Seeds to Flowers and a Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Spring Forward Blog Hop hosted by Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly and and Lora at Notes from the Scrapbooklady! If you are just stopping by my blog to stop, thank you! But the start of the blog is here, so be sure to go back to the beginning to get all of your spring bunny (or frog) hopping in! There is blog candy for up for grabs. What do you need to do? Hop all the way through and leave a comment for each person. The winner will be posted at both Notes from the Scrapbooklady and Touched by a Butterfly and will have one week to contact Lora or Celeste with a mailing address for their prize packages. Some individual blogs may be offering candy as well (with its own stipulations), I'm not this time, sorry.

Now that all of the details are taken care of, let's take a look at my project. I have to tell you, I was having a hard time creating for this, not sure why, it shouldn't have been hard. Everything I created I didn't like enough to include it in a blog hop. Until I came across Veronica's file (it is the scalloped circle and the sentiment, but I don't think it is free anymore), I saved it and when I came back to it a day later, I was able to create!
And a close up of the image (and you can also see the glittery details).


Ok, now for the details of how I created it. It is a 5x5 easel card. In order to create the easel, I cut (white cardstock) 10in x 5 in. I scored the paper and folded it at 5 1/2 inches and 2 1/2 inches (the smallest space will be the front of the card). I cut the brown paper (Color bok) and the pink, brown, yellow patterned paper (printed from the Imagine while my mother-in-law was babysitting it for a friend, not sure the cartridge) both 5inx5in. Rounded all corners w/ a punch. The scallop and sentiment on the front are Veronica's. The blue piece I cut from SCAL2, along with the flower (both in the library). The digital stamp is from Silly Shells, she hasn't posted in a year, but all her past digis are free. I added stickles (the generic kind from Michael's). For the bottom, the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby (again, added stickles). I raised it by putting hot glue on and letting it dry before adhering. The raised edge holds the top in place, and is essential to easel cards. Whew! That was long, sorry!

For those who are directionally challenged (even in blog~o~sphere) here is the hop order:

1. Lora at http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/
2. Celeste L. at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
3.Brandi at http://joyfullycreative.blogspot.com/ <----ME! 4.Carrie at http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/ <---NEXT STOP!
5.Celeste B. at http://ccscards.blogspot.com/
6.Karel at http://karelj.blogspot.com/
7. Kacee at www.youhadmeatscrap.blogspot.com
8. Melanie at www.arkmom-scrappilyeverafter.blogspot.com
9. Michelle at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com
10. Patti at http://lilbitcreations.blogspot.com
11. Sue at http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
12. Tina http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com/
14. Yolie At http://www.justyolie.com/

Have fun hopping!

Challenges:
Papertake Weekly-lemon singy (yellow)
For Fun-Spring
Digi's With Attitude!- anything goes
Anything Goes Challenge Blog-die cuts (circle and scalloped circle and flower)
Creative Inspirations- use a template (I had to look at my template for an easel card)
Crafty Creations- baby blue (half circle and inked edges on the image)

Reminder Blog Hop

I just wanted to remind you that the Creative Scrapbooking Blog Hop entries are due by Thursday the 17th! For my challenge, use 2 colors of glitter or the glitter technique shared in my blog hop posting. I am offering one dozen roses as a prize for completing my challenge or being a follower. Creative Scrapbooking Divas is also offering 2 additional prizes (which you can get in on by competing my challenge, or any of the other 11 divas challenges). More details are here.

Be My Valentine Blog Hop

Welcome to the Creative Scrapbooking Divas Be Mine Valentine Blog Hop! You should have hopped here from Denine's blog. Wasn't her creation wonderful?! I love all the Divas over at Creative Scrapbooking Diva!! If you follow my blog, and you happened upon me, be sure to go back to the beginning, so you may be inspired by all and enter in a few RAKs along the way!

What is Creative Scrapbooking Divas?
"It is a place for Divas to inspire, create and enjoy the process! We encourage members to create, try different things, challenge themselves and enjoy the process. At CSDivas we don't sell anything, we have monthly challenges with RAKs offered, great camaraderie and we like to Spotlight our members and their fabulous creations. Most of all we want our Diva members to have fun!!!"

There are 12 blogs in this blog hop, several of them have prizes and Creative Scrapbooking Divas has a prize as well!

