Top Ten of 2012 Blog Hop

Sharing my favorite 10 projects of 2012...wow it was hard to choose!  I tried to split them into my favorite layouts and cards.  Thrilled to be asked to join the hop with this amazing bunch of talented ladies.  I hope you take the time to hop through and become inspired by all the gorgeous projects. You should arrive here from 

Ashley Nguyen Newell 

http://hearthugsdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-blog-hop.html 

I would love to have you become a follower of my blog if you are not already following...leave a comment that you are following and your name will go into win a 

12x12 collection pack of Authentique Genuine.

I will pick a winner with random.org, you 

have until December 31 at 11:59 pm, est.

Here are my top 10!

"play" created for Practical Scrappers!

  

"Love"created for Inspiration Elevator, challenge to use a photo taken from behind.

"Be You Always" created for Inspiration Elevator, challenge to create your style.

"H2O" created for Inspiration Elevator, challenge to use a blurry photo.

"Be You" created for myself..lol!

"No. 1 Teacher"  my first published Card with Northridge Publishing's CARDS.

"Loved" created for the Create blog's Valentine Challenge.

"love"  created for myself again!  

"You are beautiful to me" created for Practical Scrappers Quilt challenge.

 "You are perfect" created for Practical Scrappers Hexagon Challenge.

Thank you for taking the time to take a peek and for becoming a follower. 
Next up is Malika Kelly http://malikakelly.blogspot.com/

Here is your list to keep hopping if you get lost!

Liz Chidester http://thescrappiest.blogspot.com

Marcia Dehn Nix http://onescrapatatime-bymumsie.blogspot.com/

Monika Wright http://www.iloveitallwithmonikawright.com/

Ivanka Lentle http://ivankascardstudio.blogspot.com/

Christine Meyer http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-ten-of-2012-plus-giveaway-and.html

Jamie Cripps http://jamielanedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-of-2012.html

Erin Morehouse http://girlpaperscissors.blogspot.ca/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012.html

Melissa Elsner http://www.theprofoundbrunette.com/2012/12/top-ten-for-2012.html

Jodi Wilton http://luvalotland.blogspot.ca/

Sarah Hill http://sarahspaperbakery.blogspot.com/

Laurel Seabrook http://want2scrap.blogspot.ca/

Carrie Walz http://everydaymoments-carrie.blogspot.com/

Jen Matott http://arttalk-sigmagirl.blogspot.com/

Jan Tatomir http://www.jantatomir.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Haggerty http://livethemoment-jen.blogspot.com/

Kerri Yarus http://kerrikr8tions.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-projects-of-2012.html

Ashley Nguyen Newell http://hearthugsdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-blog-hop.html

Cathy Harper http://alteredplayground.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012-blog-hop.html you are here

Malika Kelly http://malikakelly.blogspot.com/

Lynn Shokoples http://scrappyhappymom.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012-blog-hop.html

Kris Berc http://stashofprettypaper.blogspot.com/

Julie Tucker Wolek http://thetuckerwolekclan.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-projects-for-2012.html

Rhonda VanGinkel http://snapwhiz.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-of-2012-blog-hop.html

Savannah O'Gwynn http://www.savannahland2.blogspot.com

Audrey Yeager http://audreysreflection.blogspot.com/

Katrina Hunt http://paperscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-ten-of-2012-along-with-blog-hop.html

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to take a minute to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

I appreciate all of you taking the time to stop by and love to read your comments!

Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your family.  

We are looking forward to spending Christmas with our new little people...

Gideon and Raini.  It will be fun to see Christmas through the eyes of children again!

Also up of the Moxxie Blog today!

Holiday Thank Yous by Cathy Harper

HI!  Moxie Muse Cathy here with you today and I am getting all my holiday thank yous ready to go with a little help from Moxxie and my Silhouette.  Sometimes quick and easy is really the way to go and with Moxxie’s great designs and the ease of my Silhouette, these really took no time at all.  They are simple yet fun!  I wish I had more Moxxie Winterland and Party at the Pole to keep creating them, but they have been two of my favorite collections and now my stash is almost depleted.

 

The first two cards were created with Moxxie Winterland Let it Snow and Below Zero.  I just mixed and matched with these two papers to create these simple Thank yous!  They were cut using the Silhouette...Snowflake thank you and the design id number is 36612.  I changed no setting whatsoever on the Silhouette.  Just cut and assemble.  I added just a bit of Ranger Peacock Distress Ink around the edges of both cards. 

 

I adore this next card using Moxxie’s Party at the Pole Snowfriends and the diecuts that match this line.  Again, I changed nothing on the settings, just cut and assemble with Thank you Scallop Edge Card, design id 30135.  I added the cute little stack of presents and pop dotted the little elf, one punched snowflake and a button with a little twine.  Adorable and easy!

