Crocheting and Preschool Graduations

Family, Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love /

img_4248I've picked up the crochet needle this week. I usually start to crochet again out of sheer necessity: I can't live without a crocheted wash cloth. Seriously, they are the BEST for washing dishes and our other one is seeing it's final days (something that happens often since we don't own a dishwasher). I've never even tried crocheting anything else. One of my graphic design students a couple of years ago made Siri a crochet octopus (known at our house as "Purpie" because of his lovely purple hue). It  really is one of the most adorable stuffed animals (is that what you call a crocheted animal?).  Maybe one day I'll get away from the crochet washcloth and move on to grander and nobler projects. lol.

img_4055In other news, this week Siri graduated from preschool and even had a class program in lovely red gowns and hats.

This is it. The beginning of the end for me. My baby is going to kindergarten next year. It's cliche but I know I'm going to cry that day. She looked so old at her little preschool graduation. The great part is that summer has officially begun, which means...vacation! And I've already begun calendaring the camping trips and vacations I hope we have time to go on. Last summer was vacationless with Felicity being so young and Josh taking the bar. Not that vacations won't be hard this year: Josh is taking another state's bar this summer (we're marathon bar taking) so that he can be licensed in two states. Good stuff.

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Creative Juice Photography

Stuff I Love /

img_4383_smThere is always a little bit of discomfort when I post pictures of myself on this blog or on the website. For the most part, it's been hard because as the principle photographer in my home, there really aren't many pictures of me (moms, you know what I am talking about!). So I had Creative Juice Photography come over to do a few headshots with me and my products so I could put them up on the about page, etc. They did a FANTASTIC job! I was really happy with their work! Jess was so professional, we took the photos at my house (this one was taken on my front porch).  Go over and check them out when you get a chance and also take a look at my new pics on the about page.

The paper shown here is from my Bella Bella line from My Minds Eye. You can also see the entire line here.

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PhotoCuts Collection—Photographer's Tools

Digital Scrapbooking, Tutorials, Two Peas in a Bucket /

photocutsadI just wanted to give you a preview of the line coming in two weeks! I'm so excited about it because it will be a photographers tool set! These digital kits will be SO much more useful than for just scrapbooking...it will include overlays, masks, filmstrips, and frames of all kinds. It's the kind of set that will really be useful for any type of photography! So the countdown is just 2 weeks away....

BTW, you'll be able to pick them up at TwoPeasinaBucket.

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New Baby Grace

2 Comments / Family /

img_3795_smOur family had a new addition this week and I haven't had a chance to blog about it! My sister-in-law Liz had her third little angel, Grace Judy, this week. She is such a sweet little thing. I always forget how small newborns are! I took pictures of the new little one the day after she was born.img_3745_smHere she is with her big sister Caroline and cousin Siri. Siri was VERY fascinated by the whole thing. The nurse put the BIGGEST dob of Elmer's glue on Gracie's head to keep the bow on. I mean ridiculous. I did take a picture of it...but it also looked ridiculous so I refrained from posting it. I would also like a big thank you from Liz from refraining from posting pictures of her the day after she had a baby (which by the way would just make you angry anyway because she looks so good).  

Well, welcome baby Grace! We are so happy to have you in our family!

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Jen's Wedding & Kelly Nicole Photography

3 Comments / Family, Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

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As promised, I am posting Jen's wedding photographer's info, Kelly Nicole. Her work is SO beautiful, and I was really impressed with the variety of photos she had for this wedding. One of the things that Jen and I both agree on is that you can NEVER scrimp on your wedding photos. I mean, if you pay a mint for dresses, flowers, and reception hall to make everything beautiful, but scrimp on the photographer then how can you remember any of it? I think I've already posted a little bit on the bachelorette party and wedding, but here's a bit more on the day.

First of all, I think one of the most fabulous things you can do is be the matron of honor for a designer bride and designer groom! These two had it all together...the colors were amazing, the reception was amazing, the dresses were amazing....

 Okay, down to the dirty details. Jen's wedding was at the Salt Lake Temple and reception was held at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building's Empire Room. One of the things I loved was that they had an entire program. It was a flexible program, but it provided 

jsstructure to the whole event which was REALLY nice. When I wasn't chasing the flower girls (my Siri and Felicity and Jen's niece Emma), I was chowing down on the filet mignon, giving the nerve-racking toast, and dancing with my girls. Jen's didn't have specific "colors," I guess you could name them: plum, pink, ivory, green. What she REALLY had was a theme, which was antique. So everything went together without being matchy-matchy. The tablecloths and linens were an antique pink/champaign in silk and the flowers were plum and pink peonies, antique pink and ivory roses, and ivory hydrangea, and baby ranunculus. And by the way, how fantastic are those shoes with the plum dresses (and the yummy salmon peony silk flower?)? The dresses were a great find from Shabby Apple (one of my favorite places to shop for modest dresses)picture-44. The 5-year old flower girl dresses were pink and Flissa's was ivory. Oh, and I'm sending you to Kelly Nicoles blog to see her most recent photographs. I just hopped over there for a second to grab this link  for you to view more pictures of Jen's wedding. 

One last comment...the picture of Felicity and me in the top photo really strikes me. Sometimes I am completely amazed that this is my child because our coloring is so different! Some seriously strong recessive genes...

