My Favorite Things

Big News....Studio Calico Design Team!

Hi-ya!  Happy Thursday!

By now, you may have already seen the news but in case you haven't, I'm happy to announce that I'll be joining the Design Team over at Studio Calico!  

I was so surprised and honored when April emailed me asking if I'd consider joining the Studio Calico design team.  I was thrilled to be able to say YES and am so happy to be joining the other girls on the team.  So much talent over there!!  I've been a fan of some of those girls for literally years.  

Let me also just tell you that my first boxes of Studio Calico goodies have arrived and you are in for a TREAT!  Tons of gorgeous products....I can't wait to show you.  In fact, a bunch of those new goodies are now in stock at Two Peas.  I'm already a fan of the Classic Calico line and don't even get me started on the new Mister Huey's spray mists!  So much fun!  (The "Overdue" color is an early favorite.)  ;)

What a pleasure to now get to work with TWO companies that I love -- Papertrey Ink AND Studio Calico!  I guess this means you'll be seeing even more crafty projects from me each month.  ;)

Stay tuned.....I've got my first Studio Calico project to share with you soon!

much love,

 

P.S.  For those of you that are wondering......not to worry, nothing will be changing with me and Papertrey Ink!  I'll still be designing my line of Raspberry Suite products and will still be on Papertrey's Senior Design Team!  I {heart} Papertrey.  A lot.  (Just thought I'd put your mind at ease...)  xo

Our {Soon-to-be} New Addition

Hello, sweet friends...

I'd like to introduce you to our {soon-to-be} new addition!  I say "soon-to-be" because he is currently about 4 weeks old right now and living with his mama dog.  In 3-4 more weeks, we'll get to bring him home.  

We went out this evening and picked him out from a litter of 11 (yes, I said ELEVEN) lab puppies.  There are 5 boys and 6 girls in the litter and every. single. one. of them is soooo adorable!!  

Many of you were with us a month and a half ago when we lost our sweet Riley dog after 11 years.  We have prayed a LOT about if/when we should get another dog.  We still miss Riley so much, but in the last couple of weeks we've been so looking forward to the prospect of a new little bundle to love and care for.  When Bart found this litter online, everything just sort of fell into place and it seemed like the perfect time to consider bringing a new "baby" into our home.  

We got on the list a couple weeks ago, to go and pick out a puppy, and tonight was finally the night to go choose our new baby.  The breeder has been so sweet to send us pictures each week so we could keep up with their growth progress.  We fell in love with this little boy the first time we saw him, however we knew there were a couple of others on the list ahead of us, who would be choosing their puppies before us so we tried our best not to get too attached.  We also wanted to observe the puppies and get at least a bit of a feel for their little developing personalities.

When we got there tonight, the breeder told us that the two people on the list before us had backed out which meant that we were now the FIRST to choose from the 11 puppies!  I would say that it would have been an awfully hard decision to make except that we had already started falling for this sweet boy -- the one brown boy with a black nose -- and no one had been able to choose him before us, which meant that he was still available.

He was the first baby that Bart picked up.  :)

GAH......puppy booty.  Ca-UTE!

 

Seriously, there were puppies everywhere!  The breeders had set up a temporary pen in the front yard and had all the puppies inside.  Each puppy is wearing a different colored collar, to assist with telling them apart, but it was still a bit tricky to keep them all straight so she pulled all of the boys out of the pen for us and set them on the ground around us.  (We were pretty sure we wanted another boy.)

 

In the photo above, that's our boy right in the middle......with one sister chewing on his head and another attempting to sit on his head.  :)

This is the part of the show where I turn into a proud mama and force you to look at all of my adorable baby photos.  :)  Thank you for humoring me.  :)

It cracks me up when they lay like this.  Seriously.  

And when I see this baby -- especially when I see this baby in my husband's arms -- my heart melts.  Like buttah.

 

Who could resist that face?

 

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am tonight.  Yes, I still miss my Riley baby, but I'm rejoicing over the fact that soon, we'll bring home another baby to love and care for and I can't wait.  I have plenty to keep me busy in the next few weeks, but I'm not gonna lie.  I'm kind of hoping they go by quickly, so we can bring our little sweet pea home.  I'm in love already.

Before I go, I also wanted to give you a head's up on a sale over at Ellen Hutson's store.  Now thru July 7th, everything in their entire Paper Place category is 20% off!  Click the link or the blinkie to check it out!

