Happy 10-10-10!!

First of all, I cannot believe it's October and 10 days in! SO many things to get done before we travel to Japan for my father's memorial and entombment.

Since today is 10-10-10, I thought I'd come up with 10 Random Thoughts...



1. My latest Spellbinders Blog Project




2. 2010 SHS Homecoming Court (Taka is second to left)/Photo Courtesy of SHS website



3. Day Trip to Downtown Chicago with Fiona

4. One of my favorite banners & displayed @ CraftFancy (IL)!

5. My youngest brother, Dave, mom and me @ Sushi Roku (CA)

6. My first Mojito @ Asia de Cuba in W. Hollywood (CA)

7. A Family Dinner @ California Pizza Kitchen in Pasadena (CA)

8. A TaDa Creative Studios Project - Mug Sleeve

9. At Summer 2010 CHA Trade Show w/ Nikki Sivils (one of my first articles w/ "Love My Memories" Jpn SB Magazine)

10. A less painful way to fold clothes - it works!

OK...those are my 10 Random Thoughts of the Day! It is about 80 degrees in Chicago so off to enjoy my day and I hope you do too!

Thanks for stopping by!

JustRite 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop #4

Welcome to JustRite Stampers’ newest Wednesday feature:
12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop #4!

Every Wednesday up until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops to showcase their entire Christmas Collection!

Mark your calendars for Wednesdays at 9am U.S. Central Standard Time for great Christmas gift, card and project ideas, starting at the JustRite Inspiration blog! This week, it's the Spellbinders™ Design Team!

Today, I'd like to share a card that I created with JB-09520 Clear Horizontal Stamper, JB-09255 Christmas Nested Sentiments & Verses and JB-P09770 Holiday Cheer with Free 1 3/16" Stamper (Limited Time).

Of course, in the mix are some of my favorite Spellbinders™ die templates. I shaped the card with S5-025 Labels Seventeen #6 (the smallest size die is #1) and used the same set to frame the sentiment (die #4) and its foil mat (die #3).

Using F-003 Blue Premium Craft Foil, I embossed with I2-1006 Impressabilities™ Floral and Stone for a textured mat behind the sentiment. I sanded the foil to highlight the embossing.

Next, I stamped a sentiment from the JB-09255 Christmas Nested Sentiments & Verses and cut it
with the S5-025 Labels Seventeen #3. Make sure to secure the die template with repositionable tape.

After I stamped an image from the JB-P09770 Holiday Cheer and cut/embossed with S4-114 Standard Circles LG #1 , I colored with atyou Spica Olive and Red to give it some sparkle.

For its mat, I cut/embossed S4-114 Standard Circles LG #2  and used a cool product from MuddPuddles.net. It started as a wet paste and when it dried, it became artificial grass! Love it! They also have it in sand, snow and many other variations. When dried, I edged it with dark green ink.

The last embellishment was the flower I created by winding a pleated ribbon on a cardstock circle with Zip Dry. Then afterwards, I adhered the matted holly image on top of the flower.

I inked the edges of the other elements and assembled the layers as shown below for a finished card.

Supplies Spellbinders™ S5-025 Labels Seventeen #3, #4 & #6, S4-114 Standard Circles LG #1 & #2, I2-1006 Impressabilities™ Floral and Stone, F-003 Blue Premium Craft Foil; JustRite JB-09520 Clear Horizontal Stamper, JB-09255 Christmas Nested Sentiments & Verses, JB-P09770 Holiday Cheer with Free 1 3/16" Stamper (Limited Time); My Mind's Eye Sign Christmas Collection; MuddPuddles.com Golf; atyou Spica Red & Olive; Maya Road Pleated Ribbon; Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry; Misc: white cardstock & fine grade sandpaper

Please visit the following designers’ blogs to see what fabulous JustRite Christmas inspiration they have for you on the hop today:

JustRite Inspiration Blog

Spellbinders Paper Arts

Becca Feeken

Mona Pendleton

Debbie Olson

Ashley Cannon Newell

Sharon Harnist

Eva Dobilas

Kazan Clark

Beate Johns

Kellie Fortin

Margie Higuchi

Kathy Jones

Regina Hanson

Sankari Wegman

Deborah Young

Angela Barkhouse

Michele Kovack

Terre Fry

Barb Schram

Thanks for visiting!
MargieH

Homecoming 2010

For once Homecoming in this household was an exciting event as our oldest son became his high school's sophomore class (male) attendant? prince? - what do you call these guys (other than the Homecoming King)?! LOL!!

