SOMETIMES THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH ONE PAPER!

I grab a hold of something and just can't let go sometimes. This paper is a example of that pig headed way. With out a doubt, these are the most perfect wedding papers I have seen in a long time. They are a beautiful combination of black and cream. They could be used for anything from the background to the table numbers to a accent on the place cards. If you are making your own invites, you could print all of the words on a lovely paper and then use this as the background to stick them to.

As you can see, I have had a ball making them into two different versions of stickers. I am a big fan of the round seals. But these fleur de lis patterns of die cut are right up my ally. They will really stand out what ever you use them on. Personally, I like to use something like the fleur de lis set on the front corner as well on my envelope. Try them I know you will love them!

Tonight is a family tradition that I always did with my mom and dad and still do it to this day with my kids. This is the only week of the year that Golden Krust Bakery makes Paska(or Bobka). It is a Easter tradition. I take all of the kids up to pick out the biggest one they can find. Every year a different child gets to carry it to the car. I am not sure why that is so exciting for them but it is so we do it every year. I think it is the grounded feeling you get when you have family holiday traditions. I think giving them this teaches them how important it is to remember to put family first because they are the ones you can come back to over and over again. This bread is big and the only way that I can describe it is it looks like a big mushroom. But it is always tasty and it always makes you feel like home. What traditions will you have this week with your family? Find one and make it your own, they will thank you some day!

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NEW SPRING FUN SHOWING UP AT THE LANE!

I love happy fresh new products. Here are just some that are making their way to the shelves of Brambleberry Lane! The new flowers have the soft look of spring and the warm feel of the beach. Plus these are bigger then my normal layered flowers. they are 3" at the base plus they are 5 layers. They will work so well on a large gift tag or use all three for the corner of a 12 x 12. Trying to have a little something for everyone. The Chiyogami Paper is beautiful isn't it. I ordered some to work on a Easter egg project for the dinner table .

Picture Courtesy Martha Stewart.com

I am going to put a hole in the eggs and hang them from a tree branch in the center of the table with ribbon I think. Or maybe on the side board, but one way or the other they will be there and that is why the purchase of these beautiful papers. Try some yourself!

And I do love ribbon. I have a bunch that has just arrived that I will be listing over the next day or so. I try to put them on the site at different times of the day so that many different people get the chance to see them, so check back for the new ones on the way. And I will show you next time a couple of the new papers that have just arrived as well.

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Ad's Are a Great Jumping Off Point!

I, as you know, love the entire ACEO/ATC process. Making little works of art is so appealing to me. I love old images and the hunt for new ones is always a great challenge. There are so many great papers out there you can use but a little something different is always a great challenge to locate. I have created two sets of 10 each. As always they measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2. Plus you will see them come out really tiny as well this week. These aren't only great as a background but won't they be fun to add dimension!

Also you will see my new product line called "TABLE SCRAPS". They will be different groups of products like a sampler pack. There will be chipboard, journal tags, stickers, stamps. Plus I shop a lot so you will see a great mixture of "this and that" as a added surprise. A great mix of items that will be perfect for you to try or to start out someone else on the road to creating. You always here people say..."I don't know where to start". With these packs you can start them out and a new passion will be born. The "TABLE SCRAPS" will also include ACEO/ATC groupings as well as TAG making SCRAPS. Stay tuned!

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What Are You Working On?

It seems like I am never done. I always have something else to do. For this I am so lucky. I see so many people that just hang up life at a early age. They go through the motions like that is good enough. Not said the blond(freshly highlighted) girl! The list is never ending and always expanding. What is on your list? I start mine with family of course. They are the circle I swirl around all day long. To help get more energy for this I am starting a big exercise mission. I am approaching 40. Yes, there is still a year and a half to go. But I want to take this trip in style. I have finally let go of the dance in the back of my head of having just one more baby. Not that I was planning on it mom. I just think when you have a large family it just seems to be the natural thing to do. Unfortunately for me, I am not a good pregnant person. Things go a bit wrong and my health always comes into question on that 9 month journey. I am always totally blessed with beautiful healthy babies, but 4 is the limit. So it is time for the next step. The step where they all join me on my journey to change and my next 40 years. I see all of these people that say life starts at 40...I am jump starting that today.

