hop... there are tons of chances to win! All you have to do is visit each of the DT's blogs for inspiration, become a follower and leave a comment. There are RAKS to win along the way and if you leave a comment at each blog you could win our grand prize!!!

The Grand Prize is sponsored by Sweet Peach Crop Shop....

My RAK is this cute, bright felt owl to go along with that grand prize! Who-ooo knows, you might win both!

So, here are your instructions:

Click, Follow, Comment, Gain Inspiration, Repeat.

Here's your hopping destinations:

Scrapping Everyday Miracles

Nicole

Elizabeth
Jeannine
Lisa
Kline
Roulien
Amanda {you are here... the last stop!

Polkadot Door Blog Hop + Giveaway!

It's time for the second inspirational blog hop at Polkadot Door Designs! 

Look at this fantastic bit of inspiration:

This is what it inspired me to create:

This is a wedding gift for my cousin who's getting married next week. It's 8x10 and I am going to frame it in a black shadow box.

I made my felt nest using tulle, raffia, blue felt and cut strips of brown. I would *LOVE* for you to have one too! If you are a FOLLOWER and LEAVE A COMMENT, it could be yours!  Straight from my Etsy Shop!

Our sponsors for the Month of June are :

She is providing 3 tags to the winner of our Blog Hop!

Pinkpearlstudio is providing a digital download of scrapbooking goodies to the winner of the Inspiration Challenge!

Polkadot Door Designs is giving away a Scrapbooking kit to our June Featured Designer! Be sure to comment on your favorite project when you finish the blog hop at Polkadot Door Designs!

Here's your Hopping Map! Have fun, get inspired, join in!

Marivic

Jennifer
Valerie
Amanda { you are here!
Diana
Sabrina
Nicole B.
Jennifer G.
Polkadot Door Designs

Giveaway Time!

Hey there, chickadee! Here's a card I made with one of my little felt birds. Sentiment and cloud die cut is from Papertrey Ink. I have been a busy bee cleaning and organizing the studio space. This needed to be done so I can be more productive! Some stuff went into the trash, some into a donation pile and then there's the good stuff... the stamps, embellishments, journaling cards, alpha stickers and such that haven't been used and it's time to say good-bye.

So... my crafty, bloggy friends, this is your chance to get a fun package in the mail from yours truly. The stuff is good- not junk. Lots of Studio Calico and American Crafts. I have two packages to giveaway, and since 2 and 6 are my favorite numbers, that's who's gettin' the goods! If you are commenter number 2 or number 6, the goodies are yours! Good luck!

Halloween Treats

Let me tell you about the treat I found today... Pumpkin Egg Nog! You know it's holiday time when you find Egg Nog at the local grocery store! Woo-hoo! I LOVE the stuff and wished they carried it all year long... now, back to sipping on thousands of calories laced with a bit of bourbon!

It's been busy around here with Halloween and end of season soccer banquets, but we have managed to stay afloat and continue to gorge ourselves with candy. I hope there is enough left for the trick-or-treaters. Speaking of treats again, here is the little goody bag that the kids took in to their teachers yesterday:A delicious mixture of candy corn and peanuts... who could resist?! Yum!

The stamp I used is from Stampin' Up! and it says, "It's Halloween... enjoy every bite!" I used a polka dot background stamp to make the tag base and the black and white is an adhesive border from Colorbok. I finished it off with orange tulle and black and orange raffia.

And now, a special little something... I am doing a giveaway for one lucky, crafty lady. Her name is LEA. Lea, you just won a feltie and personalized stationery of your choice. Please email me at profumo@bellsouth.net and I will give you all the details! Congrats! ;)

I will continue to do a giveaway to one lucky blog follower a month. I am not basing it on comments or contests, just picking someone at random! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and spread the love...

This is a long one...

I'm making up for lost time, so grab a soda, some tea or a glass of milk and get comfy.

Ready... set... go!

Fist off, let me tell you of my dear friend named Jana. Jana is one of my scrappin' buddies. I usually see her once per month at the church we scrap at with a large group of girls. Jana is comic relief... she is a hoot. She always has a story, wants to see what everyone is working on and always gives a kind word to you and whatever craft you may be working on. Love this girl... and she moved away. F A R... all the way to California. So, a week or so ago, I get this package in the mail from Jana, and you know what was in it? Fabric scraps- lots of cute fabric scraps. Oh Jana, how I miss you so... this card is for you and along with it will come a little somethin' somethin' from little 'ole me.

Floral paper (Scarlet Lime) and red check fabric are scraps from Jana :) Butterfly stamp and dies are from Papertrey Ink.

This beauty is my niece, Kendall. She turned 6 on May 5 and I didn't forget her birthday (no, no, no!) but I feel bad that I didn't post something special for her. I made her a cute card and embellished a t-shirt with felt butterflies, but failed to take a picture before wrapping. I believe she liked it! :)

Kendall wanted to get her ears pierced for her birthday and wanted Anna to come along. Anna of course wanted to pierce her ears too, so I agreed. On her birthday, we venture out to the mall and get the girls their ears pierced, only Kendall got a little scared and decided against it at the last minute. Which is why I (Aunt Lou Lou) found magnetic earrings in a small size and gave them to her for her birthday. See them in the picture below...