We only had female attendants with male escorts of their choice (boyfriend, friend, father...). So this is something quite different for me. More confusing for my husband - they don't have this kind of event in Japan! LOL!!

I went to the Coronation yesterday. When the Emcee called Taka's name as the most voted for the sophomore class. It didn't register with me or him! He went to line up with the rest of the nominees instead of center stage! LOL!!! It was a FUN day for him.

Either way, I am SO PROUD of him!!! Never knew he was THAT popular! LOL!!

Congratulations, Taka! I'm sure Grandfather is looking over you! xo

A Tribute to My Father...

Hello all!
I've been off for a good reason but miss being back in my old routine.

Going back to the reason...my dear sweet father passed away during the Labor Day weekend (Sunday, Sept 5th) in Los Angeles. My family and I are sadden and heartbroken BUT we realized that he had a WONDERFUL LIFE - all 84 years of it!

Ittoku "Bud" Fujii
January 1926 - September 2010

Things About Dad:
- Born in Shanghai, China
- Was one of six siblings
- Father (my grandfather) was an international lawyer
- From kindergarten, wanted to be an international businessman
- Graduate of prestigious Tokyo University
- Named PANASONIC and now the whole company (Matsushita Electric
  Corp.) was renamed to PANASONIC worldwide
- Help phrase PANASONIC's tagline "Just Slightly Ahead Of Its Time"
- Started his own company (import/export-related) in his late 50s
- ALWAYS thinking about business! LOL!
- Married to mom for 50 years (they celebrated this year on May 23rd)

He will be sorely missed especially by my mother. She is holding up as best she can but I think it will hit her when she returns to Japan and the dust settles a little. It is interesting that the day he passed (Sept. 5th) was the same day he first took my mother to the U.S. - a little fact that my brother shared with me.

Although I have been apart from my parents for over 20+ years, my father was always there when I needed him especially when it came to my career decisions. I am proud of how he changed things in the Japan corporate world then and how it has evolved now.

Many, many thanks to all the emails, cards and expressions of sympathy from all of you. Words cannot describe how touched my family and I are. THANK YOU!!

Rest In Peace, Dear Dad!

OTSUKARESAMA DESHITA! xo

It's A Spellbinders' Kind of Day!!

.
.

Spellbinders Listed as One of America’s Fastest Growing Companies

Peoria, AZ – August 31, 2010 — Spellbinders™ Paper Arts, LLC, an award-winning inventor, manufacturer and marketer of cutting edge tools for crafters, announced today it has been named to the Inc. 500, a list of the fastest growing private companies in America. With an extraordinary three-year growth rate of 673%, Spellbinders Paper Arts is ranked 446 on this year’s list, No. 5 in the Phoenix Metro area and No. 25 in the Consumer Products & Services category. With over 27 million businesses registered in the United States, the Inc. 500 list represents the top-tier businesses in America today.

“Fast growth at any time is a big achievement; fast growth during the past few years is just short of miraculous,” said Inc. editor Jane Berentson. “The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times.”

Each year, Inc. magazine ranks U.S.-based, privately held companies according to percentage growth. The fastest-growing list is an exclusive ranking of entrepreneurs nationwide – a group Inc. magazine refers to as the most important segment of the U.S. economy. “It is an honor to be included in this year’s Inc. 500 list and recognized for our entrepreneurial achievements,” said Stacey Caron, Spellbinders’ President. “Our focus has always been on manufacturing innovative, quality products for crafters. This confirmation of our success is the ultimate recognition of our efforts to grow a business that is both rewarding and fulfilling.”

Spellbinders embraces Web 2.0 marketing methods. They have assembled a team of the best designers in the industry to share their expertise online through a variety of web communities.

