Visit Illinois - the Prairie State: 50 States Blog Hop

Welcome to the 50 States Blog Hop! This hop was inspired by our host Shawnee's journey across the United States as she traveled with her family to their new home. The United States is truly beautiful with many wonderful places to visit and see.

If you've hopped along from Mississippi, then you are in the right place!! If you are just joining me from your dashboard or happened along from somewhere else, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start with the first state in the union, Delaware, because you won't want to miss out on any of the fun (or any of the blog candy!!)...

There is an AMAZING Grand Prize Package for one LUCKY hopper (winner chosen by Rafflecopter)!!  To be entered to win, please do the following:

• Visit each state and leave a comment on each project (simply follow the links provided below)
• Like Blessed on the Bright Side and Handmade By Lisa FB Pages.

So what's the Grand Prize???
Cricut Cartridge - Destinations, beautiful handmade flowers from Shannon at Creative Chaos Flowers, and a $20 Gift Certificate to Scraptastical Kreations.
Now on to my state and my project....

I live in Illinois, and although I live in the far reaches of "Chicago land" now, most of my favorite places are in other parts of the state.  One of my absolute faves for taking the kids is Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL, and it just goes to show that the term "Prairie State" does not necessarily apply.  Here's a layout of one of our trips there:

I started my layout with a sketch pattern in the Magic book from Close To My Heart, adding a couple of the tricks in the book for getting additional pictures on your layouts.  Check it out:

Notice the tags attached to the outside of the left sheet protector and the Flip Flap mini protector open on the right sheet protector.

The pattern papers, stickers, and chipboard embellishments are all by Scrapbook Customs (which I purchased from Memories & Beyond in Downers Grove - and yes, they have all 50 states!).  In addition to the sketch book, all of my cardstock, brad, and the Flip Flap also came from Close To My Heart. My borders and large tags were all cut with the Cricut, using the Art Philosophy cartridge collection exclusive to Close To My Heart.  FYI: bonus until the end of September, make any CTMH purchase of at least $75 and get a FREE double size stamp set with your order.

I have some great BLOG CANDY for you myself!  I am giving away three great paper crafting publications - Paper Creations (Fall 2011), Scrapbooking & Beyond (Summer 2011), and Cricut Cards - an over $30 value.  It's simple to win, just be a follower (or email subscriber) and leave a comment.  (Not required, but I would love it if you go "like" my Facebook page as well - I have giveaways coming up over there as well!)  All comments entered before Midnight Central Time on Sunday night are eligible to win.  I will announce the winner Monday.  I will try to contact the winner as well if possible, so if your email is not on your Blogger profile be sure you leave it for me!

Now you can hop to the NEXT STATE IN THE UNION!!  Remember to leave a comment on each state to be eligible for the GRAND PRIZE!!






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Cricut Tool Kit Winner!

Thanks to random.org, we have a winner of the Cricut Tool Kit!  Congratulations to #11 - Haley D.  Haley, please contact me with your mailing address and I'll get your prize in the mail! 

School Days Photo Tray - Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to September's Stamp of the Month blog hop!  If you are just starting out, or have arrived here from Annette's Creative Journey, you are in the right place.  When you're done here, you can hop along to Paper Creations by Wendy and see what she has made for us this month.  Just don't forget to read all the way to the bottom of my post today for a great giveaway!

This month's featured stamp set is Limited Edition, an awesome set of 21 stamps with an office-type feel and tons of possibilities!  With back-to-school upon us, I decided to make photo trays of my three kids' school pictures over the years.  I chose one with 12 spots, perfect for Preschool through 8th grade with one or two left over for decorating.  Two of my three went to 2 years of church preschool, so I am working with one spot left over (I added a birthday shot of my oldest here so they all look similar in the end.)

Only four more years to go!