I'm going to begin by telling you I have the best Valentine ever!!! He is a loving and caring husband and is everything a woman could want! This is my Valentine for him this year (he won't check my blog, so I needn't worry about posting it this early). I know that it's a little elegant for a man, but I couldn't resist when I spotted the cut file awhile back. It is from Prob21, here is his site.

Details: I embossed the couple in the middle and added rhinestones. All the little hearts and dots and such were part of the cut file (see above link). Then I did the glitter. I learned a trick awhile back for glitter from my mother-in-law. I used this concept, so I'd like to share it with you. Use clear tape and put it behind your cut (so the tape is on the bottom and the sticky side is on the top) sprinkle the glitter over the top and tap off the excess. Super easy way to stick it and way less mess than glue! If you look really closely, you can see that I used mostly black glitter with a bit of silver (my original intention was silver, but I only had a little left!)

You might be wondering, "is Brandi offering a RAK?" Why, yes, I am! Since this is a Valentines Day Blog Hop, the winner will be My Valentine and receive a dozen roses (paper, of course!). What do you need to do? You have 2 different ways to be entered! 1. Make a card, layout, tag, or whatever else your heart desires using either 2 different colors of glitter or the glitter technique described above (you did read my entire post, didn't you?) and post it to this discussion page AND Creative Scrapbooking Divas gallery with the tag, VDhopBrandi~for one entry and/or become a follower of my blog for another entry.

To be entered into Creative Scrapbooking Diva's prize drawing (it is separate from the roses), put your completed challenge in the blog hop event, if you complete 3 challenges, you get three entries, just mine=one, get it?! Please only post new creations. If you have any questions about this prize drawing, post them here.

Please leave a comment for each entry for the roses. You have until February 17th to submit your projects (both here and at Creative Scrapbooking Divas)! Here is a link to the next stop on the hop, Pam's blog!

Oh, here is a picture of some of the prize roses! Penny Duncan's cut file.

Challenge-
Crafty Creations-Scottish Luv Poem
Do You stack Up-red hot-it is a valentine and my husband is red hot!
Digi Doodle Shop-valentine
All Sorts Challenge Blog-It must me love

I've been waiting. . .

I've been waiting to share with all my blogger friends something exciting for me. I've been chosen over at Creative Scrapbooking Divas to be the January Diva of the month! I wanted so much to tell you all, but decided it would be best to wait until is was posted-which it now is here!

Creative Scrapbooking Divas is a wonderful group that does much more than just scrapbook. We have groups for altered art, cards, art journals, challenges and more. If you would like to join us in our creative fun, we would love to have you! Just click on the above link or my sidebar link and request to join.

As part of my privileges as Diva of the Month, I got to host a challenge! My challenge is to create a card, layout, or other creative piece with at least one digi stamp and incorporate at least one flower somehow (could be embossed, a digi stamp of a flower, flowered paper, whatever). Want to join in the fun?! Join Creative Scrapbooking Divas and my challenge (it will be open until January 31st). There are prizes for two winners (chosen by me).

Here is my sample card:
The tiger stamp is from Digi's With Attitude! And I'm not sure where the love background digi is from. I used my new Texture Boutique to emboss the background! The flowers are cut files from Penny Duncan, her hibiscus, I believe.

Challenges:
Stamp Something-Glitter
Papertake Weekly-anything goes
Lots to Do-use something new
Creative Inspirations-use something new
and of course- Creative Scrap booking Divas- digital stamp+flower

And one more thing:
Creative Scrapbooking Divas is having a blog hop January 16th and 17th, with challenges and prizes!

Creative Scrapbooking Divas Blog Hop

Mark your calendar, there is a blog hop over at the Creative Scrapbooking Divas on September 25th.
How to win tickets (its easy):

Simply post on your blog about our Fall Blog Hop with a link to CSDivas and you will get a ticket.
Also, for every friend who join CSDivas will earn you another ticket!


RULES:
1) Post on your blog about our Fall Blog Hop with a link to CSDivas. Right click on the picture and save as to your PC to include it in your post.
2) Post a link to your blog post in THIS CHALLENGE thread (see link above), so we can checkout your post and your awesome blog!
3) Let your friends know to register in THIS CHALLENGE thread, so we can know who invited her. Provide your friend with your profile name please.
4. Post before Sept 23rd.