About Spellbinders Paper Arts

Spellbinders entered the craft and hobby market in 2003 with the introduction of the Wizard® Universal Craft Tool and a unique, patented collection of dies unlike any introduced before - or since. Always on the cutting edge in introducing innovative tools to the market, the Grand Calibur™ and Presto Punch™ are the company’s latest offerings for crafters. Spellbinders product lines include more than 250 patented and patent-pending products, allowing crafters, hobbyists, artists and teachers to create one-of-a-kind, beautiful paper art projects. Visit http://www.spellbinderspaperarts.com/ or e-mail info@spellbinders.us for more information.

...................................###

Copyright 2010 Spellbinders Paper Arts LLC. All rights reserved. Spellbinders and the Spellbinders logo are trademarks of Spellbinders Paper Arts LLC. Spellbinders product specifications are subject to change without notice. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

----------------------------------------------------
Some CHA stuff...I'll be adding more...just trying to catch up! LOL!

I found this video of myself demostrating the newest product from Spellbinders, The Grand Calibur and The Grand Nestabilities! This is my first video so I'm a little nervous - don't mind me but mind the newest toy!!! I love it!!

Click on to the above links to get more detailed product information. Things I did not mention: load up S4 die templates in one platform to save time esp. during the holiday seasons (aka those homemade cards), plastic body but the important gears inside are metal, right-handed/left-handed crafter friendly and more pressure than the Wizard.



A little birdie (coughCAROLcough) told me that my LSS, Craft Fancy (Arlington Hts., IL) has ordered them!! So if you live in the Chicago area, check it out when they will ship early October!

TaDa Answers When Creativity Knocks

TaDa Creative Studios was picked by "When Creativity Knocks" (WCK) folks for a contest! Nine paper companies were featured by WCK during Summer CHA (Craft & Hobby Assoc.) Trade Show.

"The Great Crafters' Paper Cut" Contest is at WCK's site HERE (this is the link directly to TaDa). You will need to register as a member (FREE) in order to vote. If you like TaDa's The Big Top Collection, please vote for us! It is a FUN collection. Here's what I did with my stash...a birthday wagon which was displayed in the booth full of circus candies!

One side of the wagon with "popped" images

The other side with a birthday sentiment - Die cuts from Spellbinders

Thanks in advance for voting!!

MIA - Catch Up Time

Hi all!
I know it's been WAY TOO LONG since I posted but I do have a reason (well, a couple of them)...

First reason: CHA (Craft & Hobby Assoc.) trade show and SuperShow CHA Consumer Show back-to-back. Loads of work but lots of fun...it was so good to see friends that I can only see at these shows. I am sorry to have missed a lot of my friends too. Here are some pictures that were taken:

CHA

Spellbinders Sign - I don't get lost at CHA! LOL!

Spellbinders - Beth hard at work (I did take a pic of you! LOL!)

Spellbinders - Holly in lights! With Gina K Designs :0)

TaDa Creative Studios Booth - Super Cute!

TaDa Creative Studios - The Big Top Collection! One of my favorite!

CHA Consumer Super Show

Chicago's First Consumer Show - Getting Our Tickets

My friend ChrisR - thanks for driving & for motivating! LOL!

Jessica Sprague - My first digital page! For you, Chrissy! LOL!

Second reason: During CHA/Super Show, my father was hospitalized and had two surgeries to take care of his spinal cord (both were successful). When he caught Pneumonia and couldn't break his fever, it was decided that I fly out to LA to be with my parents. I was able to get a flight out the next day and off I went. He is doing well but has to go through weeks? months? of rehabilitation to get back his daily routine (or as much of it as possible). My brothers and I were most concerned about our mother so I stayed out there for three weeks to support her in whatever she needed.

I wanted to thank Spellbinders™ and TaDa Creative Studios for their understanding and concern for my father! Couldn't have been more luckier to have such kind and thoughtful people to work with! Gratitude especially to my blog author team members, Beth and Holly (click HERE for the GinaK Designs video), for their patience while I take care of my parents! xo

Featured on Today's Spellbinders Blog - THANK YOU!!

