A Special Thank You!

I received an envelope in the mail today! Not sure what it was, I recognized the name but wasn't expecting anything! I opened it up to find all of this!!

My friend Christine sent me a belated Birthday card and all these goodies!! She is just the sweetest person! I was truly touched that she would do this! Her gorgeous card would have been enough! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Christine! And make sure you check out her blog, Creative Journey! She is one of the most talented scrappers and card maker I know! She makes the cutest handmade Dictionary flowers!! Love them!!

Also, her daughter is just as talented!! She just found out that she is going to have her design printed on a T-Shirt!! Once, the shirt is for sale, I will let you all know!! ;) Thanks again Girl!!

Don't forget about my blog candy on this LAST POST!! Good Luck!!

Hugs,

Valentine's Blog Candy!! {and more!}

*********NOW CLOSED***********
Here are a couple of Valentine's Projects that I have done recently. This first one is a Jenni Bowlin Bingo Card that I altered into a little decor piece that can be displayed on a little stand. I used a vintage photo which I printed out of my Print Shop software. I also used some Making Memories Love Notes tags, a Valentine pick from Michaels, pink gingham ribbon, a K&Co. Felt Heart, a hemp cord bow and a MM Heart Pin. I added some Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz to the tags for a little Shimmer!

Next, I made a Valentine/Love photo clip holder from one of those giant clips. I purchased the clip at ACMoore for a buck! I covered it with some K&Co. glitter paper, another Valentine pick, some red gingham ribbon, a K&Co. felt heart and some more Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz to the tag.


So do you want to know what you can Win?? How about both the projects that I showed above AND a full package of Making Memories Love Notes Tags, MM Love Notes Shaped Pins, 2 each of 12x12 MM Love Notes papers (Artisan and Love Words), 1 Maya Road Sheer Heart Coaster Album, a Martha Stewart Mini-Hearts Border Punch, a 6x6 Basic Grey Bittersweet Paper Pad, a jar of Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz and I also am giving away some cute Imaginisce Twitterpated Little Critter Rub-Ons (they are soo cute!) and some Twitterpated stamps, 1 each of Foxie, Birdie and Wildflowers!

What do you have to do?? Just leave a comment on this post telling me if you make your own Valentine's Day cards and leave a link on your blog telling everyone about my Blog Candy! And if you want 2 chances, become a Follower, I mean Friend, of mine! :) I will have my son pick a winner on Tuesday February 3rd at 2 pm! Good Luck! Oh, yeah and you know me, I will probably add more items before this is done!! ;) I love giving things away!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Hugs,

Jacksonbelle Tuesday ~ Stitch it Up!

First off, I want to say thank you for all the concerns on where I have been lately! Sorry for not posting! I have been so busy with DT work, that everything I have made lately is for a later reveal! But I will try to post from now on, even if it is just to say hi!! :) Now onto the challenge!!

This weeks challenge at Jacksonbelle Embellishments was to make a card using real or faux stitching. And don't forget you can play along too! If you upload to SCS or PCP, make sure you use Keyword JBE037 or you can send a link to your card over to the Jacksonbelle Blog! We would love to see your creations too!

Since my sewing machine went haywire months ago, I did all my stitching by hand or I hand drew them. This first one I made using the new Basic Grey Bittersweet papers, a Melissa Frances Rub-On, May Arts Sheer Ribbon, pieces of a Valentine Pick and some handstitching with black floss around the edge and the x's on the heart.


This one was made using October Afternoon's Weathervane Stamp set and patterned papers. I hand stitched around the stamped clouds and tree. I also stitched the "grass" using some fibers. The satin ribbon is by May Arts. And for a little shimmer, I added some December Sky and Celery Shimmerz to the clouds and tree.


All the papers, ribbons, and Shimmerz are available at the Jacksonbelle Store. And while your there, also check out the new Memory Box papers and stamps that are now available! They are so adorable! I know I'm gonna put my order in!!

And don't forget to visit the rest of the Super Talented Jacksonbelle DT!