~To see how I made the frame on the front, make sure you check out my video below!~

I used the Typeset paper pack and Complements, so I used matching ink colors for my stamps.  First, I cut the tag using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge at the size indicated on the stamp set carrier sheet.  Then I stamped the tag image in Vineyard Berry, the hand in Juniper, and the phrase in Black.  I added black ribbon through the hole in the tag, and popped up my canvas Complement sticker on foam adhesive tape.  (Remember to powder the back of stickers after applying the adhesive foam to eliminate the adhesive on the rest of the sticker.)

I added additional Complements and stamped phrases and images to enhance the smaller photos.

If you'd like to know how to make the decorative frame front, here's a video you can watch:

All products, except the photo tray, are from Close To My Heart.  You can shop for any of them at the following links (links will open my website in a new window so you can continue the hop):

• Art Philosophy Cricut collection
• Typeset Paper Pack and Complements
• Stamping Inks in Vineyard Berry, Juniper, and Black
• Black Mini-Medley Accents (note: my ribbon is an older version, but the kind that comes in this pack is similar)
• 3-D Foam Adhesive Tape

The photo tray is from 7Gypsies.

 Now, for some blog candy!  I thought we could all use a prize to celebrate the new Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.  So, I am giving away a Cricut Tool Kit!!  MSRP on this is $24.99, so it would be great not to have to buy one, LOL.  In order to win, there are just a few simple rules: 1)US residents only please. 2)You must be a follower or subscriber of Saving My... and 3)Leave a comment.  That's it!  I will leave the contest open over the long weekend, so you have until 11:59PM Central Time on Monday, September 5 to enter.  I will announce and try to contact the winner on Tuesday.  You have 24 hours to respond or I will select a new winner.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again soon!  Don't forget to hop along now over to Paper Creations by Wendy - I'm sure she has an awesome project for us!

White Christmas Week!

Hello and welcome to White Christmas week here at Saving My...!  I love making Christmas cards, but I hate scrambling to get them done at the last minute.  There's a challenge blog I follow to help me try to get a jump on it, as well as have a little fun with it.  I've only managed to participate a couple of times so far this year, but that's ten cards I won't have to make later!

So, I've decided to share them all with you this week as well as give away at least 2 stamp sets while we're at.  Of course they will be Christmas themed!  The rules are simple: please be a follower, and just leave a comment on any/all of the next 5 posts (limit one comment per person per post).  I will be gone to CHA next week, so I will pick at least two winners when I get back.

Now, on to the cards!  This month's challenge at Christmas Cards All Year 'Round is "white".  White should be a main color, and there should be bling included.  As an extra challenge, you can add flowers.  Here's a quick shot of all 5 cards (not a great shot thanks to lighting, but it's just needed to link up to the challenge.):

Like I said, I will get to these cards over the next five days.  Today's featured card is a "gift box" card.

All of the details for this card are over on the Cutters Creek blog today, so head over and check it out!  Be sure to leave a comment before you go so you can be entered in the drawing for the stamps.

Blog Candy Week Winners!

Today I have the winners from Blog Candy Week!  Since I have multiple prizes, they will be awarded in the order chosen by random.org.  All winners need to contact me within 24 hours or winners will bump up the list and I will choose an alternate.

Please email me with your top 3 prize choices, or if you're not interested in the Cricut prizes just let me know that.  Prize choices include a Green Scrap'n Tote, a Pink Scrap'n Tote; a Tags, Bags, Boxes, & More cartridge (used but NOT linked to a Gypsy), and "other".

1. Isabel Z.- I do not have an email for you, so please contact me ASAP
2. Manhattan Mandie
3. pt8597
4. Sheri
5. Laura aka scrapaddict
6. CRAZY4CHRIST

Welcome to Blog Candy Week!

