Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight and Giveaway- Elle's Studio

First- Here are the South Hill designs winners:

27 Kelly G said...

What a fantastic prize, Steph! I always adore gorgeous jewelry! :)

Reply May 14, 2013 at 11:22 PM

14 Pam Ballard said...Count me in! Thanks for the chance at this lovely giveaway!

Reply May 14, 2013 at 11:07 AM

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I'm so excited to welcome Elle's Studio as a sponsor this month. I've known Elle for a long time. I actually created some layouts for her very first CHA booth this past winter!

It was been so much fun watching Elle grow and nurture her business and I couldn't be happier to feature her on the blog.



I started Elle's Studio in 2007 when I was scrapbooking and couldn't find special tags in the stores for writing my story on. The first batch of cards I made for myself, but after a ton of encouragement from my family and friends I opened up a little online store and Elle's Studio was born!

We specialize in journaling and embellishment tags - our goal is to make journaling fun! Journaling is such an important part of your layouts - it's what tells the story behind your photos, to generations to come! We are also very proud to say that everything we make is printed and manufactured right here in the USA!

Elle’s Studio is excited to announce that they now have a monthly kit full of exclusive and limited edition tags! The best part about this kit is that it will work for you, no matter what you enjoy making. Each kit will include tags that you can use for layouts, mini books, cards, and of course, Project Life! You’ll get a mix of tags that you will not find anywhere else, or in any of their collections. Most tags will be tags you can use for everyday themes, and there will even be some seasonal and monthly tags in the mix, too! Each month look for a mix of sizes and shapes, and anywhere from around 20 to 25 tags – the perfect amount to keep you busy all month long!

Each month, the limited edition kits will go on sale on the 10th at 8:00 am PST, at their website, and their very first kit is available now! These kits will be able to ship first class: shipping for USA residents will start around $2.00 and go up from there, depending on the weight of what is in your cart. For overseas, it will run about $6+ depending on your location.

Once these kits sell out, they will not be restocking, so make sure you mark your calendar or join their newsletter list to receive a reminder of when they go live each month. And, don’t forget that their brand new collections, Cameron and Saltwater! They have already started shipping to your local scrapbook store and are also available (or will be soon) online at Two Peas, Blue Moon, A Cherry on Top, and Simon Says!

You can also visit Elle’s Studio blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.




TWO lucky winners will receive Elle's May Kit. Internationals welcome!

Leave a comment here and I'll announce the 2 lucky ladies next Tuesday!!

xo

S

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight (GIVEAWAY+DISCOUNT CODE) -Sandy Burns for South Hill Designs

The Chic Tags winner is:

47 Amelia said...

So cute. Thanks for the giveaway!

Reply May 07, 2013 at 10:03 PM

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Today's spotlight: Sandy Burns for South Hill Designs

Create your own story to wear with a locket from South Hill Designs. This locket is all about you. Displaying what you love.

What story will your locket tell?  Pick out a locket, a coin and a few charms to create a unique piece of jewelry to tell your story.  Top it off with a droplet to make your story complete.

Visit South Hill Designs to create your story to wear.  Visit Facebook for locket ideas.  Follow on Twitter, too!

South Hill Designs provides the best kit options on the market. We have three levels of demonstration kits to choose from: basic ($29) intermediate ($199) and Advanced ($399). As a South Hill Designs Artist, you’ll receive fabulous commissions. Multiply your income by inviting others to do the same. If you’re a natural leader, you can grow teams that generate unlimited financial rewards, month after month.  You can email Sandy at sandy.southhill@yahoo.com for more details.

Through May 19th, Sandy is offering 20% off your order.  Email Sandy sandy.southhill@yahoo.com with your order and mention the code STEPH20 for 20% off.  Orders placed directly through her website will not receive the discount.

Two people will win a $25 gift certificate from South Hill Designs by Sandy Burns. 

**us only please

If you are interested, leave a comment here. A winner will be drawn (and announced) next Tuesday.

Good Luck!

xo

S

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight and Giveaway (GIVEAWAY plus a DISCOUNT CODE)- Chic Tags

 

First-

Here is the winner from last week's Freckled Fawn giveaway:

100  stephanie said... I've been dying to buy some of their washi tape so I hope I win! : )

Reply April 30, 2013 at 02:42 PM

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And now for this week's spotlight! This one is near and dear to my heart. I've known Veronica for years and it's an absolute joy watching her business succeed.

Hello everyone! I'm Veronica...mama of 3 and wife of one! I'm the owner of Chic Tags-delightful paper tags.

I started this business with a couple of circle punches and a HUGE heart for this hobby. My husband Albert is not only my better half, he is the graphic guru behind the brand! Together we have made this once small etsy shop into a brand.

Chic Tags are perfect for all your crafty needs.  There are several styles and themes to choose from, I just know you will find something you love in our shop!


