December Daily 2013

Hola peeps! I have a surprise for you all today – a video! I am going to warn you all that it is a bit long. And, because of my health issues, my voice is definitely higher than it used to be.

This is kind of serving as the introduction to what will be a little series that will run until I am finished. As of right now, it will spill over into 2014. I am okay with that. I know that I can only do so much and I don’t want to stress out. My plan is for the videos to be posted on Sunday’s.

Like I mention in the video, I am not generally a scrapbooker, so this is going to be a learning experience for me. I have a general idea, but for the most part I am going to go with what feels like me.

I mentioned in the video that I will primarily be using my iPhone and, when it comes, my new Rebel T3i to photograph the pictures for my album. To expound upon that, I will say that my everyday photos will be with my iPhone or maybe my little Kodak point-and-shoot. I am saving my DSLR for family gatherings and maybe some of the things that I do with the kids in the family. Also, I will be providing an InLinkz list of many of the products I will be using, but here is another list of basic supplies I will be using in case you’re wondering:

Album: Simple Stories Sn@p 6”x 8” in Red. All of the inserts will be Sn@p as well. I am using a random assortment.

Photo Paper: HP Premium Photo Paper (Gloss & Matte)

Printer: HP Photosmart Premium (It’s older so I will link to a newer model.)

Cameras: iPhone 4; Canon Rebel T3i; Kodak Easyshare C1450.

Photo Editing Software: Picasa & Adobe Photoshop Elements 11.

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink.

Other Supplies (click on picture for more information):

Happy Holidays Paper - Tis The Season - Echo Park	Gingerbread Man Paper - Snow Village - Pink Paislee	Buttered Rum Paper - Snow Village - Pink Paislee	Peppermint Patty Paper - Snow Village - Pink Paislee
From Me To You Paper - It's Christmas - Websters Pages	Gingerbread Man Paper - Snow Village - Pink Paislee	Magical Time Paper - Tis The Season - Echo Park	North Pole Paper - Reflections: Christmas - Echo Park
Bundled Up 6 x 6 Paper Pad - Crate Paper	Mini Flat Kraft Colored Bag By Canvas Corp.	Mini Flat White Bags By Canvas Corp.	Red 6"x8" Snap Binder - Simple Stories
Snap Alpha Letters Stickers - Simple Stories	Snap Label Stickers - Simple Stories	Daily Clear Stamps - Snap - Simple Stories	Mistletoe Magic Brads - My Minds Eye
Merry & Bright Mini Stamp - Websters Pages	Mistletoe Magic Enamel Dots - My Minds Eye	Bundled Up Ephemera Pack - Crate Paper	Bundled Up Adhesive Badges - Crate Paper
Let It Snow Clear Stamps

InLinkz.com

That’s all I have for you today! If you don’t want to miss out on the videos to come, make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel. I decided that integrate my blog with my personal channel.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a blessed day!

Papertrey Ink October 2012 Blog Hop

So, I’ve been a really, really bad blogger for the better part of this year and for that I truly apologize. I had some really bad health issues that hit me really hard and I have been out of commission.  I was hospitalized and had to take radiation; so, while crafting was on my mind, I didn’t have the strength to do much. The good news is, I *think* the treatment is working and I am slowly but surely returning to my normal self.

Since, I love all things Papertrey, I really wanted to participate in this month’s hop. The challenge was to create five tags. And here are the little beauties I came up with:

It has occurred to me that when I place my Papertrey orders, they tend to be in the last half of the year. Thus, I have quite a few Christmas stamp sets. My favorite would probably be Peaceful Pinecones.

My initial plan was to keep them simple. Which they kind of are, I suppose . . . What do you think? I will say the addition of the penguin set was a last minute decision. Isn’t it just the cutest little thing?

In other news, my blog is getting a makeover! It’s my goal to regularly film start-to-finish card making videos on a regular basis as well as cooking and/or baking videos. I’m not a professional when it comes to videography, so I’ll have to see how that works. My original intent was for Polka Dots, Paint, and Cake Batter to be a full out crafty and lifestyle blog, but I lost sight of the vision and I want to get it back on track. I‘ve had a lot of time to think about it and I am excited to blog again.

As always, I thank anyone and everyone that comes and reads my thoughts and finds joy in the things I make. I wish you all the best most blessed weekend.

