just a speck...

The day is passing quickly and the sun will be setting soon. The weekend came and went...tomorrow begins our spring break, just the three of us...a lot of outdoor activities to come, sunblock to apply and keeping the kiddos busy, busy, busy. Sneaking in my last moments of uninterrupted crafting this weekend and here to share a few of my new creations... Another set of mini cards...what can I say...I love them and all of the color. Pulled out my smaller of three scrap bins today and restricted myself to only creating items using the paper I found inside. That is always fun. I have also recently received a few bottles of glimmer mist...never used before and still need a lot of practice, but loved the look of it on a few of my projects today. Need to figure out though how to spray it without getting it everywhere...and I mean everywhere :) Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a headband from Practical Elegance HERE by Tuesday. Off to clean up a bit, get ready for some listing tonight on Etsy, play a little soccer and spend a long evening creating more once my little men are tucked away for the evening. Until tomorrow my friends... Andrea

when things are all said and done...

Here is how my Friday morning can be summarized so far... 1. Thank you everyone who participated and took the time to comment on my blog and all of the Creations by AR design team blogs. Always exciting to "meet" other crafters and read all of the kind comments. I was able to only pick one winner from my blog and that would be CYNDY! Please email Adela your template pick when you get a chance to browse the shop :) 2. My shop will be filled with many new items on Sunday evening if you wanted to pop in around 7 pm EST. Still working on a few new flower designs and tags-o-plenty to share...

3. My little men have begun their spring break and I am already feeling as if I am on a battle field. Soon we will be off swimming today and hope that will be plenty as we spent all evening out yesterday. COFFEE!?!

4. I am in love with this color at the moment...

Would fill my house from floor to ceiling with both these colors if I could.

5. For all my friends who need a little pick me up today, a little card I made using several new lines from Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker ... Sometimes we need a little bright yellow to keeps us going, right?

6. Finally, a giveaway! This comes from my mother's shop on Etsy. Her new handmade flower accessories are amazing! All you have to do is head on over to here shop HERE and come back to share your favorite item by leaving a comment on this post by Tuesday March 29th at midnight and I will pick a winner for this headband...Off to find my swimsuit and hope that there are only a handful of people with the same idea today. Not one for strutting my stuff around a pool...yuck! Thank you for allowing me to share with you a little color and see you back here on Monday.

Happy spring...

Andrea

Edited to add this card for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. Love working with their products and always love the chance to play along.

this is my home...

Today is the start of the Creations by AR blog hop and I hope you enjoy the new releases as much as I did. Each AR Designer will be giving away one of the templates, so you'll have plenty of chances to win! To qualify, visit each designer's blog and leave a comment -- that's it! Winners will be announce Friday, March 25th.

Amy Park
Andrea Budjack - You are here!
Magdalena Cortez
Mandy Gill
Maria Bell
Silvia Mabie
Nikki Schmaltz
Adela Rossol

Here are my projects to share with you...
Using now that's smashing for this gift box topped with a shabby chic handmade brooch, Prairie Bird Boutique wrinkle ribbon and little heart tag. Simple template and amazing how it folds together.
Using tea cottage as a gift box (top can be removed) with lots of shabby chic details from the use of fabric, lace and wrinkle ribbon for the trims and embellished chipboard for the front. I am typically not much of a tea drinker; however, there are so many uses for this house. My original intent was to create a few tags that could be pulled from the cottage as you would the tea. May have to work on this still.

Hope you enjoyed your stop and can continue on the hop for more amazing projects from the AR team. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win...

Andrea

asleep in his bed...

Hope your weekend was filled with many happy moments. After a few packed days of an art festival, bike rides through the neighborhood and a combination of spin and yoga (first time together for two hours) that nearly broke me...our littlest man found a flu bug somewhere along the line and it decided to take up residence in his little body. It is so difficult to see him all achy and not have enough tricks up my sleeve to make it vanish more quickly. Now...on the road to recovery and sleeping once again this morning...I am getting a little quiet time and working on a few projects that I get to share with you this week.
Ok...this pink wrinkle ribbon from Prairie Bird Boutique used in the cards below is to die for. It is electric, cheery and all around beautiful.

Had fun playing with fabric and color today...especially pink. Hear my little man scooting around the house so need to start my nurse mommy shift and lock up the craft room for the day again. Hope you have a great start to your week and I will be back tomorrow for a Creations by AR blog hop.