 

 

I am actually a little a head of the game at the moment...thanks to Moxxie and the Silhouette. I doubt that I will stay a head for long, but it was worth a shot.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

http://gotmoxxie.typepad.com/got_moxxie/2012/12/holiday-thank-yous-by-cathy-harper.html

Practical Scrappers Blog Feature today

October Afternoon Holiday Style Cards

Practical Scrapper Cathy here today to share some Christmas  cards that I created with October Afternoon's Holiday Style Collection.  I fell in love with this line last year and have created tons with it.  October Afternoon always has stunning collections and I find them so easy to create with, everything just seems to fall together.

I hope you like them and are inspired to create!

http://www.practicalscrappers.com/2012/12/october-afternoon-holiday-style-cards.html

thanks for stopping by either blog today to check out my cards!  Have a splendid Friday!

Authentique Peaceful...Season's Greetings

Another fun post over at Practical Scrapper's

Authentique Peaceful...3 ways.

Fun to see different ideas for using a line of paper.  This line is just gorgeous and so easy to create with.  

A big thank you to Kelly for sharing this precious photo with me!

Hope you are having a splendid day!

Card Sketch Inspiration

Lots and lots of fun takes on a sketch over at

Practical Scrappers.

A great sketch created by Patty, stop by at take a peek at all the inspiration. Here is the card I created from the sketch.

A couple different lines of October Afternoon but love how it came together.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Inspiration Elevator Reveal...Fear

In the wake of yesterday's tragedy in Connecticut...my heart is heavy and so very sad for the tragic loss of innocent lives.  All my love and prayers for those touched by this horrible act.  May Jesus wrap his arms around these little babes!  

Reveal...Inspiration Elevator!

 You may recall from last month's challenge that the purpose of this challenge group was to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow.

Please join me in welcoming Michelle Hernandez.  We are so fortunate to have her joining us this month as we explore our scrapbooking limits. Michelle uses a variety of techniques to take her pages to the next level. You can see her amazing creations at her blog "My Analog Life".

This month, our challenger was the super talented Sue Sykes. Sue writes an ongoing article for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine called Leaving Your Legacy and her challenge this month for Inspiration Elevator was also featured in the Winter edition. This is what she wrote:

"The idea of “Leave Your Legacy” first came about in 2007 when I was sorting through some vintage photos of my parents. I realized that while I knew most of the standard information about the images, the profound information about my parents and relatives was missing - information that would give me a glimpse of what they had been like when they were younger. 

To me, scrapbooking is, of course, a means of artistic expression, but more than that, it is a way to leave a little piece of history for future generations in each layout. And so, it amazed me, in talking with friends who scrapbook, to learn just how seldom they scrapbook about themselves. All of these incredible people, and their families may not really know anything personal about them: their hopes, dreams, habits, likes, dislikes, fears and accomplishments. With this article, I hope to encourage fellow artists to scrap more about themselves to avoid that from happening.

I think it's important to document your fears as well as your happy times and accomplishments. Many times, things of which we are FEARFUL, often characterize our personalities. It's also rewarding to be able to look back, once you have overcome a fear, to realize how far you have come. On the heels of my husband's heart attack, this was an obvious choice for me, but it's difficult to put into words the FEAR that you feel when faced with the possible loss of your partner. I want to remember the fear that we both felt, so that it will help us to stick to our commitment of living a healthier, less stressful life. 

So what is it that you FEAR the most?

Not only do I want you to scrapbook about a FEARFUL topic, but I also want you to include at least ONE product that you have avoided using. Maybe it's because you are hoarding it and are FEARFUL of using it all, or maybe you are intimidated by it. Whatever the reason, spread your wings and challenge yourself to use it."

Wow!  What a challenge this was, thank you Sue for inspiring us and help with the photo idea. 

 Broke out the box from my usual Kraft or white swiss dot card stock, and challenged myself to use paint and a mask!  I love the look of paint on layouts, but somehow I always manage to flub it up. So there is one fear conquered. Actually, I am pretty pleased with how this came out!

Also, I have fear of journaling.  I always tell my kids they can make up their own stories to go with their pages. Nice, I know. I created a envelope to hold my journaling with the Fancy Pants "Family" Card.  I just added two pieces of white card stock and sewed to create the pocket. I will share the journaling with you, and know that the photo represents the long road home to Rapid City!

My biggest fear:

The distance between Aberdeen and my parent's home.  It is a 5 to 6 hour drive in good weather--much more if the weather is bad.  It is not easy to adjust to being so far away from home and my parents.  It has been quite a transition.  Their aging health concerns and worries me.  What if something happens in the middle of the night?  Do they tell me every thing, do they omit things just to save me the worry.

Yes, my biggest fear---the long road home!

My heart is forever in Rapid City!

