I Won! I Won!

A couple of weeks ago I was visiting a blog and reading about all of the new collections being released from Nikki Sivils. They had a little contest going, and if you displayed one of these cute badges on your blog then you could win one of her new lines.

I proudly displayed the 'Beatrice' badge. I couldn't resist that little beaver holding the heart. It was a toss up between that one and the one with the turtle.

When I checked my blog last night.......I was surprised to receive this!!!!!!

'Hi Carolyn!! Love your blog and this sweet bag of treats tag is adorable! But.. I really love that my newest "Beatrice" badge is on it too!! If you'll email me your address I'll send you one of my brand new paper lines that haven't been released yet!! Thank so much!!'

I am just thrilled to be receiving one of her new collections! Yippee for me! We will be checking out all of her new collections when we attend CHA next week. I am sure you will be seeing them in our store soon!

A Warm Treat on a Cold Day!

Happy Monday everyone! It is freezing here (-17) and I am happy that I don't have to go anywhere today. I am also happy because today at Sketch Support they are revealing the add-on sketch and my project.

What is an add-on sketch? It is exactly like it sounds. It is a sketch that you can add on to a card, layout etc. It is a great way to make your own embellishment. I had never worked with anything like this before but it sounded like a great way to made some cute things.

When I created this I knew that it would be revealed in January and it would probably be freezing outside. I was right.

I created this little tag and attached it to a clear bag filled with hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows and some chocolate chips. I thought it would be the prefect warm treat for a freezing cold day.

I followed the measurements exactly as they were given on the sketch. I attached it to a Nestie tag, added some ink and black pen for detail......voila!

Paper: cardstock - Bazzill, pattern - unknown
Embellishments: chipboard - Fancy Pants
Ink: Tim Holts Distress Ink
Tools: die-cut - Nestabilities
Other: ribbon - Making Memories, floss - Bazzill, marker - American Crafts, bag - baking supply store

Pop over the the Sketch Support site and check out what the other dt members are doing with this sketch. Allison will be revealing all week long.

Up To Snow Good!

Today over at Sketch Support, my layout is being featured using the 2-page sketch. Along with my double-page, Jill Sarginson did a beautiful Christmas layout and Allison Davis will show you how to flip the sketch and she did a roller coaster layout. Click the badge on my side-bar and visit the Sketch Support website to see all the creations from the design team.

When I created this page, I was excited to do a winter layout, so I kept with the theme of the sketch. I also wanted to use a new line of papers from Bo Bunny that we had in the store, along with my Sew Easy tool.

I dug into my stash of photos and found some that would be perfect for what I had in mind.

The chipboard accents added the perfect amount of dimension to my pages.

I added a little bling for some winter sparkle.

This snowman was just way to cute so I had to make sure I found a special spot for him. I added extra snowflakes and stitched a border around my page using the Burst tip for my Sew Easy tool. It was a lot of stitching, but so worth it in the end.

We are running this layout as a workshop at the store on Thursday, January 20th. We still have a couple of spaces left if you are interested in joining us.

The Cake Boss

For Christmas, Amanda received 2 tickets to see Buddy, the Cake Boss at Center in the Square. I was lucky enough to be the one she asked to go with her. We went to the sold out show and had a great time. I was really hoping to get some great photos for her to scrapbook, and I think we were successful.

This is the stage before the show started.

Once Buddy was on stage, he loaded t-shirts into this air gun and shot them out into the audience.

It wasn't too long before he chose some women from the audience to help decorate some cupcakes.

He invited some men up on stage to do the decorating next. Buddy offered to make the flower that they had to make, only he did it blind folded.

He took some time to tell us how the Cake Boss was born and some history on Carlo's Bakery. It was a very interesting story.

Next up were the kids in the audience. To my surprise, Taylor ended up on stage. She is the daughter of a great customer of ours.

Here is Taylor decorating her cupcake with Buddy!

He did a Q&A session with the audience and while he was answering questions he decorate a wedding cake......no big deal, right?

He really is the Cake Boss!

Thanks to my mom and sister for giving Amanda these tickets for Christmas! She had a great time.

My Word For 2011

At this time of year, lots of people make resolutions, organize, set goals. I am not really one for resolutions. I organize myself as best I can. I set goals every day.

I wanted something to mark the start of a new year and to focus on. Then after reading a post by Jill Sarginson I was inspired to choose a word for 2011. This word would act as a resolution, help me stay organized and reach my goals.

My word for 2011 is FOCUS! It is perfect for me. It will help me at work.....I can be more productive and use my time well. It will help me with my family......I can spend quality time with my kids and my husband. It will help me with my hobby.....go on the computer to do what I have to do and then move on and do what I want to do.