Leave a comment :)

Okay I'm done for today... ya know... posting about our spot light gals :) Fun day!

Anyways, Leave a comment and I'll pick a winner on Monday. Oh... remember to leave some love for our spot light gals :)

Have a great night

~H

Elle Sosnoski

Ellen's blog

"When I got the Chianti papers, I instantly knew I wanted to make something altered with it and that is when I made the Fortune Cookies and Take Out Container. It was right around Valentines Day and it was perfect timing. I also did a tutorial on how to make them and posted it on the blog."

Bio:
hi, i'm ellen. i love to have fun & am a passionate person, especially when it comes to what i love; family, friends, dogs, and paper ;)

Heidi's thoughts:
YOU have to go and visit this girls blog!!!! She makes the BEST altered items and has inspired me in fun new ways! She... for sure.... has fun skills!

Grace Ma

Grace's blog

Bio:

"I'm Grace Ma from Singapore! I'm a stay-at-home mum to two little tykes aged 5 and 3 years, a freelance writer, and a scrapper with whatever left over time I have. My idea of winding down is creating a layout or a handmade gift for a friend. I don't really have a particular style, but I've a penchant for browns, reds and oranges so they tend to show up in my creations. Some days when I'm on a roll, I can scrap or make stuff until 2am! My husband thinks I'm crazy to sacrifice sleep but he's still awfully sweet and supportive of my hobby. I also love to take pictures, especially of my travels and children, with my Canon EOS 350D - a second-hand purchase that I consider my best investment to date! So, photography+scrapping = a happy me =) I'm thankful that I can capture the moments I spend with my family and friends and enjoy every minute of it."

Heidi's thoughts:

I love that Grace has a clean layering style! It allow you to enjoy everything... without overload!

It's such lovely work :)

Melita Chow

Melita's blog

Bio:

I am a SAHM with two wonderful kids and a very supportive husband of 11 years. I have been scrapping for almost 4 years now and grow to love this wonderful hobby more and more each day. I love all the different elements in scrapping: the paper, the embellishments, and the tools. It amazes me how much talent everyone has and I am so blessed to have discovered something that brings me so much joy! I am also so thankful for the opportunities scrapping has provided me. I have made wonderful new friends, gotten to travel a little, and met more than a few "kindred" spirits along the way.

Heidi's Thoughts:
when I read "I scrapbook because it keeps me sane and feeds my soul" I totally agreed!! You can see the peace through Melita work. I love this Heritage and serenity layout! such beautiful work!
Thanks for sharing your talent with us Melita :)

Pamela Young

Bio:

Hello! My name is Pamela Young, and I absolutely LOVE scrapbooking. It is a way of life for me. :) It is my therapy and my peace. I have been scrapbooking for about 8 years and card-making for 7 years. I have just added altering and digital/hybrid scrapbooking to what I do this past year. My style keeps evolving. I love to try new things. I also tend to stick with my favorite techniques and designs. If I find something I love, I tend to use it a lot. :) I have been published in several different magazines (Cards, Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Scrapbooks and Cards Today, Scrapbooks Etc, and Scrapbook Trends). I keep an updated blog at http://pamelasworldofscrap.blogspot.com/.
I am currently living in Colorado, and I am a SAHM to two wild boys, ages 6 and 4, and a baby girl (almost 5 months old). They grow up so fast. I am enjoying life right now, even though it can get a bit chaotic. J I am so thankful that I scrapbook and will be able to look back over these days. I have a wonderful husband who is supportive of my scrapbook obsession. We have been married for 9 years. Family plays a big part in my life.

Heidi's thoughts:

First of all... I love the stitching Pamela did on her layout. SO PRETTY! and 2nd... what cute and fun altered items :) I love the way Pamela used our pattern papers and wasn't afraid to mix with other items :) Great job Pamela!

Tracey Taylor

Tracey's blog

Bio:

I am a French teacher by profession who has recently embarked on a new career as a stay at home Mom. Scrapbooking is not only a hobby, by a way to keep me contected to my old life. I teach scrapbooking classes in person (local crops) and online. I am also sometimes a student enjoying photography classes by Kathy Thompson and Jessica Sprague. Learning truly is a life long process and I enjoy every minute of it whether I'm the one who is learning or the one guiding it.


