We had some wonderful submissions for our Naturals Contest!  It was so fun to see the creative ideas submitted by our fans, especially in the wearables and home décor categories. 

Grand Prize Winner:  Irit Shalom

Irit won a $100 shopping spree in the LYB online store.  Please email liz@mylyb.com and we will help you place your order of goodies.

Each of the winners below can choose either our brand new Fern and Forest Boy or Girl collection.  Please email your shipping information to liz@mylyb.com along with your choice of collection and we will ship it out to you soon.

Paper Crafting

Rhonda Van Ginkel

Jennifer McCracken

Home Décor

Samantha Taylor

Rebecca Price

Wearables

Samantha Taylor

Courtney Lee

Sewing

Maya Oren- Dahan

Thank you so much to all who participated in the contest.  We'll have another contest opportunity coming up soon.

We also have some exciting announcements and opportunities to share in April.  We can't wait to unveil them soon, so stay tuned...

Happy Monday!

Are you as excited about our new Naturals as we are?  Have you discovered the endless possibilities of including our Naturals into all of your crafting projects?  We are so excited about our new collection that we'd like to celebrate with a BIG contest!  AND our amazing design team is going to help you out with inspiration along the way...

When: Monday, February 18th - Sunday, March 17th

Where: Little Yellow Bicycle Blog and Facebook

What: 4 Categories, 8 Prize Packs, 1 Grand Prize and prizes for sharing the fun

How: Upload contest entries to our Facebook page or email them to liz@mylyb.com

Paper Crafting  - show us how you can incorporate our naturals into a variety of gorgeous paper crafting projects like cards, layouts, minibooks, etc.  Projects must be 90% Little Yellow Bicycle, but we are happy to see any of our paper collections combined with our Naturals collection.  Please visit your local scrapbook store or our online store for products.

Wearables - show us how you can incorporate our Naturals into everyday fashion.  The key to this category is being clever and a great photo to show off your fashion sense.  Write up a little advertisement about the accessory to make us want to wear it too...  Example - shoes from the Gap - $20, burlap flowers from Little Yellow Bicycle - $3.99, effect on husband/boyfriend - PRICELESS.

Home Décor - Show us how easily you can incorproate our Naturals collection into your home.  These wine glass charms were made with our burlap heart shapes, jute and wonderful words rubons.  The key to this category is beautifying your home with some Natural accents.

  Sewing - show us how you can use our Naturals collection in a sewing project.  Maybe use some of our burlap and canvas shapes for appliqué and add some of our adorable buttons... The key to this category is sense of style and craftmanship.  We'd like to take sewing lessons from you!

Upload contest entries to our Facebook page and/or email them to liz@mylyb.com.  You may enter each category up to three (3) times.

Contest Prizes - Two (2) prize packs will be awarded for each category and include our latest paper collection along with some of our Naturals collection.  1 Grand Prize for a $100 shopping spree in our online store will be awarded to a lucky winner. 

More Prizes - We will also send out prizes each week of the contest to fans who share our contest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  AND as we make a push towards 10,000 fans, we'll have prize packs for our newest "likes" too.  Help us get the word out and tell us what you did and you will automatically be entered into our weekly drawings.

Find our Naturals collection at your nearest Michaels, your local scrapbook store or at our online store.

Also - please feel free to contact me with any questions about the contest - liz@mylyb.com.  We cannot wait to see what you come up with and share your natural talent with our fans.

Happy Monday!

We are so appreciative of all the wonderful feedback we have received from our fans over the last week and to show our gratitude we have some CHA prize packs to send off to a few people.  We'll be sending bits of what we have in the warehouse, but it will be all new goodies including some of our Just Because and Naturals collections.  If you are selected please email your shipping info to liz@mylyb.com.

Monday, January 7th Post - Naturals

1. Anne-Marie said: "I can't begin to say how awesome this collection is. I love the natural fibers and look. Little embellishments are my favorites and when you layer them, *sigh*!!!! Thanks for the chance to win!"

2. Barbara F said: "I LOVE adding different textures to my layouts and these of course would fit perfectly!! Another job well done by LYB!!"

3. Diane Anthony said: "Love, love, love these! The letter stickers and banners and wood buttons, and, and and! Thanks for the chance to win!"

Tuesday, January 8th Post - Fern and Forest Girl

Cindy Krueger said: "What a cute card and album! I would use this for making layouts of my daughter and niece. Such cute colors and so whimsical!"

Wednesday, January 9th - Fern and Forest Boy

Court's Crafts said: "I love BOTH but the boy one - that little gnome boy... soooooo cute! I think this is my fave! :)"

Thursday, January 10th - Poppy

Charolotte Brochu said: "I would use this for Easter or just for general Spring pages! Love the primary colors, so bold and bright!"

Friday, January 11th - Vintage Summer

Kendra Hum said: "I love just hanging out on my deck and taking family walks. We live close to the mountains so that is always a bonus! I want to see more of this collection."

 Tuesday, January 15th Facebook Post

When have you ever had a chance to experience a field of beautiful poppy flowers?  Probably the last time you watched the Wizard of Oz - right?  Well we think our new Poppy collection will be just as enticing as the poppy field in the movie, without the sleepy side effects.  In fact we think it will invigorate you with a lot of creative energy!

Altered Garden Set by Greta Hammand

We love Greta's adorable Garden Set and how she incorporated our Poppy Paper Crafting Kit to adorn the little birdhouse. There are so many embellishment possibilities with this kit and it comes with everything you need to create bautiful spring flowers and banners.

Layout by Suzanne Sergi

We also love how Suzanne added a little extra texture to the leaves in the Paper Crafting Kit by running them through one of her embossing folders - clever idea!

Aren't these Chipboard Shapes gorgeous?  That little picket fence is so stinkin' precious and paired with the birdhouses and flower pot are a creative project to die for...

Tags by Corrie Jones

We love how Corrie used the chipboard pieces on her bautiful tags, especially the little fence, flower pot and birdhouse.

Mini Album by Robbie Herring

We adore Robbie's mini album.  She actually combined one of our shaped albums with the 6 x 6 canvas chipboard album and the effect is really fun.  Robbie incorporated both the Paper Crafting Kit and the Chipboard Shapes on her album.

Check this out - we've had super releases and CHA goodie bags available all week starting with Sharon's post on Monday and today is no exception.  Tell us which spring occasion you could use this collection for and we might just send you some brand new "stuff".

One more day until showtime! 

Did you love Sharon's post on our new Naturals collection yesterday?  Don't forget to go back and leave a comment there - we'll choose a winner later this week. 

How about another look at our Fern and Forest collection?  Just for the Girls... 

Nothing makes a collection more fun than a little bit of fairy dust.  And no matter what age you are, there's an enchanted little girl in all of us...  Check out the fun ways our Biker Chicks included the adorable fairy from this beautiful Fern and Forest Girl collection in their projects.

Altered Lampshade by Biker Chick Liz Qualman

Take the gorgeous papers with this collection and your trusty scoring tool and make this fun accordion style lampshade worthy enough to adorn our little pixie and brighten up the room of someone special...

FNG-279 Chipboard Shapes - with glitter accents (28 pieces)

Album by Biker Chick Jen Chesnick

Record those echanted moments in one of our gorgeous burlap albums and add the little sprite to the cover to capture the whimiscal attitude in your own little fairy.

FNG-140 Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with glitter and debossing (43 pieces)

Card by Biker Chick Liz Qualman

Send some fairy dust to a friend or loved one on their birthday or for another special occasion.  We think our little pixie would easily brighten up a friend's day.  Add a few jewel stickers to make it sparkle.

Now before you start thinking that this collection is limited to magical beings, take a closer look at the color palette and sentiments HERE and imagine using it for everyday pages too.  It is the perfect combination of pinks, greens and blues.  I'm going to go dig out my penny loafers, pull my collar up and capture a very preppy moment - just sayin'...'

Check this Out - So far you have a taken a closer look at Just Because, Naturals and Fern and Forest Girl and we would love to send our wonderful fans some of our CHA goodies.  Leave us a comment telling us how you might use this collection for the little girls in your lives, or how you might capture other moments and we'll put together a grab bag of CHA goodies just for you.

Have a wonderful day!

We have a few winners to announce from our contests last week...

  First up we have the winner from our Tuesday, January 1st, Lisa Pace Giveaway for her awesome book Delight in the Seasons.  We loved what Cathy Derouche had to say about getting her new year started...

"Gorgeous creation!! The first thing I created in 2013 was a set of 31 Bookmarks for my daughter in law's 3rd grade class. Happy New Year:)"  Posted by: Cathy Derouche | Jan 2, 2013 9:08:01 AM

  Next up we have two winners from our Wednesday, January 2nd, Just Because Post.  We loved what these two crafters said they would do with our newest collection...

"I love this!!!! I have some really cute photos of my son and his girlfriend (who we love just as much as he does) and would love to use this collection for pages for me and a little mini album for her (as a surprise)!! :-)"  Posted by: Kelly Massman | Jan 5, 2013 10:19:23 AM

"I would definitely use this collection to make a few layouts right now and then save the scraps for Fourth of July projects!"  Posted by: Linda E | Jan 3, 2013 11:08:41 PM

Please email your information to liz@mylyb.com and we get all three winners' goodies in the mail.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Happy New Year friends! We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season packed with laughter and love. And what better way to kick off the New Year than a fantastic giveaway to get you ready for a whole YEAR of crafting?

A while back our friend Lisa Pace asked us to send her some goodies to use in her latest book, Delight in the Seasons, and we were delighted with the results.

You will love Delight in the Seasons! Lisa shares her pretty, vintage, glittery style, and demonstrates 40 great techniques on projects perfectly suited for all seasons of the year. If you're in a "creative rut" or just made a resolution to try a new technique (or two!), then this is the book for you! It's packed with inspiration, along with step-by-step instructions, accompanied by close up photos that will make you feel like you're right in the classroom with Lisa herself! A few of my favorites were the paper cone medallions (page 34-35), fabric cabbage roses (page 57), handmade felt gift bows (page 86-87), paper roses (page 112-113) and so much more!

Take a peek at some of Lisa's great projects that feature LYB's products:

Even better, Lisa gave us a copy to give away to one of our lucky blog readers! So here's your first chance to win some goodies in 2013! Win your OWN copy of Delight in the Seasons, plus some great LYB goodies to get you started! Just leave a comment telling us the FIRST crafty project you're planning to tackle in 2013. On Friday, we'll announce the winner! (And if you don't win, you can purchase a copy on Amazon.com, or by following this link!)

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and crafty New Year!

We have so many winners to announce today, we thought we'd make it a super Sunday and announce them all at once! So here we go, from most recent to the oldest! 

May Arts Swap Week

Thanks to everyone for leaving comments on our posts last week!  Here are our winners! 

Wendy Crowe

Jennie Wheeler

Connie L. Riley

Congratulations! You have all won a Once Upon a Christmas prize pack, with coordinating ribbons from May Arts! 

Kelly Goree and Courtney Walsh Guest Designer Winners

The following are winners of Acorn Hollow Prize packs and Courtney Walsh's book from early November!

November 2nd Post

Carol B. said, "Home is a safe and peaceful haven."  - Carol - you won a book

Donna Woods said, "LOVE the LO. Home means my heart and happiness." Donna, you won an Acorn Hollow prize pack!

November 9th Post

Lisa P. said, "I agree that scrapbooking loss is a difficult thing to do. I think it helps release emotions though in a different way. I have a layout that is on my heart right now that I know I want to scrap but have had a hard time approaching because of the rawness of it. My mother is still present physically but Alzheimers has begun to take her away in ways i am struggling to deal with. i know I want to scrap this it is just how. Kelly's page is beautiful and brings such emotion through her journaling. I love the specialness of the photo captured." Lisa - you won a book!

