Wplus9 Apr '11 Release Day 4.

Bringing you other flower-ful card. Am loving stamping with these spring-themed sets. (If only the temperatures would rise just a tad...)

These sets will become available April 1st over at Wplus9! Get 'em while they're hot!

THANK YOU
Stamps: Wplus9 (A Special Lady, Filigreed Frames)
Dies: Wplus9 (Filigreed Frames Die)
Cardstock, Ribbon: Stampin' Up!, Neenah
Ink: Memento
Button, Twine: Papertrey Ink
Other: Signo pen

Check out the other fabulous designers:
Dawn (Owner)
Elise
Jinny
Kerrianne
Lea
Savitri
And our April guest designer: Paulina Nakamura

Wplus9 Apr '11 Release Day 3.

Back with a couple more cards featuring Dawn's lovely new stamp sets and new die!  I'm loving stamping with these sets. They are gorgeous! I now have all my Mother's Day cards filed and ready to be mailed in May. This is a must-have stamp set for anyone who loves flowers or for anyone wanting to send out handmade, gorgeous Mother's Day cards!

FOR A SPECIAL MOTHER
Stamps: Wplus9 (A Special Lady, Design Basics: Backgrounds II)
Dies: Wplus9 (Filigreed Frames Die and All Occasions Label Die)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Versamark, Ranger Distress Ink
Ribbon: Stampin' Up
Corner Rounder: We R Memory Keepers
Markers: Copic

My card that was supposed to be posted on Day 1: 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
Stamps: Wplus9 (A Special Lady)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Colorbox
Pearls, Die: Stampin' Up
Corner Rounder: We R Memory Keepers
Other: Glossy Accents by Ranger


Check out the other fabulous designers:
Dawn (Owner)
Elise
Jinny
Kerrianne
Lea
Savitri
And our April guest designer: Paulina Nakamura

Wplus9 Apr '11 Release Day 2.

Today is the second day of Wplus9's April release. (I was an absentee design team member yesterday due to a family of sickies. We've been hit hard this winter with illness. Bring on the warm weather and out with the flu season!)

I'm head-over-heels for Dawn's new designs. As you know, I love flower stamps. They are my favorite to look at and to work with. Dawn's are so gorgeous that they practically do the work for you. You could make tags with the stamp alone it would be stunning. I made this super-simple card for my Grandma and can't wait to send it to her for Mother's Day.

Tomorrow night, I'll be back with more cards showing off Dawn's two sets and FABULOUS new die. So excited about the addition of Wplus9's dies in the store!


FOR A SPECIAL GRANDMA
Stamps: Wplus9
Ink: Versamark
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Offray
Embossing Powder: American Crafts
Markers: Copic
Corner Rounder: We R Memory Keepers
Punch: Fiskars


Check out the other fabulous designers:
Dawn (Owner)
Elise
Jinny
Kerrianne
Lea (Hip Hip Horray!! The amazing Lea has joined the team!)
And our April guest designer: Paulina Nakamura


PS. Thursday begins my office bookshelf reports! I am so excited to share some of my favorite craft/nonfiction books with you!

Nuggets During a Post Vacation Slump.

one // Guess where we were last week? Yes, it is true. Celebrating my husband's spring break on Space Mountain. My parents treated us to this little vacation and it was fantastic.

two // We actually returned last Sunday, but I haven't been able to get back into the swing of blogging.

three // I haven't been able to get back into the swing of life, actually. I hosted a party at my house last night and didn't even do the dishes before the guests arrived! Oh, my.

four // Gained three pounds eating Disneyland's amazing chocolate covered bananas. The party food last night didn't help, either. (Someone brought a yummy, sweet Chex-mix that I couldn't stop munching on.) I'm thinking another sugar fast is in order. An internal battle is raging.

five // Speaking of the party, Bunco is a super fun game. (In case you are wondering, twelve people played. I think I had the third lowest score.)

six // I talked a couple of my friends' ears off about my favorite kind of literature: Asian history.  Hope they will let me talk to them again...

seven // The ladies stayed talking until well after midnight. I could have talked longer. So, my husband had to listen to my bantering for another hour.

eight // I've a goal to catch up on missed work, laundry and cleaning this weekend.

nine // Will be back next week with a book report series. My office shelf is full of non-fiction & craft books that are too wonderful not to share.

ten // Thank you for all of your Formspring questions. It was fun to come home from vacation to several new beauty questions to answer. I'll be posting a few more beauty-answers soon.

Happy Weekending!

