Good morning!  A few weeks ago, I was approached by the owners of Lily Pad Cards about participating in a blog hop to help kick-off their new challenge blog that will feature challenges, videos, articles, interviews, prizes and more.  I  am very excited to be part of the Lily Pad Blog Hop.

This hop started on Monday, featuring seven blogs each day and will end on Friday, April 1, which marks the grand opening of Lily Pad Cards.  Even though Lily Pad doesn’t officially open until Friday, you’ll be able to see a new sneak peek every day until then.   If you encounter a bad link, please email [email protected]. (You can always go to the main blog for Lily Pad Cards to get to the next stop.)

No blog hop is complete without prizes!  Go here to see contest rules and to register to win one of three prize packages with a combined total retail value of over $800 – including $100 in gift certificates to a very popular online store!  In addition, they have a prize opportunity on their FaceBook page.  Send them a friend request AND post on their Wall to enter your name in a drawing for a $25 Simon Says Stamp gift certificate!

But that’s not all! To show their appreciation for your support, InLinkz.com is giving away a 2-month InLinkz subscription to everyone who signs up to win one of the prize packages! (If you already have a subscription, InLinkz will extend your subscription an additional two months.)  InLinkz is what I’ve been using to show you the product listed at the bottom of each post.  I LOVE it and hope you do too!

Now that I’ve given you all the details, it’s time for my card!  I really had fun with this one and it’s two-fold.  First to welcome Lily Pad Cards to the blogging scene, but also to welcome Spring (because I know we all need to think of warm weather, birds, bees and flowers).

I just got my hands on this new paper from PinkPaislee called Butterfly Garden.  I fell in love with it at CHA and truly, it just screams Spring!  I also used another new set from Crafty Secrets, Birdies.  Okay the set is not new (it was released at Summer CHA), but it’s new to me.

I used a number of Spellbinders™ die templates (shown below for your convenience), dyed my seam binding pink using Victorian Velvet and stamped by images in Peeled Paint, Archival Coffee and Tumbled Glass.  If you can’t see it, there is a teeny, tiny birdie stamped very lightly in blue inside the bird cage.

Now for the wrap-up!  You should have came to me from the Simon Says Stamp Blog and from here you will be going to Kristina Werner.  Enjoy the rest of the hop and thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies Used:

BasicGrey Precision File Set	Crafty Secrets Birdies	Maya Road Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins
PinkPaislee Butterfly Garden	Ranger Archival Inks	Ranger Distress Inks
Ranger Ink Blending Tool with Foam	Ranger Matte Accents	Ranger Mini Misters
Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Spellbinders at eclectic Paperie	Spellbinders Grand Calibur
Spellbinders S4-110 Classic Ovals LG	Spellbinders S4-112 Classic Ovals Small	Spellbinders S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities Petite
Spellbinders S4-314 Lacey Ovals

Good morning!  I hope you had a good weekend and the start of your week was okay.  Our weather here yesterday was in the 80’s  . . . I almost don’t know what to do with myself.  I would love to get out and work in the yard . . . but in reality, it’s going to be in the 50’s later in the week.   Needless to say, I’ve enjoyed my time in the sun walking the little shitzes!

When I was working on my card for The E-Team hop last week, one of my choices was to use Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps – Farm Fresh.  There is an image on this scrap that reminds me of an old picture I have of my aunt.  She’s all scrunched down, sitting on her heels with her head tilted up just a bit.   Yesterday when I was looking for something to do, I decided to make a card with this image.

This card truly took me longer than it should have and I wasted tons of time trying to get the ribbon just right.  I wanted red, felt like the card needed red, but alas . . . no red.  I just couldn’t get the correct color of red to work with the cardstock.  Now that I think about it . . . duh! . . .  I had my old SU ink in this color that I could have used on my seam binding!  Well hell.   Lesson learned I suppose.

I ended up dying the seam binding with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and misting with tons of water.  I did the same thing for the May Arts Crochet Lace too . . .

Well, that’s it for now.  Thanks for stopping by and remember  . . . life is short, embrace the adventures that come your way!

Just now, as I typed the last sentence, I thought of yesterday.  A friend of mine from high school has a gospel band, Younger Than Noah.

They were here in town over the weekend and gave a concert yesterday afternoon.  I sat here waffling, do I go or do I not go.  I finally to go and I’m so glad I did.  I embraced the adventure and had a wonderful time seeing old friends from school, and hearing Tom sing his new song, My Hometown, for the very first time . . . I am so glad I went!

Product Used:

Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps Farm Fresh	May Arts Ribbon	Melissa Frances Kitschy Kitchen
Ranger Distress Inks	Ranger Ink Blending Tool with Foam	Ranger Matte Accents
Ranger Mini Misters	Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Spellbinders at eclectic Paperie
Spellbinders Grand Calibur	Spellbinders LF-161 Grand Labels One	Spellbinders S4-126 Classic Squares LG
Spellbinders S4-128 Classic Squares SM	Spellbinders S4-129 Classic Scalloped Squares SM	Spellbinders S4-161 Labels One