Polkadot Door Designs

Bingo Card Entry #6

2012-02-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I actually did it - 6 layouts in 6 days!

For my final Bingo Card challenge I had to use bling on a layout. In theory I like bling, I mean, who doesn't like shiny stuff? But in practice it is not something that actually finds its way onto my layouts very often.

At first I intended to use the requirement of having bling on my layout to create something completely ridiculous and over-the-top blinged up, but I quickly realized that I don't really have any papers or embellishments in my stash that lend themselves to that type of style. So, instead I finally cut into some of my favorite papers that I've been hoarding (MME Fine & Dandy) and added a bit of subtle sparkle. What can I say, I guess I'm just not very adventurous.

Saturday - Bling

In addition to meeting my final bingo card requirement, it is also based on challenge #32 over on the MME blog.

Animal Parade

2012-02-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

There are lots of little kids in our families, which means that I have plenty of excuses to make cards every so often that are just plain fun! This little card was no excpetion. It was an idea I scraplifted from a card I saw years ago in one of my magazines with some of my own variations. As soon as I saw the button balloons, I knew that this card was going to be recreated for the Polkadot Door :)

I used very little paper on this card and instead raided my sticker stash for the adorable little Sassafrass Lass felties. I've been saving them because they've been to cute to use, but am beginning to realize, I can't save things forever!

SUPPLIES

Vintage Buttons

Sasasfrass Lass Felties

Misc Paper from my scrapbox

Bingo Card Entry #4 & 5

2012-02-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I must say, I am kind of shocked. When Lori first posted the Bingo Card challenge over at Apron Strings I figured there was absolutely no way I would be able to complete 6 layouts in one week. It is day 5 of the challenge, and surprisingly I have managed to keep up so far. Five down, one more to go by Sunday.

And the really shocking part is this - not only have I completed five layouts this week, but, my house is not a mess, my kids are not neglected or hungry, my laundry is done and I've also completed a couple other crafty projects that have been on my to-do list for a long time! I don't know what is going on here....

Thursday - Transparency

Friday - 3 Tags

Bingo Card Entry #1, 2 & 3

2012-02-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

Lori over at Apron Strings is hosting a week-long challenge to celebrate Apron Strings 7th Birthday and I decided to play along. My photos have been stacking up quickly because I haven't been scrapping very much lately, so the "one project" per day format is just what I needed to get me back in the groove.

I am playing along using the Bingo Card that Lori provided - hopefully I can keep up the pace and get an entire row of 6 squares completed (and photographed) by Sunday evening. I think that I am off to a pretty good start though as I completed three layouts yesterday.

Here are my first entries for the challenge:

Monday - Baker's Twine

Tuesday - Hand-Cut (the No. labels and pennants are hand-cut)

Wednesday - 5 Patterned Papers

A Card for a Birthday Party...

2012-02-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

It was Emma's birthday last month but we were not able to have a party due to a persistent flu bug so we are having a girl's tea party and craft afternoon on Saturday to make up for it. I am actually very impressed with Emma's patience - she hasn't even complained about waiting to receive her birthday gifts!

I saw a sweet card on the Apron String's Blog and thought that it would be a great inspiration point for cardmaking on Saturday. I quickly did up my own version and can't wait to see what creativity it inspires in our little artists.

Heartfelt Thanks

2012-01-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

If you've been to the Scrappin Patch blog recently you'll have noticed that there is lots going on there, and most recently, its time for the February Sketch challenge! We were asked to use Becky Flecks Page Maps sketch this month, and while I struggled at first to trasform the image into a card, once I got started the mojo just seemed to flow. I'm very happy with how this card turned out. Thanks to the girls at Scrappin Patch for the wonderful inspiration this month.

Since being married, I moved away from my Mom's wonderful craft room and sewing machine so I decided to do the stitching by hand. It certianly takes a lot longer that way, but it only adds to the personal aspect of the card. Even if it isn't nearly as straight as it should be!

SUPPLIES:

My Minds Eye Paper

K & Co Tags

AC Thickers

Recollectiosn Alpha Stamps

Vintage Songsheet paper, ribbon, buttons

DMC Floss

thats all for today. Thanks so much for dropping and looking. Be sure to check out the Scrappin Patch blog for more fun inspiration!

Why do you create?

2012-01-30T14:38:00.000-08:00

There really is no rhythm of reason to the why and how I craft. I pull out a blank card, add a little bit of this, a little bit of that ... But the result is always the same, I always take a step back and mutter "Did I really make that?" Sometimes the question is asked in delighted surprise, while other days it is asked in defeated disgust (like this one!). I have a tendency to look at all the other blogs, racks of cards, and everywhere, all those talented ladies and wonder how it is that every single creation they seem to make is always perfect while only about half of my attempts are even remotely good enough to share. Its easy to get down on certain days because I feel like I will never attain the status of "good enough to sit down and make a masterpiece every single time".

But its not about creating masterpieces that I about scrapbooking and card making. Its about preserving and creating memories for the and about the people I love. My pathetic little attempts at uninspired creativity are just reminders that the reason I craft, is not about me, but about others. Creating things of beauty to give away, share, and express just how much I love the people around me. Its usually the cards and layouts that I think are the least attractive or technically correct that I get the highest compliments or praises about. Its because the people look deeper than just the surface. They see the smudge marks, and glue drips, or in some cases, misspelled words and hasty corrections. There is love there that will never compete with the fancy store bought cards you can get with their witty sayings. But my cards carry part of me and the love I have for the recipient.

That is why I create.

Why do you create?

SUPPLIES:

Scrapbox full of ancient tidbits.

Flutterby Wednsday

2012-01-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

Two posts in one day after having been absent for over a month? Might be a little much, but I'm just so happy to be sharing again. I've done lots of crafting these past few weeks and now that I am actually getting around to posting, seems a bit of a shame to stop at one :)

This card was made for Mom's upcoming February birthday. Not much to say except that I'm quite happy with the way it turned out, and hopefully she will be too! Of course, because it has a butterfly, I'm entering it in this weeks Flutter By Wednsday Challenge. Butterflies and bright colours, why yes, I think this fits!

SUPPLIES
My Minds Eye Paper

American Crafts Thickers

Jillybean Calender Tag

Making Memories Butterfly

Misc Brads, dewdrops, and tickets

Its been a while!

2012-01-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

Life is slowly coming together again after the Christmas rush and my house is once again in order and tidy most of the time. That is, except when I decide to craft and pull my supplies out, suddenly the organized setting becomes a disaster zone. It never ceases to amaze me just how much creativity, can bring out the monster in me :)

Since being married, my birthday card requirement every year has doubled. Now, instead of only having to make 25 cards for the family, there are more like 50 every year, plus anniversaries, babies ... I've determined that I am not going to wait until I need cards, but try to make a few every now and then when I'm feeling crafty or have spare time. That way, I'm never pressured into making anything. I find that I'm not very creative under pressure!

I raided my scrap box the other night and came away with three cards that all used the same paper, one of my favourite lines from My Minds Eye, the Fine and Dandy line. All the cards are more or less simple but with so many cards to make, sometimes thats best!

SUPPLIES FOR ALL CARDS

My Minds Eyes Fine and Dandy Paper

ANtique Buttons

DMC Floss

Basic Grey Alphabets

Misc Brads

After taking quite a long break from design teams, I've applied, and been accepted, by the wonderful team over at Scrappin Patch! So excited to be designing for a team again, especially one with so many talented ladies as are on the Scrappin Patch team. Be sure to check the blog and store out, so many great deals and fantastic inspiration! Look for Scrappin Patch inspired crafty goodness on the Polkadot Door coming shortly!

Have a wonderful day!

Tis the Season to be Crafty

2011-12-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

I am feeling rather accomplished today, even though looking back over the day I really did not accomplish that much. I am feeling accomplished not because I check many things off of my to-do list, but because I checked off the things that I have been avoiding for some time, like cleaning my house, making phone calls, organizing photos, doing laundry, and updating my blogs (Project 365) ... which leads me to why I am here in the first place. I have a card to share with you. Actually it represents a stack of cards that I made, but I only realized after I had written and addressed them all, that I should have taken a photo of the entire stack. It looks much more dramatic that way. But I forgot, so I guess I will have to skip the dramatics for this afternoon.

Stack might just be a bit of an exaggeration. I made six of these little cards, each one a little bit different since I made a point of using my scrap basket and I did not seem to have enough of everything to make them all the same. It just adds to the handmade feel I think! I had so much fun with these cards, especially after I discovered that my red, glittery glue sticks worked perfectly for Rudolph`s nose. It was going to be just any plain old reindeer up until then.

Made this card with a few challenges in mind. DYSU: Ribbons, and Case Study!

SUPPLIES

Recollections Reindeer Stamp

Marcella by K Ink

Studio S Glitter Glue

CP Paper, Joyride Collection

Misc Ribbon

Saying Good Bye

2011-11-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

It hasn't been quite a year yet, but the Polkadot Door Challenges will not be continuing at this time. The blog will continue to operate as our personal blog, but at this time in our lives we feel that we need to concentrate our efforts to the people who are closest to us. We have enjoyed the challenges, feedback, and the new connections that have been made so much! Once life settles down and certain priorities are not so pressing we would like to continue with the Polkadot Door Inspiration challenges. Thank you to everyone for your comments, encouragement, and enthusiasm. We've been honored with all the interest this blog has garnered!

Sarah and Rebecca

P.S. We will be announcing the winners from November's Blog Hop and Inspirational Challenge shortly. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.

Sketchy Thursdays 11.17 Challenge

2011-11-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

We recently made a long distance move. Not a lot of fun with four little kids including a newborn, but on the bright side it served as a good catalyst to purge our belongings. I must admit that I take an almost gleeful satisfaction in organizing our possessions and seeing a large number of things destined for the thrift shop and rubbish bin. Of course, I also take immense pleasure in scouting out deals and re-accumulating more stuff once we are settled in our new house, but that is another conversation entirely.

Generally I can be quite heartless when it comes to tossing or giving away stuff. My kids tend to get a look of terror in their eyes when they see me headed towards their playroom with a garbage bag. My husband has learned to keep really important things at the office where I can't accidentally throw them out in a cleaning frenzy. You're not likely to see my house on any upcoming episodes of hoarders.

Unless of course they start a new show called "Scrapbooking Hoarders". (Which, incidentally is a really good idea. I would totally watch that if I had a t.v.)