Lawnscaping Challenge

 

I'm so excited to be joining the Lawnscaping Challenge blog this month as a guest designer. The sweet Laurel invited me to make a card using neutral colors with one color that "pops." I, obviously, couldn't pick a neutral color and ended up using three. Fuchsia has a special place in my heart when it comes to card making, so that is always my natural go-to pop color.

Stamps: Lawn Fawn

Cardstock, Patterned paper, dies: Papertrey Ink

Felt, Button: Craft Supply

Ink: Memento

Markers: Copic

Twine: The Twinery

 

Thanks to the sweet design team at Lawnscaping for letting me join in on the fun. Come on over and play along!

May I Suggest: Favorite Lipsticks.

This week is dedicated to answering several beauty-related questions I've received on Formspring that have either popped up more than once or I thought would interest many of you. Today's question is: 

I'm not sure I want to fess up to the first question. Too many, let's just say that. I'm a couponer, so I always find fantastic deals on lipsticks. (I rarely spend over $2.) I also Back-2-MAC my MAC products, so I get free lipstick that way. Still, too many. I haven't bought anything new for a while, but I'm always tempted as I walk past the cosmetics aisle. 

I do wear lipstick. Not everyday. But I usually put it on whenever I go out to anywhere nicer than the grocery store.

 

These five lipsticks are my absolute fave. They are:

one. Viva Glam V by MAC (My over-all favorite. This is actually my second tube. It has a beautiful finish and can go with any eye look. Plus, the profits all go to charity when you buy this lipstick shade.)

two.  Pink in the Afternoon by Revlon (Revlon actually makes my favorite line of lipsticks. I like them as well as MAC! This one is a perfect, natural pink color.)

three. Temptress by Covergirl. (This line of lipsticks is fairly new. Very moisturizing and a tad sheer. This color is a nice, wearable bright pink.)

four. In the Buff by Loreal. (My favorite nude lip color. I can't go too nude or I look dead. This one is perfect.)

five. 903C by Wet n' Wild. (You read that right: WET N' WILD! They've straightened their act since I was in jr. high. I love their Color Icon line. Surprisingly fabulous makeup! This particular lipstick is the perfect coral for my skintone.)

What are your favorite lipsticks? Let me know in the comments!

Be back next week to answer a few more questions! 
If you have a question for me about anything, please feel free to ask me anonymously or not over on Formspring.

May I Suggest: Spring Nail Polish Picks.

This week is dedicated to answering several beauty-related questions I've received on Formspring that have either popped up more than once or I thought would interest many of you. Today's question is: 

I love this question! I love painted nails. In the spring, I love wearing creamy pastels. I usually steer clear of anything that has shimmer until summer. (Not sure why. I don't think there is any beauty rule that states that glitter is off-limits in spring. I just naturally gravitate away from it from March-May.)

 

My favorite spring nail polishes are:

one. OPI Bubble Bath

two. Zoya Creamy

three. Zoya Audrina

four. Zoya Malia

five. Essie Turquoise & Caicos

six. Essie Lapis of Luxury

I'd love to know your favorite spring time nail color! Please let me know in the comment section of this post.

Giveaway: Cristina Ashley Designs.

I'm thrilled to bring you a giveaway today from Cristina Ashley Designs. I love Cristina's style and the beautiful simplicity of her products. I'm especially loving the Square Necklaces, the adorable Small Word Leather Cuff, and the Hand-Shaped Birthstone Necklace.

Cristina is generously giving one of you a $50 Cristina Ashley Designs store credit!
Please comment on this post by 11:59pm MST on Sunday, March 20th to enter.


For extra entries: (A new comment for each entry must be left for these extras to count.)
• Tweet, Facebook or Blog about and link back to this giveaway.
• Follow Cristina's Blog, Facebook, and/or Twitter.


The winner will be announced on March 21st. Good luck! 

Congrats to Savannah O'Gwynn!

*Note Although I'd love for you to subscribe and follow my blog, this giveaway is all about Cristina Ashley Designs. No extra credit for following me. I love to support handmade/small shop owners! Contact me if you have a product you'd like to see featured on Sherbet Blossom.

Project Organize: Makeup Storage.

This week is dedicated to answering several beauty-related questions I've received on Formspring that have either popped up more than once or I thought would interest many of you. Today's question is:

I'm ashamed to say that my makeup storage is less than exciting, but it is functional and practical. I have a fair amount of makeup. More than some, I suppose. But certainly no gigantic collection. I'm a girly-girl at heart and I love beauty supplies.

