Guest Designing at ScrapbookSteals.com

It's been a really exciting week for me here at The Open Window

and it continues today as I am the guest designer over on the
ScrapbookSteals.com Blog  !

There are terrific 'steals' over there each day and today,
the featured product is from Pebbles.

It's called the 'Hip Hip Hooray' collection and colors are fab!

For this very dimensional card, I used Pebbles Dimensional Flowers & Banner Kit to create a colorful focal point on this card.
The patterned papers called WooHoo, set the base for all the fun.  With a stamped sentiment, a few additional embellishments
and fun border punched at the bottom, it's sure to make someone have a 'Happy Day'.

'Make a Wish' is another another colorful card!  Using Let's Party Patterned Paper as a base, the sky's the limit with how
you can design with this collection.  Placing the bright yellow Dimensional Flowers on top of a die cut really makes it 'pop'!

A handmade banner from cardstock with distressed edges creates more texture.  Add the perfect stamped sentiment, and it's
ready to go!

Last but not least, the ultimate celebration card!  I cut out individual sentiments from the Surprise Patterned Paper
and layered each one on top of the Let's Party base. Top with banners of your choice from the Banner Kit, add a little bling and Celebrate!

 I absolutely loved working with this collection. If you love color, 

whimsy and just plain fun, I think you will too!

To get THIS DEAL just click HERE!

A BIG thanks to ScrapbookSteals.com for the invite!

Project Recipes:

All patterned papers, embellishments

Hip Hip Hooray Collection by Pebbles

Additional Embellishments: 
 baker's twine in Honeydew from The Twinery

Tools:  Standard Circles & Lacey Circles die by Spellbinders, Big Shot

Lattice Arch border punch by EK Success

Beautiful...Blessed...Perfect

Happy Sunday everyone!

I have a busy week here at The Open Window with lots of projects

that will be posted, so I thought I would take today to share a layout with you.

Now you KNOW....I typically don't do layouts...I love them, I just don't

have time to do them, but my sweet friend Katrina Hunt has been

after me to scrap this photo, and I finally did it!

I have been a lover of the Little Yellow Bicycle collections for awhile

and since this photo is a 'fall' photo, I went straight to the 'Hello Fall'

collection from LYB.

I used a lot of elements from this collection.

I can't decide if my favorite is the 'Clear Cuts' acetate sentiment 'Happy'

or the 'Mini Banners' stretched to say 'BLESSED'.

Both of the elements describe this layout as it was celebrating

our 20th Anniversary at one of our favorite places.

The day was absolutely 'Beautiful' as described with the 'Cardstock Favorites'

banner on the right. I love the dimension on this page and
how it all tells the story.

Speaking of telling the story, the 'Journal Card' says it all...it was 'PERFECT'!

I hope you enjoyed your visit...and the layout.

I definitely need to do more of these and do them more often.

Hope you are having a great weekend...I will see you soon!!!

Project Recipe:

All elements from the Hello Fall Collection by

 Little Yellow Bicycle

Getting To Know You...Part 1

Thank you to all who have expressed interest in the new Play Date Cafe Challenges. I can tell you that the new design team are busy planning and playing to bring you some fabulous and unique challenges. So again, make sure you mark your calendar for Thursday, October 22nd as the first challenge is issued.

For the rest of this week, I will be introducing you to each designer, one by one, so that you will really get to know them....and today, we start with Alison. The projects that you see in this post are just a taste of what you can expect from this talented lady. The card above has been a favorite of mine ever since it won for another color challenge. Unique, isn't it?!

Alison brings quite a creative resume to
The Play Date Cafe and I am excited to share it.

Alison writes: Wow! Where to begin?

I live in Utah with my wonderful husband, and two beautiful children. Stretch who is 9 years old and Bubbles who is 14 months old… that’s where I got my blog name. Stretch N’ Bubbles. The names came from my dad.. Poppie who gives each of the grandchildren “magic names” after they are born. so those are their magic names.

I have been crafting all my life. Ever since I can remember I have made/created things.


I really started “Scrapbooking/Card making” in 1996 when my dear friend Lisa Bearnson introduced to her new magazine Creating Keepsakes.. after that I was HOOKED!.. I do both scrapbooking and card making.. I enjoy each for different but similar reasons. I love to create, design, and do anything with my hands.

I have been published in many magazines, worked for Creating Keepsakes as a designer for products sold on QVC, and won many contests. I am truly excited to be starting this new adventure with 'The Play Date Cafe'.

I hope to inspire you and maybe even stretch the use of some of the items you have just lying around your house. I can’t wait to play, and also, I can’t wait to meet and be inspired by each and every one of you.

So...that's a little bit about Alison. I know that you will come to know her and the other designers even more as the challenges begin. Tomorrow, you will meet Sandra!

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY...Just a reminder! If you haven't grabbed your Play Date Cafe button yet, there is still plenty of time. You will find it to your right, the one that says 'I Play at the Play Date Cafe'. Copy and paste it to your sidebar, leave me a comment and let me know...that's it. The 'candy' is a surprise, but I promise, YOU WILL LOVE IT! Even more importantly, we hope you are planning to play along when the challenges start and PLEASE...share the news with your friends. Deadline for the blog candy is Wednesday, October 21st.