Music Saves My Soul Saturday

Hi guys! I'm back with another Christina Perri Song for this week's Music Saves My Soul Saturday.

Really, I'm not that sad, but there are certain parts of this song that really speak to me. Especially this week - especially today. I'm not ready to share, but I think I'll be ready soon.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am in the middle of the final push in my graduate class before my self-imposed summer break. This time next week I hope to be finished and sharing my happy dance with all of you! Then I hope to have some cards to share for my sorely neglected crafting blog, but that would mean having a chance to sit down in my sorely neglected craft room. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

I have a fresh new jewel of a song. I LOVE Christina Perri and have since her song Jar of Hearts was shown on So You Think You Can Dance last year. Her new album is coming out next week (I'm super excited!!) and I've been playing it on her website all week. This is a favorite

My Favorite Things...in April and Miscellany

April was a MUCH better month than March - thank goodness!

1.

Oh. My. GOODNESS! These lovelies are my FAVORITE Easter candy - especially frozen (I get it from my Dad). The perfect peanut butter/chocolate proportion. I don't usually buy but a single one before Easter, but I'm like a mad-woman in the clearance aisle the day after. This year, Tim and I decided to go out Easter evening to Walmart to see what we could find. Now, just a couple days before there had been an entire skid FULL of Reese's eggs, but that night there wasn't a single egg to be found. I was crushed! Luckily, the local Rite Aid doesn't get much business, so I was able to score big Monday after work.

2.

I haven't bought myself a new pair of sneakers since 2004 - seriously, before I left for college my Freshman year. I got a SUPER steal on these thanks to coupons and some Kohls cash. I LOVE them.

3.

I was on Etsy one day killing time and stumble across Long Winter Farm lips balm. I got a pack of 5 on blind faith and don't think I'll ever use another lip balm again. I ordered Lemon, Hot Cocoa, Raspberry Lime, Chocolate Raspberry and Brown Sugar. I'm just shy of obsessed and there is almost always a tube of lip balm within reach.

4.

 My FAVORITE thing from April was hitting the 1 yr mark at my current job. One of the greatest perks of my job is at one year you get a day at home. I've chosen Wednesdays as my day at home, and I love the 15 second commute and spending the day in my PJs with Netflix while I work.

Now for the miscellaneous announcements.

No one claimed the two sets of buttons from the Sweet Sixteen giveaways, so I've drawn 2 more names.

Michele (Derby) and Amy K., you're numbers are up! Please contact me by Monday, May 9 at amybeth.everson@gmail.com with your address and I'll get those out to you.

On one last, final, note is I would like tell everyone about my cousin Pam's Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte this October. Pam is leading a team to raise $14,000 for breast cancer research. This is the amount of one chemotherapy treatment. She was inspired to do this because her mother (my aunt) recently won her battle with breast cancer. You can find Pam's website here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

This is going to be my theme for this week - Let it go! 

You should play along! Details on Marcea's blog - just click on the picture above!

SSC CAS Challenge Cards

Hey there!

I've been slacking a little and haven't gotten around to posting last two Simply Stamping Crafts CAS Challenge cards here on the blog (they can be seen every Friday at SSC in the CAS Challenge Group)

The challenge for the week of April 15th was to create a monochromatic card.

I used PTI's Aqua Mist and Ocean Tides for this one, with a Vintage Cream base. Can I say I'm in love with the Turning a New Leaf die? I NEVER would have cut those leaves out!

The challenge for the week of April 22 (it's still going on, you can check it out here) is to create a card with paper piecing.

I paper pieced the umbrella that perfectly goes along with the sentiment from the Verve Blue Skies set.

I'd love if you would come join our challenges! There is still time to submit an April card to be entered for a $25 gift certificate to My Favorite Things.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Sixteen Winners!

Hey guys! 

I'm back with the winners of the last Sweet Sixteen Giveaways! 

For the Big & Bold Wishes set, the lucky winner is # 11! 

I'm Renee said...

CONGRATS Lee Anne!!:)
And I have to agree with Debbie...
that set's been on my wishlist for...
I can't count that high! :)
And who can resist those buttons?!
My fave color combo is Pure Poppy, Kraft and Rustic Cream.
It'll change when they bring a True Navy...
Navy and Hawaiian Shores...
Navy and Raspberry Fizz... :)
Congrats on on your Sweet Sixteen...
you are just too sweet to do all of this!