OK...a third reason: BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said.

Be on the lookout as I will post something fun about TaDa Creative Studios SOON!

CHA & TaDa Creative Studios!!!

Before I get some last minute packing done, I wanted to share one of the projects that will be at TaDa Creative Studios Booth (#2035) at CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) Trade Show!! The Jolly Holly Days Collection is a wonderful designed papers perfect for any Holiday themed scrapbook pages! But it is also perfect for those cookie exchange recipes, holiday cards and even home decor like my gingerbread house. Actually it can be a tall box tissue cover as well! See the chimney? It is an opening for tissue dispense! I ran out of tissue so I didn't have it pictured here but you get the point, right!

Would you like to win this collection? Even better, would you like to win the entire NEW RELEASE?!

All you have to do is (Read the entire directions first, it will make sense! LOL!!):
Leave a comment after this TaDa post telling us what your favorite new TaDa collection is;
Then go shout it out on your own blog, Facebook or message board that you frequent;
Be sure to leave the following address so others can take a peek:
http://tadacreativestudios.wordpress.com/2010/07/11/cha-sneak-peeks-are-here-2/
Along with your comment, leave us the link to your posting for verification.

Good luck!!
MargieH

CHA & Spellbinders Time!

CHA? Meaning Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Trade Show is upon us. The summer show is back in Chicago which means it's easier for me to attend the show (location & time-wise). This year, I am fortunate to work with Spellbinders (BOOTH #1423)!! Boy, do we have a line up of goodies!! BUT for those of you who can't attend, don't fret. We will be introducing the releases on the Company Blog the first day of CHA (next Tuesday) so stay tuned!

I get to work with some cool gals/guys at the booth! But mostly I am excited to be working with my BLOG AUTHORS colleagues - Holly Simoni and Beth Pingry!! I am SO LUCKY to be working with a couple of talented artists!!!

For those of you attending, we'll see you there!!!
MargieH xo

Special Announcement from SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L™!

Love their adhesives! I signed up...details below :0)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.…

Get ready to bring your craft to a whole new level! If you want to know what the big news is BEFORE anyone else … be sure you’ve signed up at http://www.theshapetocome.com/!

If you register your email address there before July 25th, you will get a special pre-show announcement one day before the CHA Trade Show starts!!

One lucky person that signs up between now and July 25th will be chosen at random to win $50 (msrp) of SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L™ products! The winner will be announced on August 2nd...look for it on their blog!

Oh! For those of you attending CHA in Chicago, SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L will be Booth #1113!

Good luck, everyone!!
MargieH

Spellbinders Paper Arts BIG Event Blog Frenzy Begins!

Spellbinders Paper Arts is hosting a BIG Event and you’re invited!

The Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show is fast approaching! Spellbinders™ Paper Arts has some BIG new products to show off, and we want to give them to you!

The Spellbinders BIG Event will begin on TODAY July 13, 2010, and will last for 8 days. Each day two of our fabulous Designers will introduce one or more BIG ideas. Each day two lucky winners will win all of that day’s newly revealed products! At the end of the BIG Event we will select a Grand Prize Winner!!

Below is the schedule of blogs and the official rules. Stop by the Spellbinders Blog each day, we will direct you to the BIG Event Blogs and announce the lucky winners.

July 13
Julie Overby
Debbie Olson

July 14
Judy Hayes
Latisha Yoast

July 15
AJ Otto
Kimberly Crawford

July 16
Becca Feeken
Linda Duke

July 17
Sherry Cheever
Deborah Young

July 18
Gina Hanson
Ashley Cannon Newell

July 19
Mona Pendleton
Heidi Blankenship

July 20
Keri Lee Sereika
Kazan Clark

RULES

Participants wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders BIG Event must adhere to all of the following rules.

•Enter each drawing of the Spellbinders BIG Event between July 13 and July 21, 2010, by visiting the participating blogs. Click on the email contest link to open an e-mail window. In the subject line of the e-mail, enter the name of the new product and send the email.

•Each blog contest will remain open for 48 hours.