See? Not really a sight to behold. (Check it out! I am unintentionally in my mirror.)

Starting on the left:

one. My mirror. I bought this beauty at Costco a year or so ago. I think it was $18-19. It lights up, but I actually don't like the light it gives off. My vanity is near a window, so I usually just keep it off and use the natural light. One side is a normal mirror. The other side is mega-magnified.

two. My brushes. I keep them in a pink mini-bucket. (Found in the dollar section of Target. I was just there tonight, and they still have them in an array of springy-colors.) The bucket is filled with floral beads so the brushes can stay standing nicely.

three. My face, single eyeshadows and other random eye products are in this plastic container. I can't wait to find a cute alternative to this unsightly plastic storage, but for now this works.

four. My palettes. There are a few eyeshadow palettes and one blush palette standing on their sides. (The Naked Palette is my fav.)

five. This container is by Studio 3 Solutions, and is called a "Color Cubby." I love it because the cubbies are on a downward slant, so nothing will fall out. They were made for storing markers and pens, but they also work great for storing eyeliners, mascaras and lipglosses.

I'd love to see how you store your makeup! I need some new ideas.

Twelve Things: March.

one :: Exercise. I totally do it now.
two :: Husband's traditional Saturday morning breakfast.
three :: Always lots of hugging whenever Jas is home. We miss him.
four :: The very loved "Blue Blankie." (Which happens to be just a piece of fabric.)
five :: A "Leaves" candle from Bath and Body Works. A major favorite.
six :: He's walking!
seven :: Baby D's favorite pastime: spying on the neighbors through our front windows.
eight :: Lots of building blocks every day in our home.
nine :: The March Birchbox arrived! Yay!
ten :: Cute little friends.
eleven :: Birthday parties galore.
twelve :: Ended the day by going to Red Mango with Meg. (I actually cheated and didn't take this picture. I forgot to bring my camera. Image via google images.)

Want to document your 12th, too? Information can be found here. (Thanks to Miranda who inspired me to participate.)

Some Saturday Nuggets.

 Image from here. It's been my motto for the past couple days.

• The most commonly asked questions for me on Formspring are about photography and makeup. I think it is funny since I don't often post about either. I've decided to dedicate next week to all things beauty. Will be using some unanswered questions in Formspring as inspirations for posts. (If you have any questions, you can ask me, anonymously or not, over there.)

• My son, who has been walking for months, FINALLY decided to make it his primary mode of transportation. I love the Frankenstein stance. Pictures to come! It's too cute not to share.

• I needed a new headshot for *something* very exciting. I'll post all about it in a couple months. (I hate when bloggers do that, too. So sorry for the teaser, but I wanted to share my excitement.)

• I actually sorta-kinda like the headshot my husband took of me in our front yard. That NEVER happens.

• Why, yes. That is grass. Our snow is almost melted. It's about time.

• I needed to vent yesterday. The good ol' journal came to the rescue. I'd forgotten how cathartic writing your feelings out on paper can be.
The journal regained it's prominent location on my nightstand; we are going to be spending a lot more time together.

• I've been thinking a lot about words. How they can cut someone down or raise someone up. I've decided that there is no room for sarcasm or mean people in my life. I've also decided that I need to be aware of my own use of words. I only want to say things that are uplifting and loving.

• I've also decided that chatting online can really stink. Too easy to be misinterpreted.

• Sorry for the bit of silence on this blog of mine. The mini-break was unintentional. Life got in the way. And honestly, I just didn't feel like blogging. I've been a little down in the dumps over a silly, little thing. I'm not sure why I let it affect me so.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. Next week will be fun.

Breaking My Sugar Fast with Ticket Kitchen.

Horray, Hoorah. My too-long sugar fast is over today and I celebrated with The Ticket Kitchen. Seriously the most perfect way to bring in the sweets. The Ticket Kitchen was started by one of my blogging buddies, Amberlee. She sent me the awesome package pictured above, complete with a sweet note. (She is the note & gift-giving kind of girl. Something to be admired!) This little box has been sitting on my counter for a month now, begging me to cheat. (I didn't cheat, by the way, but this chocolate would have been worth it if I had.) Check out their awesome packaging and logo!

I have to admit, I am a bit of a hot chocolate snob. I'm not a fan of the powdered variety. I've only had a few cups-o-cocoa in my life that I've actually finished. (If I don't love it, I can't drink it.) And I need my hot chocolate to be piping hot. As soon as it starts to cool down, I pass it on to my husband who will finish it off for me. I was so excited when Amberlee asked me to try out her new product. It is perfect for my kind of hot chocolate taste buds.

