Accidental Hiatus.. and Flat Thanh at CHA

Hellooooooooooo!!! I dunno how or why it happened, but I took an accidental hiatus from the blog! LOL

I guess things have been a little extra busy, ya know - going to the Craft and Hobby Association Tradeshow (CHA) and all. *wink* Okay, so maybe I didn't quite make it to Anaheim, CA, but a part of me sure did! If you haven't seen the photos on Facebook, I will introduce you to Flat Thanh. Flat Peggy also stowed away and joined in the fun at CHA, too!

Flat Thanh and Flat Peggy chill with Sparkle

Flat Showcase Farmer Thanh "helping" at the TGF booth

Flat Peggy and Froggy3-D Thanh with new friend, Suzanne

Nom-noms from Naomi!

LOL I hope you had as much as a giggle as I did when I saw these photos!

TGF: Made By Tags

Happy Hump Day, dear readers!

I hope that your week has been going smoothly. Just wanted to pop in and show you some tags I made with the new "Made By" set from The Greeting Farm. I love how many different sentiments this set comes with and I've only used four here!

These tags are about 1x2' and would be perfect attached to some home baked goods or a hand knitted item. I made these in mind for some of my baking friends.

Cute to boot and perfect for Valentine's, too! 

Hugs to you and thanks for stoppin' by today.

Supplies: 

Stamps - Made By (TGF)

Paper & Ink- Cameo Coral, River Rock, Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories - Hemp twine, ribbon, heart punch, label punch (Stampin' Up!), circle punches (EK Success), Picot circles die (Spellbinders), pearls (Pizzazz a Plenty)

One Crazy Stamper Purchase

Hiya readers!

Just wanted to pop in and share a lil' something with you. Back in December, I made a large purchase from One Crazy Stamper, a Canadian retailer. Even though I live close to a few local scrapbook stores, without having a vehicle, it makes it hard to get to these brick and mortar stores. So I do tend to make purchases from some online stores down south here and there but then I take the risk of incurring duties and long delays.

One Crazy Stamper Purchase from Yummy Creations on Vimeo.

I'm soo happy I found One Crazy Stamper from Ontario! I wanted to fill some holes in my Copic collection and just happened to be shopping when shop owner, Lora, was having her winter sale. She offers a Baker's Dozen when you order 12 Copic Sketch or regular markers and she also throws in some candy for ever order, too! I finally caved into the SMASH sensation and well... you can see for yourself everything I got! LOL

I would highly recommend ordering from One Crazy Stamper and will be a return customer in the future.

Happy New Year of the Dragon

From my home to your home, Happy Chinese (ahem, Vietnamese) New Year...

Gung hay fat choy! 

Chuc mung nam moi! (Vietnamese)

May the year of the dragon bring you much prosperity and good health!

TGF: Customer Challenge - Wonderland Nostalgia

Hello, readers! Are you all enjoying your weekend? Right after I finish this post, I am off to make some yummy brunch! Omelettes and hashbrowns? Yes, please! lol

The Greeting Farm is having a Customer Challenge weekend and I hope that you'll join us as a TGF fan! We kicked the weekend off with a customer chat on Friday and it was so fun "meeting" and catching up with so many people! The theme for the Challenge is a "Night Out at the Bookstore" and there are three categories to play along with.

1. Favourite Book
2. Favourite Book Turned Movie
3. Favourite Children's Book

I placed my creation into #2 as I was really inspired to make something from Tim Burton's rendition of Alice's Wonderland.

I really wanted to pay some tribute to the Red Queen and while this is a decent replica of Helen Bonham Carter, she looks a little "too nice" on this card. LOL

I have fallen in love with this side step card style and you will likely be seeing more in the next while on my blog! Love making those cards that aren't the regular folds. 

I hope to see you playing along with us and be sure to link up your creations to the Splitcoast gallery so I can leave a comment! 

Wishing you some sunshine (because here in Metro Vancouver), I am seriously wishing I had some!!!

