Fun on Fridays: Giveaway from Rhonna DESIGNS

Today this is how I feel! I'm singing a big song! 

Because...

Fridays are always fun & inspiring...especially around these parts. And it makes me giddy to share it with you today!

Spark was created with FUN & INSPIRATION in mind! & we hoped it would inspire those that attended, taught & participated through the blog!

So...in true Spark fashion..today, I'd love to giveaway some of my NEW digital kits on my blog: Rhonna DESIGNS.

How about a chance to WIN the Spring Mix kit?

and....the versatile & unique brush kit I created when I was doing the 6 week shape up!

Both of them are so much fun & will certainly add *Spark* to your creative process!  Whether you are a 'digital' person or not...remember, the colored PNG files in the Spring Mix & the black PNG files in the brush set can both be used as Clip Art even in Word docs! How easy is that? Everyone loves Clip art, right? So, see? You'll be singing a big song, too!

Just tell me what Sparks YOU & I'll pick 3 winners to win BOTH of the kits!

Happy Weekend..& be sure to have fun, find inspiration & sing a big song!

xox

Rhonna

paper coterie

Hi Sparksters! April here.


I want to tell you about a new little venture in my life.

So here it is.  I got a job.

Ha! Are you dying? Like I have time! Like I have any business having a job! I'm already working on Spark and then there are the babies and the house and the Everest of laundry and church... and well, what's one more thing?

I know. I know. 

But I'm already doing what I'm going to now get paid to do.  Blog.

I was approached by a new company to be their offical blogger.  Not just any new company.  Like a really, really cool company.

I peed in my pants just a wee bit.

So this company can be described as "memory catchers".  Their main company value is living authentically.  You know that soooo speaks to me and it's why they chose me.  I have a tendancy to let it all hang out.  I like keeping it real.

So you will find my ramblings on the Paper Coterie blog starting next week.  Just what you needed right? More of me. Ha!

AND- they are also now our newest sponsors for Spark so you will be seeing more from them in the future.

So.  

The launch party is next week. 

Why am I telling you all this other than to toot my own very happy horn?

Because there is something in it for you.

When you join the party on May 4th, during the Open House Event, all Sparksters will get:

1.     $40 credit to spend that day (you only pay for shipping)
2.     An inspire-y message from Dr. Brene Brown (my newest hero) that most of us can use
3.     All new content and inspiring ideas

You can start working on your projects so you don't have to do it all on May 4th...but, don't check out,  finish it up that day and enter OPENHOUSE to use your $40 credit!!!!

Go go go. Go capture some of your family memories.  

The Monday Inspiration winner is...Dun dun dun...

{photo source unknown}

Debbie! # 55...

I love love loved all of the comments and links etc...I love hearing and seeing how we are all inspired...So many great new links to websites, blogs etc...Spark is about being inspired...And just as much it is about sharing your inspiration and creativity! LOVED this!

Debbie e-mail me @ Mromneya@aol.com and I will Ship you a load of Girls' Paperie Paper!

Again...Thanks to everyone who left a comment! And to all you lurkers...Be Brave! Leave us some love!

Here's to a great creative day!

kiss kiss

margie

 

 

 

Debbie said...

Excited for Spark 3- the others were very inspiring for me- being able to create without being bogged down by finishing something right away- or by feeling I was in some sort of competition to "outdo" other attendees at events. Inspired by the rapture of my little children when they see their own albums or hug the quilts I've made them- Love to browse through Etsy and see all the handmade items.

April 24, 2011 11:29 AM

Let's have some fun on Fridays...

Good morning Spark Sisters! I woke up this morning to the beautiful sun shining into my window...It feels so good to me...
i live for Sunshine...Spring in Utah can be fickle...Yesterday was cold and rainy...i repeated in my head over and over...
"April Showers bring May flowers!" Trying to stay positive! Sometimes it's all about how we look at things...Right?
I am so excited about Spark No. 3! I can't believe we are on No. 3! This week I got some great news...By May 1st we will be announcing our teaching line up...We have some amazing classes planned for this year...Like Spark No. 1 and Spark No. 2 very diverse...All types of creativity to be shared and to learn from...Spark No. 3 will be amazing...Can't wait to share!
The "girls" and I, {my amazing creative partners} thought it would be fun to use the Spark site to inspire, excite, and hopefully create a Spark community this year...We are all taking turns blogging and we will be having some amazing guest bloggers too...How fabulous was Alisa's blog post and download this week! She's adorable...LOVED it...
There is so much creativity out in our huge world...So many things to be inspired by...to Share with one another...We hope to capture as much as we can and share it here...
Fridays are one of my favorite days of the week...It's the begining of the weekend for most of us...So to celebrate Fridays we are going to be doing some type of creative give away...I am lucky enough to start...
As most of you know i love paper...LOVE it...I have a passion for making pretty paper...Collecting it, hoarding it, creating with it...
So today i am going to start the Friday give away with Paper!

