Twilighty Goody Bag Give Away

Ok gang... it's finally here.  My Twilighty Goody Bag to give away (click on pic to enlarge)!!!  This goody bag is LOADED with fun Twilight themed goodies from patterned paper to chipboard designs (an album too!) to bling and buttons!!!  There's even FitterTwit Original artwork in there!!!  So sorry that this took me so long to post.  I've literally been buried in my craft room which is COMPLETELY not like me.  I'm talking this was borderline hoarders-disorder-intervention-buried!!!  But with a little application of Feng Shui to clear the clutter, and a little marriage proposal from my husband, I spent the last two weeks cleaning house.... EVERYWHERE!!!

So let me get back to the big announcement.... YES!  On New Year's 2012, my husband of 15 years proposed.  On February 14, 2013 I will be getting remarried and this has inspired me like nothing before because for the first time ever I'm wearing a wedding dress!!!  I am so excited, you would think that I was a brand new blushing bride.  Needless to say, the crappy eating and missing workouts has flown OUT THE WINDOW as I NEED to look my best to even THINK about shopping for a wedding dress.  I'll keep you all posted throughout the year on my progress.  Suffice it to say that my colors for the wedding are the ever-Twilighty red, black and white.  Kind of fitting for this post now that I think about it.

Anyway, all that eating well and working out gave me a little bit of energy and inspired a little clean up in my craft room and lo and behold HERE is the Twilighty Goody Bag at the very bottom of the crafty pile!!!  I can FINALLY offer it to all of you.  So all you have to do to enter this give away is leave a comment here with an email where you can be contacted.  On February 14th I will announce the winner here on my blog.  SO EASY!

Well, that about does it!  This give away is a little overdue, but the wait was well worth it because this thing is LOADED!!!  Stay tuned to my upcoming posts as I'm going to be playing a little catch up.  SOOOO many things have happened and I'm excited to share!!!

So Full of Glee

Yes, it's been a while.  I haven't posted in some time due to some recent changes.  Most of you out there know that I left my employment at Paper Vineyard due to some ugliness (and by ugliness I mean not being paid for 6 months... UGH!) and I won't lie, it broke my heart.  That place was my playground!!!  It is where I went to unleash the crafty monster that lives within and where I went to play with my friends.  That job really was the coolest job ever.  I always said that working there was my hobby job and "the minute it became more 'jobby' than hobby, I would let it go".  Turns out that I really had that backwards since most jobs pay you for your work.  Since I wasn't getting paid, it REALLY WAS a hobby job.... and not in a good way.  And OH BOY, did it get ugly trying to get the money I was owed!  I had to enlist the help of an attorney... YIKEE!  Its such a shame since I loved that job so, so much.  Too bad that it was such a big thing that ruined it and I had to say good-bye to my beloved playground. Yep, I dealt with some sadness and needed a little Glee.

Well, since I found myself with extra time on my hands, I worked on getting my shukaka together.  Honestly, I haven't been crafting near as much as I would have liked (I really think I've had some sort of block), but I HAVE gotten some down time to get my butt back to the gym, put together some meal plans and watch a ton of Glee, the hit show on Fox (thanx to the frickin Kindle Fire).  Now I have watched the show in the past, although I wouldn't have called myself a Gleek, but those days are behind me.  I am, in fact, a full fledged Gleek and I say that proudly as this show has sort of gotten me out of my rut.  Creative juices are flowing (stay tuned for more on that in the new year as you'll find me playing over at Craft Fusion now), I'm hitting the gym with hurricane force and dipping my toes back into real estate.... all with a song in my heart... that finds its way out of my mouth which then makes my dogs run and hide.  And I'm all, "shut up, I sing good"!  I can tell in their eyes that they're not convinced.  WHATEVER!!!  I really should look into getting a new karaoke machine....

So anyway, about Glee.... it's now FREE for Amazon Prime members which is why I've been a mad woman filling up on Glee.  Sadly though, my trial period is up for my Amazon Prime and I wasn't quite finished watching season two.  DANG IT!!!  Luckily, I just bought 9 episodes of season three that are sitting there waiting for me on my Kindle Fire (a.k.a. Charlie).  It's a good thing that I finally got paid; I'm literally filled with Glee!!!

PS... to all my fellow Twi-tards out there... I AM working on my Twilight goodie give away.  I'm thinking we can all use a little Twilighty blog candy for the new year!  Don't you think?

Sparking A Fire

I'M IN LOVE!!!  Black Friday was less of an assault mission this year and more of a strategic mission for me as I had my sites on only one thing... the new Kindle Fire.