Kendall backing out didn't scare Anna. She still wanted to do it, so I said okay. She was so brave, didn't flinch or cry at all. One of the ladies actually got her earring gun stuck in her ear and Anna wasn't shaken by it a bit. (Lara and I were ready to strangle the lady though!)

Close your eyes and count to 3...

Done!As if getting her ears pierced wasn't "grown up" enough, Anna went and learned how to ride her bike without her training wheels. She picked it up lickety split, but I have to credit Stephen... he is a really good coach!

Giving her direction on what to do...Learning first in the grass how to fall the right way! :)

Riding a bike with the wind in her hair...

So excited that she can now keep up with the "Big Dog" but truly, Mac was very proud of her!Sweet Anna, growing up before our eyes, way too fast. Daddy is happy, but crying in the bathroom about how next week we'll be sending her to college and lord, she'll be married soon... she can't stay little forever. The best is yet to come! ;)And now for a little something extra... if you got to the end of this post, you deserve a treat. This is one of my newest stationery designs. I am in love with this one. I love the colors and the simplicity.You likey? Leave a comment and on Saturday I will choose one random winner to receive a set personalized with the name of their choice. Yay!

I'll be visiting one of my favorite sites tomorrow, Sketchy Thursdays to play along with the sketch. I'm also going to have a go at the sketch for the June Guest Design team. So, tomorrow, I will be working on a couple layouts! Happy day... hooray for Thursday!

No Joke...

It's a GIVEAWAY! Happy April, people! Last weekend, I won a sketch layout contest at a totally awesome crop hosted by the super talented, Shannon Zickel. My prize, you ask? A fully stocked Studio Calico kit! Well, I already have the kit since I am a subscriber, so I am sharing with YOU on this first lovely day of GIVEAWAYS for April!

My Winning Entry:

And here is what one lucky winner will receive:

An oval scalloped chipboard album, a full yard of velvet scalloped ribbon and a limited edition stamp set from Studio Calico that has 4 fab stamps! YUM!

So, you ask... what do I need to do to win?

1.) You succumb to the pressure and FOLLOW this blog. It's okay to follow, I'm cool... and sometimes I have an inspiring post with some creativity! ;) Click the button on the right hand column... go on, you know you want to!

2.) Pass it on! Let me know if you post this giveaway on your blog and it will increase your chances of winning.

3.) And, for a third chance, leave a comment!

I will draw a winner via Random.org on Tuesday, April 6th... good luck, friend!

Blog Candy Giveaway!

Click HERE to visit Vanessa's blog to try and win this awesome blog giveaway! Actually, I hope I win, but hey, we can all give it a shot! I luh-hu-hu-ve Nesties!

GIVEAWAY! woo-hoo!

Are you anxious to see what the giveaway is? Well, here it is! I made this brooch this afternoon and chose theses 3 buttons to give to one lucky, crafty girl! How cute would that pin be on a black beret or beanie? I don't know about you, but I don't leave the house without a hat in this miserable weather! And I have these cute felt pins on all of them! The buttons are so fresh and bright for spring... which I am eagerly awaiting...

So, if you want to win, see how in the post directly below this one! I will randomly chose a winner tomorrow.

Handmade Buttons + GIVEAWAY!!

As promised... pictures of handmade buttons! My friend, Elizabeth (my bestest scrappin' buddy and oldest friend) came over last Friday and showed Anna and I how to make clay buttons. It was super fun! I love the thought of being able to make my own buttons for brooches, cards and scrapbook layouts. Here's a sampling of some we made together...
My creations:

Elizabeth's creations:


The pictures didn't turn out very good, but you get the idea! It's so "glarey bright" since we have a million inches of snow out there, (and it's still snowing!!!) so it was hard to get a good pic! But don't you love 'em?

So, I haven't done a GIVEAWAY in a while. Now is the time! How's about some cute handmade buttons AND a craft using a button or two? I'm doin' some stitching since I'm stuck inside from the snow and the Olympics are on at night, so I promise you will love the Giveaway Goods!

How do you win? Here's how:

*Follow this blogaroo. Click "Follow" on the right.

And, for 2 more chances:

*Leave a comment.

*Post this Giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment that you have done so.

I will choose a random winner on Thursday, February 18 (Mac's birthday). So good luck, spread the word and share some love.

Giveaway at 2 Cute!

Can you believe all the stamping cuteness around the 2Cute Design Team blog last week?!
Amazing!!!
This DT is loaded with talent!!!!
We are gearing up for another giveaway!!!
Here is how you are eligible:

1. You MUST be a follower of 2Cute Design Team blog!
2. Visit Heidi's RATE MY STAMP page and leave a comment on one of the sketches that you would love to see as a stamp!!!
3. Go to the 2Cute Design Team blog, tell us which sketch you liked best!

