It's Blog Hop time at Papertrey!! This is only the second one I've been able to participate in, and the last one for me was MANY months ago...so I'm excited!! The challenge this month is to use scallops...in about whatever form you want, I think. I used Papertreys largest scallop die and papers from the Raspberry Fizz Mix pad...

One little scallop strip is from some My Mind's Eye paper--I liked how it brought the pink and green together. Each scallop on the bottom strip is stamped with a flower from Beautiful Blooms, with little rhinestones for the centers. The upper portion is stamped with Background Basics.

For the focal point, I've used some seam binding, a Tattered Angels chipboard frame, and a bling-y button that matches the Raspberry Fizz color perfectly. If nothing else, I hope this card and it's colors remind us all that Spring IS coming!! (It HAS to...SOON!!)

Thanks so much for visiting!! I can't wait to see what everyone else has come up with!!

Geri

Happy Birthday, Carol!!

This post is for a wonderful blogging friend, Carol. She turned 60 last week...one day before my own birthday (O.K., I turned 47!) She's having a great little week long celebration on her blog for all her bloggie friends, and she's giving away wonderful goodies!! All you have to do to participate is create a birthday card incorporating a flower or flowers, and finish the inside (AND it would probably be REALLY nice if you wished her an extra happy birthday). Anyway, she's a talented lady, a Papertrey fan, a GREAT recycler, and has been a wonderful encourager and supporter of mine since almost the very beginning. She's also a little more "clean-cut" than I am so I tried to go a little more clean and simple in her honor...Hope you like this Carol...

This is ALMOST a pure Papertrey card (I thought she might like that, too!). I used my new edgers and some BB dies for the flower. Oh, yeah,...she wanted "happy" colors...this card features Sweet Blush and Berry Sorbet. I think the next shot shows a peek at the inside...

The sentiment reads, "Hope all your birthday wishes come true" from Papertrey's Heartfelt Basics. It's a little too high to see.

Well, there you go Carol. Hope you're enjoying "the week after". I really should have done something to make mine last a whole week!! (Maybe when I'm 50!) Thanks so much for the fun challenge!! HAPPY 60th!!!

Thanks for visiting, today!!

Geri

Hey, you little sweethearts. Hope you check this before the day is out...for one last Valentine treat!! Although THIS little treat potentially could be used for all kinds of sweet little occasions, and was a royal TREAT to make. Unfortunately...this wasn't my original idea. You can find more of them on Melissa Phillips' blog, and UNFORTUNATELY...hers are much more delicious than mine. I just can't find QUITE the time I would like to spend on things like this. But I know my friend, Susan, will be tickled pink with it. AND I am trusting she won't check my blog before I have a chance to deliver this later today. (Don't look yet, Susan!!!)

Anyway...gotta hurry...It is a little gift bag made with Papertrey's largest (5 1/5" x 8") glassine bag. I folded up the bottom a couple inches and creased. Unfolded, then cut paper to fit this small section. Stitched that on. Added the trims to the top of that section, which is really the bottom of the original bag. Folded this trimmed out section back up and stitched up the sides, tucking the extra trim behind. When that is done you have this...

with the new trimmed-out lower pocket, and the taller pocket from the original bag.

I found all these goodies for $1 each at JoAnn's.

Here are the post-its tucked in the back tall pocket...

And here it is totally stuffed...

There are two plain Prima flowers, a bow, applique, a little house from Love Lives Here...all attached with a trinket pin only so that, if she wants...she can dis-assemble and utilize them all again.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?

LOVED making this...you gotta try it!!

And I GOTTA go get the critters!!

Happy Valentine's Day!! Take care of your sweethearts!!

Geri

Hey, everyone!! Time for the drawing for these little ladies...I have to go back to church a little later and thought I had better get this done...

I first want to thank each and every one of you who got involved and made this so much fun!! Again--I appreciate you all so much!! This little blog would be nothin' without YOU! I hope you ALL keep on coming back, and that we can get to know eachother even better in the year to come!! And since this give-away thing was so much fun...I HAVE thought about doing it more often. (Maybe not with 4 items at a time, but...a pin cushion here...a pin cushion there...who knows what I might come up with!!)