AJ Otto
Beth Thomas
Heather Lee-Reppen
Jennifer Buck
Jill Dunn
Kimberly O'Rosky
Kisa Peters
Lindsey Botkin
Lynda Benden
Michelle Woerner
Rachel Baird
Shannan Teubner
Taylor Usry
Maren Benedict

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!! I will be back tomorrow with some Blog Candy!! YAY!!

Hugs,

Jacksonbelle Embellishments Tuesday!

Our DT Challenge today was to use October Afternoon paper and/or stamps on our projects. No problem here, that's for sure! Love these papers and stamps! If you too, would like to play along, you can either upload to SCS or PCP using Keyword JBE036 or send a link to your card to the Jacksonbelle Blog!

I decided to make a card out of a Maya Road Mini Chipboard Tree Album! I love making shaped cards out of mini albums! So fun! I used OA papers, Crunching Leaves, the bark side, for the trunk and Cozy Home for the top part of the tree. They are both from the Weathervane Collection and available at the Jacksonbelle Store. And the stamp set is the OA Detours! Set. I just love that cute little deer and rabbit! I added some Shimmerz in Pixie Dust and Pink Poinsettia to the deer, rabbit and flowers. And the apples are coated with some Diamond Glaze. The stamp set and Shimmerz are also available at the Jacksonbelle store!

I also made this card out of the same papers and stamps. I just added some pink cardstock, mini pearls, my Martha Stewart Branch Punch and some more yummy Shimmerz.

And then I altered this Provo Craft box. Hey, I told you I liked October Afternoon! I couldn't stop!! hehe I love the Spring, so I decided to make this in hopes of it coming soon! I used some more OA paper, Cozy Home and Patio Umbrella(stripes) from the Daydream Collection. I used some 20 gauge wire and hot glue behind the trees for added support. I added little white pom-poms to the bunny's tail and the sentiment is printed out of MS Word. To finish it off, I added some crocheted lace, glitter, ribbon, buttons and a hemp cord bow.

Make sure you visit the other DT girls and see what they made!

AJ Otto
Beth Thomas
Heather Lee-Reppen
Jennifer Buck
Jill Dunn
Kimberly O'Rosky
Kisa Peters
Lindsey Botkin
Lynda Benden
Michelle Woerner
Rachel Baird
Shannan Teubner
Taylor Usry
Maren Benedict

Hope you have a Happy Inaugural Day!! YAY!

Hugs, Melissa

My Birthday Blog Candy Winner!!

Thank you to everyone who left me some Birthday Wishes this past week! I really appreciate it more than you know!! Now onto my Winner!! My son picked this name out of a very large bowl!! (He loves doing this, even though he doesn't know what he's doing!! He's not quite 3 yet! LOL) My Winner is..........


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KRAZEE KAREN!!!

Woo-Hoo!! Karen please send your snail mail addy to KeepsakesbyMelissa@yahoo.com!! Congratulations!

Thank you again everyone for stopping by my little neck of these Bloggin' Woods!! I really appreciate it! I will be having another Giveaway soon! And it is going to be even bigger!! So stay tuned!

I'll be back tomorrow with my project for Jacksonbelle Tuesday!!

Hugs, Melissa

Rubber Cafe Challenge, here we go again!! {And only 1 more day for my Blog Candy!!}

hehe Here is my other card for the DT Challenge over at The Rubber Cafe! We had to make an all white card using just an accent of red! So here is my second try!

I just ran a simple piece of white cardstock through my Cuttlebug with my favorite Embossing folder, Swiss Dots. I then matted my stamped image on to another piece of white cardstock using pop dots for some added dimension. Isn't that stamp adorable! It is called Heart Strings #G-779 available only at The Rubber Cafe. I stamped it in some Dark Red ink and sprinkled a little ultra fine glitter onto it. I then added some simple ribbon and bow to the card and some little red circles in the corner. Hope you like it!

I want to give a couple of thank you's today too! First off to my new friend Kristine, who is also a newbie along with me on the Queen Kat Designs DT! She sent me this adorable card for my Birthday tomorrow! She is just so sweet! And isn't that card precious! You can see more of her outstanding creations on her blog, Ink Something!Thank you Kristine, I love it!