Recently Amazon released the Kindle Fire and my husband (mostly on his own) thought that it would make a great gift for me.  This time he hit the nail on the head.  Yes, I'm forfeiting opening gifts this Christmas, but if you've read my posts from Christmases past, you'll see this exact trend.  HAHAHAHAHAHA.  Not that the new player in the Kindle line up is overly expensive.  I picked up this baby for $199... it was all the extras that I also HAD to pick up to go along with it.  Because this device streams music, video, newspapers, magazines, books, documents and allows you to browse the web, there were a few items that I don't think I could have lived without.  Needless to say, that $199 price tag turned into a $350 price tag REAL quick with the purchase of a noise reducing headset, a folio cover that also allows my Kindle Fire to be propped up when watching movies (click HERE for deets), a skin and a screen protector.  Whew..... opening presents on Christmas morning is really over rated... right?!?

So, I've been using this oh-so-easy-to-use device since Black Friday and I'm here to tell you that I give this one a HUGE HIGH FIVE!!!  I LOVE the mobility, the screen quality, the ease of use, the versatility and most certainly the awesome cloud (that, BTW, was already filled with items that I've purchased through Amazon in the past!!!  That was a nice surprise!!!).  I discovered a movie that I purchased from Amazon months back, that had since gotten lost in the millions of files that I have saved on my desktop, just hanging out in the cloud when I was familiarizing myself with the new Fire.  There it was, already there just waiting for me to watch, and it just so happened that I was NEEDING to see Twilight In Forks again!  hahahahahaha!

Yep, I'm LOVIN this new gadget and with so many entertainment options in the palm of my hand, I don't foresee the fire that has been sparked with the new Kindle extinguishing anytime soon!!!

BTW, this is not a paid advertisement.... although it totally should be! ;)

Twilighty Goodness Coming!!!

Alright you guys.... I PROMISE.... Twilighty blog candy IS coming!!!!  I've just been so bombarded the past few weeks organizing my craft room (and, ok, distracted is also a good word.  I've been going to the movies A LOT and have seen Breaking Dawn like four times which is a little creepy-excessive even for me) and getting ready for the upcoming events that I'm planning for the new year that I just haven't quite put together the Twilight goodies that I'll be giving away.  But I will put it together and get it posted very soon.  I think I might run this blog candy give away through January as sort of a New Years treat.... hmmmm.  Ok, so that's it.  This was a quick post, I know, but writing this post made me want to pop over to the Harkins website and view Breaking Dawn show times for tomorrow.  Uh, I might need a little professional intervention here.  LOL!  Swing back by tomorrow... I'm posting a little "dilly" on my new Kindle Fire (spoiler:  it's a high fiver).

Divine Sleep

Ok, so let me just start by saying that I'm soooooo sorry for being MIA!  I was host to a Twilight:  Breaking Dawn release party and it CONSUMED me!  I haven't had a full night's sleep in about a week preparing for this event.  And let me just tell you that it was worth it!!!  The party itself was so super fun.  We watched all three of the previous movies while making Twilighty crafts, playing games, winning prizes and eating yummy, yummy goodies.  Check out the vampire goodness that my friends Dana and Bailey brought to the party....

Is this awesome treat not perfect!?!!!!  And it was oh-so-yummy too!!!  I also put together a totally rad raffle bag (made by yours truly) that included a ton of stuff I brought back with me from Forks, WA this past summer (you all remember my trip right?  LOL) along with other cooler than cool prizes.  That raffle ROCKED!  Here's what last night's winner won.  Check it out....

And then, of course, there was the theater we rented out for everyone.  Not only did we NOT have to wait in any lines, we got a discount on our ticket, didn't have to sit through all the pre-featured-film advertisements, AND the theater treated us like royalty.  I just want to send a shout out to Harkins for making this whole experience AWESOME!!!  High Fives Harkins, High Fives!  Yesterday was definitely a night to remember.  And without spoiling anything for anyone.... Breaking Dawn Part 1 was THE BEST Twilight movie yet!!!  The performances were amazing, the special effects were incredible and even though I read all the books, I was STILL on the edge of my seat waiting for what was going to happen next.

Oh!  I almost forgot to mention the charms pictured at the beginning of this post!!!  Who wants some Twilighty blog candy????  Chime in and I will share the deets!!!

Ok gang.. that's it, I'm out.  Time for some much needed sleep!!!

DISCOUNT Tickets For Breaking Dawn

Ok, so a couple of days ago I told you all that I would post the other make n' take for the Twilight release party, well, here it is!!!  We are going to be making this SUPER FUN Twi-like notebook along with the Tri-Twi Album (below).