All of the photos in this post are copyright of Kelly Nicole Photography.

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Another Parfait Day...

3 Comments / Cooking, Family /

Last night we had parfaits again...a new tradition as of a week ago at the Gardner house. Siri was watching a Pee Wee Herman episode where he makes parfaits. She told me that SHE wanted to make a parfait, which sparked an outing to the grocery store. Our parfaits are made of vanilla pudding, bananas, cookies, and whipped cream. A whole lot of healthy.

img_3491 And last night when we had parfaits again, Siri declared the parfaits inedible due to the bananas. So, I guess my attempts to get some fruit in this dessert are now thwarted. Besides, Felicity really only eats the "cream" part anyway. Like daughter, like father. Well, maybe next time we'll just make ice cream parfait and call it good! Then everyone will eat the cream! 

 

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New Studio Website!

Digital Scrapbooking, My Minds Eye, Quick Fixes & Projects, Two Peas in a Bucket /

blogimage1You'll notice a couple of changes around here:). While not all of the blog is finished (the links to my free downloads, tutorials, and  new flickr groups are not up yet), the studio site is! I'm so excited to introduce this great new resource for those of you looking for my designwork. The Studio is place to find my newest paper crafting releases from My Minds Eye, digital scrapbooking collections at Two Peas in a Bucket, where to buy my designs, and the latest design news! There's also a fantastic new project gallery that will be updated with design projects regularly! Probably my favorite new thing that will be coming to the blog in the next couple of days is an open group on flickr for you to upload photos of your projects using my paper craft supplies and digital scrapbooking kits! The group is called Your CG Creations and you can go ahead and start uploading stuff...it just hasn't hit my sidebar yet. I'm excited to see what you create! 

So go ahead and take a gander at the new site!

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New Website

Digital Scrapbooking, My Minds Eye, Stuff I Love, Two Peas in a Bucket /

If you've noticed an absence of blogging it is because I have been trying to get together a new website that hopefully will be up and running at the end of this week! It will be a great resource for my design news, projects with products, new paper crafting products, digital scrapbooking products, and where to buy them. The blog will get a new makeover as a result as well! There will be new flickr groups and more:). So excuse my absence a bit for this coming week and I'll have this new website up and running! I'm pretty excited about it! You'll even get sneak peeks of my new products coming out WAY before they actually hit CHA and stores! 

Happy Sunday!

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In Place of Favorite 5 Friday...

Digital Scrapbooking, Favorite 5 Friday, Two Peas in a Bucket /

In place of Favorite 5 Friday, I am going to show you what's coming up at 2peas next week! This is my new Paradise Line...it's so very bright and happy!:) 

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And of course the party pack:

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I'm not finished with the line and you'll see these two come out the following Tuesday with a few others:

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My creative team has been putting together some great layouts that I will post next Monday!

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Crate and Barrel Placecard Holders

Favorite 5 Friday, Stuff I Love /

The UPS truck showed up at our door today and dropped off a Crate and Barrel package. I asked Josh (jokingly) what he bought from Crate and Barrel (he laughed...I don't think he's ever ordered anything from there...me on the other hand, well, that's a different story). So I open the little box and on the top is a card from my darling friend Jen and her new husband Spencer! The card was SO sweet (the gift was a thank you for helping with her wedding), and I couldn't believe it when I saw THESE:

cbplacecards1If you've been reading my blog, you know I've been searching for these little darlings since this Favorite Friday post! They are even MORE beautiful in person! What a FANTASTIC bride!!!! Thank you, thank you Jen and Spencer!!!! I can't wait to use them!!! What a great surprise!

If you are looking for these same place card holders, you can pick them at Crate and Barrel here.

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Felicity's Birthday and Paradise Collection Party Kit

5 Comments / Digital Scrapbooking, Stuff I Love, Two Peas in a Bucket, Uncategorized /

Felicity's birthday was on Thursday, but we celebrated yesterday with Josh's family. It was a really fun time with an easy dinner of soup, salad, and breadsticks, chocolate cupcakes with pink icing and sprinkles for the kids, and coconut cake for the adults. My extra treat was the white chocolate suckers (see the post before this one). Everything looked beautiful! I used my new Paradise Collection to make all the accessories for this party. The new collection is happy and bright with vibrant colors. It hits two peas on May 5th! I will be sure to give you a few sneak peeks in the coming days. You can also buy all the party stuff I put together in a new digikit that is also part of the collection (also coming May 5th).  Here's a peak at the printable digikit:

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Here are some photos of the fun night celebrating Flissa's second birthday! Here's the birthday girl wearing her pink party dress and wrapped in her blanky.

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These are my cute sisters-in-law:

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Party food always makes everything better!

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I cheated on the cake—just white box cake (Duncan Hines), but I didn't skimp on the frosting. I used the Barefoot Contessa's coconut cream cheese frosting. 

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I love these four little cousins!

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The hats looked so adorable on the kids!

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Living Room decorations

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and party-goers (it's girly enough at our house that even grandpa is holding a wand).

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More on the new collection soon!

