winners announced!

A big big thank you to all who participated in our wonderful blog hop with Eclectic Paperie and for all of you heartfelt comments! They truly mean a lot and are much appreciated!! Here is a list of all the winners:


Shannon Sawyer (Broni Holcombe's Blog)
Bevie Pearl (Sherry Cheavers's Blog)
Mrs. Ham (Latrice Murphy's Blog)
Dotty A (Linda Duke's Blog)
Melissa Bove (Linda Ledbetter's Blog)
Gretchen Wilson (Starla Nelson's Blog)
TX (Micki Harper's Blog)
Eclectic Paperie Blog!

Sharon celticrafter (Vicki Chrisman’s Blog)
Sharla (Pam Hooten’s Blog)
Nancy Shultz (Linda Duke’s Blog)
Judy’s Cards (Michele Kovacks Blog)
2amscrapper (Melissa Phillips Blog)
Nicole #30 (Flo Teixeira’s Blog)
Cindy Adkins (Julie Cambell’s Blog)
Southern Cricut (Mary Hamer’s Blog) ------>MY BLOG
Danielle Therese Greenwood (Crafty Secrets Blog – For Heidi B)



And the winner of the much loved PINK ATG Gun is....... SUSAN!!

Susan said...

I LOVE this L/O!! the colors are great, the details perfect! I agree the student made a great Alice. I am not a huge AIW fan, But I am a Tea fan, this is an awesome set, (the scraps, not sure I want the stamps...I love the oz set and the country set)
I am a new follower, and i thank you for the opportunity to win something. (especially this something LOL)
Susan

So excited for you Susan! Thank you so much for playing along and following my blog. Drop me a line with your mailing address so I can mail you your pinkalicious sensation!

Crafty Secrets and Eclectic Paperie (Shabby) blog hop

Good Morning All! Wow it has been such a long while since I have posted something here in blog-world. I have been so busy with work and personal life that I needed to take a break for a spell. Thank heavens spring break is on the horizon so I can relax my mind and sip margarita while snuggled up with my husband's Kindle. I sort of feel guilty about this birthday present that I stole from him...but he seems to be content with all the magic his phone has to offer. Boys and their gadgets!



Today I have a special post and event to share with you. The design team girls from Crafty Secrets have teamed up with the lovely ladies from Eclectic Paperie for a fun filled blog hop! The theme for this hop is "Shabby Chic". I decided to use the Wonderland Tea Party Scraps to show you a different 12x12 layout idea. This little lady is a student at the school where I work. She was an adorable Alice for Halloween and a perfect model for the focal point of this layout.


I decided to use the scrap of Alice with her elongated neck since it off-set my photograph. I then made a pocket behind the mat where I tucked a scrap turned into a tag/journaling spot. The little cutout ticket was my final touch of Crafty Secrets. The paper I used is from Pink Paislee - love its shabbiness! I always love adding flower embellishments to all of my designs. Sometimes I probably go overboard, but I just love the dimension and "pop" they give my pieces - I can't help myself! I vintage piece of handmade lace I found at a flea market adds more textured shabbiness to this layout.

Both Eclectic Paperie and Crafty Secrets will be giving away prizes. A total of six prizes all together! You can find out more about the prizes on the Heartwarming Vintage and Eclectic Paperie blogs ( linked below). The more DT blogs you visit and leave comments on, the more you increase your chances to win one of the 6 prizes. Winners to be announced on Monday. Annnd....I decided to add my own prize to one lucky winner! Leave a comment and become a follower if you aren't already. Your prize? A pink ATG gun! Yep! I just LOVE my ATG gun and use it on every project! And refills for this puppy are easy to find online or at your local craft show like Michaels. You will love it! Winner will be announced Monday!

Good luck and be sure to hop along and leave those comments!!
Craft Secrets DTgirls
Vicki Chrisman Team Leader

Pam Hooten

Linda Duke (on both teams)

Michele Kovack

Melissa Phillips

Flo Teixeira from France

Julie Campbell

Mary Hamer (that's me!)

Heartwarming Vintage Blog

Crafty Secrets website

Eclecitc Paperie DT girls

Broni Holcombe
Latrice Murphy
Linda Ledbetter
Micki Harper
Sherry Cheever
Starla Nelson
Daisy- eP blog

Eclectic Paperie blog
Eclectic Paperie Website

sweet dreams & pumpkin cranberry scones

Last week we celebrated the legendary Dr. Seuss in our little school library. Students came to school sporting fun outfits coordinating with the day's theme. We had Silly Sock Day for Fox in Socks, Backwards Day for Wacky Wednesday, Crazy Hat Day for The Cat in the Hat, Green Day for The Lorax, and Favorite Seuss Character Day for our finale! On Friday, our wonderful lunch ladies made a breakfast of Green Eggs and Ham - just perfect for Sam I Am! The kiddos had a great time - and so did the librarian! ;o) Instead of working on my Easter mini, I decided to start a blog for parents and family members at our school. Now they can still share in their child's school memories - even though they can't be there. You can check out my school library blog here.



As many of you know, I am trying to become a little more well versed in photography. I have been reading and practicing and let me tell you - it ain't as easy as it seems! I am pretty technical minded and I keep having to refresh my brain with all the different settings, definitions, and techniques of the digital dslr world. I have a new appreciation of photography and the amount of knowledge and work that goes into it!



So for today's post, I am sharing a few practice pictures I took today. The cupcakes are from a little bakery in Sycamore, IL called "Sweet Dream Desserts". This bakery is uh-mazing! Their cupcakes are just to die for! I bought these little lovelies as a thank you to all the teachers and behind the scenes peeps who helped make our Dr. Seuss celebration a success. I did, of course, buy a few extras for my hubby and I to scarf down throughout the weekend!




And even though we have cupcakes galore - I still made some Pumpkin Cranberry Scones today! I found this Nordicware scone pan at our local Goodwill for a steal and couldn't wait to try it out!! The scones are delish!






Pumpkin Cranberry Scone Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup golden brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or fork until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add cranberries.
3. In small bowl, beat egg. Add pumpkin and milk. Pour all at once into well in the middle of the dry ingredients mixing with a fork until just moistened.
4. Knead on lightly floured breadboard until nearly smooth (several seconds). Pat dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Cut dough into 4x3 inch rectangles; cut each rectangle in half to form triangles. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Hoping your having a relaxing weekend!
xoxo

once upon a springtime

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

There is just something about the whimsical fantasy world that warms my heart. I love daydreaming of a world of magic - a place where Harry Potter does exist and fairies live, breathe, and flutter about. It is probably my creative heart that finds comfort in the pages of stories about far away lands filled with wonderful creatures. Right now, I am reading Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - the first book in his second series of Greek Mythology. It is amazing how certain writers can paint a picture in your mind so true you actually get pulled into the story and build connections with it's characters. Out of all the books I have read, the Harry Potter series will probably always be on top of my list!



So when I came across the "Once Upon a Springtime" collection by Graphic45, you can only imagine my excitement. Here is a collection of whimsy and fun with fairies and childhood book characters from Beatrix Potter that is sure to melt you heart.





Since I am on a mini album kick, I decided to devote an entire mini to this collection. It was VERY hard for me to cut this beautiful paper, but I finally managed. The muted tones are different from the normal soft, pastel look I normally associate with fairies. The greens remind you of the mossy growth found in the heart of the woods. The browns - the earth and undergrowth. And the pinks and purples - new life.







I hope you enjoy and are inspired to be pulled into the mystic! This little mini is for sale on eBbay HERE (with many more pictures)!

Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo