AiFactory GIVEAWAY!

Mia just emailed me and told me that she wanted to give you all some BLOG CANDY! Wowie! Isn't that fun? It's super duper easy. Here's how to enter:
1. Go to the AiFactory Etsy shop
2. Figure out what your favorite item is
3. Leave a comment on what your fav thing is and why

You have until next Tues, Dec 1 to enter for the blog candy. Mia will pick her favorite entry to win!

PS Check out Mia's blog for some other fun stuff!

AiFactory Challenge 9

Another Tuesday and that means a challenge over at the AiFactory challenge blog. This is going to be my last AiFactory post. My four month term is over and I'm saying good-bye. I do hope all you AiFactory people will still visit me from time to time.

This week, De challenged us to use Card Positioning Systems sketch #138, that you can see by clicking HERE. We were give this SWEET Bee and Flower image by Softpencil to work with. And it was optional to use Shimmerz Paint, which I did.

This is a pretty straight forward card. I'm still feeling really sick and very tired from taking care of two sick children. I colored the image, added Shimmerz in Opal to the flower, and Diamond Stickles to the bee's wings. I matted the image and added it to a card with the DP which is actually a double sided sheet. I don't know what the paper is, I got it in a grab bag.

I hope you all have a great day! Check out the AiFactory DT creations, their links are in my sidebar. <<<<<

AiFactory Challenge 7

Hello everyone and welcome to another week of AiFactory challenges. This week, De gave us a sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping seen HERE. The design team could use one of two sets for this challenge; Hand Drawn Wings or Sweet Pea Fairies. I used the fairies since I've used the wings on my blog before.

This card is really colorful in the background because I don't have fine enough pens to color the image at the size I wanted it to be. I know, I know, I could have made the image bigger but then it wouldn't the the proportion that I wanted. I did use Star Dust Stickles of the entire image panel to give it some zing. The card is DCWV and the DP is from the SU prints pack.

Please go to the AiFactory challenge blog for details and check out the DT!

Angie
Ashley
Carole
Elizabeth
Erin
Kerry
Lola
Mia
AiFactory Challenge Blog (LINK POSTS HERE)

AiFactory Challenge 6

It's Tuesday and that means another challenge from the AiFactory Challenge blog. This week, Erin has challenged us to make a masculine card. GULP! I'm more of a glittery and pink girl myself. :) So, this was a HUGE challenge!

I used the Cowboy set to make this digi card. I think it would be a fun one to send to a boy or young man. Seriously, how cute is this little guy? I love his chaps! They make me smile. Ok, to be honest with you, Dustin made the gradient background for me. Ok ok ok, to be REALLY honest with you, Dustin made the whole card while I rocked the baby and told him what to do. See, digi card making could be a fun activity for the WHOLE family. :)

Please check out the AiFactory Challenge blog for all the details on this challenge including the giveaway. And check out the rest of the design team. They are in my sidebar over there. <<<<<<<>

AiFactory Challenge 5 and a POP UP FREEBIE!!

Sorry for the late post! I'm exhausted. I spent most of the day yesterday at Kaiser trying to figure out what is wrong with me. Turns out I have bronchitis. I'm still waiting to find out what my lab results turn up too.

This week's AiFactory challenge is so fun! The DT are featuring the adorable new faces of AiFactory, Alicia and Ivan. They are so cute and perfect for winter time cards. The challenge this week is to use AT LEAST three layers on your card and do something out of your comfort zone like a new techniq

ue or use an embellishment you don't normally use.

Here's my card. I used FIVE layers, that's a whole lot for me. :) I flipped Ivan in Photoshop for this card so that they would be facing each other. The designer paper is Sassafrass. The embellishment that I don't normally use is the chipboard sentiment. I added a pearl and some ribbon to finish off the card.

Check out THIS POST on the AiFactory Challenge blog for details on how to enter and for links to the DT! :)

BUT WAIT!! I also have the POP UP FREEBIE! :) It's the AWESOME vintage background. This is perfect for card making or scrap booking. If you would like to get your FREE background digi paper, join the Popup Freebies group on AiFactory's community. Then send a message to Mia (she's the leader of the group and AiFactory's amazing owner) telling her that you'd like the freebie. Use password: Vintage. :)

AiFactory Challenge 4

It's Tuesday and time for another AiFactory challenge on at the challenge blog! This week, the prize is a cool Photoshop brush set for Halloween called The Haunted Tags and Quotes. We are having a lot of fun gearing up for Halloween! I got confused and thought that we were supposed to make a tag but in actuality the prize was a "tag" kit. So, I made a tag. What can you do?