For the two sets of buttons the winners are # 15 & # 20

Christi said...

My go to color combo is kraft, sky blue and cherry red. It works for summer, Christmas, girly girls and masculine!

Bonnie said...

BUTTONS!! Bliss. I put a button or two or three on almost every card I make. My go to colors black and white with splashes of bright colors.

Renee, Christi, and Bonnie please e-mail me at amybeth.everson@gmail.com by May 2 to claim your prizes! 

Thanks again to everyone who played along, this has been a lot of fun. 

I will be back tomorrow with actual projects - it feels like forever since I've actually had something to post. 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

I'm still rediscovering lost loves on my iPod. A good friend of mine introduced me to this song a while back, and it still makes me smile every time I hear it. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! We've got lots of family stuff planned, and homework (there's ALWAYS homework!).

Thanks for stopping by! 

Sweet Sixteen...Day 4

This is my second post for today. Please scroll down for my AmberInk torch-passing post. 

Hey there!

I'm back today for the last day of my blog's Sweet Sixteen celebration!

It's been a blast - thanks everyone for playing along! I really enjoyed reading your favorite summer foods. I realized I forgot to list mine. I could live off watermelon. I keep it cut up in the fridge at all times.

First things first, let's talk about who won giveaway #3 - the paper, felt, and die set.

Thanks to the random number generator, the lucky winner is # 1!

Lee Anne said...

I'm a follower and have been wanting some raspberry fizz stuff - but it always falls out of my cart for other things. My favorite summer food is grilled corn on the cob! L-O-V-E!

April 17, 2011 5:10 PM

Lee Anne please contact me at amybeth.everson@gmail.com by April 28 to claim your prize.

Now, what's a good Sweet Sixteen party without a grand finale? Some sweet sixteen parties end with a car - this one is going to end with not one, but two giveaways, with not two but three winners!!

The first giveaway is for my ALL. TIME. FAVORITE set: Big & Bold Wishes

For the second giveaway two winners will each win an assortment of Papertrey Ink Buttons. This includes half a pack each of Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf, and Scarlet Jewel!

Here's what you need to do to win. 

1. Leave a comment telling me your go-to color combos. 

2. Since this is a giveaway for my blog readers, I am asking that you must also be a follower to enter. Just click the "Follow" link to the side, if you are not already a follower. Please let me know if you are already a follower.

You have until Sunday, April 24th at 11:59 PM EST to enter to win! One comment per person, please! I'll post the randomly chosen winner on Monday, April 25th! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pass it on...

It's that time (sniff, sniff). Time to pass on the Blue AmberInk torch.

I have had such a GREAT time playing with these images - and I'm sure you'll see more of them, they're addicting! You can find a recap of my AmberInk projects here.

So today I officially join a great group of blue torch-bearing alum, but not before I announce who I'll be passing the torch onto. I am SO EXCITED to be passing the torch to Cathy Weber, of Empty Nest Crafter. Cathy has such a beautiful style and can't wait to see what she comes up with for her lap with the Blue Torch!

I want to thank Pam and Amber for being the rock stars they are. Such a fun pair to work with.

Don't forget to stop by and see who the other ladies are passing their torches to:

The Orange Torch is being passed by the magical Anita Madden to Michele Greenwood!

The Pink Torch is being passed by the fantastic Mandi Moore to Anne Cullen!

The Brown Torch is being passed by the incredible Tammy Hellstern to Katie Kahl! 

The Purple Torch is being passed by the wonderful Jana Weaver to Jane Matsumoto!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Better Late Than Never...

True to life, I'm late.  Also true to life, it's just barely. Normally it's about 5 minutes...or in blog-land, just a day.

My tour of duty at AmberInk is almost over, but I have one more project to share with you.

I couldn't resist using the cute little bee from Wee Bee Pollinatin' with the flowers from Papertrey Ink's Flower Fusion #2. Added the Just bumbling along sentiment and some pink twine and called it a day. 

Here's a recap of the other projects I've done this month

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Sweet Sixteen...Day 3

So now that I've gotten caught up today, I wanted to pop back in to continue the celebration! 