•Only one entry per blog is allowed, and entrant must use the same email address daily to be considered for Grand Prize entry, no exceptions. Please consider whether you will have access to the same e-mail address from July 13 through July 21 and plan accordingly.

•After each contest closes, Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each BIG Event contest. The winners will be contacted by e-mail within 24 hours after each contest closes. The winners will have 72 hours to reply to that email to claim the prize. If a winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

•Participants wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the BIG Event Grand Prize must enter all 16 contests during the days and times each blog contest is open for entries, and by following the rules.

•By entering, you allow Spellbinders to publish your first name, city, state, and country of residence on the Spellbinders Blog and in promotional materials.

•Spellbinders Design Team members, employees and immediate family members are not eligible to win.

•We are happy to invite US and international participants to this BIG Event.

PRIZES

•Daily Prizes
Spellbinders will use random.org to choose a winner from valid entries.
Spellbinders will draw one name from each of the daily contests. Each winner will receive all the new products revealed on that specific day.

•Grand Prize
Participants sending valid entries for each of the 16 contests will be included in a drawing for a Grand Prize valued at more than $700!
The Grand Prize Winner will receive an email notice on July 22, 2010, and must reply to the notice by 12 noon on July 25, 2010, Eastern Standard Time.

Any questions regarding this contest should be sent to ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us
Please note:

Spellbinders will use email information to contact the winner.
Spellbinders will not share, rent, or sell email addresses.
Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communications
other than to contact the winners.

To receive information and announcements from Spellbinders, sign up for the Newsletter here.

Thank You!

Spellbinders is a trademark of Spellbinders Paper Arts, llc.

TaDa Creative Studios CHA Sneak Peek (BOOTH #2035)

I can finally show you what I've been playing with! Well, actually I can show you the patterned papers I have been working with - SO MUCH FUN!!

For more details, click HERE (the Company blog). What do you think?
AHHHH!! Can't believe CHA is only two weeks away...lots to do!

Thanks for stopping by!
MargieH

Craft Fancy Second Birthday!!

Hello!

Do you want to come join us for the celebration? It will start today (July 10th) at 10:00AM. I'll be there doing a FREE make'n take with Heartfelt Creations stamps and Spellbinders Nestabilities. These stamps are perfect fit with the Spellbinders Nestabilities (Dahlia, Blossom, Blossom Two, Peony among others).

For more information on store location, contact and schedule, please click HERE.

I hope to see many friends there!!
Have a wonderful weekend!
MargieH

Something BIG is coming!

Spellbinders™ is at it again...another Blog Frenzy!!

Rumor has it that more details will be posted HERE next week...you don't want to miss it! I'm just sayin' (wink wink)!

Happy Canada Day (today/July 1st) to my Canadian friends!!
Happy 4th of July holiday weekend here in the U.S.!!

SNR's 10 Days of Summer Tags - Day 3!!

Hey, that's me!

Hop on over to Scrapbook News & Review (SNR) Magazine for the 10 Days of Summer Tags. Each artist has her own take on what Summer means by creating a fun tag. Mine is FULL of Spellbinders™ goodies! Here's a sneak peek...

Oh, what am I sanding? Well, that's I2-1016 Sea Scape Impressabilities™ and it is a Limited Edition/May 2010. So if you are interested, you might still be able to pick one up from your favorite Spellbinders' retailer! I'm just sayin'...

To view the finished tag, click over HERE and I will show you step by step on how to create a Beach Fun Tag!

Do you want to see Day One and Day Two? Click on the links - you'll love what you see.
Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy Father's Day!

Can't believe it's the middle of June...where did the time go?! You can tell it's June...end of school, beginning of summer school, my birthday, all the graduation parties (WHEW!) and Father's Day!

So today I just want to wish my father and the father of my children - A WONDERFUL FATHER'S DAY!! Thanks for all you do to make our lives that much better!! LOVE YOU TONS!!

About two week's ago, I created a card with dad in mind for Spellbinders™ blog and loved how it turned out...metal and all! If you're interested in the steps on how to do this, click HERE.