 

This week I have a special treat in store!  I am running a week-long blog candy event.  Rather than giving away a different prize each day, I am going to run this all week and give away all of the prizes at once (limit one prize per person).  Prizes include a green Scrap'n Tote; a pink Scrap'n Tote; a Bags, Tags, Boxes & More Cricut cartridge (used), some American Crafts ribbon assortments, and more.  The more followers I have at the end, the more prizes there will be - with a minimum of 5 prizes!  Here are the rules:

• contest is open until midnight Central Time on Saturday night, 5/28/11
• you must be a follower to win
• one easy-entry by simply commenting on a post - one comment per post per person (not including this post)
• gain an extra entry each day by adding the blog candy badge above to your blog sidebar and linking it to http://savingmine.blogspot.com - then comment on that day's post with your blog address to let me know
• gain an extra entry by blogging about the contest and linking back to http://savingmine.blogspot.com - then comment with a direct link to your post to let me know

At the end of the contest, I will draw the winners using random.org and give the winners, in the order drawn, their choice of prizes.  Because of this method, I will need to allow only 24 hours for winners to respond before drawing alternates.  Please be sure I have a way to contact you - if your email or a blog link is not in your profile, please be sure to include a way for me to contact you in your comment.

Good luck to everyone!  I can't to wait to choose my winners!

Royal Tea Bridal Shower Blog Hop

Once again, it's blog hop time!  Since we're starting a day before the royal wedding, we're declaring it a bridal shower, but we'll be here for two days of projects.  If you've arrived here from Theresa "The Scrapbooking Queen", you're in the right place.  If you're just starting out, you're welcome to head over to Cardmonkey's Paper Jungle and hop through the whole list.  When you're done here, you'll want to be sure and head over to Michelle at Queen of My Craft Room and see what she has up her sleeve!

 So, I mentioned the other day that my daughter is excited to get up early and see some of the hoopla surrounding the royal wedding.  I'm sure she's not the only one planning a "viewing party", so I thought I'd create a layout appropriate for scrapping the event!  (Remember to click on the photos to see them larger.)

Be sure to click on this photo to see the medallions I stamped on the background using Versamark ink!  Looks much better in person, lol.

This picture shows better detail on one of the stamped medallions and the way I cut my paper strips to follow the medallion's shape.  I cut my title using the Elegant Cake Cricut cartridge, and welded the font shadow using the Gypsy.  I added some self-adhesive gems for a little added bling.

Here's a closeup of my flag pennant banner and the cardstock strip I embossed using a Cuttlebug folder.  The gold string is actually 3 strands of DMC Light Gold Thread (282) braided together.  The flag pennants are part of a printable set from Lettering Delights, and the entire set is free through Saturday!  They also have matching SVGs and an alphabet, all on sale during Dollar Days, which ends TODAY.  The anchors for my banner are just gold brads, spaced at 1.75".

I used gold crowns to bookend the journaling block.  Since I wasn't totally sure where I was putting them, I made the crowns separately and adhered them to the CS later.  I stamped in gold ink on white vellum, heat embossed with gold embossing powder, and trimmed around the images with micro-tip scissors.   I added some self-adhesive gems to the crowns for a finishing touch.

Supplies used in this layout:

• red, white, and blue cardstock from my stash
• Cricut cartridge, Elegant Cakes, and Gypsy
• Cuttlebug embossing folder, Textile Texture
• Medallion Stamp, Stampin' UP!
• self-adhesive gems in clear, red, and blue; Close To My Heart
• gold brads
• DMC Light Gold Thread, #282
• British flag pennant printables, Lettering Delights (you can get lots of freebies just for creating an account; get more every Friday via their FB page!)
• Royal Birth stamp set, Close To My Heart
• Versamark and metallic gold stamp pads
• gold embossing powder and heat gun

Now, time for some blog candy!  I'm giving away two MyAcrylix stamp sets, Friendship and an exclusive mini stamp set, plus a 6x6 mini album in red (perfect for scrapping your Royal viewing party!).  In order to win, just leave comment on today's post.  I would love if you would become a Follower, but it is not a requirement to win!

Thanks for stopping by today - hope to see you back soon!  Now it's time to hop on over to Michelle at Queen of My Craft Room for her project.

