erin terrell clarkson [etc]

Craft It Forward Blog Hop

Hopefully you're stopping by today because you heard about the Craft It Forward Blog Hop on Scrapbooks etc. Welcome, and thanks for visiting! I hope you'll be inspired to make your own card based off one of the original designs shown on the Craft It Forward site. Remember, if you create a card and donate it to charity, then upload the photo to our Craft It Forward gallery...both you and your charity each become eligible to win $500!! (That means $500 in cash to you and $500 in donations to the charity of your choice. How awesome is that?!)

I designed a card inspired by this original one (which I loved!) from Lisa Storms. Her project is the June project of the month on the Craft It Forward website:

What a great card design, right? I was immediately drawn to it, so I pulled out similar supplies and got to work. I didn't have any supplies like the fun star paper for the background, so I punched small stars from blue cardstock to create a similar look:

I adhered the stars with tiny pop dots for added dimension. I added a red cardstock border along the bottom of the card, then folded a yellow ribbon the same way Lisa did on her card. As a final touch, I added rub-ons to white cardstock to complete the "thank you" sentiment.

I like the way it turned out, and it was pretty easy to make (since I already had the basic idea from Lisa). I didn't measure the stars, believe it or not - I just eyeballed where to place them and down they went.

If you'd like to celebrate our nation’s independence by crafting thank you cards for the troops who protect our rights and freedom, then today is a great time to start! Make as many cards as possible (after you've been inspired by our blog hop, of course!), then join an Adopt-A-Soldier program to send care packages to the many men and women serving overseas. If you'd like an address for a soldier you can send packages to, just email me and I'll get one for you. Otherwise, you can google "Adopt-A-Soldier" and find plenty of participating programs. 

Ideas of items to include in a care package:

    - toothpaste, soap, sunscreen 

    - nuts, trail mix, beef jerky, protein bars

    - candy, gum, mints

    - baby wipes, chapstick, razors

    - energy drinks or lemonade/gatorade packets   

When shipping a box overseas, I recommend getting a large sized flat rate priority box from the US Post Office. The dimensions are: 12" x 12" x 5 1/2" and whatever you can fit inside will ship for one low price (only $12.95) to any APO/FPO address. 

You can also mail blank cards to soldiers so they can fill them out and send them home to their family members! This is a fantastic idea for the many, many talented cardmakers who are likely joining us on the blog hop today. :) Check out the non-profit sites Cards for Soldiers or Operation Write Home to learn more about this idea.

Don't forget to visit your local veterans hospital to make a difference closer to home. 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll be back to visit again soon. Be sure to stop by Lisa Truesdell's blog next to see the creative ideas she has to share.

 

Crafting for a Cause (with Scrapbooks etc) & a chance to win $$$$

For those of you who aren't familiar with it yet, I wanted to mention a cool little thing called Craft It Forward. It's a special program Scrapbooks etc. magazine launched to encourage scrapbookers, cardmakers, and papercrafters to craft for a cause and make a project to give to a charity or someone in need.

For inspiration, each month Scrapbooks etc. offers a special project and dowloadable instruction sheet at THIS LINK and asks designers to upload their creations onto the Scrapbooks etc. web site for a chance to win $500 each for themselves and their charity of choice! 

For the month of April, the project is a gorgeous Easter basket, designed by one of the most talented designers I know...Hilary Kanwischer (Seriously, go check out her blog for more Easter basket samples and tons of great designs. She is awesome!!). Here is her basket:

You can download the .pdf on the Craft it Forward website, then get busy creating your own beautiful Easter baskets to donate to charity.

Here’s some info on the giveaway:

Scrapbooks etc. is giving away $500 for you and a $500 donation to your favorite charity every month! Enter in three easy steps:
1. Create: Make any project you would like or download one of our free ideas (new ideas monthly)!
2. Share: Give it to someone (anyone) in need, then upload a photo and description of your project and who you gave it to on our website.
3. Win. By uploading, you’re automatically entered for the chance to WIN $500 for you AND $500 to the charity of your choice!

Let me know if you have questions and I hope you'll consider entering! Please share your links with me if you do. 

While I'm discussing crafting for a good cause, I have another link I'd like to share. Please check out the website Friends Of Tamara and read all about Tamara and the amazing story of her life over the past few years. Tamara teaches at the elementary school Daisy attended and two of Daisy's former teachers are helping put together a dinner and silent auction to benefit Tamara's family (you can read all about her wish for her family on the Friends of Tamara website). If you are able to donate, please do so HERE and I will be eternally grateful - as will her 5 children, I'm sure. If you live in San Antonio and are able to attend the silent auction, purchase your tickets HERE and I will look forward to seeing you that evening! Here is a photo of Tamara with her beautiful family (photo snagged from the Friends of Tamara website.):

OK, that's my long and rambling post for the day. Maybe I should post more often so my posts will be shorter? ;)

 

Caring Hearts Card Drive (With Prizes, Of Course!)

