Help [ME] Ronda

Vintage Ink + Giveaway

Tattered Angels Sea Glass, Studio Calico Barnwood

Vintage Ink goes on sale Sunday, May 1st.  So many beautiful add-ons this month.  It was hard to choose.  Plus i love that Christine is including Spray inks to complement the kits.  I love that picture from Prom with the sunlight streaming in.  The colors are just perfect for this kit. Some of those splatters are the exclusive stamp in this month's kit. 

I love my friends Susan & Erin.  they are an amazing duo.  We met at a local scrapbook store in the Cincinnati Area.  Susan & Erin actually trained me.  We had lots of good times there and since moving i get to see them periodically.  But it does matter because when we get back together, it's always the same strong bond.  I am thankful.

I do have mustache pictures but for fear of this post being way too long, i've decided to share them tomorrow with a little recap of all the stashes.  So stay tuned...

So now i have some RAKS to give out.  I have purges lots so i decided to 4 giveaways.  The room isn't totally clean yet so i know there will be another giveaway in the next few weeks.  This weeks giveaways go to....

#9  Good luck with the clean up! Greetings from Russia))

Posted by: Curly-claire.blogspot.com

#80  ahhhh, looking at your room reminds me I need to get to mine, but its a process.....thanks for the chance to win :) Alex
Posted by: Alex

#27   I just spent all day today rearranging my craft room. Fun, fun, fun!

Posted by: Heidi Myers

#53  Hope you're cranking the tunes when you're tackling the clean up - helps keep me motivated at least. Good luck, Ronda!

Posted by: Lydia

If you can email me your address to RondaAnn@comcast.net, I will get your prize packs in the mail. 

Love

2peas + stamps + stash love = me (today)

So blessed to be a guest at two peas for their 30 days of stamping class.  I love stamping on my pages.  You can read the tips & techniques i used on this layout here.  I used my Cocoa Daisy April "central Park" kit to create this layout.  I have a love for doors.  Perhaps its the potiental that lies behind them, a world of possibilites.  This door i found in Mykonos.  Love love the aged bright blue against the white. 

Todays mustache is the Frida.  I assume it is named after the famous artist who is known for her self-portraits.  As my friend paolo pointed out mustaches are not a craze, but a lifestyle.  I am embracing the lifestyle my friend.  Still searching for the right stash for me.  Luckily i have 4 more to choose from. 

Possibilities of Love

Perspective + Stash Love

Just Playing around with paints, mists, rub-ons & paper.  So basically a normal day in the craftroom.  My art journals always seem to be a work in progress.  This one has been laying on my desk for months waiting for me to finish it.  Today was the day, with a beautiful little brad, a sticker journal strip, and a little bit of journaling.  Things to note: the leaf in the background was a fussy cut for another project that just didn't work out.  I plopped it on this layout and covered it with gesso, paints, & mists.  I love how it sits in the background.  The brad was a last minute decision so when i looked at the other side, it would have interfered with that page.  Instead of poking it through the page, i simply cut off the metal prongs and adhered it to the page. 

I promise you there is a mustache craze out there.  it's not just me living in Dorkapolis.  Click HERE to see what i mean.  Mugs, Pacifiers, Journals, stamps.  Today i am sporting the Manly Missus.  It's a bit fluffier than yesterdays.  Fluffier...definitely a gal's terminology for a mustache.  My kids came into to the house yesterday & just shook their heads.   "Mom, you really are a dork."  As if there way any doubt? 

Fluffy Love

Stash Love: The Heroine

Have you notice the mustache craze?  I have seen them all over pinterest.  Posters, design elements on everything from shirts to teacups.  Seriously.  It was a big thing at CHA to have mustache props for pictures.  And now they keep cropping up all over the place.  Well if you can't beat them, join 'em. 

I found these silly pink mustaches at a local candy store while lunching with friends.  Too funny.  As Mayor of Dorkapolis, it is important to always keep up appearances!  I mean who wants to be caught in public with a naked upper lip? 

Today i am the heroine.  Seems kind of appropriate.  You see i have been missing andrew like crazy.  Really big time.  But i bottle it up and try to "be strong."  I play the heroine with my emotions.  Such a silly thing to do.  So tonight i will have a nice little cry and tell myself it is ok to miss him no matter what choices we made.  And then be goofy and play the heroine with my stylish pink mustache!

Any guesses on tomorrow's stash love?

Messy Messy + Giveaway

I have been trying to clean up the disaster also known as my studio, my craftroom.  In preparation for going to Cincinnati, things were just tossed around the room.  You know what i mean....the panic packing, i will deal with it when i get back.  I guess it's time to deal with it.  I so need to clean it up & reorganize before jumping back into working.  I can't even function in the room right now.  I need to photograph it too so that's an added motivation!  So this is what i have been working on this week.  Little bits at a time.  Anthony has been in here helping me.  I feel so blessed to have his help. 

While i am busy cleaning up, I am purging as well.  So i think it's time to do a giveaway as well.  I have put together some boxes of goodies for two lucky winners.  Just leave a little comment and i will draw a random winner next Friday.  The RAK will close Thursday April 28th at Midnight Mountain time.  Anyone is welcomed to enter including International!

Purges of Love

All Things Cocoa

Another creation using Cocoa Daisy's central park kit.  I really love that American Crafts rain paper.  So adorable.  I had all these floral photos and thought the colors really popped with this kit.  The banner is using the pennant flags from Pebbles. 