I hope you will stop by and see what the designers on this adventure have created:

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Christa Uttley

Laura Whitaker

Audrey Yeager

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Cathy Harper (you are here)

Michelle Hernandez, Guest Designer

A Sweet layout

Just a quick share of a very sweet layout with a very sweet little girl!

I just love this line from Moxxie...

Party at the Pole!  

I love the bright colors against the white background. Such a fun collection!

Moxxie's Party at the Pole

Thanks for stopping by today!

Moxxie Winterland Blog Hop

Welcome to our December hop! This month, you could WIN the gorgeous Winterland collection, composed of frosty shades of blues and purples:

To have a chance at winning, you need to follow the hop through all eleven participating blogs, check out the beautiful work of the Moxxie Muses, and leave a comment for each of them. Comments will close at midnight CST on Tuesday, December 11. Winner will be announced the next day on the Moxxie blog. International fans are welcomed to play along if they agree to pay shipping in the event of their win. Ready to hop and be inspired?

       Got Moxxie

       Susie Bentz

       Patti Hamil

       Cathy Harper

       Michelle James

       Rebecca Price

       Misty Rushlow

       Mary Pat Siehl

       Dana Tatar

       Rhonda Van Ginkel

       Ange Weisback

I love this Winterland Collection...so soft and pretty.  I created my "Whoville Tree" with the Tim Holtz Snowflake Rosette Dies.  I simply cut and assembled the snowflakes with various Winterlad papers and stacked them on top on a Jenni Bolwin Wood Bobbin, added a bit of ribbon and twine...one more mini bobbin at the top with ribbon and twine, a bit of wire...and it was complete.  It is a bit more whimsical than I was hoping for..not sure what I was hoping for, so I guess that is okay.  Every year I create a tree with scallops or rosettes...so I just had to give the new snowflake rosettes a try!  

  
Thanks for hopping by!

November Publications

Sharing my November publications...just makes me happy to see them in print, they do such a gorgeous job with their photos at Northridge Publications. They make each card look like a piece of beautiful art.  Of course, I can only show you the photos I submitted, you will have to pick up copy of the magazines to see for yourself.  Gosh, they do an amazing job!

Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Hoopla with Moxxie

Holiday Hoopla!

Moxxie Muse Cathy here...I just wanted to share a couple of easy projects that are a bit out of the box.  Lately, I have been in a bit of creating rut, not so inspired and having a hard time creating.    My friend Christine posted this great project the other day and I was instantly inspired.  I had to try it.  Here is the link to Christine’s inspiring blog and the post that got my Holiday Hoopla started, Scrapping With Christine.

 

I went to the craft store and picked up a few embroidery hoops.  A 10 inch circle, a small oval and a 5 1/4 inch circle.  I then had to figure out how these were put together.  Christine has promised to write a tutorial, but she is a busy mom to 4 cute kiddos, so I had to do some searching to find a great tutorial.  I did find one...Embroidery Hoop Art using Scrapbook paper.  I followed this tutorial to a “T” except for the Mod –Podge.   I hate Mod-Podge, seriously, lol.  Can’t stand the stuff, just don’t know what it is about it... yes I do, it’s the mess!  So I simply used 1/4 inch Scor-Tape on the inside hoop and it worked like a charm.  Easy peasy!

 

I created all of my Holiday Hooplas with Moxxie’s Party at the Pole, the sweetest Christmas collection.  The first one I made was the 10 inch embroidery hoop layout, once I had the paper in the hoop, it all just fell together.

I wanted to try and make the other two smaller hoops into cards, I wasn’t sure how to do this but it was surprisingly easy.  I measured the hoops and created the same size oval and circle on my Silhouette, duplicated the shape, and had them intersect each other about a 1/2 inch, hit the weld button and cut them out.  All I had to do then was score them in half and I had the perfect card base.  I just used glue dots to adhere the hoops to the card base.

 

I bounced out of my creating rut, thanks to Christine and had fun with a bit of Holiday Hoopla and Moxxie’s Party at the Pole!

Another layout..shocking!

Really?!...I got another layout done today along with 3 cards!  Excited to be feeling better and that I have at least found a bit of my creativity!

I had to take the picture of this layout at an angle to avoid the glare from the transparency, I hope it doesn't bother you too much!

Supplies used:

Kraft card stock, Basic Grey PB&J patterned papers, Hambly transparency, Sizzix border dies, Silhouette for the frame and title, Crate Paper On Trend flower, American Craft Brads, paper doily,tag, Twinery Twine, machine stitching, 

Luxe rub on, K&CO Washi tape, Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Hope you are having a Happy and Creative Monday!

New layout...OMGOSH!

It seems like I haven't created a layout in forever.  I think I misplaced my creativity somewhere for a bit, nasty cold and stress seem to do that to a person.

I finally finished this layout and adore it!  Yeah, that feels good!

