Queen of the Crop Contest Details & A New Video Too

The last few years, at the close of the Creating Keepsakes Convention, I've drawn the winning name for a prize from one of my favorite vendors, Queen & Co.! This year is no different, and there are quite a few ways to win.
You can subscribe to this blog. Doing so will get you emailed versions of all my blog posts- so you never miss a chance to CraftWithAnna!
You can subscribe to my YouTube channel, which is just a purple icon click away- look for that on the right hand side of this page with other social media icons.  Instagram follower yet? That will get you an entry too!
You can also comment on any of my recent videos, including the one that hit YouTube TODAY- the November scrapbooking layouts from EmbellishKits.com. 


Or, you can comment on this blog post. I loved hearing from a follower at the convention this year!

With so many ways to win, I bet you're wondering what the prize is... well all I will say is, it's going to be some bangin' bling bling baby (the contest name is Queen of Bling)!

Favio Flavor

 It's not every day you encounter a large group of ladies that each bring a smile to your face whenever you encounter them just by their sheer exuberance of FUN. One of the bunches I spent time with at the convention this weekend was having a lot of fun playing with our Red Carpet Crop theme, and being the blogger that I am, I snapped pics and promised to put their hilarity online... your welcome!

But really, thank you ladies, for inspiring me to get my own card board cut out selfie with the dreamy young dude from the Vampire Diaries. At least, that's where his card board claimed he was from. It's a truly sad day when you realize, not only are you too old for a guy on tv, but that you're old enough to not even know why he's on tv. Just that he's cute. And that's kind of creepy. But I'm ok with that.

Stay tuned in this week as I debut another incredible kit from the fine crew at EmbellishKits.com, as well as my Queen of the Crop convention closing contest. Hint- you'll want to be a subscriber!
 

 

A tale of two Shelbies

 For the past few days I've been working in Tacoma as a volunteer with the Creating Keepsakes Convention. This event is one I look forward to all year long. About six years ago my DF took me to my first show in their old Maydenbauer Center location, and I've never looked back! Lucky for me, Ray picked me up after that first show and was immediately aware of the craft hysteria that both precludes and concludes each of these weekends. He has graciously given me the gift of time away and sometimes even sends me off with some Make and Take money :-)

 Thursday afternoon I TA'd for one of my favorite teachers, Shelby Bywater! I love her sassy crafty instructions and there were cool techniques flying left and right. I will never look at a transparency the same lol.


She created a custom flair necklace!

Later in the day more ideas for creativity were introduced at the Technique Workshop. I thought it was so clever that one of the students was making cards from her scrapbook kit. So you know what I did- made layouts in my cardmaking class the next day!!! What a rebel. A copycat rebel but still.
When my volunteer shift started Friday afternoon I was reunited with my new class crashing comrade, Betty- what a sweetie! Since I'd got her coffee the night before, she returned the favor and got my night Rollin right. Craft without coffee? I don't think so!
By the time I got back home, my mind was reeling from all the exposure to (caffeine ) like minded crafters. Cause, you know we speak our own language, right. "Crop," "distress," "inking;" all verbiage that's part of our toolbox.


Janice has the warmest smile

Tammy, my late night bird of a feather

Shelbi & I getting Lei'd at a crop- a first for us both (I think)

I slept not a wink and decided to make that video I put up yesterday.  So I started the day with another favorite teacher, Shelby Dredge. At the crop THAT night, I caught a pic getting lei'd with Shelbi B., so I started and ended my day right I'd say.
With more fun for the day in store, I've got a lot more pics to put up and the details for my convention-closing contest, featuring a prize or three from one of my favorite companies, Queen & Co.! If you aren't already a subscriber to this blog or YouTube channel, now is the time. It's just one of the ways you can enter this year's Queen of Bling contest. Consolation prizes will be from email updates of the latest blog posts from this CraftWithAnna channel, so, it's pretty much win win... 

Waiting in line to hit the vendor fair

National Scrapbooking Day Video and Challenge!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Isn't it awesome that around the world, crafters just like us are celebrating with more than a bit of glee at having a valid reason to be making today... after all, it is a National holiday! And I've got a new EmbellishKits.com video to share- check out the new, 2015, May scrapbooking two double page layout kit!

If you've ever thought about hopping into a kit club, I can speak from experience that you will find oodles of goodies and inspiration, as well as technique tips, in each package that comes your way from EmbellishKits.com and embellishonline.com  I really enjoyed the direction these layouts took, but I still have some left overs I'll use to create a bonus project, so be sure to subscribe to the CraftWithAnna YouTube channel, and next week's share videos will show up in your watch list auto-matic-ally. "I AM" excited (can't believe I just used that adjective) to work up a project that turns the scrapbooking eye introspectively; my what I'm doing now mental list is turning into a tiny mind novella!

