For Sale...

I can't resist a fabulous sale.....

And now I have a big load of loot sitting on my living room floor. Brent just rolled his eyes at me when I stumbled home way after dark and asked him to help unload the car. LOL! Some of the loot has found its way to its new owners and the majority of this stuff is looking for a new home. :) I bought a bunch of stuff for friends who couldn't go to the sale and this is what is left. (Cuttlebug and Cuttlebug folders, etc are not for sale. I'm keeping them for me... woo hoo!)

Here's what I've got. I will ship anywhere and you just pay the exact shipping to you. Everything is first come, first served.

Cricut Expressions (5 avail) $275.00 each + shipping
These are the big ones...new in box. Click here to read the details about what comes with them. (Shipping from me to zip code 01020 - other side of the US - is approximately $33)

Cricut Cartridges - prices as listed + shipping.

$36.00 #29-0022 Tags, Bags, Boxes & More (3 avail)
$47.00 #29-0287 Alphalicious (1 avail)
$48.00 #29-0381 Disney's Mickey Font (3 avail)
$36.00 #29-0078 Mini Monograms (3 avail)
$46.00 #29-0016 Teardrop (2 avail)
$41.00 #29-0013 Stamped (2 avail)
$47.00 #29-0400 Learning Curve (1 avail)
$46.00 #29-0226 Printing Press (1 avail)

I will ship the Cricut machines UPS Ground and the cartridges USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground, depending on qty purchased and where you're located, whichever is the cheapest method of delivery to you.

I accept PayPal and will email you a PayPal invoice.

Please email me at inkysmiles (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks!!!

Thoughts for Thursday - Faith

This is one of my all time favorite quotes. It has helped me through a lot of difficult situations and choices that I needed to make. Sometimes all we need to do is just take that leap of faith.... the answers are waiting for us to make the first move.

Inky Smiles!

Erin

Sketch Challenge {004}

Just playing around with PSE again tonight... here's a fun couple of sketches I came up with... I've offered a square version and a round version. Choose your favorite (or both) and let's see what you can do with these sketches!

Sneak Peeks... Shhhhh!

The things I have been working on this week are sorta "secret", besides trying to feel better from whatever is bugging my body. (No, I'm not pregnant, that would require a real miracle.) I've been devoting all of my time to 6 very special cards for Round 2 of our most recent swap.

Here are a couple of Sneak Peeks:

Doing it Digital

So I downloaded Photoshop Elements 5.0 this weekend because I ordered it from Amazon.com and I was super excited to get playing with it to learn a bit about it. It seems that most digital girls are using PSE and that a lot of digital kits are designed for use specifically with Photoshop/or PSE... so I took the plunge and bought it. If you buy on Amazon.com, you can get it for $114 or so with free Super Saver Shipping as opposed to $150 or so at local stores... Savings are good, right?? Well, then B bought me a book on his way home from golfing on Sat night.... A "How To" book for PSE.. YAY! But, it was $35, so there went my savings! LOL! He's such a sweetheart!




Anyway... here's my first digital card. I made it for a friend's belated bday - cuz besides being a slacker blogger this week, I am a slacker friend as well.... I used the freebie papers from Two Peas and some freebie elements from Scrap Girls. It's simple, but was fun to create.

I am a slacker blogger....

I apologize for not writing this week. I am officially a slacker blogger. My only excuse is that I have just been draggin bum all week and just feel exhausted and it's been a long, long week at work. No particular reason for feeling crappy other than I think my body is telling me it's time to rest.

I have been working on some fun creative projects this week and hope to have something posted tomorrow (maybe even tonight) for you all!

Love you all!

Erin

Terri Howard's FABULOUS Gift

The Fabulous Terri Howard woke up extra early the day I was supposed to see her to make this fab little book for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find it waiting for me in my mailbox with this Saturday's mail.

This is the coolest book. It's made from the CTMH Road Trip paper kit and MyStickease and a Creative Imaginations chipboard book. It's the cooolest thing!! I am HONORED that Terri would make something like this for little old me. I am excited to share the photos with all of you.

THANK YOU DEAR TERRI!!!! This means more to me than you know!