I have been tearing my house apart as of late. Adding furniture and taking things away. Cleaning House so to speak. Moving and re purposing and all that goes along with it. It has been a mess just trying to accomplish all of this but it is coming together. Mirrors and pictures are being hung and moved and hung somewhere else. New wall adornments have been entering our home with the fear of commitment to a picture that is simply hanging on the wall falling to the wayside. Next is outside the house. Our yard is only 2 years old so things really have not started growing in a big way yet. This is OK but I need to add more. Plus all of my Brambleberry Lane stuff has been making its way all into my office/studio. Somehow things find there way around the house as I go through my day. I try to involve Noah in what ever I am doing so if he is in one room so am I.

So what does all of this mean? It means that as with spring, I new awakening is happening for me as well. A sort of total life change. The kind that will take a enormous amount of work, dedication and yes COFFEE. I am taking a journey to change many things about myself and I feel like that little train...I THINK I CAN! So stay tuned, maybe with these changes will come some more creative ideas and products that will be fun to play with and create with!

I don't think I showed you guys these cute little boy stickers. Check them out over at my shop!

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Look What I found in My Hen House!

I went out to the Guinea house this morning and look what I found. It is my first EGG! I am so happy. I have never had a animal that laid a egg. I have now. Yes I know, this would not be exciting to most. But it was such a wonderful surprise for me this morning. It was this lovely little speckled egg sitting in the middle of the bedding. See, I love having new things that are simple and fresh happen. I think that many different experiences make you a better and more cultured person. Now I know when you hear the word "culture" you don't think of eggs being laid. But culture is a combination of many different experiences that create a more open minded person to all of the possibilities in life.

So here are my new little girl stickers. I love to make bright and flashy stickers. And I really love my black on ivory stickers. So these will be great for a baby shower, new baby girl thank you notes or a princess birthday party invite. They are pretty and pink. I stop by again for the boy version of these stickers!

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LEPRECHAUNS ARE REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See I told you Leprechauns are real!

Being a part of a large Irish family, some of us are luckier then others to have are own built in LEPRECHAUN. Yup, that is my baby boy and he fits the day to a tee. The red hair and the fair skin makes him a shoe in for Leprechaun of the Year. You can't really see the beautiful blue eyes in the picture but I think they hail from my Polish roots. The cornbeef is already in the pot and the dinner will melt in the mouths of this family of 6 later on. I hope you all have a great St. Patricks Day!

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BUNNY STICKERS

I love Easter time so it is easy to make some really cute things. I was playing with my ATC obsession when I realized I needed bunny stickers. I also used this bunny image in my journal spots for Easter. I just can't get enough of him. I love the entire vintage look for Easter. There are so many great things out there you can fined to create a wonderful spring environment with. These are going on all sorts of things that I will be mailing. I will also add them to the kids Easter page. I think I am going to do the page in cream, black and kraft colors. Then make sure all of the photos are full of color that POPS! The colors of Easter are so great and why not make them jump off the page!

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I have been on a creating craze. I am adding a bunch of new products this week. I love creating as you all know but there are times when I just can't stop myself and there is tons of new stuff flowing. I added these about a week ago and the layered flower is one of my favorites. First of all they are a great inexpensive embellishment for you to add to your stash of creativity. They measure about 2"'s so they are perfect for the front of a card or maybe a GREAT gift tag. This set is a mixture of reds, greys, yellows and white. And of course, pink for good measure.

This next set is the perfect combo of greens, pinks, cream, a wonderful neutral grey and some great glitter. I love the basic soft browns that are a great outline yet are not to over the top dark. And as always when you mix these beautiful Amy Butler papers with a great crystal brad they come together to create a fabulous little flower.

So what is next? Well stay tuned all this week for the daily launch of new products created by ME for Brambleberry Lane!

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All About Me!

I love when I see a scrapbooker enter one of their "ALL ABOUT ME" pages into a contest, mag, or online zine. You can see all of these little things about her you may other wise not know. And at the same time the obvious has been all pulled together in one area as well. So many of us put ourselves last, and this is a good way to remind yourself that you are still here. You just happened to have other layers that make you up.