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White Chocolate Lollipops

4 Comments / Family, Holiday Projects, Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

My friend Carolyn sent me a picture of white chocolate lollipops she made from molds and I had to try it myself for Flissa's family birthday party. (Carolyn says that she has a blog but hasn't updated it for a while. I'm trying to convince her to put her gorgeous little girl bows up...if she does I will be sure to post it here!) So I borrowed Carolyn's daisy molds and made the suckers. They were SO fast and easy to make. All you do is get white chocolate chips, melt them, add a little food coloring (I used two drops of red in one package of white chocolate chips to get this light pink), and let them cool in the fridge. I was sort of surprised at how fast the entire process was. 

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That's my short post for the day! I have to get together the rest of Flissa's b-day party and I am working on a new line for  Two Peas which should hit in two weeks! Not only that but I found out this week that My Minds's Eye has picked up a Halloween line from me for the July release (CHA). Lots of exciting things happening and so little time! Will post on the party and new line soon!

 

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Bachelorette Party and Wedding

2 Comments / Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

This weekend was filled with parties and events for Jen's wedding. But don't plan on her posting about it anytime soon since she is on her honeymoon. I just thought I would post a couple of tidbits although I don't know that this will be a very exciting post as I promised to not show any of the riske photos from the bachelorette party. I tried to make the food for the party as easy as possible. One of the ladies offered her house so we nixed going to a restaurant for a more comfortable atmosphere. I ordered sushi (from Happy Sumo) and soup (the Zuppa is my favorite from the Olive Garden). I'll be using the Olive Garden for easy parties in the future...the soup was only $20 for a gallon and $4 for 12 breadsticks. 

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This is my favorite picture of Aimee and Cynthia (sisters) laughing at  one of the stories being told.

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As I said, I wasn't allowed to post any of the ridiculous pictures, so that basically eliminated everything else:).

Okay, a little about the wedding. As the matron of honor (wow, that sounds old, huh?) and with two little flower girls to boot, there wasn't much time for pictures. I will just say that it was a BEAUTIFUL day—the bride looked beautiful and the groom handsome, and well, it was all a fantastic success. When Jen posts pictures, I will DEFIANTLY send you over to her site because they will be fabulous. I will also get the link to her photographer, Kelly Nicole. Here are a few of my candid pics:

The bride and groom

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I think this little flower girl is pretty adorable.

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This next little flower girl ripped the hem of her dress,refused to wear her wreath, and managed to have a blow out in her dress during my toast (Josh missed the toast and a few other things). She looks so innocent...

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Our fabulous cupcakes from cupcakechicutah were AMAZING! I would highly recommend her! We had the red velvet for the wedding favors and we had the chocolate coconut and chocolate mint at our bachelorette party.

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This cake wasn't just beautiful, it was YUMMY! Raspberry filled and swirled on the bottom, carrot cake for the middle, and lemon with lemon curd for the top...

 

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Felicity and me...I loved our bridesmaids dresses and those huge peony's we wore in side buns in our hair. We also had fabulous green shoes! That's the fantastic combo you get when two designers get married!

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Work, work, work...& something funny.

4 Comments / Stuff I Love /

So I'm sure you also feel this way many times: too many things, so little time! There are SO many things I want to do creatively, with my family, for myself...but I need just one more hour in my day (you know you can relate with me on this one)! There is the daily grind of regular life, there are things that must be done, and there's, well, work. And all of it is necessary. So carving out a piece of time in your life that is complete devoted to some kind of creative effort or ME time is difficult. I see this especially for moms (when's the last time you got some ME time, mommies?). Last night, I had a bit of ME time by going out with my girlfriend, Jen (aka: the projectgirl). Did I mention that she is getting married? Yep. She is. And I'm guessing she has been too busy to even mention it on her blog. Currently, she is staying at my house as we make final preparations this week for the big day. Last night we went out for pedicures and a little late night dinner. VERY indulgent and something I can be okay with as Ms. Jen lives in San Francisco and I'm always so happy when she is in town! So with a week's worth of wedding stuff in front me (I am currently fancied-up for our bridal luncheon today at the Lion House) and Two Peas products to make, My Minds Eye submissions barking at me, my daytime job (yes, I still have one of these), and well, I have been sketching out new designs for this website (lol...good timing, I know!), things start to get a tiny-bit busy. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! I think this is what life is all about! And most of it is SO fun (I love everything I do!)! I guess this post is sort of a reminder for me to enjoy the process—something I am terrible at doing. I'm sort of an end result person (a prognosis attained from the doctorate I'm sure). So I hope if things are crazy for you, you take a moment to smell the roses and enjoy your process!

And, because I love you so much, here's something for you all to enjoy. Josh was sent this little goodie from a friend on facebook and I CANNOT resist posting it here! I mean, it IS design related. Please, please, I urge you to watch to the VERY END! Business card anyone?

Your Business Card is Crap!

Wait, wait....This is THE most impressive business card I have ever seen. It's MINE...hahaha! That is such a great line! And where in the world can I get this guy's business card?

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Bella Bella Layout

4 Comments / My Minds Eye, Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

Last week, something possessed me to take a second away from digital scrapbooking and to actually scrapbook the traditional way. I used my Bella Bella line from My Minds Eye.

