Happy Friday!
Today I am getting ready for a crop I am hosting tomorrow. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! Not only do I have to pack up all my supplies and materials for the crop (I don't even know what I am going to work on yet! HELP!), I have to assemble a pan of lasagna for dinner and go shopping for door prize items! So, obviously I have plenty to do. BUT, I thought I'd take a moment to share an awesome giveaway from Stephanie Hunt at Bella Blvd---our local scrappy designers/biz! Right here in Wauwatosa. They just finished up at CHA and are celebrating their success. She has THREE giveaways to THREE readers. Go to the link below and you could win some great prizes from their newest products!
http://iamstephanie.typepad.com/myweblog/2013/01/cha-photos-a-giveaway.html

Hope you check it out and have a great weekend everyone! Now....back to packing for the crop!

Wish I Could Be A Fly On The Wall

With the Winter CHA show coming up (January 11th-15th) in Anaheim, CA it got me thinking how fun it would be to be a fly on the wall. Peeking at all the fun, new designs. Hundreds of new papercrafting releases-- if not thousands. Just imagine! One of the new releases that has my curiosity up is the Ranger/Tim Holtz distress paints. They work just as the distress stains and inks do-react with water. But, there are so many others and today I was browsing a few blogs to see what new releases I will need to stick on my Pinterest wall so I don't forget to buy them! Here are a few that I know I will be using in projects in the VERY near future. I'd love to hear from you--which ones are you adding to your stash?! I will make a few posts here of collections that raise my blood pressure-but let me tell you they are NOT in order of preference! And believe me, my pressure is REALLY high today! I just don't know where to start they all look so wonderful! The reveal of Far and Away, from  Teresa Collins caught my eye. This collection is ideal for a mini book or a full 12x12. Hmmmm, what to do?!

In addition, Simple Stories has a collection titled 24/Seven. I already know what I will be using this for!It's really versatile and will be ideal for 8th grade graduation cards and projects I will be working on this spring. Hard to believe my son Josh is going to a highschooler next fall!

Being a huge fan of My Mind's Eye, I am curious what their new line "Collectable" will be. They've only posted a little teaser on their blog. I am anxiously awaiting an actual sneak peek-just a paper pack or maybe an embellishment or two! Please?!

"Oh My!" was what came to my mind when I saw list of Echo Park collections.They actually started announcing their releases last month already. But, the adorable collection Easter takes the cake. I will have to make a couple mini books to hold those cute pics of kiddies at egg hunts, and visits to the Easter Bunny! Then there is the wall art like the paper cone wreaths and plaques! Oh My! Here is a peek at this collection:

Authentique has come out with a lovely line that I will have to use in a mini...or two or three! This is totally on my must have in my stash list. The ideas and images floating around in my head are boundless.

I see this collection being used in so many ways. The coordinating die cuts like the Puzzle Pieces is brilliant. Honestly, all the accent pieces are a delight. The Petite Folders...Frames and Corners....ahhhh! Makes me happy!

And lastly for today, I came across Washi Tape I really love from Prima. It's a "Gotta Have!"

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE! Back to Tim Holtz, there are some new dies that are being released that really caught my attention. I already use some of the One the Edge Dies, but could ALWAYS use more. After all, isn't that what we all do best, buy more and more and more? Well, the lovely group of fellow scrappers I belong to are wonderful enablers-so that is sorta the theme for us! Here is a peek at the dies:

 

Well, gotta run for now. All these visions of projects to come has my mind racing. I hope if you are checking out the blog and see some of these pics from CHA....you will also get the itch to start creating!

Next Exit...Blogosphere!

Well Ladies and Gents....as scary as it is, I have joined the blogging community. Please, bear with me as I set my site up and get things up and running! This is a project that I have been encouraged to tackle over these last few months. I FINALLY met it head on and jumped in with both feet. So, as things progress this site will reflect my style and design in the papercrafting world. Projects I am working on, and maybe some from other scrappy realms will fill all this empty space! Thanks for stopping by and feel free to chime in and say HI!