Supplies used:

Kraft Card Stock, My Mind's Eye On the Sunny Side Patterned papers, chipboard, die cuts and brads, Silhouette title and shapes,

paper doily, machine stitching, Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Studio Calico Mister Huey's, American Crafts buttons and clothes pin, May Arts Ribbons and Twine from the Twinery

thanks for stopping by...enjoy your day!

Bella Blvd. Fun

A super quick post to share some yummy 

Bella Blvd. goodness.  I love all things 

Bella Blvd, it is so easy to create with and oh so fun!

Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving...enjoy your day and your family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just taking a moment to be simply thankful for all of you blog readers!  I appreciate your comments and your support so very much!

Take a moment to check out

Practical Scrappers  today for gorgeous card and layout inspiration.  Here is the card I created for today's post.

 Love this line from Echo Park...Fall Fever!

The rosette is from the Silhouette.

Thanks you stopping by and have a very 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Inspiration Elevator Reveal-Regret

     You may recall from last month's challenge that the purpose of this challenge group was to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow.  You can view all of the challenges on my blog.

    Please join me in welcoming Katherine Sutton.  She is a very talented designer and we are excited to be working with her!  You can see more of her work on her blog, Fruits of my Scraps.

     This month, our challenger was the super talented Cathy Harper. Here is her challenge, in her words:  "I have been thinking about my challenge for months now. This is such an amazing team, I am thrilled and humbled to be a part of IE...each of you are amazing designers. I often wonder what I am doing here amongst you. I scrapbook for the joy of it, the creativity part of it, the love of paper part of it....I hardly ever bare any of my feelings in any of my work! I often tell my kids that they can make up there own stories to their pages..I am that terrible about journaling. I guess it is a bit superficial or a whole lot superficial. So here is my challenge. I want you to create a page about REGRET. “No regrets”…they say we should live our lives without regrets… if it were only that easy, right? Most of us hold onto 1 or 2 (or a mountain full) of things we feel regretful for in our lifetimes. A lost love, those words you WISH you had said, the weight you wish you had lost….you know them, right? I encourage you to confront them….take those suckers on and scrap about them… or just one. This can be something superficial to something serious and painful… it’s up to you how far you want to dig. I DO encourage you to use this as an opportunity to really stretch yourself. Journaling is very powerful and you might be surprised by how you feel afterward. This is going to be super tough for me (I may already regret it, lol )...as I am one who lives with a mountain of regrets and know in my head that I should move on, let it go. I am hoping this challenge will help me actually "let go" of some of these things. Maybe by putting in down in 12x12 form, creating it, seeing it and feeling it, that I can put some of it to rest! It's worth a shot! Pictures, no pictures...that is all up to you!"

This is what I came up with...I love it, after writing some regrets down and tucking them away in the Maya Road Envelope...I truly just regret the chances I didn't take! 

Not so filled with regrets now or maybe I never really was, learned a bit after journaling my thoughts...imagine that!

Also, have to give photo credits to Maxenzi, she took this photo a couple years ago at Spearfish Falls.  Something super comforting and inspiring about the photo!

I hope you will stop by and see what the designers on this adventure have created:

Cathy Harper (you are here)

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Christa Uttley

Laura Whitaker

Audrey Yeager

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Katherine Sutton, Guest Designer

We would love to see what you are inspired to create.   Add a comment below and we will be sure to drop by and say hello!

Holiday Cards

Just sharing a couple of holiday cards that I made.  It is getting to that time of year and it seems to be approaching very fast.  

First up, one with some yummy Doodlebug papers diecuts and stickers.  So cute!  Can you believe I cut the tiny little cursive word "merry" with my Silhouette?  Love that machine!

 Next, some Pink Paislee Snow Day...such a yummy collection! 

 And last, some fun with the Silhouette and Echo Park!

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you are having a wonderful creative day!

Pinterest Inspired on Practical Scrappers

Practical Scrappers has a fun post today with projects inspired by Pinterest, very fun!

I was pinspired by this layout by Brenda Becknell and the wonderful faux wood fence in the background.

Here is the link for this gorgeous layout!

http://debbiehodge.com/2012/09/ideas-for-using-woodgrain-on-your-scrapbook-pages/
created by Brenda Becknell

 This is my layout with Echo Park's Fall Fever...love how the fence turned out and adore this line, plus the adorable little one in the photo!

Don't forget to check out Practical Scrapper Design Team Call.

http://www.practicalscrappers.com/p/blog-page.html

You have until the 15th of November to apply!

You will love it here!

Zac...love this man!

Sharing a couple shots from last night!  Love this guy.  One of the best concerts I have ever been too.  I have been to tons...everybody stood the whole time and sang with him the entire night.  Awesome night!

So worth the 5 hour drive!  Adore him!