Jillibean Soup GIVEAWAY!

Well, hi there! Have you missed me? Things have been quite busy around here, but boy do I have lots to share NOW! :)

First, the folks at Jillibean Soup were so very generous to send me a prize package to give away to one of YOU! This package, pictured above, contains 14 sheets of patterned paper, one sheet of Yellow Sunshine Alphabeans (cardstock alpha stickers), 1 sheet of Summer Squash Soup Cardstock Stickers, 2 kraft tags, 1 package of Red/Black Bean Stalks ribbon, 1 Calendar clear stamp set, and 1 package of Red Numbers Journaling Sprouts.

Yeah. Good stuff. Want it? Just leave me a comment on this post telling me what you think of Jillibean Soup's new Monster Stew collection! I, for one, LOVE the colors! And I love the sweet, fun monsters, as I'm not big on the overly creepy stuff. ;) Oh, and it matches my Nicest Place to Be stamp set. :) (More of these stamps will be back in stock soon!) I cannot wait to put those two together!! Share this giveaway, and you'll get a SECOND entry! Just tell me where you shared it in your second comment (Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, e-mail, etc... We will trust you!).

I will draw a winner sometime after 8PM this Friday, September 3!

In other news, the following is now available at Limelight!

• Cosmo Cricket Matilda, Mitten Weather, Togetherness, and Pixie-licious!
• Jillibean Soup - Monster Stew and other goodies! (Ahem!! Beaded straight pins!)
• Lawn Fawn Bannerific, Heebie Jeebies, and Sophie's Sentiments
• Preorders for Suzi Blu Stamps from Unity! (They will arrive Monday...we'll have 'em all!)

Challenge 54 WINNER!

Hey there Limelight fans!

This is JenMarie posting for Mandy today!


The entries this week were FABULOUS!

Here are some of my faves:

Savannah
LOVE her butterfly! You can find it HERE!




Giovana
So soft and sweet!




Ginny
Happy, Happy!!



Maggie
Love the stitching!


Katie
Fabby ribbon treatment!!

OK...... I drew from slips of paper and the WINNER IS:

GIOVANNA!
Congrats girlie!

Email mandy@limelightpapercrafts.com with YOUR PICK
of one of the NEW COSMO CRICKET 6x6 mini decks!

Happy Birthday Blocks

Happy Saturday to you. :) Hope you have a full day of relaxing, fun, and maybe a little crafting. ;) We'll be spending the day doing the bulk of our moving, and I'm so glad the day is finally here. I'm not really the type that has a lot of trouble with change, and I am usually ready to just go ahead and get it done!

I made this card for a submission call. It, obviously, didn't get chosen. ;) But that's okay...I can share it with you now! I used a piece of Kraft cardstock matted onto Simply Chartreuse. The color blocks are Simply Chartreuse, Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, and Summer Sunrise. The flowers, stamped in white ink, are from the Lawn Fawn set Petite Florals, and the sentiment, stamped in black, is from the LF set Bake Me a Cake. Matching rhinestones are in the center of each bloom, and the sentiment is popped up on a foam tape dot.

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY! Don't forget that Cosmo Cricket is in the Limelight!!!

Cupcakes Tote Bag

Happy Friday, my friends! If you haven't tried out our sketch challenge yet, check the post before this one (from Thursday) and be sure to get your card entered! It's a random drawing, and one lucky winner will get their choice of the NEW Cosmo Cricket paper pads!!

I have a cute tote bag I whipped up for a birthday gift. One of our sweet teenage girls at church turned 17 this week, and she has been wanting to go to the local SAS Cupcakes since she missed our Girls' Night Out there months ago! So I tucked a gift card to SAS and some Happy Birthday Hershey's Kisses in the bag. I made the bag by simply stamping some images in pigment/hybrid inks...so easy! Hardly ANY drying time or anything! I used two Odd Bird Planet stamps... Cupcake Row and Life's Short-Eat Cupcakes. The cupcakes are topped off with Hot Pink Rhinestone cherries, and I tied Tink Pink Tulle around the handles.

We are starting to move today, so wish us luck! :) And no worries... Orders will still be shipped out within 24 hours to continue to better serve YOU!

SKETCH 54: All-Occasion Sentiments!

Happy Thursday, my blog friends! :) Today is another sketch challenge day, one of the best days of the month!! I have noticed the large amount of all-occasion and multi-purpose sentiment stamps and rub-ons that are present in my collection, so today we are focusing on using those sentiments to create a fabulous card using a fun sketch! I love how simple I was able to keep mine! I haven't had time for much else lately...and now I can use this card for ANYONE!!