I would love to personally invite you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and our craft loving blog.

Something fun we just started on the blog  is FREEBIE Fridays with Albert. These freebies are pretty rad! Each week Albert makes a free cut file or printable perfect for anything your heart dreams of! Here is an example of a recent freebie and a project to go along with it. (click on link to download file for personal use)

As a huge supporter of my dear friend Stephanie, I would love to offer her readers a 20% off coupon to our shop. Please use: Steph20

How awesome is this prize? If you'd like to be entered for a chance to win these four collections, just leave a comment here.

I will announce the winner next Tuesday.

Good Luck!!! And please make sure to stop by Chic Tags FB page and tell Veronica I sent y'all over. The inspiration is nonstop, you won't want to miss it.

xoxo

S

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight and Giveaway- Freckled Fawn

Happy Tuesday, y'all! You know what Tuesday means around here...learning about a small business I love and (of course) a GIVEAWAY!

First things first, here is the Gossamer Blue subscription winner from last week:

96 Jessica said...

love this kit - would be so fun to play with it all summer!

Reply April 23, 2013 at 12:13 PM

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And now for this week's spotlight!

Today I am going to tell you about Freckled Fawn!

Hello lovelies! My name is AesaLina Compton, my customers call me "Doe". I am the owner of Freckled Fawn.

We opened the store in January 2012 and we were just a little shop, only 20 styles of washi and same paper doilies and such. But since then, all your little washi addictions have been a catalyst to our growth and manufacturing of Freckled Fawn products (e.g., Wood Chips, FF washi, Dew Drop Stickers).

We pretty much love, LOVE this industry. I have been reading Stephanie's blog for yearrrrrrrs. I got the chance to meet her at CHA in January and she is adorable. Stephanie was actually our first customer ever!! It is an honor to sponsor and support her blog.

I love Freckled Fawn. I love the products, the shipping is always timely and reliable, and the owner is just lovely.

I think their products are just perfect for Project Life...and that is my favorite way to use them!

Another reason to love FF?

They want to give one of you a $75 gift certificate!!!!

Leave a comment here if you are interested and I'll draw a winner next Tuesday.

A couple more things.. If you get a chance, make sure to check out FF on social media. I love showering my sponsors with love.

Like Freckled Fawn on FB. And tell them I sent you! And stop by the blog for endless inspiration and product sneaks!

And make sure to check the shop on this Friday (May 3)...these awesome wood veneer frames will be in stock then! How cute are they?

Good luck, y'all! One of you will be very lucky!

Have a beautiful and blessed day.

xo

S

 

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight- Stuck on You ( big GIVEAWAY)

Hey y'all! We just got walked in the door from a quickie trip to Maine (I'll share photos and words later this week) but I wanted to share my first spotlight with you.

In 1995, as a busy mom of 3 boys, Carrie Felton discovered the need for gorgeous name and clothing labels for children and founded Stuck on You -  little did she know, it would grow to be one of the worlds favorite children's labeling companies.

Stuck on You now sends personalized labels and gifts to over 120 countries with tens of millions of labels sold every year! With a huge range of personalized products, from labels and tags to wooden puzzles and stationery, it seems their creative spirit will ensure Stuck on You continues to be "Trusted by Moms and loved by kids.”

You can follow Stuck on You on:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Stuck on You has been my favorite label/personalized item store ever since Harper was a newborn.

I bought some name labels for her, and I swear those suckers are still stuck to EVERYTHING I put them on.

Everything I have gotten from Stuck on you is well made and durable. They are dependable and honest, which is so important to me.

Here are some goodies that my friends at Stuck on You sent to the girls for our big trip to Italy.

Personalized Toiletry Bags, Travel Bottles and Personalized Journals for Harper and Sadie. They are DYING to use these and are so mad I'm making them wait for Italy. HA!

Library Bags, Art Pencils, HB pencils, and Sketchbooks for Cate and Lucy.

 

Awesome. I truly mean that. Everything they have ever sent me, everything I've ever purchased...has been awesome.

And every piece of it has held up. And that's saying a lot in this family. :)

Now for the fun part.

Stuck on You is giving away FOUR $25 gift vouchers. Also use promo code HOWELL13 for free shipping for 1 week only (until Monday 22nd April 2013.)

If you'd like to win a $25 gift voucher, leave a comment here. Internationals welcome.

I will announce the winners next week before I share the next spotlight.

Good luck!

xo

S

Introducing My April/May Sponsors!

Happy Monday morning, y'all!

This is the Monday of our Spring Break and we are so excited to get started on our Spring Break bucket list.

Check out the ummm...extensive? list the girls came up with.

Oh.My.

So far we have seen a movie, visited the USS Massachusetts, visited Federal Hill, and gone to the playground.