I do go into my scraproom regularly with the intention of cleaning it out and purging the excess supplies, really I do. I just get distracted and start working on layouts instead. Or I just sit and admire the pretty bits and baubles. It's so hard to throw any of it away. I mean, if I bought it in the first place it was likely because I liked it, and just because I now have more paper than I could possibly use in a dozen lifetimes does not mean I like any of it any less than I originally did. Sigh.

My husband suggested that the solution is to stop buying more stuff until I have used up everything that is currently in my stash - which would be really good advice except for the aforementioned buying addiction...

Anyway, all that is to say that I have been feeling a bit guilty about the amount of supplies that I "had to have" only to put them away and never look at them again, so when I sat down to make this layout for this week's Sketchy Thursday challenge, I also challenged myself to use some of my "old" supplies. The end result is a layout of Oliver that uses Making Memories papers and embellishments that I bought to do a layout of Isaac... 4 years ago.

(Please forgive the crummy photo - apparently we don't get any sun during the winter here!)

A handmade Wedding.

2011-11-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

After a very eventful few months, Rebecca is back to the blog! I don't have any recent crafty creations to share at the moment, but I thought I would post some pictures of the details from the wedding back in September. We were on a budget and decided to lots of the decorating ourselves. It worked out fantasticly! We were married in an outdoor ceremony at a heritage village and had a garden party reception. My Mom is an avid gardener and all the flowers were from her garden. While she didn't do the bouquets (a family friend did), all the other floral arrangements were hers, aren't they incredible?!

Between my husband and I, there are 25 siblings (yes, you read that correctly). We decided that instead of numbering each table, we would name each one after a sibling since we had exactly 25 tables of guests.

The guys boutonniere were Gladiolas. I wanted something other than traditional roses.

They also wore Morning Suits with Ascot ties, I made the tie pins with beads from my sister's collection and hat pins!

The ringbearer's pillow was the same one used at my sister's wedding 3 years ago, but I spruced it up a bit with a rose I made from left over scraps from the bridesmaids dresses.

The program was designed and printed at home, an easy way to save some money!

The invitation, which I also designed and printed at home. The wax seal made a huge impression on those invited. A simple, and fairly inexpensive touch to make it more personal.

I adored my bouquet. The flowers (with the exception of the roses) were home grown from my Mom's garden and hand tied by a family friend.

I didn't make this detail, but these Mother of Pearl cufflinks were the perfect accent to the morning suits.

My husband's ring is a custom made titanium ring inlayed with blue box elder wood. Minter and Richter Designs on etsy has some amazing and unique rings. I knew he had to have one.

Another look at the centrepieces on the tables. That is one of the bridesmaids bouquets as well as a sunflower arrangement by my Mom.

Guestbook table. The antique typewriter made a perfect accent, we had typed out "Please sign our Guestbook" as instructions.

Instead of haveing individual favours, we incorporated an old fashioned candy table. It was a hit with young and old.

The Precious Moments figurine was a wedding gift to my parents 28 years ago, which they then passed onto my husband and I. Along with the little banner, it transformed the store bought cake into something a lot more unique to us, I just couldn't justify hundreds of dollars on a custom cake. We had some delicious sheet cakes as well.

All the food labels were made by Sarah, doesn't she have tidy hand writing!

To go along with our Thank You cards, I made the banner ahead of time and we made sure our photographer got this photo. The feedback from the guests was unanimous, they loved the idea!

The picture wall was made by my husband the night before the wedding. It was a perfect accent to our vintage wedding.

Dress details! You all were waiting for these, right? The dress was originally strapless, but my very good friend redesigned the entire bodice so I would be more comfortable on our wedding day. The guests couldn't tell it had been altered and I kept getting asked "where did you find a dress with sleeves?"

My amazing Mother basically designed and sewed all three of the bridesmaids dresses.

there are more photos I could post, but I should leave it at this. Thanks to everyone who is reading! I cannot wait to show you the December challenge, its just around the corner. Don't forget to enter the November Inspiration challenge, there are so many great prizes to be won!

Sketchy Thursdays 11.3

2011-11-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

This week's sketch from Sketchy Thursdays was just what I needed as I was working with my November Apron Strings Kit.

Oliver's sisters like to treat him like a doll so sometimes his outfits are... interesting. Some looks are adorable on a baby but sure couldn't be pulled of by anyone else! I was pretty excited when I got these papers from from Fancy Pant's Summer's End line because the colors and the polkadots matched these photos perfectly.

{November} Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge

2011-11-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it is November all ready, but there is no doubt that fall has arrived. Autumn is definitely my favorite time of year. The turning leaves, crisp air, warm afternoon sunlight, pumpkins and apple pie...

This month we have another gorgeous inspiration image that captures the focuses on one of the best things about this time of year - Thanksgiving! (and all the amazing food that usually accompanies that holiday):

Here is what I was inspired to create:

Our wonderful designers have put together some amazing projects based on the inspiration photo. Please visit each of their blogs to see their projects then come back to the Polkadot Door to vote for your favorite by leaving a comment and post your own entry. We have some great prizes this month!

Lindsay
DeeDee
Amanda
Debby
Lisa
Aki
Nicole
Smitha
Joanne
Diana
Erin
Ujjwal
Nita

This month's Challenge winner will receive a $10 gift certificate from Scrap Eco Chic

Create a project based upon this month's inspiration. It can be anything - a card, layout, altered item... Post a photo of your creation to your blog or online gallery (use code PDD) and link it here using the Mr. Linky widget at the end of this post. Please provide a direct link to your post.

You may enter as many times as you like, but you're asked to provide a newly designed project. We ask that you combine this challenge with no more than 3 other challenges.

We will choose one winner who will receive the prize provided by the sponsor and be invited to participate as a guest designer for our November Blog Hop and Inspirational Challenge. In addition,we will also invite the creators of a number of our favorite submissions to join the November Guest Design team and play for November's GDT prize and the title of Featured Designer!

Submissions will close at midnight on November 17th.

We will announce the November challenge winner and December guest design team members on November 19th.

One blog hop commenter will receive a prize pack from

Abby and Ellie!

After visiting all the stops on the blog hop, come back here and leave us a comment telling us which GDT member's project was your favorite (and make sure that you are a follower!) We'll randomly select one lucky commenter to receive the UmWowStudio prize pack.

Earn Extra Entries! - Help us spread the word about the Polkadot Door Inspiration Challenge and Blog Hop. Post about the challenge on facebook, twitter & online forums, or grab our badge and post it to your blog, to earn extra entries for the prize draw. Just leave an additional comment letting us know what you did to spread the word (and leave a link if applicable).

We will announce the winner of the prize pack on November 15.

The Guest Design Team member with the most votes will receive a $50 gift certificate from Hydrangea Hipp and will be named November's Featured Designer

Remember to leave us a comment on this post casting your vote for your favorite GDT project.

We will announce this month's Featured Designer on November 15.

So Pretty...

2011-10-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

{October} Inspirational Challenge Winner

2011-10-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

As usual, all of the projects created based on this month's inspiration image were gorgeous! It is amazing how the same image can inspire so many beautiful, but completely unique creations. It was difficult to choose a winner because we loved all the entries, but at the end of the day we decided to award the prize to Lisa because we could not get over how cute her little gnomes were!

We love how she incorporated so many elements from the inspiration image and added texture with the felt clouds and hats. Congratulations Lisa! Be sure to grab your badge.

{October} Featured Designer

2011-10-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our fabulous design team certainly delivered some amazing projects this month and I certainly could not have picked just one favorite! Fortunately though it was not up to me - the blog hoppers voted and this month the designer with the winning project is

Amanda

Even though Amanda admits to being a bit stumped by the inspiration image, we think her layout perfectly reflects the spirit of challenge. I especially love the cool blue background offset by the vibrant red accents, and the girls in her photo are even cuter than the gnomes! Be sure to check out Amanda's blog Random Sweetness to see more of her beautiful work.

Congratulations Amanda, you will receive the awesome papercrafting kit from Scrappydoodads. Please email Polkadotdoordesigns@gmail.com to collect your prize, and be sure to grab your badge.

We will be back in a few days to post the November Design Team and Challenge Winners!

And the prize goes to...

2011-10-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

The winner of the embellishment prize package from UmWowStudio is:

Lyneen, October 2, 2011 11:15 AM: Are you serious... we have to pick just one... if that is the case... Amanda will get my vote as her LO reminds me of memories of my sister and me. That could be us in the picture. I also love Dee Dee's with the sweet little baby crawling through the frame... SO HARD TO CHOOSE! Thanks for a fabulous hop!

Congratulations Lyneen! Please email Polkadotdoordesigns@gmail.com to collect your prize. Thank you everyone for playing along with our little hop. We hope to see you all again next month!

I Love a Rainy Day

2011-10-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is, but there is just something about a rainy fall day that I find so cozy. It's the kind of day where I can justify letting the kids stay in their pajamas all day, ignore the housework and serve leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The kind of day where I don't feel bad putting a movie on for the kids and hiding myself in my scrapbooking room for the whole afternoon.

We had a day like that last week, which conveniently coincided with the arrival of my October Apron Strings kit.

I was so excited when I discovered that this month's Bigger Than a Bread Box kit had papers from October Afternoon's Boarding Pass collection. I am a huge OA fan! Even though I didn't really have any true "travel" photos, I found that the papers were versatile enough to use for some everyday photos of my kids.

I was not quite as excited about the other patterned paper in the kit. While it is beautiful, I wasn't sure how I was going to use Fancy Pants' October 31 collection since we don't really "do" Halloween in this house.

In the end I dug up some fall photos of Emma and Isaac that were taken about three years ago. I had actually scrapped these pictures before but was never satisfied with the resulting pages so I was happy to take the opportunity for a redo.

This layout is based on a sketch by Becky Fleck. I have a bit of a hard time with double page layouts, but I am trying to challenge myself to do them more often. It is nice to be able to include so many photos and extensive journaling.

It was Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday, so I also created a quick card from my scraps.

All in all, I'd say that my rainy day was pretty productive.

Don't forget to link up your entry for this month's challenge before Midnight on Monday (Oct 17th). Not only will this month's winner receive a gift certificate to Berry71Bleu, but they will also join us as a member of next month's Design Team and be eligible for November's Featured Designer Prize!

Have a marvelous weekend!

Just a few days left...

2011-10-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

to make sure you are entered for this month's fabulous prizes!

The deadline for linking up your project based on this month's inspiration image is midnight, October 17th!