I did, however, include the challenge that we were actually issued when I made the tag. Erin issued the challenge this week and it was a tough one for me! It's a color challenge. The colors to use are purple, red, orange, yellow and black. I'm gonna add the swatch that she gave us so it doesn't overwhelm you too much. I think it's easier once you see it all together. Now, it's a challenge for me since you know how I like to use just a few colors per project.

So, I used ALL the colors given and made a tag. Quite a feat for me! I used a couple of Marvy tag punches. I printed out the cat image rather small to fit it on this tag. I colored it with some markers. I added some Black Diamond Stickles to the edge of the image and some purple rhinestones. And I added some ribbon.

Check out the DT:
Carole
Elizabeth
Erin
Kerry
Lola
Mia
AiFactory Challenge Blog (LINK POSTS HERE)

Sorry for the small project this week! I'm just super overwhelmed with personal stuff and just everything going on. Also, if I owe you a prize, I am still in the process of sending it. I had to wait until this pay period to do so. They are coming soon!

AiFactory Challenge 3

It's Tuesday and that means another AiFactory challenge on the challenge blog! This week's challenge is a super fun one! We are supposed to make a Halloween item using Softpencil's adorable Little Witch. How cute is this little stamp for Halloween? I love her!

This week, I made a little pizza box from the tutorial by Jen Del Muro. You can find it on SCS HERE. It's perfect for tucking away a few little candies for your kids or any special someone. The background here is a spider web embossing folder. It was a WishRAK item done on white paper. I sponged it with black Memento ink ad then covered it with Black Diamond Stickles for some sparkle. The little witch is colored with markers, cut out and put on with pop dots. And then I finished with some bling.

Hop on over to the AiFactory Challenge blog to read all the details. Play along and you could win a prize!

Check out the DT for some more awesome inspiration!
Ashley
Carole
Elizabeth
Erin
Kerry
Mia
AiFactory Challenge Blog (LINK POSTS HERE)

AiFactory Blog Challenge 2

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another AiFactory challenge on the challenge blog! YAY! This week we are giving away the adorable Sweet Bugs in the Garden set. All the design team members will be using this set so you'll get lots of inspiration.

This week, I'm issuing the challenge and it's a special one. We are making cards for Kate who is a sweet little girl that was recently diagnosed with cancer. You can read her story HERE. Along with our challenge, if you send your card into the cards for Kate drive you can win prizes from Jennifer McGuire and her friends. You can read about that drive HERE.

I made another digi card this week. I couldn't really get it how I wanted being that this was rather emotional card for me. My grandfather who recently passed away used to always say that ladybugs are good luck. He and Miko (his wife) believed this. When my Grandpa had a stroke about 10 years ago, a friend came by with a ladybug magnet for good luck. That day, he started getting better. Soon after, Miko filled his room with ladybug items and not too long after that, he was home and better. Every time he got sick, I used to send him ladybugs for good luck and they always came through for me.

So, that's the story behind my card. I know it's super simple. It's a 4 inch square digi card. You can print out your digi cards and mail them just like a regular card OR you can send them to your friends and family via email which is pretty cool too.

Please play along with us! You'll be doing a kind gesture for this family and you can be entered to win a lot of prizes. Entries are due on the challenge blog post HERE by next Monday Sept 14 by midnight. I will pick a winner for the adorable digi set and post it on the blog next Tues.

AiFactory Challenge

Today is the FIRST day that we will be hosting a challenge on the BRAND NEW AiFactory challenge blog. Woohoo! We decided to take it really easy on you all this week! The challenge is anything goes! Crazy huh? You don't have to use AiFactory images, but we would love it if you did! Here is where you can find all the awesome AiFactory FREEBIES.

The prize this week is the awesome Cowboy digi stamp set seen HERE. I totally cheated on my project and used the Cowboy Clip Art set instead. The clip art is just soooo easy to use on digi layouts and cards. But I promise, you'll see me use the stamp set really soon so I can show you how fun that is too.

I couldn't resist making this layout of the boys. Teehee! I find myself very very funny sometimes. I mean, really, someone OUGHT to find me funny. This was EASY PEASY! I just used the frames from the clipart set, the little cowboy, and the sheriff's badge. I added my mug shots and some text. Fun fun!