Ready for the Royal Wedding?

Even if you're not an anglophile, all eyes will be on William & Kate this Friday.  A royal wedding is the modern-day equivalent of the Cinderella story, and many of us have to at least have a peek at what it's like.  My almost ten-year-old daughter insists that she is getting up early to watch it, but at least she is smart enough to not try and get up at 4am!  (She's aiming for 6, lol.)  At any rate, little girls shouldn't get to have all the fun, so I have joined the Royal Tea Bridal Shower Blog Hop. 

Come on back this Thursday & Friday and check out all the great projects we have in store!  Some people will have a new project each day, so be sure you come back both days.  I currently have 1 project ready, but I do have another in my head so if I have time to get it done I'll have a new one each day too!  Also, there's sure to be blog candy on some of the blogs; I'll definitely have some here.  All projects will be related to tea, weddings, and/or royalty, so your sure to find some fun ideas to scraplift while you're here!

So, starting Friday at 6am Eastern, come on back here and start hopping!  Just look for our badge on the blogs along the way, and get ready for a royal good time.

Winner Day!

Happy Monday all!  I have a winner to announce from last weeks card sets on the cheap post.  Thanks to random.org, my winner is #6.  Beebeebabs said...

"Love this set!!!"

on March 23, 2011 12:12 PM

Please contact me with your mailing address before March 31, 2011 or I will need to choose an alternate winner.

Thanks for playing everyone!  I hope you stop back soon.

Card Sets On the Cheap

Just a quick post today as I am busy with last-minute details for tomorrow night's floral show.  I thought I would share my door-prize donations with you as it is a quick & easy way to make sets of note cards.  Using one of the card "workshop" patterns in the Wishes book, I made 16 cards (2 sets of 8) with only 3 sheets of paper plus card bases.  I left my cards embellishment free, since it's likely the person winning either set may not be used to mailing handmade cards with embellishments.  But even with nothing other than paper, you can still crank out some lovely cards.  Here are mine (one set anyway):

As you can see, I used two colors of cardstock.  And, yes, only one sheet of patterned paper.  All Close To My Heart paper is double sided, so I used that to my advantage and used the monochromatic side for some of the cards.  I did use some scrap cardstock for my stamped images that I cut out and popped up.  If you're not a stamper, you can do the same thing using die-cuts from scraps.  Also, whenever I use white or near white card bases and a lot of it shows, I just can't bear to leave it plain.  It always feels more finished if I do something to define the edges.  Here I chose to use a more distressed look, but sponging, or even just running the pad along the edge are other options I've used in the past.

If you're interested, my papers are from the Wings paper pack.  Some of my stamps are from January's stamp of the month set Find Your Style, so they are no longer available, but read on to win your own set!  The smaller butterflies are from a set that was exclusively given to consultants at last year's convention, but there are lots of butterfly stamps available.  My sentiments are from various stamp sets and I didn't write them down before I put them away.  If you're really interested let me know & I can try to figure it out, lol.

Now, for the giveaway!  Find Your Style is a set of 9 stamps with a retail value of $22.95.  Here's what it looks like:

In order to win, please leave a comment before Midnight central time on Saturday, March 26.  I would love if you would become a follower, but it is not required for this prize.

Heart 2 Heart

I am a challenge sponsor for the month of March on the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog.  If you haven't visited before, click on the link to head over and check them out.  They do require use of Close To My Heart products, and if you don't have any, I would be honored to have you as my customer!  Shopping is quick, easy, and 24/7 on my website.

If you're visiting here from Heart 2 Heart, please take a look around.  I would love to count you in my group of followers.  You will see that I don't exclusively use CTMH products, but I love to share how I combine them with other products as well.  (I really love how easy it is to coordinate CTMH colors and products with other companies' products.)

This month, I will be providing a fabulous prize package for the H2H blog to give away.