Heidi's thoughts:
When I look at Tracey's work... one word comes to mind... elegant :) I love the soft colors she uses and how "light and air like" it is :) just beautiful!

Lisa Warren

Lisa's blog

Bio:

Hi, I'm Lisa Warren. I live in Australia with my husband/bff Andrew, our two fun-loving kids, Seth (5) & Emeline (3) and our scruffy pup Marley. I have been scrapbooking for 5 years and I just love it...I try to scrapbook everyday. I like to have fun with my scrapbooking and I’m not afraid to try new things. One thing you'll notice from my layouts is that I always include lots of patterns and dimension. I love using patterned backgrounds and I also like to use lots of layers... I'm a wife and mother, trying to fit in everything life has to offer and scrapbooking all the details :)

Heidi's thoughts:

I just love looking at Lisa's work. I can tell how much she loves this hobby... by the way she places her photos and color choices. There is a lot of thought put into each amazing layout :)

Gina Hanson

Gina's blog

Bio:

My name is Gina Hanson, I live in South Eastern Washington with my husband Joe, we've been married for 15 years. I am a SAHM to our two children, Kaitie (14) and Jakob (9). I discovered this amazing hobby almost twelve years ago when my daughter was just about two years old. My sister dragged me to a party and ever since then I've been hooked, although my style has most certainly evolved from the days of heart and star shaped photos! I'm so thankful that I found this hobby, I'm able to hold onto memories and special moments that would otherwise soon become packed in a box and stored in a corner. Over the past few years, I have been lucky enough to have had numerous layouts, cards and projects published in scrapbooking magazines and idea books. I also have a passion for photography and very rarely can be found without my camera. I enjoy capturing our everyday life through my lens. I've always had a hard time defining my style, it seems to be whatever the mood of what layout I'm working on and of course the products. I try not to limit myself to one particular style nor could I describe it with just one word. It's always evolving, some layouts are simple and others are more complex. Clean and simple with a "kick" does ring a bell though! :)

Heidi thoughts:

I just loved these 3 layouts and all the clean beautiful lines. Gina is one VERY talented gal and her work shows it!

Kim Arnold

Good day everyone,

Today our blog will be celebrating all of our talented Spot light Gals! woot! So, lets get this party started. First up is Kim Arnold...

Kim's blog

Bio:

My name is Kim Arnold. I live in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia with my husband Gary and my son Benson. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I am a friendly, happy, easy-going and loyal person who gets along with nearly everyone. I started scrapbooking nearly 4 years ago when my son was born. Before I started scrapping I was a quilter and could never understand the passion for scrapbooking – now 4 years on and I am obsessed! I LOVE patterned papers and combining them to create my own little pieces of art. Scrapbooking to me is a wonderful combination of creative release and memory recording. I do something scrapbook related everyday.



Scrapbooking is my passion. My style involves layered papers and embellishments, with interesting details, whilst maintaining a focus on the photo and the story. I am also a keen amateur photographer and this assists me with both photos to scrap and photographing my layouts, cards and off the page items.

Heidi Thoughts: You all need to check out Kim's latest work! It is so wonderful and it has filled my mind with fun new ideas. Thanks Kim ... I loved this layout :)

Spot Light Day

This past month I got behind on posting... about our very talented "spot light gals". Which makes me sad! We have been very busy getting stuff ready for CHA and much more. So, to solve this issue...

Come back tomorrow for a fun day of spot lights... being shown on 12 girls! that's right 12!

It will be a fun day and there will be a give away of our NEW Christmas collection... Christmas Sleigh :) Hint... the winner will be one of the first to get it in scrappyland! WOOT!

I'll see you all tomorrow

Happy Veteran's Day :)

What am I grateful for this day? Our Freedom and those that fight for it daily!
Today is Veteran's Day, as most of you know, and I love to spend this day saying "thank you", to those that have served our country :)

I hope and encourage you all, to take a moment and say "Thank you", to those men and women that keep us safe in this beautiful land we call home





Card by: Lynn

"Give Thanks" cardSize: 5 1/2 x 4 1/4GCD Studios supplies used:#163 Rich Boquet/Loverly CollectionOther supplies used:Cardstock: Bazzill BasicsButton: Craft SupplyRibbon: Cosmo CricketHemp: Stampin' Up!Thread: Coats & ClarkStickers: Making MemoriesStamps: Unity Stamp CompanyInk: ColorboxPunch: Fiskars

Project Time With Grace T

This morning when I woke up, I had MANY emails with gorgeous photos...filled with beautiful fall photos :)

However, there can only be one winner and that person is... Tracey Taylor!