For my card, I started with a white base and simply created a half-circle sun using Summer Sunrise cardstock. I made the sun's ray's using some Seam Binding that I dyed with Tuscan Sun Shimmerz. Seriously, making ribbon that way is the most FUN ever!!! I used the same ribbon to tie around the card into a bow. The patterned paper both above the ribbon and on the SU Build-a-Brad is from the NEW Cosmo Cricket Matilda collection! The star of the show, my sentiment, is from the new Itty Bitty On the Bright Side stamp.

The Deets:
**Use the sketch above and try to incorporate your favorite ALL-OCCASION SENTIMENT(s)!!
**Keyword for SCS upload is LLPC054.
**Post a comment with a link to your card right here on the challenge post by Sunday, August 22, at midnight (or really just before winner is drawn Monday!).
**PRIZE ~ One lucky random winner will receive their choice of any one of the new Cosmo Cricket 6x6 Mini Deck paper pads!!

From here, you will want to hop on over to JenMarie's blog for more fabulousness!!

Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards for Kids BLOG HOP!

Hello, and welcome to the Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards for Kids Blog Hop! We have all come together today to make cards for a wonderful cause, Cards for Kids! We hope to encourage you to also make cards for this great cause and have fun along the way, too! So please hop along with us, and make sure to leave comments as there will be prizes for commenters and participants! So let's get going! Also, if you are lost in the hop, you can always start at the beginning at the Lawn Fawn blog. Thank you so much for hopping along with us today!

You most likely arrived here from Tiffany's FABULOUS blog! If not, be sure to go to the beginning to see ALL of the wonderful kids' cards. :)

I started with a white card base and stamped on some ice cream cones. I used Odd Bird Planet's Single Scoop stamp. I colored them using Koh-i-noor pencils and accented each with a matching Kaisercraft Rhinestone. I used a ruler and a fine tip black Sharpie for the box around the cones, and I stamped and colored the OBP Hi stamp for my sentiment. Star Dust Stickles accent the sentiment.

I am sending my card to Emily P. because she is eating an ice cream cone in her picture. ;) Be sure to check the list and see who you can send a card to! I know your heart will be touched by these beautiful children.

From here, you'll want to hop on over to Nichol's blog! Enjoy, and have a blessed day!!

Critter Challenge #27

This week's Critter Challenge is to create a card (or layout, of course) for a man or boy. The twist? It MUST contain some kind of glitter somewhere on the card! My mom called and asked me to make her a simple baby boy card for a coworker, so I knew exactly what to do! I do apologize in advance for the poor picture quality. I broke one of my light box studio lamp bulbs and need to replace it. I was only working with one light and a not-so-sunny day.

I started with a Chocolate Chip (SU) base and stamped on this airplane, Congrats banner, and some clouds, all in White ink. I paper-pieced the airplane using Webster's Pages Lullaby Lane/ Life's Portrait paper (this paper is actually light BLUE with brown dots...). I painted Pixie Dust Shimmerz on the clouds to give them some sparkle, added some Star Dust Stickles to highlight the banner, and even affixed an Ice Blue rhinestone to "attach" the banner to the plane. :) Lots of bling for a boy card, huh?

I hope you are enjoying the Critter Challenges this month as much as I am! Don't forget, every card you create and upload to the Critter Challenge blog gives you a chance to win the Lily stamp set that is up for grabs! :) Have a great day!

Birthday Comment Winner!

From both Drew and myself, thanks for all of the sweet comments you left him for his birthday!! JULIE is the lucky gal who will receive a special something in her mailbox this week! Congrats, Julie! :)

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.... Any fun plans? We are packing. Sheesh. The week is finally arriving!! But on that note, fear not if you are planning to place a Limelight order. All orders are shipping on time...within 24 hours of order placement!

And we have new Cosmo Cricket coming this week.... :) Watch out, Wednesday! New papers are gonna rock the day!

