lindaalbrecht

Dog Days of Summer post and Giveaway!

Wow... has it really been that long since I posted here...APRIL????  No idea where the time goes.  I promise that I have not been lazy and just sitting around doing nothing ;-)  It's been hot hot here again for the past couple of days.  I'm tired of air conditioning and closed windows.  Fall, where are you because these hot summer days are getting old?!?!


This little pumpkin has a small part in distracting me from blogland.

He is almost 6 months old already!  I can hardly stand how much fun he is and he amazes me every time I see him.


One with his mama...

You can see more photos on my Facebook wall...check out my albums for more of my photography sessions (another reason I've been so busyand time has slipped away on me!) 
https://www.facebook.com/linda.albrecht.7


There was the Summer CHA show too in July that kept me swamped with paper crafts.  Here are a couple of Maya Road projects from that time.



^^ There's my little distraction again! :-)

You can see more photos of the above project on the Maya Road Blog HERE.  Loved making this sparkly little project for their booth in Chicago. 


I also made a couple of projects for sale as kits.  You can go to The Scrappy Gourmet for this mini album information.

It's loaded with product... trims, patterned papers, buttons, giant patterned rhinestone accents, chipboard, epoxy and stickers all added to a wood Pink Paislee album.  Lots of fun.

Then there is a 3 page layout set that they named "Color me Pretty" over at Frost it Pink.  They are full of embellishments all layered up with product from Cosmo Cricket.


So summer is almost over... the days are seeming hot and long and I am ready for fall anytime with it's cooler days and nights.  School starts in one week here in my hometown and we always seem to have one last hot spell.  Always.  My youngest, Cort is in 9th grade this year....another sign that time keeps slipping away. Here's a couple of late spring photos...

 



Thanks so much for stopping by!  I know it's been too long to expect anyone to remember me and my blog so I want to have a GIVE AWAY to celebrate my first post in 3 months.  Who wants to win the completed album above that is for sale at The Scrappy Gourmet?  Yep, no photos, just the completed pages for you to fill up with your own memories.  Post a comment here for a chance, then tell your friends on your own blog or on your Facebook page and let me know for a 2nd chance! 

Love to all,
Linda

Fabric Eggs and Mikarose Giveaway!!

Hello blog friends!  Thanks for stopping by today... it's beautiful here in Minnesota.  A little bit cooler than the 80 degrees that we had a little over a week or ago, but things are greening up and the birds are chirping away.  They're busy in the bird houses around our yard... fluffing up their nests and getting ready for new life.

Did I tell you that a new little life has come into our family recently?  Our sweet baby Riley David arrived on March 8 and he is so adorable and precious.  I always like spring babies because they seem to just go along with what nature has happening.  All of my children are spring babies, so maybe I am biased ;-)

Here is our sweet angel...

Isn't he amazing?!?! :-)


I have a project to share today that I made for the GlueArts blog.  This weeks theme is Spring Fabric crafts.  Many of the Gluegirls actually "sewed" their fabric projects, but I opted for something quicker.  Not because I can't sew... I love to sew... but because I am so behind and so busy right now. 



I wrapped a big paper mache egg with strips of muslin fabric and lightly sprayed on a color mist... actually I added 2 colors, one a pale green and the other a golden color to add some distressing. 





I wrapped the egg in some old cotton lace and tied a bow at the top then hot glued some embellishments around the bow.


Details will be on the Glue Arts blog on the 30th.  Remember to go to their blog to leave a comment for a chance to win something.  They are always giving away their adhesives and many times even other scrapbooking supplies. 



Now for another awesome giveaway!  Mikarose is giving away a $50 gift certificate to one of my lucky blog readers..  They have beautiful clothes and a new accessory line of necklaces that my daughter in law would love to wear.  I need to send her there to shop!  

 
Their prices are so reasonable!  If you haven't shopped there you will be pleasantly surprised at their selections and cost.  One of my favorite dresses on their site is only $59.99!  It's called "Sophie" and you can find it HERE.
 
So, here are the rules and how to enter to win the $50 gift certificate:
(This offer is open to US and Canadian residents only-- thank you!)

Comment here on my blog -- on this post (required.)

For additional entries to win-- 
"Like" them on Facebook
Post about this giveaway on your own blog
Post about the giveaway on Facebook page with a link to Mikarose.com.
"Pin" them on Pinterest
Follow them on Twitter 

This contest will be open through March 7.  I will notify the winner via email and will announce it here on the blog too shortly after the 7th.  Good luck everyone!!


Linda :-) 

Wonder layout & the Shabby Apple Giveaway winner!!