Until tomorrow...

Andrea

i know it's not...

Thank you everyone who participated in the Whimsie Doodle birthday hop. The new set is absolutely adorable and loved the projects that were shared. Ok...so I know that we are far from Halloween, but I have been working with Creations by AR templates lately and realized that I have never used this jack-o-box template...

So cute and perfect for a little something special inside. Remember that if you don't have paper to fill the insides dig in that scrap bin and create your own. I cut strips of paper and zig zag folded it to create the filler paper. One last card before I go for the day...

Getting ready for a house full of kids today and hope that I can keep them entertained at the park instead of running around inside. Have a wonderful day and I am planning a giveaway this week so stay tuned!

Andrea

bundle of joy...

In honor of Whimsie's second birthday, Melyssa has designed an adorable new rubber stamp set.
1. Each participant must visit each Doodlelicious Diva design team blog and leave a comment. At each blog you will collect a letter, which you will unscramble to receive 20% off in the Whimsie Doodles store until midnight on Thursday, March 17th!

2. In Addition to the discount you'll receive by hopping and unscrambling, we'll draw one random winner to receive a amazing prize: The new BABY JOY rubber stamp set, a set of handmade cards designed by the Doodlelicious Divas and a $25 gift certificate to the Whimsie Doodles store!

Here are a couple of mini cards and favor box to share using this wonderful new set...

"Thank You" sentiment from Every Other Day rubber stamp set by Whimsie Doodles and bitty purse template from Creations by AR.

Don't forget to gather your letters and leave some love at all of the stops! You have to pick up a letter here as well, to complete your word scramble puzzle!

Here is the rest of the line-up:

Alicia
Andrea - You are here and my letter is D!
Joy
Melyssa
Nikki
Sheri
Tobi
Whimsie Blog

Enjoy!

Andrea

made my day...

Happy Monday morning everyone...ready bright and early this morning to share some exciting news. I am now apart of an amazing design team for Glue Arts...yeah! So to celebrate I started the day doing what I do best...craft...

Thank you for stopping by and can't wait to get started.

Andrea

doesn't work that way...

I have been known to be the one to head to the gym or walking most evenings...the key word here is "have"...so after a couple of years of trying to pick it up again this morning's tennis workout really showed me why it is important to do something, anything on a more regular basis. Wow! I am sore from head to toe...seriously. I find that I get so competitive with my hubby and end up taking it a little too far physically. Something comes over me when I put that racquet in my hand...probably very similar to sitting in front of my die cutter. After a slight migraine and my hubby thinking I was about to have a stroke (a little dramatic) I am back to relaxing and enjoying my Sunday. My little men have been separated by a greater distance today as one left to help with errands and my youngest stuck around home with me. It's quiet...ahhh! I have recently rediscovered my drawer of stickers and rub-ons and starting to put them to work in my projects. I have several sketches drawn for cards to come so be on the lookout...Made a few new sets of bunny tags this weekend. I will be posting more items in my shop beginning tomorrow, Monday, evening if you wanted to stop in.
I have something special to share tomorrow and I will be going to work on new felt and fabric flowers for my Etsy shop. Now to maybe finish my spring cleaning from last weekend which is still scattered all over our hallway upstairs.

Andrea

looks good enough to eat...

I took my little man out to breakfast yesterday to Cracker Barrel...if you have ever been there you know that they have the most adorable and yummy things in their shop...well, that is what I believe anyway :) All of the Easter goodies were out...jelly beans gallore...stuffed, fluffy bunnies...adorable ruffled baby dresses...and our favorite...bright yellow peeps. So it was only fitting to come back to the crafting table last night to make something yummy, of course not edible, of my own.
This image was part of the March release over at Whimsie Doodles and oh how cute...which by the way hop over to the blog HERE to see other projects using this image. I also created this box, from Creations by AR, to hold a set of three peeps. I used her cupcake basket...minus the cupcake insert, decorated it and attached the sentiment from the image above. Don't forget the matching Prairie Bird Boutique wrinkle ribbon...nice how that worked out with the felt colors I have.Working on actually leaving the house at some point today and spending an afternoon with my boys. Unfortunately I am finding it a little difficult at the moment spending time with both of them as they engage in sibling rivalary often...oh the battles just go on and on. Ear plugs anyone?