Why did she win???

I love the bright true colors of the leaves and this sweet little face :) CONGRATS GIRL... Please send me your info at hsonboul@gcdstudios.com and place "fall photo winner" in the subject line.

and now onto Grace's BEAUTIFUL and CREATIVE Thanks Giving idea :) Get ready to be inspired by her! I know I was!

Be Grateful jar, notepad pocket and altered pen:

I love that November always gives us a reason to reflect on the things we are grateful for. Although we should not put off the thanking till this month and make it a habit to be grateful all year long, this month's holiday always gets me going on my "thankful" list.

This year I decided to get my family in on the beauty of gratitude and decided to make this craft to go along with our activity. I want each family member to write something that they're grateful for and we'll all keep it in the jar. I would also want this to be a continuous activity so I will dedicate a space in my home where this can be placed so that when somebody feels the need to document something that they felt blessed about, they can write it down.

Next year around this time, I'll gather my family up again and open up the jar and reread everybody's "grateful" list. I'm sure this will leave us feeling very blessed and humbled. It will also be interesting to know what my kids truly consider as their blessings.

So let's go back to the project....I repurposed an old peach jar and fancied it up with the New Artsy Urban collection. I love the vintage title blocks in the collection and used the one with the "be" on it as part of my title. I added small letter stickers to spell out the "grateful" word and finished it up with some punched out butterflies, border die cuts, papers and ribbon. I also decorated the top. This part was very easy cause I just grabbed one of the layered flower chipboards that is part of the collection as well.

I made pocket from scratch using some of the great papers from the collection. I love that it's double sided, I get more designs from the pack. I added the same ribbon I used on the jar and added another butterfly plus used one of the journaling spots to handwrite a title.To make this a complete set, I added a pen. I made it match with everything else by covering it with the same pattern paper that I've used for the other two projects and finished it off with a punched butterfly as well.


Thanks Grace for this amazing idea and fun way to be grateful this Thanks Giving!

~H

The Joy of Provence

It's another "new week" and fall is truly here. It makes me want to pull out all my Yellow, Orange and red papers, to scrap with. Being that orange is my favorite color... this is a perfect time of year for me :)

Do you love fall colors?

I have a fast and easy challenge for you all today... Do you have a fall photo of trees, outside, or kids playing in leaves???

If you do... Please email me at hsonboul@gcdstudios.com with the photo and

one lucky winner will win our Provence collection!

You have until tonight at (midnight PST), to send me your fall photo to be entered into the GIVE AWAY :)

Here is one of my favorite papers from the collection.

Also... If you have the new issue of Card Trends... you will see this Beautiful card created by Kay Sibley. She also posted about it on her blog here and if you notice... she used the Provence collection :)
We are also lucky to have two more cards created with the Provence collection, from our Nov Guest designer... Robyn.

Make sure you came back tomorrow to see the fall photo winner AND to learn more about this kit club... from a KISS ON THE CHIC :)

Have a great Monday everyone

~H

The winner is

Summer Braxton said...
I'll have to contact Laura bc that kit is stunning. I love all things Artsy Urban so feel free to send that album my way :)
November 3, 2009 11:04 AM

Summer send me your info at hsonboul@gcdstudios.com and place Artsy Urban Album in the subject.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About 3 weeks ago, I sent Pam Callaghan (a dear friend) our new Artsy Urban Collection and she went to TOWN! In 3 days she created these 3 layouts.

Pam is one talented gal and she has created a FUN new blog :)

She is known for her cool templates there and I have decided to turn it into a challenge.

THE PAM CHALLENGE:

you have 3 weeks to:

1. Head to Pam's blog
2. Pick a Template
3. Scrap with the Template... USING 50% of GCD STUDIOS Product ( I will make a list where you can kind our goods)
4. Turn it in by no later then Nov 27th, to hsonboul@gcdstudios.com and place "Pam's Challenge" in the subject line

Prize:

The winner will recieve $50.00 in GCD Studios Product.