So how will I be spending a day that seems to have been custom-created just for me? Alas, as has happened in years gone by, I have booked myself for involvement in a no-less attention worthy cause; the Etta's Project auction in Lakewood, WA tonight. I first learned of the effervescent young Etta when I started working for the bank. One of my coworkers had a daughter who'd been a schoolmate of her's, and shared lots of stories about what a wonderful girl she was; how her smile would light up a room, how all of her friends loved to have her around because they felt so good in her presence. Unfortunately, I have only met this community outreach angel via word of mouth. While traveling on a Rotary trip through Boliva towards the end of high school, she was in a fatal bus accident that left her family and friends stunned and heartbroken. Her mom channeled some of that grief into doing god in Etta's name, created this organization, Etta's Projects, and in doing so built a legacy that does amazing works of good, all in Etta's name and spirit.

Etta has friends who continue to carry her energetic spirit into rural Bolivia, furnishing villagers there with skills such as nutrition management, small business loans, and most importantly in my Western eyes, compostable latrines. Tonight is one of their biggest fundraisers, and an event of this emotional significance has come to be one I look forward to almost before the night is over. I look forward to seeing what is out on the auction tables, sipping my custom, brother-blended Etta-tini, all while overseeing the check in and bid packet pick up process. I'm also looking forward to dishing on current events with my bestie who graciously volunteered her pleasant attitude and 10-key skills to work alongside me gathering credit card info.

So what will you be doing today? Might I plant the not-so-subtle suggestion that you try out this Scrapbooking Playlist? Or perhaps you need a stronger challenge: Pin or Instagram a project with the #CraftWithAnna and I'll enter your name into a drawing for a custom set of scrapbooking embellishments (one of my latest crafting endeavors in preparation for the two cruises I'm teaching on next year)!
1. Try testing out that "I Am..." journaling prompt to include a list of your currents; breakfast foods, wardrobe favorites, job responsibilities- whatever comes out of the pen or pencil, that's what you're using on your layout.
2. Create a page about a lost loved one... consider including details like, when you think of that person most often, surprising times you miss them, or even just about how much fun you had (or didn't have) when they were nearby. This could be a rather touchy subject, and frankly, we tend to over think projects like this, so take it right on into challenge number
3. Let it go. Just Do It. We are different, but same-same...same-same, but different! Whatever movie quote or commercial mantra you can latch on to, use it to create something. Heck, use it as a title for your page! Please, don't let fear of doing it right, or perfectly interfere any longer with expressing yourself in either of these areas through the magic of pretty paper and shiny bling- after all, it's a Holiday!

Hoping you know how not alone you are in your obsession to make your pictures into stories (that can be told long after you can remember the details), and for the scrap-God's sake, get a bit of your YouTube on!

Celebrate With Me!

Sparkle A Little Brighter Darling

  54 Subscribers on YouTube!

14 Blog Followers! 

125 Instagram Followers!

2 Gig Harbor stores selling my cards!

Wow, this is my 200th Blog Post, and NO, I'm not throwing these figures out for no reason- they are a little proof that YOU REALLY LIKE ME! lol, for the last year I've been working on increasing the amount of posting that I've done, hoping to attract more interested viewers, and it looks like it has paid off :-)

My initial goals were to have 50 YouTubers, and 10 Blog followers... so hooray for all of you who surpassed my expectations. Granted, I set them relatively low, but you know I love challenges, so perhaps by this time next year I will have DOUBLED that goal. ..

I'm especially hoping to have my cards distributed in a few more places; combining my love of crafting with bi-monthly shop visiting always brings more smiles to my craft room.

Speaking of smiles in the craft room, this week I'm throwing sequins on EVERYTHING it seems, so that will be my November product challenge item. I got so many beautifully colored and shaped sequins at the Creating Keepsakes Convention last weekend, and they are fun and flashy so what's not to love? I'm also taking a harder look in my bling box and am determined to use up some of those barely there bling backers, so watch as I apply liberal doses of all manner of bling to get us through the end of 2014.

Ok, now to celebrate with me, this weekend I've got another Bling-tastic giveaway, so go ahead and comment below to enter and perhaps I'll draw your name on Monday. Let me know of some cute handmade goods or artsy little shop that could use a little CraftWithAnna carding!

Thanks as always for your support and ideas, enjoy your weekend, and Happy crafting!



Sunday applies washi tape to the edge of a plastic bag full of sequins,
 and a foam adhesive keeps things sliding around in there.

PartyLite Tealight Box Mini Album Share

I must be on a mini album streak; I've made one each week! Okay, it's only been two weeks, and I have no plans for another on the near horizon, but STILL.

And on top of that, I seem to be on a little YouTubing spree here as well! So yes, for the third time in the last three weeks, I have another video for you too!

Remember, all your comments, subscribing hits, and blog followings will get you a contest entry, so if you're loving your friend, tell her about it before Saturday's end of day as well. Your friend could say something like, "I'm commenting for my friend ____" and then you could both win!

Another great comment would be to suggest a product for me to focus on using this month. Each month I've been working on my stash by using a certain product on each project I'm creating. Not every thing has got every challenge product but it has been a lot of fun at attempting to push my creative boundaries.

So how do you push yourself out of your normal 12x12 box of usual additions? I'd love to hear about it (and you'll be getting those additional contest entries).

Good luck and thanks for reading!