A little housekeeping next...there were 50 slips of paper in this black hat.....

I had 25 comments on the Blog-a-versary post. Those were numbered in order with the matching name. (There were no duplicate first names.) I then went to the sneak peek posts and added in a name for each comment on each sneak peek post. That gave me 50 to choose from.

Then I rounded up the most honest (and CUTE) group of people I could find to help me draw...MY KIDS!! (They were so excited!!)

I picked out the first name....

It's Judith!! Judith has been following me for a month or maybe two--(Correct me if I'm wrong, Judith!) Thanks so much, and Congratulations!!

Jonah pulled out the next name...

He was so excited...(so were the rest of them!!). Susan is my best friend right here in Brazil who never misses a chance to encourage me here on my blog. She is quite the crafty girl, herself, and packages up the sweetest little treats for my children, for each and every special day in their little lives. Congratulations, Susan!! (Jonah felt like the little hero who had pulled out the name they all had been chanting!) And don't worry, Susan...no pressure this morning at church AT ALL...we all knew those threats were just in jest!! :)

Caleb pulled out the next name...

Sylvia has been following me almost from the get-go...she is one of the earliest followers I can remember. We met in The Shabby Tea Room, if my memory serves me right. And her blog-a-versary comment said she collects pin cushions...PERFECT! Congratulations, Sylvia--I hope you enjoy this one!!

Jillian (known around here as Jilli-bean) pulled out the last name...

Beth is a brand new follower and I am so glad to have her. I believe she came to me from the Papertrey website. Congratulations, Beth!! Thank you for all your sweet comments--you did a lot of catching up!! I look forward to getting to know you!!

Well, there you have it!! So happy for the winners--So WISH I had something for EVERYone who brightens my day on a regular basis, and helped me celebrate!!

If the winners would e-mail me with your 1st through 4th preferences. I'll start with the first e-mail I get, and give you your highest preference from what has not been taken. Use the names I assigned on blog-a-versary day: Blue Belle (upper left), Miss Pinky (upper right), Sage (lower left), Rosie (lower right). Be sure to include your complete mailing address. One thing I hadn't thought of was what I will pack these in, so please be patient as I round up some small but sturdy boxes this week. I will e-mail you when your box is sent out. Looking forward to hearing from you!!

Thanks again, everyone, for joining my celebration!! Happy Sunday, and have a great week!!

Geri (kfreeman4004@aol.com)

Hello, all!! A little card to share for a contest and a challenge. The Shabby Tea Room has this photo for inspiration this week...

And to get in on Papertrey Ink's drawing for today, I've chosen this favorite color combo of Betsy Veldman's to work with...

Really loved these colors and thought they would work well with what I had in mind...these little love birds... Aren't they too sweet. I have used Papertrey's bird cages and sentiments but I thought these two little guys (well, obviously a guy and a girl, I guess) were just too cute. They were from a $1

set by the cash register at JoAnn's a couple weeks ago and I couldn't resist. I cut a solid heart from watercolor paper and stamped the cages with distress inks and misted the paper. I wanted the cages to be soft and faded. (Those cages are just a faded memory now, ya know...these birdies were destined to be TOGETHER!!) (Oh, the drama!!) Then I embossed the happy couple on top. Used the smallest BB die from Papertrey and a couple other punches to create the flowers. The papers are from Prima and 7 Gypsies. I didn't have any Scarlett Jewel paper. What I think I'm using is SU's Purely Pomegranate.

Hope you like it. I thought it turned out kinda sweet.

Thanks for visiting!

You can check out my give-away here, if you haven't already!

Geri

Ahh, my last entry for Papertrey's downloadable tag projects...

One more card...

The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye...everything else is Papertrey. I meant to add a little glitter to the tag image...realized I had forgotten after taking picture!!

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Geri

Another Papertrey Entry!

This is another entry using the downloaded tags from Papertrey...a pretty little card...

3 projects on separate posts for this contest! I'm off to post the last one!

Thanks for stopping!

Geri

More Papertrey Anniversary Fun!