Hello all!

It has been a crazy busy week for me but I wanted to pop in to share a new project and to announce the winner of the Shabby Apple $50 giftcard. 

My project was a bit of a challenge for me.  GlueArts teamed up with Tsukineko this week and I received some awesome stamp pads and their Goosebumps Texture Spray.  I am not the world's biggest stamper.  I love hand stamped projects but forget to use stamping to add uniquness to them.  My photos aren't the greatest of the stamped image because it was so dark here the day that I took them, but hopefully you can see how I used the product.



 
The stamped area is the tag to the right of that adorable photo of my new grandson and my beautiful daughter.  Oh, they are an amazing pair of people!  We are so happy and blessed.

The Goosebumps Texture Spray was used as a resist to the ink and the images are the butterflies and flowers.  I also stamped some images with ink first then layered the texture spray over it and added more ink.  The colors that I used were Pear Tart, Cantaloupe, Sweet Plum & Rhubarb Stalk in Tsukineko's Memento Dew Drop Inkpads.  I also stamped a few images directly onto paper to the right of the tag to make the stamping flow out from the tag onto the layout.



I layered some BasicGrey papers and a few odds and ends pieces like the old music paper.  I popped the tag up fromt he background with some Glue Arts Raisen's 3/8" Adhesive Squares.  (Remember, GlueArts always has great giveaways weekly on their blog posts HERE!)


The acrylic stamps are by Cherry Arte, Lawn Fawn & Hampton Art.  I can't do a project without the Maya Road trinket pins and miscellaneous buttons.  I love pins & buttons!



Okay... now on to the Shabby Apple giftcard........ the winner is............. Haley Grossman!!!!

Haley's comment:
ooh...i love shabby apple. and also love that its a gc and not a specific dress.
hgrossman at cableone dot net

Posted by: Haley Grossman | March 14, 2012 at 10:06 PM

I'll be getting in touch with Haley to get all of the information needed to get that gift out to you.  Congratulations and a huge Thank You to Shabby Apple for hosting this exciting gift on my humble little blog!  You are awesome!  Don't forget that you all can still gget a 10% discount at Shabby Apple for a few more weeks.... simplethings10off is the discount code.


To everyone else that commented hoping for a chance to win, please come back on Monday, March 27 for another chance to win a gift card from another wonderful company.  It is another fun one!

Goodbye for now and have a spectacular spring weekend.  Love to all!
Linda :-)

 

A couple of October projects

Almost too late, but will share them anyway!  Fall is my favorite time of the year and it seems to be passing all too quickly.  Here are a couple of projects made for Glue Arts this month.

Made with Core dinations textured cardstocks.  I love the sanded and distressed look created with this cardstock.


And you can never go wrong with a bit of Ranger Distress Crackle paint in "Rock Candy" form.  I love it!  There is also some BasicGrey Fabric Posies, Melissa Frances Fall Stickers and chipboard Backdrop piece, and a Maya Road chipboard bird.  I did just a little cutting to make the bird look more like a blackbird...just a little :-)

This countdown chalkboard was soooooo fun to make.  I used a Creative Imaginations clipboard and painted it with chalkboard paint that you can buy at a craft or home improvement store.  Added lots of Authentique patterned papers and elements.

The chipboard banner pieces are Maya Road and so is the tag covered with patterned paper.  Chipboard adds such a nice texture to nay project.  It adds depth and creates interest.

The acrylic spider web stamps are from Tattered Angels that I stamped directly onto the chalkboard then added glitter embossing.

I added wire and staples along one edge to rustic it up a bit and add more texture.  Again, all of the stickers and paper labels are from Authentique.  The glitter used is from Pink Paislee--my favorite!

We are coming upon my very favorite crafting season...


Yep!  Winter and Christmas!!  I actually made this in August, again for Glue Arts using "Paper Smooches" acrylic stamps along with some awesome BasicGrey papers and sticker.

Of course you need to sparkle up those snowmen after stamping and painting in the details... I always use Martha Stewart Fine Clear Glitter for my winter projects.  Goes a long way too.

Well, I no longer have wedding on the brain because my son's wedding was Septmeber 24th.  It was wonderful and sweet and perfect for the two of them.  I will post some photos soon. 