If you're interested in doing something that makes a difference this holiday season, now is your chance! My friend, and awesomely talented card designer, Vera Yates has put together a card drive to benefit the elderly who live in nursing homes or care centers. You can read all about the details here: 

CARING HEARTS CARD DRIVE

Go visit her blog, and then get busy creating cards for those who will appreciate it most. Be sure to take a peek at all of the fabulous prizes you'll have a chance at winning when you participate in this wonderful event. Here's a peek at the prize I'm giving away, but there are many, many more goodies from other sponsors and designers.

Thanks to those of you who participate! You will make a difference. Thanks to Vera for being such a kind and thoughtful person - for putting together and carrying out the event.

If you're shopping over the weekend, don't forget Two Peas has free shipping for orders over $25. It ends on Sunday:

Free Shipping available on all orders of $25 or more. Valid thru 11:59 PM (CST) 10/24/10 on physical product only. Excludes international orders.

Pink Paislee New Release (Sweetness) + A Giveaway

The new releases just keep coming from Pink Paislee. Here is a peek at their "Sweetness" line:

Such pretty colors! Here is a shot of a little project I'm working on:

Check out the entire Sweetness line HERE.

Once again, everything is so pretty that I'm having a difficult time selecting a favorite. I really like the Press-Ons, love the Flip Notes, and I am also a huge fan of the Glitter Elements Stickers:

 

Head to the Pink Paislee blog (HERE) to see a few beautiful samples using the Sweetness collection, then be sure to leave a comment at the end of the post. They'll be selecting a winner from the comments section to receive the entire Sweetness kit. That's pretty hard to resist, isn't it?

PS: I'm pretty sure they'll be doing a giveaway every day this week, so be sure to keep checking in with them.

Pink Paislee New Release (Old School) + A Giveaway!

New product lines are rolling off the press at Pink Paislee, and I wanted to share a sneak peek at one of my very favorite ones. Here's a sample I created using "Old School":

A detail shot:

Another detail shot:
 

Check out THIS LINK to see all of the fun stickers, papers, rub-ons, and embellishments in this line. If you follow the instructions at the end of that post and leave a comment, you'll also be entered in a drawing to win a 12x12 Old School Collection Pack!!

I'm not sure what my favorite product is just yet, but I have to say I'm a pretty big fan of the Press-Ons and the Flip Notes:

 

Check out Lynn Ghahary's blog for a great sample while you're at it. Good luck in the drawing!

Pink Paislee Inspiration Station Begins...

***Edited to add: Thanks for stopping by...winners have been selected. See the lucky names HERE***

If you are a new visitor here, welcome to the Pink Paislee Inspirational Tour. I'm very happy you stopped by.

Here's how it works:

Please leave a comment on this post, and you´ll be entered in the $25 giveaway package from Pink Paislee. At the bottom of this post you´ll also find a list of all the other participating Pink Paislee creative team members. Stop by their blogs, check out the inspiration, and leave a comment for each one of them. There will be a $25 giveaway at each blog. Pink Paislee is going to give away more than $300 in prizes, so don´t miss any of your chances to win! :) You won't want to miss the inspiration, either.

For my card samples, I wanted to demonstrate how you can use the same basic idea for a card, but achieve a varied effect by switching out the paper collections. My first card uses the new Pink Paislee Starlight collection, which I am so excited about! It's the latest release and it's so fun to use. We were assigned to focus on Mother's Day cards, but I created mine in a general love theme.  My mom lives out of town, so "love you" or "missing you" is a great type of card for me to send her.

You can see how this first one might even work for Father's Day or Birthday ("I LOVE Parties", for example).