 Included are a Key To My Heart paper pack, Primavera rub-ons, Miracle chipboard Irresistibles, Around the Block stamp set, Egg Hunt stamp set, and a petite perks stamp set.  Good luck to everyone!  I look forward to sending this great prize out to someone!

In addition, I will be a guest Design Team member during the week of March 21st.  Hope to see you there!

Be sure to stop back late tonight or tomorrow for the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  We'll have over 50 consultants sharing their projects to inspire you, so you're sure to find something you want to scraplift.

Cricky Across The 50 WINNER

I hope everyone enjoyed this weekend's blog hop!  I know I sure did; I found so many new blogs to follow.  Now, on to the reason I know you're all here: the blog candy winner announcement!

(Drumroll please...) According to random.org, our winner is... #15 GiGi, who said, "I'm in WI and we venture to Illinois every other year or so to go to Great America. I LOVE your layout! The details and those cute crochet flowers are adorable! I am now a follower and thanks for the great blog candy!"

So now I'm off to contact GiGi about her prize.  Thanks to everyone for playing along!

Cricky Across the 50 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cricky Across the 50 Blog Hop hosted by K Andrew of Getting Cricky! If you are here from Brenda Haskin of Simply Bren is Having too much fun then you are in the right spot. If you just arrived here and would like to start from the beginning please go to KAndrew's Getting Cricky. For this blog hop,  K Andrew is celebrating her big move across the country with a big road trip, and of course this hop across the 50 states.  She has asked us all to post a little bit about the state we are representing, and then to post our Favorite Craft Project. I am representing the great state of Illinois!

 

When you say Illinois, most people immediately think of Chicago, or maybe even the "Land of Lincoln", but there is so much more to this beautiful (but currently stinkin' cold & snow-covered) agricultural state.   Illinois is generally 2nd in corn production (right behind Iowa, of course), with a single county in Central Illinois (McLean County, where we used to live) producing more than most other states.  There are plenty of places to visit outside of Chicago as well, if you like a little different type of attraction.  There's Bishop Hill, an early Swedish settlement, which I always found interesting, probably because I'm partly Swedish.  Also, there is Dickson Mounds, a major on-site archaeological museum where you can study 12,000 years of life in the Illinois River Valley.  And one of my personal favorites, Starved Rock State Park (photo above).  

According to the legend, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name "Starved Rock."  But the reason most people go is for the hiking trails, canyons, and waterfalls.  Bet you didn't know we had those in Illinois!

Now, on to the project! (Click on the photo to see it larger.)

My favorite project is generally whatever I have just finished, so that's what I've decided to share today.  I just love these pictures of my now not-so-little girls!  When they were little they did EVERYTHING together, so I included journaling to that effect.  I used a sketch pattern from the Magic interactive layout pattern book (it includes directions for various ways to make your layouts really MOVE!)  I used papers from the new Sweetheart paper pack, and added some Gypsy and Baby Pink cardstock to match.  For my main title, I used my Cricut and Gypsy with the included Gypsy Wanderings cartridge.  I cut off a decorative element by hand because I liked it better plain, then I sponged the white CS cut with Baby Pink ink.  My subtitle is some Irresistibles Lots of Dots letter stickers sponged with Black ink.  I added some pink ribbon from my stash, and some groupings of embellishments.  They include White Daisy mini-medley, pink & purple brads, heart shaped brads, and some glitter brads.  One quick tip to note:  this sketch called for a 5x5 main photo, but the quality of my photo just wasn't there (this was from film), so I just cropped my 4x6 photo to 4x5, and filled the remaining area with the embellishments.

Finally, time for some blog candy!

I have some great blog candy for you this weekend!  Items include a Perfect Day Level 1 scrapbook kit, a Miracle limited edition kit (complete with pattern sketches), and a You've Got Flair stamp set (which can go from funky to fancy).  Total retail value is over $50!  The rules to win are simple:

• You must be a follower
• Leave a comment by midnight (Central time) on Sunday, February 13.
• THAT'S IT!  I'll have random.org pick a winner on Monday.