I'm a matchy-matchy kinda girl. When paper crafting I need everything to match perfectly to be happy with what I'm doing. That's one of the reasons what I've been drawn to Papertrey Ink - the perfect match paper, ribbons, buttons and now felt! 

For today's giveaway I wanted to share a little bit of the matching goodness.

A pack of 12 sheets of raspberry fizz cardstock and a roll of felt. As an added bonus I'm throwing in a set of Beautiful Blooms II #3 Die Collection. These make the cutest felt flowers! 

Here's what you need to do to win. 

1. Leave a comment about your favorite summer food or recipe.

 

2. Since this is a giveaway for my blog readers, I am asking that you must also be a follower to enter. Just click the "Follow" link to the side, if you are not already a follower. Please let me know if you are already a follower.

You have until Wednesday, April 20th at 11:59 PM EST to enter to win! One comment per person, please! I'll post the randomly chosen winner on Thursday, April 21th! That same day be on the look out for giveaway #4! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

WINNER - Sweet Sixteen Giveaway #2

Hi guys!

Today kinda snuck up on me and I'm not quite ready with giveaway #3 yet, but I wanted to pop in this morning to announce the winner of giveaway #2. From the random number generator the winner is #4 - Michelle!

 Michelle said...

Hi Amy
It's a staycation for us in the Uk we are off to the Yorkshire dales now that we have two dogs it's hard to get a dog sitter and I am going through a faze that I dont want to fly after a long haul trip we had , I felt ill all the way home :-(

April 14, 2011 5:18 PM

Michelle please contact me at amybeth.everson@gmail.com by April 24 to claim your prize. 

I will be back later this afternoon with giveaway #3 - be sure to check back! 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Music Save My Soul Saturday

It also saves my waistline...

This is the song that starts my Saturday morning Zumba class. It's one of the highlights of my week!

Sorry to post and run, but I have lots to do today!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Welcome Baby

Hey guys!

A friend of mine just found out she's having a little girl and I couldn't resist making a card for her with AmberInk's New Family image - since it's there first little one.



Thanks for stopping by!



Sweet Sixteen...Day 2

And the party continues!!!

Thanks to the trusty random number generator, we have a winner - #12

The lucky winner of Day 1 Giveaway is......Becky Carafa!

 Becky Carafa said...

Thanks for the award! I don't have this set or die yet, so I'd love to win, thanks for the chance! Hmmm, my favorite product is dies, LOVE THEM. I follow you on my reader, and just added myself to your blog followers.

April 10, 2011 7:49 PM

Becky please contact me at amybeth.everson@gmail.com by April 21 to claim your prize. 

I really enjoyed reading about each of your favorites, I love getting to know everyone a little bit better. 

One of my favorite things to do while crafting is to stamp background patterns. Today I'm giving away my ULTIMATE favorite background stamp set: PTI's Background Basics: Tin Types.

I originally purchased this set because I liked the diamond shape, but the flowers have quickly become my go-to background set. 

Here's what you need to do to win. 

1. Leave a comment about your summer vacation plans. Are you going anywhere special? Having a stay-cation? I want to know!

2. Since this is a giveaway for my blog readers, I am asking that you must also be a follower to enter. Just click the "Follow" link to the side, if you are not already a follower. Please let me know if you are already a follower.

You have until Saturday, April 16th at 11:59 PM EST to enter to win! One comment per person, please! I'll post the randomly chosen winner on Sunday, April 17th! That same day be on the look out for giveaway #3! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

AmberInk Project: Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge

Hi guys!

I'm back today with another AmberInk project. This week AmberInk has paired up with the Sisterhood of Crafter's challenge. The theme: Easter.

I hate to post and run, but you know how it goes....lots to do and very little time.

You have until 11:59pm EST tonight to enter to win my Sweet Sixteen Day 1 Giveaway. Be sure to pop back in tomorrow for the next surprise!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Sixteen...Day 1

Hey guys! 


Today's a big day for me...I'm celebrating my Sweet Sixteen! No, not my actual sweet sixteen (wouldn't that be nice?!?) but my blogging sweet sixteen! I missed my blogiversary in January, so I wanted to do it up in style this month! 

To start off the celebrations I wanted to share some presents the dear ole blog has received recently

From Suzanne over at The Card Yard I received the Stylish Blogger Award. Thanks Suzanne! 