 

Thanks so much for allowing me to gush a bit about our new addition.  You all were with us in our grief over Riley, and I knew you'd want to share in our joy over our new little furry bundle.  You're dears like that and I love ya.

We absolutely can't wait to bring our sweet boy home.  And for those that are wondering, we haven't decided on a name yet.  We have a couple names in the running, but we're still deciding.  We'll let you know, once we've settled on the one.  ;)

Thanks, dear friends, for sharing in our joy,

 

P.S.  There are several more puppies already spoken for besides the one that we chose, however I think there are still about 7 of them available, in case you're falling in love with one of them yourself.  I'm not sure if you'd need to be local or not, but I'd be happy to check with the breeder if any of you are interested in buying one of the other puppies.  Send me an email if you're interested and I can put you in touch with the breeder.

Zoey Faith Has Arrived!

Hellooooo, 

I'm thrilled to report that we have a sweet new niece!!  Baby Zoey Faith arrived yesterday via c-section (she was breech) and she brought with her, the most delicious chubby cheeks ever!  My sisters, Grace and Glory, and I stayed with Zoey's big sister and big brother while my other sister, Diann, and her hubs were at the hospital having Zoey.  We had a fun day with "the littles", as I've affectionately termed my sweetie niece and nephew and then we took them to the hospital to see their new baby sister.  My parents, (the littles call them Grandma and Sugar Pops (haha)), were at the hospital too, so there were plenty of us on hand to keep the littles entertained while they took turns holding Baby Zoey for the first time. 

Here's the new family of FIVE (!)......Phillip & Diann with Ally (age 3), Malachi (age 2) and Zoey.  Sooooo cute!  I'm tellin' you, it just about melted me into a big pile of mush seeing Ally and Chi meeting their new sister for the first time.  Ally saw her and they told her her name and she immediately said, "HIIIII Zoey!" and then, "I love her!"  Gahhh.  Adorable.  

Incidently, earlier in the day, we asked her if the baby was gonna be a boy or a girl and she ASSURED US that it would be a girl (even though no one had that information prior to her arrival...hee) and when we asked her what they should name the baby, she said, "Jesus!"  Hahaha.  She cracks me up.  She also saw her mama laying in that hospital bed and knew that mama had a "big booboo on her belly that we had to be careful of" so she looked up at Diann and said, "You'll be all right."  LOL.  So matter of fact.  Nothing to worry about.  So cute.

As for Malachi, he kept kissing Zoey's cheek.  Such a sweet pea.  I shot some cute mini videos of them all yesterday, so perhaps I can put them all together into a video I can share here.  We'll have to see if my video-makin' skills are up to the challenge!  

Anyway, I'm so glad that I was able to be there for Zoey's birthday and can't wait to kiss those chubbsy cheeks again!

Have to throw in a sister shot before I go.....L-R: Grace, Glory w/Zoey, Diann and me.  4 sisters......a new mama and three aunties.  None of Zoey's uncles were able to be there yesterday because they were either out of town or working or working out of town, but we'll be making another trip right away so at least 2 of her uncles can meet her.  And I can't wait for my {rock star} brother to come home from Nashville to meet his new niece too.  :)  Plus, Zoey's got an aunt and uncle and grandparents on her daddy's side of the family as well, so she's got lots of people to love on her.

Don't worry, I took LOTS of photos so I'll have lots more to share with you soon, but I've got a ton to squeeze into a very short time today, so this'll have to do for now.  And yes, I realize that you probably don't come here for baby/kid photos, but you're gonna have to patronize me this week, as I think I might as well dub it "Family Week on the Blog-o!"  Haha....

Tomorrow's our 10th anniversary.  I've got a few things to handle today in that department as well.  I know.....I know......nothing like waiting till the last minute.  Please tell me I'm not the only last-minute-girl out there!

If you want to see more baby photos today, I posted several on Twitter last night.  You can check 'em out here in the side bar over on the right.  You can also follow me on Twitter for those updates and more!  And a special thanks for all the Twitter love about Baby Zoey last night.  We're all feeling pretty blessed and thankful!

Enjoy your Wednesday, Peeps!

Look Out Aussies, Here We Come!