I am going to give away all 3 of my CHA Winter Girls' Paperie lines away! Vintage Whimsy, 

Kitch and Jubilee! {they are almost sold out} but i have a stash!
Leave us a comment...Tell us ways you are inspired...Share a link to your favorite blog or site...Spread some creative LOVE with your Spark Sisters! 
Monday we will announce a random winner!
I hope you have a beautiful Easter weekend, filled with Family, Friends, and a little chocolate too!
Kiss Kiss
m

Happy Easter, Hello Spring!

(beautiful springy artwork used courtesy of sparkette, Rhonna)

Hello Spark Lovelies!

Alisa here, to share some springtime love!

I really love spring.

The sun shines brightly, the air is fresh and crisp, and the blossoms bloom simple joy. It makes me want to adorn flowy long dresses, display vibrant bouquets of tulips throughout my home, fly a kite, and even swoon over teeny tiny baby animals with my babies (and I am soooo not an animal person!)

Easter has a way of officially ushering in Spring for me. I look forward to the personal religious significance Easter holds for my family, as well as the fun, traditional, memory-making activities and the comestibles. Every year we have several Easter egg hunts, most unique being a color coded egg hunt at nighttime with flashlights! It is also the one time of year I get to eat my beloved honey baked ham accompanied with cheesy potatoes, homemade rolls, salami wrapped asparagus, and cream cheese jellos, to just name a few. Yum yum yuuuuuum!

One thing that my five-year-old daughter, Bo, and I just happened to do a couple of years ago was make Easter cupcakes and cakes. It was so delightful, it has now become a mommy/daughter tradition. We adore baked goods in general, but there is something extra special about making our Easter ones together!

Today I am going to share 3 springy things with you...

1) a favorite cupcake recipe
(which so easterly includes carrots!)

2) some pretty minis I made to share
(bo and I love miniature things)

3) some collected Easter DIYs
(we will pick and choose to create at our house this week.)

Ready?
Let's go...

..................................................................

CARROT AND GINGER CUPCAKES
WITH SPICED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

What you need:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) pound cake of yellow butter cake mix

3/4 cup shredded carrots

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

2 cups thawed Whipped Topping

enough powdered sugar for desired sweetness

1/2 cup Walnut Pieces, toasted (optional)

How to make it:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots, ginger, 3/4 tsp. of the cinnamon and walnuts (optional).

SPOON batter into 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Bake 15 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. (if you are using a cupcake maker like I do, cook each batch for 7 minutes...adapt to you machine of course...)

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Add powdered sugar to taste. Spread over tops of cupcakes. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(recipe adapted from here)

..................................................................

ITTY BITTY CAKE BUNTING &
SPRING CUPCAKE TOPPERS

(cake photo borrowed from a favorite recipe here, with bunting digitally added by me...I photographed my cake and immediately began to eat it before I realized I forgot to top it with strawberries! Looks muuuuch better with the pretty strawberries...oops!  ha!)

Here are the freebie downloads I made for you to print and use to accessorize your Easter/Spring delectable...

++a simple mini cake bunting AND simple mini flags++

(click on photo to enlarge, then right click to save and print)

Oh and I sure wish I could say I invented the alternative to the pricey and beautiful laser cut cupcake holders (seen in the above photo), but I didn't. For the price of dollar store doilies your cupcake delivery can go from standard to wow (trust me, it impresses them every time;) click here to learn how!

..................................................................

EASTER DIY ROUNDUP


Below are some of my favorite Easter ideas I've found floating around the world wide web...Click on the photo to link to the fabulous tutorials!

..................................................................

May your Easter weekend be filled with family, friends, love, laughter, good food, and lasting memories.


Please use and love our freebie downloads and be sure to post a photo to the Spark Yahoo Group so we can all swoon over and praise your happy creations!

xoxox,

alisa

Read more about my organized chaos here: +MyConcreteSky

The Crew

chalkboard frame courtesy of our friend shabby blogs click here to get your own

(and click on our photos to enlarge;)

......................................................................................................................