Jean A. Marmo said, "I think I need to do a better job scrapping the losses in our lives. My uncle died last week and I have been thinking fondly of the times he had with my kids. Think I will dig out some old photos and get started! Great layout Kelly. The papers are perfect!"  Jean you won an Acorn Hollow Prize Pack!

Congratulations everyone! Please email your mailing information to peg@mylyb.com and we'll get those prizes right out to you!

And if you're not a winner this time, don't forget about LYB Challenge going on all this month over at Two Peas in a Bucket! Click the link for all the details, and enter your project featuring the Once Upon a Christmas or Winterings collections, to win a prize pack from the brand new Just Because collection! (And here's a sneak peek!)

I hope all of you had a wonderful and crafty weekend!

Whew! What a fun week it has been with May Arts, don't you agree? Well, if it's left you feeling inspired ... and we sure hope it has ... why not put all that creativity to work for you!

All month long, we're sponsoring a challenge over on the Two Peas in a Bucket site. Just enter your project (using at least 50% of product from the Once Upon a Christmas and/or Winterings collections), for your chance to win a $50 prize from our upcoming collection "Just Because" (getting ready to debut at CHA-W!)

We can't wait to see what you create!

Hello Friends!

Well it has taken me a little long to wrap up our giveaway from our wonderful blog hop with our friends from Epiphany Crafts! So sorry for the delay! 

But they say "good things come to those who wait," so let's get to the goodies and our lucky winners!

Congratulations to Marcia Scantlin, our first winner! You have won the Epiphany Crafts Flower 25 Shape Studio plus Flower Bubble Caps....which you may remember from Liz's project in which she made these cute starfish:

... plus some goodies from our Splash and The Escape collections!

Our next winner is Denise Daniel, who wins the Epiphany Crafts Round 25 Circle Shape Studio tool plus Bubble Caps and a package of EC Charm Settings to go with it, and of course, some goodies from our Splash and Escape collections too!

And finally, our Blog Hop winer is Jean A. Marmo! Congratulations Jean - you've won a prize pack from our latest collection, Makin' the Grade!

Congratulations to all of our winners, and thanks to everyone who played and followed along. Ladies, please send your contact info to "peg@mylyb.com" and we'll get those prizes right out to you!

Have a great weekend!

Peg

Hello all! It's DAY 3 of our Blog Swap week with Epiphany Crafts, and today Biker Chick Vicki Boutin is joining us with a fun layout featuring Little Yellow Bicycle's The Escape collection!

Here's Vicki to tell you about her layout!

I have been a fan of Epiphany Crafts for awhile now and I was excited to be a part of this product swap!!  I used the Ephiphany Crafts Shape Studio Star tool and Shape Studio Bubble Cap Stars along with LYB's The Escape line to create some fun embellishments on a layout!!

Instead of using paper with the Shape studio tool and epoxy shapes I layered the vellum tape strips!!  A little tip...you may need a dab of glue on the adhesive side of the stars with the vellum tapes.

I love how the stars turned out!!!  Such a great little tool!  Hope you give this idea a try. 

Thanks for another awesome layout Vicki! Be sure to visit Vicki's blog for fun and inspiration. 

Now head on over to the Epiphany Crafts Blog for more projects from their team ... and leave a comment here, there, everywhere for a chance to win some great prizes!

(And don't forget about our Facebook Page challenge ... if we hit 9,000 fans this week, we're giving away more prizes!

Hello friends! I'm so excited to bring you another blog swap week - this time with another one of our favorite manufacturers ...

Epiphany Crafts! Epiphany Craft's shape studio tools are a fun way to add a little pop to your projects.

So we did a little product swap ... they sent us some amazing Shape Studio tools and we sent their team our Splash collection, and I'm so excited to share the projects our super talented designers have created.  Our Biker Chicks will be creating with both Splash and The Escape, just to mix it up a bit!

Prizes? Did I say Prizes?

As usual, there is swag to be had! Just leave a comment here on our blog, and also on Epiphany Crafts' blog, for a chance to win one of TWO amazing prize packs - featuring an Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio tool - with all the accessories, PLUS goodies from the Splash and The Escape LYB collections! 

Make sure to leave comments on our Facebook Page and Epiphany Crafts' Facebook page to increase your chances of winning.

But let's make it a little more interesting....

You may have noticed we just reached 8,500 fans on our Facebook Page. If we hit 9,000 fans by the time the week is up, I'll pick 5 more winners, who will win LYB prize packs including some of your favorites from our newest collections! So SHARE SHARE SHARE already! (And as always, thank you!)

Now enough about the prizes ... let's get to today's project - from Biker Chick Corrie Jones!

Corrie created this adorable canvas to hang on her daughter's bedroom door. Corrie says "She wants to give her room a beachy theme and she LOVED the Splash collection, so this was created for her."

I love how Corrie used the Shape Studio Tool Round 14

to create contrasting embellishment bubbles, AND she used the Bubble Caps Accessories to create clear bubbles. So clever Corrie!

Here are some close ups:

You can see more of Corrie's work by visiting her blog by clicking this link!

Now head on over to Epiphany Crafts' blog for another fun project and another chance to grab some swag!  Don't forget to leave a comment, and I'll be back tomorrow with more from the Biker Chicks!

Have a great day!

-Peg

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas you presented for our Mini Flag Kits.  Congratulations to Sharon Roselli for her ideas on how to use the flags for an upcoming event.

Please send your info to lizq@cthruruler.com and we will get a prize out to you.

Liz

Hello friends!

I'm sorry! I meant to announce our NSD Challenge winners yesterday but, well, it was Mother's Day and I forgot! So now without any further delay, here are our talented winners, selected by our Biker Chicks!

Our "Kickin' it Old Style" winner was Wendy Rasbach with her layout "Bloom and Grow" featuring the very popular Elizabeth Park collection:

Our "Spring Color Challenge" winner was Eileen Mead, with "Be You" featuring this winter's Paradise collection:

And finally, for our "Hot Off the Presses" category, our Biker Chicks' pick (and a fan favorite judging by all of the comments on Facebook), was Kelly Jo Massicotte's beautifully springy altered Printers Tray!

Congratulations to our talented winners, who have all won a $150 LYB prize pack, including our brand new (and not even in stores yet) Splash collection! Thank you to EVERYONE who participated. We truly loved seeing all of your creations. In case you missed them, you can see all of the entries on our Facebook Page (just look under the album with the title that corresponds to the challenge category)!

Winners - please email me with your mailing information at "peg@cthruruler.com"!

Happy Monday!

~ Peg

Thanks so much to everyone who followed us this week for our Petaloo swap and thanks also to Cheryl Cohen and the wonderfully creative team over at Petaloo!

We're happy to announce our two winners of the Petaloo and Hello Spring prize packs!

They are:

Kathy P 

Oh, such deliciousness! I loved Vicky's gorgeous tags, and the pages on Liz and Shanna's blogs were so pretty....I have to have that tree! My fave was Jenny's layout....just absolutely perfect, awesome, magnificent. 

and

Carla 

So pretty. And I have a box that I could use. I really liked the paper spirals. They are a really good idea. Thanks. Carla from Utah

Congratulations ladies! Please email me (peg@cthruruler.com) with your mailing information so we can send your prizes!

I'll be back tomorrow to announce our grand prize winners from our National Scrapbook Day challenge!

~ Peg

After a busy National Scrapbook Day weekend I'm pleased to keep the excitement and ideas flowing by kicking off a fun-filled Blog Swap week with our friends over at Petaloo International! All week long, we'll be featuring ideas for Mother's Day, with their fun-and-fabulous Petaloo Floradoodles and our bright-and-happy Hello Spring collection!

First up from the Biker Chicks is Tania Willis with some Petal-icious cards! After you finish over here, be sure to hop on over to the Petaloo Blog for some more fun ideas. Leave a comment every day in both places for your chance to win a prize pack filled with goodies from Petaloo and Hello Spring!

Finally, if you're not already a fan of Petaloo, head on over to their Facebook Page and tell them LYB sent you, for more chances to win!

And now....here's Tania!

Are you ready to kick off what will soon be an amazing week of us Biker Chicks marrying Hello Spring with a fantastic assortment of Petaloo’s flowers?  I know I am. Today I want to share a few cards that you can easily duplicate in just a matter of minutes. One of them looks like it took a bit more time than the other, but I assure you that you can make BOTH of these cards in just 30 minutes and that includes drying time on the misted one!

Are you ready?

For this card, you’ll need to cut one piece of raspberry pink cardstock to 7 x 10”. Fold in half and crease to form a 5 x 7” card base. Then cut a piece of white cardstock to 4” x 5 ½”. Lay the white cardstock on a 12 x 12 piece of chipboard or in a shallow box. Punch several small flowers using Fiskars Poppy Medium Lever Punch (or any other small flower punch you have) from a scrap piece of cardstock. Lay punched flowers, randomly spaced, onto the white cardstock.  Mist with Art-C Red Glitter Mist until you have your desired shade. I misted heavier toward the top to give my piece sort of an ombre appearance (that doesn’t really translate well in this photograph).  Allow your misted piece to dry, then lift from chipboard and discard punched flowers. Adhere, right-aligned, to card base.

Then punch a 1” x 7” strip of orange cardstock with your favorite border punch. Adhere to a 1” x7” strip of HS – 109 Pretty In Plaid.  Adhere to card base approximately ¼” from the left edge, slightly overlapping misted cardstock. Embellish with a butterfly from HS – 230 Clear Cut Shapes and several Petaloo flowers of various sizes. Add HS – 197 Jewel Stickers to the bodice of the butterfly. Then, finish off the card with the dimensional sentiment sticker from HS – 195 Dimensional Stickers and the “mom” sticker from HS – 140 Fresh Verse Stickers.

Supplies:

Rasberry Cardstock

Orange Cardstock

White Cardstock

HS – 109 Pretty In Plaid Patterned Paper

HS – 230 Clear Cut Shapes

HS – 197 Jewel Stickers

HS – 195 Dimensional Stickers

HS – 140 Fresh Verse Stickers

1313-019 Mulberry St – Embossed Daisies Chartreuse (Petaloo)

1350-210 Mini Florettes  Hula Mnky (Petaloo)

This second card is lightning quick to put together.  You’ll need to cut one piece of light blue cardstock to 8 ½ x 5 ½”. Fold in half and crease to form a 4 ¼ x 5 ½” card base. Cut a 4 ¼ x 5 ½” piece from the top of HS – 108 Teal Tweets paper and adhere to card base. Remove lavender journaling spot from HS – 1100 Tear Out Ticket Booklet. Adhere bird from HS -135 Favorite Pieces Stickers to lower left corner of ticket. Remove thin plastic backing from large white swirl from HS – 230 Clear Cut Shapes and adhere with a mini glue dot under the bird’s beak. Adhere journaling spot to card aligning closer to the left side of the card base. Use few mini glue dots to secure the swirl in obscure places. Add “dream” sticker form HS – 140 Fresh Verse Stickers. Finish embellishing with three Petaloo flowers from the Flora Doodles – Tie-Dyed Gypsies pack.

Supplies:

Light Blue Cardstock

HS – 108 Teal Tweets Patterned Paper

HS – 230 Clear Cut Shapes

HS – 140 Fresh Verse Stickers

HS – 135 Favorite Pieces Stickers

Flora Doodles Tie-Dyed Gypsies (Petaloo)

Thank you Petaloo!