This week we want to visit Maine, see a Red Sox game, explore Jamestown, and visit the Boston Museum of Science. WHEW!

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my very first crop of sponsors.

 

A while back I mentioned that I was thinking of taking on a few sponsors and some of you complained that this blog would stop being the blog it's always been.

That it would be one big ad.

 

And that made me sad because I would never let that happen. If that was going to happen, I'm pretty sure it would have happened six years ago. :)

Tuesdays have always been a spot for me to spotlight small businesses I love.

That will stay the same.

I love using and sharing products I believe in. And I love sharing the people who create them.

That will stay the same.

You know who responded when I asked if anyone was interested in ads?

Five companies I am a fan of. Women I consider friends. Five businesses that I've spoken of many times before I took sponsors.

I couldn't be more thrilled with my first group of sponsors.

 

 

1. Stuck on You. I have been using these labels since Harper was a baby. You can find many past spotlights and reviews over the years. Here's a bit about the company:

In 1995, as a busy mom of 3 boys, Carrie Felton discovered the need for gorgeous name and clothing labels for children and founded Stuck on You -  little did she know, it would grow to be one of the worlds favorite children's labelling companies. Stuck on You now sends personalized labels and gifts to over 120 countries with tens of millions of labels sold every year! With a huge range of personalized products, from labels and tags to wooden puzzles and stationery, it seems their creative spirit will ensure Stuck on You continues to be "Trusted by Moms and loved by kids.

 

2. Gossamer Blue-Lori and I go way back. We were on the Lily Bee design team together and she's a class act. I ordered the very first GB kit and I've been a fan since. Amazing kits with flawless customer service. Can't beat it. Here's a little about Gossamer Blue:

My name is Lori Gentile.I started GB last August and am ever grateful to the members and customers that have helped GB grow as it has in a short amount of time. I started the club to follow my dream. A big part of that dream is to be able to do what I'm passionate about (crafts) while being able to stay home with my two boys, Dylan and Brody. "Gossamer" represents that which is most fragile (customer service) and is my reminder to always hold customer service as the first priority. "Blue" represents my boys, the very reason I am driven to succeed. May they witness their mom walk her talk and learn through her action that dreams really can come true.

The club is subscription based. The main kit is discounted and shipped to your door once a month.

It is a non-commitment club. Cancel when you want.

Each month the main kit and the add-on kits are built around one color scheme. This helps ensure that everything coordinates and can be used together.

You can even earn a free album just for using your kits.

 

3. Freckled Fawn- My favorite source for doilies and tapes. I've known AesaLina for years and had the privilege of finally meeting her at CHA. It's been a joy seeing her business succeed! Here's a bit about Freckled Fawn:

Hello lovelies! My name is AesaLina Compton, my customers call me "Doe". I am the owner of Freckled Fawn.

We opened the store in January 2012 and we were just a little shop, only 20 styles of washi and same paper doilies and such. But since then, all your little washi addictions have been a catalyst to our growth and manufacturing of Freckled Fawn products (e.g., Wood Chips, FF washi, Dew Drop Stickers).

We pretty much love, LOVE this industry. I have been reading Stephanie's blog for yearrrrrrrs. I got the chance to meet her at CHA in January and she is adorable. Stephanie was actually our first customer ever!! It is an honor to sponsor and support her blog.

 

4. Chic Tags- I've considered Veronica a friend since 2009 (see a theme here?). I met her at my very first CHA and I got to see her start a very small business and turn it into something amazing. I saw her again at the last CHA when she had her very first show booth. So proud of her! Here's a bit about Chic Tags:

Hello Crafty friends! I'm Veronica, mama to 3 & wife to one. ;) I'm a full time work at home mama and the owner of Chic Tags. Albert, my better half, is the man behind the graphics. I'm just the sketches on the notepad until Albert converts them into wonderful little tags for all your crafty needs. :)

My husband and I started Chic Tags in 2008, this all started as a small etsy shop. With no intention of growing. It was simply a source for extra scrapbooking money. As new parents and recent graduates money was tight and scrapbooking was expensive!

One night while scrapping I realized I was missing something on my page- CUTE journaling tags and paper embellishments. Albert, a full time graphic designer (B.A. in Graphic Arts) knew he could create better tags than I had envisioned for my page. After designing several sets for personal use, I decided to open up a small etsy shop. I started off with 3 punches and a paper trimmer. True story. I made everything by hand and took a plunge. I opened up "Shabby Chic Crafts" in January of 2008. We received our first order 20 minutes after launching our etsy shop. I realized then, we were on to something!! That night Chic Tags was born.

 

5. Sandy Burns for South Hill Designs- Sandy was spotlighted on my blog a couple of weeks ago. She sells custom lockets for South Hill Designs. They are quite lovely and unique. Here's a bit about Sandy:

Create unique jewelry that shows off what you love with South Hill Designs by Sandy Burns.  Wear a locket that is all about you. Displaying what you love. Growing and changing with you. 