And another thank you goes to my other friend Sharon for giving me this adorable Hugs Award! Sharon was on the Inque Boutique Advisory Board with me awhile back and she has become a great friend! You can visit her blog, Lil Princess Card Creations, for some more wonderful inspiration! Thanks again Sharon!

**Don't forget that tomorrow is my Birthday and you know what that means!! The last day to enter for my Birthday Blog Candy! Just go to THIS POST!! Good Luck!!**

I want to also thank everyone for all the awesome comments you always leave me and for the Special Birthday wishes!! You all ROCK!! THANK YOU!!

And lastly, I have some EXCITING news!! I just wish I could tell you!! LOL It is awesome!! I am still in shock!! But I have to wait until Mid February and Mid March to tell you!! The suspense is already killing me!! Ughh!! Oh, well!! You'll know soon enough!! LOL

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!!

Hugs, Melissa

A Rubber Cafe Challenge gone bad!! LOL

The Rubber Cafe DT was given a challenge to make a card using only white with only an accent of red. Well, I think I did a little more than an accent of red and now looking at the challenge again it says "no inking or rough edges". Well, I did ink my edges of the accordion folds on the bottom. So I will have to scratch this one for the challenge and make another one!! But I still think it came out cute, so I decided to post it anyway. hehe

I hand drew the muffin onto white cs and cut out two of them for my card. I punched a hole in the top left corner and tied some ribbon and bow there to hold them together. I also added some little balls to the bow (they remind me of sugar balls, so that's why I added them). The stamps used are Party Hearts #E-576 and Trailing Hearts #B-241, all by The Rubber Cafe. I stamped them in red ink and added some glitter to them. For the bottom of the muffin, I cut to size another piece of cs and then folded it accordion style, as I said before, I inked the edges with some red and added some more glitter. I printed the saying out from MS Word. And then I added some red tulle behind a chipboard heart loaded up with glitter and a mini red heart.

The Rubber Cafe has some awesome products in stock right now at great prices! There is now Copics, the New Stampendous! Stamps, Fun Flock, House Mouse stamps, stamps designed by Lori Renn and lots, lots more! Make sure you check it out!

***And don't forget about my Birthday Blog Candy! You have 2 more days to enter. Just go to THIS POST!***

Have a wonderful day! Stay Warm!!

Hugs, Melissa

Royal Kat Wednesday!

Today is Royal Kat Wednesday over at the Queen Kat Designs Blog! Here is today's fun challenge sketch! I am not an official DT member for QKD until February and unfortunately I didn't get my new goodies to play with yet, but I still wanted to play along. I used some stickers instead of a stamped design, though. I didn't want to use another company's stamps!

The patterned paper is by Little Yellow Bicycle. I simply folded the paper in half and then cut that in half on my trimmer. I added some Cosmo Cricket CS Stickers and some heart 3-D stickers by Cloud 9 Design. To finish it off I added some yummy pink ribbon, 2 green ball pins and 3 mini heart brads.

Queen Kat Designs is also having a huge blowout Sale! All stamps are 45% off!! Yes, I said 45% off! There is also a sale on past kits, clearance items and more!! Make sure you check it out HERE!

****And don't forget to leave a comment on THIS POST for my Birthday Blog Candy! You have until this Sunday night, the 18th!*****

And lastly, a big Thank you to Ashley, my fellow soon-to-be DT Member over at QKD! She gave me this Blog Award! Thanks again Ashley! You are too sweet!

Hope you have a wonderful night!!

Hugs, Melissa

Jacksonbelle's Tuesday Challenge!