California Adventure 2007

Well friends, I am back from Tahoe. Can I just say that my vacation (combined with Brent's business trip for city council) was an ADVENTURE!!!

We were SUPPOSED to drive to Bridgeport, CA (tiny podunk town), stay one night, and then drive through Yosemite the next day on our way to see Terri Howard. Wellll...... we had a little car trouble (little meaning - the quick connect for one of the hoses completely blew out) and nowhere was open because it was Sunday. The one garage in town was closed and the hotel guy had seen the tow truck guy hauling lumber out of town earlier. What luck.

To make a really long story short, we prayed and prayed for guidance in what to do to get somewhere where we could get the problem fixed. We spent the day trying to make phone calls, calling the insurance company, and trying to find somewhere to get the car fixed. There was no way were we driving anywhere. Late in the day we wandered back into the Sweetwater Trading Post gift shop to blow some time... well B had said somethign to the lady who owned/ran the place and she asked us when we went in again if we'd solved the problem..... turns out her DH was a mechanic at one point, she called him up, he came over, made a temporary part to plug up where the hose blew out of, and clamped down the hose and sent us on our way. (We'd brought a few tools with us and had some medical tape in the first aid kit. ) YAY!!! The kindness of strangers sure is something else. This man, John, didn't know us, but was willing to help us get on our way and refused payment for his help. I am grateful that he was the answer to our prayers. Later in the week, we drove down to Gardnerville, NV and had Terri's friends DH make a permanent repair. We went straight up to Lake Tahoe and I didn't get to go see Terri. I'm going to have to plan another trip to the Sacramento area and go see her.

Lake Tahoe was TONS of fun! The weather was fabulous, high 70's and low 80's all week with nights in the 40's-50's. PERFECT for me. Brent enjoyed his conference and I enjoyed the spouse activities. I got to make 2 candles at the Waxen Moon... totally fun!!! We went on a cruise on the lake and had a fabulous dinner at High Camp (2,000 ft above the Village). I survived the cable car ride, too... lol! 2,000 feet ascent in 8 minutes. It was soooo much fun! I can not wait to go back. Here are a few pics from the fun part of our trip......

Idea Book Round Up

So when I was a consultant, it was "no biggie" to have my Idea Books floating around my office because I used them all the time. Now that I am no longer a consultant, I don't really need them floating all over my office or falling all over each other because they don't stand up very well.

A couple of weeks ago I took these CTMH idea books down to the local copy shop and had them ripped apart (the IB's are not bound the strongest, so they come apart easily), had holes punched in them, and then laminated the front cover of the Autumn/Winter book for each year and the back cover of the Product Review and then had them spiral bound. I used 5 mil lamination sheets. 10 mil would work well, too, but it was twice the price and 5 mil works just great for me. They stand up neatly in the book & magazine section of my closet.

If you want to take it a step further, you could punch out some giant tabs and adhere them to the front page of each idea book for quick reference or create and decorate divider pages and have them bound in between each idea book.



This was fast, easy, and relatively inexpensive, $15 to bind both years of books. Click on the photos for larger views.

And The Winner Is.......

Wow... We have a WINNER!!!!

This was a super fun contest and you know you can count on seeing it again! I counted twice and then had Brent count with me. It was close between the top 3. I counted all of the votes on all the various posts... some ppl voted on other posts in the blog.

Here are the 4 runners up:


Korin - 17 votes
Michelle - 17 votes
Sparkle - 20 votes
Allie - 23 votes

and the winner is

LIZ BATTY with 25 votes!!! Congratulations Liz!!!

Thank you everyone for playing and we will play again soon!

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Thoughts For Thursday - Thoughts Of The Moment

Today's TFT is brought to us again by Mary Ihla. Journaling is so important, so for the next couple of weeks I will use Mary's journaling thoughts...

When I journal, sometimes my brain just gets "stuck". The words don't flow because I am trying too hard to focus on making my journaling perfect the first time. Sometimes I just want to get the layout finished and into its cozy little page protector and don't spend long enough focusing on writing my memories and thoughts about the photos I just spent eons carefully choosing and then just as many eons selecting papers and embellishments to go along with them.