Good luck to all!

Please make sure to leave comments on all of the blogs for a chance to win a ton of different Grand Prizes on Getting Cricky's blog, from these great companies:Scrap N Tote, Scrap N Easel, Cri-Kits, Creative Charms, Memory Miser, Scrappy Chic Cafe, Loralie Designs, My Pink Stamper, Peachy Keen Stamps, Cricut Town, The Scrappin' Table, Piktails, and Pink by Design

Please make sure to visit ALL the blogs, as EVERY single blog will have fabulous giveaways (cricut cartridges, paper packs, copic markers, yourstory bundle, clear stamp sets, and tons more). Each blogger was extremely generous with their own personal giveaways

Next stop on the hop is Angela Urell of Creative Crafting.

We Have A Winner!

Thanks to everyone who hopped through on our Cutters Creek blog hop!  Today is winner day, and everyone who commented is entered to win.  I used www.random.org, and our winner is #14.

Sandy said: "Perfect! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and art with us
Merry Christmas
Huggles
Sandy"

Off to email Sandy with the good news!

Blog Candy Winner from Imagine Blog Hop

Well, I hope I haven't kept everyone in suspense for too long! My weekend has been full of shopping, eating, relaxing, and today, working. But for one lucky winner, the wait was worthwhile. Thanks to the folks at www.random.org our winner is #30.  Creative Patti said, "I love these, wish I had a small baby!! LOL!!"

Now, off to email Patti, then I'll be back with another fun Cricut Imagine project post!

Cricut Imagine Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Cricut Imagine blog hop!  We have 11 bloggers ready to share our ideas with you for using your Cricut Imagine (or to entice you into buying one).  You can start at any blog in the hop, then visit each one until you complete the circle and wind up back where you started.  If you get lost at any time, I have a list at the bottom of this post with all of the participants.  Several of us are offering blog candy giveaways, so make sure you enter each one separately.

So, if you're starting here, or coming from Mandie's blog, you're on the right track!  And when you're done here, you'll move along to Robin's blog and see what ideas she has for us.  Now, on to my Imagine creations:

On Friday, I teased my regular readers with a couple of hints.  I told you that I wasn't using any paper and that I was using the Nursery Tails cartridge.  So, are you ready to see what I made??  Here it is...

As soon as I got this cartridge in the mail last week, I thought of a girl from work expecting a little boy on January 1st.  (I really wanted long-sleeved onesies, but of course they were sold out, so I settled for short-sleeved.)  For the onesies, I chose some of my favorite images on the cartridge.  I sized them at 4.5", flipped the images, and printed/cut them from HP iron-on sheets then ironed them on following the directions.

My other project was that cute bib - I have some printable fabric in my stash so I pulled out a sheet.  I determined the size I wanted by measuring a similar bib in a store.  I printed & cut just the patterned layer of the bib image on page 14 of the handbook directly on this fabric.  I then layered it on some terry cloth and bound the edges with some 1/4" double-fold bias tape.  Here's a great TIP for any unusual Imagine project you're thinking of making: if a product says it's for inkjet printers, it can be printed on with your Imagine.  This is especially important for items that are generally non-porous, such as magnetic sheets, shrink plastic, and transparencies.

I am just loving all of the possibilities for creating with the Imagine.  I have so many ideas, just because of all of the great printable items available in the marketplace!  One of my favorite places to buy printables is over at PrintOnIt.com - my next order will include the printable magnet sheets for sure.  I'm also planning to buy some Cut, Color, & Wear to test out; they tell me they are pretty sure it is printable with the Imagine because it uses HP inks, but I want to test it to be sure before I start recommending it!

Before you leave, be sure you enter to win my blog candy giveaway!  I'm giving away a beautiful Level 1 "Olivia" scrapbook kit from Close To My Heart plus 25 sheets of CTMH smooth white cardstock, great for use in your Imagine!  Enter to win by just leaving a comment here on this post.  Deadline to enter is Friday, November 26, 2010.  Sorry, due to postage costs, only US residents (or APO/FPO) are eligible to win.