A Winner & Simply Amazing

Hello everyone! I have a new project to share at the start of this wonderful week! I would say that it’s a return to my style, with a little drama – by way of some navy. I haven’t been using dark colors very much as of late.

Sparkly strawberries! Why yes, I went there. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I added some glitter, but I’m getting ahead of myself here! I used three sets from WPlus9 on my card today. I started with a panel of Rustic Cream cardstock and made my own patterned paper with the berries and leaves from Fresh Picked. Instead of doing the entire panel with the berries, I decided to add in a more subtle pattern to the top of the card. So, I used Country Charm to add some diagonal stripes to a small piece of Melon Berry cardstock.

I diecut a Label Number 5 and stamped it with the coordinating border image. When I sat down to make this card, I knew I wanted to use that label and I also knew I wanted to use that very sentiment. Now, the problem – if you’d like to think of it as such, was that the sentiment would not fit on the label without looking, to be frank, horrible. So,  I used an EK Success ticket punch because it fit my sentiment perfectly. From there, I adhered my floral embellishment and some navy seam binding bows on both sides.

Back to my glitter bombing. I did this with some stickles. I wanted hints of glitter, so I I just dabbed it here and there. And, finished the entire card off with a spritzing of Mister Huey in Calico Shine. Bam. And, I’m a happy boy!

Supplies

Stamps: Fresh Picked, Country Charm, Quite Like You: WPlus9.

Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Melon Berry: Papertrey Ink.

Ink: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Cameo Coral: Stampin’ Up.

Dies: Circle Stackers & Label Number 5: WPlus9.

Other: Calico Shine Mr. Huey: Studio Calico, Button: Papertrey Ink, Seam Binding: Liz’s Paperloft Boutique, Crystal Stickles Glitter Glue: Ranger

WINNER, WINNER!!

Okay, I used Random.org to select a winner for the My Creative Time stamp set giveaway, and the lucky person is: Vivi J! Congratulations my dear, I will be emailing you shortly!

Thanks everyone for stopping by! I wish you all a blessed day!

Pinwheel Birthday

Hello crafty peeps! I have a super special post for today. My former DT boss, Emma, invited me to guest design for her and I was more than happy to oblige!

We’re going to think of today as a bit of a Technique Tuesday. One of the most difficult things I can think of is mixing patterned papers. So, my card today will hopefully show you how you can mix different patterns cohesively.

I’m going to throw out a disclaimer, however. I am not a graphic designer so I can’t honestly say that I have special training that makes me an expert. I studied Interior Design,  so my pattern and color usage is influenced by that.

All of the papers  used are from the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line. I bought it LAST year at Archivers and this is the first time I used it. My overall goal was to make a fun and bright card. Something a little outside of my comfort zone -  because my style is generally very shabby and vintage inspired.

The great thing about using a collection is that the color mixing is done for you. And, generally, the patterns will have a lot of built in coordination. I decided to choose four papers from the collection. I chose the wood grain chevron, green grid, and gray dotted papers because I wanted the banner pattern to provide the pop of color. None of them work against each other. They all kind of peacefully coexist because I used the right patterns in the right amounts.

Also, I left a lot of white space around the sentiment. Even though the pinwheel is a rather large embellishment. It doesn’t take the eye away from the sentiment. I think a lot of people would have used ink to splatter the sentiment card because the pinwheel had splatters. Doing so would have been a mistake because the pinwheel would have disappeared into a sea of ink splotches. Instead, I took some enamel dots and placed them around the sentiment to further define it and draw the eye in. And, in a way, you could imagine them as extensions of the ink spots flying from the pinwheel.

Supplies

Patterned Paper: Dear Lizzy Neapolitan by American Crafts.

Stamps: Journal It and Floral Sentiments from My Creative Time.

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White.

Ink: Versamark. Mister Huey spray ink in Taxi, Water Cooler, and Boss Lady.

Embellishments: Rustic Twine from Papertrey Ink. Enamel dots and decorative brad from My Mind’s Eye.

