~Is April Already Over?~

I have been a really bad blogger...Boy. Oh. Boy.

I must say, I didn't even realize just the length of time that has passed since I posted last. And now it is almost May!

What?

 How did that happen? 

Not that this will redeem my tardiness, I'm still stopping in quickly tonight to share my gratitude for all of your lovely comments on my previous TCM post (Thank You!!!!) and to share a quick post about my Miss Art's class that is currently available!

It's a class that talks about all things shabby, with three separate cards, that are created from start to finish with a few techniques I cannot live without! If you love shabby chic and rustic creations, then this class is perfect for you :)

You can check it out here!

I promise I will be back real soon with some actual creations....Just as soon as I get my cards finished and photographed. 

See you soon!

*Ivana*

~The Craft's Meow Blog Hop~

It was quite a frazzled week for me...Coupled with the fact that Canada Post delivered my stamps barely in the nick of time...I've had to miss all the fun during the previews...But I am so grateful to have the stamps in my possession right now, and so happy to be here celebrating TCM's May release with you today :)

If you've arrived from Amy's blog, then you're in the right place. If not, head back to TCM for a full list of blog hop stops!

Today, I've got several cards I've created with some of my the cutest, most lovable stamps ever! I know I say that every release, but seriously...With designs like these, I can't help but want to stamp
All. Day. Long.
!!!

I've used the beautiful 'Giddy Up' stamp set here...Which I loooooove! Best part?
It's a FREE set with any $50 purchase from TCM this month!

The lovely images (sweet girl, tags, spool tags, ruler) are from Bety's Etsy shop, and the I've stamped the frame and sentiment with the GORG TCM stamp set.

Other fun things I've used on this card...Pretty washi tape by Queen & Co. It's such a fun way to add a punch of colour!  Buttons are by Fancy Pants, and the background paper is from Bo Bunny...The best part of this card was that it was a breeze to pull together! With sweet images, delicious stamps and all the right toppings, how can a girl not have fun?!

Next card, I've used the same stamp again - I imagine you're not surprised. And I've even duplicated the colours again! I love the possibilities of this stamp set. Lovely western frames with gorgeous type and sentiments...So wonderfully sweet :)

I've used Iralamija's images here again, and a few items from my stash like my handmade crinkled ribbon. 

I added a few stitches on the side of the card...I messed up pretty royally while stitching...But shhhhh... No one needs to know that! It'll just be between you and me :P

Like I've said many times, sewing is not my forte...

Anywho, here's the awesome stamp set I've used for my cards today. Super cute, huh?

And just for funsies, since I missed all the previews, I've got two more cards I've created with a couple of the other stamp sets from this release!

First up, an inspirational card using the 'Inspired by Audrey' stamp set, which is probably one of the most lovely stamp sets I've ever had in my possession. The quotes are so heartfelt and the pretty frames are purely elegant.

I've used some more of my handmade crinkled ribbon here, along with a few more images from Bety's shop.

I've combined several sets for this next card. The pretty horse image, and the two frames are from the 'Giddy Up' set, the fence and butterfly from the 'Nature's Beauty' set, the cute flowers (with the rhinestones in the centres) and the sentiment are from the 'Inspired by Audrey' set.

I used what little scraps I had left of the patterned paper, washi tape and my own handmade buttons and roses.

Just a quick note about the pretty paper flower on this card...It was gifted to me by my sweet friend Bonnie and I cannot forget send my gratitude


~~Thank you so much, Bonnie~~


Your flowers are unlike any other :)

Well, enough showy-showy from me...Now it's time for you to move on and check out the rest of the team's creations!

And don't forget to leave a comment on each blog!!!! You'll be entered to win all of the new-release stamp sets if you do!

Next up on the hop is our guest designer, Geri. I know you'll love her beautiful work, so check out her blog here! And if you'd like to see all the new stamp releases, check out the TCM site here.

Thanks for joining me on this beautiful Saturday.
Hugs,

*Ivana*

p.s. Check it out! I've got another post on the DRW blog about my bridal journey. I've even posted a pic of the gorgeous bridesmaid dresses I've found!

~So Much to Share~

Hope you are all doing well :) Sorry I missed you on Sunday....Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and a great weekend!

We actually decided to go home for a few days over the long weekend....We had a lot to accomplish, so we decided to head home and get some extra help.

We arrived on Thursday night to a little bit of rain, and woke up to a pretty heavy snowfall. Although not unusual for this time of year, we were surprised at just how much snow we got. 

It actually felt a lot more like Christmas than Easter with all white around us...Not exactly sure how much snow we got, but parts of our cars were covered with at least two feet...And I'm not even talking about the drifts!

Luckily for us, the weather allowed us to get a lot accomplished off our list, without feeling too guilty about missing the all the outdoor fun. 

Friday morning, bright and early, we made a delicious pork shoulder brine for our pulled pork dry run, for the Summer Lovin Soiree. (If you'd like more info on our SLS, you can read all about it in my wedding journal here.)

 We decided a little while ago that we would switch things up from a burger bbq to pulled pork. After a bit of searching online, I found an awesome recipe from Kevin & Amanda (my fave couple bloggers!) and put the recipe to work! It was soooo simple to make.  

While the pork was chillin' in the fridge, we got busy doing other things...