Didn't see what Papertrey had up their sleeves until late in the day today, so I have stayed up very late to play along. It's so much fun: download some freebie tag images and create up to 9 projects with them for 9 chances to win! Love it!! Like I said, it's late, so...lucky for you...I'll be brief. Here's my first one--a little note/tag in one of their little glassine bags to tuck into a lunch box...

I have only two more projects for this one--didn't realize but I guess they have to be on separate posts.

Thanks for stopping!!

Geri

OK--I've really been looking forward to this but now I'm nervous, thinking...'I hope someone shows up to the party,' and...'I hope they're not disappointed'. (It's in the wee hours...and I'm really tired. You know how you don't always think so positive when you're tired...) Oh, well...the time has come, my dear friends, who I love so very much...to introduce you to the GIRLs, who will hopefully help you know how much you are treasured by me, and all that you've meant to me during the last year. I've stuffed all the love I could into 'em....

They're pin cushions!! (You probably guessed, if you follow me at all.) But go ahead now...act like you're excited about being the proud owner of a new pin cushion--I'll wait for ya ;)..................OK, settle down everyone--I feel better now.

Let's get a little more personal, shall we? Meet Sage...She's somewhat earthy and humble....

And there's Miss Pinky...She's kinda spunky and contemporary...

Meet Rosie...very soft and feminine...And last, but not least, Blue Belle. What can I say about Blue Belle...well, let's just say she's...kinda blue-ish.All the girls have a pretty wide ribbon strap sewn in so that you can hang them and ALWAYS know where they are. Your needle will always be handy to make those pretty buttons look like you've stitched 'em right onto your cards. (I HATE it when I have ONE button to put on a card and it takes me 20 minutes to locate a needle and thread to make it look good!) And, speaking of thread, look what's on the back...

...a handy dandy pocket, in which you will find your basic creme and white floss. (If this looks like creme and creme...it is--I have a little shopping to do before these go out so that everyone will have creme and white.)

Well--there you have it! The cat's out of the bag. The blogaversary gifts have been revealed!!Hope you like 'em...and if you do...you had better leave me a comment, because--to be in the drawing for these--you'll need to comment on this post. If you would like to think of something nice to say about me, like what a one-of-a-kind and talented artist you think I am, (I told you--I'm tired, and now giddy) that would be great to include, but if you're really just wanting a pin cushion, you can keep it brief. If you want to leave some helpful advice for the coming year...for example..."sense of humor needs improvement"...I can take it--lay it on me!! I plan to announce the winners in the afternoon, next Sunday. I'll let the winners choose their cushion on a first come, first served basis as winners' emails come in. And, for those of you who commented on my sneak peeks...you get an extra spot in the draw for each comment you left on the peeks. I HAVE TO DO IT!!! Those comments made it so much fun!!! And by the way...there will be nothing but the most fair and objective random drawing system for the overwhelming number of participants expected...my kids! I'll number the comments (adding in those extra bonus ones) and my kids will be thrilled to pick the winners out for me.

SERIOUSLY now, this blog has been so much fun for me during the past year...I'm hooked!! I never dreamed, as I clicked away a year ago on my first post, that I was in for such a treat!! I LOVE the inspiration, and more than that, I LOVE the friendship and encouragement you all bring me. YOU ARE A BLESSING TO ME, and I thank you, dear friends.

Thank you so much for joining me today and coming to the party--hope you have enjoyed yourself.

Many blessings to you today, and throughout your week!!

Geri

Well, here's the last little peek friends! Tomorrow I'll reveal the 4th project along with the others in their entirety. Next Sunday, I'll announce the winners. Since there won't be an overwhelming amount to draw from...we'll brobably do it the old fashioned way and let my kids help--they'll enjoy that. For those of you supporting each of my "peeks"...well...maybe there should be a little "extra" in it for you...I do appreciate you and hope you have had fun!!
So here it is...