Easy as can be, and YOU have a say in what you'd like to see!!!!
Winner will get a FREE CLING CUSHION STAMP!
Yes, FREE cuteness :)
You have one week to enter and spread the word on your blogs! We will have the winner on Valetine Sunday's post!!!
So, Follow, Rate, Comment and... WIN!

GOOD LUCK!

Show and Share

Hi there! Last week, a glorious package came for me in the mail. It was a huge box of Halloween goodies that I won on a blog. It was full of 12x12 Bazzil cardstock, the new line of Basic Grey Halloween papers and stickers, ribbons, stamps and even foam adhesive. Seriously? I was super excited. I immediately made a thank you note to send out to the generous blogger that I won it from. This is what I made and everything I used was from the box of goodies that I received! And, to keep with the Halloween theme, here is my favorite collection of decorations. This is in my foyer. I love my new and vintage pumpkins and it gives the entrance to my home such a warm feel!

A closer look at those cute jack-o-lanterns...And that's all for show and share.

Don't forget about my giveaway! I'll draw a winner on Thursday. For what you can win and all the details, click here.

Giveaway Day!

Good Monday morning all you crafty people! Today is giveaway day! Yay! It's a good one and fall inspired:One lucky chic will get a set of 12 note flats and envelopes, personalized with their name (or someone else's) and a new owl feltie. This "Autumn Owl" is brand spankin' new and not even in the Etsy shop yet! So, you ask, how do you win this cool prize? I'll tell ya'...

1.) FOLLOW this blog. But, only if you think it's cool and inspiring! You click on "follow" at the right and it will prompt you from there. (FYI, Lots of people use their Facebook pic.) If you are already a follower, you are already automatically entered.

2.) To increase your chances, post this giveaway on YOUR BLOG and try to spread the word! Share the love! If you post it on your blogaroo, be sure to comment at the end of this post so I can drop your name in twice!!!

I will choose a random winner on Thursday, October 8! Good luck!

Rainy Day = Crafting!

It's raining and a chilly fall day. Perfect for staying home and doing crafts/projects and putting out all my fall and Halloween decorations. It's the start of a new month, and October is my favorite time of the year! October brings: Anna's birthday (19th), my brother Nate's birthday (4th), Halloween, World Card Making Day (tomorrow), leaves turning beautiful colors and a crisp, clean, chill in the air. I just love it!

To celebrate my love for October, I'm having another giveaway! It's one you won't want to miss! So, stay tuned for details, and a pic of what you could win! (Hint: it will be a hoot if you get picked!)

Photo: Elan in the rain. He wears this fireman gear even when it's not raining. Photo taken in July 2009.

Birthday Greetings!

Happy Friday! Today, there are two people I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to! First, my Aunt Sissy turns 72 today. We are very close and she is definitely the favorite- and trust me, I have loads of aunts, uncles and cousins. She is so pretty and fun, and I love being with her. I will be celebrating her birthday today with my mom and two cousins (Sissy's 2 daughters) over lunch. The five of us do lunch together a lot!


The second birthday up is the creative and sweet, Sammye Jo! Sammye Jo is super talented and we became friends through our blogs. It just so happens that she lives very close to me! In honor of her 28th birthday (yes, I said 28...) she is doing a surprise giveaway. Go check out her blog to be entered for a chance to win! She never disappoints!


So, for these two special gals, I made a special card. I loved creating this and it was inspired by the wonderfully talented Heidi VanLaar. Heidi is super creative!

The patterned paper is from the June Bug line from Basic Grey. The scalloped lace is Making Memories. The calender stamp is Scenic Route and the other stuff is odds and ends from my stash.

Happy Birthday, girls! Have a great day and a fun Friday!

Giveaway! + Lots of Pics!

It's September, and I want to give away this cute stamp with coordinating paper, ribbon and buttons! This little combo just screams "fall!" and fall is my favorite time of the year.
How do you win? You follow the blogaroo, but only if you think it's totally rad and inspiring! If you are already a follower, you have already been entered. To "follow" click the "follow this blog" button to the right. I will draw out a random winner on Friday. Good luck!

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It was a super busy weekend... I am just now recovering. Two of my brothers were in a triathlon and it was my younger brother, Adam's first one. I became nervous and exhausted just watching, but loved every moment of cheering on "Team Norrenbrock."

Love this pic of Adam coming out of the pool- yes, he is one handsome dude. He was worried about the swimming part, considering his "swimmer wife" just taught him to swim correctly only weeks before the event.

Off to bike 19 miles...

He did awesome! Afterward, he looked and felt great! Great job, Adam! You and Nate are real CHAMPIONS!!!

So then, on the way back home from the triathlon, Stephen suggested we stop at Dinosaur World. Seriously, in my mind, I was thinking, "You have got to be kidding me. That place is probably the cheesiest place on Earth. I mean, who puts this gigantic dino on the side of the highway?" We got there and loved it. We even hiked up to the side of the highway to get some really funny pics...

So, if you are ever in the Cave City, KY area, check it out! It was fun, funny and even a little bit cheesy. But the kids had a ball, and seriously, that's all that matters!