 But the BEST part about the whole opening of Twilight Breaking Dawn is that Paper Vineyard has reserved a theater for opening night and DISCOUNT TICKETS are available (very limited)!!!  YAY!  Here's what is posted on Paper Vineyard's blog this morning:

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE:  Paper Vineyard now has DISCOUNT tickets available for OPENING NIGHT of Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 for sale at the store.  We have booked our own theater JUST for our Paper Vineyard peeps but there are limited seats still available and these babies are going to go fast.  If you are interested in joining us, call the store at 480-656-2058.  When they are gone, they are gone.  Here are the deets -

Opening night showing:  November 18, 2011

Showtime:  8 p.m.

Where:  Chandler Fashion Harkins

For those who would like to participate in our release party festivities as well, we have the make n' take samples set up by the customer service counter... be sure to check them out.  Seating is limited for the release parties too... I think there may only be 19 spots total available for BOTH parties... so get em while they last!!!

 

I'm so excited!!!  The opening AND release parties....I cannot wait!!!  I hope to see you all there! :)

Can't Get Enough

 

Paper Vineyard's challenge this week was to use some custom cuts by Grapevine Designs.   We were asked to submit a word that Grapevine Designs would then cut out of chipboard in three different fonts for us to use and showcase any way we'd like on any project.  Really, is it ANY surprise that I had Grapevine Designs (exclusively at Paper Vineyard) cut out "La Push"???? HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Because I'm STILL working on my vacation album, this was the perfect time to incorporate the elements for this challenge while at the same time fulfill the design team project!  LOVE IT!  Along with the Grapevine Designs custom cut, I also used Bazzill Cardstock, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, McGill tab punch, Spellbinders dies and a Creative Impressions rub on.  I'm getting closer to this album being complete!  One down, 12 more to go!  LOL!

Click HERE to see what the rest of the design team created for this one-of-a-kind challenge!!!

I'm Such a Dork!!!

OMGosh you guys!  I am SOOOOO embarrassed!!!  This here is this week's submission to Beyond The Burtonesque Dolls that I'm posting SOOOOO late!!!  Not because the project wasn't done (it was done over a week ago), but because I DROPPED my camera which loosened the SD card inside and had NO IDEA what was wrong!  My computer kept telling me that it couldn't find any of my files.  I honestly thought I had lost everything.  Imagine my delight when the SIMPLE discovery of my SD card being dislodged brought ALL my pics and videos back when the card was snapped back into place.  WOW!  Two days of scrambling... but I'm here to share my experience so if it ever happens to you, you will know how to fix it and quick.

So while late, here is my project for Beyond The Burtonesque Dolls bi-weekly challenge.  This week's challenge is to create a project inspired by scary kids or scary kid's films.  MY project is actually inspired by scary kids and their scary dolls!  HAHAHAHHAHA!  If you've never seen Living Dead Dolls, then you are in for a treat with this post (click on the link for some scary goodness).  I have such an affinity for these dolls.  Inspired by traditional kiddie stuff and then morphed into creepy, scary, cute and VERY DEAD DOLLS!!!  I LOVE IT!  This is totally up my alley and takes me back to when I was young and first watched a young girl's doll come to life and attack her abusive father on The Twilight Zone!!!  Come on, I know you all remember that one!!!  HAHAHAHAHAHA! 

Alright, that is it for my terribly late post.  If ever your computer is telling you it cannot read your camera or find any of your files, check the memory card first.  And if ever you are looking for the perfect scary dollie for a friend or loved one, check out Living Dead Dolls.  And finally, if you are ever looking for a great place for crafty inspiration (with a twist) and fun challenges to join in on, check out Beyond The Burtonesque Dolls.  Swing by and check out what the rest of the design team created for you THIS time!!!

IT'S COMING!!!!

IT'S ALMOST HERE!!!  Twilight:  Breaking Dawn opens on November 18th and I'm SOOOOO EXCITED!!!  And not just because of the movie opening.... I'M HOSTING A RELEASE PARTY!!!  Pictured here is one of two of the make n' takes that I created for this event!  This particular project also features a FitterTwit Original!!!  The apple that is in the center of the flower on the third page of this wonderful Tri-Twi Album was created entirely by ME!!!  And it was no small feat... let me tell you!!!  Before I get to that, let me show you some close ups.

So here is the first page.  Pretty simple page to display..... oh I don't know.... pictures of you and the gang at the premiere??? hehehe!