Pink Paislee Starlight Collection "I Love You" card:

 

Supplies:

• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper SPARK (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper SHINE (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper GLOW (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper BRIGHT (from 2peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Starlight Elements Stickers (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Weathered Wood Alphabet in Blackberry (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Button (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Thread (gray) by DMC
• Sandpaper
• Circle Punch .5"
• Tiny Star Punch
• Dimensional Adhesive
• Black Pen .05 tip (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com

Instructions:

1. Trim Spark (blue) paper to 9 x 6.25", then fold to create a 4.5" x 6.25" card
2. Trim 1.375" x 6.25" border from Shine (red star) paper, and adhere to card bottom
3. Trim small red scalloped sticker from elements stickers, place above bottom border
4. Arrange "L" "V" and "E" chipboard alphabet stickers, as shown, leaving room to add scalloped circle sticker
5. Draw outline around yellow circle of sticker using fine tipped black pen
6. Adhere all, using dimensional adhesive under the yellow circle/scalloped sticker
7. Trim star (freehand or with a template) from Glow (red solid) paper, lightly sand edges & adhere
8. Punch two smaller stars from the same paper, lightly sand edges
9. Add floss to button, adhere using glue
10. Punch .05" circle from center blue star on Bright (yellow/blue) paper, trim top and sand edges
11. Add "I" and "you" using a black pen or rub-ons (I used black Doodlebug rub-ons)
12. Adhere circle with "I" using dimensional adhesive, then adhere two smaller red stars
13. Add detailing with fine tipped black pen

Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Collection "Love (I Am Missing You)" card:

Supplies:

• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper Be Free (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper Think Big (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee 365 Degree 6x6 Paper Pad (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Punch Out Die Cuts (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Flip Notes Pad (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Expressions Weathered Wood in Denim (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Black Pen .05 tip (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Making Memories Simply Stated Rub-ons (or your own handwriting)
• Corner Rounder Punch
• Chipboard Heart
• McGill Hole Punch 1 1/4" size
• DMC Floss/Thread (blue)
• Dimensional Adhesive

Instructions:

1. Trim Be Free (red) paper to 9 x 6.25", then fold to create a 4.5" x 6.25" card
2. Trim 1.375" x 6.25" border from flip side of Be Free (striped) paper, and adhere to card bottom
3. Trim a small strip of Think Big (yellow) paper to add above striped border
4. Add detailing to upper portion of card with fine tipped black pen 
5. Add stitching detail around blue edge of punch out die cut
6. Add rub-on sentiment or handwritten sentiment to center of scalloped circle
7. Arrange "L" "V" and "E" chipboard alphabet stickers, as shown, then add scalloped circle using dimensional adhesive
8. Use hole punch to punch small holes from solid orange paper from Flip Notes pad, apply to card as shown
9. Trim ledger paper from 6x6 mini paper pad to cover chipboard heart, lightly sand edges, then adhere with dimensional adhesive
10. Shape bottom two corners using corner rounder punch

Pink Paislee Queen Bee Collection "Love" card:

Supplies:

• Pink Paislee Double Sided Paper Bees Wax (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Bee Hive Paper (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Queen Bee Punch Out Die Cuts (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee 6x6 Queen Bee Paper Pad (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Pink Paislee Weathered Chipboard Alpha in Cotton (from 2Peas) or click HERE to order from Scrapbook.com
• Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly Craft Punch
• Dimensional Adhesive
• Craft Knife
• Thin Green Ribbon (JoAnn Fabrics)
• Glue

Instructions:

1. Trim  Bees Wax (yellow) paper to 9 x 6.25", then fold to create a 4.5" x 6.25" card
2. Trim 1.375" (approximately) x 6.25" border from Bee Hive (decorative green/cream swirl) paper,  trim around swirls with craft knife, and adhere to card bottom
3. Add thin ribbon trim to top border Bee Hive Paper
4. Arrange "L" "V" and "E" chipboard alphabet stickers, as shown, then add scalloped circle using dimensional adhesive
5. Trim leaf shapes from 6x6 paper pad Honey Bee (small), adhere to circle
6. Punch butterfly from 6x6 paper pad Worker Bee (small), adhere using a small line of glue

Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you'll visit again.

Don't forget to leave your name in the comments section. Feel free to just say "hi" so I'll know you stopped by. Comments will be open throughout the weekend and the drawing will be on Monday (or Tuesday). Good luck!

Please check out any of these other blogs you haven't seen yet, because they all have great ideas to share with you.

Danielle: http://www.danielleflanders.blogspot.com
Lisa: http://www.coleland.blogspot.com
Ania: http://www.aniia.blogspot.com
Stacey: http://www.staceymichaud.blogspot.com
Leena: http://www.findingnana.com
Jana: http://www.frommyfeatherednest.blogspot.com
Amanda: http://www.amandamuirhead.blogspot.com
Kristen: http://www.scrapinkris.blogspot.com
Tina: http://www.tinaalbertson.blogspot.com
Jen M.: http://www.jenniferann75.blogspot.com
Erin: http://www.erinterrellclarkson.typepad.com/blog
Kayla Aimee: http://kaylaaimee.typepad.com/

Pink Paislee Inspiration Station

BTW, "Inspiration Station" is a really cute name for a blog hop.