Free Writing can also be referred to as "Brainstorming" - getting all of your thoughts down on paper in no particular order. It helps us to filter the jumble of thoughts we may have tumbling around in our brains. This always works for me when writing essays (college & hs), talks or lessons for church, correspondence for work, etc. I have a general idea of what Iwant to say, but my thoughts area jumbled mess.

I challenge you to try Mary's Free Thinking Exercise this week as we all work to perfect our journaling and/or get in the habit of journaling.

Inky Smiles!

Erin

PS... Voting closes soon... get your votes in for Sketch Challenge {003}

*********************************

Thoughts of The Moment: Free Writing Exercise

by Mary Ihla (Used with permission.)

Last week I asked you to determine if your scrapbook pages speak for themselves. What did you discover?

Even though you may appreciate the importance of journaling, you might still be avoiding it. You're not alone. A recent survey revealed that journaling is the least favorite aspect of scrapbooking.

Word phobia develops when your judgmental left brain dominates your creative right brain. "Free writing" is a process that will help you silence your inner critic and make the act of putting words to paper more comfortable.

You'll need the following for this focused free writing exercise:

• a kitchen timer
• a couple sheets of unlined paper
• a pencil or pen
• a selection of photos or a completed scrapbook page

Find a quiet room where you can write comfortably without being interrupted. (Yes, for some of you that may be the most difficult portion of this exercise!) Prop the layout or photos where you can view them while writing. Make an effort to clear your mind and concentrate on those images. Set the timer for 10 minutes and begin writing.

There are a few rules to follow when free writing:

• Let your thoughts tumble out onto the paper, writing whatever is on your mind.
• If you can't think of anything to write, just write, "I can't think of anything to write."
• Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or sentence construction.
• Don't make corrections or judge what you've written.
• Don't stop writing until the timer goes off.

You'll be amazed at how much you can write in just 10 minutes. Some of it won't make sense, but that's fine. Don't throw away your writing, because next week I'll show you how to turn those "paper thoughts" into scrapbook journaling.

"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. " ~Francis Bacon

Write In Candidate... LOL!

I had to share this... my friend, Amaryllis, made this really fun layout roughly based on Sketch Challenge {003}. She rotated the Sketch, and used DUCT tape as one of the layers on the sketch. The letters are hand cut duct tape. I love the special touch of duct tape to adhere the vellum journal strip on the page as well.

This entry is not eligible for voting, but I couldn't resist sharing it and had a bunch of emails asking me to post it.

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Hello from Lake Tahoe & Keep On Voting!

Hey kids! I am on vacation (aka tagging along to a conference with Brent) at Lake Tahoe. It's been quite the adventure getting here. Can we just say repeat of the St George trip fiasco??? UGH.. more details later... but in the meantime, check out this AWESOME place we're staying.... The Village At Squaw Valley.

Keep on voting! I will be back the end of this week and will post the winner on Friday!! If we reach 11,000 hits to the site by Friday, I might just have to throw a little bonus something into the prize package!

Sketch Challenge {003} Entries... VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Ok, ladies! Here they are!!!! I received some FABULOUS artwork!! Now, it is up to YOU {Viewer's Choice) to choose the winner.

Here's what you do:
* Check out all the entries.
* Vote for the one you like the best by the name on the photo.
* Votes = a comment left on THIS POST by a UNIQUE user.

(for example... you may post a comment and say "I'm voting for XXXX" If you'd like to say what you love about your choice, please do. I am sure these artists would love to "hear" what you love.)

* You may vote for yourself ONCE.
* I can not change your vote. Once you vote, it's final.
* Voting ends on Friday, August 17th at 8:00 pm (MST)
(Winner will be announced later that evening.)

*******************************************************************************






And this prize package (pp's are better than blog candy) will go to the winner!

10 pages (2 each of 5 designs) of Cloud 9 Cardstock (Ben's Summit Collection)
1 pkg of Cloud 9 This n' That Epoxy Stickers (Ben's Summit Collection)
18" each of 5 Cloud 9 Paper Ribbon Stickers (Ben's Summit Collection)
1 pkg of CTMH Winter Beads (retired)
1 CTMH Mini Inkpad w/Silver Hinges & Brads Packet
1 CTMH Braggin Tags Album
1 pkg of American Crafts Chipboard Thickers (Hatbox)

If you win, I wanna see what you make with your loot

I woke up sick- the photos are coming - working on the post right now.