Alisa Holland is living her dream and true calling as a full-time mommy and as a while-the-children-nap artist/designer/illustrator. She spends her days shnoogoling her babies, experimenting with ingredients in the kitchen, avoiding laundry, and cultivating creativity by collecting inspiration from motherhood and everyone she meets, living in the moment, embracing the imperfections, striving to accept every season of lifd, and searching for growth from every opportunity.

Alisa Loves...

motherhood, making stuff, lists, knickknacks, notebooks, postcards, quotes, scuba diving, thrifting, creme brulee, camping, autumn, a perfect cup of tea, being at the right place at the right time, sunshine rainstorms, meaning, balance, passion, a hearty sneeze, a good cry, an even better laugh, finding order in the chaos, carbs, cultivating beauty, the sound of junk sucking up into a vacuum and of fabric being cut, her insatiable wanderlust and subsequent need to travel the world with husband, fresh flowers, asia, writing, reading, creating, making a difference, her opinion of good music and good food, feeling alive.

Alisa's life is complete because...

...She is innumerably blessed to be the mother of bo (daughter) and isaiah (son).

...She gets to fall in love/make out with jared (husband) for eternity

...She is alway learning, growing, evolving.

...Her life is filled with dreams, music, laughter, hope, love, god, inspiration, and beauty.

Read more about her organized chaos here: +My Concrete Sky

Watch for her newest naptime adventure coming soon: Looking for Lovely

......................................................................................................................

April Meeker lives by the ocean.  But she hasn't been to the beach in over a year because she has two little one-year-old babies (Irish twins) that crawl into the water and find old cigarette butts in the sand to chew on.  She also has a seven-year-old son who tends to wander off on grand boyhood adventures with other strange children. She gets help wrangling this motley crew from a tall guy named Benjamin, who also happens to be the love of her life.

April is the owner/designer behind Secondsister Designs.  She has been making jewelry for sixteen years and illustrating for the last couple of years.  She has hoped these ventures would make her rich and famous but instead they have made her happy.

You can read all about the Meeker family shenanigans on Suaviloquy.

......................................................................................................................

Christy Tomlinson is creator and owner of Scarlet Lime and Scarlet lime BeadArt, two online stores. Scarlet lime is a mixed Media Shop and Scarlet lime BeadArt offers unique jewelry kits and supplies.

She is blessed to do both full time with her husband out of their home in the small town of Shelley, Idaho. Christy has been in the art industry for over 10 years: first working for a papercrafting manufacturer, and then for Scrapbooks Etc. and Better Homes and Garden Magazine as an editor. She has traveled and taught her art throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia and even South Africa. Christy is a mixed media artist at heart and enjoys creating canvas, jewelry and fabric art.

Christy loves reading, snowboarding, camping and spending time with her family. She is married to her best friend, Ben, for almost 17 years and loves that she gets to work with him every day. They have 6 awesome children.. five boys and one girl; ages ranging from 15 to 5. Christy also loves blogging and uses her blog as a way to share her art , offer tutorials and teach online workshops. She feels blessed to be able to create art and support her family at the same time.

......................................................................................................................

Margie is 

a hip hop Mom to 4 grown kids! 

Friend to everyone she meets 

Loves a good laugh 

Has been off the sauce {Diet Dr. Pepper} since January 2nd...

{it's killing her}

Makes stuff with paper, fabric, paint, and glue 

Glitter is her friend 

The color pink is her favorite

Loves a good pedi 

Hates goodbyes 

Makes pretty paper

Loves teaching all over the world 

Busy with a business with her daughters & designs papercrafting products 

Has a passion for life and loves to share it 

Margie is just a girl loving life... 

Want to know more?

You can read her blog: just a girl

......................................................................................................................

Amy...


Here's The Story...

She is married to her best friend- a real hottie that totally cracks her up!  They have three kids- two boys and a girl.  They keep Amy hopping but they have a lot of fun!  She loves aprons- making them, wearing them, giving them, collecting them!  She's a total reader... last year she read 54 books for a total of 21, 221 pages- NERD ALERT!  She teaches 7th and 8th grade English every other day- and LOVES it!  She loves to create, entertain, have fun and laugh!  Oh... and she has 19 sets of dishes- it's a real problem.  She would tell you her favorite thing to do is plan and throw parties!
Her motto is, "Life's a party... and I am hosting!"

More of Amy's This n' That here.

Calling all artisans!!!

Throughout the Summer we will be putting together our artisan market.  We are on the hunt for high quality, original handiwork.

If you think you would like to be a vendor at our Handmade Market, please fill out the questionnaire in the sidebar.

