Blog Booty. Blog Candy. Blog Goodies.

Here is the LOOT. One lucky winner will receive:

This is Rosemary's loot. Something for the scrapbooker, cardmaker, or stamper. There's an SEI Mimosa paper stack, mini pop dots, clear stamps (including Hero Arts), an Inkadinkadoo wooden stamp, Colorbok chipboard album, Cats Eye Queue ink pads, ribbons galore, white opaque marker, punches (including Moon and Stars EK Success border punch), bling, Prima flowers, glue stick, etc.....but that's just one of the big blog candy prizes....take it away, Jana!

AND Another lucky winner will receive this:

(dish not included)
(go here for a detailed listing of this loot)

This is the minimum in each Booty Pkg.

Odds are we will add bits to each one.

I just have no self control. (Me either said Rosemary)

PLUS: We have about 37 smaller items.

Surprises that will be mailed out at random to entrants.

No way of knowing what will make us send one out. We just will.

We're just full of surprises, aren't we!?!?!?!?! You thought there would only be one grand prize winner. And now for our next trick: The rules. You knew there had to be rules, didn't you!?!?!

To qualify to have your name entered in the drawing you have to:

1. 1 Entry per challenge you enter. Challenges #6 - #11
(Minimun of 4 out of the next 6 challenges.)



2. 1 Entry - Blog about this candy.


3. 1 Entry - Leave a comment with a link to your blog.



4. 1 Entry - Become a follower. Existing followers will get 2 entries for this.



5. 1 Entry - Tell us 2 strange/funny facts about you in your comment here.

There is the potential for you to have 10 entries into this drawing.

Many will enter, few will win. Okay, many will enter, many will win. Prizes are larger than they appear. Creativity not included. Praise included as a bonus.


Drawing to be held on May 20th via random number generator. Winners will be announced right after they are picked.


(aka my youngest daughter drawing names out of a hat)

Blog Candy Teaser 3 of 3

We are so mean to make you wait like this. I promise it will be worth it.

Last teaser before the big reveal.

Hmmmmm. Now what could this be????

Or this?????

You'll have to come back tomorrow for the big reveal.

Last clue:

Sure, we may get flowery with the text over here - but fun is PRIMA to us!

Occasionally, we get a bit punchy too!

Sometimes it's all about the pretty colors and bling!


We'd even like to give you the moon and the stars!

But most of all, we like to have a different sort of challenge blog where scrapbooker, stamper, blogger, cardmaker, butcher, baker, and candlestick maker (to name but a few) can congregate and make "art."

Are you ready to be WOW'ed???

Full description (including pictures) to be revealed on Tuesday, April 28.

(hint #3 - Have fun. This is an interactive blog. So, interact with us already.)

Challenge #6 - May Day

April showers bring May flowers.

Use flowers this week.

Make something with flowers to give to someone else to brighten their day on May 1st.

If you can’t stand the thought of giving away your creation, make two. One for them and one for you.

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Jana here. I made these for the neighbors.




Across the street, because she is so sweet. I don't think she has ever hurt anything a day in her life. Next door, because they are a young couple who just had a baby and ALWAYS smile. Other next door, because their 30-something son won't move out. A few doors down, because she lost her husband to cancer recently. And the other across the street, because she is weird and weird folks need some fun too. They will be delivered without them knowing it was us. Makes them wonder. Makes me smile.

And I made an ATC. Because I like them.

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Hello, Rosemary here! Really enjoyed this theme, who doesn't like making something pretty with flowers?


I am making these tags to tie on little baskets of flowers I'm going to give to my sister, friend, and co-worker on May Day. Just a little fanciful! (in case you have trouble reading it - "A tisket a tasket (and on the back) - a May day basket for you")




I love this card - to me it is cute enough for its recipient to keep out on their desk to realize just how special they are to me. It wasn't so hard to make, in fact, the flowers are just like those on the May Day tags - just punch flowers out of scrap cardstock and layer with a little glue - voila! Chipboard without the gray edge - but I like to jazz them up with chalk ink and bend them slightly just to add a little something something. This will be my way of sending May Day flowers to a dear friend.




Enjoy the theme and let's see what YOU make!

Blog Candy Teaser 2 of 3

Another sneak peek:
Come on. Join us.
Don't make us tie chipboard shapes around our necks.

We will, if it'll get you to play with us. (Shameless, aren't we?!)

Do we have to stamp it on our faces that we enjoy having friends stop and join our merry crew?

Come back in 2 days for another peek at more of the CANDY.

(hint #2 - Follow us. We won't lead you astray.)(we'll stick together like glue)

Blog Candy Teaser 1 of 3

We are going to have a big blog candy drawing in May.

(We aren't above bribing you to play with us.)

It's going to be BIG.

It's going to be FUN.

Teaser #1

To qualify you have to:

Check back in 2 days for Teaser #2

(here's a hint - enter the challenge this week -

you'll be that much more ahead in the game.)

CHALLENGE #5 - Wisdom

Our theme this week is "Wisdom." Feel free to make something creative of what Wisdom conveys to you.