Today we have church services. After we get back home, I'm off to phone my dad to catch up with him (and mom, of course). Then a quiet (?) dinner with the family.

Hope you get a chance to appreciate your dad today!
Thanks for stopping by! xo

Featured Projects on Craft Fancy's Blog!

Doin' the happy dance...a nice surprise to wake up to...a blog post by my favorite local scrapbook store (LSS) about my projects! YEAH!!

Here's one but their blog has a better picture...

I believe CraftFancy is the only store in the area that has those Limited Edition Spellbinders™ die templates. So they tend to run out of these types of products. If you were looking for them, you will need to RUN! Or call them (847-670-6065) to reserve yours. Spellbinders™ stopped production on these babies at the end of last month. So when inventory runs out that means your lucky has run out too. I'm just sayin'...

Thank you, Craft Fancy, for showing my stuff!!! xo

A Banner for KATE!

I wanted to share a banner I made for a dear friend who overcame brain cancer and is doing well. Matter of fact, this month is National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Kate is also the editor of Scrapbook News and Review (SNR) Magazine and someone who I admire a great deal.

Based on an assignment, I created this banner...if it gets choosen for publication, I will have to take it down :( but only temporarily :) These beautiful papers are from Margie Romney-Aslett's The Girls' Paperie (The Paper Girl Collection). I had some papers left from a couple of projects I was working on.

Although I wanted to include this one too (with the other projects to be sent out), I didn't want to do a rush job on it...it was too important to me. This creation will be going to Michigan in the very near future! Heehee!!

A special note from SNR that you want to take advantage of!!

For those of you familiar with Scrapbook News and Review (SNR) Magazine, you know that Kate Koch, the editor-in-chief, and Marisol Jiminez, our managing editor, are both brain cancer survivors.

In honor of National Brain Tumor Awareness Month and their continued efforts to spread the word about brain cancer and the many lives it has touched, we would like to do something special.

Until May 31, 2010, for every dollar that comes through the door via a subscription to SNR, we’ll match dollar for dollar and gift all proceeds to the Brain Tumor Awareness Organization. We can honestly say that without research and hope, Kate and Marisol would not be here today to enrich the lives of our friends and readers.

The Special: For every annual subscription purchased at the special rate of $39.99 or semi-annual subscription purchased at the special rate of $19.99, we'll either gift a comparable subscription to a friend of your choice or add on another six months or year to your personal subscription.

Please don't delay -- this special offer is only good until May 31, 2010 -- and spread the word.
This month, let's keep hope alive!

Author & Designer Sherry Steveson will be in Chicago!

If you are an "old" 2Peas Pubster, I know you are familiar with Sherry Steveson (aka Sassy Schtuff). Well, she is also an author of not one but two books!

She will be in the Chicago area on Saturday, June 19th at Craft Fancy (1818B Arlington Hts. Rd) in Arlington Hts. There will be two classes that day.

The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook 101
Saturday June 19th 10am – 1pm $40

Explore 10 different embellishments in a Tag Mini Book.
Be inspired by simple 2 step techniques to more in depth techniques that will "Jump Start" your creativity and enable you to use your STASH.

The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook 201
Saturday June 19th 2pm – 5pm $40

Take embellishments to a whole new level with "out of the box" ideas. This ain’t your mama's scrapbook! This mini album features 10 different embellishment techniques that are unique and will spark your creativity. This will take your scrapbooking to the next level!

You don't want to miss these classes! To reserve your spot, please contact Craft Fancy at 847-670-6065. See you there!

Flourishes Blog Hop - Beauty Within

What do you get when you mix the beauty of stained glass images with the fabulous shapes of Spellbinders™ Nestabilities®? A fabulous new set from Flourishes called Beauty Within (#SS113).

This stamp set was designed to take the guess work out of cutting and trimming an elegant shape. With the help of S4-246 Labels Eleven and S4-248 Labels Thirteen, you can color to your heart’s content and then trim your image perfectly with these beautiful die templates. The set, designed by artist Becky Fleck, will be released first thing this morning!