So, please come and join us. You can make ANYTHING you want! Just leave a little link to our challenge blog if you would. Win this adorable set! You'll love it! :)

PS Next week, I'm hosting the AiFactory challenge so please come back next Tuesday and check it out!

AiFactory Blog Candy

Mia is giving away blog candy over on the AiFactory blog. How cute is this princess set?? I love it! You could win the clip art set, the digi stamp set, and the set of digi papers. Check out THIS POST on the AiFactory blog for details!

Also, check out the new AiFactory challenge blog tomorrow for our first blog challenge! Woohoo!

Random.Brady and EIC49 Winner

How handsome is my big boy in dress clothes? Tiff sent over this suit for Brady to wear to my grandpa's funeral. I decided to skip the vest that came with it since it's really hot in California right now. We didn't have shoes to match so he wore his blue tennis shoes. What can you do?

Without further ado, here are this week's winners. Random.Brady picked Carole to win the card from MelissaKate. You can see Carole's beautiful card HERE. Carole, please email me with your choice of card from MelissaKate. Random.Brady picked Misti to be the AiFactory blog banner winner. You can see Misti's pretty card HERE.

Big thank you to MelissaKate for being our shop this week and donating a prize! Another big thank you to AiFactory for being our sponsor and donating the awesome prize! Come back tomorrow for another shop and another sponsor! YAY!

AiFactory Paper Craft Planet Challenge

AiFactory is currently sponsoring a challenge on Paper Craft Planet. The challenge is to make a project, anything at all, using AiFactory products. And like I've said before, there's a Freebie section that you can use. The winner of the challenge gets a gift certificate to the store!

I made a digi layout. These pictures were from earlier this year. Brady loves to hang out in his towel. It's so cute! It reminds me of a cape. I used the Superhero Set from AiFactory to created my layout.

You can read about the challenge on Paper Craft Planet HERE. Hope you'll join us and enjoy the fun!

EtsyInspired Challenge #49 ~ MelissaKate and a Giveaway

This week's EtsyInspired shop is MelissaKate. She's very talented in many things. She makes awesome cards, photos, and prints. The best thing about her shop is that everything is eco-friendly! How cool is that? She has the adorable line of cards. Her cards feature things like sweet birds, yummy treats, flowers, hearts (you know I love hearts!) and lots more. Her cards are made with blocks that she hand carves which is so awesome! She has lovely paintings that she sells giclees of. She has hand painted ribbon for the finishing touches to cards or packages. And she takes lovely photographs that you can buy prints of as well!

This week, MelissaKate is offering a non photo card of the winner's choice as the prize. All you have to do to win is pick any item from the MelissaKate shop to be inspired by and make a creation of your choice. Your creation can be anything ie a card, a drawing, a layout, a cake, a piece of jewelry, etc... Take a picture of your creation and leave a link to it right here on this post by Aug 21 at noon Pacific time. You will be entered in a drawing to win the card of your choice! If you upload to SCS or PCP, please use keyword EIC49.

We also have a special sponsor this week! AiFactory is the company I am currently designing for. They offer tons of different digital stamps, clip art, vector art, photoshop brushes, and much more! The shop hasn't even launched yet and it's full of awesome stuff! I've seen the artists they are adding and trust me, you will LOVE them! There's tons of freebies too with more being added all the time so check that out as well! On top of the drawing for the card, you will also be entered to win a new Blog Couture blog banner with custom personalization! This is a $22 value!

Now, what are you waiting for? Go be EtsyInspired!

Here's my card for this week. It's inspired by all the love and heart cards in the MelissaKate store. I used Unity's August 09 KOTM Follow Your Heart. This is a super simple card since the style of the shop is very simple. The heart is popped up on dimensionals. The edges are done in Stickles and the swirls in the wings are outlined using Spica pen.

Check out the DT:

• De Swanick
  
• Emily Niehaus
• Heather Schlatter
• Jackie Bowman
• Joy Stagg
• Kerry Angeles
  
• Kristen Dyer
• Lee Murphy
• Sherry Campbell (August Guest)
• Shannon Bracken
• Tiffany Johnson
• (Tonya's having a family emergency, please send her good thoughts)
  

AiFactory Challenge Brought to You by Yours Truly and Some Blog Candy

Mia is letting me host a challenge over at the AiFactory blog and Ning Group. :) How cool is that? I'm pretty stoked! I would love if you all played along since it's the VERY first challenge that I've hosted for this company and I'd love if they let me do it again.