Good luck to everyone :)Links to online stores

Stop and Scrap: http://www.stopandscrap.com/gcd-studios.aspx

Lifetime Moments: http://shop.lifetimemoments.com/merchant.mvc?

A cherry on top: http://www.acherryontop.com/shop/company/gcd_studios

Surprise....another product tester....

Before I welcome our 2nd VERY TALENTED... product tester...

I wanted to share some VERY exciting NEWS! Our Very crafty Lori Roop, got the Cover of Simply Hand Made, Oct/Nov issue :)

WE ARE SOOOO VERY PROUD OF HER! Congrats girl and GOOD WORK!

Molly Peckham

(Product Tester)

Review:

When I first got the Morning Glory line, I was so happy (and not just because the paper screams happiness ;) ), because I finally, after almost 10 years of marriage, actually KNEW what I was going to do with our master bathroom!!! Yes, I know, not many people would say that after seeing this line, they would think this would work great with Easter photos, or some photos from vacation. Not me, I saw it, fell in love with the colors, and could not WAIT to start working on something altered for my bathroom. The line was SO easy to work with, obviously, and cuts like butter with not only punches, but with the Cricut, as well (even with the papers that are heavier and have glitter, and embossing, on them). I could not have been more pleased with this line then a kid in a candy store! Thank you, so much, GCD, and Heidi, for sending it to me and allowing me to work with it.

Don't you just love this idea from Molly?! I love looking at home decor magazines and seeing Bathrooms covered in style!!! Molly, you are one Crafty smart gal, to take the scrappy side... into the bathroom! You rocked this!
~H

It's product testing time

PLEASE WELCOME...

Mimi Leinbach

Review:

As a mom to two boys I jumped for joy when I saw all the boyish goodness in the box filled with the Vintage Boy line and a set of black glitter alphabets. I just love the texture of the GCD Studios paper, it really has a very rich, luxurious feel to it. The bold patterns and designs are totally original and really are fun to work with. It is totally versatile. Even though this is a "boy" line it worked perfectly on a beach layout...I also think these paper would be fabulous for some fall layouts. I love the look of the glitter alphabets as well. They have just enough sparkle to make them special. In each package are 5 sheets of letters and numbers. Plenty to last for quite a few projects. You can't go wrong with these products, so be sure to add them to your wish list, happy scrapping!

Thanks Mimi, for making SUCH GORGEOUS projects and thinking out of the box ;)

~H

Artsy Urban GIVE AWAY!!!

Happy November everyone!

This month for me is filled with making Christmas cards, working on spring magazine submissions, fall photo shoots, new sweaters :) and warm soups.

To start this month off... we are doing a few fun give aways all week long... with the Artsy Urban collection!

But first... have you been waiting to get 'your hands' on this new collection? Well, guess what... now you can :) Over at a Kiss on the Chic... Laura (the owner), has put her November Kit together and it has TONS of Artsy Urban!

The Kit looks like this:

This kit is going to sell fast... so make sure you jump on it! If you want it, you can contact Laura for more info on the kit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today I have 3 gorgeous layout to share

These first two are by Nancy (our DT gal)



And this layout was created by Beth kartchner

Leave a comment and you might be the winner of this lovely album, from our Artsy Urban collection.

Please welcome our November Guest Design Artist

With every new month... comes a new talented guest design artist. This girl has become a good friend of mine and you can see her work... just about everywhere! I'm soooo exited to welcome....

Robyn Weatherspoon

Bio:
My name is Robyn Weatherspoon. I am a mother of 2; Brittany who is 20 years old and Michael who is 7. I’m a 5th grade teacher by day which I love, and a scrapper by night! I’ve been told that I have a way with people, because I’m very friendly and a bit goofy! My favorite color is purple and I love to drink Diet Cherry Limeade’s from Sonic! Mmmmmm good!(LOL!) I’m very close with my family and love to laugh and cook. Since my son has Autism, I do everything I can to support Autism Awareness. I live in St. Louis, Missouri with my children.

Here is a link to her blog and you just have to check it out! She has tons of beautiful things there!