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

G'Day, Mates!!  I am very excited to tell you that Bart and I are currently in the process of planning a trip to Australia for March 2010!!!!  We can't wait to go visit our dear Aussie friends that visited us here in the States earlier this year!  Bart found a great deal online for air and hotel so we're tentatively considering 3-4 days each in Sydney, the Gold Coast and Cairns.  Can't wait to see the beautiful Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef!  Also, very excited to snap photos of kangaroos (that aren't in a zoo!!  Haha!).  :)  

We're also considering trying to figure out a way to meet up with some of you sweet Aussies who have told me to be sure and let you know if we ever head your way.  If you have any interest in meeting or if you have any suggestions for where we might consider meeting, feel free to leave a comment.  We'll just have to see what we might be able to work out.

Just thought I'd share that bit of fun news today!  Hope you're all having a fabulous Monday.  I spent mine running errands and getting caught up on some things.  Very exciting.  Hee.  

Take care, Peeps!

 

New Raspberry Suite Sneakie Peek!

Eeee!!!  Check it out!!  It's your first peek at a brand new Raspberry Suite stamp set!!!  YAY!!  Did you see the peek over on Nichole's blog??  

I can't WAIT for you to see all of the possibilities with this fun, FUN stamp set!  I'm super excited about this release!  The official countdown starts in just a few days and this set as well as all of the other new releases for this month will be available for purchase on Oct. 15 at Papertrey Ink!

Can't wait to get started on the Countdown!



 

Stamp It! Cards -- COVER!!

HI All,

Have you seen this magazine on your news stands yet??  This is another special issue from Paper Crafts magazine called "Stamp It! CARDS" and I'm thrilled to have a card on the cover of this issue!  (Thank you Paper Crafts!)  That's my card on the left - the orange and white 'Birthday Celebrations' card!

Congrats to Maren Benedict & Kim Kesti who created the other two cards on the cover!

Well, we're off to a birthday party today for two of my sisters today (Diann & Grace) which means 'the babies' are coming to town!  Whoohoo!  We'll get to see my niece, Baby Ally and brand new nephew, Malachi!  This will also be the first time 'Uncle Bart' (my hubs) will get to meet Baby Malachi so I'm totally looking forward to today!  (Don't worry....I'll be toting the camera!)  

Have a great day, Peeps!

Did you see THE NEWS?!!

HI!!  Did you all see the BIG announcement over at Nichole's blog??  :)

Introducing my new stamp line.....

I am officially a stamp designer for Papertrey Ink now!!!  I'm still on the Design Team, but now I'm also designing stamps for them as well, which means that I'll have my own line of stamp sets available for you to purchase from Papertrey this year!  I'm OVER THE MOON excited about this!  You have no idea how hard it's been to keep a secret this big for so long....LOL!.......so I'm thrilled that the cat is finally out of the bag!

My first stamp set will be coming out THIS MONTH........you can get it on February 15th!  I'll be giving you sneak peeks of my new set here at the blog-o.....I'll have sneeks every day for you from the 9th until the 14th!  I CAN'T WAIT for you to see this set.  I hope you'll be as in love with it as I am!  Hee!

Congrats also, to the other two brand new stamp designers this year - Beth Silaika & Tiffany Pastor. 

And thank you soooo much, to Papertrey for giving me such a wonderful and exciting opportunity!  I couldn't be happier to be a part of such an amazing, supportive and CREATIVE team of designers!  And I feel so blessed to be working with Papertrey......such an innovative and FUN company!  And not only that, but Nichole, Julie & Jane have made working for them an absolute pleasure.  I'm very blessed indeed and I'm so looking forward to 2009 and all that we have in store for you!!

SO, let's do a GIVEAWAY!!!!!
I'd like to highlight the Simply Stationary stamp set by Candice Aguilar, which has quickly become one of my new favorites.  I've used it quite a bit since it was released last month....it is super versatile!  Check out this card, this card and this card!  The little finial stamps are fantastic because you can use them individually to highlight a sentiment or you can stamp them in a row to create really pretty borders or even background patterns!  Plus, the circle images are so great for making tags and monograms and all sorts of fun things!

Papertrey is giving away ONE FREE SIMPLY STATIONARY stamp set!  Just leave a comment on this post to be entered to win!  You have until 12am EST on Feb. 4.  Winner will be announced on the official Prize Winners List on Nichole's blog.  Good luck!

Be sure to pop over to all of the stamp designers blogs for a chance to win some of their favorite stamp sets too!

Heather Nichols
Lisa Johnson
Melissa Bickford
Candice Aguilar
Alli Miles
Beth Silaika
Tiffany Pastor

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a goodie!