__________________________

Thank YOU Biker Chick Tania Willis! For more from Tania, you can visit her blog by clicking this link!

Now head on over to Petaloo's blog for more fun and inspiration (and don't forget to leave a comment!)

Happy Crafting!

~Peg

It's time to announce the winners of our NSD Comment-a-thon! Thanks to everyone who participated yesterday. It was so much fun reading your comments.

So here are our winners of $25 LYB goodie bags!

8:00 Winner:       Sherry Bee in AZ

10:00 Winner:     Kris Berc

12:00 Winner:     Alisha Krueger

2:00 Winner:       Rhea Skomorowski

4:00 Winner:       Stephanie Patterson

6:00 Winner:       Janet Zeppa

8:00 Winner:       Lain Kycia

10:00 Winner:     Miriam Prantner

Scrapbook Store Winner:

New England Scrapbook Company in Canton, CT

Congratulations to everyone! Please email your mailing information and phone number to "peg@cthruruler.com" so we can get your prizes mailed out to you.

About the Prizes

Since some of our questions included asking about your favorite collection, I thought it would be fun to try to include items from that collection in your prize pack. So if you're a winner, when you email me please include your first and second choice for collections, and I'll do my best to include items from one or both of those collections in the prize pack (please note, some items and collections have sold out, and may not be available!)

Our NSD Challenge winners will be announced later this week ... you have until midnight tomorrow to email your submissions!

Hope the crafting is continuing today!

~ Peg

Wow everyone! Thanks for following along with us all day! I noticed that some of you commented on all of our questions (and didn't even cheat by coming in at the end and just answering all of them)!!

We hope you enjoyed playing along with Little Yellow Bicycle for this National Scrapbook Day. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and input on the questions we asked. 

Before I move on to our next question, I have a few loose ends to tie up and a special announcement!

First, we'll be accepting submissions for your NSD creations for our three NSD Challenges (Kickin' it Old School, Color Challenge, and Hot Off the Presses) until end-of-day Monday. You can email those to me at "peg@cthruruler.com" and I will post them on our Facebook page. We'll announce the three Challenge Winners later this week!

Second, we'll announce our randomly selected winners from today's Comment-a-thon TOMORROW, so be sure to check back to see if you're a lucky winner.

Finally, the fun continues next week with a super special blog swap week with our friends over at ...

...featuring their amazing flowers and embellishments and our bright and cheery Hello Spring collection! What a fantastic combination. Come back every day to make sure you don't miss a thing (oh and pssst....there will be MORE prizes!)

So now on to our final question of the day. Don't worry, it's an easy one:

What did you CREATE today?

(And before you go feeling all bad and guilty if you didn't get your craft on, remember it's also OK to create memories!) Post your comments below for your final chance to win a $25 prize pack!

Hope you had fun today. I sure did!

~ Peg

Here's a good one ... we want to know the name and location of YOUR favorite Local Scrapbook Store where you go to buy your LYB goodies! Let's hear it for our LSS!

Now sing it with me ... "Sometimes you want to go ... where everybody knows your name! And they're always glad you came!..."

And just to make it a litte more fun ... the LSS that is mentioned the most will get its own prize pack to raffle off to one of their customers!

~ Peg

Now it's time to think about the future and tell us what's on your WISH LIST!

Here's the question: 

What kinds of color schemes or themes would you like to see more of from LYB and why?

Can't wait to read your answers!

~ Peg

Thanks for the comments everyone ... this is fun!

It's time for another question:

What is your favorite scrapbooking snack?

Pretzel M&Ms get my vote!

Yum!

Happy crafting, crafty people!

~Peg

Next question!

Little Yellow Bicycle collections are known for our wide variety of embellishments! What is your favorite type of embellishment, and why?

Leave a comment for your chance to win a $25 LYB prize pack ... and come back at noon EDT for another question!

~Peg

And so our "comment-a-thon" for National Scrapbook Day begins!

Here's the question!

On April 1st, we announced our new Biker Chick team. These ladies are so talented and full of ideas...what would YOU like to see more of from them?

Leave your comment below for a chance to win a $25 LYB prize pack! One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win!

Happy NSD from LYB!

Happy National Scrapbook Day everyone ...

and thanks for sharing it with Little Yellow Bicycle!

(I know it's not quite NSD yet but we sure hope you've started scrapbooking a little early tonight!)

First off, I want to send a quick "thank you" to our Facebook friends who clued us in that our contest was not quite in line with some of the newer Facebook rules for contests. We don't want to break any rules ... so we'll still be posting on Facebook all day, but our contest will be run through our blog. The big difference from our initial announcement is that we're asking you to please send your entries to me (Peg) at peg@cthruruler.com, rather than posting them on our Facebook wall. Please indicate which category you're entering. I'll post them up on Facebook! More on that later....

SO MANY WAYS TO WIN!

The fun starts at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow RIGHT HERE on the blog! We'll be posting questions every two hours and all you need to do is leave a comment answering the question for your chance to win! We'll pick one random comment from each question and that person will win a $25 prize pack of LYB goodies!

Be sure to check the blog at 8, 10, noon, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 for more chances to win! Yes you read that right ... 8 chances to win just for commenting!

NSD Scrapbook Contest

(Submit your projects via email to "peg@cthruruler.com" and indicate which category you're entering!)

Last week, we also issued our NSD Contest challenge. Three chances to win our NSD Grand Prizes, worth $150 each and including our yet-to-be-released Splash! collection. Remember there are THREE categories:

Kickin' it Old School - submit layouts, altered items, cards, mini albums ... etc. using ANY "older" collection (BabySaurus & Tiny Princess and before).

Spring Time Color Challenge - submissions should use the spring color palette (blue, green, brown and cream) from ANY of our collections. (For an example, please refer to our original post by clicking this link!)

Hot Off the Presses - submissions should use our "hot off the presses" Hello Spring collection!

We're so excited for National Scrapbook Day and we hope you'll be riding along with us all day long! Remember to check our Facebook Page regularly to see what everyone has submitted, and for goodness sake, don't forget to comment on the blog! We'll accept submissions through Monday, May 7th (just in case you're at a weekend long crop, get carried away, and forget to email us)!

Can't wait to see what you create!

~ Peg

We are so excited to spend National Scrapbook Day with you and want to invite all of our scrapbook friends, plus all of their scrapbook friends and all of their scrapbook friends to join the fun.  We have planned some fun events for our friends to play along with starting today.  Please read the flyer below for the details and then see the fine print for our NSD Scrapbook Contest below...

Please join us for our NSD Scrapbook Contest for which we will giveaway three prize packs valued at $150 and includes our yet to be released Splash Collection.  You may begin preparing to enter the contest today and submit your entry on Saturday, May 5th to our Facebook Wall.  Please read the description for each of our categories carefully, so you can make plans on how to get your hands on all of those Little Yellow Bicycle goodies.

Kickin' it Old School

We would love to see layout pages, cards, altered items or mini albums with ANY of our older collections from Baby Saurus/Tiny Princess and before.  Please click HERE to see all of our collections on our website.  Many of these collections can be purchased for pennies at our Little Yellow Bargains site, but we are willing to bet you have some in your stash. The example page is from our Fresh Print Traveler collection.

Spring Time Color Challenge

We challenge you to use this color range (blue, green, brown and cream) for layout pages, cards, altered items or mini albums with ANY of our collections.  You can easily find these colors in many of our collections including our newest collections Paradise and Satrudays as well as the ones represented here: Vita Bella, Fresh Print Traveler, Lucky Me and Twig.  However, you can use any of our collections that include these colors including our Deja Views collections found at Michaels.

Hot Off the Presses

We would love to see layout pages, cards, altered items or mini albums with our newest collection Hello Spring!  This collection is hot off the presses and has only just arrived at your local scrapbook store. You can also find it at a few online stores Scrapbook.com, Two Peas in a Bucket, and A Cherry On Top.

We cannot wait to see your creations on Saturday, May 5th and you have all week to plan for them.  Thank you also for sharing our events on your Facebook Wall and/or blog for a chance to win a prize pack.  We can see if you shared our link on Facebook, but if you put our flyer on your blog, just come back here and copy the link to the post in the comments section and we will see it.

Have a wonderful and creative weekend!

We have a new sketch for you to work with this month.  I think when I made this sketch, I had paper flower kits on my brain and I was thinking it would be fun to add more photos along with some fun elements like clear cut or chipboard shapes.  Hope you will play along this month! Please see the details and contest rules at the bottom of this post.

Below is my version of the sketch, which I followed pretty closely.

This is the BRAND NEW Paradise collection that is being shipped to stores as I type.  In fact I think a few Local Scrapbook stores already have it on their shelves!  This is such a fun collection with a great color palette and embellishment choices.  For this page I tried to keep it simple with three patterned papers, Tear Out Ticket Book, Favorite Pieces, Fresh Verse Stickers, Paper Flower Kit and Jewel Stickers.

Take a look at what some of our Cycling Team Members did with the sketch!  Be sure to visit their blogs for more details and close ups about their projects.

Wonder & Wishes Page by Audrey Yeager

Wonder & Wishes Page by Renee Zwirek

Winter Twig Page by Marcia Dehn-Nix

Winter Twig Page by Katrina Hunt

Winter Twig Page by Andrea Friebus

Winter Twig Page by Laura Evangeline O'Donnell

Winter Twig Page by Mary Ann Jenkins

Here's the rules:

1.  You may use the sketch any way you please (turn it upside down or on its side, or use it as is).

2.  You must use at least 75% Little Yellow Bicycle product, from ANY of our collections (We like to see the new stuff, but we have so many great collections, that we basically just like to see our stuff).

3.  Your work must be your own! ;)

Here's how to enter:

1. You may enter by posting your layout to LYB's Facebook Page - please post it in the Album titled "January/February Sketch Challenge". 

2. If you're not a Facebook user, you still may enter, by emailing a photo of your entry to lizq@cthruruler.com. Please include your mailing address - so we have it in case you win!

3.  All entries must be received by midnight EST on Saturday, February 18, 2012.

Here's the fun part ... the prizes!

1.  We will select THREE finalists. All of the finalists will win a prize.

2.  We will post the finalists to our Facebook Page and Blog for you to VOTE on your favorites.

3.  You'll have a week to vote (one vote per person).

4.  The grand prize winner will win $50 in LYB product. The runners up will each receive $25 in LYB product!

**Due to shipping costs, prizes may vary depending on where you are in the world.

We will post the finalists from our last sketch challenge later today - thank you for your patience.  Thank you for stopping by today and hope you find some inspiration.

Liz

Hello All! Hope you're enjoying the winter holidays, and maybe squeezing a little crafty R&R in the process?

I'm back today with another fun and frosty project from our Winter Twig Guest Designer Jenny Chesnick!

Before I share that layout with you, though I want to continue on with some LYB Q&A to help you learn a little more about Mrs. Chez!

LYB:  Describe your biggest scrapbooking ‘mishap’? 

JC:  I once spilled a very dark mist all over my carpet, not once but twice.  Needless to say I had to rip the carpet out.

LYB:  What are your favorite scrapbook magazines? 

JC:   Scrapbook Trends and Simply Handmade.

LYB:  Do you have a favorite die cutting system? 

JC:   Silhouette Cameo.  I want to marry it!

LYB:  Are you a morning bird or night owl? 

JC:  Both! I like to get up early and get things done before the hubs gets up.  Sometimes I stay up late on a Friday too.

LYB:  What is the funniest topic you’ve ever had for a scrapbook page?

