Top 10 of 2013 with a GIVEAWAY!

Hello blogging friends! Happy Holidays to you all!! I feel so blessed for the opportunities that I've had this past year, designing for Quick Quotes, Imaginisce, ScrapTown Lady, and Practical Scrappers. Not only did I get to play with fabulous papers, but some of my layouts and cards were published (or soon to be published). I have many things to be thankful for outside of paper crafting as well. My daughter Naomi just finished her Masters degree, moved home, and got engaged (all in the space of a few days!)  I have cats (8 total), totes and extra furniture everywhere. I feel like its been weeks since I scrapped. Now that Christmas is over, I plan on sitting down this weekend and playing with paper again :)

Be sure to check out my GIVEAWAY at the end.

I am so fortunate to be a part of this awesome blog hop again with so many talented ladies. You should have arrived here from the incredibly talented Cathy Harper's blog. If not you may want to start at the beginning because there is some awesome inspiration and giveaways to be had. See below for the blog list. 

I can't believe how hard it was to narrow my favorite layouts, cards, and mini albums down to 10. Yes, GASP, I said cards!  Last year's favorites were almost all layouts. One of my goals for 2013 was to work on becoming a better card designer. I am sorry though, I couldn't limit my list down to 10, so I have 13 (it's 2013 after all).  

Without further ado, here are my Top Ten Thirteen Projects of 2013 ...

1.  This card was one of my first projects I made for Imaginisce using the Childhood Memories collection. A similar card was published in Papercrafts Magazine in June. and the layout I made with this collection will be appearing in the May 2014 Scrapbook Trends!

2.  These were some old pics of Naomi enjoying the rides at the State Fair. I used some My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline.

3.  I got brave and started making some mini albums this year. The Imaginisce Endless Summer collection was perfect for this BBQ Recipe album. It contains some of my most requested recipes. You want them? Check out this post ... here.  Preserving your memories is more than just photos!

4.  This was another project I did for Imaginisce. I wanted to try a step card. This was my first.

5.  Quick Quotes has some really fabulous albums. I love how my State Fair mini turned out using the Be Bold collection. It may be more of a favorite because we had such a fun time at the fair that year with my son and his girlfriend. Here is a link to the rest of the pages if you are interested ... here

6.  This was a Quick Quotes card I made for my niece using the One Fine Day collection. She made me a great auntie when her son was born in November :)  He is so precious. I am sure you will be meeting him in some of my future layouts ;)

7.  I made this card for a very dear lady, ( Cheryl Saforek owner of ScrapTown Lady ) for her birthday. I used the Pink Paislee Cottage Farms collection. Loved this collection!!

8.  This is my beautiful niece Bailey and her friend on this layout I created for ScrapTown Lady. I had to use the gorgeous Authentique Be(you)tiful collection.

9.  Here is another layout for ScrapTown Lady with an adorable pic of my kiddos from years ago. This one is Graphic45's ABC Primer collection.

10.   Can't have a favorites list without some BoBunny... this is a card I made with the Prairie Chic collection for ScrapTown Lady's World Card Making Day blog hop.

11.  One more Imaginisce layout of my son and his girlfriend using the Bushel O'Fall collection...

12.  I so enjoyed playing with Authentique's papers at ScrapTown Lady. So much so that I guest designed for them in November. This is the beautiful Peaceful collection and the view out my front window last December. Sadly, it still looked like this into April, lol. My reindeer was frozen in til the snow melted.

13.  This was one of my last Quick Quotes projects I created. It is everything that I love about Quick Quotes, scrapping family photos for future generations. My Mom is the little girl standing in the front. This is the only photo I have of her as a child. Maybe that's why I love it so much. I added some touches of lace and bling

And now for my GIVEAWAY!!!

 Would you like to win the Imaginisce Outdoor Adventure collection? 

1.  Become a follower of my blog. 
2.  Leave me a comment below and let me know which project was your favorite.

Now hop along to the next person on the hop list, or start at the beginning....

Monika Wright  

Christine Meyer

Suzanna Lee 

Ashley Horton

Jodi Wilton

Lisa Swift

Cathy Harper  

Marcia Dehn-Nix    <--- You are here

Lynn Shokoples     <---- hop here next

Lissa Mitchell

Juliana Michaels  

Melissa Elsner 

Charissa Miller  

Kelly Jean 

Ashley N Newell

Jennifer Haggerty

Laurel Seabrook

Krissy Clark

Kerri Yarus 

Rhonda Van Ginkel

Malika Kelly

Have a safe and happy New Year's celebration! Winner will be announced on Jan 2nd. 