Critter Challenge #26

Happy Friday the 13th!! I am not superstitious, but I think it's fun that today is Friday the 13th (and that Fall will be here before we know it)! I used this ADORABLE monster image from Unity, since it fit my Friday the 13th theme, after all. :) This Nicest Place to Be stamp is from the new Itty Bitty line. So cute! The monsters also come with this sentiment stamp, so I used that here as well. The card base is Basic Black, and I also used Kraft, Orange Zest, Simply Chartreuse, and Raspberry Fizz cardstock. The left panel is actually Pink Net ribbon. Thought it looked like a trendy pink spider web. ;) I accented with Iridescent Glitter and Star Dust Stickles (it was easier to use Stickles on the sentiment). Buttons are PTI Simply Chartreuse, and they are tied with Black Burlap String.

I used this sketch from the Critter Challenge Blog this week. Don't forget...you still have a couple of days to upload your card! Each week you play along is another chance to win the Lily stamp set from Limelight!! :)

Like the Itty Bitty Stamps? Order the Unity August Stampin' Store Kit, Harvest of Memories & Learning (year by year) for $34 and get your choice of any one Itty Bitty stamp for FREE!!

On another note, I did move my FOR SALE stamps and punches to Splitcoast, but lots is still left! Email me if you would like anything!!

Happy Birthday, Drew!

Today is my wonderful (the BEST) husband's birthday! We are so blessed to have him as the head of our family, and we hope he has the best day in the world!

This card is based off of one of Betsy Veldman's sketches in the Go-To-Sketches issue of Paper Crafts Magazine. Loved this one. The patterned paper is BG Green at Heart, kraft cardstock and buttons are all PTI, and the rub-on sentiment (isn't that the cutest??) is Basic Grey. The buttons were tied together and then onto the card using Natural Burlap String.

What birthday plans do we have for today? Well, sadly, Drew must work today. We may bring him lunch, though. And Scallops and Pasta for dinner..... and this heavenly (sinful?) Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. Yep, gonna be a YUMMY day!!

Here is Cameron's card for his daddy:

And Katy's:

Anyone who knows Katy will not be surprised that nearly EVERTHING on this card is a shade of pink. Ha. ;)

POST SOME BIRTHDAY WISHES FOR DREW ON THIS POST! I WILL CHOOSE ONE WINNER ON FRIDAY TO RECEIVE SOME PAPER CRAFTING GOODNESS FROM LIMELIGHT IN THEIR MAILBOX!! (Speaking of which, be sure to check out all of the GREAT SALES at Limelight now!)

SKETCH 53 WINNER!

Hey, everyone. So sorry...yesterday ran away from me, but I am here now to announce our Sketch 53 WINNER! Random.org chose CATHY as our winner of the 2 Pink Paislee single stamps! Hooray, Cathy! Will you zip me your address, so I can be sure I have it?

Here is Cathy's beautiful butterfly card:


And here are some of the gorgeous creations from this week... I seriously could have spotlighted EACH of you!!

Leanne:

I love the colors and the stitching and the texture, and really EVERYTHING about Leanne's card! Check out the inside of her card... It matches the sketch still!


Tami:

Tami used the new Find the Joy stamp from the Unity Itty Bitty collection. LOVE the Christmas colors and layered ornaments on scallops!

Janice M:

I just fell in love with the kraft, white, and red color scheme here, along with those gorgeous swirly snowflakes! And check out how she used that baker's twine!!

Emily:

The colors, coloring of the berries, patterns, and stitching were all perfect on this card from Emily. But the gingham fabric REALLY pulls it all together as perfectly as a picnic! (Heehee!)

Cassie:

LOVE Cassie's adorable green and blue sponged froggie card!! The subtle patterns, the coloring, and the embellishments take this card to the next level, in my book!

I will be back in a bit with a card! Congrats to Cathy, and thanks to all who played along!! :)

Clean and Graphic Birthday

Here's a simple birthday card I made for a teenager in our youth group. He turned 16 on Thursday, and I wanted to create a teen boy-friendly card that incorporated a baseball for him.

I simply stamped these sentiments from PTI's Get to the Point Sentiments and All About You sets. I stamped the baseball from the Have a Ball set in Pure Poppy ink onto white felt! I love that felt baseball! The ball is popped up on a pop-dot. And that's it!! Have a beautiful Sunday!

Etsy #100

I am so thrilled to help the Etsy Inspired Challenge Blog celebrate their 100th inspiration challenge! There is a FANTASTIC store full of inspiration this week! You are sure to find plenty of beautiful things at Cathy Walters' Etsy shop! And along with that, there are fabulous prizes to be one! Limelight is offering up winner's choice of one Webster's Pages Bloomers AND Fabric Fancies to one lucky participant!

