"Absinthe" Makes The Heart Grow Fonder :)

Anybody who knows me, knows I LOVE to rave about new products I've found that I LOVE. (Seriously, my family has told me I sound like a commercial sometimes.)

So why not do it in my blog?

While browsing around on Etsy one day last week, I came across a cute shop called The Morbid The Merrier. I wasn't really looking for new bath & perfume products, but the unique photos caught my eye (as did the shop title.)

I found this wonderful perfume!



Dessert Absinthe Perfume Oil. (actually, this one is a solid...kind of like a lip balm, but not greasy at all. And it comes in the cutest little tin!)





I HAD to have some, so I bought it, and a few days later it arrived in the mail.

It smells SO good. It's very light & citrus-y, with a little hint of licorice (yum!)

Actually, the shop owner can describe it better:

"This perfume oil is absinthe..... with a twist.

I took my usual absinthe perfume oil and softened it with cream and sugar and soft citrus. Upon opening, the first notes are lemon, sugar, and anise - very reminiscent of a lemon sugar cookie. After wearing it for just a few minutes, however, the bottom notes emerge... woodsy, earthy, mysterious, and alluring. I created this perfume for those who prefer something softer and more feminine than traditional absinthe."

I can't decide if I should wear it or eat it! ;-)

I can't wait to try the sugar scrub and lip balm next!

Vendor Spotlight: Save The Date Originals

Man have I been BUSY lately! A little too busy to keep up with my blog. :(

BUT I have been working on some great craft projects (featured in my Etsy Shop and coming VERY soon to Capture Scrapbooking!)

To help promote my blog & shop, I needed some spiffy new business cards, so I turned to my friend Angela from Save The Date Originals to help me come up with something FANTASTIC, and did she ever!

I wanted the business cards to have the same feel that my blog & Etsy shop do, and this is what she came up with:

This is the front of the business card. My info is on the back. (How cool is that idea?!)




And I ordered some magnets too!



They are to be included with every order from The Crafty Cat so get yours today! ;-)

Angela has made many items for me in the past, ranging from announcements to business cards to invitations. Her work is excellent, as is her customer service! Be sure to check out her website and keep her in mind for your all stationary needs.



And remember, there are still just a couple weeks left to participate in the March Challenge and win a Stickles bottle of your choice! So be sure to post your photo today!

Fun ways to use your punches!

Join me Saturday, March 20th (that's tomorrow!) for a fun card class that teaches you different ways to use your punches!

These versatile cards are perfect for any occasion!

Can't make it to the class? Buy a kit instead! Everything you need is included. The kits come ready to assemble!



This class will be held at Capture Scrapbooking, Fort Collins, CO. from noon-2:00pm. Sign up in store or online!

Weekly Challenge update and February winner

Since taking on a new(ish) job (working 3 days a week at Capture in addition to teaching card classes) I've been super busy. Too busy in fact to keep up with a weekly challenge. So I've decided to make it a monthly one instead (which works out considering there is only 1 winner each month anyway!)

SO, there is no new challenge today. The challenge from last week will be the only one in March, and you have until Sunday, April 4th to upload your photo to the Mr. Linky widget and be eligible to win your choice of Stickles. :)

Now, on to the February challenge winner!

It was VERY hard to choose a winner! The cards for both challenges were absolutely adorable and a lot of work went into them! Fun colors, techniques and embellishments!

But there can only be one winner, and Jenny is it this month for her Thank You card!


I just loved the colors she used, and how the sentiment is sparkly. :) Very simple, yet elegant. Way to go Jenny! Your hand crocheted flowers will be mailed out to you very soon!

As for the March challenge, be sure to play if you want to win!

;-)

Family Pages

These are pages I made for an album my cousin is putting together for my grandma for her 90th birthday. All of grandma's children and grandchildren were to make 2-4 pages each of our own families, or pics of us with grandma. Such an awesome gift idea! I think she'll really love it. :)

Here are the ones I made for her:









A couple pics of the details:

I used Glossy Accents on inked up chipboard pieces for the title.


I had some cute flower stickers and a set of green swirl embellishments that matched the paper ("Magic Moments" from CTMH) perfectly!
 



Psst, wanna know a secret?


The "A" in "Family" is the only letter that's not chipboard! I didn't have an "A" in that set, but I DID have the piece the "A" used to be in, so I traced the outline onto my layout, colored it in with a black marker, and used Glossy Accents on each letter to disguise it. That's also why there is a tiny flower on the "A". I didn't have the little triangle piece that's inside an "A", so the flower hides that. ;-)



Thanks for looking!

February Challenge Update and NEW March Challenge!

I'm extending the deadline for the February challenges one more week. Some of you were having problems uploading your photos. If you need any help at all, please leave a comment or email me! I'd be happy to help! :)

If you would like to see the other entries to the challenges, just click on the post you want to see and scroll down to the bottom. There will be a Mr. Linky box in a green font (this is where you enter your pics). Once you click on that link, a new window will open up with a place for you to enter your name and the URL to your pic. This is also where you can see who else has entered! Other entries are listed at the top left of the window. :)


Now, on to the NEW March challenge!

This week's challenge is an "Inspiration" challenge! If you read the Moxie Fab World blog, you'll know that each Tuesday is Trigger Tuesday, where they'll post a photo of an item, an ad in a catalog, anything that inspires them to create a beautiful paper crafted item!

Since I like that idea so much, I'm totally stealing it! ;-) (This is just for fun of course.)

Soooooo, here is the inspiration for this challenge:



Pretty, isn't it? I Googled some things and found it here (in case anyone was wondering).

And this is what I created from the inspiration:


I finished the inside this time, instead of leaving it blank:


(the sentiment says "My life is so blessed...because you are in it!")

I added some sheen to the flowers and leaves with a Sakura Glaze Pen. It doesn't make things super shiny and glossy the way Glossy Accents does, but it gives it, well, a GLAZED look, hence the name "glaze pen" lol. ;-)
But you can't really tell in these pics. :(



The stamp sets I used were CTMH's "Because of You" (now retired) and a rubber cling set I bought years ago for two bucks. :) 




So, use this as your inspiration, and post a pic of your creation below using the Mr. Linky widget! Your creation can be any paper crafted item (card, scrapbook layout, mini album, etc.) or a digital layout if you prefer.

This is just the first of the March challenges! A new one will be posted each Monday in March and one winner for the whole month will be chosen by Monday, April 5th and announced in that week's challenge post.

This month, you'll be playing for the Stickles Glitter Glue bottle of your choice! If you haven't discovered Stickles yet, you're really missing out! It's a glitter glue made for scrapbooking, and it has a fine tip for creating detail. You can add it to flowers, letters, trace any pattern on your paper to enhance it, make your plain brads sparkly...the possibilities are endless!

So play this month for your chance to win! (Stickle color choices are limited to their regular line. Specialty Stickles (distressed and Glitz styles) are not included in the selection.)



Click here to enter your photo and see the other entries to this challenge!