Sites of the week

I need to start an Etsy store…among other things on a long to-do list, but for now I lurk and shop. I just wanted to share a couple findings…

First, I purchased a “Mommy Necklace” from BragAboutIt. This picture isn’t the one that I purchased {obviously, the names don’t match my family}, but it is the style that I got. Mine has “Ellie” on the flower, “Nic” on the small circle, “Tony & Jen” on the large circle and “est. 2003″ (the year we were married) on the long rectangle. I absolutely LOVE this necklace and would recommend her store to anyone…

You gotta love the textures of paper crafting these days…fabric, cork and FELT! I found the FELT ON THE FLY store via the Sugar Buffet blog. Today I received this and it is WONDERFUL! No fuzzy when die cut and it is so soft. Again, a store that I would highly recommend…

Finally, I just have to share these with you from Needle Creations. So cute, right?…

Is there anything you have found on Etsy that you would like to share? I’d love to see what treasures you have found.

Welcome to the 3rd stop along the latest and greatest TCP Blog Hop. Since it’s a hop, let me tell you that you should have started at Toni’s blog and then you should have come here from my sweet friend, Ana’s, blog.

Toni brings us this fun inspiration pic…

I gotta admit that when I first saw this, I said “Whoa!” Not like Joey, but rather “Oh my, what am I going to do with this?” Then I got to looking at it and thinking more about it and realized that there is a lot to be inspired by with this picture…bright colors, white background, circles and/or even fabric. I went ahead and took the bright colors and circles as pieces of inspiration and came up with this…

Detail shot of the Blue Hawaiian that is covered with Diamond Glaze…

This card uses the new set, Salud! that will be released April 13. It’s a lil’ set that packs a punch and for just the right price. Happy hopping and happy shopping! Now, hop on over to sweet Tracy’s blog for some another inspiring creation. And…don’t forget to play along with this TCP Tuesday’s challenge for a chance to win some serious Cat Cash!

Nope… I’m not actually breaking up with anyone, but rather saying good-bye to the fat I gained during pregnancy. Believe me, there is plenty to kick to the curb. For the past couple weeks I have been a bit of a gym rat, waking up at 5:15 some mornings and going 3 miles on the elliptical before 6am. So far I am down 5.2 pounds. It’s not exactly peeling off of me like it was the last time I lost weight, but I am happy with the results so far. I am hoping to lose about 23 more pounds by September. I’m doing this without gimmicks or additional products. It’s good ol’ eating right and exercising. I’ll be posting my progress from time to time and thank you now for being personal cheerleaders. If anyone has any exercises that they just love, let me know. I love variety and intensity in my workouts. Last week I was introduced to the walking plank. I think that I would rather walk THE plank than have to do these on a regular basis at this point. What is it? Get into plank position (as if you were about to do a push up), now down on elbows one at a time and then back up to hands while maintaining a straight line with your body. Ugh! So good for you, but I could do without the carpet burns on my elbows from struggling and pushing myself to do every last one in class.

Photo Credit

Happy Saturday everyone! Are you a SFYTT fan on Facebook? Click HERE if you want to be

Sorry I haven’t been posting as regularly as I have in the past. I plan to get into blogging more often soon. Nic has been quite a little fussy one, so {as I think I have noted before} my stamping time has been at a premium. I am hoping to get him more on a schedule, so I can schedule in some more cleaning AND STAMPING time! Wish me luck. In the meantime, I will continue to post what I have to post. Sometimes crafty stuff, sometimes some random tidbits. Today, of course, I have another SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY, but first a pic of my cry baby being a sweet happy baby…

I think this one will become a “go to” sketch for me!

Here’s my card using the soon to be released set {April 13}, Tutu Much, from The Cat’s Pajamas. No you aren’t seeing double, it’s matchy matchy to my TCP Tuesday post…

Detail shot of the flower/button combo with the new {soon to be released} oh-so-fine-twine {I could gush about it!} from TCP…

The wonderfully talented Designer of the Month, Makeesha Byl’s sample is coming soon.

Be sure to check out more super duper samples from my Sketch For You To Try sisters…
Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O’Brien
Kelly Lunceford
Megan Lock
Jenn Diercks
Amber Hight
Sony Christoph

It’s your turn to play along and be considered for a Designer of the Month gig. Just upload your fabby creation to the Slide Guestbook below. When uploading to other online galleries, please use the keyword “SFYTT”

Welcome to another edition of TCP Tuesday. This week’s challenge is brought to you by yours truly. Yep, I am the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess this week and I have a great sketch challenge for everyone. This is one of my favorite sketches of all time, so I thought that I would bring it all the way back from TCP Tuesday 55 {thanks, Carole!}…

Here’s my sample using a few stamps from the upcoming release {April 13th}…

Detail shot of the tutus covered in Pink Poinsettia Shimmerz Blingz…

Detail of the flower/button combo using AWESOME {soon to be released on April 13} LINEN THREAD…

I absolutely love this linen thread and promise you will, too! Why, you ask?…
1. It’s strong. I loathe when I am threading buttons and my twine/floss/thread breaks.
2. No fuzzies. Need I say more?
3. It’s even throughout. There are no “thick” areas or clumps like a lot of twine and hemp or linen threads out there.

Ok, enough gushing over linen thread. But, seriously folks…it’s greatness!

So ya wanna play along with this sketch for a chance to win a few bucks in Cat Cash aka money to spend on the TCP site? Here are the deets you need to know…

1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, techinque, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until the end of the month to complete the challenge.
4. Post your design to the guestbook on the TCP BLOG.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. Only designs posted to the guestbook will be considered for the Swanky Stamper.
8. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Happy stamping!!