The challenge is super simple! You just make something with a baby theme. That's it. A card, layout, altered item, or anything else you want. You don't have to use AiFactory items on your project but we would love it if you did! There's a whole FREEBIE section that you can use!

Here's my sample. It's a completely digital card. I made this using the Stitch-N-Sew Set. I made the designer paper with the butterfly outlines, the patchwork butterfly with the pink outline is the main image, and I used the little buttons to embellish. I added some text and voila!

Here's how you play. Make your baby themed creation and upload it to the AiFactory Ning Group using the keyword "babychal" by August 27. Easy peasy! And you can win the adorable Little Emma's Insy Winsy Nursery set. It's perfect for card making and scrapbooking! Can't wait to see what you all make!

PS Mia is having a contest over on her blog! Three people will win beautiful new blog banners. Go HERE for details!

Super Hero Monday!

I am SOOOO busy this morning! I'm throwing a baby shower in about an hour. Both of my kids and I are STILL in pajamas and I'm blogging. Oy! That's how dedicated I am to this blog. Or obsessive, whichever way you wanna look at it.

Today, I have a couple of super fast cards that I made with the Super Hero Set from AiFactory. I just printed out the images and sentiments at a size that I thought would work for me. Then I put them out and made cards with them. Super duper easy. This first card uses paper from DCWV. I just matted the main image and added the sentiment. This set is PERFECT for all of Brady's little friends! I can make adorable Super Hero cards for their birthdays!

My next card just utilizes some circle punches. The awesome super hero was punched with a 1 1/4 inch punch and the two awesome diamond lightening bolts were punched with a 1 inch circle punch. The sentiment is a clear stamp that came from a $1 set from Joann craft store.

Alright, I should go shower and get ready. Wish me luck! Happy Monday!

A Hybrid Card

Ok, so I don't really know what a hybrid card is. I'm kind of thinking this isn't really one. I just printed off the digi stamp wings, well after mirror imaging the wing on the right to get a matching set. I'm guessing any mix between traditional card making and digital card making is hybrid. At least, that's how I define it.

So, the wings on this card are from AiFactory's Hand Drawn Wings set. The set comes with 4 different wings. I created a butterfly by taking one wing and making a mirror image of it in Photoshop and then printing it out. I colored the image with markers. I made the background paper with Autumn Leaves Swirls clear set. Then I just finished off with some rhinestones.

If people have any interest, I can start posting tutorials on how to do things in Photoshop. Just leave me a comment and I will start doing those. I really only know basics but if it's something people are interested in, I can give it a try. :)

Happy Thursday friends!

Check Me Out and AiFactory Design Team Call

Eeeek! Mia did a whole blog post on me on the AiFactory blog. Teehee! I'm as excited as a kid on Christmas! You can see it HERE!

Also, AiFactory is having a design team call! You can be on the team with me! How cool would that be? I'm fun, I promise! You can see the details for the DT call HERE.

Waiting, Wishing ~ My First AiFactory Project

***Second post for today***

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I digi-scrapped. Actually, I used to make digital wedding albums as part of my job. I'm kind of out of practice though. As I get more practice, I'll get better. It's like playing tennis, when you first start up again, you're a little rusty but after a little while you're right back were you left off.

All the digital elements are from AiFactory. I used the Ornate Express Photoshop Brushes. The background was a freebie download I found on the AiFactory ning group. The font is Snell Roundhand and it was already in my Photoshop. Like I said, I'm a bit out of practice but I'll get better. Hope you like this anyhow!

Exciting News!!

I've been asked to design for AiFactory! The owner Mia' contacted me and asked me to design for her company. I am so excited! She offers digital stamps, clip art, digital paper, photoshop brushes and much more! I just got my first digis today and I'm SO excited to start playing with them! You'll see samples from me soon!

You can check out AiFactory on Etsy too. And if you want, there's a AiFactory Ning group where Mia offers tons of freebies and tutorials. Mia' also has a blog where she offers tutorials if you want to check that out as well.

I'm so excited! This is my FIRST company design team! I'm also super excited the Mia' picked me based on my blog and trusts me to help her. Eeek! Happy happy happy Monday everyone!