The creator of our favorite submission will receive a $20 gift certificate for beautiful, vintage style embellished tags from Berry71Bleu Boutique!

Make sure you visit all the stops on the blog hop and leave a comment here on the Polkadot Door by the 15th to be eligable for the prize pack full of gorgeous handmade embellishments from UmWowStudio!

And don't forget to cast your vote for your favorite project from our design team so that one lucky designer can take home a gorgeous paper-crafting kit from ScrappyDooDads!

{October} Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge!

2011-10-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

... and we're back! Thanks so much for being patient with us as we were unable to host a September Inspiration challenge due to some big changes in our personal lives. Rebecca is still on her honeymoon and will rejoin us for the November challenge, so for this month I (Sarah) am hosting all by myself... hopefully I don't forget anything important!

First, here is the inspiration photo for this month's challenge:

Here is what I was inspired to create:

Our wonderful guest designers have put together some amazing projects based on the inspiration photo. Please visit each of their blogs to see their projects then come back to the Polkadot Door to vote for your favorite and post your own entry. We have some great prizes this month!

Lindsay
DeeDee
Amanda
Debby
Aki
Nicole
Smitha
Sabrina
Joanne
Marivic
Tammy
Diana
Mazlina

This month's Challenge winner will receive a $20 gift certificate from Berry71bleu Boutique!

Create a project based upon this month's inspiration. It can be anything - a card, layout, altered item... Post a photo of your creation to your blog or online gallery (use code PDD) and link it here using the Mr. Linky widget at the end of this post. Please provide a direct link to your post.

You may enter as many times as you like, but you're asked to provide a newly designed project. We ask that you combine this challenge with no more than 3 other challenges.

We will choose one winner who will receive the prize provided by the sponsor and be invited to participate as a guest designer for our November Blog Hop and Inspirational Challenge. In addition,we will also invite the creators of a number of our favorite submissions to join the November Guest Design team and play for November's GDT prize and the title of Featured Designer!

Submissions will close at midnight on October 17th.

We will announce the October challenge winner and November guest design team members on Oct 19th.

One blog hop commenter will receive a prize pack from

Um Wow Studios

After visiting all the stops on the blog hop, come back here and leave us a comment telling us which GDT member's project was your favorite (and make sure that you are a follower!) We'll randomly select one lucky commenter to receive the UmWowStudio prize pack.

NEW THIS MONTH - Help us spread the word about the Polkadot Door Inspirational Challenge and Blog Hop. Post about the challenge on facebook, twitter & online forums, or grab our badge and post it to your blog, to earn extra entries for the prize draw. Just leave an additional comment letting us know what you did to spread the word (and leave a link if applicable).
We will announce the winner of the prize pack on October 15.

The Guest Design Team member with the most votes will receive a papercrafting kit from Scrappy Doodads and will be named October's Featured Designer

Remember to leave us a comment on this post casting your vote for your favorite GDT project.

We will announce this month's Featured Designer on October 15.

'Twas a Lovely Day...

2011-09-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 3rd 2011.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

An Update

2011-09-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to have professional photos taken of Oliver when he was just 11 days old. I had visions of beautiful black and white photos of a peacefully sleeping baby in various adorable poses, close ups of tiny hands and feet... but he didn't exactly cooperate. Instead of sleeping (which I am told is the norm for 11 day old babies) Oliver was bright eyed and alert the entire time. I still got some really cute photos out of it, just not what I was expecting.

Oh well, I guess it was a good indication of what was to come. Oliver is almost eleven weeks old now and bright eyed and alert is definitely an apt description for him. But I can't complain because he makes up for all his awake time during the day by sleeping 12+ hours a night. Seriously. I am sooooo lucky. Now if only I could figure out how to get myself to bed on time so that I could get more than six hours myself...

Anyway, the purpose of this post was not to brag about my adorable little man, I was actually just stopping by to let all of you lovely readers know that the blog has not been abandoned, we've just been busy. However, we are working on putting together October's challenge and trust me, you do not want to miss it. Rebecca has put together a fabulous inspiration for us to work with, and we have some amazing prizes lined up!

Oh yeah, and stay tuned because *somebody* got married on Sept. 3 and I will be posting pictures of the most amazing wedding I have ever been to.

{August} Inspiration Challenge Winner

2011-08-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

There were so many wonderful entries to the August Inspiration challenge, but the one that caught our eye and we feel embraced the challenge best, was this gorgeous card crafted by Lisa

We love the gorgeous elements that you created and added to the card, along with the pairing of the felty and colouring, this card is an absolute winner in our books. Congratulations Lisa! Be sure to grab your badge.

Please contact Scott from The Porkchop Show to claim your wooden cut-outs!

porkchop@porkchopshow.com

We will be announcing the Design Team later in September, be sure to come back and take a look at who the lucky ladies are!

{August} Blog Hop Winner and Featured Designer

2011-08-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous challenge! The calibre of talent that was showcased this month absolutely took us by surprise. Here at the Polkadot Door we are so privileged to work along side some amazing and talented designers. We could not carry on without our dedicated ladies, and I am thrilled to announce that our August Featured Designer is someone who has been with the Polkadot Door since the very fist challenge!

Diana

What we loved about this project (besides everything) was all the wonderfully fun elements that were used and how well they tied in together. What a gorgeous addition to any wall, or desk space. Congratulations Diana, you will receive the HUGE prize bundle from Duetica. Be sure to grab your badge.

Please contact Mark to claim your prize : design@duetica.com

We have one more prize to give away today! Yep, the bloghop winner. Drumroll please!

Joanne from Creative Stamping Ideas.

Usually I post the comment here, but I just had to show you the first card that greeted me when I popped by her blog. Gorgeous! I would encourage you all to head over and check out her beautiful blog, so much wonderful inspiration to be seen. Congratulations Joanne, you will receive a wonderful little prize or a handmade stamp and Gift Certificate from Live the Chaos.

Please contact Marissa to claim your prize mnhudson@rocketmail.com

We will be back in a few days to post the Design Team and Challenge Winners!

Extended deadline

2011-08-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

We've extended the deadline for the August Inspiration challenge since we won't be hosting a September challenge! You have until the 25th to enter. Good luck!

Just A Quick Post

2011-08-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

Just stopping by quickly to link up my entry for this week's Sketchy Thursday's challenge. With a new baby in the house I don't have time to be crafty and blog :)

It's Been a Long Time...

2011-08-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

...since I posted anything on the blog, but really, I have a good excuse.

Oliver Fredrick James

July 4, 2011

7lbs 13oz - 21" long

This little guy has been keeping us all busy these days, but we wouldn't have it any other way. He has officially stolen all of our hearts.

Having four little kids is definitely occupying most of my time and energy, but I can't complain too much. Oliver has been an exceptionally easy baby and is already sleeping through the night so I am not even all that tired. I am just so happy to not be nauseous any more!

I've even had a bit of time to get some scrapbooking done.

I was thrilled when I received my August Apron Strings "Bigger Than a Breadbox" kit; the American Crafts "Campy Trails" line is very masculine and was perfect for layouts about my new little man. All I had to add to the great papers and embellishments that Lori put together were some AC Thickers and I got four layouts done in the space of about three hours!

{August} Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge!

2011-08-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Inspirational Bloghop and Challenge. We we thrilled with all the entries last month and we can't wait to see what you come up with this month. Your enthusiasm has redoubled our desire to make this as much fun as possible and we think that this might just be the best month yet! Our sponsors are incredibly generous, the design team has some fantastic work, and the inspiration this month is just gorgeous.

Here is what the lead design team came up with to get you started!

Rebecca

(sorry about the image quality! Photo was taken with iPhone)

Sarah

Ready to see what the rest of the team came up with? Once again we were privileged to work with an extremely talented group of designers who have made projects based upon the August Inspiration. Be sure to hop through the blogs and leave a little note at each stop along the way. Once you are done the hop, be sure to finish with the Polkadot Door, because by commenting on this post and following the Polkadot Door you have a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Scrapbits, just for playing along!

Our designers are competing for the prize offered by : >> but in order to name a winner we need your help! As you hop through the blogs be sure to pick your favourite designer and once you finish the hop here, be sure to mention which designer gets your vote in your comment. The designer with the most votes, wins the prize!

Diana
Smitha
Mazlina
Angi
Elizabeta
Libeeti
Nicole
Dee Dee
Valerie
Trina
Sabrina
Polkadot Door Design

PRIZES

Our Challenge winner will receive these this set of antique type writer wooden
embellishments as well as 2 other embellishments sets from Pork Chop Show!

Our feature designer will receive a handmade stamp, as well as a
gift certificate to Live the Chaos.

Duetica is donating a prize package worth over $38 to the featured designer.

The prize includes access to thier brand new design software and 5 inovative and unique

fonts that you won't find anywhere else.

As well, three to five authors of the most impressive creations
will be chosen to join our October Design Team and Blog Hop, and

compete for the Feature Designer prize in October!

Inspiration Details :

Create a paper crafting project (card, layout, off-the-page item), based on provided inspiration (photo, sentiment, or element : felties).
Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code PDD), and link it here with the Mr. Linky widget below. Please provide a direct link to your post, not an entire blog.
A new challenge is being posted the first of every month, and you've got until midnight on 20th to submit your entry.
You may enter as many times as you like, but you're asked to provide a newly designed project. We ask that you combine this challenge with no more than 3 other challenges.
We will choose one winner from the list of players who will receive the prize provided by the sponsor(s). In addition, the authors of the three to five most impressive creations will awarded the design team positions for the following month, as well as the opportunity to be our featured designer. Special consideration will be given to participants who use all three of the inspiration elements.
We will announce the Inspiration Challenge winners on the 20th. Design team members will be contacted before then by email.
Above all, have fun - and be inspired!

Please note : there will be no September Challenge. Regular challenges will resume in October!

{July} Inspiration Challenge Winner and Design Team

2011-07-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry the posts have been late this month! Thank you everyone for your patience as we are getting through this very exciting and busy time in our lives ... Without further adiue, I'd like to announce the winner of the July Inspiration Challenge!

Isha!

Your card was absolutely stunning, we loved the monochromatic colour use and how you paired all the different shade of purple together. The additional little details that you used on the card added so much depth. We loved your take on the July Inspiration Image and hope you'll be back to play again. Congratulations Isha, you've won 100 birch bark blooms from Accents and Petals.

Be sure to contact Accents and Pearls through their etsy store to claim your prize!

We are also thrilled to announce our top four designers from July who will be joining the Polkadot Door Design Team for the month of August. Please help us welcome them to the team!

The August Challenge will be posted on the 5th. Hopefully we'll be

back to our regular scheduale after that!

See you then.

{July} Blog Hop Winners and Featured Designer

2011-07-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be finally posting the winners of the July bloghop, my apologies for being a little bit late this month! The blog has been very quiet the last few weeks, but we sure appreciate you coming back and participating anyways! Sarah just had baby #4 (a healthy baby boy!) and I am planning my upcoming wedding, so hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to get back into more frequent postings.

We had so many fun entries in the challenge, can't wait to post the winners of that.

Our Featured Designer is Court from Courts Crafts!

We were honoured to have this fantastic lady join our team for July. Your project was so inspiring as is all your work! The pairing of the yellow and purple worked so beautifully with this project and we especially love how you stepped outside the box of traditionally scrapbooking to create a fun home decor project based on the inspiration photo.

Congratulations Court, be sure to collect your badge and email Tammy so she knows where to send your gorgeous prize pack!

and the winner of our blog hop is Diana!

Please email scrapbits (at) littlebugsboutique.com to collect your prize.

Congratulations! You'll receive $20 from Scrapbits etsy shop!

Be sure to check back on the 20th when we announce our July design team and the challenge winner!

{July} Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge!

2011-06-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome! We are so glad you could join us for our third Inspirational Blog Hop! June has been a busy month, but July promises to hold even more wonderful things, and it begins with this blog hop. We are so excited about what the design team has come up with based on the July Inspiration and .... the sponsors this month have gone over the top with some fabulous prizes for our participants.

Here is what the lead design team came up with to get you started!

Don't you just love the flowers? They were very generously donated by our sponsor Accents and Petals for the lead design team to work with. The winner of our inspiration challenge receive 100 of these birch wood blooms!

Ready to see what the rest of the team came up with? Once again we were privileged to work with an extremely talented group of designers who have made projects based upon the July Inspiration. Be sure to hop through the blogs and leave a little note at each stop along the way. Once you are done the hop, be sure to finish with the Polkadot Door, because by commenting on this post and following the Polkadot Door you have a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Scrapbits, just for playing along!

Jennifer
Valerie
Diana
Sabrina
Nicole B.
Court
Tenny
Tammy
Dee Dee
Mazlina
Lindsay
Smitha
Polkadot Door Designs

PRIZES

Our Challenge winner will receive 100 of these

birch wood blooms from Accents and Pearls!

Our feature designer will receive these beautiful pieces, as well
as a selection of custom ordered handmade flowers from Scrapn4mygirlz.

Just for hopping, one lucky participant will also recieve a

$20 gift certificate to Scrapbits!

As well, three to five authors of the most impressive creations
will be chosen to join our July Design Team and Blog Hop, and

compete for the Feature Designer prize in August!

Inspiration Details :

Create a paper crafting project (card, layout, off-the-page item), based on provided inspiration (photo, sentiment, or element : doillie).
Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code PDD), and link it here with the Mr. Linky widget below. Please provide a direct link to your post, not an entire blog.
A new challenge is being posted the first of every month, and you've got until midnight on 15th to submit your entry.
You may enter as many times as you like, but you're asked to provide a newly designed project. We ask that you combine this challenge with no more than 3 other challenges.
We will choose one winner from the list of players who will receive the prize provided by the sponsor(s). In addition, the authors of the three to five most impressive creations will awarded the design team positions for the following month, as well as the opportunity to be our featured designer. Special consideration will be given to participants who use all three of the inspiration elements.
We will announce the Inspiration Challenge winners on the 20th. Design team members will be contacted before then by email.
Above all, have fun - and be inspired!

Tall Wishes for You!

2011-06-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

Its Tuesday again, and I have another card to share with you all. First off, thanks to everyone who has been leaving comments and following the Polkadot Door. Each and every visit here means so much to us, I love hearing from you!

I created a simple card based on this weeks sketch. The part of the card that took the most time was colouring in the little giraffe. In all I think the card took me 15 minutes or so. Don't I wish all my projects came together this quickly! There isn't a whole lot to say about the card, I think it pretty well speaks for itself.

Be sure to check the ICSketches blog for more inspiration from the rest of the design team. I know I say this every week, but you don't want to miss out on all the beautiful creations that are posted to the blog this week.

The paper is left overs again from the scrapbook page you haven't seen, but I'm so excited to be showing you in a few days time. The 3rd Polkadot Door Inspirational Blog Hop and Challenge is just around the corner and you don't want to miss this one. The sponsors we have lined up have been so generous. There are loads of goodies to be given away to blog hop participants, challenge winners, and of course, our fantastic design team. Be sure to check the blog on July 1st!

SUPPLIES
My Minds Eye Paper, Rhinestones

Misc Thread, Buttons, Image

Sending you showers of Thanks!

2011-06-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

I recently made a scrapbook layout (you'll see it on July 1st) with some of my favourite papers from the Fine and Dandy line from My Minds Eye and as it always turns out, I had lots of scraps to use. Its one thing I love about card making, I get to use the papers I love, again and again, especially when I make the smaller cards (5" x 3.5").

This card is based on the fabulous ICS sketch created by Dawn. I happen to know that there are free stamps being offered as a prize this week, so hurry over and play along with the rest of the team!

I printed off the sentiment from this card from an image I created in Paint Shop. I've been looking at a lot of sentiments recently and bemoaning the fact that I didn't have any creative stamps for sentiments and then I realized that I can just make them up, and print them myself! Its not quite as handy as having the stamps, but I am enjoying the flexibility of being able to resize if I need to, or come up with custom sayings. I don't know why I didn't think of it before :)

SUPPLIES

My Minds Eye Paper

American Crafts Stamp

My Minds Eye Brads

Misc Pearls

Its been raining for quite a number of days here, apparently its affecting my card making :) Hoping that you day is a little more sunshiney and cheerful!

{June} Inspiration Challenge Winner and Design Team

2011-06-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Kline!

We loved your page, right from the cut-outs to the dictionary page backdrop. The details on you page are beautiful. Congratulations on winning the June Inspiration Challenge! You have won a $20 gift certificate to the Pink Pearl Studios.

Please contact us to claim your prize.

polkadotdoordesign (at) gmail.com

We are so excited to have two more members added to our design team for the month of July. These ladies are incredibly creative and we look forward to seeing what they will create with the newest inspiration!

Dee Dee

Tenny

We will be posting the July inspirational blog hop and Challenge on the 1st!

See you then ...

A bit behind!

2011-06-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the Polkadot Door blog hop winners post, its directly below this one!

Its been a crazy busy summer already, even though its only just begun! I hardly seem to have time to think these days, let alone put up posts for every card that I have been making, which with 20 birthdays/anniversaries coming up, have been quite a few. I thought I would put a few of them up today and get all caught up on my duties on design teams, and postings.

This first card was made for the most recent ICSketches on the 14th of June. So I'm not to late posting this one! I love how this card came out, I had just the right coloured accessories for this card! It took a while, because I was trying some new things, like making the roses out of old fashioned lace and hot glue, but in the end I was rather happy with how it turned out. It also uses some of my favourite papers by My Minds Eye.

The sketches over at ICSketches keep getting better and better. I think this is one of my favourites thus far. I've enjoyed this design position so much, and its been an honour to work along side all the wonderful ladies on the team. Be sure to take a peak at the site for all sorts of wonderful inspiration, plus the oppertunity to win some digital stamps from DZDoodles. Dawn is also looking for a guest designer for the month of July, what are you waiting for, better check it out before the spot if filled!

This next card was also made for ICSketches, and I'm almost 2 weeks late posting this card. Sorry Dawn! You may have noticed, but I seem to be on a bit of a butterfly and doillie kick the last few weeks. I can't seem to help it. When I see and element I like, I have a hard time not using it over and over again, especially when its something that doesn't actually use up my supply. With the Martha Stewart punch I can make as many butterflies as I like, and never run out! The doillies come in a large package so it doesn't really feel like I'm using that many.

There is no sign of me stopping the use anytime soon either, because doillies are part of the July Polkadot Door Inspiration Challenge. Shhh....don't tell anyone I just gave you a heads up on the challenge :)

I have a few more projects to make today to get all caught up, so I might be back with some more pictures later on!

Have a wonderful day!

{June} Blog Hop Winners and Featured Designer

2011-06-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

I can't hardly believe that it is time to post the winners from the June Blog hop already! The last two weeks have just flown by, which means only a few more days until we reveal the July Design Team and challenge winner. Be sure to check back for that!

Our Featured Designer is Jennifer G.!

We love the unique way you handled the inspiration challenge this month. The project that you came up with had every element of the challenge in some way. We were blown away with your creativity! If you haven't already, I suggest you go and take a look at her blog, Jennifer has some beautiful work and we have been honoured to have her on our team!

Congratulations Jennifer, be sure to collect your badge and email us so we know where to send your prize.

and the winner of our blog hop is Diana!

Please email Marivic berry71bleu (at) gmail.com to collect your prize.

Congratulations! You'll receive three tags from the Berry71Bleu etsy shop!

Be sure to check back on the 20th when we announce our July design team and the challenge winner!

{June} Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge!

2011-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun with our first Inspiration Challenge and Blog Hop, we're so excited that you are joining us again for the second time!

Each month we want to showcase some very talented ladies. Starting with the Polkadot Door be sure to work your way through the blogs and see what the design team has created using our inspiration photo. As you hop be sure to leave a comment on every blog and head back here once you are done. Leave a comment on the Polkadot Door to let us know you completed the blog hop and tell us who your favourite designer was.

POLKADOT DOOR INSPIRATION CHALLENGE

Ready for some fun inspiration? Along with the blog hop designers, we've come up with some fun inspiration for you in your crafting endeavours with some more great prizes. We'll be giving away some great prizes to our participants, as well as choosing 6 - 10 designers to be part of our July Design Team!

Here is what the Polkadot Door Lead Designers came up with:

SARAH

REBECCA

Ready to start hopping?

Be sure to check out the other designers work for more inspiration
through the bloghop!

Marivic
Jennifer
Valerie
Amanda
Diana
Sabrina
Nicole B.
Jennifer G.
Polkadot Door Designs

PRIZES

Our Challenge winner will receive a

$20 gift certificate to Pink Pearl Studios!

Our blog hop winner will receive
three tags from Berry71bleu!