I'm chugging along on the photos... They will be up shortly!

Thoughts For Thursday

Welcome to “Thoughts for Thursday”… a new feature of my blog where each Thursday I (and various guest bloggers) will highlight or express thoughts on creativity and life. This week my TFT comes from Mary Ihla, a memoir writing consultant, who also happens to be a fellow artist in some online crafting groups I belong to.

Sometimes I am sad when I look through the scrapbooks of my own and friends that have wonderfully embellished pages using the hottest new “blingy thing” or technique, but there is not even a date on the pages, let alone a story. I want to know more!

Thank you Mary for your wonderful insight!

**************************************************************************

The Importance Of Journaling
By Mary Ihla (Used with permission.)

Journaling is what sets a scrapbook apart from a photo album. It's what makes a spectacular layout more than simply a work of art. In addition to the basic "who," "where," and "when," the words on your scrapbook pages perform a variety of functions, including:

* Telling the stories behind the photos.
* Expressing thoughts and emotions.
* Documenting events and activities.
* Recording personal and family history.
* Delving into the details of everyday life.

A catchy title, a name, and a date are seldom enough. So, how do you know if you've done a sufficient amount of journaling? If you add oral commentary when sharing your scrapbooks, you probably need to do more writing. Remember, you won't always be around to talk about your pages.

Your challenge this week is to stroll through your scrapbook pages and see if your pages speak for themselves.

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart..."
~William Wordsworth

ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGER - Yah Baby!

I was reading blogs last night and noticed that Allie G nominated me as a

THANK YOU ALLIE G!!

How cool is that????? K, so now I get to nominate 5 other people... man... tough choices! I have lots of cool Rockin Girl Blogger friends!!!

Ok, here's my list. I can't nominate everyone, even though I do think EVERYONE who I blog with ROCKS... (This is hard... it's kinda like choosing who's in your "top 5" or something. I don't like to choose friends over each other) so I am going to nominate a couple and let you all start sharing the love....

Here's a few ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGERS:

Susan Hankins
Kathy
Korin
Jeanne
Nic

Ok... now email me for your badge and go out and ROCK THE WORLD!

Get Your Game Face On...

Ok friends! I've received 5 entries for the challenge so far. I'd love to see more! Get your game face on and let's play! Send me your entries and post a comment to let me know you've sent them!

For those of you who've already submitted entries... collect up your buddies, have a pep rally, and get them ready for voting this weekend!

Remember,
* entries can be cards or a layout....
* there's a prize pack of assorted goodies waiting for the winner!

Inky Smiles!
Erin

My Sketch Challenge {003} Card

Yes, Christmas already! Gotta cool off from this wicked hot summer somehow!

I drew up this sketch (Sketch Challenge {003}) and then on Friday I got a package from Skipping Stones Design! WOOO HOOO! S* Purses and a couple of stamp sets for me to try out. (soooo coool, btw!) I have been drooling over the Tons of Trees stamp set and decided I had to use it . I used a "new to me techinique" - mixing media... I used FELT on a card... way out of my OCD box. LOL!

The new england ivy cs piece is popped out with foam tag and the Christmas Tree is popped out with foam tape, too. I random stamped the cranberry cs with the polka dot texture tree fomr the set. I love the Thickers from American Crafts. They are self adhesive and so easy and fun to work with! The crystalline stamp set from Skipping Stones Design is way cool. I love Christmas trees and this set "Tons of Trees" is whimsical and fun. SSD has quality acrylic stamps and fun designs. I love how they give a nice sharp image when stamped on any paper. (This set retails for $14.50) I LOVE clear stamps - I cut the Oh Christmas Tree stamp apart before I even used it.

Papers are CTMH & Provo Craft. Stamp Set is Tons of Trees by Skipping Stones Design. Inks - CTMH, Chipboard Thickers "H" & "O" are American Crafts, the tiny star is from Designer Christmas - CTMH.