Robyn's Blog

Thanks Robyn for being with us this month :)

P.S. Tomorrow is a give away

6 fun ideas

I'm heading off to Bradley school parade and before I go, I wanted to share some more ideas for Halloween. Here are 6 fun new ideas, that are easy to scrap -lift

Lynn

A curved title

Estee

Curly paper strips

Renee
Brads layered on buttons

Beatriz

A big beautiful bow

Nancy H- Guest DT gal

same sized photos for a fun fall town fairs

Crisp Air

Do you have everything ready for Halloween? It's 3 days away :)
Here are a few more fun ideas, for treats and a layout:

This adorable door hanger was created by our Lynn.
I love surprising people with cute treats! Wouldn't this been neat to place on all our neighbors front doors... Halloween morning?!

I LOVE Candy apples.... and this fun idea was created by our Krista. She decided to place her yummy Halloween treats inside of this CUTE can. Yes... "It all about the treats" lol

This cool layout was created by our Brenda and the spider and web are cut from her sillouhette!!

Brenda made this once step better, by adding a white pin to it. It gives a perfect creepy look.

Serena... come on down!

The winner of our Halloween Sketch contest is.... Serena Gedlaman. AWESOME WORK girl!

send me your info at Hsonboul@gcdstudios.com and I'll send you the spooked collection/ embellies :)

If you are having a Halloween party this year... wouldn't these make CUTE party favors?! I found this idea on the Martha Stewart website and I plan to make these with my boys. So fun!

Also this cute idea is by Nancy, our Guest Designer.

It's a great way to recycle and be crafty for others :)

Hello Monday

Just a reminder that the sketch contest is due today. You have until 12pm PST :)

Check out this layout that our Guest Design Gal Nancy made.
She decided to use the sketch as well. I love how she layered the spooked pattern paper and added an eye to the "O".


This CUTE little house was made by our Amber. Check out all the layering on the roof. SO PRETTY!
And last... this adorable pumpkin tag was made by Sherry. She used our green Chipboard to create the vine. SO SMART!

It's just a few more days until Halloween. I hope everyone is having a great fall day!

Just a reminder....Sketch contest ends soon

First up... here are two VERY cute cards by our Lori. I love how she "paper pieces" and I love these pumpkin. If you notice, It's just 3 ovals layered.

Then check out how she added orange to the black Artsy Urban paper (the flowers). SO CREATIVE!

Remember

there are only 3 more days to enter the Sketch Contest. I can't wait to see your layouts.

We hope you have fun with this Sketch... because... there is a prize behind it. To qualify for the prize you'll need to make this sketch (by renee) "your own".

Rules:

1) You need to use at least 50% of GCD goodies

2) We need to be able to tell "you used the sketch"

3) It needs to be a Halloween themed layout

4) It needs to be in no later then October 26th

5) It needs to be emailed to me at hsonboul@gcdstudios.com

6) It needs to be a layout. Sorry no cards this time.

Then on Oct 31st... we will announce the winner.

and the prize is this...

4 fun embellishment packs

1 pad of our Spooked collection

Have a happy Scrappy weekend!

~H

Lets see those Costumes

I love seeing little ones in costumes! LOVE IT!

So here are 3 layouts created by our DT gals

1) Match the title with the photos

- as you can see Brenda, did just that. She titled her fun photos... "Pumpkin Heads" and by the way... aren't these just the funniest photos ever?! lol I love these photos!

2) A pop of color!

- black is a perfect Halloween color! In this layout Estee used a fun pop of color, along with glitter to make her layout have a fun finished look!

3) Share the moment

- in this very cute layout... Nancy used more than one photo to show how the day and "costume" worked out. Sometimes kids "hate their costumes"! Sometimes they love them! Remember to share the memories! It will make for a good laugh, later in life :)

Fun Tips For Halloween

Halloween seems to be one of those days... where you run around a lot. Trying to get everyone ready for the night... sometimes leaves you with photos that are too dark and often not usable for scrapping.

Heidi's tips:

Every year... a few days before Halloween comes, I have a check list of photos I want and here they are

1) Costumes hanging up around Halloween decor

2) The sunsetting

3) Halloween treats in a big bowl

4) Buckets my boys will use.