It comes on a stick, which is cute to look at and handy for stirring. (Picture this as the focal point of a party place setting. Too adorable.) Dark chocolate. Yum. I like my chocolate rich.

Heat up your favorite milk. Mine was scalding; I like it at burn-your-tongue temperatures. (It asked for 8 oz of milk. We used 6 oz because we wanted to eat some of the melty chocolate goodness on the stick. Highly recommend you do the same.)

Submerge the chocolate stick in hot milk.

Stir to melt. Devour. Mmmm. Then use a spoon to scrap out any leftover chocolate in the cup. You won't want to waste anything.

This hot chocolate was divine. Best hot chocolate of my life.  Dark, rich, perfect. I don't recommend diluting with whipped cream. Oh, no. This hot chocolate needs to be enjoyed in it's purity.

My darling C helped me lick the leftover chocolate off the stick.

He thought the dark, hot chocolate was pretty darn good, too.

Thank you so much, Amberlee! Your company has my seal of approval! (And my business! I'm already planning a hot chocolate "tea-party.")

Improvements Underway.

It's true and finally happening: I've been putting 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there into a new design for myself and it is finally to a presentable point. It will probably take another week or two to get all the kinks worked out. Alas, as a designer, my personal designs come last. Please excuse things as they are moved around and changed. It features diagonal stripes: a classic favorite of mine.


A few other items of business & news:

// Are you in Utah? SewSara and I are organizing a casual & friendly crafting group. We are will meet monthly or every other month. (Details still being discussed.) Interested in joining? We have a few spots available. Contact me for more details.

// I've promised some posts. (The G12 review, skin care routine, tutorials, etc.) They will be up very soon. Some big changes have been taking up much of my time this week.  Thank you for being so patient. (***Edited to add: These are good changes. Thanks for the worried emails. We are doing really well.)

// Thank you for your encouragement about my BYU class. My fear was alleviated as soon as I walked in the classroom. It was a wonderful experience to teach college kids for a day. It was such an easy-going setting and I was surprisingly at ease teaching about graphic design & visual rhetoric.

// I only have two days left on my sugar fast. I haven't eaten sugar for 6 of the past 7 months. I can't wait to pick up a big Red Mango next week. (Original/pomegranate twist with granola and mangoes. My favorite combo.)

// I love to support handmade/small shop owners. Contact me if you have a product you think Sherbet Blossom readers would like to see. Reviews & giveaways are always welcome. (And don't forget to enter Gussy's giveaway.)

// I'm up and running on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I'd love to connect with you!

// I'm also taking questions on Formspring. Ask me (almost) anything, anonymously or not.

Giveaway: Gussy Sews.

If you haven't heard of Gussy Sews, let me start by introducing you to the darling girl behind the bags, Maggie a.k.a Gussy! Here's what she has to say:

"Helloooo! My name is Gussy. I sew ruffles and share my adventures of having a handmade biz on my blog. I live in Minneapolis with my husband Zack and puppy Bauer. Just over 2 years ago my husband and I were living near Detroit. We had recently moved there and I was looking for a creative way to spend my evenings when Zack had to work late. I decided to teach myself how to sew with the help of many library books. Shortly after moving to Detroit, we BOTH lost our jobs. Later that year we moved to Minneapolis, which is where we currently live. My business is my passion. I love that I'm able to share our story of unemployment, my story of an indie biz owner, and YOUR story of handmade goodness. I love to support other handmade shop owners... it's a true delight.

Inside my shop you'll find colorful, ruffled accessories: tote, laptop and market tote bags, zipped pouches, make-up bags, wristlets, headbands -- even eReader cases. Visit my shop and get Ruffle-licious with our products :]"

Gussy is generously giving one of you a $40 Gussy Sews Shop Credit. Yeehaw!!
Please comment on this post by 11:59pm MST on Saturday, March 5th to enter.

For extra entries: (A new comment for each entry must be left for these extras to count.)
• Tweet, Facebook or Blog about and link back to this giveaway.
• Follow Gussy's Blog, Facebook, and/or Twitter.

The winner will be announced on March 6th. Good luck! 

***CONGRATS to Christina!

**Note** Although I'd love for you to subscribe and follow my blog, this giveaway is all about Gussy. No extra credit for following me. I love to support handmade/small shop owners! Contact me if you have a product you think Sherbet Blossom readers would love to see. (Reviews & giveaways are always welcome.)