My card was inspired by this gorgeous pendant. I may have to buy it. Oh, and this one:

Anyway. ;) I simply began with a Kraft cardstock base and layered on some Webster's Pages patterned paper. I stitched on a sentiment from a past Unity store kit, which I stamped in True Black on Kraft cardstock. The butterfly, a perfect addition to a simple card, was punched with Pure Poppy cardstock and accented with Silver Rhinestones. I actually punched two butterflies and layered for dimension.

Please play along! Can't wait to see what you create!!

Eco-CHIC!

Happy sixth of the month, Limelight friends! If you're joining us for the first time, the Limelight Papercrafts Design Team presents their take on a monthly challenge. For August, we have created some recycled projects and card elements! Hop around to each design team member to see the lovely things they have come up with! :) (Links are in my right sidebar.)

I have created a card with recycled element. Notice the sparkly heart above the ribbon? That began as a cereal box (of organic cereal...bonus!)! I punched the cardboard with a heart punch (SU), covered it with Mono Aqua glue, and glittered it with Pink Paislee Pixee Stix in Cream Soda. I also have a few star and ornament shapes punched and ready to go! Maybe I'll give some away soon! ;) Have a wonderful day, and enjoy perusing the blogs of our talented design team! :)

Stamps: Unity Store Kit. Paper: Pink Pirouette (SU), Webster's Pages Lullaby Lane/Life's Portrait. Ink: True Black. Accessories: Raven Tulle, Pixee Stix-Cream Soda, Soft Pink Rhinestones, Doily from Sarah Martina.

SKETCH 53: POP-DOTS!

Happy Thursday! It's time for another Limelight Sketch and Product Challenge! My post will be short and sweet! Packing the house and shipping orders are keeping me pretty busy these days. :)

Today we're focusing on using POP-DOTS! These are great for adding dimension to any project. While Limelight does sell adhesive pop-dots, my canvas flower embellishments come with the pop-dots attached! :) Easy-peasy. This card came together SO quickly! I used Vintage Cream cardstock, Basic Grey Nook and Pantry paper, Jillibean Soup Canvas Flowers, PTI buttons, brown burlap string, and a rub-on from the Basic Grey Greetings set.

The Deets:

**Use the sketch above and try to incorporate some POP UP DOTS!!

**Keyword for SCS upload is LLPC053.

**Post a comment with a link to your card right here on the challenge post by Sunday, August 8, at midnight (or really just before winner is drawn Monday!).

**PRIZE ~ One lucky random winner will receive 2 free single Pink Paislee stamps (Polka Dot Heart and Stitched Flower)!!

Don't forget to check out our Limelight Papercrafts MOVING SALE!!!
*Stampendous Ice Cream Float Stamp ONLY $1!
* All Jillibean Soup 20% (or more!!) off!!
*Lawn Fawn Stamps 20% off! (Even new releases!)
*All 2010 Unity Stampin' Store Kits ONLY $25
*All 2009 Unity Stampin' Store Kits ONLY $20!
* Unity Stamps 30% (or more!) off! (New releases not included.)
*Basic Grey Capella and Max& Whiskers 40% off!
Don't forget to click on our CLEARANCE tab!

Winners and FOR SALE! :)

Good morning, everyone! I have a few winners from my August 1 blog post! I'll be sending out a free stamp to Ann, Heather, and Tami! :) Watch your mailbox, ladies!

We are moving. Like, in 2-3 weeks! If you've noticed, even when new sales at Limelight are posted, many of the older sales are hanging around and still active. So check out the site in a little bit for some sales!! I will be updating today!! :) It will be a HUGE help not to have to move EVERYTHING!! Plus it helps me get ready for the new fall and Christmas fabulousness that is on the way! :)

Now, I have some personal things to purge out, too. I will start here, but in 24-48 hours, I'll post on Splitcoast, too, if necessary. Shipping will be Priority, preferably, but I will do first class if you request it, and if it is allowable for what you order. IF YOU PLACE A LIMELIGHT ORDER, I WILL INCLUDE ANYTHING YOU PURCHASE FROM MY PERSONAL STASH IN YOUR BOX FOR NO ADDITIONAL SHIPPING CHARGES!! Send me an e-mail at mandy@limelightpapercrafts.com!

Punches:
SU Folk Art Punch $4
SU old-style Daisy Punch $3
SU 1/4" Square Punch $3
Marvy Uchida Scalloped Oval Punch $6
*I think this one is the Super Jumbo. It's purple and the scalloped oval is 3" long.