JC:  One CHA my friends and I had this pig that was like our roaming gnome.  It took photos with everyone (Even Tim and Heidi) I ended up making a mini out of its photos.  Believe it or not it was published they loved it so much.  We still take him to shows today.

LYB:   Computer or handwritten journaling?

JC:   Neither, I hardly ever journal.  I know, so bad.

And now, on to Jenny's layout!

Nothing says fun like a ton of snow! This photo of my friend’s daughter is just too much.  She reminds me of a snowman in her little snow suit.  I kept the paper layout simple so the stand out was the snowman layered with chipboard words for a title.  I punched holes in the cardstock sticker to create my own banner. 

I topped off the banner with a sweet little bow.

Products Used:

TG-108- Winter Plaid/Mocha Java

TG-107- Winter Words/Brown Skate Scratch

TG-165- Chipboard Words

TG-279- Chipboard Shapes

TG-201- Canvas Borders

TG-305- Paper Snowflakes

TG-145- Cardstock Stickers

TG-219- Snowflake Button Dots

_________________________________

Thanks so much Jenny for another awesome project! Be sur to stop by Jenny's blog for more projects and inspiration!

Plus a couple of reminders for our blog readers!

1) Don't forget that our SKETCH CHALLENGE ends on Saturday (that's New Year's Eve), at midnight! Post your entries to our Facebook page or email them to "peg@cthruruler.com" to be entered. Click the link for more details!

2) Have you heard about the 12 Days of Giveaways over at Little Yellow Bargains? Every day through January 6th, we're giving away a freebie with your $25 purchase. To find out about the freebies, either check out the Little Yellow Bargains Facebook page, or go to our website to sign up for email alerts!

Be well!

-Peg

Hi everyone! Are you ready for another Sketch Challenge from Liz Qualman? I hope so! This challenge starts NOW, and will run through the end of December - to give you plenty of time to work on it during the busy holidays!

Liz used the perfectly sporty Get Your Game On collection for her sketch - but you can use ANY of our Fall and Winter collections:  Head of the Class, Get Your Game On, Hello Fall!, Wonder & Wishes, or Winter Twig!

Here's Liz to tell you all about it ... and be sure to read to the bottom for details on how to enter!

______________________________

I love how the Get Your Game On collection provides four different sports to capture your memories.  Even though my son is not old enough to play sports competitively, he still likes to get outside and kick the ball around.  It was great to use the soccer papers and embellishments to capture this moment of my son and husband playing together.

I especially like the idea of how you can use the Get Your Game On collection for any sports related memories.  Wouldn't it be fun to use the papers and embellishments for a memory about tailgating with the "MVP" being the last person standing (if you know what I mean)?  The stars are the limit with this super fun collection.  Can't wait to see what some of you create with my sketch!

_____________________________________

Here's the sketch:

Here's the rules:

1.  You may use the sketch any way you please (turn it upside down or on its side, or use it as is).

2.  You must use at least 75% Little Yellow Bicycle product, from any of our current Fall or Winter collections [Head of the Class, Get Your Game On, Hello Fall!, Wonder & Wishes, and Winter Twig].

3.  Your work must be your own! ;)

Here's how to enter:

1. You may enter by posting your layout to LYB's Facebook Page - please post it in the Album titled "Fall/Winter Collection Sketch Challenge". 

2. If you're not a Facebook user, you still may enter, by emailing a photo of your entry to peg@cthruruler.com. Please include your mailing address - so we have it in case you win!

3.  All entries must be received by midnight EST on Saturday, December 31, 2011.

Here's the fun part ... the prizes!

1.  Liz will select THREE finalists. All of the finalists will win a prize.

2.  We will post the finalists to our Facebook Page and Blog for you to VOTE on your favorites.

3.  You'll have a week to vote (one vote per person). Voting will end at midnight on Saturday, January 7, 2012.

4.  The grand prize winner will win $50 in LYB product. The runners up will each receive $25 in LYB product!

Sound good? OK everyone! Get creating!  

-Peg

[P.S. if you love sketches, be sure to follow the link to Liz's blog - she has tons of 'em!]

Phew! What a week it has been here in Connecticut. Don't know if you have heard, but much of the state was without power for a week or more, and many (including our headquarters in Bloomfield, CT) are into their 11th day without power. As you can imagine, it hasn't been easy! We appreciate your patience as we get things moving as quickly as we can!

Just to give you a quick glimpse, I'm going to share a couple of photos from my town. We received between 1-2 feet of snow on Saturday 10/29. The entire town (and many others) lost power. Any street that had overhead power lines lost at least a few. Branches came down. Trees came down. Telephone poles came down. Here are some pics:

About 2' of snow in my back yard:

Branches and trees down everywhere (taken from my car) - most streets looked like this for several days after the storm - you just drive under the tree, gun it and pray:

Lots of destruction:

These poor people just replaced their roof last spring! Notice also the branch went right through the front window:

Even trick-or-treating was cancelled due to dangerous conditions.

Snow-covered pumpkin:

Snow pumpkin:

Once the power is restored, there will still be a huge clean-up job but we are hardy New Englanders and I believe we are up to the task.

A few things I have learned:

1) Neighbors are a blessing. Neighbors who have generators are a greater blessing.

2) I can never thank my husband enough for purchasing the generator!

3) No matter how often you tell yourself "The power is still out," you will still always flip the light switch when you go into the bathroom.

4) After a week without power, even vacuuming and doing laundry is "fun," and almost nothing beats the sound of a toilet flushing.

5) Each of us, some day, may be dependent on the kindness of strangers. This is important to remember when we have an opportunity to be kind. Be kind. You never know.

On the positive side, because we had a generator, I had the opportunity to spend wonderful quality time with my kids and get to know many of my neighbors better.

Sometimes it's the little things. I ran into a friend who hadn't had a warm shower in 3 days - so I invited her over to shower. I know I made her day. But interestingly, being able to invite her made my day too.

On the negative side ... I am SO BEHIND with blog posts! So today I am going to post Suzanne Sergi's final Guest Designer post featuring the Get Your Game On collection ... and I'll be back with more projects from the Cycling Teams for the rest of the week!

Here's Suzanne!

________________________

Hi, everyone!

Suzanne here with another scrapbook page using the Get Your Game On Collection. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed working with these papers. They make creating your pages so simple. The canvas has already been decided, and with a few added details you can complete your sports pages in no time! I have so many sport photos that need to be scrapbooked, so this collection helps me to document them quickly.

I used the Baseball Collage paper as the background to document this photo of my son holding the coveted Game Ball! I cannot tell you how his eyes would light up as the coach would begin his speech as to who the lucky recepient would be! He was secretly wishing each time, it would be him! On this day, he was the lucky one, and I wish I had been quicker to document his expression. It was priceless! However, he did agree to pose for a photo afterward.

Plus here's a bonus football card from Suzanne!

So cool.

_____________________________

Thanks Suzanne! So nice to think about WARM things like baseball and paper crafting...maybe by the fire...

You can follow Suzanne's blog by clicking here.

See you tomorrow with more inspiration ...and don't forget our call for NEW Winter Twig and Wonder & Wishes Cycling Team Members! If you haven't sent your stuff in, THERE'S STILL TIME! We'll announce the new team members on Thursday, Nov. 10!! Send your submissions to sharon@cthruruler.com!

Have a happy day!

Peg

Thanks to everyone who followed along on the blog swap this week! 

Our winners are:

From Facebook:  Kelly Guercio

From the Blog:  Lisa R

Check back next week for more fun from the Cycling Teams!

Have a great weekend, and if you're in New England like I am ... batten down the hatches and get ready for some ... snow???

-Peg

Hello everyone and welcome to the fifth and final day of our fabulous blog swap with our friends over at The Twinery! I guess it's true what they say, all good things must come to an end. We are sad to see this week end. But hey ... before it does, I have a couple more projects to share with you from the Biker Chicks, prizes to give away (later today) ... and next week I'll be back with more inspiration from our wonderful Head of the Class, Get Your Game On, and Hello Fall! Cycling Teams!

So I promise ... the fun never ends here on the LYB blog!

Let's get to the projects!

First up is Biker Chick Tania Willis with a layout featuring the Hello Fall! collection and, of course, some baker's twine from The Twinery!

_________________________________

The colorful bundle of twine in the assortment pack had me at hello!  The colors are so fun and playful and just the right shades of color.  For my “I Love Fall” layout, I wanted to play off the Fresh Verse Cardstock die cut that says “piles of smiles” and literally piled a bunch of snapshots in the middle of the page. 

From there, I started adding pops of color in clusters by layering several types of embellishments from the collection, then kicked it up a notch with the addition of the twine. I love that the twine is a playful twist of light and dark, as the white is twisted with a color.  It keeps the embellishment light and not too dense for the eye. Love that. 

For the next cluster, I layered Fresh Verse die cuts, a journaling tag, flowers from the layered flowers pack and a chipboard button from the Fabric Pieces.  Before adhering the button, I pulled off the foam dimensional tape and strung two layers of twine through the eyelets.

Lastly, I wanted a bold punch of color in the center of the layout to draw the eye to the photos first.  I just added several loops of twine to the felt flower, near the felt leaves to resemble another leaf on the flower. Such an easy addition that helps add more visual weight to the flower embellishment.

I want to give a HUGE thanks to The Twinery for the generous supply of twine that was sent for our team to complete these projects this week!

Tania

Supplies:

Lemondrop Baker’s Twine by The Twinery

Mandarin Baker’s Twine by Twinery Twine

Honeydew Baker’s Twine by Twinery Twine

HF – 104 Walnut Knit Paper

HF – 220 Fabric Favorites

HF – 140 Fresh Verse Cardstock Die-cuts

HF – 135 Favorite Pieces Cardstock Die-cuts

HF – 223 Felt Flowers

HF – 134 Journaling Cards

HF – 305 Paper Flower Kit

HF – 277 Stick Pins

HF – 308 Favorite Things Pocket

____________________________________

Thanks Tania! Love this layout! And YOU can catch more ideas from Tania by following her blog ... just click this link right here to get there!

Next up - another layout from Liz!

_____________________________________

Naughty or Nice Page

Just a funny page of my daughter hamming it up for the camera.  It reminded me of how she is always thinking about what is going to be on her list for Santa and how hard she tries to "make it happen."  Adding pop dots to the cardstock stickers is a great way to give them dimension and accent the page.  I cannot help but tuck a decorative edged cardstock piece on all of my pages and the patterns on the Wonder & Wishes pices are lovely.

Wonder and Wishes Collection Materials:

WO-104 - Christmas Plaid/Dots on Green

WO-133 - 6" x 6" Decorative Edge double-sided textured cardstock with glitter accents (5 pieces)

WO-279 - Chipboard Shapes - with glitter accents (20 pieces)

WO-165 - Chipboard Stickers - Words - with debossing (16 pieces)

WO-276 - Corrugated Shapes (22 pieces)

WO-135 - Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with glitter accents and matte foil (28 pieces) WO-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with debossing (28 pieces)

WO-197 - Jewel Stickers (96 pieces)

WO-219 - Flower Button Dots - layered with buttons

Twinery - Maraschino Twine 15 Yards

_____________________________

Thanks Liz! Here's the link to Liz's blog too!

Now go on over to The Twinery's blog, to see what they've made for you today! As usual, don't forget to leave comments here, there and everywhere (LYB's Facebook Page, The Twinery's Facebook Page), for more chances to win! I will be choosing two winners of a LOVELY prize pack from our Hello Fall collection, plus a sampler pack from The Twinery!

Thanks for visiting and GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

-Peg

Hi everyone! Hard to believe it's already Day 4 of our Blog Swap week with the talented team over at The Twinery.  I don't know about you but I'm hoping for rain this weekend so I can get a little extra crafting in!