This one has a variety of little embellishments. Some felt ones, a little seam binding rose, and a little velvety ribbon one. The colors make me think of Spring. Can this deep Winter weather last much longer?!? "Why, yes, Geri...it most certainly can," is probably what you're answering--I guess I asked for it. It is hitting us hard here in middle Indiana. I'm not sure my kids will go to school on Monday. Today we got at least 4" of snow on top of an inch or inch and 1/2 of ice, and Sunday into Monday is supposed to bring another "wintry mix", as the weather man puts it. Yuck!! I am counting my blessings, though...we are all safe and warm, with no power outage--THANK the LORD!! The neighboring city where I do my shopping, only 20 minutes away, was not so fortunate, so I AM thankful!! So thankful for you, too, friends!!

Have a sweet night!

Geri

(And by the way...Momma's still standing...and the big guy (big LITTLE guy) got out of bed, watched a little TV on the COUCH, AND ATE today!! Woo HOOO!!)

Papertrey Favorites

Have you seen the fun over at Papertrey?!? Wow--had to get in on this contest. It's a random draw, but one way to enter is to post your favorite Papertrey project from the past year. Pretty easy, huh--it's already done!! Lovin' that on this busy weekend! The prize up for grabs is valued at over $700...all the supplies used to make the entire design team's favorite projects. Geeeeezzzzz!!! What a prize!! Well, I had to post 2 projects--one new, one old--one kinda clean- cut and one more soft and vintage. Here's the first...

This one put to good use BB dies, the butterfly and die from Love Lives Here, the Victorian Lace Border die, a Mat Stack die and stamped frame, Raspberry Fizz felt and ink, and Kraft cardstock. I really loved it's bright, bold, dimensional look.

And there's this one that was a another personal favorite...

It used the Fancy Flourishes stamps, my favorite Fillable Frame/stamps, and one of my all time favorites--the Leaf Prints stamps and dies. I love cutting the leaves out of different materials and so enjoyed working with these last Fall.

It's hard to choose favorites with Papertrey...They are so verstatile and I use them so often!!

I would love to see your favorites!! Let me know if you're playing along...that list over at Papertrey is a mile long--don't know that I'll attempt to go through it!!

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Geri

Ooo...this is kinda fun...I think I LIKE being sneaky!! I wanted to thank those of you who commented on Sneak Peek #1. Thanks for being excited with me...and for me. It is so nice to know you are excited about what I have to offer...before you even see it!! (Hope there's no disappointment come Sunday!! ;) If you didn't see Sneak Peek #1 and don't know what all the "sneakiness" is all about, click HERE to read more about it!

Anyway as you can see...my second little (it will fit in the palm of your open hand) treasure is all about blues. I took apart a somewhat tattered, vintage table linen and put the trim, which was in very nice condition, to good use to create this embellishment and trim out the rest of the treasure. Yep, she's all dressed up and ready to go to her new owner. And I just can't wait to see who it's gonna be!!! (Can you tell how much fun I'm having creating these treasures for you all?!)

Wish I had more to share, but with my kids home due to an ice storm, and one of them with a nasty virus...these are all I've been able to work on. If you really want to see these on Sunday, you might even say a little prayer that momma doesn't come down with that virus. (Oh, Lordie...what would happen to this house if momma was sick for 3 days!?! Pray hard!!!)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hope you all are healthy and warm!!

Geri

Hello, Friends!! Just a quick post today...no paper goodies to share...my fingers have been busy with something else this week. Just couldn't let this weekend--my 1 year anniversary (of blogging)--come and go without celebrating it, so I've been busy creating 4 unique little treasures for 4 randomly drawn blogging friends. Yes, one year ago this Super Bowl Sunday I was excitedly clicking away at my very first post. So in honor of this very special event...this coming Sunday, February 6th, I'll post all four little projects in their entirety, and offer all commenters on that post a spot in the random drawing.

Now don't get too excited...my little gifts aren't made with the newest embellishments...just my own handmade ones...along with some vintage trims/linens from a local antique shop. Each item serves the same purpose, and will hopefully prove to be very practical for its owner...but each is different, and each is stitched together with a whole lotta love...for you, my dear, inspiring blogging friends. (And you faithful ones know I don't have a zillion followers or a zillion commenters--so the odds are not too shabby!!) So tune in tomorrow (Friday--right now it's late, Thursday night) for Sneak Peek #2 and please, please join me on Sunday.

Blessings to you all!!

Geri