I did my all about me on a upper case "A". I felt like, how could I ever fill a entire 12 x 12 page. I just started my large "A" and I can see how I could fill it, that is for sure. It is far from being done. I have been working on it for a couple of days and I keep thinking of more things to add. Everything that I have used so far has something to do with me. I started by adding the 38 at the bottom because that is my age when I am creating this. Everything has a meaning. Something would only be obvious to me, but isn't that the reason for this exercise. To look at yourself and who you are. How many of you knew I collect stamps. Yes, the same girl who LOVES speed, likes the idea of collecting a little history when collecting stamps. To me the big flower is my incredible love for gardening. The clock represents my dad, why you ask? Growing up there was never a good enough excuse if you tried to blame things not getting done on not having enough time. He always said..."AmyLynn, we all have the same 24 hours in a day it is just how you use it" Well, AmyLynn is still looking for that 27 1/2 work day but it is not showing up.

And please lets not forget about the crown. As every woman worth her weight, you should truly BELIEVE you are a QUEEN. You are totally incredible and the back bone of so much. Many would look at this and just see a cute little embellishment, but I know it means that I am the QUEEN around here even if no one else knows it.

So, so many of these little ideas that you can go and use as well. Try making an all about me project. You can try it on a letter such as I did or you can do it on any size page. What about a all about me mini book? There is a great idea as well. Just do something and maybe you will learn something about yourself that you may not know or have forgotten in the crazy wacky thing called life!

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PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE COME SPRING!

Well, Valentines Day is over and this is always my indicator that SPRING is on the way. All of the seed and plant catalogs are arriving daily. I LOVE the SPRING. I can't help myself. The new life thing with baby birds and passing by a farm with baby lambs always gets me excited.

I started this set of journal tags a couple of weeks ago and just released them on Sunday. They are actually my first set of Kraft colored paper. I love the black on them. I am for sure going to make more of these. I have some great old Easter decorations. And I love to add to them. I stopped by a great country store that had the cutest Easter stuff. It makes me want to go home and change everything. I love change and that is why I love SPRING!

I also brought back my Easter Flashcards set. How exciting to have holiday flashcards. I also like tucking these guys in behind a picture in an unexpected area on a page. I love using them vertical. That really draws your eye in.

And how can I have all of this SPRING and Easter happiness without some darn cute Easter stickers? Well I can't and I think these ones are going to go over really well. The picture does not do them justice that is for sure. Some of them have glitter( the kind that doesn't come off all over you). They would be so great to seal and envelope or add to a Easter Basket.

So here are a few new things for you to look at over at http://www.brambleberrylane.etsy.com/ so check these and other great handmade items out. I as always would love to hear what you think or if there is something else you are looking for but don't see here!

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Hugs For Caden From Logan

It is hard to see the stamp on Logans 4 year old hand, but it says "HUGS FOR CADEN". Caden is a 4 year old little boy in Logans Pre-K class that has Mitochondrial Disease. He has been in and out of the hospital many times over the last few months. We attended a benefit in his honor last night to raise money to help with the mounting cost of his medical expenses. About 3 weeks ago, Logan and I had stopped to take money out of a ATM and on the board behind it was a flyer and a picture of his friend Caden. Logan had me read the flyer to him. After he wanted me to explain to him what a benefit was. I told him as simply as I could that people would go and eat and bring a couple extra dollars to help out Caden and his family. We went and got back in the car and ran around and went home. That afternoon, while doing laundry, he commented on the jar on the dryer that had change in it that I pulled out of peoples pockets before washing. He looked at me and said, "is there a couple of dollars in there"? I told him sure there must be. He then asked, totally from his GIANT four year old heart, "can we give that to Caden"? I said sure and the rest was history. Every time he saw even a penny on the ground in the parking lot he would pick it up and put it in what had become CADENS JAR. He called people to request..." just a couple of dollars". My mom and dad jumped right in. Pat told people at work about it and his great friends (Wes & Sherry) sent Logan money for the jar as well. It was just WONDERFUL. So proud, he carried that great big jar in last night and gave it to Cadens mom. I had everything to do not to cry from the pride that was inside me that Logan could care so much for someone else at 4. So this Sunday, instead of talking about some great new product or a fun new project I just finished, I HONOR my LOGAN and thank God for this incredible boy he has added to my life. He is a loving and caring soul. I could take credit for it but if you know Logan, you know he was just born that way!

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GLITTER A BIRD!