It will be sad to see this creativity-packed week come to an end ... but the end of the week also means we'll be announcing our prize winners - so keep those comments coming!

Today I have three projects from Biker Chick Vicki Boutin, featuring the brand new Wonder & Wishes collection - perfect for holiday gift giving - and available NOW at your Local Scrapbook Store!

Here's Vicki!

_______________________________

I love Baker’s Twine!  It is such a simple, whimsical embellishment and there are so many uses for it.  The Twinery offers an amazing selection of colors and I was excited to mix their twine with the Wonder & Wishes line.  I decided to whip up a few cards.

Delight Card

One of my favorite uses for twine is to “string” up embellishments.  I added a few eyelets to a chipboard tag and attached it to the card with twine.

A great way to keep the twine in place is to punch “notches” using a small hole punch along the edge of the mat.

Material List

WO-101 - Home for Christmas/Red Check

WO-102 - Red Poinsettia/Christmas Text

WO-279 - Chipboard Shapes - with glitter accents (20 pieces)

WO-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with debossing (28 pieces)

The Twinery Baker’s Twine (Peapod)

Eyelets

Kraft cardstock

Joy Tag

I often like to work grids into my designs.  I like the linear structure of a grid.  The lines on the Christmas Plaid paper worked as a great guide when placing the twine.

I punched holes and threaded the twine to give the tag a clean, finished look.  The twine also worked really well as a tag topper!

Material List

WO-104 - Christmas Plaid/Dots on Green

WO-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with debossing (28 pieces)

The Twinery Baker’s Twine (Peapod)

Kraft cardstock

I Believe Card

A glue pen and a little twine are the perfect combination!!!  You can doodle a pattern or write a word and top it off with some twine for the perfect embellishment or title.  I drew the heart with a glue pen and then outlined it with some red and white twine.

This is a quick way to add pizzazz to a card or layout!

Material List

WO-106 - Joy & Peace/Little Red Hot Dot

WO-165 - Chipboard Stickers - Words - with debossing (16 pieces)

WO-222 - Canvas Tape Rolls - 3/4" x 36" per design (3 pieces)

The Twinery Baker’s Twine (Maraschino)

Glue Pen

Kraft Cardstock

Rhinestones

_____________________________

Thank you Vicki! These are so cute! If you want to see more inspiration from Biker Chick Vicki Boutin ... just follow this link to her blog!

And then hop on over to The Twinery's Blog to see what they have in store for you today!

Leave your comments on the blog and also The Twinery's Facebook Page and Little Yellow Bicycle's Facebook Page to increase your chances of winning the Blog Swag!

Have a crafty day!

-Peg

Hello friends! It's Day 3 of our wonderful Blog Swap Week with The Twinery! We hope you're having fun and enjoying all of our designers' amazing work!

Today our very talented Biker Chick Greta Hammond has made amazing Christmas projects using LYB's new Wonder & Wishes collection!

Here's Greta to tell you about them!

I loved working with The Twinery product! Such a fun little embellishment to add to any project. I chose to use the LYB line Wonder &Wishes for my projects and the twine colors matched perfectly!

First off, I made a little gift giving notebook booklet by folding 3 sheets of 4.5” x 9” paper in half and then punching holes in the spine. I threaded some grey/white twine through the holes and tied a bow on the outside. To embellish, I made a small pom pom with the twine to adorn the top of my chipboard present.

Next, I made a card and used the twine to outline the edge of the chipboard frame. A fun way to add a bit of texture.

I then wrapped a corrugated tree with red/white twine to serve as garland and then finished off my title with a small bow.

Finally, I made a quick gift bag by turning over the top of the bag and punching holes near the center. I threaded 5 strands of twine through, added a small tag and tied a bow.

I decorated the front with paper, a fabric scalloped circle, stickers, chipboard and those lovely felt poinsettias! Easy, peasy!

Supply List:

WO-108 Festive Red

WO-105 Tiny Tonal Poinsettia

WO-140 Fresh Verse

WO-135 Favorite Pieces

WO-1279 Chipboard Shapes

WO-197 Jewel Stickers

WO-220 Fabric Favorites

WO-165 Chipboard Sticker Words

WO-304 Felt Flowers

Other: sack

thanks,

Greta

 _______________________

Thanks Greta! 

Now head on over to The Twinery's Blog to see their lovely projects for today! And of course, don't forget to leave a comment here on our blog, and also on The Twinery's Blog, plus LYB's Facebook Page and The Twinery's Facebook Page to increase your chances of winning a fabulous Hello Fall! and The Twinery Prize Pack!

See you tomorrow!

-Peg

Hello everyone! So happy you stopped by for Day 2 of our fabulous blog swap week with the talented team over at The Twinery!  I loved yesterday's projects ... they were all so beautiful I don't think I could beging to pick a favorite! 

Today I have three more fun projects from Liz Qualman! Liz is so helpful, she's here with some great ideas for cards to take you through the next few holidays!

But before we get to Liz's projects - just a quick reminder to stop by The Twinery's Blog also, to see what they've created for you today - and also to leave a comment here, there, and also on LYB's Facebook Page and The Twinery's Facebook Page, to increase your chances of winning some great prizes from both companies at the end of the week!

Great. Let's get started! Here's Liz!

Happy Halloween Card:

Twine adds a new and fun spin to spider webs.  I used an epoxy button from the Booville collection and 5 pieces of charcoal twine to create my web.  I anchored the button to the center of the card, punched tiny little holes around the edges of my card to feed the twine through, and then wrapped more twine around the interior of the web.  Next, I added spiders from the Booville Clear Stickers with pop dots and the Happy Halloween sentiment from the Booville Canvas Pieces. Finally I added a few pieces of candy with the Cardstock Stickers.  You can order the entire Booville Collection on our Little Yellow Bargains site - at 70% off its original price!

Materials:

Little Yellow Bicycle Booville Collection

BV-112 - Motley Pumpkins/Orange Dots with Trim

BV-278 - Epoxy Chipboard Buttons (30 pieces)

BV-135 - Favorite Pieces with thermography and debossing BV-190 - Clear Stickers with glitter (31 pieces)

BV-202 - Canvas Stickers (13 pieces)

Twinery - Charcoal Twine 15 Yards

Fall Card:

It's fun to anchor twine with a button and fan it out on your project.  I wanted to highlight the beautiful Hello Fall! Collection chipboard tree, so I added the button to the trunk with three strands of twine and fanned them out on one side by anchoring them to the card with little punched holes.  The I added the sentiment from the Fabric Favorites as well as some leaves from the Cardstock Die Cuts

Hello Fall Collection Materials:

HF-107 - Sweater Weather/Delicious Autumn Text

HF-279 - Chipboard Shapes - with glitter accents (20 pieces) HF-220 - Fabric Favorites (14 pieces)

HF-135 - Cardstock Die Cuts - Favorite Pieces - with embossing and button accents (34 pieces) Twinery - Mandarin Twine 15 Yards

Holiday Wishes Card:

Rolled paper makes a unique looking project.  I used two different patterned papers from the Wonder & Wishes Collection and offset the measurements for each roll by a half an inch starting with 4.5 inches on the bottom and ending with 1 inch on the top.  Then I wrapped twine around each end of the rolls of paper and stuck them in order to the corrugated cardstock paper.  The trunk is a rolled scrap wrapped with Cappucino twine. I added a Flower Button Dot as my tree topper and finally a holiday sentiment from the Fresh Verse Stickers.

Wonder and Wishes Collection Materials:

WO-104 - Christmas Plaid/Dots on Green

WO-107 - Ornaments All Over/Green Geometric WO-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with debossing (28 pieces)

WO-219 - Flower Button Dots - layered with buttons Corrugated Kraft Cardstock Paper Twinery - Maraschino Twine 15 Yards Twinery - Cappuccino

__________________________

Thanks Liz! Love that chubby little rolled paper tree! So cute! Be sure to check out Liz's blog for more inspiration, then hop on over to The Twinery's Blog for more fun projects. And don't forget to leave those comments!

I'll be back tomorrow with projects from Biker Chick Greta Hammond! Have a great day!

-Peg

Don't you just love a little bit of baker's twine on your layout or paper project? To me it just says "happy" - maybe it's the long ago association with goodies from the bakery - who knows? But when the opportunity to do a blog swap with The Twinery ... creators of baker's twine in the loveliest colors ... we jumped on it!

In case you're not familiar with a blog swap - here's what we did: we sent their Design Team papers and embellishments from the Hello Fall! collection, and they sent our Design Team a box of baker's twine in every color of the rainbow and then some! Then our teams got to work, and you get to enjoy what they've created!

Each day this week, both The Twinery and LYB will share a project or two from our Design Teams which we hope will inspire you.

PLUS ... as usual ... there's blog swag involved! YOU have a chance to win some gorgeous goodies! Be sure to head over to The Twinery's Blog and Facebook Page every day to see what their fabulous Designers have created. Don't forget to leave a comment - and tell them we sent you. Comment every day on both blogs and Facebook pages for more chances to win. At the end of the week, we'll each pick winners from our Facebook and Blog comments - and the winners will win a sampler pack of Twinery Twine plus some goodies from Little Yellow Bicycle's Hello Fall! collection!

What's not to love? Let's get started!

Our first projects are created by the very very talented Biker Chick Renee Foss!

Piles of Smiles Layout - Using The Twinery Twine and Little Yellow Bicycle's Hello Fall! Collection

To begin I dyed the red/white baker’s twine to make it more harmonious with the fall colors of this layout. I mixed water and the two colors of alcohol ink and soaked my twine in it for about a half an hour. Make sure the mixture is a lot darker than the color you want the twine to end up. After soaking, rinse the twine with clear water and squeeze out excess. Allow to dry before using.

For layout, I color-blocked two different patterned papers on red cardstock. The photo and ‘piles of smiles’ are matted on orange cardstock. All edges were inked with brown stamping ink. I grouped the large brown branch and two leaf chipboard pieces as shown and tied my prepared twine several times around the entire red cardstock piece before adhering this to the background [kraft] paper. I removed the foam backing from one of the Fabric Favorites button pieces and punched two small holes. I added this piece over the chipboard pieces and tied the twine in a bow through the button. HINT: add a small dot of clear drying glue to the knot to keep it secure. I also tie small knots in the ends of the twine to keep them from unraveling. As a finishing touch I added two green leaf pins behind the button. I hand stitched the zigzag down the side of the journaling card before adhering to the layout and finished off with a small bow, and then sprinkled some green jewel stickers around the layout for a little sparkle.

Supplies used:

HF-103  Autumn Medley/Green Splendor paper

HF-105  Little Leaf Pile/Burnt Orange Knit paper

HF-279  Chipboard Shapes w/ Glitter Accents

HF-220  Fabric Favorites

HF-134  Journaling Cards

HF-135  Cardstock Die Cuts—Favorite Pieces

HF-140  Cardstock Die Cuts—Fresh Verse

HF-277  Stick Pins

HF-197 Jewel Stickers

The Twinery Maraschino baker’s twine

Cardstock: kraft, red and orange

Brown ink

Alcohol ink: red and brown

Holiday Cards - Using The Twinery Twine and Little Yellow Bicycle's Wonder & Wishes Collection

Card 1—Stitched Tree

Cut a label die cut using die cut system from white cardstock. If you don’t have one, just cut a rectangle of white cardstock to 4” x 5.25”. Dye Honeydew twine with celery/green alcohol ink as described for layout above. Pre-punch holes for tree in prepared label/cardstock and stitch tree.