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It's nice to get off the computer sometimes and really get down and dirty! I think there is something about really feeling the paper in your hands ( I love paper...sheets and sheets of it all over my home just because I like the stuff!). I do think traditional scrapbooking is harder for me because I'm always wishing for a control-Z (I actually wish there was a control-z for a lot of regular things in life!). But once I got use to the idea of planning the layout ahead and being okay with the home spun nature of it all (aka, my glops of glue!), I was good! 

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Slow roasted Salmon with Spring Herb Sauce

1 Comment / Cooking /

I got this lovely recipe book from the library a couple of weeks ago and finally got around to using it last night for dinner! I think the recipes are relatively easy and the photos are inspiring. There are probably 10 recipes I have marked in this book.

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I really think this is a very easy recipe as it requires very little work and ingredients I generally have in my kitchen.

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There are basically two parts: Cook the Salmon (and I did Chicken too because I knew my ids would prefer that) and Make the Lemon sauce. Let me see if I can decipher these ingredients from the picture...

 

SLOW-ROASTED Salmon with spring herb sauce

1 ½ pouds fresh wild king or sockeye salmon fillet

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup mixed coarsely chopped soft-leafed herbs such as basil, chervil, chives, dill, fennel, lovage, mint, sorrel, or tarragon, plus additional small tender herb springs for garnish

Coarse sea salt for finishing

(and remember that if you have my kitchen recipe digital kit that you put this one on a recipe card for your kitchen! It's a keeper! I've been pretty good about documenting all my recipes as I have had many new ones recently and my little recipe box is getting nicely filled!)

So I'm sure you don't have ALL those ingredients in your kitchen. I just bastardized it a bit, heehee. I only had flat leaf pasley and I used dried thyme to help. I did have the lemons and butter, but no shallots. I substituted a finely chopped red onion instead. I also threw in pasta as our carb...I know, not traditional with Salmon, but I knew that's what my kids would eat.

For the salmon and chicken, you just let the meats sit in olive oil for about 30 minutes and then stick them in the oven until done. Salt them before they go in the oven. I then put the pasta on and made the lemon sauce. All you need to do is mix the wine, lemon, shallots, and a teaspoon of salt in a pan and let it boil until it reduces to half. Then whisk in the butter. Easy peasy!

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And that's it! Combine the pasta with some of the sauce, throw on the fresh herbs at the end (for the dry ones, I think I threw them into the sauce...once again bastardized).

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Beautiful Bedrooms

1 Comment / Stuff I Love /

I've been dreaming of a beautiful bedroom these days. With my office in the bedroom and with my girls using it as their hang out room, it is currently stuffed to capacity. However, I found these 4 bedrooms on HouseBeautiful's website to inspire me to help make my room a little prettier...

Florescent pink pillows...who knew they could be so stunning?

 

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This one is probably my favorite. Soft, sweet, and bright. And SO comfy. Don't you just want to climb into that bed, snuggle in, and read a book?

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The chandelier on this one is TO DIE FOR. Yum, yum!

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I'm attracted to the colors on this one! I think that blue is in my living room...

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Easter Inspiration

1 Comment / Holiday Projects, Stuff I Love /

I'm back from a bit of a hiatus from my blog. I've had a number of things barking at me these last couple of weeks and I've devoted myself to being a little more careful about what I choose to spend my time doing. I actually was sitting in on a seminar a few weeks ago that asked us to rate the top 5 things in our lives (things we like to do, wanted to spend more of our time on, etc.). We were then asked to take that list and compare it to what we ACTUALLY do with our day. This simple task is an eye opener. I found myself acknowledging that I didn't want to spend my life living the way I was now (so busy and stressed out) and not doing the things that I LOVE. Life's too short right? My number one thing I wanted to do more of was spend a little more quality time with my little family—especially my girls. They've always been my number one priority, but I decided to MAKE sure that if I am doing something other than being with them, that it is completely worth it (that's one way to justify not getting around to the laundry, heehee). Other top things for me? Designing, of course. I am COMPLETELY passionate about it. Surprisingly enough, cooking came up high on my list too. I completely forget how much I enjoy cooking as I spend more nights quickly try to get dinner together at night without a thought to how fun the process is. So you may see a bit more cooking on this site as I flex my creative muscles and make myself spend more time on things I love doing!

What are your top 5 things? What do you care about the most? I really believe that we have the ability to DESIGN our lives...which is a task in and of itself. How would you design your life if you could? I have some ideas about how I am changing my life to be a little less busy and more dynamic and engaging! I am always seeking after beauty in my life and that is one of the things I hope to bring to anyone who reads this blog. I hope that creativity is an integral part of your life too.

Which brings me to what I originally planned on posting about today: Easter inspiration. This is such a wonderful holiday—for decorations, family, and reflection. Hopefully, you get a chance this week to think about your life and what you need and don't need in it! And while you are pondering these very big questions, lol, here is some eye candy to make you happy and feel inspired for this holiday!

This is Bossy Feltworks  etsy shop. What a little darling chicky, huh?

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This one's from SoMommySew. These birdies and colors are divine?

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 This one is from madepersonal and is so charming.

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If you want something to tandalize your eyes and your tummy, you should read this post over from the kitchn. It'a an assortment of very pretty little cookies you can find at different locations. These are too sweet and are true eye candy:

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Those ladybugs are KILLING me...and little umbrellas? So sweet! Hope this all makes you as happy as it does me! More holiday stuff all this week...because, well, how can I help it? Happy Easter, Passover, or whatever you choose to celebrate this season. The main thing is that you celebrate!

