You Can Thank Scandalous

Alright, this is a long story that I'll sum up right here: I'm giving away one of my bottles of Gun Metal Pink FLASH (also known as My Private Jet by OPI). That will leave me with only two bottles, so it's almost as important as giving one of you a kidney... if I had three kidneys.

Ok... so.... one day I posted a blog about my all-time favorite nail polish My Private Jet, after seeing someone else's post of the same polish that didn't look anything near the polish I have. The one I saw was a holo and mine WAS NOT. Mine was an AWESOME gun metal pink! So I posted a question as to why my My Private Jet looked so different. Well, I got some VERY helpful responses from some VERY helpful bloggers informing me that there are MANY versions of this particular polish and that no one had yet heard of MY version. I even got a request from Scandalous over at Scandalously Polished to let her know if I find another one, and I did find another three, so I sent one to her.

Now my pink gunmetal My Private Jet is so extraordinary that I can't help but smile everytime I look at it. I originally thought that the color had to be on my own nails to cause the incessant smiling, but I was wrong. Scandalous recently posted swatches of my all-time favorite polish and, again, I smile. Now while that smile also had something to do with the "thank you's" and the awesome blog post Scandalous did, I'd be lying if I said that was the ONLY reason. This polish just CAUSES that reaction. And WOW... does this polish just look fantastic on EVERYONE??? So I was reading through the comments that were left on Scandalous' wonderful post and realized that there are quite a few people in NEED of this color. Now I COULD sell it on Ebay and probably make a mint on this color, but I realized that it would definitely be much more fun to have everyone scratch and claw for it!!! So, I'M HAVING A GIVE AWAY!!!

For the next two weeks, I wanna see who REALLY wants this polish. Leave comments on this post and TELL YOUR FRIENDS about this give away (be sure to leave links to prove you told people even if they weren't your friends..hahahahaha)! And in two weeks I will pick one lucky winner. THIS IS NOT A RANDOM DRAWING. This AWESOMER THAN AWESOME nail polish will go to the person I think wants it the most.... you can all thank Scandalous!!!! You can also thank her for the new name Pink Gunmetal FLASH My Private Jet!!! Love it! So leave your comments and links and I will pick the winner on June 13. NIGHT, NIGHT!

**CORRECTION: I'm going to ask Scandalous if she would like to pick the winner... NOW You CAN Thank Scandalous!!! hahahaha!

*** This give away is only open to followers of this blog.

For Jayme

A Little RAK For A Great Cause!
I read a blog post the other day over at Paper Blessings about a free digi stamp that was created by one of my favorite artists. Not only is this digi stamp AMAZING, but it was also created for a very special cause. You all ready for a little RAK (random act of kindness)?

The name of this stamp is called "Beach Baby Jayme". Jayme was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her sister Lisa is holding a special event to help brighten the remainder of the time she has left. You can read the details HERE. In honor of Jayme, artist Crissy Armstrong created this adorable digi for Whimsy Stamps and it's free so EVERYONE can send Jayme a frog to brighten her day (she loves frogs). Please click on the link above to see how you can participate; and click HERE for the free digi download. Lisa's basically looking for funny cards to make her sister smile, so please, NO 'GET WELL' cards. Kudos to Crissy for being so freakin cool with her own RAK!!! And Kudos to everyone who participates!

It's That Time Again!

Time for the MASTER CLEANSE!!! I start the Master Cleanse tomorrow morning. Well, actually I start it tonight with a cup of senna leaf tea! Yay (sarcasm)!!! I was scheduled to do this back in February, but foolishly skipped it, so I'm rampin up tonight to do it again. WHO'S WITH ME???!!!??? hahahahahaha! You know you wanna!!! LOL!

I have been a "lemonhead" for the past four years working my way up to doing the cleanse twice a year the past two of those four years, so skipping my February cleanse kind of set me back, but I'm hoping to make up for it this time. Last August I did the cleanse for 25 days, maybe this time I can go for a full month.... fingers crossed!

For anyone who is curious about the master cleanse, here's a link to The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs in a PDF file: THE MASTER CLEANSER. The Master Cleanse, or Lemonade Diet as it's also known by, is the perfect way to clean your system, give your digestion a much deserved break, promote health and healing or just to kickstart a new diet regimen.

Of all the different cleanses that get circulated (juice diet, water fast) this one is BY FAR my favorite. It's simple (not to be confused with easy... cleansing just IS tough, but this one is not complex and so much easier than most) to do and a lot easier to stick to than other cleanses I've tried. I hope everyone reading this checks it out. Wish me luck everyone!