Add a small piece of brown cardstock for trunk and a chipboard star at the top of the tree [I colored the star using Versamark ink and red embossing power, heat embossed]. Make card from white cardstock [4.25” x 5.5”] and cut a piece of ‘Joy & Peace’ paper for the front panel. Ink edges with green ink and adhere to card front. Add tree panel to card using foam adhesive. If desired, heat emboss edges of tree panel with red embossing powder [or color with red pen or ink w/ red stamping ink].

Card 2—Peace & Joy Present

Make card base from white cardstock [half of a 8.5” x 11” sheet folded in half]. Add Red Check Paper to card front, ink edges with brown ink. Cut patterned strips from remaining ‘Home for Christmas’ paper [note: the red pattern and green geometric border are next to one another on the paper but to get the other green border along the red patterned strip you need to cut that separately]. Ink edges with brown ink and add to card as shown. Ink edges of corrugated frame [leave inside of frame intact!] and add to card as shown. Cut off bow and small ribbon ‘bumps’ from chipboard present die cut. Wrap dyed Maraschino baker’s twine around twice both ways and secure in back. Tuck a mistletoe clear die cut under twine and secure. Make a bow from a double length of the same twine  and adhere to present as shown. Add present to card with foam adhesive. Add ‘peace & joy’ clear sticker as shown.

Supplies used [cards]

WO-101 Home for Christmas/Red Check paper

WO-106 Joy & Peace/Little Red Hot Dot paper

WO-279 Chipboard Shapes

WO-190 Clear Stickers for Cardmaking

WO-276 Corrugated Shapes

WO-230 Clear Cut Shapes

The Twinery baker’s twine in Maraschino and Honeydew

Chipboard star

Versamark ink

Red embossing powder

White cardstock

Brown stamping ink

Green stamping ink

Small scrap of brown cardstock

Foam adhesive

Alcohol inks: red and celery

Die cutting system and label die

I want to send a HUGE shout out to The Twinery for their generosity – they sent soooo product in a rainbow of colors! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to entwine all my projects!

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Thanks to you Renee! 

Now hop on over to The Twinery's Blog to see what their Designers have cooked up for today! And don't forget to check back tomorrow - I'll have another post featuring Biker Chick Liz Qualman!

Oh and ... in case you forgot ... leave a comment!!

- Peg

Hi it's Peg again! A looooooong time ago (Sept. 22 to be precise), I posted some Sweet Summertime projects for the last hurrah of summer. I told you about my last hurrah, and asked you to tell me about yours.

I had the prizes all lined up on my dining room table (yes, they are still there...) and just needed to pick a winner. 

And, well, I forgot. As you may recall, my "last hurrah" was to run a half marathon. My first. My goal was to finish, and I did. It was a lot of work to train for it and I was proud to finish. Maybe I got too caught up in my training to remember to pick a winner? Yeah, that's it! But if you're thinking of runnning a race, let me just give you a little advice. Have someone bring a camera, because the pictures they take of you running your first half marathon are not too flattering. You may need someone to take a lot in order to get a single decent one! (In fact, my advice is to finish, go home, shower, put on a little makeup, comb your hair, and stage it.) I don't think I'll be doing any scrapbook pages of my experience. 

Anyway...so sorry for the delay! I loved reading about your "last hurrahs". Thanks so much for sharing them with us. I picked two random winners and they are:

Marcia Scantlin and Carolyn King! 

Congratulations ladies! Please email your mailing info to: peg_berry@comcast.net and I'll get those prizes out to you (I promise it won't take another month)!

Thanks to everyone who participated and, if you live in cooler climates, try to keep those warm memories as the temperature goes down and the price of heating oil goes up!

- Peg

Sigh... I guess it's time to admit it's finally over.

Summer that is.

Autumnal equinox and all.

In spite of the morning chill in the air I have been digging in my heels and holding on to summer for all I'm worth. Who cares that the kids are back in school! Who cares that I've had to pull out the jeans and sweaters once or twice! It's still summer until ... well...today.

The leaves have been turning here in CT for weeks, but now that the calendar is turning, I have to get with the program and move on to Fall already. Now don't get me wrong. I really do love Fall. Here in the Northeast I love the colors, crisp sunny days, savory cooking [not to mention our new Hello Fall! collection ;) ... who wouldn't love fall with that around, huh? ]

And then I just say to myself ... just wait a minute here ... not so fast! Let's have a little last hurrah for summer! If you're like me, you'll be scrappin' those summer pictures well into 2012 [in fact, I think there's something special about scrapping the beach pics when the snow is falling outside!].

So today I'm going to share some Sweet Summertime goodness from the Biker Chicks! For one last hurrah!

[And read on dear blog followers! There's a chance for you to win some Sweet Summertime goodness for yourself at the end of this post!] 

So let's get started, why don't we? First up, this adorable little layout from Biker Chick Liz Qualman. There's something about boys and boats...isn't there?

And a few close up shots:

Next up, Biker Chick Renee Foss shared this amazing shadowbox just full of great summer memories!

... and a detail shot:

....swoon.. Love this!

And last but certainly not least, Tania Willis posted these two awesome Sweet Summertime layouts on her blog earlier this summer and I've been meaning to share them with you. But I kept forgetting! Shame on me! 

Here's the first. You can't beat the photo of that cutie Emma, and I love how Tania kept it simple ... but simply perfect! Check out that sun!

And the details:

And next up, how cute are these two muggin' it up for the camera? And how cool is it that Tania used this versatile summery collection on a page that really isn't summery at all? Love this!

And a couple close ups to show all the detail and dimesion!

If you want to scraplift this layout (and who wouldn't? ... though for finding the big wax lips I must tell you ... you are on your own!) just follow the link I posted above for detailed instructions!

Three cheers for the Biker Chicks! You guys are great!

And now for the LOOT!

I personally went over to our warehouse and raided - RAIDED I tell you! - that Sweet Summertime collection. I have two AMAZING prize packs to share with two people who leave a comment. We're talking papers, stickers, and embellies galore people! Who wants 'em???

Just tell me about YOUR last hurrah of summer.

 Here is mine...I decided to run the Hartford Half Marathon in a couple weeks. This is big for me and I'm not quite sure I'm ready but there's only one way to find out. And let me tell you, running in the CT humidity today ... it sure felt like summer to me! So now that I think about it - bring on that cool weather already! I'm wilting like steamed spinach out there!

Can't wait to hear YOUR story!

-Peg

Hi,

We are thrilled with the response and the entries we are getting for the "Cycling Team". If you aren't in on the scoop, be sure to like us here and get the details.  Also, see yesterday's post.

First and Foremost, check out Guest Designer, Lowri McNabb's blog, Paper Vine . Get ready to be lost into a world of inspiration. I'm always happier when I find a blog like Lowri's. I love to grab a cup of coffee and peruse through my favorite blogs as I start my day. I've got Paper Vine bookmarked.  Not only are Lowri's projects gorgeous, but they are doable. She really does make it look "oh so easy".  And, the best part is so many of her projects are FUNCTIONAL.   See. See. See.  Lowri has all of these Head of the Class goodies stepped out for you here.

I promised that I would help you to get to know Lowri better.  It's only fair that we all are friends....

Sit back and enjoy.

LYB Questions for Guest Designer – Lowri McNabb

What is your ‘go to’ embellishment?

I would have to say plain, die-cut chipboard pieces. You can paint, ink or stamp them, cover them with patterned paper, emboss them or all of the above!  I also have a weakness for glazed and fabric brads too..

Do you prefer cardstock or patterned paper?

Patterned paper mainly as I tend to draw inspiration for my projects from the prints themselves. It really depends on the weight of the paper/card as some paper projects  are better with thinner paper (those that need a lot of folding) and some are better with heavier weight cardstock. If using cardstock, I usually start with a white, cream or kraft base

What kind of music gets you in the scrappin’ mood?

When I am scrapping I tend to have DVD’s running on my computer - often favorites like British sit-coms I used to watch as  a kid or old James Bond movies. When I do listen to music you will hear me mainly listening and singing along to some 80’s rock or Kings of Leon

Do you like to go to crops or prefer to scrap alone?

I have always worked on my own – primarily due to my location meaning there is not anyone else within an hour or so in the evenings! I have been to a couple of crops, but I was so interested in what others were doing and chatting about products and new ideas that I didn’t get a single piece of work done. I am probably most people’s  worst nightmare at a crop! If you see me – you might want to take a seat the other side of the room…

What are your favorite types of projects—pages, mini albums, cards, altered projects, etc?

 I would call myself a papercrafter.  I very rarely do layouts and I prefer to use my photos to make mini albums and frames  -  I do however draw heaps of inspiration and ideas from the amazing layouts I see online.   I make a lot of altered items and beyond the page projects – usually as gifts and I also love to make custom stationary, party decorations and the occasional card-set.

Do you have a favorite scrapbooking snack?

Not really – depending on the time of day you are most likely to find an enormous  mug  of tea, Diet Coke or glass of wine sitting on my desk though…

Any unique tips or techniques you use?

I am always on the lookout for items to alter or use. I often look to dollar-stores, hardware stores and kitchen supplies for inspiration. I recently  packaged some gifts I made for Father’s Day (a mini album and a magnet set) in some gorgeous  old tobacco tins

Describe your biggest scrapbooking ‘mishap’?

No major mishaps spring to mind – if I make a mistake I just cover it with another piece of paper! I do get frustrated though when I get time to myself and feel so overwhelmed with the list of things I would like to do that I end up wasting it. With a young and active family, time on my own is a precious resource!

What are your favorite scrapbook magazines?

I really don’t buy many magazines – I find there is so much inspiration on manufacturers and designer blogs that usually I search for tutorials and ideas online.  

Do you have a favorite die cutting system?

I have a cuttlebug which I love to use with my slowly growing collection of Spellbinders.

Are you a morning bird or night owl?

I hate mornings but I have to get up each weekday at 5:45 to get to school on time (after I check my email, drink 3 cups of tea, make lunches etc) so I am definitely a night-time crafter.  

Computer or handwritten journaling?

I don’t do much journaling but I use my computer as a tool a lot in my papercrafting. I love to print onto patterned paper and tags and it’s invaluable for making stationary and other specialist items.

What is your favorite color (or colors) to use in your pages?

That’s a tough one! I find my work is very product driven, and I usually work with only one collection at a time – supplemented by some basics such as paint, stamps etc. I have mainly worked with very bold collections, but I am trying to incorporate more vintage themes now – whilst maintaining my clean style.  I always love green though!

How long does it typically take you to complete a project?

Anything from 2 hours to two weeks. I try to work on a project from start to finish and I usually find the last 10% of the project takes 50% of the time! If I am working on a project that includes photographs – choosing and editing them takes me ages – it’s something I am working on.

Do you use any tools that are not specifically designed for scrapbooking?

I use a few small woodworking tools (mainly files) and various grades of  sandpaper to sand and smooth my wooden projects before starting.  I also have a leather hole punch with various size tips to create holes in paper, card, fabric etc.  I have also made a couple of custom embossing folders with plastic ice cream container lids!

Do you scrap chronologically or out of order?

I tend to create projects according to need as I usually create my items as gifts with a specific recipient in mind

Sit down or stand up scrapbooker?

Sit down – I don’t usually get started until the kids are in bed – and by that time I need a good sit down!

Do you have a favorite quote?

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretsky

Are you a neat scrapbooker or is your space a mess?

I can’t even read this question with a straight face. I am horribly messy but luckily I have my own little room and when it’s really bad I just shut the door and nobody has to see it. When I cannot see any floor space, and can’t make any more by piling up some more junk – I figure it is time to clean up!