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Giveaway! Peony Place Extras!

18 Comments / Digital Scrapbooking, Giveaways, Two Peas in a Bucket /

Hello everyone! It's a giveaway week! The new line of Peony Place extras hits this week with these first three digital kits at Two Peas in a Bucket tomorrow. 

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Then more EXTRAS come out next week...here's the sneak peek!

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So here's the giveaway! For every 30 comments on this post, I will giveaway 1 of these Peony Place Extras! Just comment on this thread and say which of the digi kit EXTRAS you wish you could have and you will be placed in the drawing. Easy peasy! 

 

This giveaway will end on this Friday! And the more comments (1 comment per individual for this giveaway) the more I will giveaway! It's a win-win!

>>Go back to the home page for the most up-to-date posts!

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The Joy of Cooking's Carrot Cake and The Cure

3 Comments / Uncategorized /

I recently signed up to do The 8 week Cure with many others at Apartment Therapy. I am currently reading Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's Book—Apartment Therapy: The eight-step home cure. "The Cure," to boil it down, is an eight week program meant to help organize and make healthy our living spaces. There are several things you do including declutters, room remedies, and more. My favorite thing is to bring home flowers once a week for my home. I always put my flowers on our table because then I'll actually clean it up! Dirty dishes and flowers don't really match, you know?

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And, to top it off this week, the cure is all about deep cleaning the kitchen. INTO it! My kitchen really needed it! One of the things you do is a new recipe. While I bought ingredients for a couple of new recipes, today I felt like I wanted to revisit a recipe I haven't had a chance to make for awhile! I thought I'd share because it's one of my favorites! It's The Joy of Cooking's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. I made sure and got it onto one of my recipe cards today so that I wouldn't have to drag the book out again for it! 

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CARROT CAKE
Serving: 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes


INGREDIENTS:
   

1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 
⅔ cup vegetable oil 
3 large egg 
1 ½ peeled and finely grated cup carrot 
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped 
1 cup sugar 
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
½ teaspoon ground cloves 
½ freshly grated or ground teaspoon nutmeg 
½ teaspoon ground allspice 
½ teaspoon salt    

OPTIONAL: 
1 cup golden raisins
½ cup crushed pineapple, lightly drained 

 

 


DIRECTIONS:

1. Have all ingredients at room temperature, 68°F to 70°F.   

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

3. Grease and flour two 9x2-inch round pans or two 8x8-inch pans or one 13x9-inch pan, or line the bottom with wax paper.

4. In a large bowl, throroughly whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, all-spice, and salt.

5. Add the vegetable oil and eggs, and stir together well with a rubber spatula or beat on low speed.

6. Stir in the carrots, walnuts, raisins and pineapple (if using).

7. Scrape the batter into the pans(s) and spread evenly.

8. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

 

 

For me, I always do the pineapple, but never the raisins or walnuts. I also added coconut and vanilla for my own special twist! 
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.

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Running with the Leopards—5K Race

1 Comment / Uncategorized /

No designerly posts today. Just a quick post to say that Josh and I ran a 5k today with his East High alma mater (the high school recognizable for being the place High School Musical was filmed). About 700 people showed for the race. It was cold. This is a terrible picture of us, but I thought the snow on the mountains nicely demonstrates the cold.

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A final note...my husband beat me. I'm guessing by about 3 minutes. We 'll see when the race results come out. I also had a momentary scare when I was sprinting in and managed to fling my iPod. Don't ask me how...it just happened! Thankfully it was sort of a frisbee fling and it landed in the grass. A race chaperone (is there such a thing? You know, that guy who stands on the side and watches races and gives times) picked it up (thankfully!)

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Easter Birdie Nests—Kid Edible Project

4 Comments / Holiday Projects, Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love /

We made these edible easter nests that Siri is obsessed with it. I guarantee they'll be a hit with your kids too! Plus they are easy!

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Add a peep birdie for extra sweetness!

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All you need is:

Chow Mein Crunch Noodles

Chocolate Chips (We like milk—it's naughtier)

Shredded Sweetened Coconut (optional...I like it, the kids don't)

jelly bean eggs or whopper eggs

Peeps chicks

Heat up a pan and melt the chocolate chips. Add the chow mein noodles and mix gently. I usually heap half into spoonfuls on a plate or tray and then mix the coconut in for the rest. Let your kids add the eggs and peeps. Easy Peasy! 

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Nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, glue gun skills...

1 Comment / Stuff I Love /

Last night before the girls went to sleep, I pulled out some of my extra "bits and ends" and decided to make the girls a couple of clips. Siri just got a haircut (which has been FANTASTIC!), but means I need more clips for her to pull her hair from her face. 

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I bought alligator clips and just made a couple because I decided that Siri's hair is too thick for these tiny ones I bought. I'll be off to the store today to buy bigger ones so we can make more! (Siri was REALLY into it). First thing this morning, she asked to wear the clip we made.

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All I did was lay down some thin ribbon on the clip and hot glue the two crochet flowers to the clip. We also glued two tiny pink gems in the centers of the flowers. Easy! And Siri is happy to boot! Glue gun skills...gotta love them!