Cards Won't Go To Your Hips

I DO NOT own a Cricut Cake. I WILL NOT own a Cricut Cake (famous last words, I know)! I keep reading in my Cricut circles about all the delicious and decadent cakes and cookies that are being created with this new Cricut Cake fondant cutting machine... WHO IS EATING ALL THESE CAKES AND COOKIES!?! For my own sanity and waistline, this is one gadget that this gadget girl will have to pass on. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy those wonderful Cake images in my own way. So here is my SUPER SIMPLE "Thanks a Bunch" card that I made using my new Holiday Cakes cartridge. YES! The cake cartridges work in a regular Cricut machine just like any of my other cartridges and the Cake cartridge uploaded to my Gypsy perfectly fine.

I can't speak about all the other Cake cartridges, but this particular cartridge has some really amazing round frames (like the lace-like one that is pictured) as well as awesome borders and images. Pictured here is the pumpkin image I cut along with some bows I made to go on a Halloween card I'm making. BTW... any Halloween enthusiasts like myself will LOVE the adorable Halloween images on this cart along with "Happy Halloween" which is done in a few awesome fonts. AND if the time ever comes that I want to use any of the Cake cartridge images to cut fondant or gum paste for cake decorating, I'm just going to have to use a paper cut-out as a stencil. Better yet, why don't I just cancel the idea of cake all together and stick with super cute cards!!! They are a lot less fattening!

Unaltered Drucilla

Here is a card I made yesterday using Drucilla from Kraftin Kimmie Stamps... un-altered and colored perfectly with my copics... if I do say so myself! I'm getting better with those copics! At least now my projects aren't hemorrhaging!!! GEEZ! It's so easy with this particular stamp though because the image rocks and seems to almost have been MADE for copic coloring!

I also made the background paper look like copper using Mica Gloss Inks from JudiKins. I love it when things are easy. These Mica Gloss inks are so incredible! They make any paper surface look metallic and the glossy paper I used got the BEST results. I only got 4 of the 18 Mica Gloss colors available (uh, why is green ALWAYS sold out???) with Rose Gold and Gold used for this card. You can see the video for Mica Gloss and how to use it HERE. And the sentiment came from THE AWESOMEST stamp set I have EVER seen. I just got this EK Success Multi-Dial Sentiment stamp off of Ebay and I LOVE it. It's SO mobile and easy to use and each of the sentiments are the PERFECT size for cards. I know it's been around for awhile, but its new to me and I wanted to share. It's brilliant!!!

I WISH I could say that I received something for these product endorsements... but I didn't hahahahaha... they're all just really great stuff in a crafter's arsenal! LOL!

The Coolest Door Hanger EVER!

So Kraftin Kimmie Stamps is having an "Anything But A Card" challenge and I JUST COULDN'T help myself. This doorhanger JUMPED into my head as I read the challenge title and away I went. The stamp that is pictured here is one of TWO of my favorite rubber stamps of all time and BOTH of my favorite all-time stamps happen to be Kraftin Kimmie stamps.... so this challenge is PERFECT!!! Now let me add, I altered the stamped image a bit.

What makes me LOVE this stamp so much is how CRAZY Drucilla looks with her "cracked" smile while she's jabbing pins into her dollie. This stamp makes me laugh every time I see it (like I'm seeing it for the first time... every time)! But for the purpose of my "do not disturb" door hanger, that AWESOMELY HILARIOUS smile wouldn't work. But with her expression altered, little Drucilla would be just as funny on this project! So I taped over the mouth and the eyebrows with Scotch tape, stamped the image, colored it then finished the expression out with a Sharpie pen right before assembling all the parts of this project. I LOVE this door hanger. I'm keeping it and I'm going to use it! It's just hysterical!!!!

If anyone else would like to enter the challenge, here is the link: Challenge 29. This particular challenge was certainly fun to say the least!!! :)

*** The door hanger was cut on my Cricut using the door hanger on page 105 of Tags, Bags, Boxes and More. I used my Gypsy to alter the opening on the door hanger a little bit: from a circle to an oval.

UPDATE: Ok, here's the companion door hanger!!! Together this set is 'Creepy Cute'!!!

Girly Girl

Have you ever been SUPER busy but didn't really get anything done? I feel like that's been my life for the past two weeks. So I figured I better get a shot of this mani up before I remove the polish. Typically my manis don't make it 5 days before I wanna change the color and with running 100 MPH while standing still... Well, I just better get it in! LOL!

So I have gotten SOOOO much length from using the Ultra Rapid Growth from Nail Aid and this thumb nail is here to sing Nail Aid's praises. My nail looks like a false press on nail! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I assure you, it's real! So anyway, I used the Rapid Growth as a base coat followed by ONE coat of China Glaze Pink Chiffon (not lazy, just exhausted). I then put on a coat of Seche Vite for a quick dry before stamping the images from Konad image plates M79 and C01. The polka dots were done in Color Club's Laser Pink and the flowers and kitty were done with Konad's special black nail polish. I topped it all with another coat of Seche Vite. This turned out super cute.... now where did I put that nail polish remover????