Hopefully now more of my days are open for creating and doing a better job of keeping up with Design Team responsibilities.  That is my goal!  I do have one other tiny, sweet, little thing that may come into play in early March though.  My daughter is having a baby...A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

This little hat is available at " Beautiful Photo Props" and as soon as I know if she is having a boy or a girl, I'm ordering one.  Or maybe I should order now... one pink and one blue so that I'm safe!!  Now don't you all go and buy them up before I can get one;-)

Thanks for stopping by!
Linda

Another March post & giveaway winner

I'm late, but at least I made it back before March was over.  It was an eventful week here last week, but not in a good way.  It seems that all of the gloomy, cold, unlike spring days, go along with the sorrowful thing that happened.  Something that you can't change but you live over and over in your mind imagining a different outcome... wondering why and praying for those that were close... in my mind it doesn't make sense and it eats up the time in my day and brings too many sleepless nights. 

I wish that I could turn off my brain and rest.  The only thing that I can do is to remind anyone who will listen, is to take whatever opportunity that you might have to thank a public servant.  They get paid too little and and don't get enough praise for what they for our communities. 

Life goes on, so I had to move forward trying to be productive.  Mostly because I have to be.  It's those commitments that keep me going otherwise it would be so easy to do nothing but worry and talk too much about the sadness and loss that so many are feeling.  All I want to do is spend more time just hanging with everyone that I love so that those moments never end, but reality makes me get back to work.  And I am grateful for that.

 
So, here is my newest project.  Done out of necessity, but made with hope for everything that is real and wonderful.  For the Glue Arts Blog and My Little Shoebox.  Thanks to both for the amazing product and for the faith that you put in me to represent!

 
I haven't made a layout in some time.  I actually had to pull out some of my old layouts for inspiration.  Have been feeling so uninspired creatively as of late.  I wish that I had done better on this, but am glad for what it is.  The springy, happy "Home Tweet Home" collection by My Little Shoebox is perfect for this photo of cutie pie, Briah.  This was from a shoot done with her, her mommy and new daddy-to-be late last summer.  Oh how I wish that we had just a bit of that green grass and warm air right about now!

 
If you go to the Glue Arts blog, there are instructions and a supply list for the layout.  I thought that the flowers turned out cute and added some dimension to the page.  I love the U-Cut-It 8.5" x 11" Foam for popping up a photo and used it also to die cut the larger flower.  It's a really great product and you'll never have to worry about it falling off of your page or any other project because it sticks like crazy.

I sometimes forget to give credit to AccuCut for the flower die cuts that I turn to over and over.  They have really great dies to work with.

 
Okay, so on to the Giveaway winner..... 

"Beautiful flowers and a great idea! That garland is gorgeous - thanks so much for sharing it with one of us! :)
Posted by: JeanFB"

JeanFB...please email me with your street address and I will send the Heart & Dressmaker's Flower garland off to you asap!!!!

As for the rest of you, comment here for a chance to win another little something.  This time it will be some of the "My Little Shoebox" Mini alphabet stickers like I used on my layout.  I'll be throwing in a couple of other things to go with them too.  It'll be a surprize. 

I'm truly grateful for life... for my creative work and the people that sponsor that...and for all of you that turn to my blog looking for a small bit of something to create for yourself.  You all help me to get the job done :-)

Linda

 

Christmas' past and Giveaway winner!

 
 
 
 
I always become a little nostalgic at Christmas time....especially as the days draw closer to Christmas Eve.  I hope that I can take the time this year to pull out old VHS tapes and watch some dear Christmas memories from years ago when my adult children were small. 
 
Christmas 1985 

Those memories are what makes me love winter and snow... and the sharing of gifts and time.  Time most importantly.  Where does it go?  It's always fleeting and ever precious.  My wish each year for Christmas is to always have it slow down so that I can savor each moment and memory....but it is a gift too complicated to hold.  A wish for such a gift is immense and beyond what I can understand or comprehend.  So in God's infinite wisdom we are given just enough time and it is up to us how we use it.  
 
Christmas 1974

So much has changed since I was young.  Some people that I loved have passed on and my sisters and I have families of our own, but every year still holds dear. 
 
Christmas 1999

No matter how we change, it's still about the coming together of family and for that we are blessed beyond measure.
 
Christmas 2003
 
Christmas...  The very word brings joy to our hearts.  No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given - when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.  ~Joan Winmill Brown
 
 
Another version of the house pattern from Victoria magazine's website.  I made this ornament for the Glue Arts blog using Makng Memories papers and embellishments and a lot of Christmasy sparkle.

Now on to the winner of the Winter House box from my last post.  Thank you to all who left a kind comment.  They never go unappreciated and I read them all and smile.  The winner is.....

Barb in CA who commented on Dec 18 2010 @ 10:29pm.  Send me an email Barb in CA and I will ship this off right away!
 
Thank you all again for visiting and leaving such nice comments.  I hope that each of you have a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate. 

Linda