As well, six to ten authors of the most impressive creations
will be chosen to serve on our July Design Team and Blog Hop, one of whom
will receive this adorable vintage kit from the Polkadot Door!

Inspiration Details :

Create a paper crafting project (card, layout, off-the-page item), based on provided inspiration (photo, sentiment, or element : scrabble tiles).
Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code PDD), and link it here with the Mr. Linky widget below. Please provide a direct link to your post, not an entire blog.
A new challenge is being posted the first of every month, and you've got until midnight on 15th to submit your entry.
You may enter as many times as you like, but you're asked to provide a newly designed project. We ask that you combine this challenge with no more than 3 other challenges.
We will choose one winner from the list of players who will receive the prize provided by the sponsor(s). In addition, the authors of the six to ten most impressive creations will awarded the design team positions for the following month, as well as the opportunity to be our featured designer. Special consideration will be given to participants who use all three of the inspiration elements.
We will announce the Inspiration Challenge winners on the 20th. Design team members will be contacted before then by email.
Above all, have fun - and be inspired!

ICS Sketch 117

2011-05-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

"Summer is just around the corner, can't you feel it in the air?"

Just a quick post to show you my ICSketches card for this week. I'll be back tomorrow with the June Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge! We have some incredibly generous sponsors this month, you won't want to miss this...

SUPPLIES
October Afternoon Paper

Pebbles Ribbon

Misc Thread

Duetica Fonts

ICS Sketch 116 and Duetica

2011-05-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

Its Tuesday again which means its time for another ICSketches reveal! The other designers have some great cards, you should go take a peak at the inspiration. The sketch is so much fun and there are some prizes to be won ...

I created a card with the tic-tac-toe idea a few years ago and when I say Dawn's sketch for this week, I knew I had to go and give the idea another go. Its such a fun idea! Plus, it paired perfectly with my Duetica.com design team assignment. There is no patterned paper on this card, that might be a first for me! Just an adorable giraffe, cute buttons, and the Tin Whistle font from Duetica. I cut out the word "FUN" from a Starbucks cardboard coffee sleeve and inked it with some white to make it stand out a little more.

SUPPLIES

My Minds Eye Buttons

Sassafrass Giraffe

Making Memories Pin

Misc Thread

Duetica Tin Whistle Font

Starbucks Coffee Sleeve

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'm off to spend the rest of the week enjoying the beautiful sunshine!

{May} Inspiration Challenge Winner and Design Team

2011-05-20T02:09:00.000-07:00

{May} Inspiration Challenge Winner

Heather

Congratulations!

Be sure to email us to collect your prize.

polkadotdootdesign (at) gmail dot com

We would also like to welcome these talented ladies to the June Design Team! They will be joining our May Design Team to provide you with inspiration for our 2nd challenge. Be sure to check back in on the 1st of June for the Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge.

Sabrina

Nicole

Jennifer

Thanks for looking in! We're so excited to be bringing you a new challenge in a few days.

ICS Sketch 115

2011-05-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

The blog certianly has taken on a little differant of a feel in the last little while, I cannot believe all the wonderful interest that we had not only in the blog hop, but also the inspiration challenge! Sarah and I are thrilled with the response we have recieved! Be sure to come back on the 20th, we will be announcing the challenge winner and our June Design Team, exciting stuff!

Life has a way of getting very busy all at once! Its been jam packed with all sorts of exciting things the last few weeks sometimes I'm not sure how I'll have time to fit everything in. But somehow I manage, just like now, and keeping up with my design team posting. Its not been very regular (sorry!) but lets hope I can get back into scheduale with this post.

I loved this sketch that Dawn provided us with at www.icsketches.blogspot.com - it was so versatile, beautiful, and I knew exactely what I wanted to do with it as soon as I saw it. I made this card for Mother's Day a few weeks back and I'm happy to report that she loved it!

The dress form was printed off and decorated from my stash of vintage ribbons and buttons. The twill also came from my collection of odds and ends. And I always seem to be able to find somewhere to use the Martha Stewart Butterfly punch.

SUPPLIES

Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch

Wilton Dollie

Vintage Twill, Ribbon

Misc Paper

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

{May} Blog Hop Winners and Featured Designer

2011-05-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

We had so many wonderful ladies part of our bloghop. We were truly inspired by what they created and know by your comments, that you did too! Thank you so much to each of you who participated as a designer, we could not have done it without you. I'm thrilled to announce that for the month of June, our feature designer is Nicole! Her unique canvas won the admiration of our followers. I love how bright and cheerful her project is and just how different it is. Be sure stop by her blog!

Nicole

http://nmpomeroy.blogspot.com/

CONGRATULATIONS!

The winner of the Apron Strings Kit is Fiorella.

The Winner of the AC Stamp set is Ms.Daiquiri.

Ladies, please contact us to claim your prize

polkadotdoordesigns (at) gmail . com

We will be posting the winners of the Inspiration Challenge and June Design Team on the 20th!

{May} Blog Hop and Inspiration Challenge!

2011-05-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the very first Polkadot Door Inspirational Challenge and Blog Hop! We're thrilled you are able to join us. Be sure to read the entire post, there is so much good stuff waiting for you. We have the bloghop details posted first, followed by the Inspiration Challenge details. Don't miss anything!

Each month we want to showcase some very talented ladies. For our first blog hop we have been honoured to have a fabulous team of crafty geniuses join us. We gave them some inspiration and they created. This is one blog hop you do not want to miss. The inspiration is outstanding! Starting with the Polkadot Door be sure to work your way through the blogs and see what the design team created.

As you hop be sure to leave a comment on every blog and head back here once you are done. Leave a comment on the Polkadot Door to let us know you completed the blog hop and tell us who your favourite designer was, because by doing so you are eligible to win this adorable American Crafts acrylic stamp set and ink!

But that is not all. One lucky bloghop participant will also win this incredible kit from our very generous sponsor, Apron Strings Kit Club. To be eligible, be sure to leave a comment on every blog, including this one. We will post the blog hop winners on the 16th, so be sure to check back!

Ready to start hopping?

Kim
Natasha
Geri
Amanda
Valerie
Jean
Diana
Nicole
Yvonne
Amy
Dana
Jennifer
Polkadot Door Designs

Did you get all that? Wait, there is more!

POLKADOT DOOR INSPIRATION CHALLENGE

Here is what the Polkadot Door Lead Designers came up with:

SARAH

REBECCA

Be sure to check out the other designers work for more inspiration
through the bloghop!

PRIZES

Our Challenge winner will receive a

$12 gift certificate to Um Wow Studio Etsy Shop!

As well, six to ten authors of the most impressive creations
will be chosen to serve on our June Design Team and Blog Hop, one of whom
will win this adorable page kit from the Polkadot Door!

Inspiration Details :

Create a paper crafting project (card, layout, off-the-page item), based on provided inspiration (photo, sentiment, or element : crocheted flowers).
Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code PDD), and link it here with the Mr. Linky widget below. Please provide a direct link to your post, not an entire blog.
A new challenge is being posted the first of every month, and you've got until midnight on 15th to submit your entry.
You may enter as many times as you like, but you're asked to provide a newly designed project. We ask that you combine this challenge with no more than 3 other challenges.
We will choose one winner from the list of players who will receive the prize provided by the sponsor(s). In addition, the authors of the six to ten most impressive creations will awarded the design team positions for the following month, as well as the opportunity to be our featured designer. Special consideration will be given to participants who use all three of the inspiration elements.
We will announce the Inspiration Challenge winners on the 20th. Design team members will be contacted before then by email.
Above all, have fun - and be inspired!

Polkadot Door Challenge : Layout

2011-05-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I would have another go at the {May} Polkadot Door Inspiration Challenge, this time working on a layout since my cardbox is full to bursting! Its coming much easier the more I scrapbook, and its almost to a point where I am enjoying it again ....

This layout turned out different than I imagined! I originally had some very bright and cheerful colours on the page, but it gradually turned into something much more vintage looking ... I still got the pinwheels on there though, they are so easy to incorporate into projects!

Besides wanting to do a layout for our challenge, I needed to get a project done for my most recent Design Team!

Duetica.com is a completley new sort of company. Each and everyone of us uses computer fonts in our daily life and Duetica is taking a fun approach to the way we design using fonts/text! You need to head over to the site and check it out for yourself. Watch a tutorial or two to see what all the fuss is about, browse their selection of fun fonts, and then catch the blog for some fun inspiration from my fellow design team members. I promise, the trip to Duetica.com will be worth your time!

SUPPLIES
Basic Grey Paper

My Minds Eye Floss

Prima Flower

Misc Button, Wood Veneer

Chatterbox Rub-ons

Duetica Floot Font

Apron Strings April 2011 Kit Projects

2011-05-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I realize that it is technically May, but I just finished up my projects for the April Apron Strings kit.

They were supposed to be done by the 5th of April, but thanks to the efficiency of the postal system, I didn't even get my kit until the middle of April :( So that is why my projects are late, and why there are only a couple pages. By the time I got these ones done, my May kit had arrived.

I love this kit though and can't wait till I have time to play with all the leftovers. It was full of springy goodness from American Crafts and Jillibean Soup, two of my favorite scrappy companies.

Polkadot Door Blog-iversary Party!

2011-04-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

I hope you will forgive me when I confess that I am here without any paper creations. I've been very busy with some very exciting things that I am bursting to share with you all! This past week has been incredibley busy as we moved house ... again. It might be another week before I am posting regularly again so this is a perfect time to share some very exciting news.

May 7th the Polkadot Door turns one!

(happy birthday to us!)

To celebrate Sarah and I have some exciting plans in the works. We will be hosting a bloghop and inspiration challenge, and if it goes well, we would like to continue it every month! There are so many exciting sponsors lined up for the weekend that you really need to make sure you check it out. We've teamed up with some of our favourite designers and the inspiration of the day will blow your mind away!

ICSketches Spring Bloghop!

2011-04-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

If you just happened to find this post, please start at the beginning : ICSketches.

Welcome to the fourth stop in the Spring into ICSketches Blog Hop! The design team has provided some awesome inspiration as I'm sure you'll discover as you hop through the blogs. Remember to leave a comment on every blog, and then finish up at the ICSketches blog for a chance to win some amazing prizes.