Your contribution can be any form - a written blog entry, a piece of art, a photo, an Artist Trading Card, mini, moo, inchie, twinchie, postcard, poem, etc. Whatever speaks to you - no constraints.

Rosemary

This Asian-themed card highlights Faith-Hope-Love, the wisdom that these are most important to have in life (IMHO).

Made two ATCs - one is Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, and the other is a quote "Take Care of Your Body, It's the Only Place You Have to Live." Nobody said I didn't go to extremes with my ATCs!

My other project is just a little photo album that I've commandeered to put quotes in that inspire me. I'm hoping that when I get down, feel the urge to eat 10,000 candy bars, or just need to be calm - that I can open this up, read a couple of quotes and find what I need. Very simple, little to no foo-foo touches to this - super simple to do! The photo album fits right in my briefcase.

Jana

Owls have always seemed to me to be wise. So here is a little tribute to the wise old owl.

Now I want to share my favorite bits of wisdom from my grown-up life:


During one of my first classes in grad school my instructor, who understood the trials of having a full time job and going to school full time, told the entire class this "Anything worth doing isn't necessarily worth doing well." Being a child of a perfectionist, this was a hard one to grasp. But now I have embraced it fully. Just look at my house.


On one of the first jobs I got out of college, one of the assistants we had shared this one: "Whoever put the roll of toilet paper on the roller, put it on right." This holds true for so many situations. Especially if you have a family. The mere fact that it got done, makes it right. Just look at the linen closet in my house.


And the best one is just one that is a general bit of wisdom: If you can't love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to love you. Happiness starts within you. Love all the wonderful things about you. Change the things that bother you. I am not talking about the physical attributes, but rather the behaviors. See the glass as half full. Smile more often.


Lastly, give of yourself. Give what you can. Not just money. Give of your time. This doesn't have to be where you get out there and go "someplace" but find something to do. I have recently started making scrapbook layouts for a couple of organizations that donate scrapbooks to terminally ill children. I have involved my children. This is doing wonders for all of our souls. You have to feed your soul as well as your bodies.

No, we haven't forgotten to post - we're just a little behind on things

You know how that is! Do you like the new "look"? We were going for something fresh and sassy - kind of like us.

A new theme will be posted today - honest, promise, cross our hearts.

Comfort Food - A review

Hello! So, did you find out what your comfort is and WHY it is your comfort food? Or did we just make you hungry? Or did we do a little of both - hopefully, that's what we accomplished.

It's not surprising we have similar comfort foods - things that soothe us body and soul.

Craftola - aka Kathy - came out to play and had a clever idea for her project. YAY Kathy!

Take a look at her project:

Yes, that does make me smile!

Remember, even if you didn't do this challenge this week, you can always participate and just link up to the original theme and we'll come by for a visit!

Our next challenge will come out later today - here's a hint - put on your thinking caps.....

CHALLENGE #4 - Comfort Me

Comfort food - We all have it.

At least one sustaining dish that we turn to when things get rough.

That one dish that makes us calm down at least a little.

Mine are the standards. You know, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese (starchy and homemade). I love the texture and the rich, creaminess in each bite.

When did your comfort food become your sedative, so to speak?

Why THIS food item?

Let your comfort food inspire you this week.

kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

JANA:

My comfort food is really more of a category. In college I would sleep in on Saturdays and when I would wake up, I would watch Julia Child create some of the tastiest looking dishes. I would watch her from my bed until I finally had to get something to eat. Nothing as wonderful as I had just witnessed, but food. I still watch cooking shows on occasion. I can relate most to Rachel Ray. I don't have any formal training. But I love food and I love to cook. I have also "surfed" many a blog and seen many wonderful "Tutorials" on how to make certain dishes. So I decided to share one of my favorite dishes with you. I turned to cooking and snapping photos. I won't go so far as to call it photography. I still have much to learn. MUCH. But, I got creative. That's the whole point here. Taking creativity where you find it.

Here is my attempt to join the ranks of the cooking instructors:

kkkk Sopa kkkk

My Grandmother would make this for me every time I went to her house. "Are you hungry?" was the first question out of her mouth. WITH OUT FAIL. She wanted to feed everyone that wandered through her door. And she did! Sopa makes me feel loved and warm. Like Nana did.

Ingredients:

Recipe and Directions: See my blog HERE

Final Dish:

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese. To your taste.

Go HERE for the whole tutorial.

kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

ROSEMARY:

Well, I agree with Jana on the types of comfort foods I tend to go for; rich, creamy, warm like mac and cheese or a homemade beef stew on a cold day -- they nourish us - body and soul. Which is my take on this challenge theme. I am nourished by my "comfort foods" and they aren't always foods.

Playing with paper and glue and using some imagination is also comforting to me. So, I combined both with the card below: chocolate and playing at the craft table!