**Scroll Down to Last Post for my Birthday Blog Candy!!**

Today's Challenge for the Jacksonbelle Embellishments DT is to use our "New Stuff"! How fun! And you too can play along! Easy Peasy! Just use any "new Stuff" that you have recently picked up or received for Christmas maybe! And make something with it! If you upload your project to SCS or PCP just use Keyword JBE035, so we can see what you made. Or you can link your project to the Jacksonbelle Blog! Now onto the goods!! hehe

This first one is a simple round card I made using a CD to trace onto my white cardstock. Just make sure the top point of the CD is at the fold of the paper, so you will have a round card that opens. ;) I used some yummy new papers that I received from Lindsey. I first covered the cs with both the front and back of some October Afternoon Weathervane paper. I added some Maya Arts ribbon and a bow. I then covered a Cosmo Cricket Buck Naked Flower Button with some more of the OA pp, added a piece of Basic Grey Bittersweet paper which I distressed with brown ink and curled up the edges and then a Imaginisce crocheted flower, a Basic Grey Bittersweet button and a hemp cord bow. I hot glued them all together for stability and covered them all with some Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz. Lastly I used my Inkadinkado Birthday Cupcakes set for the Sentiments and lastly to finish it off I adhered some Pink Pom-Pom Trim along the edge.

And my last project is a paper Valentine Cupcake! The original template can be found on the Scrapbooks Etc site HERE, but my inspiration came from my friend Ching! Make sure you check out her yummy blog! My cupcake was made with some Basic Grey Bittersweet and Fancy Pants Designs Papers. I made the bottom "cup" with some BG pp, by cutting a 6" circle and then folding it 16 times in an accordion fold. I then adhered a styrofoam ball in the center of my cupcake. I then cut some Fancy Pants pp into small strips and wrapped them around a pencil to coil them. I then adhered them to my styrofoam ball with some hot glue. (The original version is to use stick pins, I don't have that kind of patience! LOL) I then drizzled some Aleene's Tacky glue over the curled papers to make it appear like icing. I then added some yummy pink glitter to it. I then adhered some Cosmo Cricket "Hey Sugar" cs stickers to a couple of lollipop sticks. I brushed on some yummy Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz to the cs stickers for a little added bling! And finally I added some Pink Pom-Pom trim around the edge of the cupcake, a sheer Maya Arts bow, chipboard heart covered in more glitter, and a button with a hemp cord bow to the 1 lollipop stick. This was a blast to make! Almost everything used to make these 2 projects can be found at the Jacksonbelle Store!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's Blogs!

AJ Otto
Beth Thomas
Heather Lee-Reppen
Jennifer Buck
Jill Dunn
Kimberly O'Rosky
Kisa Peters
Lindsey Botkin
Lynda Benden
Michelle Woerner
Rachel Baird
Shannan Teubner
Taylor Usry
Maren Benedict

Well, thanks for stopping by my blog! I really appreciate all the kind words and love that you always leave me. And don't forget, as a Thank you to you and in celebration of my Birthday on the 18th, don't forget to enter for my Birthday Blog Candy! Just go to this LAST POST! Good Luck!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Hugs, Melissa

All About the Love! And My Birthday Blog Candy!!!

That is this months theme for the DT over at The Rubber Cafe.com! We had to use some Love themed stamps as well as the New Cosmo Cricket Chemistry line of papers which is now available at TheRubberCafe.com. There is new products being added all the time. Make sure you check it out. There is also Copic markers now, too! And at a great price!! All the listed stamps are by The Rubber Cafe.

This first one is a heart shaped card I made using the Floral Heart # H-892 and From my Heart to Yours Stamp # B-255.

This next one was made using the Lace Flower # K-1118 and Love Words #H-881 Stamps.

This was made with the Floral Heart stamp # H-892.

Here is another one made with the Lace Flower Stamp #K-1118 and I also used Heart Trio #C-326 and Happy Valentine's Day C-398 stamps on the inside of the card.

This one was fun to make. I named it Blooming Hearts. It was made with the Love Words Stamp #H-881 and the Heart Trio # C-326 and Trailing Hearts #B-241 stamps. I also added some hearts that I cut out of one of the Cosmo Cricket papers.

This was made with the Swirled Dove #J-1039 and Love Envelope Stamp # D-468 which I cut into 2 parts. It is the envelope with hearts and Sending all my Love.