The Winner Of My Favorite Things Is....

And the winner is...... Fay.H. Congratulations!!!!

Thank you sooooo much to everyone who participated... some of you had a lot of entries! This was super fun! Next year's birthday give away is going to be even more fun... I'm already plotting!!! hehehehe! But in the meantime, feel free to click on the links below. They are the wonderful sponsors who donated MY FAVORITE THINGS to this year's birthday give away and I'd like to give a huge "shout-out" and "thank you" to them!!! I hope to see you all again at next year's birthday give away! :)

OC Nail Art

Nail Aid

Soaptopia

One More For Today... You'll Thank Me!

Attention fellow scrappers: There is a HUGE give away happening over at Obsessed With Scrapbooking!!! Nicole, my new friend, stalker and fellow blogger of Canadian Nickel Scrap'N is out and about stalking others and she just shared the goodies being given away over at Obsessed with Scrapbooking, so now I'm here to share it with you.... I quote:

"Hi, my papercrafting friends! I just got back from an anniversary weekend at the Hotel ZaZa in Dallas which was FABULOUS! And I was thrilled to see that I made it to a million hits! Woo Hoo!

So, in honor of that, here's the BIG, BIG, BIG giveaway info:

How about a:

1) Cricut Summer Vacation cartridge
2) Cricut Summer in Paris cartridge
3) a pack of SEI Happy Paper (12" x 12" size)
4) a package of Tim Holtz grungeboard


AND....drumroll....

A Cricut GYPSY!!

How can you win?

1) Leave a comment under this post telling what you would like to win and why!
2) Subscribe or follow the blog!

For more chances:

1) Facebook about the giveaway and tell me about it - 5 extra chances
2) Tweet about the giveaway and tell me about it - 5 extra chances
3) Put my blinkie up on your blog - 5 extra chances
4) Put up a Post on your blog about the giveaway - 10 extra chances
5) Send an email to your friends about the giveawayand let me know - 10 extra chances

How about that?" Good stuff right!?! Be sure to enter right away!!!

Copics... HELP!

WHY am I not getting this??? Some things I blend PERFECTLY with copics and others... not so much! Take this AMAZING dragon by Lisa Victoria... he looks incredible. Then the lettering done on THE SAME PAPER is bleeding like I stabbed it!!!! UGH!!! I need some serious help with using these copic markers. I checked into the copic certification classes done by Copic, but it's $120 and I missed the last class by a couple of weeks. DANG IT!!! I guess this is just ANOTHER situation where I have to be patient and put in the practice... blah, blah, blah, WHATEVER! hahahahaha! Alright... I'll do it! So below is another one that I did and THIS one turned out a little better. It took me a whole lot longer to finish, but I did a better job.

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Now, as in my post earlier today, I'm using the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge and drawing the wording you see on these cards from that cartridge. I'm having SOOOOO much fun with this new cartridge!!! Here's a video on how to draw with the Cri-Kits Gel Pens... it's so super simple! Oh, and the frog stamp is a Rubber Necker stamp... they have the cutest stamps ever! :)

Barney On The Brain

Attention Readers: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! MOM'S ROCK!!!

Don't you just love the new Create a Critter Cricut cartridge??? This little dinosaur is ADORABLE!!!! The "Dinomite" is from the phrase feature for the dinosaur that I did using the Cri-Kits gel pens and then colored with Copics. I also took my metallic and star dust Sakura Gelly Roll pens and accented EVERYTHING. I just love those 10 minute cards, and that Create a Critter cartridge makes them easy.

**** Apparently I've got Barney on the brain!!! What is with me and the purple reptiles??? Here's a purple dragon I also colored purple with the copics! And OF COURSE I had to bling this cute little guy out as well! :) Gel pens are the BEST!!!

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One last one... not so "Barney-ish"! hahahaha!

Who's Gonna Win???

Ok... here are the 10 followers that are in the running for the AWESOME prize haul pictured:

• 1.) fiery


• 2.) Fay. H.


• 3.) Blanche


• 4.) Tiskinha


• 5.) ART OF NAIL


• 6.) Ggggg


• 7.) Fisiwoman


• 8.) moonrabbit


• 9.) Wife2TJ


• 10.) Kat

Now it's time to tally all the entries. Once I've tallied the entries, the winner can be drawn. I'll let you all know as soon as I know! Good Luck you guys!!!! Who's Gonna Win???? This is SO exciting!!!!

I REALLY Need To Do This Again!

I WON!!!! The very first design challenge that I entered and I WON!!! I'm so excited I can't see straight!!! And here's the link to prove it! hahahahaha! LINK TO MY WINNER'S ANNOUNCEMENT! Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!!! hahahahaha! Speaking of winning.....