STAMPS
My Favorite Things:
Clear UM Build a Bouquet $5 (BRAND NEW, unopened package!)

Unity Stamp Co:
UM Birdie Inspiration $7
UM Middle School Madness $7
UM Dads of All Kinds $7 (no paper insert for this one showing images...it is in a plastic CD case, 2 actually!)
UM All Santa's Reindeer $1 (no packaging, just stamp and paper image insert)
UM Glorious Angel $1 (no packaging, just stamp and paper image insert)
UM Jesus is the Reason $1 (no packaging, just stamp and paper image insert)
Studio G Cute Owl WM Rubber Stamp $1 (can send you a picture!)

Stampin' Up:
Mixed Bouquet $7 (several wood blocks are stained but stamps are perfect)
I'm Here $7
Out of the Box (hostess set, I believe) $4
UM Good Neighbors (2010 Sale-a-Bration) $9 (unopened package!)
Birthday Wish $4 (unopened!)
Warm Words $6 (some SLIGHT staining on a block or two)
Snow Burst $7 (good bit of staining on rubber...still stamps perfectly!)
Print Patterns BG $5 (some SLIGHT staining on wood block)
Rough Edges Alphabet $5. Double-mounted on the small, thin blocks. (staining on wood blocks, but works perfectly!)
Doodle Garden $7 (some staining on stamps and wood blocks...still stamps perfectly!)
"Created For You" (written in a heart) Signature Stamp (for the back of a card) - 50 cents (a little staining on wood block)

CURRENT SU (would love to trade for PTI stamp sets...but make me an offer!):
Bugs & Kisses (a little staining on wood blocks here and there)
Greenhouse Garden (MOUNTED, but completely unused!!)
Medallion (maybe used once)

Critter Challenge #25

I am so thrilled to announce that Limelight Papercrafts will be sponsoring and working with the Critter Challenge Blog for the month of August!! If you are new to the Critter Challenge, a new challenge (sometimes with a sketch) is posted every Monday of the month, and there are five in August!! You will link your creations to the Critter Challenge Blog post for that week, and for each week that you play along, you get an entry to win the PRIZE given away at the end of the month! This month, Limelight is offering up the Lily stamp set from Pink Cat Studio! Please play along! We'd love to see what you come up with AND send someone a PRIZE!! :)

This week's challenge is a sketch challenge with a twist. Use the sketch and also use a minimum of 2 ribbons on your creation. Make sure you upload your card by Sunday evening at 8pm to be eligible for the end of month drawing.

My card began as a New Leaf cardstock base, and I layered on three different patterns from the Basic Grey Green at Heart paper pad. Notice that beautiful stamped flower?? That's the new ITTY BITTY Humble and Gentle from Unity! Lovin' these new Itty Bitties.... And don't let the name fool you; they aren't teeny tiny! :) I find that they are the PERFECT size for a main image for cardmaking, such as with this card. The flower image is chalked using the Pebbles Shimmers Pearlescent Chalks and matted with Rich Razzleberry cardstock. A lavender pearl serves as my flower center. The challenge was to incorporate 2 ribbons, so I used some May Arts lace (it was out of stock last time we ordered, but this is similar!) and some Seam Binding I dyed using my Razzle Dazzle Berry Vibez.

The stamp included Ephesians 4:2 wrapped around the flower, which reads, "Be completely humble and gentle, bearing with one another in love." I am sending this to my good friend, whose anniversary is tomorrow. Appropriate and different, I thought. But also, what a wonderful verse to think about all day today! If we all just work on allowing God to help us be humble and gentle, we'd have a busy day, wouldn't we? Maybe I am just speaking for myself. :)

August Guest DT Member: TAYLOR USRY!

Good morning, everyone! I am super excited to share with you that the Limelight Papercrafts Guest Design Team Member for August is the one, the only, TAYLOR USRY! You may have seen her work through Craft Critique or Lizzie Anne Designs, amongst other things! :)

Here are a few GORGEOUS (drool-worthy!!) creations from Taylor, but be watching out for lots of paper goodness from her in the coming month!

Be sure to check back with us tomorrow...we are sponsoring a FABULOUS challenge! (Hint: You will need to pull out some ribbons...)

LEAVE A COMMENT WITH SOME WELCOMING LOVE FOR TAYLOR BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!! I will draw a lucky winner or two to win a random stamp!! :)