I also used ribbons, Shimmerz and Dew Drops on some of the cards which are also available at The Rubber Cafe. And I used some Copics to color in some of the images as well.

Now, onto the Blog Candy!! YAY!! I LOVE giving stuff away!! So in keeping up with the LOVE theme here, I decided to give away some Love themed goodies in celebration of My Birthday this coming Sunday the 18th!! Woo-Hoo! I am going to give away the following:

1.) Cosmo Cricket Chemistry Crafting Kit (full of all the yummy 12x12 papers, journaling cards, etc)
2.) 2 jars of Shimmerz in Magenta and Pink
3.) A Bottle of Flame Dew Drops
4.) 3 Copic Markers (not sure the names of the colors but they are red and pink shades)

What do you have to do to win this??

1. Leave a comment on this post
2. Spread the word about my blog candy! Leave a link on your blog, if you don't have a blog, Spread the word by emails to your friends, message boards, etc. Just let me know.
And lastly #3 Visit TheRubberCafe.com for some awesome stamps at a great price!!(That one is done on your honor! ;) And if you want 2 chances, become My Friend and be a follower of my blog! My son will pick a winner out of a large bowl and I will post the winner on Monday the 19th!

Hope you have a wonderful day and Good Luck!

Hugs, Melissa

Queen Kat Designs Release Party Blog Candy! {and a small toot!}

Yesterday was the Queen Kat Designs release party for some adorable new stamps! Make sure you check them out HERE! Vicki is giving away some stamps to one lucky person in celebration of the release of the new stamps! All you have to do is go HERE and leave a comment on this post over at the Queen Kat blog, become a follower, if you aren't already, and post a link on your blog telling everyone about the candy! You won't be disappointed! These stamps are awesome!!

And while your there, check out the Stamp Star of the Week! It is Flutterby! Such a beautiful stamp! On sale this week!!

I will be posting my first DT cards/projects soon for Queen Kat Designs! I can't wait! hehe

Oh, yeah, and my card, Winter Wonderland, came in first place over at ScrapnWin.com! YAY!! Ok, enough, tooting!! LOL

Have a wonderful day!!

Hugs, Melissa

Jacksonbelle Tuesday Challenge!

Today is my first official post as a DT member for Jacksonbelle Embellishments! YAY! We had to use this sketch for our challenge on the Jacksonbelle Embellishments Blog. Well, you know me, I never follow the rules exactly!! hehe So I decided to use the sketch to make a Valentine's Decoration for my home!(You can click on the photos for a more close-up look!)
I dressed up some Cosmo Cricket Buck Naked Lacing Cards with some beautiful papers from the New Basic Grey BitterSweet line. I also used some pretty sheer, crocheted and flower ribbons by Maya Arts and Prima. I also used some Melissa Frances Cardstock Stickers. For the Large Chipboard letters, I first inked them a little with my pink Colorbox ink pad. I just ran the pad along the edges and sporadically on the front of each letter. I then added some Aleene's tacky glue and some light pink ultra-fine glitter. When they were dry, I then added some Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz over that for a little more shimmer and bling! It is hard to see in the photos, but it really gives a nice shimmery finish to the chipboard letters. And I also added some Shimmerz to the Melissa Frances CS Stickers for a little more Shimmer! I added some buttons and some hemp cord to finish it off.

Everything can be purchased at the Jacksonbelle Embellishments Store to create this, except the large chipboard letters I had already had. Not sure who makes them though!

Well, ok, I guess I did follow the rules, cause' I also made a card using the sketch! Well, kinda! I took 2 pages from a mini Basic Grey Chipboard Bracket Album and covered it with some CS and the back page with some Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo paper. I made a card for a little boy and had my son in mind when I made it. He is obessessed with Thomas the Train! The train, track and Choo-Choo rub-ons are by Crate Designs and I also used some Melissa Frances Rub-ons as well as some ribbon, hemp cord, a button and I also used a Martha Stewart Train Punch. The album, Cosmo Cricket paper and Crate Designs Rub-ons can all be purchased at the Jacksonbelle Store as well. You can play along too! If you make a card using this sketch, and upload to SCS, use Keyword JBE034, so we can see your creations too!