What is your best time or money saving tip?

Money saving – create custom albums by cutting cereal boxes into shapes using Spellbinders (or other dies)  and then cut patterned paper again to cover. I usually use 2 layers per page.

Time saving – not really a time saving tip but if you are sitting there and it’s just not working out  – give up and  try again tomorrow!

Do you have a favorite adhesive?

A few – depending on the project. Most of my  projects are fun items designed to be used or handled as opposed to preserved, so often I am more interested in an adhesive being good for its purpose rather than acid free. I use Spotlight Crafters Glue but I think Helmars Premium Craft would be an equivalent product in the US. I recently discovered Dodz too – they are super sticky, clear, dimensional adhesive blobs of glue – I love them!

Describe your style.

Clean and linear with a hint of retro if I can make it work!

 
Friday.

Have a great day.

Lori

Never let it be said that we don't love a party here at LYB! And we recently heard that our friends at Clip it Up by Simply Renee are celebrating their FIFTH BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday Clip It Up!

Take a look at this adorable tiered "Birthday Cake" Audrey, one of their designers, made with a Clip It Up and LYB's Cupcake Love collection! You can go to Simply Renee's blog for instructions on how to make it!

What an amazing centerpiece for a birthday party! How clever!

So here's a little Happy Birthday Contest where YOU get the chance to get a present! After all, what's a birthday celebration without presents??

Clip It Up by Simply Renee will give away a Main Base, and we're giving away an assortment from the Cupcake Love collection, plus some of our newest collection - Sweet Summertime - for good measure. We'll pick TWO winners on Friday (LYB will pick one, and Clip it Up will pick one).

Here's how to win:

Post a comment here on our blog, and also on Clip it Up's Blog - telling us your most creative birthday project. To double your chances of winning, post a comment on LYB's Facebook Page, and also on Clip it Up's Facebook page! Be sure to tell them we sent you - and wish them a Happy 5th Birthday!

We'll announce the winners on Friday! Good Luck!

Peg

Hi everyone! Are you ready for another Sketch Challenge? Tomorrow is the FIRST official day of Summer (ok everyone, get up from your computer screen and do a little happy dance with me) ...so we asked Biker Chick Liz Qualman to do a little Sweet Summertime Sketch Challenge for you!

Hooray!

Here's Liz to introduce her sketch!

Summer in the Rocky Mountains can be a little unpredictable, especially with the weather, but that does not stop my family from getting out and having a good time.  Last summer we went boating on Lake Dillon, which has an altitude of about 9,000 feet. You can imagine it can be a little chilly, however, these gorgeous Sweet Summertime papers still capture the feeling of this exciting summer day and may even cast a bit of a warmer glow upon it.

The Chipboard Shapes with glitter accents in this collection add just the right amount of summer fun and include a tiny bit of glitter to make them pop off the page.  I added a Fresh Verse sticker to this cute chipboard cloud to add another sentiment about our wonderful day.

I love the combination of the Sweet Summertime chipboard kite with the journaling card.  The tail of the kite winds around the journaling card and photo to tie them together beautifully.

The journaling cards in this collection are not just for writing.  I used the beautiful shape and color on this one to matte the wallet sized photo so it would stand out just a bit more from the other two photos and an additional sentiment to my title, "Happy Summer." 

______________________________

Another amazing layout. Thanks Liz! And if you love sketches don't forget to check out Liz's Blog for more simply fabulous sketches!

Here is the Sketch:

And here are the rules:

-  Use Liz's sketch as your guideline. However, feel free to flip it, modify it or make it your own.

-  Please submit your layouts to "peg@mylyb.com" or post on LYB's Facebook Wall.

-  Contest runs from now until July 15, 2011. 

-  Submissions should be 75% from the Sweet Summertime, Tiny Princess or Baby Saurus collections.

-  Liz will choose three finalists. Each of the finalists will win a $25 LYB prize pack.

-  Then we'll post the three finalists so you can vote for your favorite. The grand prize winner, who receives the most votes on our blog and Facebook page, will win a $50 LYB prize pack!

Thanks so much for participating in our recent sketch challenges. It's so much fun to see what you have created.

Good luck to everyone, and thanks again to Liz for another fantastic sketch!

Before you read this post ... go make yourself a cup of tea!

No really.

Go ahead.

I just did.

Don't worry - I'll still be here when you get back - sippin' away!

Personally I'm a coffee person. Got to have my cuppa joe (or three!) in the morning, but lately I've taken to enjoying a cup of tea every day. I think in our hurry-up world with our too-much-to-do lists, the coffee culture contributes a little extra caffeinated craziness to our everyday rush.

[Think about it ... the very act of placing an order at Starbucks can be stress-inducing to some people ... "I'll have a decaf-non-fat-double-tall-latte-no-foam-no-syrup-extra-hot ... please"!]

On the other hand, a cup of tea says:

"Take a moment. Relax. Enjoy. Appreciate."

Not to mention it's loaded with antioxidants, so it's good for you too. Tea makes you happy. I guess that's why the Maya Road chipboard teapot makes me so happy. For instance, didn't you love how Liz used it on the cover of her album in yesterday's post?

Well guess what? It's back again today! Biker Chick Greta Hammond used it to make a beautiful banner! So scroll down to take a peek, and then at the end of this post, find out how to win Your OWN Maya Road Teapot Chipboard Album - plus a perfect pairing of Little Yellow Bicycle goodies!

Here's Greta!

_____________________________

I’ve always been a big fan of Maya Road and was thrilled to be a part of this Swap! I loved the little Maya Road Teapot Chipboard Album we received and immediately thought of LYB’s Elizabeth Park and a springtime theme. I covered three of the teapot pages and then layered them on top of 6x6 decorative edge papers from the EP line to create the base for this spring banner.

I also used the little tea cups on top of some journaling cards to fit in between the larger pieces.

To embellish, I started with paper doilies for texture and then layered on embellishments including the felt and candy striped blossoms from Maya Road, chipboard, dimensional butterflies and fresh verse stickers from Elizabeth Park. 

The combination of products provided some great variety in texture and dimension to the project!

Thank you Maya Road for letting me play with your fabulous product!

Greta

______________________________________

Love it Greta! So pretty!

OK so here's your chance to win...two actually...Leave a comment telling us your favorite project that we've shown so far in the blog swap (...now don't worry about offending anyone...they're all amazing but you're allowed to have a favorite ... or if you can't choose a favorite, tell us which one you're most likely to try to make yourself!). For your second chance to win, leave another comment on our Facebook page too!

Wonderful Maya Road sent us a few extra Teapot Chipboard Albums ... and when I first saw them, I thought of our Savor collection. So leave your comments and on Friday I'll pick TWO random winners (one from the Facebook comments and one from the blog comments) who will win a Teapot Chipboard Album PLUS some fabulous goodies from the Savor collection.

Now go enjoy that cup of tea!

And don't forget to check out Maya Road's blog for their post a little later today!

Peg

It's Little Yellow Bicycle/Maya Road Blog Swap Week Day 2, and I have some GREAT projects to show you ... this time created by Biker Chick Liz Qualman!

But first, let me thank everyone who has left a comment here and on our Facebook page! And very special thanks and welcome to our new friends and fans from Maya Road. We love how Maya Road's products add beauty and rich texture to our projects - and it's so much fun teaming them up with our favorite Little Yellow Bicycle collections!

Don't forget to leave a comment on the blog for a chance to win some wonderful Maya Road and LYB goodies! We'll be picking a winner at the end of our Blog Swap Week. And while you're hopping, be sure to hop over to Liz's blog, and check that out too [maybe tell her we sent you ;) ]!

You're going to love how Liz combined Maya Road's albums and embellishments with the whimsical Twig collection to make some must-have cards and an album cover too!

So let's take a peek! Here's Liz...

After looking through the gorgeous loot that Maya Road sent to the team, I thought it would be fun to play with some TWIG.  I like to keep the design of my cards simple with the focus on the sentiment and major embellishment.  This card is a simple 6 x 6 inch base with two of the Twig patterned papers (Leaf A Note/Topsy Turvey and Woods/Pleased Plaid) along with some of the Paper Lace Stickers, Fabric Favorites and Fresh Verse Stickers.  The sentiment steals the show, but I added the fabric leaves and the Maya Road Candy Stripe Blossoms to frame it for a dramatic effect.

I just adore the Twig Bird Song paper and thought it would be a fun element to add to another simple card.  You can see all of the lovely and decadent design in the paper along with the beautiful birds.  To complete the look I added a Twig Canvas Sticker Border, Chipboard Stickers w/ Glitter, Epoxy Stickers and the Maya Road Felt Pearl Blossoms.  Super easy to make and such a lovely card to send to a special friend.

Maya Road also sent us this adorable Tea Pot Chipboard Album.  Instead of making the mini album, I decided to incorporate it into this larger Maya Road 8 x 8 album.  I thought the Twig Bird Song paper looked like porcelain and was perfect for the tea pot. 

I added a combination of Twig patterned papers, Fresh Verse, Paper Lace, Favorite Pieces stickers, Paper Doilies, Fabric Favorites, Bag of Feathers and a Maya Road Gingham Fabric Blossom in brown.

The Chipboard Tea Pot was a nice way to add some dimension and character to the project, plus it looks gorgeous in Twig. 

All of the element layer so well together, it was almost as if these Maya Road blossoms were made especially for the Twig collection.

________________________

Thanks Liz! I think I'm going to make some of these cards TONIGHT!!! But wait! There's a BONUS!

Liz also made this adorable card, using elements from LYB's Tiny Princess collection - accented by a Maya Road gingham flower! So cute!

See you tomorrow with more goodies!

And don't forget to leave a comment for more chances to win!

Peg

Finally getting to choosing and posting our winners for our National Scrapbook Day and Mother's Day giveaways!

Thanks everyone for posting! It's always so much fun to read your posts!

The winner of our National Scrapbook Day giveaway is Melinda Duke Maierhoffer, who spent National Scrapbook Day making cards for our troops. Her goal was 1000, and with her husband's help :) ... she got very close to her goal. Now we select our winners by randomly generating numbers, but I was so happy to see that Melinda won. What a wonderful thing to do on NSD!!! Thanks Melinda!

And the winner of our Mother's Day giveaway was Donna Rahal, who wrote: "My girls make me know that I have made the world a better place for everyone!  They are the greatest sunshine with feet." So sweet. Donna we hope you enjoy our "Mom's Favorites" goodies!

Ladies, please email your contact information to "peg@cthruruler.com" and we'll get those prizes right out to you. Thanks again to everyone who participated!

So much excitement for National Scrapbook Day! So many people were so creative. What a great excuse to take a little time for yourself and soak up all the inspiration. I couldn't believe how many great classes, challenges, and tutorials were available - and most of them for free! I hope many of you took advantage of the Big Picture Classes All-Day Crop and Challenge (and giveaways!)!

And now to follow it up ... Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

We have TWO special Mother's Day treats for you! First, our very own Sharon Kropp (who is a mother of four herself) was asked to be a guest blogger for Creating Keepsakes' blog today! Sharon made a beautiful layout to share for Mother's Day...and we thought it would be fun to do a little giveaway with Creating Keepsakes! So we put together a big goodie bag, filled with "Mom's Favorites" -- papers and embellishments from some of your favorite collections: Savor, Fresh Print Clothesline and Elizabeth Park (the collection Sharon used for her Mother's Day layout)! It looks a little something like this:

The prize, silly, not the layout (you have to go over to the CK blog to see that!) What a lovely Mother's Day gift for YOU!

And then we thought ... well why let Creating Keepsakes have all the fun? So we decided to give one away too!