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Photoshop Tutorial: Silhouettes

8 Comments / Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love, Tutorials /

My first Photoshop tutorial! It is created using a fabulous program called Jing. This photoshop tutorial was created in a swf file , so hopefully you will be able to watch it...you may need to download the latest version of Flash to watch it. I sort of zoom through the tutorial because I only had 5 minutes to show everything (the limit on jing).

Here's the project: creating a family silhouette art piece for your living room. I show you how to create this silhouette in photoshop and then take it into Illustrator for clean up. I'd suggest the tutorial for intermediate users, but if you are a beginner, it wouldn't hurt you to watch it! You can pause it as you work on your own. 

I created my first silhouette of Siri when she was 2 years old. I thought it was a great way to document the subtle changes in my little girl. I have the screenprint of that piece in my living room. I love silhouettes and my original idea was to hang individual tiny portraits of each member of the family. However, do you know how HARD it is to find a decent oval frame? So I decided to go with the square frame and put all of us (my husband, Josh, myself, and two daughters) into one piece. Inexpensive art, always a plus!
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Want to watch a larger version of this video? Click here.

 

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Easter Projects

2 Comments / Holiday Projects, Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

Easter is fast approaching and I haven't even begun to think about Easter projects for me girls. Our favorite is the peeps chicks in chocolate nests with jelly been eggs. Siri was just asking to do those the other day. 

You should also check out the Easter Projects on Martha Stewart's website. Look how cute these spring chicks are!

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There's also a slew of Easter decoration pictures. I am more motivated to get a few things together this week!

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If you doing anything fun for Easter, post here!

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March of Tools: The Wacom Tablet and Card Scan Reader

March of Tools, Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

In honor of March of the Tools, I decided to feature two of my favorite tools: My Wacom Tablet and Scan Card Reader. My Wacom Tablet I've had for a out 2 years now and love. Last May, however, when we moved from Minnesota to Utah, my Wacom pen was lost. I had placed it in my mother-in-law's carry on bag and it somehow got lost in the mix. So I've been without a Wacom pen for most of this last year. Last week I couldn't stand it anymore (mouse drawing is NOT that fun) and I ordered a new pen. I told Josh I ordered a new pen and he said, "Well, you know what's going to happen now don't you? You're going to find your other pen!" I thought he was silly because I had already torn apart the whole house looking for it. 

So last night, my mother-in-law drops by and upon seeing my new pen sitting at my desk, tells Josh (I wasn't there), "I just found one of those at my house! I meant to bring it by." I couldn't BELIEVE it! Serendipitous? 

So I am so happy I have my old pen and can send back the new one (which I have had for a total of 1 and ½ days and was a small chunk of change).

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My Card Scan Reader is another tool I can't live without! Did you know that using your regular USB to hook up your camera to your computer is suppose to be hard on your camera? So our IT guy at work gave me this. It works for 5 kinds of cards and Josh and I use it for both the point and shoot camera and my Canon Rebel. It's SO fast and pretty inexpensive! And hey, if it extends the life of my cameras, then it is DEFINITELY worth it!

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Finding Design in Everything: Form and Function

1 Comment / Design Lessons /

I was thinking about form vs. function...the time old question of which comes first (think the chicken and the egg) and how they inform each other. Form, the shape or medium that an object or service is in, and function (how it acts or works—the purpose of the object). Designers often say "form follows function." So for example, a chair isn't really  functional if there is no seat. The form of the chair is dictated by what it's purpose is (to sit in). 

 I was thinking about this question in particular as it happens last Saturday. I was trying to figure out a fun afternoon activity for my kids. I came up with the age old "cheerio necklace" since we had everything for it. I was thinking about how a cheerio wouldn't work for this fabulous activity if it wasn't for the hole in the middle, therefore making it's form "functional" for this activity. I mean, you've never heard of a Life necklace or a Captain Crunch necklace?

img_1315I have no idea why they chose the "o" shape for the cereal, but I found this if you want to know anything about the cooking process of these little cereals. Anyway, this is my very little tidbit on how form and function influences even the tiniest parts (and perhaps insignificant) of our lives. I sure do love those Cheerio necklaces! If you have a form vs. function story, please share! 

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Easy Cake Decorator

1 Comment / March of Tools, Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love /

As part of Heather Bailey's March of Tools, I am trying to remember tools in my life that I can't live without...especially when I recently use them. While I spend most of my "tool time" with my computer and other technical gadgets (and will be posting more and tutorials on them soon;), I decided to throw this wrench in the works. My first gadget for the March of tools is my dumbed-down cake decorator. I decided to feature it because I have been using it a lot lately (a lot for me anyway!). Siri, Flissa, and I made cupcakes today for an early St. Patrick's Day.

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I like the idea of using multiple tips, but truthfully, if I'm making cupcakes for preschool or a birthday, I'm probably going to use the same three tips that I know how to use. This little instrument makes life pretty easy with clean up AND decorating. I believe I got it from Michael's about 6 years ago. I've been using it ever since!

So there it is! My first featured tool. Not very clever, but a great tool nonetheless! (Plus the first one I've had time to take a photograph of.) 