Other: Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers. Apricot Zing embossing powder by American Crafts

Alrighty, before I let you hop away, I have a giveaway sponsored by Ms. Emma! I have a set from Emma’s last release that I just love! It’s called Life is Good, and I plan to use it in my Project Life album. All you need to do to win is leave me a comment here with a way for me to contact you. You’re not required to follow me or anything else. I will take comments up until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 13th. Easy peasy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I wish you all a very blessed day, and good luck!!

Emma’s Birthday Bash Blog Hop!

What up folks?! I am the last stop on today’s hop, so I hope you got here from the the wonderful Veronica’s blog. If not, start at Emma’s blog: here.

Today is Emma’s birthday and I am doing a guest spot with my former teamies to celebrate! I’m happy I had some extra time this week to cook something up. And, because I adore Emma, I broke out the Copic markers!

I want to first start off by apologizing for the horrible photos. I had to photograph at night because of my work schedule, and I really need to get a new camera. Mine doesn’t like me anymore. Anyway, when it stops raining, I will do my best to get some better photos. These kind of depress me a bit.

I used two of Emma’s older sets, Bloom Where You Are Planted & Floral Sentiments on my card. Floral Sentiments is one of my all time favorite MCT sets.

My card is pretty straightforward. I stamped the sunflower bouquets with some Momento Rich Cocoa ink. I started off with Tuxedo Black, but it was totally harsh and made me sick to my stomach, so I decided to 86 it and start over. I used two Copic markers, YR65 Atoll & Y35 Maize, to color my flowers. The brown markers are Prismacolors. I stamped my sentiment with Versamark Dazzle in Champagne then embossed it with some detail gold embossing powder. I mixed some gold Perfect Pearls with water and did a little misting on the card front to give it a little more shimmer. Plus, I love the big droplets that misting adds. Me thinks it’s a bit textural.

Alrighty, I am going to call it a night. This boy has to work ALL day tomorrow so I need to get some Z’s. Thank you so much for stopping by! I wish everyone a great day and a blessed weekend. Also, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the moms!!

BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY ALERT!

How would YOU like to be the LUCKY winner of this FABULOUS  “Project Life COMPLETE Scrapbook Kit BLUSH EDITION”?  Yep, Miss Emma had ordered an extra one to giveaway for this special day! ;)  All you have to do is leave a comment at EACH stop in this hop!  For additional entries you can spread the word on Facebook to all of YOUR friends! Once you do that, go ahead & visit my Facebook page HERE & let me know that you did so!  This is a FABULOUS prize so "Good Luck!"

***SALE ALERT***

Okay, are you all ready for an AMAZING sale as well? For THIS WEEKEND ONLY, please use this code: BDAY42  at checkout to get 20% off of your purchase! You can start shopping HERE! This sale will end on Sunday, May 12th at midnight PST!  As a Birthday present from ME to all of YOU, I am giving away this ADORABLE stamp set to orders placed THIS WEEKEND ONLY! There is a $20 minimum order required to receive free stamp set.

  ***All orders from this sale will start shipping out on Monday, May 13th~! Emma’s Mom will have the weekend OFF for Mother's day!;)

Blog Hop Line Up:

Emma~ http://www.creativetimeforme.com/

Amy ~ http://www.scrappingmommy.com/

Cassandra ~ http://www.ctimz3.blogspot.com/

Cathryn ~ http://inthepinkcathryn.blogspot.com/

Cheryl ~ http://dragonflydesigns58.blogspot.com/

Cindy B. ~ http://www.cindybcreations.blogspot.com/

Courtney ~ http://courtscrafts.blogspot.com/

Glora ~ http://glorascrafts.blogspot.com/

Katie ~ http://www.craftingwithkatie.com/

Kim ~ http://www.scrapinmomofoneinspiringlittleboy.blogspot.com/

Leanne ~ http://createdbyleanne.blogspot.com/

Liz ~ http://www.lizspaperloft.com/

Micia ~ http://yellowbirdcreation.blogspot.com/

Nancy ~ http://scrappingoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/

Nikki ~ http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/
Rosy ~ http://sweetdelightspapernmore.blogspot.com/

Ruthie ~ http://septemberninth.blogspot.com/

Shar ~ http://scrapendipity.blogspot.com/

Tracy ~ http://tracyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/

Veronica ~ http://www.vkcreate.blogspot.com/

Trell – http://www.polkadotsandpaint.blogspot.com (Me)