We will go over all inquires and try to accommodate everyone.  Keep in mind that we will only be accepting a few artist in each category so that we have a diverse market.

We will be accepting vendor applications up until August 15, 2011.

Patterned After You...

Spark Sisters... Hi!  It is me... Amy Dalley!

I am so excited to get the SPARK party started. 

Entertaining is what I love to do most...

My motto is: 

Life is a party and I am hosting. 

I am already thinking up great eats and yummy treats

for Spark No. 3!

Today I am going to share an idea for a tea party

to celebrate Mothers and Daughters.

When I was growing up a favorite girls only tradition was  to attend the Annual Lions Club

Mother and Daughter Spring Tea Party.

We would dress up in all of our Easter finest

and have the time of our lives.

Such a fond memory!

Last week I was a guest on Studio 5, a local morning show.

The assignment was to create something new using something old.

The "spark" I was given was vintage sewing patterns.

I thought back on all the wonderful times at the tea party  and decided to create one of my own.

The theme I used was "Patterned After You"...

perfect for a party celebrating mothers and grandmothers.

The first thing I created was a brand new Bette (Betty).

She is a typical dress form minus the jersey covering.

I used Mod Podge to cover her with scrapbook papers using my

color palette of beige, brown, cheetah print, and chartreuse.

I dressed her in a black crinoline and embellished her with sewing pattern tissue trim and flowers...

She'll make the perfect greeter at the party.

I used many sewing elements... patterns, dress forms,

tape measures, etc. to enhance the  "Patterned After You" theme.

A little Mod Podge and tissue paper helped tie in everything with the desired look and feel of the party.

The party decor was EASY... poms, flowers and pennant banners made from sewing pattern tissue paper. 

I loved the way everything turned out!

It is going to be an amazing event and I am thrilled to share it with the fabulous women in my life.

For those of you that were at Spark no 2.. you know how much fun

my mother, Viv, can be.

Just add her to my three crazy sisters and sassy grandma.

It will be an event to remember!

And we're off!

Registration is well under way...Now it's time to get friendly!

(UPDATED from earlier today:)

We have opened up two great ways to connect with Spark Sisters,
months before the event even takes places! Pre-sparking if you will!

1) We have added a blog frog community to our sidebar. If you are registered for Spark, please make sure to visit our Blog Frog community and make sure to add your blog if you have one! 

2) As mentioned in Nancy's previous post, she has fabulously set up a Yahoo Group, which we recommend to use for exchanging/sharing personal information with each other. The below button has also been added to our sidebar for you to easily click, link, and join our private Yahoo Group.

We promise to bring you information on classes and teachers as soon as possible.  We are working hard to get everything nailed down and planned for an amazing event. EXCITEMENT...the Sparks ARE flying!

Meet Nancy!

Hello Spark Sisters! Nancy here, your official Spark cruise director, um I mean online social director.  OK, that isn't an official title but it sounds good ;) so I'm going to run with it, ha!

For those of you who don't know me, I am a fellow Spark gal who lives just outside of Houston , Texas and attended Spark No. 2 for the first time.  If you attended last year you might remember me; I was the crazy girl running around photographing cute shoes, and “yes” while they were still on fellow Spark sister’s feet, ha!

So, I'm sure you are asking “why are you here on the Spark blog?” Well, I will be hosting the ‘Spark the Event’ Yahoo and Facebook group pages.

What is a yahoo group? It's a place of our very own where we can post messages, questions and even photos to share with each other.

This space will allow us to get to know each other before we get to Spark, which will make it an even more amazing experience!

Are you still on the fence about coming to Spark because you are traveling alone? No worries, you will not be alone at Spark, believe me!

Many awesome friendships have been formed thanks to ‘Spark the Event’ because these are some of the kindest women you will ever meet!

So join the group and you might just find a roomie to share hotel costs with!

Last year a few of us connected via Facebook and some of the Spark Gals blogs and it made it even more exciting knowing we were going to soon be together.  So a few of us gathered for dinner the night before Spark and it was so much fun, we even made a Target run afterwards.

This Yahoo group will be a great tool in setting up a pre-Spark meeting and sharing all the details so that anyone who wants to can join in the fun. 

I am so excited about returning for Spark No. 3 and I hope you will join me because I love meeting new friends and Spark friends are like none other!

Follow the link below to join the official ‘Spark the Event’ Yahoo group and upon receiving your request I will activate your membership.  Having a private group will help insure that our information isn't abused. 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sparktheevent/

You can also visit the Spark the Event Facebook Group page at

Hugs from Texas !