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Interview with Designer Holly Jones & Giveaway from My Cute Stamps

44 Comments / Design Lessons, Giveaways, Interviews /

I have a very special interview with designer Holly Jones today! She is the owner and creator of My Cute Stamps, an absolutely DARLING store with her beautiful clear stamps! She also has a fabulous blog Creating Cupcakes. She's also offered a darling stamp set to be given away to someone! Let's meet her:

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Carina: What kind of “designer” do you consider yourself? 

Holly: I started out as a graphic designer but as I worked at various jobs, I soon realized that I preferred Illustration over design. Now I consider myself an Illustrator.

Carina: Do you consider yourself a “creative” person?
Holly: Yes, growing up my dad owned a small print shop. I preferred playing with his trash (discarded papers, glue, inks, & etc.) more than I enjoyed playing with any of my toys. I love to learn new creative skills. I enjoy drawing, stamping, paper crafting, knitting, jewelry making, the list goes on & on.

Carina: Do you always feel creative?

Holly: Most of the time. Most days I feel like there isn't enough time to create everything I want to create.

Carina:  What kind of jobs have you had?

Holly: My 3 favorite jobs include: 1) Working at the computer lab it college. This is where I learned to use the computer & graphic design programs. I didn't have a computer of my own until a few years ago, so it was fun to be able to use one everyday at work. 2) Being a "live in Nanny". I got to explore the Eastern states with a great family whom I still keep in contact with. 3) Designer & Illustrator for Stampin' Up! I worked here designing papers, products & stamp sets. I really enjoyed the environment and my fun and creative co-workers.

Carina: Tell me about being a mom and your “design work”.

Holly:  I work at home with my 2 cute girls. I wouldn't trade it for anything, It can be challenging at times. My girls are both young and demand a lot of attention, so I really don't get much work done until they go to bed at night. My oldest daughter is 4. She loves crafts, she has recently been interested in drawing her own stamp sets. She keeps asking when we will be selling her cute designs. I don't think it will be much longer before she's ahead of me in her creative skills.

Carina: What do you do now?

Holly:  Right now my husband and I have two businesses, Vinyl Wall Art & My Cute Stamps. He does most of the orders & technical stuff, while I do all the design work and marketing. I'm currently designing some new Reposition-able vinyl for Vinyl Wall Art, and getting our display for the Stamp business ready for the Salt Lake Scrapbook USA expo which takes place next week.

Carina: Tell me more about My Cute Stamps? What made you get started with that?

Holly: Initially, I started doing Wall Art because I had a 2 year non-compete contract with Stampin' Up! I still enjoy designing wall art, but I missed designing for the craft industry. My non-compete contract with Stampin' Up! ended in October (the same month as my birthday) My husband thought it would be fun to order me some stamps that I designed in celebration of both occasions. I really loved designing the stamps, and had forgotten how much I love to design products for the crafting industry. I posted some of my stamp designs on the internet, and the response was fabulous, so we decided to set it up as a business. I'm really glad we did. I'm having a great time coming up with new set ideas & new product ideas (coming soon.)

Carina: What is your favorite stamp set?

Holly: It would be Eek! A Monster!

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Carina: Where do you see yourself in 10 years with your designwork?

Holly: I hope to have an entire line of products within the next 10 years. More than just stamps, perhaps coordinating papers, and craft kits.

Carina: What makes My Cute Stamps Unique?

Holly: When I design new stamps, I really try to keep in mind how the stamps will be used. I try to make each set as versatile as possible. I want the end user to be able to use each set for multiple occasions and projects. 

GIVEAWAY FROM HOLLY!

A big thank you to Holly for doing the interview! And she has been really generous to giveaway this darling stamp set: Spunky Nature Stamp Set! It's my favorite set! 

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What do you have to do to win it? Comment on this blog and your name will be entered into the drawing! If you go over to check out My Cute Stamps and tell me your favorite set, I'll put your name in twice! Easy! This giveaway will end on Saturday at 9AM MST and winners will be announced on Saturday morning at 10AM MST.  Good luck!

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And the Winners of Peony Place Are...

3 Comments / Digital Scrapbooking, Free Digital Downloads-Freebies-Free Digital Printables /

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway! I really loved hearing your comments and hope you will keep coming back for design projects and more! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another giveaway and an interview with a fantastic designer, Holly Jones!

Winners announced! I will be emailing the winners in just a second! I used random.org:). Drum roll, please!

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21- Manic Mother

56- Michelle in AR

13- Lena Loo

Congrats Ladies! I'll be contacting you with your winnings!

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Adding Color to My Life and Another Frame Project

7 Comments / Quick Fixes & Projects, Stuff I Love, Uncategorized /

As many of you know, I live in rental that we aren't suppose to paint. So a lot of my tricks to decorating are things that are "movable." Well, last week I got the okay to paint the living room and kitchen! What a dream! I'm not done accessorizing and I've pulled everything down from the walls. I have a million little projects to work on for this home and I'll be sure to post them here!

Okay, so here's the before:

img_1273So this is my kitchen. Very big, I know.

img_1275My Living Room...there was a pony parade going on!

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Here are the colors I chose:

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I actually tried out the taupe and knew it was just right...but the tiffany was a little dark for my taste. My finally color ended up being the shade lighter than this color, which wasn't exactly right, but will do for now. It needs just a hint of green.