Now that you're done here, hop on over to Robin's blog and see what ideas she has for us today.  It will open in a new tab or window, so if you get lost along the way just pop back over here and check this list of participants:

• Lori Brown
• Robin Jones
• Tina at The Crippled Cricut
• Linda Panattoni
• Angela Urell
• Tisha Grindley
• Telina's Paper Mania
• Mindy Rapp
• Sarah Haddock
• Jeannie Horton
• Mandie Wade

My Big BAD - final blog candy winner

Well, I just realized that I forgot to post my final winner for birthday blog candy.  That's a super big bad on my part!  Thanks to random.org, our final winner is simplybren - Bren, please email me with your mailing address and I'll get your prize out to you.  All blog candy prizes will  be going out this week, so if any winners haven't gotten me their mailing address yet, please do so ASAP!  Thanks and congratulations to all of my winners.

BIG Birthday Blog Candy & Winner #4

Sorry for being AWOL for a couple of days.  Yesterday was a just plain crazy day around here, and this morning I've had some kind of allergy/sinus thing going on that was kicking my butt!  I have now managed to get a big weekend blog candy pack together, and I have a winner of Wednesday's blog candy.

Thanks to random.org, the winner of all those pretty chipboard alphas is #3. Manhattan Mandie, no need to email me your address, I'll drop off your prize!

Now, for today's blog candy.  I'll leave this one open ALL WEEKEND; all entries received by midnight on Monday, September 6th will be eligible for this awesome prize:

This candy includes two scrapbooking kits from Close To My Heart, as well as a National Scrapbook Month kit complete with patterns and all embellishments needed to make 2 two-page layouts.  Just follow the directions and you're all set.

How to enter:  receive one entry for each of the following items.

• Leave a comment.
• Be a follower or subscribe to my feed through a reader, leave another comment letting me know.
• Sign up for my newsletter and leave a comment letting me know.  (Be sure to leave your name when signing up for the newsletter so I know who you are.)
• "Like me" on FaceBook, and leave a comment letting me know.
• Repost this giveaway on your blog, and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.

Remember, I also have a special customer only giveaway as well.  Sign up for my newsletter and you'll find out how you can win stamp pads in all 8 new colors from Close To My Heart!

Birthday Blog Candy #4 and Winner #3

Welcome back for another day of birthday blog candy!  Thanks to random.org, my winner chosen for today is #5 Teela.  Teela, please email me with your mailing address and I will send out your goodies.

Today's candy is two bags full of chipboard letters.  They're already pretty so you can use them as is, or alter them up to match your project.  There are all kinds of patterns in there!

Today's entry is another comment day.  Leave a comment and be entered, it's that simple!  For an additional chance to win, forward this on to your friends.  If they mention your name in their post, you each get an additional entry.  Good Luck!

Birthday Blog Candy #3 and Winner #2

Good morning all!  Random.org chose #3 for me this morning, and that means that Heidi is the winner!  Heidi, be sure to email me with your mailing address.

The picture for today's blog candy is coming, as I'm trying to find an additional item to put in.  Today's prize will be some clear stamps, and you can go ahead and start commenting now if you'd like.  The picture will be added later.  I'm off to Target with The Boy to replace his box of Jolly Rancher Chews that his sister ate...

UPDATE: I'm back (finally!  We couldn't resist stopping in to Michael's to check out the clearance...) and found the other stamps I wanted to include.  So here's the picture of today's prize...

The top set is from Close To My Heart, a former stamp of the month.  The other 2 sets are from My Sentiments Exactly!  That little set with the kite is the one I couldn't find this morning, and it's so cute I had to make sure it got in here!

Forgot to mention today is another comment only day - no further requirements, so be sure to pass it on to your friends!