Why chocolate? Why, that would be like asking - why breathe? It's delicious, velvety smooth and you have your choice to either go complex and intense (dark chocolate), or warm and homey (milk chocolate), and even light and pleasant (white chocolate-I know, party pooper, it isn't chocolate and Pluto isn't a planet anymore either - happy now?). Chocolate is also for any and all moods - we're happy when we get a box for Valentine's and it's often our first response to a broken heart. Delightfully egalitarian! It is a tradition for my husband to go to our local candy store and get a box of chocolate strawberries for me for Valentine's Day and I love not only the effort he puts into it but the delicious sweet and intense flavor of the gift.

I also continued this theme in the next card, a birthday card for my niece Catherine to accompany her twin brother Hunter's card - only heavy on the cupcakes! (and why not) Cake is another comfort food that has homey roots and reminds me of Mom baking our birthday cakes and how she'd always take the time to make our favorite cake, not just what she had on hand.

I didn't want to hold up getting this challenge posted because I'm excited to see what your take is on our theme. But I may post something a little later to show how MUSIC is also my "comfort food."

Hope we've inspired you to be as creative as you like with this challenge!


We've installed Mr. Linky. You can still leave comments just like before, but you can now link your blog (and your entry to this week's challenge) with Mr. Linky.


Have a wonderful week!

Silver Screen Challenge - Who Came Out to Play

Rosemary here to share with you (in case you didn't click over to their blogs) the great projects for our challenge theme: Silver Screen. I love the styles represented! I also love the different blog names we've all chosen; they make me chuckle.

Amy, The Caffinated Cropper, made this lovely card of the ever so elegant and classic Fred and Ginger. Let's not forget that everything Fred did, Ginger did backwards in high heels (so the saying goes). (http://caffinatedcropper.blogspot.com/2009/04/hey-there-my-hipped-hopped-hungover.html)


Kathy, at Craftola, made a digital entry - Ode to Natalie (Wood) that is beautiful - such an adorable little girl and a knockout adult - and gone way too soon. (http://craftola.blogspot.com/2009/04/opus-gluei-challenge-this-week.html)

Heather, at Creative Solace, made this serene and gentle entry honoring Mary Pickford Heather has such a way with words - her description for this is wonderful.(http://creativesolace.blogspot.com/2009/04/opus-gluei-challenge-silver-screen.html).

CHALLENGE #3 - And I know my life would look all right if I could see it on the silver screen

THE THEME IS: (Ta dah) Silver Screen

With a nod to the Eagles for this lyric from "James Dean" which has playing in my brain, the challenge for this week is "Silver Screen." I know, I know, Hollywood is a pretty popular theme, but take another look at it - an Opus-Gluei look.

Need some examples for inspiration? (well, okay, because you twisted my arm) Take a glamour-puss shot of yourself wearing some very glamorous shades, perhaps sipping a martini - maybe even waving off the paparazzi! Maybe something film noir and moody. Make an ATC of a favorite quote from a silver screen god or goddess.

Make a mini, a moo, heck, take a pic of a boo boo -- make it look like an actor! (Why, that scar looks just like Johnny Depp)

Here's what we've been making with this theme:

Here are some of my ATCs for this- Grace Kelly, James Dean, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, and Liz Taylor - to name a few. Still working on these because I find them pretty and amusing to make - so I'm doing more. They would make cute decor for an Oscar-themed party - just put a piece of ribbon as a hanger and voila - a banner!

Why, it's our favorite co-host, Jana and she's on a magazine cover!


Jana here - I didn't manage to get any tangible projects done. I just couldn't get the vibes for a touchy-feely project. What did inspire me was digital enhancement of ME.

I went with what I was feeling for this one. Don't let my smile fool you. It was a BAD day.

There is just something about Nicolas Cage that inspired this dream... Maybe when she slaps him and tells him to snap out of it.

And I know my life would look all right if I could look like this.

(I don't think DH would mind either.)

And last but not least, I do have a Wonderful Life.

I can't complain, but a girl can still dream, can't she.....

Well, as it turns out, I had last minute inspiration. Here is a tribute to a few of the actors/actresses that have made me smile. And still do.

So, there you have it - have fun! Or as my friend Fia says - Be Smart, Make Art!

GO GREEN - Look what everybody made!

Well, thank you for participating in our challenge to make something from well, something you might have normally disposed of.

Here's what our new friend Kathy (at Craftola) made: (http://craftola.blogspot.com/2009/04/go-green-challenge.html)

She cut a terra cotta tile into four coasters, decorated them beautifully and then reused the cork from an old bulletin board - crafty, useful, and does anyone else feel thirsty??? We highly recommend that you visit Craftola - she's got all kinds of great projects going on (she's really talented, and we'd say that even if she didn't participate), and we're hoping she participates on all our future challenges!

Our friend Amy, the Caffinated Cropper (http://caffinatedcropper.blogspot.com/), provided us a project for "Flight of Fancy." Hey, no problems with tardiness - we're no paragons of virtue on that and there is no blame here. We're just glad you played with us. Here is her card (love it):

Keep in mind that just because we are posting and displaying the projects weekly doesn't mean you have to do the projects in THAT week. We are way LOW stress here. We would love to see any projects you create that fit into our topics. Heck, they don't even have to have any adhesive. We even accept, (gasp) digital projects. After all, creativity is creativity.