Here is a close up of the second page.  You have the option of four different sentiments on this one:  "Bite Me", "Love Bites", "Imprinted" or "Forever Yours"!  This page would be perfect for a pic of your date to the premiere.  Oooo-la-la!!!

Ok, and here is the last page!!!  There is my apple (click on the pic to enlarge).  My labor of love, WHEW!  This apple is the culmination of MONTHS of learning Photoshop Elements!!!  I've been telling everyone for over a year that Copic markers are magic markers in that they blend when you use them.  No extra special work or talent needed for this effect to occur.... THAT'S WHAT COPIC MARKERS DO!!!  Digital coloring is a VERY different animal all together!  Each time I would color, none of the lines would blend.  This apple actually took some work.  A LOT of work.  I FINALLY figured out how to get my strokes to blend and I'm SUPER HAPPY with how this little apple turned out.  This apple, along with many other items I created for the upcoming Twilight premiere is going to be up for auction here at Fun And Mental Changes.... stay tuned for that!

  OOOO and the cover:

And here is the finished album when closed.  This is the very front of the tri-fold.  Pretty, huh?  I just LOVE that rose paper!!!  I will post the first make n' take I created for the release party tomorrow along with all the deets for everyone if you're interested in watching the movie with us in Chandler, AZ.  Paper Vineyard secured a private theater for opening day so that we can play the whole day (watching Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse throughout the day) and then finish by watching Breaking Dawn opening night!  Did I mention the tickets are discounted as well?????  Be sure to swing back by at the end of the week for all the deets on the release party as well as the Twilight Auction that will be happening HERE!!!  It's going to be a LOAD of fun!

And The Winning Ghoulie Is...

Ok, so I have the winner of today HUGE HALLOWEEN give away. 


frances joy said...
ahhh i love it!!! i will pray to win this hihi i want this for my ate jwels! dont know how to add a link here but i tried, hope it works!

http://franzesjoi.multiply.com/links/item/1/Fun_and_Mental_Changes_HUGE_Halloween_Give_Away

franzes_joi@hotmail.com

thank you for the chance to win this!! i'm a follower!! 

Congratulations frances joy!!!  You are the winner of FOUR brand new Tickled Pink Stamps!!!  I am sending you the notification email now.  Thank you to everyone who played along, I'm hoping next year's Halloween give away will be even "Huger"!!! :)  Happy Halloween everyone! 

Back To Basics

**** HUGE HALLOWEEN GIVE AWAY... CLICK HERE!!!!****

 Ok... here they are!!!  I am just having a BLAST going back to basics with shading and shadows using these wonderfully ADORABLE Stampendous Halloween images.  As I told you yesterday, that cute little Count Jack had some friends!!!  Pumpkinstein and Mumpkin in the house (I think you might be able to tell which one is which... LOL)!!!  Honestly, these cuties make coloring with Copic markers fun and easy.  And really, isn't that quote from Stampin Up's Smarty Pants just too perfect for this one?!?  The only thing that I want to add to this is a little reminder that when you are blending with Copic markers, remember that the alcohol ink takes a moment to "develop".  I think that when people begin coloring, they attempt to blend but don't see the development of the alcohol ink reaction right away, begin to over blend and then are not happy with the results.  Take your time when you first start with these wonderfully magic markers!  Lay down two or three strokes when blending, stop, then watch what occurs.  I PROMISE, the inks will begin to blend... you'll see the reaction... and your projects will just blend like magic.  Below is probably THE BEST demonstration I know of to show a time lapse of development.  Enjoy.  I'll be sure to post another video of actual blending too, so be sure to come back for that.



Don't forget to click the link at the top to enter to win the HUGE HALLOWEEN GIVE AWAY!!!  There's still time to win and odds are SOOOOO good (currently 1 in 13 will win!!!).

Beginner's Awesomeness

**** HUGE HALLOWEEN GIVE AWAY... CLICK HERE!!!!****

Some of THE BEST images to begin coloring with Copic markers are Halloween images!!!  So if you've just started on this crazy Copic ride, you've begun at the perfect time!!!  THE CUTEST stuff is available this year too!!!  Pictured here is Stampendous Count Jack... isn't he ADORABLE!?!  And he's perfect for learning basic coloring and shadow placement.  With the artist's helpful shadow lines in his little pumpkin face, this one is easy and fun to color as well. Stampendous also has a couple companion images to go with this little cutie... stay tuned for those!!!

REMINDER:

There are only a few days left to enter the HUGE HALLOWEEN GIVE AWAY!!!!  Be sure to click the link at the very top of this post to enter... this is one you don't want to miss!  There are FOUR Tickled Pink Stamps up for grabs!!!!