And...it starts tomorrow morning!! I can hardly wait. There is a bit more information about it on the Pink Paislee Blog (Inspiration Station Information), so be sure to check that out for the details. The girls from the creative team will be showcasing many, many great ideas for Mother's Day (most of them could be slightly altered to fit other occasions, too).

The best part of all (other than seeing tons of amazing samples, of course!)...

ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

Remember...tomorrow morning is when it all begins. See you then!

Pillow Set Giveaway (Follow Up)

Thanks everyone for posting on the pillow set giveaway! I love the gift ideas, and it's so sweet reading all of your stories. I'm closing the comments now and selecting from 36 comments. I responded to one of the posts and my comment was the 3rd one down...so if #3 is selected I will just choose a different number. :o) Disqualifying myself!

The lucky number:

That would be this comment:

Those are darling!!!

Okay so when I turned 30 (15 years ago YIKES!) My husband knew I was just having a hard time with that number!!! I didn't want to grow up, so everynight for the week leading up to my birthday he put a gift on my pillow before bedtime!! A GC for hair appointment, one for nails, gold earrings, a nitie and sachets etc...on the day of my birthday he gave me a beautiful diamond and saphire ring. What a guy!!! Yesturday was our birthday can't believe I am 45!!!!!...yes we are born on the same day!! Thanks for the chance!

Posted by: Tilda | 2010.04.08 at 09:50 AM

I hope you enjoy them, Tilda!

Here is Tilda's blog if you'd like to stop by and check it out, or tell her congratulations.

Custom Necklaces (Making Memories)

My blogging friend Laura Vegas recently posted a link to a few necklaces she created with the Making Memories Vintage Groove collection. i.fell.in.love. (Not with Laura, although she is super-sweet, but with the necklaces.) Her pal Sierra also created quite a few with her and you can see them on her blog. Unique jewelry is just my style.

The Vintage Groove collection is designed by Jill Schwartz and you can find her custom jewelry (pre-assembled) for sale on her site HERE. However, if you'd like to get creative and make your own custom necklaces, you can purchase the individual pieces to do so. They are currently available at Target and AC Moore stores. I *believe* other stores may have them in the near future, so I'll definitely post if I see that happen.

In the meantime, here is a link to the Making Memories Jewelry site, so you can get an idea of the offerings. I think they would make an excellent mother's day gift! The kits are my favorite.

Here's a sample of one of the kits on the Making Memories Jewelry site:

 

PHOTO CRED: www.makingmemoriesjewelry.com

I haven't checked my local Target yet, but hopefully they'll be there in time to create a necklace or two in time for Mother's Day.

Don't forget to register for THIS GIVEAWAY if you haven't done so already. I'll be drawing a name in just a day or two. Good luck!

Time For Another Giveaway (Giveaway Closed: Winner Has Been Selected)

***Edited to Add: Tilda, your name was selected! Congrats. I will email you.***

***Edited To Add: Drawing closed. Thanks everyone for posting! I love the gift ideas, and it's so sweet reading all of your stories. I'm closing the comments now and selecting from 36 comments. I responded to one of the posts and my comment was the 3rd one down, so if #3 is selected I will just choose a different number. :o) Disqualifying myself!***

Springtime is birthday season in my family. There is one birthday after another each week in April and May, so I spend a lot of time shopping. Good thing I like it so much! *wink*

My brother is easy (gift cards/money). Dad? He always asks for some random item (speaker stands, a ratchet set, or some other odd thing I have to hunt down). He seems to enjoy sending me on scavenger hunts for his birthday presents. My niece and nephew are pretty easy to shop for (toys galore!). My mom is the most difficult. Not because I can't find anything for her...but because I find too many things I know she'd love. It's hard to narrow the choices down.

Here's where the giveaway comes into play. Leave a comment telling me your favorite birthday present you've ever given or received (or just say "Hi"). I'll leave the comments open for a week, and then I'll pick a name using Random Number Generator, as usual. This time around, the giveaway is for US and Canadian residents only. CSN Stores is sponsoring it and here is the item you'll receive:

Cotton Tale Lizzie Pillow Pack:

 

Is that cute, or what? That should add a touch of springtime to any room (great inspiration for a scrapbook page, too). Make sure to leave your email address when you comment so I can collect your shipping information if your name is selected! I'll give your address to CSN and they'll ship the pillows directly to you.

Good luck! I can't wait to hear your suggestions for birthday presents.