Random.org and I have a date tonight to pick 10 people who will go into the running for the BIG prize haul. There's still a LITTLE bit of time to enter! For details, click HERE! Good luck everyone!

CARNIVALE

Wow! Today is a special day! Not only is today the LAST day to enter my Favorite Things Birthday Give Away (which is TOTALLY HUGE BTW!!!), but today is also my FIRST design for the Gyptians!!! YAY!!! So here it is... my Mardi Gras mask. I ordered a "Carnivale!" stamp, but it hasn't arrived yet, so this project isn't quite finished, but the Gypsy cut file is! Here's the link to upload the file:

GYPSY CUT FILE

So I used George and Basic Shapes for the basic mask/eye area, Storybook (my all-time favorite cartridge) for the flourishes as well as accent essentials. Accent Essentials was only used for one of the "feathering" flourishes, so if you are going to embellish with REAL feathers and don't have accent essentials, just delete the feather from the cut file. This file includes the mask and the shadow. Everything is already welded and ready to cut... just click the link above. I hope everyone here likes it. This is one of those cut files where once I was done I thought, "Did I REALLY make that!?!" I LOVE it and am going to "shrink" it some and make cards as well. Wouldn't purple, green, gold and black beads look AMAZING draped on this mask? Of course, with all the "Stickling" happening on this particular mask, the beads might have been just a little bit of overkill... then again, maybe not! hahahahahaha! The Stickles I used were Diamond, Purple, Eucalyptus, and Black Diamond. This was my first time ever using the Black Diamond Stickles and I have to say... I NEED TO STOCK UP!!! :)

PS. I used a pre-created frame on the Storybook cartridge to do the frame on my layout. Now... time to glue everything down!!! hahahahahaha!

Two More Days To Enter!!!

My birthday blog give-away is ALMOST coming to a close. Two more days to enter to win the AWESOME prize haul pictured here. To enter, click HERE for details! Good luck to everyone.

Have a great one guys... and tune back in Friday when I post my FIRST gypsy design for the design team The Gyptians. I'm super psyched.... it's so time for me to get plugged in... literally! hahahahaha!

My Private Jet?

Pictured here is my all-time favorite polish... and the picture DOES NOT do this polish justice! This polish is actually a charcoal grey polish with tiny pink speckles in it and it's called My Private Jet by OPI. It actually looks like pink gunmetal... I LOVE this polish more than any other. But the other day, while viewing one of my favorite blogs, I notice that someone else's My Private Jet is a holo... WTH!!!

First of all, let me just note here that I DO, in fact, have a holo on my nails here. You can clearly see that the Konad image I stamped on my nails (image plate M7) is a holo while the backdrop of My Private Jet is just speckled. BTW, I did the Konadicure with China Glazes OMG... THE most fabulous holo EVER made and PERFECT for Konadicures!!! But this polish is NOT a holo. And while I certainly love my holos (as much as the next polish addict), the My Private Jet that I own IS NOT one of them and I adore this color above all other colors. Now, my dilemma: Which color is the accurate color? Is it the yummy pink speckled gun metal that I adore, or is it the dark holo that I saw blogged HERE? Either color is honestly unique, but my pink gun metal will be soooooo missed if it turns out the holo is the accurate color and I somehow got a fluke. WHY didn't I buy multiples when I had the chance!!!???!!! Seriously folks, this is a "sound the torpedoes" kind of moment for me!!!

My Entry

I often joke that behind my pink skin and red hair, there is a goth girl screaming to get out. I JUST LOVE the classic elegance of that dark ambiance; it's just romantic and mystic and unearthly. Yep, my goth girl needs out once in a while and it's challenges like the one The Greeting Farm is hosting that gives me that outlet to set her free. Their "Farm Fresh Fridays" challenge this week just so happens to be called "Goth Inspiration". My heart did a flip when I read this week's title and I just KNEW this was the challenge for me. I spent the WHOLE DAY today working on this card and I loved every minute of it. This is BY FAR the prettiest card I've ever made. And while I hope I win (of course), even if I don't, this card will be treasured.

So here's a side shot because the front view just doesn't do this beauty justice. This thing is LAYERED and is the most dimensional card that has movement because of the dangling teapot charm. Did I mention that I LOVE THIS CARD?!?!

Click on the link above to read about the challenge (there's still time to enter), and to see the inspiration pic... it was SO inspiring!!! You'd never guess that the black veil on this sad girl's hat is just another piece of white tulle that I colored with a copic marker. I did the same thing to the flower.... it started off white. You just gotta love those white staples! From buttons to bows, white can be made to match ANY color with copic markers! Well guys, that's it for today... now it's time to do my nails. Anyone else in the mood for a black mani?