So here's how you can win. FIRST, follow the link to hop over to Sharon's blog post at Creating Keepsakes, and follow the instructions for a chance to win. SECOND, leave a comment on THIS blog (or our Facebook page), telling us either (1) Why you love being a mom, or (2) One thing you love about your own mom [or both, if you wish ;) of course].

CK will pick one winner, and we'll pick the other. And don't forget there's still time to enter our National Scrapbook Day giveway by leaving a comment on yesterday's blog!

Winners will be announced Monday! Plus on Monday we'll be back with an all-new Training Reel featuring Biker Chick Liz Qualman and the Tiny Princess collection! The fun and creativity just keeps coming!

Finally, we wish you a very happy, restful, and creative Mother's Day!

OK well it's not quite National Scrapbook Day yet but ... hey ... close enough, right? Plus we have a lot to tell you so we figured we'd better start early.

First up ... two chances to win THIS:

(I know, pretty cool, huh?) In case you can't see too well, it's LOADED (and I mean loaded...I loaded it myself!) with fantastic papers and embellishments from Not ONE but TWO Little Yellow Bicycle collections: Elizabeth Park and Boardwalk! A little something for Spring and a little something for Summer! So here's ONE way you can win:

Post a comment here on the blog or on our Facebook Page telling us ONE THING creative you did for National Scrapbook Day. It can be something you made, photos you took, something you organized ... but it has to be Scrapbooking related!!! (It's National Scrapbook Day, after all!). Better yet...post a photo of that ONE THING on our Facebook Page (or email a photo to peg@cthruruler.com and I'll post it). Cool. You have until Sunday at midnight to make your post - after all, we know you'll be too busy scrapbooking tomorrow and you may not get to it :)

NOW. Chance #2 to win. Head over to our friends at Big Picture Classes. (Did you know we're a partner? More on that later in another blog...) They have an AMAZING 12-hour National Scrapbook Day event planned, full of inspiration, challenges, chats and more! Best of all? It's FREE FREE FREE!!! (Who doesn't love free???!!!) And there are lots of chances to win prizes from lots of manufacturers. Including that bag you saw up there from Little Yellow Bicycle. Follow the link and reserve your (free) spot!! It runs from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. PDT.

Finally, have you gotten your LYB Tote Bag? No? Well ALL DAY Saturday (until midnight EDT), you'll get a FREE LYB tote bag with ANY purchase over at LittleYellowBargains.com. FREE! (One bag per household, while supplies last.) Here's a pic of the tote we're giving away tomorrow:

Don'tcha want one? I know you do. Did I mention it's FREE?!!

(With any purchase Saturday only over at Little Yellow Bargains!)

Now GO! Get in on the freebies!! (And don't forget to leave a comment! We'll announce the winner on Monday!)

Finally ... Happy National Scrapbook Day from your friends at Little Yellow Bicycle. We sincerely thank you for your support. We hope you find a little time for yourself tomorrow to do something creative!

Hello everyone! Sad to say this is our last "official" post of May Arts week (though we will be picking a winner tomorrow, so be sure to post a comment)! Thanks to everyone for your well wishes for Brian. He is doing just fine thanks (and already conniving that since he broke his left arm, and he's a leftie, maybe he will be able to get out of homework for a while). Also, I agree with MANY of you that Renee should start her own blog. Her work is SO amazing and she always makes me laugh! Maybe we can all convince her (as if she doesn't already have enough on her plate!!).

A couple more projects to share with you today!

First up is this beautiful layout created by Biker Chick Tania Willis!

I just love how she added the Elizabeth Park Dimensional Butterfly Stickers and Chipboard Stickers to the Bloom Bands paper to make those butterflies pop, don't you? And the bling and pearls are darling! Top that off with the gathered and stitched May Arts Green Twill Stripe and the doubled up May Arts Orange Stitched ribbons and you have one beautiful layout. Perfect for Tania's adorable daughter Ashlyn, don't you think?

Next I have one more card from Biker Chick Mari Aartun!

Mari distressed the Elizabeth Park Birds on a Wire Paper and mounted it on lavender paper - and just added a few embellishments! So simple but so pretty. I love how she gathered the May Arts Lace Trim! (You can achieve this look either by gathering it on strong adhesive, or better, use a needle and thread to bunch it just the way you want - and then adhere it down.)

Thanks Tania and Mari for our Saturday Shares! You can follow Tania's blog here, and Mari's blog here! (And we will keep working on Renee....)

Be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win some May Arts and Little Yellow Bicycle goodies! We'll be announcing the winner TOMORROW!!!

Wednesday is hump-day and happily greeted by most of us working schlubs because it's halfway through the work week. Sadly this week it means we're halfway through our blog week with May Arts :(

Still let's try to look at the bright side - we're only halfway through! PLUS Wednesdays are prize days over on Facebook, so in case you're not a Facebook follower, go over to our Facebook Page and leave a comment under our Wednesday Challenge for another chance to win more May Arts and LYB goodies.

Then make sure you go over to May Arts' page too for yet another chance to win! And then don't forget to leave a comment on the blog also for your chance to win our blog prize pack. Sheesh. So many chances to win! I think we're spoiling you!

And now on to the fun stuff...

It's card day! And I have a few lovely cards for you, designed by our talented Biker Chicks! First up, a couple from Liz Qualman:

I love the blues, greens and yellows in the Elizabeth Park collection, so it was perfect that May Arts sent us this beautiful Solid Plaid yellow ribbon.  I added a simple bow to my card, but included a chipboard flower with some bling and two Twig stick pins to complete the look.  Love how the Elizabeth Park Journaling Cards combined with the Fresh Verse Stickers make great sentiments for cards.

I cannot express how gorgeous the May Arts Satin Pleats ribbon is in person.  I had to use some on this card with just a little bit of the lace trim they sent us.  The gray in the ribbon was the perfect shade to complement these gorgeous Elizabeth Park (Fuchsia Flower Dots and Bloom Bands).  I simply added a couple of the Chipboard Stickers and a Fabric Favorites sentiment for good measure.

And now here's one from Biker Chick Tania Willis!

Hi guys! It's Tania! Wow the May Arts ribbons go so nicely with the Elizabeth Park collection! I had a lot of fun matching the ribbons to the papers and embellishments in my stash! Here are some step-by-step instructions so you can make this card for yourself!

1. Cut white cardstock to 7" x 10". Fold in half to form card base.

2. Cut EP - 102 Bloom Bands paper to 5" x 4". Adhere to card front.

3. Apply Tacky Tape strips just above and just below the paper.

4. Apply May Arts Green Twill ribbon along the bottom of paper. Trim overhang.

5. Apply May Arts Grey Satin Pleat ribbon along the top of paper. Trim overhang.

6. Adhere "bloom" sticker from EP - 135 Favorite Pieces with dimensional foam tape.

7. Create accordion folded blossom from EP - 305 Paper Flower Kit.

8. Adhere one flower embellishment from EP -219 Flower Button Dots on top of accordion flower and another just beside it.

9. Adhere green lace sticker from EP - 161 Paper Lace Stickers.

10. Cut 10" of May Arts Teal Shear/Line Edge ribbon and tie in bow. Adhere with gluedots.

11. Adhere pink felt flower from Maya Road using glue dots.

12. Adhere three additional flowers from EP - 220 - Fabric Favorites.

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Thanks Liz and Tania! For more inspiration from these two awesome Biker Chicks! For more inspiration from Liz, check out her blog here; and you can follow Tania's blog here!

The votes are in and the winner of the Elizabeth Park Sketch Challenge is ... KATE VICKERS!! Congratulations Kate! All of the finalists' layouts were fabulous but Kate's carried the vote.

Here's one last look at Kate's winning layout:

Thanks once again to everyone who participated in the sketch challenge. We'll be back with another one soon! Thanks for playing along!

And now is the moment you've all been waiting for! Time to announce the FINALISTS from our Elizabeth Park Sketch Challenge!

Thanks to everyone who participated and sent in some absoultely amazing layouts. It's always so hard to select the winners, but these three women really ROCKED the sketch.

So here they are, in no particular order:

"A Day to Enjoy" by Kate Vickers:

"Full of Possibility" by Katrina Hunt:

And "Those Days of Being 4" by Aimee Kidd:

And the voting begins NOW!!! (And ends Friday, April 22. We'll post the grand prize winner next Saturday!)

Remember, all of these awesome finalists will win a $25 prize pack from Little Yellow Bicycle. BUT, the finalist who receives the MOST votes will win a $50 prize pack! Vote either by leaving a comment here on the blog, or by posting one under your favorite on our Facebook page. Please vote only ONCE!!!

And finally, an Honorable Mention shout out to Gabriela Davolt, our youngest entrant in the sketch challenge, who sent us this awesome layout:

And here is Gabriela herself with her layout. What a cutie!

Keep up the awesome work Gabriela! And because I think you are such a GROOVY scrappy girl, I am going to send YOU a prize pack from our groovy awesome Free Spirit collection! Thanks for sending in your work! I also want to compliment Gabriela's mom Lisa for supporting Gabriela's dreams. I always get a little sad when I hear moms say they won't let their kids get their hands on their precious scrap stash - and then in the same breath acknowledge that they have more stuff than they'll ever use. What a joy it is to let the kids create with the good stuff rather than our cast offs and scraps! In many ways I think kids are more creative than we'll ever be!

{Winners please send your mailing info to "info@mylyb.com" so we can send the prizes next week!}

Thanks for sharing everyone!

While I'm happy that April has finally arrived, I'm sad knowing that it also means it's time to say goodbye to our Elizabeth Park Guest Designer Michelle Lanning.  :(    Michelle has delighted us with her fun and springy posts featuring the Elizabeth Park collection and she has one final treat for you.

But first a little housekeeping! April 15 (that's next Friday!) marks the end of the Elizabeth Park Sketch Challenge! We've received a few beautiful entries, but we'd love to see MORE! Click here for the details, and enter by emailing your layout to "contest@mylyb.com" or by posting it on our Facebook wall!

Now read on blog followers for one more lovely project from Michelle Lanning. And don't worry! If you just can't get enough of Michelle, you can keep on following Michelle's blog right here!  Here's Michelle!

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Hello everyone!  Michelle here with my last post for Little Yellow Bicycle.  I first would like say to thank you to everyone at LYB.  It has been a pleasure working with your fabulous product and I have had nothing but fun!!

For my last project I created something for my classroom.  I have open house coming up and I thought it would be cute to have something a little Spring related that said my name. 

Supplies: Elizabeth Park Collection

- Pattern Paper: Decorative Edge Cardstock, Tiny Lattice (Teal), Lacy Lattice (Grey)

- Dimensional Pop-Up Stickers

- Paper Doilies

- Canvas Stickers

- Fabric Favorites

- Fabric Frames

- Flower Button Dots

Other:

- Jenni Bowlin Alpha Stickers

- American Crafts, Thickers, Ribbon

To put this together I simply started with the wonderful decorative edge paper.  I fanned half a sheet of the Lacy Lattice paper and adhered it with some strong double-sided tape. I then added 4 Doilies (stapled), 2 large and 2 medium.  I trimmed the Fabric Border so it looked more like a ribbon and adhered with 3-Dimensional adhesive. 

After that, I just embellished and had fun!  I can’t wait to hang this up in my classroom.  It will add such a fun scrappy touch!

Thanks again for having me!

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Thank you Michelle! We have so enjoyed your posts, your talent, and your creativity! Don't forget to check out Michelle's blog for more beautiful projects, and watch for our next Guest Designer, coming soon, for Tiny Princess and Baby Saurus!!