ICSketches Challenge Blog
Susie
An
Rebecca
^ You are here.
Debra
Dawn
Jessica
Nicola
Stacy
Jill

There are prizes to be won at every stop along the way too and the Polkadot Door is no exception! I'll be giving away this little package to one lucky person who leaves a comment and becomes a follower (if you aren't one already). Its that simple.

and that's only my giveaway! We have so many fun sponsors lined up for this blog hop. Visit the ICsketches blog for a full list of the prizes. I'll be posting the winner of my blog candy on Friday the 22nd, so be sure to check back!

I had so much fun creating my card for this blog hop. We used Dawn's sketch #111 as our starting platform. I picked up this little donkey stamp last year already from Mejiens Designs. It was offered as a limited edition freebie, but its so cute I would gladly have paid for it. Free stuff is wonderful, but free stuff I love is even better. I've been trying to get into the habit of writing more thank-you notes lately. Its a good habit to get into and the more I look around, the more things to be thankful for I see.

The pictures are a little dark, I apologize. I was in such a hurry to take the pictures and put this post up that I decided not to wait for the batteries for my external flash unit to charge. I do things like that, because I'm sort of an inpatient person. :-)

The card came together really easily. Its simple, yet I love it. I raided my stash of vintage buttons and ribbon to come up with the different embellishments and coloured the donkey with my crayola pencil crayons. One of these days I've promised myself to either invest in better crayons, or maybe even copics. But for now that keeps getting put off because I seem to always find other uses for my money.

SUPPLIES

Misc Ribbon, floss, and buttons

Meijen Design Digi stamp

My Minds Eye Paper

Before I go, I have to share this picture with you. I had some crafting company last night and while they might not be on a design team or have a blog of their own, their cards certainly deserve a little recognition.

Have fun blog hopping!

Get Sketchy #83

2011-04-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing much crafting lately. Between growing one human and trying to care for three other small ones, I haven't had much energy to spare.

For a while it looked like winter was finally over and spring had settled in, but yesterday morning we woke up to snow, with 10 to 15 cm forecast. Yuck!

Anyway, I decided that in protest of the weather I am going to ignore my housework and growing pile of laundry, and instead spend all day playing with paper. We'll see if the kids co-operate but I have a suspicion that they will still require feeding at least once or twice.

Oh well, if nothing else I got my card for this week's Get Sketchy challenge completed.

SUPPLIES
October Afternoon patterned paper, chipboard stickers

Bazzill kraft cardstock

I absolutely love the Modern Homemaker line from October Afternoon. I think I have now officially used up every single scrap of it from my February Apron Strings kit.

The Whole Gang

2011-04-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

I don't scrapbook often as you can tell by reading through the blog. I've been trying to change this trend though, as scrapbooking is another great way to be crafting when my card box is full and I have no design team requirements to fill! Its been a stretch for me, coming away from my 4 x 6 canvas and moving into the 12 x 12. Mostly because I'm now working with a square shape, instead of the rectangle. Am I the only cardmaker who has trouble with the bigger size work space?

I really need to go and get some pictures printed off for some new pages. My photo stash is quite small since I wasn't scrapbooking. Now that I'm doing a little more of it, its time to get some recent photos printed off. I saw the technique for the flower embellishment thingy on the CARDS blog a few weeks back. I've been wanting to try it for some time and this seemed the best place for it. The other embellishments on the page are stacked buttons from my stash, and floss swirled this way and that. I printed off the journaling and cut it in random places to look a little more interesting. Overall I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Took me an awfully long time, but we don't need to go into details .... :) I hope to be making a few more pages in the upcoming months, its certainly a good exercise for my crafting abilities!

SUPPLIES

My Minds Eye Paper

Misc Staples, floss, buttons

American Crafts Thickers

ICS Sketch

2011-04-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

This has to be a really quick post, its been busy! With the coming of spring seems that everything I put off during the winter months refuses to be ignored any more. The to-do list is growing almost as fast as the mud puddles . . .

Its another card based on the ICsketches newest sketch. Enjoy!

The next month here at the Polkadot Door is going to be exciting! We are celebrating our first anniversary and have some big plans in the works. We'll be announcing next week what the plans are going to be. Curious? I'm so excited to be telling you soon!

SUPPLIES

Misc buttons, ribbon

My Minds Eye Paper

Recollections Stamp

Chatterbox Rub ons

A Card Without a Name

2011-04-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

For this week's Get Sketchy challenge I used up some scraps from my February Apron Strings kit. The card itself came together really easily, but I am not quite sure what type of card it is now that it is done. I was originally thinking a Mother's Day card, but I haven't been able to come up with any sentiments that I like to use on it.

Any suggestions?

SUPPLIES

Recollections cardstock

October Afternoon patterned paper & chip stickers

Annie42 scalloped circle

This week Get Sketchy is being sponsored by One Crazy Stamper, so head on over to the blog and post your creation, we'd love to have you play along.

Sassy Lil' Sketches #4

2011-04-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

Twice a month I have the privilege of working with the talented group of ladies from the Sassy Lil' Card Sketches team, and its always one of the highlights of the month. I love the sketches that Cherie comes up with, and perhaps maybe none more so than this weeks challenge .... Its simple, yet there is so much room for interpretation. I love how my card came out using the sketch as inspiration. Maybe you should check out the website as well, because not only do you (like me) get a helping start, but if you play along there are fabulous prizes to be won from The Crafters Workshop!

There are so many birthdays around here (with 12 siblings + grandkids + inlaws + boyfriends huge family) one can certianly tire of balloons and "Happy Birthdays", its nice when I get an excuse to make something for some other reason, like when I want to write a letter to a friend who happens to be on the other side of the continent. Thats a perfectly good reason, right?

There are lots of banners out there right now, its a very popular item on both LO and cards, but when I saw the button banner on a brilliant lady's site, I knew that it was time to change the whole banner thing up, just a touch. the buttons are threaded onto the DMC floss, and then glued in place (with my trusty little glue gun, maybe not the most innovative usage in the world, but its proved to be the best where lots of buttons are involved). Butterflies were punched using the Martha Stewart Butterfly punch (thanks Sarah!) and distressed using glimmer mist. Its actually quite painless, the wetness from the mist causes the little pieces of paper to fold into just the right curves!

There are a lot of things about this card I like, but maybe I should just show it to you so you can tell me if you like it!

SUPPLIES:
DMC Floss

Prima Flower

Making Memories alpha, hardware

Chaterbox Rub on alphas

Misc buttons, fibre, clock

K & Company Ancestry Paper

Its a beautiful spring day, I hope you are out enjoying the sunshine after this long winter!

Hope you had a nice day ....

2011-04-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

... because we sure did! I'm hoping that this sunny weather really is spring, and not just a calm before the next (snow) storm. Being already April, I'm so very ready for the last of the snow and ice to leave, and there is still lots left to be the last of!

I have a card to share for you today using the sketch from ICSketches where I'm one of the design team members. For those of you who are interested, there is a DT call going on right now. We're looking for three new members. Sound intriguing? Better check it out!

Sarah and I have been working on some really exciting things for the Polkadot Door blog, and I can't wait until I'm allowed to tell you what it is. Its going to be so much fun! Be sure to check back often, because in the next few days we'll be posting some information about our first anniversary _____. Can't say anything else until we've worked out a few more details.... Until then, here is something that I can share with you!

SUPPLIES

American Crafts Thicker Sticker

Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Chatterbox rubons

Basic Grey Alpha stickers

Misc paper, thread

Card was designed using the ICS sketch #109 and Do You Stack Up Colour challenge for inspiration.

Get Sketchy #81

2011-04-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

SUPPLIES

vintage music sheets

misc ribbon and paper

wooden heart

This week's Get Sketchy challenge is being sponsored by the lovely ladies over at Christian Paper Crafts.

Beautiful site, be sure to check it out as well as the fabulous ladies at the Get Sketchy blog!

ICS Sketch 108 and Bloghop Giveaway

2011-03-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

First things first :

If this is you, you've just won the prize pack for commenting on the Faith Bloghop, hurrah! Make sure you email us at polkadotdoordesigns@gmail.com with your address so we can ship it out to you as soon as possible!

I have to say one of my favourite things about blogger is the schedule post feature. Because as I am writing this it is later in the afternoon on the weekend when I was able to get a few things done, organizing and uploading for one! But as you read this, it could be anytime on Tuesday (or later) and I certainly did not have time to post on Tuesday, it will be a very busy day as we are going to be cleaning and scrubbing both house and children. Mom and Dad return from a 2 week trip to Europe, hurrah!

There are lots of people I can say "thanks" too with this card, but maybe a good place to start would be with the icsketches blog for providing a fun sketch to work with. The inspiration on the blog is worth checking out, seriously people, the ladies there keep getting better.You should go to the blog to see what fun prizes are being offered this week, just for participating.

I haven't worked much with stamps in the past, but I am having fun with the stamps from My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy line. Owls, clouds ... whats not to like? Also entered in the DYSU challenge : Shine On.

SUPPLIES:
My Minds Eye Paper, stamps, rhinestones

American Crafts Thickers

Recollections Stamp

Misc Ribbon

Have a wonderful and productive Tuesday!

Little Miss Personality

2011-03-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

I knew exactly what products in my stash to turn to as soon as I saw this week's sketch over at Get Your Sketchy On. I have been hoarding a set of adorable playing cards from My Mind's Eye's Alphabet Soup line for a while and I knew that this would be the perfect layout to break them out for. Plus, the bright colors of the patterned papers went perfectly with the colors in the photo.

SUPPLIES

My Mind's Eye patterned papers, playing cards

American Crafts foam thickers

Bo Bunny journaling page

October Afternoon tag

Jenni Bowlin Studio embellished butterfly

Imaginisce exopy brad

Carolee's Creations tiny type alphabet

Studio G paper flowers

Unknown doilie, thread

Our Vintage Affair

2011-03-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

I found a new challenge site this weekend and I am pretty excited about this one. It is called Our Vintage Affair.

One of the things I like best, aside from the great challenges & prizes, is the fact that they give you the whole month to complete your projects. There are a lot of challenge sites I love playing along with, but sometimes a week just isn't enough time for me to get my act together and the challenge has ends before I complete my project.

I decided to play along with the March layout challenge which was to follow the sketch, plus incorporate butterflies into your layout. Though to be honest, given the butterfly kick I have been on lately, it would probably have been more of a challenge for me to NOT include butterflies in my layout then to include them. I did find creating a page in the "vintage" look to be a challenge though - as much as I love that style of scrapbooking (love Melissa Francis) I've never quite been able to pull it off to my satisfaction.