~Marcia 

Farewell to ScrapTown Lady

It is with a sad heart that I am posting for my last time at ScrapTown Lady. I have made some very dear friends on this design team. Cheryl was so awesome to design for. Thank you Cheryl for this wonderful opportunity you have given me.

Here are some of my favorites as I say Goodbye. So hard to whittle it down, but here are my top 10 ....

This last one is extra special as I made this for Cheryl's birthday. It seems fitting to end with it as well. Sending you all Heartfelt Wishes but especially you Cheryl, my friend!

Goodbye. If you hear of anyone looking for a designer, I am available :)
~Marcia

Tag Trio - Scraptown Lady

Happy Friday Blogging friends! I have a trio of Christmas tags to share with you today that I created for ScrapTown Lady using the Authentique Traditions collection and some My Favorite Things Die-namics. These will look great on some of my gifts to give this year.

Let me show them to you up close ....   This Santa stamp is an older Tim Holtz stamp, but I just love this Santa. He was stamped on cream colored cardstock and then fussy cut out. The My Favorite Things Star Stax and Fancy Flourish look fabulous with the stickers in this collection for embellishing.

On this one I created a folded tree for an embellishment and topped it with another Star from the Star Stax set.

This last tag has a Silhouette die cut ornament and some lovely Snug Hug Ribbon along with a My Favorite Things Fancy Flourish again.

ScrapTown Lady Supplies:
Authentique Traditions 6x6 Paper Pad
Authentique Traditions Enhancement Stickers
My Favorite Things Die-namics Star Stax
My Favorite Things Die-namics Fancy Flourish
Snug Hug Ribbon in Red and Green
Kaisercraft Pearls in Champagne
BasicGrey Lucille Buttons, Wood Buttons
Ranger Distress Ink in Walnut Stain
Inkssentials Foam Shape adhesive
Scotch Quick Dry glue
Glue Dots 3/8"

Other Supplies:
Silhouette
The Paper Company tags
Cardstock in cream
Sakura Micron pen in brown
Hemp

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend and if you are traveling for Thanksgiving, be safe!
~Marcia

Grateful For You - My Mind's Eye

Happy Friday blogging friends!! I have a ScrapTownLady layout to share with you today that I made with the gorgeous My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection. I just love the colors and textures in this collection. The blues and yellows are fabulous together. Since blue is my hubby;s favorite color I decided to scrap this photo of the two of us taken at a fundraiser a few years ago. I love this photo because my husband is actually smiling! He rarely smiles for the camera.

This layout is based on Heather's latest sketch up at Bird is the Word. The new word is Always. I would love to see some of my blog readers play along.

I am using some wonderful dies from the ScrapTownLady store. The Cheery Lynn corner dies, birdcage, and doily give my layout a romantic touch. These dies are so intricate and beautiful!

I am also using the My Favorite Things Banner Day dies. These dies make creating a banner quick and easy.

ScrapTownLady Supplies:
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection Chipboard Elements
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection Collage Paper
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection White Floral
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection Multi Plaid
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection Garden Gate
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection Mixed Floral
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Oliver collection Blue Lace
Cheery Lynn French Pastry Doily, Bird Cage, Lace Corner Deco
My Favorite Things Die-namics Banner Day
Want2Scrap White Pearls
Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Dye, Pumice Stone, and Wild Honey
Inkssentials Foam Shape adhesive
Scotch Quick Dry glue
Glue Dots 3/8"

Other Supplies:
Silhouette
Doodlebug Alpha stickers
Cardstock in white
Sakura Micron pen in black
Martha Stewart Heart punch

I am linking up to the My Mind's Eye November Grateful challenge

Thanks for stopping by today,
~Marcia

Authentique Traditions - ScrapTownLady

Happy Friday blogging friends. I had the greatest assortment of costumed kids stop by my house last night. I loved it :) I even saw my special girl Callie dressed up as Bat Girl. Denise, I wish you were here to see what an awesome little girl you have.