Supplies:

Stamps -Princess Anya, Lucky Bunnies (TGF), sentiment from Wonderland set (Crafty Secrets)

Paper - Stampin' Up

Ink -Tuxedo Black (Memento), black pigment (Colorbox)

Accessories - Copic markers, pocket watch chipboard (Tattered Angels), ribbon (Stampin' Up), hearts punch (Stampin' Up!), rhinestones (Pizzazz A Plenty)

RTB88 - Ringing in the New Year: TGF Miss Anya

Happy, happy Friday, friends!!! An extra happy to those who work a 40 hour week! lol

This is the day that I have been looking forward to as I now have some time to rest, eat, drink and be merry! This Sunday will be the eve of Chinese New Year so it will be a busy one with lots of activities for me. 

At Raise the Bar, we are still riding that New Years vibe and I know that I am still working hard at my goals for 2012. So yes, we are still ringing in the new year! We want to see all your circles and rings galore on your projects.

I'm still working away on Valentine's cards and had yet to make anything with my new Miss Anya Garland set from The Greeting Farm, so this is what I chose to make for this week's RTB Challenge. I love the way this card turned out!

I was inspired to play along with this month's Sketch For You To Try as seen below:

I'm also entering this card into the DYSU Patterned Paper challenge for this week.

Hope to see you playing along with us! If you upload to any online galleries, please label RTB88 for your keywords.

To see what the other Bar-tenders have created, please check out all of their blogs below:

Joni

Julie

Wanda

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Stay warm!

Supplies:

Stamps - Miss Anya Garland (TGF), sentiment (amuse)

Paper - Kissing Booth (Basic Grey), Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up!)

Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento), Brown (Colorbox)

Accessories - Copic markers, Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), ribbon (Creative Packaging), pearls (Kaiser)

TGF: Showcasing Lucky Bunnies Set

Hiya friends! I hope that your Tuesday is going well so far! The snow has finally come up this way to the the Vancouver, Canada area but I am creating up a storm with the new January releases to warm my way through winter! 

As the title says... I wanted to showcase the Lucky Bunnies set from The Greeting Farm, so here we go! 

*GASP!!!* Where are those adorable bunnies?! LOL I wanted to show you just how versatile Lucky Bunnies really is and feature the sentiments and the smaller images. 

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I really wanted to make some yummy and reasonably priced gifts for some of my friends What a better way to dress up some Hershey's Nuggets than to stamp and wrap mailing labels around them!

The main sentiment on the package itself, "made just for you," is from the Made By Set. You can pick out what I used here if you have a peek at the Lucky Bunnies set:

I've also included a "behind the scenes" photo so you can see exactly what I used.

One last note, TGF is hosting a Customer Challenge and Chit Chat Night and we'd love to see you stop by:

Where:  Right on our very own SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS forum

When:  Friday, January 20th at 7:00pm CST

Hosted by:  Our friend/customer Rachel Parys

Thanks for visiting me today! XO 

Supplies:

Stamps - Lucky Bunnies, Made By (TGF)

Paper - Doodlebug Designs, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!)

Ink - Melon Mambo, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories - Avery Labels, Labels 18 (Spellbinders), twine (Stampin' Up!)

Gluttonous Weekend. Belated.

Hello readers! I hope you're having a great Monday... I'll be back tomorrow with a fun themed TGF post, but for now, thought I'd show you a bit of what I indulged in last weekend (not this past). Belated... I know, lol.

1. Huevos Ranchero
2. Salad, breadsticks and a glass of wine
3. Dessert trio
4. Chai tea latté

YUMMY!!! See you tomorrow.

Raise the Bar has re-opened for 2012!

Happy Friday, dear readers! 

The Bar is now open!!! The Bar-tenders at Raise the Bar have had a nice, long break and we are refreshed to bring you inspiration in 2012! The first challenge of the year is to banner it! Banners are still the rage, so we thought we'd have some fun by including a banner in our projects this week.

What's better? Our images are sponsored this week from By LORi Designs. I chose to work with Puddle Jumper Ainsley's Heart. Can you tell that I am definitely feelin' Valentine's, lol.