Here is what I ended up with -

SUPPLIES
K&Company patterned paper (I think)

Unknown patterned cardstock

Prima jewels & pearls

Vintage Label graphic from The Graphics Fairy

Unknown doilie, crepe paper, embellished pins, vintage button
American Crafts foam thickers

Chipboard die-cuts from AR Creations

Hand dyed seam binding from The French Market

Really Reasonable Ribbon : For the Boys

2011-03-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

{if you are looking for the Faith Blog Hop, its one post down}

Really Reasonable Ribbon (blog) has an interesting challenge this week that I thought I would try my hand at. Create a masculine card with ribbon. Usually I'd try to keep the ribbon off a card for my guys (its like putting pink on a guys card, right?) but have to say, once I got past the "this feels wrong" I was pleasantly surprised with how the card turned out. Hopefully the guy who gets this card doesn't feel its a little to girly some ribbon.

I had quite a few vintage things in my stash that I have been hoarding that I decided I must allow to see the light of day for once, they also managed to make their way onto the card. Because of how long I've had some of it, I can't remember where I got it (as in the "Fresh Oranges" vintage tag). Buttons I always know where they came from, the local thriftstore! They are always selling piles of buttons for pennies, so I'm fairly certian my stash of those isn't going to run out anytime soon ...

Its sort of a grey, dull, wintery afternoon. I can't help but wish spring was here. The bright colours on the card reflect my mood a little I think. I have always found it easier to imagine spring and summer and fall too, with orange! Can't forget to mention either, I added some 'bling' to the card so its eligible for the latest Do You Stack Up challenge. I'd like to think I didn't need the help of a sketch for this card, but Card Patterns #108 was just a little to good not to be useful ...

SUPPLIES:

My Minds Eye Paper, rhinestones

Misc Ribbon, buttons, embellishments, sheet music

Wilton Doily

Making Memories Pins

I hope your day is a little less white!

Heartache No One Sees Faith Blog Hop

2011-03-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Paper Tree House is hosting yet another wonderful bloghop which I've been fortunate to be a part of. Unfortunately, with my parents being gone this week I didn't think ahead enough to have my post all ready to go when we were supposed to have it up, oops! But I don't want to break the hop so here's me apologizing for my forgetfulness and posting!

My Paper Tree House
Nana Campana

Rebecca > you are here

Sueli Pinheiro

Kacee
Jessie
Selina
Arlene

Natalie
Christel
Bonnie

Dolores

Monique
Kari
Tania

If you just randomly found this post, be sure to start from the very beginning, but if you came from Nana's site, then from here you continue on to Sueli Pinheiro.

Here's how the hop works:

Like last time we have some amazing prizes to share with you. In order to qualify for the grand prizes you need to leave a comment on every blog in the hop. Its that simple! For everyone who leaves a comment, and becomes a follower (if you aren't one already) on the Polkadot Door blog I will be giving away a package of goodies as well! So you have two chances to win some really fun stuff!

Now for the GRAND Prizes:
(be sure to leave a comment at the Paper Tree to qualify for this)
1 Year Subscription to SNR
$45 of Bella Blvd Product
Love Line from Echo Park
$25 gift certificate to The Paper Blossom Shop
and some extra goodies too!

Have fun hopping!

April Showers...

2011-03-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

... bring May flowers.

Or so the saying goes.

Given that we are still under a couple feet of snow up here in ~~the Artic~~ Edmonton, I am hoping we at least have flowers by July...

At any rate, at least I can make pretty projects with flowers and spring-like things such as umbrellas, because I sure haven't been able to make this weather (or the accompanying sense of "blah") go away.

SUPPLIES

AmberInk digital image, polka-dot paper

Cosmo Cricket patterned paper

Bazzil cardstock

American Crafts thickers

This week's Get Sketchy challenge is being sponsored by the lovely ladies over at AmberInk.

They have a ton of great digital stamps and digi papers available for immediate download - because you are brilliant, not patient.

Plus, if you are digi challenged, they also offer some of their stamps sets as good old fashioned clear stamps.

So hop over to the Get Sketchy blog and link up your own creation based on this week's sketch. The winner will receive a gift certificate to the AmberInk store!

ICS Sketch 107

2011-03-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Its been a very productive few weeks in my craft room. Don`t you love it when things just come together. This might not be my most amazing card ever, but I still like (love) it lots. Some cards are just that way. There is not anything that makes it stand out from all the others but it still manages to be a favourite ...

Inspirational Card Sketches once again provided a fantastic and fun sketch to work with. The other cards from the DT are fantastic this week (as they are every week!). But really, if you need some inspiration in your crafting I suggest you hop over there for a peak. Of course, besides the inspiration there is an oppertunity for some great prizes from our sponsor, Some Odd Girl.

SUPPLIES:

Cosmo Cricket Material Girl Paper

Sassafras Flowers

Thickers

Chatterbox Rubons

See, not a life changing card, but it makes me HAPPY. How does it make you feel?

Sassy Lil' Sketches #3

2011-03-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about paper crafting is ... yep, you guessed it : paper! I think you might call me a little bit of an addict. I have recently discovered that all those cute little embellishments that I buy all the time, I never use. I use paper, paper, and more paper (with some buttons and ribbons thrown in for good measure too!). So how excited was I when Katie and Cherie from Sassy Lil Sketches announced that our March sponsor was sending us each a box full of paper from thier newest paper collections. Why very excited of course!

Nikki Sivils is our (very) generous sponsor and from thier new collections I was sent the `Rainy Day` set. This paper was so much fun to work with and paired with the SLS sketch it was a card that came together very easily. Its simple, bright, and perfect for one of those rainy days. Its has to be one of the very few cards that I have ever made that does not have any text on the outside, which means I can use it for whatever need seems best on an upcoming rainy day!

You too have the opportunity to win some of Nikki`s paper collections. Its quite simple really! Just head over to the Sassy Lil Card Sketches blog for all the information. It could not be easier, create something you love to win something you love. Perfect combination ....

SUPPLIES:

Nikki Sivils Paper

Misc Ribbon

American Crafts `Fresh` Stamps

A Simple Card

2011-03-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I completely forgot that I needed to make a card for this week's Get Sketchy challenge until about half an hour before I went to bed. It's been a bit chaotic in our house this week due to new carpets being installed and trying to get some painting done.

Anyway, our sponsor this week is Pink Persimmon stamps and the girls on the design team were lucky enough to get some sample stamps to play with. I one combined with a few of my favorite things (kraft paper & baker's twine) to create a really simple card.

SUPPLIES

Pink Persimmon stamped image
Recollections kraft cardstock

K& Company patterned paper

Bazzil cardstock

Misc. baker's twine, buttons

I left the sentiment off because at the moment I am not sure what I am going to use it for, though I am thinking it would be a cute thank-you card.

Embellish Magazine

2011-03-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I made a card for a challenge and not for one of my design teams, at least it feels like it! Have you ever noticed that sometimes you get into certain grooves and you forget about all the other things you can do, I mean, you don't have to stick to the same old. This is the internet, there are options out there! So ... I went looking for a new challenge blog that I've never visited and something that was going to stretch me : and I found it.

Embellish Magazine Blog has some outstanding challenges and the DT talent is unbeatable. I'm a little nervous about even entering my card seeing the other ladies who participate regularly but since its stretching, its good for me! Normally, these are not colours that I would ever in a million years pick myself. I don't consider myself a very pink/purple person with my paper (in real life I love both colours), but for some reason I never naturally gravitate towards it. How about you? Are there colours that you find you never use? I'd love to hear about it!

Anyways, on to the card! The inspiration as I said was difficult and it was a good thing I think. I had some trouble finding papers that all matched, but have to admit the music really was the easy part. I have books of old sheet music that I've picked up from the thrift store and had forgotten I had. There was a time where almost every card I was making had music notes drifting in some corner! Same with flowers, I feel like its been ages since I made one for a card, so I had to add one, for old times sake.

SUPPLIES:

My Minds Eye Paper, Brad

Recollections Paper

Misc Ribbon, Pearl, Ink, Thread

Polka Dot Door Pin

Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch

If you haven't, I'd encourage you to check out the Embellish Blog, its gorgeous. I know I'll be back there often for inspiration!

A differant sort of post.

2011-03-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

This post has no paper in it, I can hardly believe it! But I'm not here to show you one of my creations, I actually wanted to show you something that one of my other very crafty sisters made. I guess you could say the creative gene runs in the family. . .

Rachel Shirley is my 14 year old sister and I think she might have inherited the gene in a bigger way than I ever did. She tends toward using polymer clay as an outlet and her creations are the most adorable things ever! This little couple is just one of the many things that she makes (I actually requested she make these for me). She doesn't have a blog, but she has a YouTube channel you might like to check out and favourite, I know she would love a comment or two!

I just love all the little details on this couple! She has done such a great job coming up with new ideas to use her clay and its almost a competition sometimes between her and I to make something new. She is usually the first person to see my crafts once they are completed, and I'm often in her space looking at all her cute charms and stuff.

and thats all for now!

ICS Sketch 106

2011-03-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Its Tuesday again which means I get to show you another card I made for the ICS blog. Weeks just seem to be flying by! I recently purchased the adorable line from My Minds Eye : Fine and Dandy and I absolutely love it! The colours are so vibrant and all the extras completley adorable. How cute is the little owl stamp? I think I am going to get a lot of use out of this line, its so versatile. I used it to make a birthday card from my Dad who is turning .... 48! Its simple, yet perfect for a man's birthday card who is still very young at heart.

I'm so excited for this upcoming week since I'm about to hold down the fort while my parents are off on a long overdue trip to Europe. Of course we miss them, but we always have fun when Mom and Dad are away, of course, by the end of the two weeks I know I'll be glad to have them come home! We'll see if I get much crafting done with all the extra work that has to be done, but I'm sure I can squeeze some time in there somewhere. The kids are all pretty good kids as far as that goes, and in the evenings when the littlest ones are down for the night, there is lots of time for doing my own thing.

SUPPLIES:

My Minds Eye Fine and Dandy Line

Thickers

Twenty Nine @ 29

2011-03-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have ever done this before - made a scrapbook page about myself.

Just me.

No kids. No husband. No one but my lonesome self.

It feels kind of weird actually. Like I am somehow being selfish or arrogant.

I should probably get over that because it isn't selfish. Given how much I hate photos of myself, it is actually an act of sacrifice to include it in my kid's album because I know they will appreciate it later in their life.