With Halloween over, I feel no guilt in jumping straight into Christmas paper crafting mode. This past week I worked with the Tradition collection from Authentique. This is such a wonderful collection with lots of traditional and yet trendy papers. Aren't these chevrons great! Every year I make ornaments for some of my co-workers. They work great to add some pizazz to a package or a gift bag. This one is 3 dimensional and cut from a Silhouette file.

I also wanted to show you how simple making your own Christmas cards can be.

This is literally just a journal tag cut from a sheet of pattern paper. I glammed it up with some beautiful Want2Scrap pearls and gorgeous Snug Hub Seam Binding. Then I added some faux stitching around the edges. Easy Peasy.

ScrapTownLady Supplies:
Authentique Tradition Iconic
Authentique Tradition Enhancements

Snug Hug Seam Binding
Want2Scrap Pearls Red
Glue Dots
Scrapbook Adhesives
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

Think about creating some homemade Christmas items this year.
~Marcia

Put a Doily on It - ScrapTownLady cards

Hello blogging friends. Are you glad it's Friday? I am so looking forward to scrapping with some friends over the weekend. Just what I need, some girl time.

I have a pair of cards to share with you that I made for ScrapTownLady. The first one was inspired by DT friend Patti J Gilliam. I just loved her Carta Bella Hello Again card. I made this one for my daughter, Naomi (my writer). She saw this typewriter paper and let out an exclamation. I think she would wallpaper her walls with it if she could. I fussy cut the typewriter out and used some foam tape behind it to give it some dimension. No sentiment stamp needed :)  See the little doily I put behind the typewriter. I think it just makes it pop, don't you.

Here is my second card using Authentique's Seasons Fall again, but for a get well card. When I saw this journal card I immediately thought, 'Keeps the Dr Away.' I love how white doilies look with this collection. Add some stitching and it reminds me of my Mom's house. Love the homespun look.

When die-cutting, I like to use washi tape to keep my paper from moving. This is especially helpful if you need to run your die through your die cut machine a few times. The washi tape will peel right off most papers. Test it first to see. You can reuse the washi tape over and over again too. I stick it right to my desk until I need it next time.

ScrapTownLady Supplies:
Carta Bella Hello Again Chit Chat
Carta Bella Hello Again Typewriters
Authentique Seasons Autumn 3
Authentique Seasons Autumn Enhancements
Bazzill cardstock in Black 
Cheery Lynn Rum Punch Doily 
Cheery Lynn Dutch Scallop Square  
My Favorite Things Die-namics Fishtail Flags 
Distress Ink in Walnut 
Glue Dots  
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares 
Scotch Quick Dry Glue

Other Supplies:
Hero Arts Sentiment stamp
Bazzill cardstock in white

Shop the ScrapTownLady Store to stock up on supplies :) Thanks for stopping by.
~Marcia

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas - Scraptown Lady

Ok, I know its not even Halloween yet. I just couldn't help myself when I saw the gorgeous Authentique Peaceful collection that Cheryl at Scrap-Town-Lady sent me. Those papers reminded me of the first snowfall of the season. Fresh white snow where you can still see the green grass, just a little. And a little snow in December just gets me in the mood for all things Christmas; shopping, baking cookies, decorating the house. Does it inspire you in the same way?
I wanted to scrapbook a photo I took last winter of the first snowfall; the view out my front window. This was no ordinary first snowfall, we got 14" of snow here in Minnesota. BTW, it still looked like this in April.
I thought spring would never come.

I played up the snowflakes and the pine sprigs to embellish my layout. The snowflakes are a Tim Holtz die and the pine sprigs were a Silhouette cut. I used this sketch from Heather at Bird Is The Word. I flipped a portion of it to suit a horizontal photo. The latest word is Inspire, which I used in my journaling.

There are a lot of background details. I created negative space with a punch, and then used those punched out snowflakes to layer on top.

Some little wood veneer birdies were a must too.

Then I made a Z-Fold gift card holder with my scraps...

It's tied shut with this pretty Hug Snug Ribbon. When its open, it looks like this. Each section is a 4x4 square. Super easy to make.

I used a blanket stitch around my gift card insert to keep that card secure. A hole punch in the middle makes it easier for the recipient to get that card out. Instead of a gift card here, you could place a photo instead and use it as a Christmas card.