5) Them holding the buckets in their little hands

6) House Decorations

7) My boys in their costumes together with good lighting

8) Picking out our pumpkins

9) Carving pumpkins

10) light the pumpkins and setting them out

11) Getting my boys dressed in their costumes

12) Town decor

13) Halloween treats and baking

14) School and town parade

15) All things that are orange

I do this because... it will guarantee good photos that are not rushed and over posed on Halloween.

Next week I'll share more ideas for Halloween.

Trick or Treat?

Here is another FUN project by our talented Guest Designer... Nancy H :)

I just love this Halloween banner and that she used a lot of pattern papers and embellies :)

I also love how she tied them all together with orange string.

Nancy used our Spooked collection that is beyond perfect for Halloween! :)

It's a fun simple project... you can do with your kiddos.

PS don't forget about our Sketch Contest. To find more info on it... click here

ALSO... over at The Scrap Review... you'll find a review on the new artsy Urban....

THEY ARE DOING TWO GIVE AWAYS ;)

SKETCH CONTEST...

I have another fun Halloween item today..... AND a CONTEST! Check out this cool layout. It was created by our DT gal Renee and she used the new Artsy Urban collection.

By using just the black from the collection... she created a very cool look. She also added a little Yellow and gray, to give a nice finished look.

We hope you have fun with this Sketch... because... there is a prize behind it.

To qualify for the prize you'll need to make this sketch (by renee) "your own".

Rules:

1) You need to use at least 70% of GCD goodies (hint... Michael's is carrying Artsy Urban today, but only at a 100 locations)

2) We need to be able to tell "you used the sketch"

3) It needs to be a Halloween themed layout

4) It needs to be in no later then October 26th... two Mondays from now.

5) It needs to be emailed to me at hsonboul@gcdstudios.com

6) It needs to be a layout. Sorry no cards this time.

Then on Oct 31st... we will announce the winner.

and the prize is this...

4 fun embellishment packs

1 pad of our Spooked collection

Good luck :) I can't wait to see what you all make!

vintage halloween card with Beatriz

Isn't this gorgeous?!
This lovely card was create by our very talented Beatriz. If you noticed... she used the new Artsy Urban collection. This perfect vintage card, would have you thinking it was 50 years old... if you found it in an old family desk :)

I've also provided you with the sketch. we hope you have fun with this idea.
AND... Thanks Beatriz!
~H

Special Treats... with Jen

Check out this cute Special Treat bag by our Talented Jenyfur


Jen said:

When we were given Halloween assignments, I immediately knew I would use "Paris Nights". I thought the black and off-white combo would work perfectly with just a splash of orange. I created treat bags and have been trying to keep my kids from them (I made one for each of them) until Halloween! Now for the details...

The inside bag is a little Ziploc for embellishments, it measures 4 3/4" x 2 3/4". The Ziploc holds a full bag of peanut M&Ms. I cut my treat bag cover to 3 1/2" x 12" and scored it at 1 1/2" from one end. I flipped it around and scored at 5" and 5 1/4" from the other end. I adhered the candy bag to the inside of the pocket. The top flap tucks under the scalloped circle on the front for closure - I adhered the scalloped circle only at the bottom. I embellished my bag with a sparkly pumpkin, bit of ribbon, and a "halloween" die cut. So easy and fun!

Halloween Gift Bag and Card: By Grace T

Grace worte:
I decided to "play" with fun papers from different GCD collections. Most of them are from the Party it up collection, but the two black patterns (dots and stripes) are from the Canta and Paris Nights collection. I love that GCD offers patterns and designs that can be interchangeable and used for all sorts of themes.Because Halloween is always a fun holiday in my house, I decided to create a "happy" (as oppose to a scary one) Frankenstein. "Frankie" as my daughter named him started with a template for a leprechaun. I just changed the shoes and the hair. I also added some googly eyes and brads for buttons for his shirt. -My son said that Frankie needed a friend, so I made an accompanying card that had another Frankie on there but just the face. I used pretty much the same papers that I used for the altered bag and finished with a simple stamp sentiment.

A close up of her cute spooky guy

A colorful tag close up

and a close up for googly eyes!

Thanks Grace for these fun and colorful ideas!