What story will your locket tell?

 

So there you have it! Please check out their shops and their products. They are all pretty awesome.

Check back for spotlights and giveaways each Tuesday!

Have a beautiful Monday, friends.

xoxo

S

april sponsor introduction- elle's studio

 

Elle’s Studio is a great place to find journaling tags and embellishments for all your scrapbooking needs!

There is bound to be something for everyone

as their style ranges from beautiful bright colors to very vintage!

And, don’t forget to check out their blog! It’s a great place to get inspired by their amazing Design Team!

Please go check out Elle's store...I love showcasing small businesses here. Be back soon with Scrappy Sunday!

xo

s

 

calendar by karla dudley at digichick

in the news:

1. Lily Bee has formed a new fan page at Facebook. Join and comment on the giveaway...you can win an entire collection of Hello Sunshine!!

2. Introducing my sponsors for the month of march!!

Scrap for a Cure is back for another month. :)

 

WE ARE

Passionate about giving back. We feel very blessed with the lives we have. We are surrounded by family and friends at any given moment and truly believe that one person can, will and does make a difference in the lives of others.

Everyone will have at least one turning point in their lifetime. They are thrown into a path against their will or charge through it with a purpose. Whichever path our lives take us upon, we all share a common thread. We can all name someone close to us affected by disease or illness.

What better way to share what we love with others than to offer exciting scrapbook kits and projects and donate 5% of our total sales to the causes we hold dear. Founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Nancy G. Brinker, asked herself 25 years ago, “Could one person really make a difference?” We intend to do just that.

Will you join us?

Creativity Prompt is also back!!

Avital, the owner of Creativity Prompt ,is offering a self-paced workshop called: "Capture Your Dream". This workshop mixes creative writing with mixed media scrapbooking to help capture a dream, follow it and make it happen. "Capture Your Dream" workshop provides a ton of inspiration, photography prompts and tips, guided journaling as well as tips and techniques for making an artistic mini album. The workshop also offers many printable templates which may be used over and over in many projects. However, best of all, the workshop shows you the way to actually capture your dream and make it come true. Isn't it something everyone wants to do?

welcome ladies. so glad to have you! y'all make sure to go check out these links, okay? some good stuff there.

3. Life as usual in the Howell House. I have my own little shadow.

She uses toner:

 

And lip balm:

 

And deodorant. NO STINKY!! as she calls it.

 

see? my shadow.

her bangs are WILD. i can't wait to get them cut this weekend.

she's obsessed with cookies. that's all she ever says. COO KIEEEEEE.

she's also fond of the word "fork".

but she pronounces it exactly like...uh....that other f word?
that's not so nice?

MY FORK
YOUR FORK
BIG GIRL FORK
MORE FORK

all

day

long.

especially in public. it's like harper's "clock-with no-L" phase.

oh well.

she's playing much much better w. H. not as much face slapping and eye poking and hair pulling.

just fun. she's really fun. and has a sweet, sweet side to counteract that

diabolical scheming monkey side.

hope you all have a beautiful day!

back tomorrow with the second of the class giveaways i was telling you about!!

xoxo

s

introducing my february sponsors

1.Shabby Chic Crafts- PRINTABLE Valentine cards are back! Shabby Chic Crafts offers adorable printable Valentine cards perfect for your child's class party or your favorite co-workers! ! You can print out and cut as many as you need making these the perfect cards!

2. My Sweet Sunshine- I am a lucky, stay at home mommy of two wonderful children. I opened my shop on Etsy about a year and a half ago and have been enjoying every minute of it! I hand make Nursing Covers, Children’s Clothing and Hair Accessories. I have decided to name my NEW clothing line "AvaDylan". I thought the name was fitting since that was to be my son's name if he was a girl and my Etsy Shop is like my third child :) -Please visit me at www.mysweetsunshine.etsy.com

3. Scrap For A Cure-

WE ARE

Passionate about giving back. We feel very blessed with the lives we have. We are surrounded by family and friends at any given moment and truly believe that one person can, will and does make a difference in the lives of others.

Everyone will have at least one turning point in their lifetime. They are thrown into a path against their will or charge through it with a purpose. Whichever path our lives take us upon, we all share a common thread. We can all name someone close to us affected by disease or illness.

What better way to share what we love with others than to offer exciting scrapbook kits and projects and donate 5% of our total sales to the causes we hold dear. Founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Nancy G. Brinker, asked herself 25 years ago, “Could one person really make a difference?” We intend to do just that.

Will you join us?

 

hope you guys will take the time to go check each of these links. so many wonderful things to see.

have a beautiful morning, i'll be back soon with another post. happy friday!

xoxo