And did you know that Jacksonbelle Embellishments has some Shimmerz in stock, given EXCLUSIVELY to Jacksonbelle! There is Flashee Fuchia, Hi-Ho Silver, Hottie Pink and Pixie Dust! Make sure you grab them up while you can!! They are HOT! I know I ordered mine!! And while your there, check out the new items Lindsey just placed in the clearance section! You won't believe all the goodies in there! And if you order $25 or more, you get a free gift! How cool is that! So hurry on over to the Jacksonbelle Store before things are gone for good!!

I hope you are having a day filled with love and blessings from above!!

Hugs, Melissa

Sale on Shimmerz and my Jacksonbelle NYE Blog Hop Winner !

The Rubber Cafe has Shimmerz on sale for only $3.24 a jar!! Hurry, the sale ends this Thursday, the 8th! If you never tried Shimmerz, they are really cool! They are a water-based paint that adds just enough shimmer and sparkle to paper, chipboard, etc. They come in lots of yummy colors! And while you're at The Rubber Cafe, check out the Copic Markers! Awesome colors are in stock at an awesome price! I will be back soon, with some Rubber Cafe cards that I have been working on!

Tomorrow is the Tuesday Challenge for Jacksonbelle Embellishments, so I will have my DT project posted here tomorrow. You can go to the Jacksonbelle Blog where the Sketch Challenge will be posted tomorrow, so you too can play along!

And now, my winner for the Jacksonbelle New Years Eve Party Blog Hop is SmilynStef! Congratulations! Your goodies will be mailed out to you shortly!! Thanks to everyone for stopping by and leaving me some love!

Have a great day!

Hugs, Melissa

I am Royalty!!

I was asked yesterday by Vicki the owner of Queen Kat Designs to join her DT starting in February! Her DT is called the "Royal Court" and I am now a "Royal Stamping Maid"! It is nice to finally be a part of royalty!! hehe Where is my Crown??

Seriously though, I am both honored and thrilled to be a part of this fabulous team! And a big congrats to Kristine who is also a new "Royal Stamping Maid"! Check out her wonderful blog HERE! I can't wait to get started with these awesome stamps! You can see them here at the Queen Kat Designs Store!

Thanks again Vicki and I can't wait to get to know the rest of the talented "Royal Court"!(Go here and click on their photos to be directed to their blogs!)

Hope you are having a fabulous start to the first weekend of 2009!!

Hugs, Melissa

M2R January DT Projects!

Happy New Year Everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful start to the New Year! We had a lot of fun! Today I am sharing with you some of my DT projects for Moments to Remember using the January Kit. It is such a pretty kit full of yummy Cosmo Cricket Chemistry papers and lots of Goodies!! Make sure you get yours quick, they always sell out fast! And at 20 Bucks, you can't beat it!! You can get it HERE!

Now onto the Projects!! (click on photos for closeups!)
Here is a LO of my son's First Valentine's Day!

This next one is a LO of my husband and I on our wedding day. We actually eloped when we got married. Just the 2 of us! We then got remarried in church 3 years later, as a surprise to our families, during our son's Baptism.

This next one is a little treat bag I made. I wrapped little bars of Hershey's with the Cosmo Cricket papers from the kit and put them in a plastic baggie. I then adhered the baggie to some cardstock and then embellished that. It makes a pretty and fun way to give a little Valentine to someone you love.

Here is a frame that I altered using the kit.

And finally, a Valentine card.

I still have lots of leftovers from this awesome kit and plan on showing some more projects from it.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments you have left for me! I really appreciate it! And Congrats again, to "Maria luvs to Scrap" for winning my Blog Candy Giveaway! And don't forget you have until 2 pm today to still leave me a comment HERE for my Jacksonbelle Embellishments New Years Party Giveaway! So hurry!!

And finally, my Birthday is coming up soon, the 18th, and I plan on celebrating it by giving away something!! So stay tuned!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Hugs, Melissa