When the set arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. With a stained glass motif, I couldn't resist in making a window card! So I created this card with the beautiful rose image that Becky had designed. I was thrilled about how it turned out and I hope you do too!

Steps:
Stamp Flourishes #SS113 Beauty Within Rose image onto transparancy and color
Cut image with Spellbinders™ S4-246 Labels Eleven #6 (the smallest die being #1)
Cut/embossed center of A2 card base and pink pattern paper card front with S4-246 Labels Eleven #5
Cut/emboss green pattern paper with S4-255 Big Scalloped Rectangle LG #5 and S4-246 Labels Eleven #5
Adhere ribbon near the bottom of pink pattern paper, tie bow and adhere button/bling
Stamp Flourishes #SS113 Beauty Within Sentiment "Be Joyful" on the bottom right corner of pink pattern paper
Adhere stamped transparancy on card front, cover with embellished pink pattern paper and green frame

Supplies:
Papers: WorldWin (cardstock); My Mind's Eye Lush Collection (pattern papers)
Stamp: Flourishes (#SS113 Beauty Within)
Ink: Ranger Ink (Distressed Ink)
Markers: Copics (Sketch Markers)
Adhesives: Beacon (Zip Dry); Glue Dot
Ribbon: Offray
Bling: Creative Impressions (Bits of Bling)
Tools: Spellbinders™ (S4-246 Labels Eleven, S4-255 Big Scalloped Rectangle LG)

Would you like to win this set? Simply leave a comment HERE for a chance! Winners will be announced Saturday at 12 PM CST on the Flourishes Blog.

We are honored to be asked to team up with the Flourishes Design Team to show you the beautiful potential of Beauty Within!

• Beth Pingry (Spellbinders™)
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Heidi Blankenship (Spellbinders™)
• Holly Simoni (Spellbinders™)
• Julie Koerber
• Laura Fredrickson
• Leslie Miller
• Margie Higuchi = ME! (Spellbinders™)
• Sharon Doolittle
• Stacy Morgan

Hope you enjoy Flourishes Beauty Within Set as much as I have in creating this card!
Thanks for stopping by!!
MargieH

Happy Mother's Day!!

Hope that all you moms out there have a wonderful day! No matter how your family "celebrates" this day, I wish you all good memories and good time!

I wanted to share today a project that one of Spellbinders Blog Team Member (Becca Feeken) had shared. It inspired me to make this and thought it would be fun to show you today...

Well, if the shoe fits, wear it! Hmm...can't exactly fit into this one but hey, the thought counts, right?! LOL!! The patterned papers are from TaDa Creative Studios Curly Q Collection. Unlike the other talented artists, my version is a little on the contemporary side ;0P

I love how this turned out and if you're interested, please click HERE. Terri is the creator of this beauty! Thank you, Terri! Enjoy this and today!

Thanks for stopping by....Happy Mother's Day! xo

Teacher Appreciation Week

Well, my selfish excuse to make a gift for my youngest's Japanese teacher is two folded...one obviously to thank Mrs. Nakagawa for putting up with somewhat talkative son (where did he get that trait from? heehee!!) and the other is an excuse to make a project with Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker llc products!

In case you haven't been following me too long, I also freelance at a Japanese scrapbook magazine called "Love My Memories." The editor, Emi Kume, had asked me to be its special U.S. reporter. How can I say no?! What an opportunity to work for such a dynamic person! She is credited for bringing scrapbooking to the fore front in Japan.

One of my first articles was about up and coming new companies in the scrapbook industry. Nikki was one of my choices! I blogged about it HERE. Anyways, I was thrilled when I found out that her company is part of the Cross Promotional Partners with Spellbinders™! So my first blog project after the DT Retreat was Nikki's Henry's Brillance Collection...perfect for the upcoming Teacher's Appreciation Week (this week!)!

It turned out so nicely! Can't wait to give this to her :) Have you done anything for your teachers? You have until the end of the week! Don't have time? Tell your child to go hug their teachers and say THANK YOU!! They'll love it!

Thank you, Mrs. Nakagawa, and all those teachers out there! Better you than me - can't even deal with two kids! LOL!!