I brought all of our canning and crafting supplies home so that we could  make our Summer Lovin Soiree favors...We spent the rest of Friday canning yummy grapefruit jelly.

Mark's parents stopped by for a little visit to help, and to talk wedding stuff. It was such a perfect day.

Next day, bright and early, I finished decorating my shower boxes. Although my MOH was quite hesitant, I  did manage to make her pass down the task of decorating the boxes to me, which I enjoyed thoroughly!
The two of us even found some time to sneak in a little visit...And a trip to the shower location :)

Not long after, we made our way to Mark's house to lend our dads a helping hand in covering the large pool in Mark's house. Months earlier, when we decided that we would have a summer party in lieu of a wedding in Canada, we knew that we needed a lot of space....Mark's parents graciously offered to let us host the party there and to cover their existing pool, to create a large room for the party, in addition to the garden.

Both of our dads had been busily working on this project for a while now, and really appreciated the help from the boys this weekend. I can't say I was of much use with the physical work, but I did bring all of the favors, and got tons accomplished. Of course, I would have been nowhere without my girls...Thank you Melissa, Linda, Mom, and Amy for all the help!!! A very special thanks to my sweet niece, too :) I am so grateful for her crafty little hands and all of her help

We managed to get ALL of the tea wedding favors decorated that day, and I finished up the jelly favors the day after.

Here's a sneak of them...

If you'd like to read more, and check out all the details about our Summer Lovin' Soiree, as well as my crafting for the wedding, you can see my post on the DRW blog here.

I imagine you must be tired of hearing about the wedding, so I've created a couple of cards to share with you as well!

I've really had a thing for felt lately...So I used one of my fave glimmer mist colors and misted some white felt...It worked so well that I dug out the rest of my white stash and misted all the squares with different colors. Now I have a whole rainbow of felt to play with :) 

For the first card, I stitched kraft cardstock and white die-cut cardstock together for the base.

I used a beautiful stamp from the Sew Lovely TCM stamp set to stamp the button card. I cut out the inside of the button card so that I could add more dimension to the card.

I used some of the hand-dyed felt to make this simple flowers...It's just five die-cut hearts sewn together at the center and folded. 

The sentiment is stamped with one of my all-time faves from TCM, Celebrating You.

I couldn't resist creating something else, so I created this gift card holder with a teensy pocket at the front. The felt flap acts like a hinge to keep the pocket (and the giftcard) closed safely!

Lastly, I am SO excited to share that today is the debut of my Miss Arts class!!! 

You can check out more info about the video here, or just go here to sign up!!! 

Thank you all for visiting and for all of your continued kind words. I am so sorry that I've been so MIA lately...I know that one of these days I will have more time to devote to crafting and blogging. I am so thankful that you visit my little blog, despite my tardiness. 

Sending hugs to you all, 

*Ivana*

~Upcoming Miss Arts Class!~

Hi Friends! I am so excited that the time has come to finally reveal news of my upcoming Miss Arts Class! 

I couldn't be more excited to share my love of shabby chic design a second time around!

This class focuses on some new, fun techniques and this time around, I've included the step by step process of putting the cards together, too! 

As always, here is a sneak of the cards featured in the class!

Shabby Chic II will debut on April 10th, so stay tuned for more details! 

Wishing you a lovely day, 

*Ivana*

p.s. I've been slightly MIA from wedding blogging, but Mark has just added a post to the DRW blog...If you'd like to check out what he's been up to, you can see his post here!

~Lily Pad First Birthday~

Welcome to my post today for Lily Pad's first birthday! The Craft's Meow is sponsoring a few wonderful prizes, so be sure to check out the birthday blog hop! The fun starts here. 

For the birthday theme, I've created little favor baggies, which are essential for any birthday celebration!

And a little card to go along with. Not a birthday card, but nonetheless, it was fun to put together!

For this trio, I've used the Baggin Some Rays stamp set from TCM along with many other little toppings. 

When I think of birthdays, I think of happiness and sunshine! Hence my use of these lovely stamps! 

I know that every time I reach for my TCM stamps, I am completely inspired. There is something to be said about stamping, and the way it encourages full reign over the creative process. I love inking up my stamps with different colors, cutting out the images and layering them, and stamping various backgrounds, to create something new every time. 

Here is a full shot of all three. I've used various stamping bits here and there...

For the card background, I used the sun centers in the stamp set to create a multi-colored, large polka-dot design. 

I used the same green and yellow ink and stamped the sentiment on the pretty die-cut and the sun on a piece of cardstock, which I then cut out. A couple of the die-cut pieces started out white, but I added a splash of color with my Distress Inks and my blending tool.

Next up, the birthday favor baggies. These would be so fun to stuff with candies, home-made treats or even tiny toys for the little ones. 

I used a combination of felt and paper die-cuts and decorated them with stamped images, flowers and buttons.

The other baggie got the same treatment, with a touch of hand-dyed felt, stamped and die-cut cardstock and a painted clothespin.

A few more accents like pretty vintage pins and sparkler buttons, and these favors are ready for a birthday bash to remember!

Luckily, there are no birthday parties planned for our household today...Instead, just a lazy Sunday, getting caught up on housework and making favors for our wedding :)

If you would like to see more creations and a chance to win some TCM stamps, check out the blog hop at Lily Pad! 

Happy Sunday!

*Ivana*