Andrea

for the love of color...

Vintage pincushion from www.practicalelegance.etsy.com.

There has been something about this yellow that immediately puts a smile on my face. You have seen me use it in my felt flowers, papers and I am beginning to see it out in the stores everywhere...or at least I am being drawn to it that much. I was opening a package of new, amazing hand-dyed ribbon from my friend over at Prairie Bird Boutique and I lit up...turned to my hubby and said "doesn't this just make you smile?"...he obviously didn't get it. As fellow crafters I am sure you can understand. We surround ourselves with color in our homes, in what we wear and if you are an artist it is gives you a chance to mix and match to your heart's content. So lately my crafting has been about mixing and matching colors, prints and just a little bit of this and that...
Created another mini card set with lots of color...really, a lot! Ok...maybe I am going overboard, but I can't help it...some papers do not make the final cut so it shows I have boundaries :) Using my new wrinkle ribbon to finish off this set...another color I can't get enough of right now...Finally, found this fabric circle and stamped flowers sitting in my scrap bin and thought to throw them together to create this happy little card. I have felt so blessed to have met so many amazing friends through this blog, design teams and "the shop" and I am always drawn to using this sentiment as a little thank you to all of you! Life wouldn't be the same without friends...that is a fact!

Andrea

just give it a ruffle and some glitter...

I recently added a few Maya Road chipboard frame sets to my craft collection...love them. Finding the window frame and scrap of fabric I went to work...it started the day of creating cards with the added fabric ruffle and dashes of sparkling glitter. In both the card above and below I used the reverse side of the fabric for a softer, pale yellow coloring. I don't have a method to adding the fabric, but just to run my adhesive along the area of the card I choose and pleat randomly. I then stitch it or place a piece of paper ontop and stitch to secure it better.As you may have noticed many of my cards lately have been playing with layers of frames. I believe it is a way to add dimension and color. One final card before I go finish our spring cleaning...
Each card here was created using scraps of fabric, felt and paper. The colors and patterns don't always match, but somehow it works in the end...I think. Wishing you a happy start to your week. My little man is sittin' on the couch this morning watching a movie and think it is time to join him. Probably should get ready for the day at some point, but may need a few minutes of cuddling with my pj wearing boy. Keep anticipating next year when he is in school every day like his brother, but then quickly realize this is the last time he will be this little and I get time with just him twice a week...then what?

Andrea

Much of my paper comes from October Afternoon, My Minds Eye, The Girls Paperie or Prima in the above projects. Also, the bunny die cut used recently is from BossKut. Please feel free to ask as I am not always good at posting the details. Thanks for stopping by!

simply bunny...

Just hopping by to say hello and to share with you one of the new digis from Whimsie Doodles this month. Easter is fast approaching and this little bunny is simply adorable. Another fantastic image. Check out the peeps as well...can't wait to use them in my next project. Time to tackle the kids rooms today and begin our painting. Also, if you are waiting for your order of mixed flowers they are in the process of being made and packaged...expect them to be shipped on Monday. I have a busy weekend ahead, but just knowing I get to craft for part of it makes me smile. Until then...have a wonderful weekend!

Andrea

picking a color...

As my spring cleaning is just beginning...one small linen closet purged many no longer needed baby blankets...I am in the mood to paint. I am finding that this house is in needed of some good cleaning, little maintenance projects popping up here and there and a fresh coat of paint in a few of the rooms. I am not one to bring home swatches, hang them on the wall and think about it for too long....no...I go in with something in mind, stand at the paint swatches for five minutes, pull out the ones I fall in love with and have them start the mixin'. Usually it works out pretty well, or at least I make myself love it over time. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is not the time when I paint the room and it just doesn't work.
I created two mini card sets this morning as I wanted to fill my day with as much color as possible. I used a combination of papers from my scrap bins, fabric, felt and a variety of stamps that were calling out to be used.The second set...

So update on kitty...she is back home adjusting. My seven year old is on kitty duty to make sure she stays out of trouble...he takes his self assigned job very serious. Off to go use our new tool set to move around a few shelves. Hoping to bring a fresh look to our bedroom without having to bring in anything new. Let's see if I can pull this off...

Andrea