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This is the shade darker...glad I tried it before buying the gallon! And the final results! TA DA! Ummm, I love color! It changes the entire space...notice I haven't changed a lot else (I DID pick up the ponies, but they'll be back!:)

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Darling little bird and number balls found at Thai Pan Trading! $2 for the bird and $1.50 for the balls!

img_1442I once saw this on a show...the kids books stayed in the room on a tray. Heaven knows that our kid books are ALWAYS in this room, so it seemed right to sort of "organize" them by putting them on a tray.

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I only painted the bottom half of the kitchen taupe. High contrast heaven!

 

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I've already have a dozen more projects for all these rooms. I have curtains...but I'm not sure if we are going to be able to hang them in here because of the plaster in the wall...it makes it hard to drill!

MY FRAME PROJECT—Painting the frame, take 2

Okay, back to the living room...notice that great focal point frame (and nothing else on the wall? hehee...)? I found that at Home Goods on clearance and painted it. 'Painted it' is an understatement because I actually worked on it THREE times because I could get the color right. I thought I wanted it to be white. It didn't work. I mean, NOT AT ALL. It looked terrible (By the way, that frame WILL get hung...just haven't gotten round to it yet). Then, I decided to be bold and paint it red.Also a bad idea...but not as bad as the white. The THIRD time I painted it brown, but left some of the red peeping through (just a tiny bit). It was exactly what I needed. I want it to be a focal point and it had to compete with the curtains.

Here's how the frame started out. Gold, ugh, not for me. I love how ornate it is though!

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img_1300Here's the white phase, which leads very nicely into the red and brown phases.

img_1427While the red phase looks COMPLETELY scary here, I'm glad I did it because it acts as an undertone for the brown and gives it dimension. It's not FLAT.

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The final un-hung frame. I've been a busy gir1. I'm about to fall asleep writing this! I'm off to bed early tonight! And remember to check tomorrow! I have an interview with Holly Jones and a great giveaway from her super darling store My Cute Stamps!

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Free Task List Design and Peony Place GiveAway!

75 Comments / Card Nirvana, Digital Scrapbooking, Free Digital Downloads-Freebies-Free Digital Printables, Two Peas in a Bucket, Uncategorized /

It's a freebie day! If you're like me, you are all over the place all day long: kids, work, dinner, shopping...the list goes on and on! And sometimes I'll think of something TODAY, that I need to remember TOMORROW...so I came up with these cute little task lists that are SUPER easy to use. They are formatted on a 8.5 x 11 paper and you just need to cut it right down the middle. I put the tasks into boxes with lines because I sort of like to categorize what I'm trying to accomplish...home stuff, work stuff, etc. It's also sorted into TODAY and TOMORROW.img_1419

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Download the TASK LIST here.


Hope you enjoy this freebie! Today is sort of a "double take" because the SITS girls is having their Spring Fling and I've decided to fling some digital scrapbooking your way! All you have to do to be entered into this giveaway is comment on this thread. Easy-peasy!

I'll do a drawing for the winners...for every 20 commenters I will draw a name and you get to choose ONE KIT from my new Peony Place collection! So get people to visit and comment! I'd love to give out a lot!!!! Here are the kits you get to choose from!

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I will be announcing the winners on Wednesday morning at 10am MST! So check back:)!

Also be sure and check out the 20% off coupon and $40 gift certificate we are giving away at the SITS girls for Card Nirvana!

Need the SITS GIRL discount at Card Nirvana this week: CODE: SITS20MARCH

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And the last thing that you need to know is that I have a very special interview and free gift that I will be giving out on Thursday! So be sure to check back for that giveaway! Happy Tuesday!
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Tomorrow's Freebies!

5 Comments / Card Nirvana, Digital Scrapbooking, Free Digital Downloads-Freebies-Free Digital Printables, Uncategorized /

I'm here to post about the wonderful stuff going on tomorrow here at my blog, card nirvana, and the SITS girls! The first thing is happening right here!!!! I am giving away for every 20 commentors, 1 digitial kit of my new digital scrapbooking line (which hits Two Peas in A Bucket next Tuesday...it's not even out yet!), The new line is called Peony Place and it's a collection set up in digital scrapbooking sets. Not a digital scrapbooker? These papers are still great to print out for hybrid projects like cards and holiday projects! All you have to do is comment on TOMORROW's thread and you will be added to the drawing! I will draw one person for every 20 people who comments ( so if 40 people comments, I'll draw 2 people and so on). How easy is that? I'll also have a new freebie card up for you to pick up, so you should dash by to at least get the details on that! So everyone wins:).

Tomorrow's winners gets to choose from these:

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Perfect for spring, don't you think? Here's a layout I did of my daughter Siri using the Floral Fantasy!

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Okay, so at card nirvana, you are going to be able to pick up a freebie tomorrow! So check here first and then you are going to want to hop over there.

Finally, Card Nirvana is giving away a $40 gift certificate (that's a lot of cards!) with the SITS girls. You'll need to check out their site tomorrow to be available. They also have the coupon code for a 20% off discount at Card Nirvana! If you have had your eye on something, now is the time to buy it! Head on over there and see what you can see!

Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

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