CARDS Magazine - January Feature

 

Hi All!  I'm super excited to tell you about the January issue of CARDS magazine today!  First off, it's such a fun issue, loaded with inspiration.  Those cards on the cover were made by my sweet friend & fellow Papertrey Design Team member, Betsy Veldman.  I just love seeing her work! 

CARDS magazine asked me several months back if I would be their January 'Designer of the Month' for their monthly feature article!!  I can't tell you how honored I am....some of my dear friends and favorite designers have been featured in previous months!  Betsy, Melissa, Susan & Anabelle, just to name a few.  (Plus I've never had my picture in a magazine before!  LOL!)  The article has a few tidbits about my life, some of my tips for paper crafting, my photo and several of my cards are in this issue as well.

Anyway, just thought I'd give you a head's up.  You girls are always so sweet and encouraging and I'm so grateful for each of you and for every opportunity that comes my way.  I'm feeling extremely blessed this Christmas season.  God is good!

Happy Christmas Eve EVE!

Paper Crafts Magazine COVER!!!!

OH. MY. WORD!  See that card on the COVER of Paper Crafts Nov/Dec issue???  The card in the bottom right hand corner?  The red one with pine cones and branches?  

THAT'S MY CARD!  On the COVER!  Eeeeeeeeeee! Can you hear me squealing like a giddy little school-girl over here?!  LOL!  Obviously, this is my first time to have a card on the cover of a magazine and I think it goes without saying that I'm over-the-moon excited about it!  (I guess it didn't go without saying though, since I just said it.  But you know what I mean!) 

THANK YOU to all of the wonderful people at Paper Crafts who made it possible for my little card to end up on this cover.  One of the other girls I'm sharing this cover with is the extremely talented Melissa Phillips who inspires me every time I go to her blog....what a thrill to share a cover with her!  I'm not sure who the 3rd designer is because I still haven't seen this magazine in real life!  I went to four stores this afternoon, hoping to get to hold one of these treasures in my own hands today, but no luck.  If you find it, leave a comment and tell us where you found it so we'll all know where to look for it!  :)

Anyway, I'm soooo honored and grateful and ecstatic all at the same time!  And I have to tell you that when I saw this cover in my inbox for the first time today, I got rather teary.....I'm so in awe of God's blessings sometimes.  I never would have thought this even remotely possible a year ago (this month!) when my dear friend Nichole encouraged me to start submitting my work to magazines.  (Thank you so much, Nichole!)  Thank you also, to each of you - my sweet readers - who keep stopping by here and leaving me the nicest comments and cheering me on.  You all mean the world to me!

What a fabulous way to celebrate World Card Making Day, huh?  Tomorrow's the big day!  Do you have any card-making plans?  Perhaps they should include running out and picking up a copy of this issue of Paper Crafts!  Hee!

As for me, I'll be at a Kansas State Univ. football game with my husband tomorrow so I'm getting my WCMD holiday started tonight.....I'm in the studio crafting away!  And as for this cover, I'm gonna need to find the perfect frame for it, so I can hang it up in my studio!  ;)

A BIG Announcement!!!

I am SOOO excited to let you all in on a little secret!!  I have been invited to be on the Papertrey Ink Design Team!!!  Eeeeeee!!!!!!  Can you hear me squealing all the way over here?!!!  LOL!  

When Nichole first asked me to join their team, I can't even begin to tell you how over-the-moon I was!   And today, I'm so excited to finally have the OK to share the news with all of you!  You can check out Nichole's Official Announcement over on her blog.  There are several changes taking place with the design team that I'm sure you'll want to know about!  Congrats to each of the new team members, and to the current team members that have new positions or new endeavors that they will be pursuing!  I'm so happy for each of you!

Thank you SOOOO much, Nichole, Jane & Julie for this incredible opportunity!  I hope I can make you proud!  I'm extremely grateful -- this is something I've dreamed about for a long time now.  I'm just so excited to get started designing (can't wait for my first box of goodies to arrive!!) and to see what lies ahead!  What an exciting venture, one that I consider a total blessing from Above.  Thank you Lord.

This means that now I'll have DT assignments to keep up with, as well as magazine submissions, and of course blog posts but you know I couldn't be happier about it all!  :)

Thank you also, to each of you, my sweet blog readers.  You fill my inbox with your kind and thoughtful comments.  You make me laugh.  You cheer me on.  One of you is always there with an encouraging word or a pat on the back.  You're too good to me!  I'm so grateful for each of you.....for each comment.....for each FRIEND.  Thank you so much!