Hello Hydrangeas! and We have winners!

I have somehow managed to lose a week of my life somewhere...so if you happen to see a last week with my name on it, please let me know! ;)

I am a few days late posting the winners of my Blogiversary give away, and since I had three lovely ladies comment on that post, I am sending out three care packages!  I already have Heather's address, but if Lynn and Margy can email me, I'll get those in the mail this week!  Thanks so much for you wonderful comments too, ladies!

I've been trying to spend some time reacquainting myself with some of my all time favorite stamps and giving them a little inky love once again.  If I had to make a list of my favorites, Because I Care would be in the top 5.  It is such a beautifully detailed stamp and since I love live hydrangea blooms, it only makes sense that this is a well loved stamp.  This was also a great time to pull out some older DSP and a huge bag of whisper white scraps!  I would love to say that my supply of both are much smaller now, but we all know that would be a lie... Scraps tend to multiply like rabbits when I'm not watching!

I inked the stamp with markers to have the two colors in one stamping, matted it a few times, and attached it to a lattice embossed base.  A quick stamping of the sentiment on a strip of whisper white and a simple punch, and my cards were complete.

As much as I hate to part with any of my stamps, I really need to do some purging, and there are quite a few that I haven't used in ages and likely won't miss if they aren't here taking up space.  Of course,  Because I Care is in no danger of being in that category any time soon! Wish me luck in my cleaning/downsizing!  Thanks so much for visiting and have a wonderful day!

Card Recipe: Stamp Sets-Because I Care, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Ink-wild wasabi, marina mist, perfect plum, pretty in pink, Paper-whisper white, pretty in pink, marina mist, perfect plum, Patterns Love DSP, Paisley Petals DSP, Subtles Patterns Stack, Accessories-classic label punch, square lattice folder

Happy 7 year Blogiversary!!

Hello! Today is a very special day here at Black Shadow Creations! It is my 7 year Blogiversary and I can honestly say I am so excited to still be here!  Over the years, there has been an ebb and flow to my posting due to various reasons, but I still enjoy creating and sharing in Blogland.  I have made some wonderful Virtual friends and have gained so much information and knowledge over the years.  I've also noticed that paper craft blogging has lost some of it's popularity...

Why be a follower of a blog when you can simply search Pinterest for an idea? Not to mention there are so many new ways of communicating and sharing now... However, Facebook, Pinterest, and the other forums don't offer a genuine way to tell your story or a way to really get to know about the artist you admire.  My girls argue that no one has time to 'read' that much and this is why they love Snapchat and Instagram.  Personally, it makes me more than a little sad that we have become so busy that we don't 'have time' to actually connect with other people...  This is why I will continue to blog (as my real life schedule allows) and visit other's blogs.  There is something so comforting and human about not only seeing someone's creation, but learning about their inspiration and motivation.  It's like actually talking to your favorite artist.  Imagine how fabulous it would be to see a Monet painting and have his words telling you about the day he painted Water Lilies, or sharing in Van Gogh's sufferings as you looked at Wheat Field with Crows (believed to be his last painting).  It is in the spirit of these thoughts that I am offering some Blog Candy and the opportunity to share YOUR blog with others!

The candy is a surprise (partly because that's just fun, and mostly because I haven't finalized exactly what or how much I'll be giving!) and there will be more than one winner!  I'm not going to require 'following' because I only want you to do that if you really want to, but commenting is a necessity!  Sharing on your blog is perfectly ok, but also not a requirement.  When you leave a comment, please leave a link to your blog (if you have one) and I will be putting together a post with all of the links for others to enjoy.  On March 22 (one month away!), I will 'draw' a name (or more) and announce the winner(s)!  This blog candy is open to anyone since some of my favorite artists/bloggers aren't in the US! *I do have comment monitoring, but as long as you're not spamming or scamming you'll be accepted! Only one entry per person, please! Don't be greedy!!*

I'm going to end this post with a reinvention of my very first blog post creation!  You can see the original gift card holder here! This is an easy to make gift card holder using a paper towel tube, patterned paper, and some pretties!

We Have a Winner!

Well, it's March 1st and I drew a winner for my blog candy.  Woo! Hoo! Drum roll, please!  And the lucky winner is...

Missy!!!!! 

Blog, tell her what she's won!  A NEW CAR!   Just kidding! 

Here is the blog candy that will be arriving in Missy's mailbox very soon... It's not blurry in person, I promise! My internet is still giving me fits!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment and passed on the opportunity to others!

It's an Anniversary Birthday Party!!

    

I just celebrated my 1 year anniversary as a Stampin' UP! demonstrator in January, and  the Black Shadow Creations blog will be 1 year old on February 22nd!  Where did the time go?!

Since I'm in such a celebratory mood, I decided that I would do my first ever BLOG CANDY!! I have been fortunate enough to win some wonderful blog candy from some fabulous blogs; so I thought that in the spirit of sharing the love, I would celebrate my anniversary and my blog's birthday with a gift!

and here is my first ever Blog Candy...

No... It's not just one package of Stampin' UP! Bakers Twine, not two, not three...but it is the entire collection of colors of SU bakers twine!!! Woo! Hoo!  That's right EIGHT packages of baker's twine!

While I welcome people to follow my blog, and would love it if you wanted to,  I'm not making it a requirement of the blog candy.  If you like what you see on my blog and want to be a fellow stalker, then you are more than welcome to join.  I may not be the most innovative crafter, but I like to think I'm at least a little fun (my kids don't think so, but they don't count here!)!  But I digress... 

Here are the Official Rules for winning the blog candy...

1. Leave me a comment on this post.
2. If you have a blog, please post it in your comment. Like I said before, I love to blog stalk!
3. Spread the love!  Let others know about my blog candy by linking back to me on your blog.
4.  Make sure I have a way of getting in touch with you. You can't win if I can't find you!!

I will be drawing the winner on February 29th and will post the winners name on March 1st!