ScrapTown Lady Supplies:
Authentique Peaceful Frost
Authentique Peaceful Solitude
Authentique Peaceful Chill
Authentique Peaceful Cozy
Authentique Peaceful Freeze
Impression Obsession Bare Tree
Bazzill cardstock in Black
Ranger Distress Ink in Peeled Paint
Prima Chalker in Black Coal
Hug Snug Ribbon in Black
Glue Dots  
Scrapbook Adhesives  Foam Squares  
Scotch Quick Dry Glue

Other supplies:
Martha Stewart Snowflake punch
Tim Holtz snowflake die
Spellbinders scallop die
Silhouette
hemp
Prima wood veneer birds
Crafter's Workshop template tree
Cosmo Cricket alpha stickers 
Sewing machine
gesso
Core'dinations cardstock

Are you ready for some snow yet? Be prepared. Stock up on scrapbook supplies in the Scrap-Town-Lady store so if you are snowed in, you can scrap away :)
~Marcia

Apple Pickin' - ScrapTown Lady Authentique layout

Hello blogging friends. Are you as happy as me that it is FRIDAY!!! I am so looking forward to getting caught up this weekend, since I had to work last weekend. Anyway, did you know Minnesota is famous for its apples? The University here created 'Honeycrisp' and now another apple variety that everyone is talking about 'SweetTango'. I had to get out and pick some Honeycrisp so I could make a pie! and ScrapTown Lady has the perfect paper for your apple picking photos. Check out my layout, created with Authentique Seasons Autumn ...

I loved the touch of lace on this piece of pattern paper, so I decided to play up the lace on my layout using some Cheery Lynn doily dies and a lace border die. I also have some fall leaves tucked in there. The leaves are also from a Cheery Lynn die. I want to show you some close ups so you can see the gorgeous details in these dies ...

ScrapTown Lady supplies:
Authentique Seasons Autumn One
Authentique Seasons Autumn Two
Authentique Seasons Autumn Three
Authentique Seasons Autumn Enhancements
My Favorite Things Die-namics Fishtail Flags
Cheery Lynn Small Leaves 1
Cheery Lynn Rum Punch Doily
Cheery Lynn Dutch Scallop Square
Cheery Lynn Anastasia Border Die
BasicGrey Lucille Wooden Buttons
Distress Ink in Walnut
Glue Dots
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares
Scotch Quick Dry Glue

Other Supplies:
Chic Tags Fall Word Tags
Bazzill cardstock
hemp

Are you drooling over my pie? Or just that yummy paper? Go shopping in the ScrapTownLady store and get some for yourself!
~Marcia

World Card Making Day

It's World Card Making Day today! Are you going to make some cards today?

I love Halloween. It's such a fun holiday. So I decided to make a Halloween card using the Imaginisce Monster Mash collection. This card was cut with my Silhouette. I used a little vellum behind my web so that I could add some i-Rock gems.
I even decorated the inside :)

Supplies:
Imaginisce Pattern Paper: Monster Mash, Outdoor Adventure, Stickers: Love You More; i-Magicut; i-Rock; Lighted Tweezers; black and red gems
Bazzill cardstock; Silhouette cut file; Quick Quotes Chalk ink in Coal Miner; May Arts Ribbon; Maya Road hat pin; vellum; Pink Stamper Halloween stamps; Versamark ink; Black embossing powder

Be sure to check out all the other designer's cards on the Imaginisce blog too. They are awesome!
Linking up to Paper Issues Halloween Hootenanny!

ScrapTown Lady. is particapating in the Operation Write Home blog hop today. Operation Write Home donates cards to service men and women. You can volunteer to make some cards if you want :)  My Girl Scouts did this several years ago. This is the shabby card I made using the BoBunny Prairie Chic collection and lots of fun dies.

 
Love these rolled roses ...

Did you know Operation Write Home has tons of great card sketches! I based my card on this awesome sketch....

ScrapTown Lady Supplies:

Bo Bunny Prairie Chic Calico

Bo Bunny Prairie Chic Chic

Bo Bunny Prairie Chic Garden

Bo Bunny Prairie Chic Laundry

Cheery Lynn Mini Fanciful Flourish  

Cheery Lynn Tiny French Pastry Doily

Cheery Lynn Tiny Rum Punch Doily

My Favorite Thing Die-namics Fishtail Flags  

My Favorite Thing Die-namics Mini Royal Rose
Kaisercraft Pearls in Champagne

Glue Dots Mini

Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Dye, Broken China, and Crushed Olive
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

Inkssentials Pop It Foam tape

~Marcia