Oh yeah, I am feeling the love, aren't you? Here is my Valentine Gift Tag that I made to hang on my husbands dark chocolate Valentine Candy. I am a milk chocolate (with caramel inside) kind
of a girl. But the darker the chocolate the better for him. They say the dark is better for you. It may be true, but I will stick with my milk chocolate. So what do you think of my little tag here? I started with the large chipboard tag from my chipboard tag set and went wild from there. I love to ink the edges of projects. If all else fails, and you are really not that happy with what you just created, ink it. I love those little ink pads that you can just go around the edge quick with to give it that great look. On this one I used two different browns, one a light tan and the other a dark chestnut. It gives it more of a gradual staining over time look.
Well, I better get back to the creating thing I oh so love to do. The list seems to get longer by the minute and I am not totally keeping up with the ideas. Hope you enjoy this tag and get some inspiration to make something fun for the day of love yourself!

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How Do You Use That Product?

I have many people ask me how I use certain embellishments that I make. They know they like the embellishment, but they aren't sure what they would do with it. This has led me to actively try to use the new products I create in projects that you can draw inspiration from. Here is a ATC or could be used as a GIFT TAG, just needs a whole punched. I took some scraps of paper, I like to call them "table scraps", and layer them in no certain size onto one of my base chipboard ATC's. Next, I took one of my Paris Base Cards and cut out the image. Then I took one of the chipboard frames in the middle size and turned it over. OK, this is where my mind starts to work over time every once and a while. I was working last night and I turned over this little frame and realized that there is a impression on the back, along the edges, from me die cutting it. Well, next I took a brown marker to it and it ends up kind of looking like a real piece of metal. The lesson here...TURN THINGS OVER! Any who, I attached those with a couple of dark brads lending to the metal look and added one of the flowers from my new sets. And there you go. It looks like a little piece of ATC/ACEO heaven to me. And of course my most important lesson that I ever learned from SHREK was about LAYERS. You know, the entire thing where he explains to Donkey that he is made up of layers like a onion. Yes, I am the mother of a lot of kids...can you tell. I am happy with it and I hope it inspires you as well to put together some odds and ends and create something fabulous today as well. So here is the list of products I used to finish this look...

~Chipboard ATC

~Image cut from Paris Atc Base Cards

~Chipboard Frame the middle size(on the back)

~New Layered Burg Flowers

~and some brads and scrap paper I had laying around!

Now I am taking the dive into this blossoming art form, jump with me. It is kind of like a great mix of medias and fun things you have laying around to create something GREAT!

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I Have Been Creating Again!

You all know how much I love to create new products for you to make fun projects with. Well lately the old river of creative thought has been flowing like crazy. Here are a few of my new ideas. I am going to have a bunch of different color combinations for these flowers. They are a great 4 layers of flower power held together by one of my favorite crystal brads. They are a great dimension addition to your project and I love how you can see to the next layer with the open flower petals.

Next I have these to cute red and blue stickers. Who doesn't love poke-a -dot patterns. The red and blue play off each other so well and they will be sure to please when added to a page or envelope. They really POP!

Then how can I start a new line of layered flowers with out starting a new line of ATC/ACEO'S. These are a combo of some of my favorite images...(so far)...that you will be able to layer on as well as use the plan back to make your creation and with these images on the other side your project will be finished. You can layer all sorts of things on this set of 8 different images. There are 4 themes, CROWNS, PARIS,CHAIRS, AND TEAPOTS! More to come so keep your eye out for them. Or you can always punch a whole in them and look like a very stylish gift giver with these great tags. Have fun with them!

Well it is time for me to get back to the drawing board. More things in my head to create then time in the day. Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have. I hope I have inspired you today to go out and make something new and fresh, or maybe old and vintage!

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On My Grandmothers Dressing Table...

When I was a kid, my mothers mom lived about 2 hours away. When we would go to her house she would always look nice. She was always dressed like a lady. She had a large dressing table in her room. She would have pictures on there of my grandfather and other family members. At one point there was a picture of my mom or one of her sisters getting ready for a function with in the reflection of a mirror. In all of the wedding albums at grams there where these same pictures just of different daughters getting ready to walk down the isle or be a bridesmaid. And some where them getting ready for the BIG DANCE. This weekend my girl went to her first big dance. At first she wanted to go, then not, then did, then not and then finally settled on going. She enjoyed this right of passage as I did being the mom and taking the picture in the mirror. I love tradition. And I love being her mom!

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