Here's a sneak at May's Main kit called Vintage Ink.  She's a beauty filled with bits & baubles.  And did you see the ink splat stamp?  SWOON.   Here are a few add-on sneaks as well.

Antique Store

Estate Sale

Flea Market

Thrift Shop Sneak

and lastly but certainly not least, the design team call.  If you are signed up for the Newsletter at Cocoa Daisy, you see we have announced the design team call.  I have also posted over at the message board & blog, posts about the call, some frequent questions, and how-to's.  Cannot wait to see who is entering!!

Daisy Love

Now What?

How did we get here so quickly?  Senior Prom!  it seems just like yesterday i was bringing her home from the hospital, placing her in her cradle, and thinking "now what?" as i stared at her sleeping.  And now she is so grown up, stretching her wings, and almost ready to fly the nest.  and once again i am wondering "Now What?"

She looked so beautiful.  We went dress shopping a couple weeks ago and after many many dresses, we finally found the one.  It is such a pretty color for her and really makes her eyes pop.  I love that Kevin & Lexi picked out his tux.  This boy has style.  He impresses me with just the most casual of outfits.  He has a love of vests.  These two really complement each other's personality & style. 

They went with a big group of friends.  These kids have been in & out of my house over the last few years.  They are a really good group of kids who can make me really laugh.  I had a blast photographing them and playing around with the sun shots.  I could allow the sun to take over my shots or work with it.  I opted for work with the sun & i love the results!  Here are some more photos from Saturday.  (Click to make them larger).  And yes that is a duct tape tux!  Isn't it incredible!

 

Ever Growing Love

Day 5: Reflections

I am back in Colorado and in the comfort of my home.   Reflecting back on my week I can honestly say it was amazing.  I know that F&W is the company for me. This day was devoted to some other photos that could possibly be used in the book plus some video demos.  These videos will come out on the web before the sale of the book.  I can say this day was filled with nerves and i did a bit of self-sabotage.  Bad Ronda.  It's the perfectionist in me that wants the video to be perfect in one tack.  So not reality but i let it get the best of me.  I definitely need to work on more face time in front of the camera.  And i really need to breathe through it and let go.  So need to stop beating myself up.  Even now thinking about it, i get anxious about what it will look like.

Adorable, Amazing, Wicked Awesome Bethany.  I love that my editor has a graphic design degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.  Super Impressive!  She made me laugh so hard, probably because she lives in Dorkapolis with me.  She gets me and really knows what i like.  I still have lots of work to go on the book including the writing bits.  I am so motivated right now and cannot wait to get all my tools back.

I got to sneak in a little time with Suz & Erin.  They picked me up from the airport and shuttled me to the hotel.  My time was so busy during the week that i had little time for other things.  When i did have some down time, i slept.  And then on Friday, they threw me a "book party."  Those sneaks used my pinterest boards to create the most amazing little party.    I feel so blessed to call them friends.  Erin & i blubbered on the way to the airport when she took me at 7 am.  I just miss them so and would really like to see them more often. 

Reflections of Love

Day 4: Sales & Ice Cream

Yesterday went extremely well i think.  We rocked through some more techniques before lunch.   Next up was the Sales & Marketing team lunch.  It was an interesting meeting learning the ins & outs of sales and purchasing of craft books.  There is so much that goes into the making of a book it is almost overwhelming.  After a long lunch, we went back into the studio photographing the rest of the book techniques.  Woo hoo.  I cannot believe it's photographed and all in 4 days. 

We rewarded our hard work with Graeter's Ice Cream, Cincinnati's legendary ice cream since 1870.   I had Black Raspberry Chip.  It is so unbelievable yummy.  I am thinking i may need some more before i leave town. I got back to the hotel and passed out.  Asleep at 7:15 pm.  Yea i like to live it up in Dorkapolis.  I think all the mental & physical work i did this week is catching up with me. 

Today is video day.  We have to write some scripts, do some promos, and film so techniques.  It is a bit intimidating but also kind of exciting.  Bethany & I get to set up the studio with stuff from the prop room.  Cool Cool.  And hopefully i can keep my nerves in check and not look like a deer caught in headlights! 

Good Reminders + Day 3 = Wicked Awesome

This canvas piece was created for the Lily Bee blog to highlight those amazing little alphabets.  I love this quote. I wanted certain words to stand out so i used the alphabets to highlight them. 

Another creation from the beautiful Central Park Kit from Cocoa Daisy.  A simple reminder to myself to just breathe.  I love the necklace & charms the beautiful christine sent me.  It helps keep me in check & remember to slow down, take deep breaths, and let go.  Drips of mists and lots of little stitches.  I do love texture. 

Lunch with the girls yesterday at Ferrari's was awesome.  Love good company, good food, and laughter.  Simply amazing.  Yesterday was just get it done kind of day trying to really kick it through the techniques.   More discussion of the design of the book.  What it comes down to is that i trust this amazing team.  They know what they are doing.  They do their research which includes knowing me which just blows me away.  To say i am impressed is an understatement. 

Today i will finish with the rest of the techniques.  I so want to so that tomorrow is free for the videos.  We are also meeting with the sales & marketing team.  I admit this day scares me a little since i am not great at talking about myself.  I have never been a "hey check me out" person so i hope i can just be me and let me work speak for itself kind of day.

Unspoken Love