 

Hope to see you playing along with us! If you upload to any online galleries, please label RTB87 for your keywords.

To see what the other Bar-tenders have created, please check out all of their blogs below:

Joni

Wanda

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Supplies:

Stamps - Ainsley's Heart (By LORi Designs)

Paper - Doodlebug, Stampin' Up!

Ink - Creamy Brown Cardinal Red (Clearsnap),

Accessories - Copic markers, white pen (Ranger), twine (Stampin' Up!), party hat die (Quickutz), chipboard letters (Basic Grey), Friend embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Labels (Spellbinders), border punch (Stampin' Up!)

TGF: Simply Anya, Simply Cute!

Heya, friends!! Just me sneaking in a lil TGF post in the evening here. 

 This is Simply Anya, the brunette version which was part of the January release over at The Greeting Farm. I just think she's simply cute! I love her argyle skirt which was the inspiration to choose this paper. She definitely looks like a classy girl, lol.

The layout for this card uses Sweet Sunday Sketch #149 as seen here:

Sweet Sunday is one of my go-to places if I'm ever in need of inspiration for a layout. They recently changed their timeline so that you now have 2 weeks to play! 

Don't forget to check in tomorrow as Raise the Bar opens for cocktail hour! See ya then. XO 

Supplies:

Stamps - Simply Anya, Lucky Bunnies sentiment (The Greeting Farm)

Paper- Blue Bayou, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!), (Basic Grey)

Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories -Copic markers, ribbon (Stampin' Up!), twine (My Mind's Eye), brads & button (Basic Grey)

Flashback Friday Challenge No. 19

Retro Posting.. at it's best, ladies and gentlemen! LOL

I am lovin' Flashback Friday Challenges!!! This month, Amy, challenged us to showcase our clean and simple (CAS) cards. Huh, what's that? I don't do CAS that well, lol. I dusted off my archived items and I picked out this beauty:

I believe that this is when the owl obsession began... *cough* before owls became mainstream. Remember this set, Sassafras Lass!

Thanks for poppin' by today! See you Friday as Raise the Bar resumes our cocktail hours ;)

SNOW Frame ... DYSU#53 - Let it Snow!

Happy Hump Day!!! It sure is strange working a 5 day work week after all of the holidays. I hope your week is going well so far!

I made this frame for myself and as a couple of gifts to give away this past Christmas. Too bad that I had a green Christmas this year; so this is a reminder that it sure is snowing in other parts of the world.

It's really hard to take a photo of a picture frame with glass... I find that it ALWAYS reflects.

 

I'm entering this in the DYSU - Let it Snow Challenge. SO perfect for this week.

Is it snowing where you are? Have a great day!

Supplies:

Stamps - Stampendous, Stampin' Up!

Paper - Midnight Frost (Bo Bunny), Whisper White, Night of Navy, Soft Sky, Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up!)

Ink - Night of Navy, Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories - Blossom die letters (Quickutz), tag punch (Stampin' Up!), snowflake punches (Stampin' Up!, EK Success), mittens Nestabilities (Spellbinders), brads (Making Memories), Glitter Glass (Stampin' Up!)

Christmas Thank You Cards

Hip hip hooray!!! I did it, I actually made some Christmas thank you cards this year versus using store bought. LOL I even  made some extras for next year as sets to giveaway for Christmas presents. Smart, huh? *wink*

I wanted to keep these SUPER simple, single sided so that when the receiver opened up the envelope, my hand written note would be right there. Shhh... besides it saves on supplies and time! LOL

Hopefully you got all your Christmas thank yous out, that is, if you send them out!

Have a great weekend.

Supplies:

Stamps - snowflake set (Stampendous) Essential Sentiments (Amuse)

Paper - Bo Bunny, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Ink - Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!)

Oh la la...Bonjour Mes Amis!

Happy Wednesday, friends! How's your week going? 