SUPPLIES

Bazzil Cardstock

Jillibean Soup patterned paper, corrugated numbers

Jenni Bowlin Studio butterfly

Making memories metal frame & tag, trims, paint

American Crafts rub-ons

Vintage buttons

I based this layout on this week's Get Your Sketch On challenge. I really love this sketch - probably because it has a butterfly on it.

Scrapbook News and Reviews

2011-03-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the newest Scrapbook News and Reviews issue ? I have to admit that I haven't yet either, I should have access to the most recent issue by lunchtime today, I can hardly wait! I have 3 cards published this issue. First time I submitted anything to a magazine and all three of my submissions were accepted. If you want to see the cards that are published, you are just going to have to check the magazine out yourself! SNR is an online publication and once you subscribe you have access to all the current stuff, plus three back issues. I have to say I'm thrilled!

I will always love what I do and probably always have a craft room set up in some corner of the house, but knowing that other people like what I create seems to add some sort of validity for what I do. I glad that I can create and share my crafts with others for inspiration. Its been a wonderful learning process for me the last year or so and to be getting some recognition is huge....it inspires me to try all sorts of things I would never do otherwise.

This card was not published, so I can share it with you. I'm quite far behind in my posting, this should have been posted on the 8th, the day of the ICS Sketch # 105 reveal but its getting posted today. Must work on this being on time thing!

Dawn provided us with a fantastic and fun sketch yet again this week. I'm not thrilled with how the card turned out, but it happens. Not everything that gets created is going to be a show stopper! While I don't love the overall look of this card, there are some really fun elements that I do love. The postcard is an antique that I have had for a long time, as is the stamp. Both are from the 50's I think and were so much fun to incorporate into a card design. Of course, there is lots of distressing and stitching. I think I might be a bit of an ink addict!

SUPPLIES:
My Minds Eye Paper

Rhonna Farrer Rub Ons

Vintage Buttons, postage stamp, and postcard

Droplets

Prima flower

Thickers

Welcome Little One

2011-03-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

I got to meet my new niece this week.

She is adorable and reminded me how much I like babies, especially brand new ones.

Makes it kind of convenient that I will be getting one of my own in about 3 1/2 months.

I also like making baby cards. In fact, I wish more people that I know would have babies so I could make more baby cards.

SUPPLIES

Pebbles patterned paper

Jillibean soup patterned paper

American Crafts buttons, cardstock

SRM stickers sentiment

Digital Stamp - Heather Ellis for Pure Innocence

I Will Always Love You

2011-03-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

I realize that Valentine's day was a while ago, but I was so inspired by all the gorgeous layouts I saw around that time that I decided to make one of my own.

Unfortunately I didn't have any recent pictures of me and my husband so I used some of our wedding photos.

Almost 10 years later and I still have not done a wedding album for us. Sad. Oh well, maybe this is the start of it.

SUPPLIES

Apron Strings Feb 2011 "Smaller than a Breadbox" kit

American Crafts thickers

K&Co. tiny alphas

My Blue Eyed Boy

2011-03-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.mymindseye.com/Products.aspI am really, really trying to make an effort to include pictures of myself in my kid's albums. I hate doing it because I am never happy with how I look in photos, but I keep telling myself that my kids will appreciate it when they are older.

SUPPLIES

Apron Strings Designs Feb 2011 "Smaller than a Breadbox" kit.

This page was based on challenge #34 over at Sketch Mania. I turned the sketch on it's side to make it work better with the orientation of my photo and all the supplies I used were from the Feb 2011 "Smaller than a Breadbox" kit from Apron Strings. I think this has been my favorite kit so far. I love the Alphabet Soup collection from My Mind's Eye, so cute!

Opps... Did I Do That?

2011-02-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

As I was working on this page I realized that a large percentage of the photos I have of Ellie are of her in her highchair.

That kid eats a lot! The other night for dinner she had 5 bowls of soup and two bowls of chicken and rice. Seriously.

She also makes a lot of mess. And breaks the odd dish.

Maybe I should rethink my "no plastic" policy, at least when it comes to her dinnerware.

SUPPLIES

Apron Strings February 2011 "Smaller Than a Breadbox" kit

American Crafts thickers

Royal Langnickel rubons

I used my February Apron Strings kit for this page and based the layout on Get Your Sketch On challenge #9.

We'd love to have you join us and create a layout based on this week's sketch. The winner of the challenge will be receiving a prize pack full of goodies from Momenta!

Sassy Lil' Sketches #2

2011-02-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

I've been out of town for nearly three weeks which is why I've been a little quiet on the blog. Funny how my online life became really slow, but in real life, its been very busy! Our (Sarah's too!) other sister recently had a little baby girl and I was able to go and spend a few weeks with her and my adorable nephews. It was a nice break and who can complain about spending time with a precious newborn? :-)

I made this card for Sassy Lil Card Sketches Feb 21st sketch, which was a week ago, I know, but I've been running a little behind with my sketches as life has been a little busy. I've got some exciting things to share with you in the next few days. I'd also encourage you to check out the Sassy Lil Card Sketches blog, there is so much fun stuff!

There is still time to play along and be eligible for the awesome Cosmo Cricket prize!

This card is also entered in the Dutch Dare Card Challenges and my favourite,
Do You Stack Up?

I {Heart} U

2011-02-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

I decided to challenge myself with this week's Get Sketchy card challenge - follow the sketch (obviously) and... refrain from using any butterflies on my card.

I have been going through a bit of a butterfly phase lately. They have been showing up on pretty much everything I make. I think it has something to do with the fact that I wish it were spring.

Anyway, here is what I ended up with...

SUPPLIES
Cosmo Cricket patterned paper

Recollections kraft cardstock

Making Memories alpha charms, ribbon

Basic Grey painted brads

Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

Now please excuse me while I go put butterflies on something...

Watching the Monkey's at the Zoo

2011-02-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

When I originally got this photo developed I did not look at it very closely, so I thought that I had finally managed to get a nice picture of Isaac actually looking at the camera and smiling. It wasn't until I pulled the picture out to use it on a layout that I realized he was actually sticking his tongue out at me.

Why does that not surprise me?

SUPPLIES

Apron Strings Designs February 2011 "Smaller than a Breadbox" kit

American Crafts thickers

Jillibean Soup corrugated alphas

Royal Langnickel rub-ons

This layout is based on this week's Sketch Mania challenge #33.

Thank You So Very Much

2011-02-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

I have a problem.

I love layering so my cards always end up being really thick. So thick that they don't fit well in envelopes and they cost a fortune to mail.

So I never actually end up sending them to anyone and they just keep accumulating in the basket beside my desk.

At some point my husband is going to catch on that the whole "making cards saves us money" thing is a total lie to justify all the supplies I buy.

And yet, I keep making cards.

SUPPLIES

Studio Calico patterned paper

October Afternoon patterned paper

Studio G card base

Cosmo Cricket chipboard accent

Jenni Bowlin Studio vintage button

American Crafts rub-on

Unknown ticket, twine, pins

This card was made for this week's Get Sketchy card challenge.

Emma's Lovesong

2011-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Since she learned to read and write, my oldest daughter has made an almost daily habit of writing notes and songs for her dad and I. Sometimes they are sweet and sometimes they are (unintentionally) funny. Her spelling is still at the point where it is... interesting... but I think it is so cute how she insists on figuring everything out herself without asking for help.

To be honest, I don't always appreciated her thoughtful gestures that way that I should because the obsessively organized part of me does not know what to do with all the random scraps of paper she makes presents of. I feel bad just throwing them in the recycling bin, but at the same time, if I kept every single one I would literally have boxes full.

I don't know why it never occurred to me to incorporate any of her notes into my layouts before. Now that I have done it, it seems like such an obvious thing to do and I am kicking myself for not starting sooner.

This layout was done based on the Sketchy Thursdays March Guest Design Team sketch.

SUPPLIES

American Crafts patterned paper, thickers, chipboard accents

Recollections cardstock, bling

Unknown tickets, clipboard, vintage book page, pins, twine

Happy Birthday To You

2011-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun with this month's Apron Strings "Smaller Than a Breadbox" kit, especially the MME Alphabet Soup stuff. This line is so cute! I completed 6 pages with the kit,as well as this card which I based on the sketch for this week's Sketch Mania challenge.

SUPPLIES

Apron Strings Designs February 2010 "Smaller Then a Breadbox" kit

Carolee's Creations tiny type alphas

I Can Do It By Myself

2011-02-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I was pretty excited when I received this month's kit from Apron Strings. It was full of gorgeous supplies from three of my favorite companies - Echo Park, My Mind's Eye and October Afternoon.

I've had these photos of Ellie's first experience feeding herself for a while and I am really glad that I held onto them. I think they work really well with the colors and theme from October Afternoon's "Modern Homemaker" line, and they fit perfectly into this week's GYSO sketch.

I love it when everything comes together so easily.

Apron Strings Designs -February 2011 "Smaller Than a Breadbox" kit.

American Crafts felt thickers

Cosmo Cricket tiny type alphas

You Mean the World to Me

2011-02-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

I had a "blah" day today. I sat down to make my card for this week's Get Sketchy challenge, which of course I had left to the last minute, and it seriously took me over an hour to get it done. Guess I lost my mojo or something.

On the bright side, at least I don't get nauseous when I try to scrapbook. During my last two pregnancies, the smell and sight of my scrapbooking supplies literally made me sick. It was months after my babies were born before I was able to scrapbook again, so I am just thankful that I haven't developed that particular symptom this time around.

I am also thankful for a very special young lady who has had a lot of responsibility put on her shoulders lately due to her mother suffering from the "9 month flu". This card is for her because when she saw these cute owl stickers on my desk she couldn't stop exclaiming about how cute they were.

SUPPLIES
October Afternoon patterned paper

Bazzil cardstock

My Mind's Eye trim, dimensional stickers

Studio Calico cloud stamp

Pink Paislee artisan tape

Basic Grey glazed brad

Sassy Lil' Sketches #1

2011-02-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Card blog is now online and I am so excited to be part of this wonderful team. Its been a few months in the creating, but I hope you agree, the waiting was certainly worth it. The ladies at SLS have put together some fantastic sketches, an amazing design team, and (heres the best part) awesome prizes. For our first month one lucky winner will go home with a prize package from Cosmo Cricket!

Be sure to head over to the SLS card blog to see what the rest of the design team has done with our first sketch, and while you are at it, maybe you should check out the blogs from the other ladies on the team too!