How's YOUR sketch project coming??? Can't wait to see more coming in this week! Happy creating!!

Sketch Challenge {003}

Here's a sketch challenge for ya! This one will be a contest for you, too! (I am working on my piece o' art and will post it within the next couple of days.) I have a prize pack (aka BLOG CANDY) in mind and I think you will like it!!!

This is a very basic sketch (lines in the dirt) ... use it and show me what you can do with it!

Rules & Guidelines:

1.) Create a piece of artwork, email (inkysmiles@gmail.com) a URL (link) to me to view/download it BY Aug 9th by 6:00 PM (MST). Make sure to post a comment on this post to let me know you've sent something.

2.) I will collect up all the pics of your artwork and post them all in a new post with your name on them on Aug 9th by 8:00 PM (MST).

3.) The contest is VIEWER'S CHOICE. Round up your friends and get them to vote for your piece of art! The artwork with the most votes will win. Votes = comments posted by UNIQUE users for your artwork.

4.) Voting opens once the post is up and will be closed on August 16th (when I get back from vacation). The winner will be announced on August 17th.

5.) Any and all product allowed.

6.) Consider using some of the following:

• something metal
• something "fibrous" other than paper
• something shiny
• some "non traditional" embellishment
• a "new to you" technique

CTMH Retiring Stamp Sets... Sooo Sad!

Just an FYI.....

Get em' from your consultant while you still can.

I got the list of Retiring Stamp Sets from a friend today... kinda sad to see some of these go! Thankfully I have already purchased the ones I love in this list! Get them before they're gone.


C1237 RELAX
C1238 R&R
C1240 SPLISH SPLASH
C1241 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (SPANISH)
C1242 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (FRENCH)
C1246 HOLLYDAYS
C1248 WINTER REFLECTION
C1249 WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
C1250 REJOICE
C1253 NUTCRACKERS
C1254 FAIRY WISHES
C1255 JUST BECAUSE
D1002 THE SIMPLE THINGS
D1003 GIRLY GIRL
D1012 CONFETTI AND FAVORS
D1022 BABY
D1023 GOD BLESS YOU
D1025 ALL YOU NEED
D1026 BEAUTY SEEN
D1027 JOY
D1030 WEDDING
D1031 GIFT TAGS
D1032 FALL
D1036 HERITAGE
D1038 CHILDHOOD BOY
D1051 EXPECTING
D1054 SPECKLED BACKGROUND
D1055 BEST FRIENDS
D1060 SANTA'S HELPERS
D1062 ZOO FRIENDS
D1066 ROMANTIC BACKGROUNDS
D1068 POLICE
D1069 ARMY
D1070 MARINE
D1071 FIRE FIGHTER
D1072 COAST GUARD
D1075 NAVY
D1076 AIR FORCE
D1084 LOVE TAGS
D1087 ELEGANT FLORAL
D1090 RETRO FLOWERS
D1091 GROOVY
D1092 FLOWER GIRLS
D1095 CHRISTMAS TAGS
D1096 HOLIDAY BORDERS
D1101 BLUE JEANS
D1102 TEACHER'S PRAISE
D1105 SNOWMAN HOLIDAYS
D1112 SEASONAL CELEBRATION
D1114 CREATE-A-FILE
D1116 BE MINE
D1117 SQUARE ELEMENTS
D1118 CIRCLE ELEMENTS
D1119 EASTER GARDEN
D1120 BRILLIANT BOOKPLATES
D1121 BEAUTIFUL SPRING
D1122 SPRING FLOWERS
D1124 TO LOVE MORE
D1125 THE GIVING HAND
D1129 SLIDE FRAMES
D1132 PLAYFUL TAGS
D1133 SEED PACKETS
D1134 ELEGANT SCRIPT
D1144 DOWN ON THE FARM
D1145 FRESH PICKED
D1147 GRAPEVINE
D1149 TEA PARTY
D1150 GARDEN VEGETABLES
D1161 WITCH'S BREW
D1162 SANTA'S WORKSHOP
D1173 JEWISH REMEMBRANCE
D1180 HAPPY HAUNTING