I have to admit, it was a little difficult going back to work on Tuesday after being away for the Holidays, but I'm glad to be back with a little routine. ;)

Today's card features Hello Ian from The Greeting Farm. I made this card back in December with my application for the Showcase Design Team Call. I wanted to make a card that yelled TGF nostalgia and brought back memories of when I first fell in love with TGF stamps. Hello Ian was one of my first loves, lol. I've always thought he had a French background and so I created this card with that theme in mind.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, this little romantic fellow definitely has my heart! lol

Thanks for stopping in to see me today! Hugs.

Supplies:

Stamps - Hello Ian (The Greeting Farm), Artistic Etchings, Cherie Amie, Script background (Stampin' Up!)

Paper - Stampin' Up!

Ink - Memento (Tsukineko), Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories - Copic markers, rose (Prima), pearls (Kaiser), brads & Stampin Glass Glitter (Stampin' Up!), Fancy Tags Two (Spellbinders)

One Little Word 2012

As 2011 ended and we all welcomed 2012, I was seeing a lot of people post about their One Little Word. I had heard and read about it for the past couple of years and it wasn't until I read fellow blogger, Sparkle's One Little Word post, did I even think that *I* would have a word. I paused for a moment after reading her post and just like that, seek came to mind.

seek    /sēk/

1. Attempt to find (something)
2. Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something)

I won't be joining the class itself but I absolutely think it's valuable for everyone to have one little word to focus on self development and reflect upon throughout the year.

With that being said, my word is seek. The following are only a few things I wish to seek in 2012; I suspect there will be plenty more:

• adventure
• a healthier me
• an active me
• peace and relaxation 

Do you have a one little word? Please share if you do! 

Reflecting Upon 2011 and Welcoming 2012

Hiya, friends! Just me popping in to officially say goodbye 2011 and hellooo 2012!!

I was going to post some of my favourite photos of 2011, but thought I'd post a photo(s) that summarized me in general. (If you want to see some highlights of 2011, you can click on the "life" label and see some there). As I said in my previous post, I just have a great feeling about 2012; becoming a TGF Showcase Farmer was just an awesome start! Sidenote here, THANK YOU so much for all of the sweet comments you left during the TGF Release Day Blog Hop. Each and everyone made me smile!

I had some great moments and some not so great moments last year, but such is life, no? ;)

That was me in 2011. 

Hooray for 2012 and all the new memories it will bring! 

**(Photos taken with this app. LOVE IT)

Happy 2012 and a Super Exciting Announcement!

Hello there, readers and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope that your 2012 is off to a good start. I have a great feeling about this year and I truly do wish you all the best in health, wealth and happiness!

I started the year with a bang a few weeks ago when I received an email reply from Jessica (The Greeting Farm Coordinator) that I had been chosen to become a Showcase Farmer!!! My jaw hit the floor and I had to read the email a few more times until it settled in. LOL A total dream come true!

If you're already a TGF fan, you'll know that it's RELEASE DAY! We are SO excited because not only are there a ton of new releases, there are a TON of new faces being introduced  on the TGF BLOG! We are welcoming 8 new Design Team members (that's me! lol) to our "SHOWCASE" team, the team that will be carrying you through until our next round of previews in March.   Our new SHOWCASE team will be bringing you lots of fresh ideas using our new releases and some fun tutorials and other special posts along the way.

What's more?  We have SIX new releases available in the TGF Store and a chance to WIN all six of them just for hopping and saying hello to our new PREMIERE and SHOWCASE teams.  We hope you've enjoyed the last week or so of previews, announcements and are SO grateful that you are sharing in our excitement as TGF rings in the NEW YEAR!

I'm showcasing TGF's new Creeper on the Farm, Madden. Isn't she just TOO cool!?! lol I just adore that big hair of hers; it was so much fun to colour! 

Once again, HAPPY 2012 everyone!  Now be sure to head over to The Greeting Farm Blog to check out all of the FUN!

Supplies: 
Stamps - Madden, sentiment from Creepin Kit (The Greeting Farm), Simple Stitches (CTMH)

Paper - Sassafras Lass, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!)

Ink -  Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories - Copic markers, buttons (Basic Grey), brads (Making Memories), white pen (Ranger), circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Decorative Label punch (Stampin' Up!),