For this award I need to share 8 things about myself and the pass it on to 8 others:

1. I had a strange aversion to spaghetti until my early 20s when it suddenly passed and now it's one of my favorite foods. 

2. My favorite time of the week is early Sunday morning. I love to get up when the house is quiet and have a cup of something warm and enjoy being able to just be. 

3. I'm currently working towards a MS in Environmental Policy & Management. 

4. I love musicals and can sing a whole slew of songs on demand. For our anniversary my husband is taking me to see Wicked in D.C. I am. SO. EXCITED!! 

5. I collect stuffed moose. I have a theory that the plural of moose should be meese, but have yet to convince anyone else. 

6. I graduated from West Virginia University and will forever bleed blue and gold. 

7. My dream is to one day move to Asheville, NC. My husband and I accidentally ended up there on our honeymoon (that's a completely different story) and fell in love with the city and the people. 

8. I have a slight addiction to Vera Bradley. OK, I'll admit it, it's probably slightly more than a slight addiction...

The ladies I'd like to pass it on to are: 

1. Debbie at What... me, blog?

2. Becky at The Lakeshore Stamper

3. Jackie at The Scalloped Edge

4. Keva at HowNowBrownKow

5. Laura at I Only Have 10 Minutes

6. Cathy at Empty Nest Crafter

7. Renee L. It's a Patchwork Life

8. Debby at Lime Doodle

And from Yvonne, my SSC CAS Design Teammate, at One Creative Momma, I received the Versatile Blogger award. Thanks Yvonne! 

For this one I need to thank the person who gave it to me, tell seven things about myself, and pass it on to 10 people. 


Since I've already shared above, I'm going to get straight to passing it on:


1. Sue Ann at Simply SueAnn
2. Melissa at Melissa's Paperie
3. Suzanne at For His Glory
4. Amy at Crafting Confessions
5. Shelley at Crafty Sew 'n' Sew
6. Anika at Anika's Polka Dottery
7. Michele at I am Derby
8. Laurie Beth at Soapbox Creations
9. Sarah at Crafty Adventures
10. Maggie at Stamps in Hallways
11. Sue at This Pink Rooster


But wait! That's not all! I have presents for you too! Every 16 year girl fills her party with 2 things - her friends and her favorites! We'll you're my friends (or you wouldn't be here, right?) and I'm going to be giving out some of my favorites. 

Here's what you need to do to win. 

1. Leave a comment letting me know one of your favorite products.

2. Since this is a giveaway for my blog readers, I am asking that you must also be a follower to enter. Just click the "Follow" link to the side, if you are not already a follower. Please let me know if you are already a follower.

You have until Wednesday, April 13th at 11:59 PM EST to enter to win! One comment per person, please! I'll post the randomly chosen winner on Thursday, April 14th! That same day be on the look out for giveaway #2! 

Music Saves My Soul Saturday

I'm back to play along with the musical blog hop over at Marcea's blog.

This week I officially have had my car 6 months - and that means my Sirius Satellite free trial. While I loved it, I decided not to renew my subscription. So I've spent the week getting reacquainted with the songs on my iPod.

"Anything But Mine"  by Kenny Chesney came on and a flood of great memories came back, and I had to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey Prize Pack Video

Remember my big news from February? That I was the winner of one of the PTI Anniversary prize packs?

Today I got the happiest mail I can remember! My prize box arrived! 

I promised several people on the forum that I would do a video when it got here. You'll have to bear with me, it's my first video! 

Be sure to stop back in tomorrow for another fun surprise! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Simply Scrapping Crafts - CAS Challenge

Hi guys!

I'm so excited to be here today with my first card as a member of the Simply Scrapping Crafts CAS Design Team! I am so excited that these girls asked me to join their team and we've got some fun stuff up our sleeves!

This week the challenge is to create a card or layout based on this sketch:

When I looked at it I immediately thought of Maile Belles's new Modern Basics set.

I hope you can see the heat embossed design on the white layer. I used the small strip from Modern Basics stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

I hope you'll come play along with us! Just post your card to the April 8 Challenge thread here. At the end of the month one lucky participant from the month of April will win a $25 gift certificate to My Favorite Things!

Thanks for stopping by today!