Heart Hugs

Teacher Appreciation Week Wrap-up

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:09:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a beautiful day! We are so-so. Avery has some sort of virus that's running its' course through her system and causing her lungs to swell so she has to be on a nebulizer for a while. I'm hoping it clears up quickly. Anyone who's dealt with respiratory issues knows how scary it can be. Brady's also getting over some sort of virus but he seems to be fairing much better.

Here are a couple more projects I did for Teacher Appreciation Week. They are super simple small things. I just wanted to send little tokens of appreciation everyday. I used to work in education so I really appreciate what teachers do for their students. I had one for everyday but forgot to photograph the one I sent on Thurs. It was M&Ms with a poem about teachers.

This first one is just a 3 pack of Extra gum in a Polka Dot Bitty Bag with a Chick Sticker to seal it. I used a Colored Tag with a bit of Divine Twine to write the sentiment "Thanks for being EXTRA-ordinary!" then I had Brady sign it. I wanted to use a bunch of great free printables I found on Pinterest but my printer is out of ink so I had to go with what I had.

Here's an idea I got off Pinterest. I found these fun reusable jars and filled them with those little packets you put into a bottle of water to flavor it. I added some May Arts ribbon and added a tag that says "Thanks for helping me find my creative JUICES!" I stamped the crayon and pencil with some Paper Smooches stamps.

On the last day, I sent these gift cards. My friend Latisha posted a picture on her Facebook where she stamped directly on the gift card holder. Hers is MUCH nicer but I was on a time crunch. You can see Latisha's project HERE. I used some Paper Smooches stamps for this and some Copics to color them.

Have a great day, friends!

The WRITE Teacher For Me

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:25:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day! I am doing pretty good. Avery and I went to a Mother's Day tea today that was lovely. She was the belle of the ball, as always. She wore a little party dress as I'm always looking for reasons to put her in a party dress.

Here's one of the gifts I made for Brady to give to his teachers for Teacher Appreciate Week. I used some journalling cards from Becky Higgins Amber Core Kit and then stamped the corner with some Paper Smooches stamps and colored with gel pens. We wrote a little note on there (since my printer is out of ink) and I attached it with some May Arts ribbon.

Have a great day, friends!

I Made a Card!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:08:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day! Please do not be alarmed, I actually made a card. Last weekend I took a little time to craft. I made this card and worked on Project Life for a while. It was nice.

This is a super clean and simple card I made for Dustin for our anniversary that was last month. I know. I'm super on top of things. ;) I made this CAS because I know Dustin prefers a clean look. I'm entering this in the CAS-ual Fridays challenge 100 using the diagonal in the Tic-Tac-Toe: polka dots, bling, and black and white. I hope the little red glitter is allowed. I used Paper Smooches Teen Routine for this card. The washi is from Love My Tapes. The white cardstock is actually textured (I bought it on clearance at Target) to give more interest to the card.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

April 2013 CARDS Publication

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Sat, 04 May 2013 05:22:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day! I've had a rotten week. I got foot fungus from a pedicure, my fridge broke, we had to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of food, we all got a cold, and we have tons of spiders and bugs and the pest control guy didn't show up. Sigh... but tomorrow is a new day and we just have to make the best of it, right?

Today, I'm sharing the last card I have published. I hope there will be more cards in the future but this was the last one I sent off to have published. It's a hard and sad feeling. Of course, I'm super happy to have all these cards published and I feel so blessed but what if this is it? Who knows if I'll get my mojo back or if I'll still be what people are looking for. Fingers crossed.

Here's the card I have in CARDS Magazine April 2013. This is in the baby section. For instructions and supplies, please check out the issue. (PS Look I did shabby chic!)

Have a great day, friends!

Losing Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:34:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day! Today, I'm writing to share a photo of my kiddos and my random musings. I haven't been creating much or blogging much.

Photo by Elevens Photography

This is a photo from our recent photo shoot with Stacey at Elevens Photography. It was so nice to have professional pictures taken. I love the way photographers can capture my kids! They do not pose this well for me. This is Avery's first photo pro photo shoot. She wasn't too thrilled but I still love the pictures of her!

Now, onto my lack of creativity and blogging. I'm not sure how many of you know, but Avery is the last baby we are planning to have. My pregnancy was really hard. I started contracting at 33 weeks and was told to take it easy. Later, I found out that my pregnancy was considered high risk because I had placenta issues with both my boys. After I had Avery, healing was really hard. I was exhausted all the time and bled for months. I ended up having to take a couple medications to stop the bleeding. Overall, it was enough to make me not want to get pregnant again.

But every single struggle was worth it. Avery is the sweetest, cutest, most darling baby girl in the world and I could not love her anymore if I tried. However, it's been a challenge to want to do anything else when she's around. I just want to hold her, look into her eyes, coo at her, and spend as much time with her as I can because babies grow up SO fast.

Where does that leave my role as a cardmaker? This is one of the words I use to identify myself. When I go to CHA or meet new crafters, I tell them that I'm a cardmaker. That's what I do. And yet it's been months since I've made a card. I miss it dearly. I miss crafting, I miss submitting, I miss doing challenges, etc... I love looking at other people's cards, I love looking at new product, and buying new product. But yet, I can't manage to make anything. I also miss doing Project Life, memory keeping for my family.

So, how do you find balance? I guess someday I'll figure it out. But until then, I'll just feel like a piece of myself is on the back burner.

31 Before 31

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:14:00 +0000

Hi friends! Life has gotten so much busier with three kids in all different again groups. I've been trying to make my 31 Before 31 list for such a long time. It's taken me months to take the time to focus on just this one task. I know I'll hit my stride soon though.

1. Lose 31 pounds (start somewhere, right?)

2. 30 day no buy

3. Purge, purge, purge

4. Thoroughly photograph every holiday

5. Get published 3 times

6. Make 31 layouts

7. Organize office

8. Send 31 greeting cards

9. Go wine tasting for the first time

10. Go on 10 date nights

11. Learn how to do winged eyeliner

12. Buy and wear a pair of heels (it's been years)

13. Take a good family photo

14. Enter a mail away card contest

15. Patronize 5 new (to me) local businesses

16. Try 5 new fruits/vegetables

17. Take kids on a train ride

18. Buy a nice piece of furniture

19. Save $1000 in savings account

20. Make Parker and Avery's birth/newborn books

21. Have a late 30th bday party

22. Do 10 random acts of kindness

23. Cook a fresh fish dish for the first time

24. Open bank accounts for all 3 kids

25. Take a class

26. Eat at the Bacon Mania Truck

27. Try a macaron for the first time

28. For a new good habit

29. Finish Parker's baby frame

30. Buy a mini-van

31. Start a new anti-aging skin care routine

Fingers crossed that I get it all done! :D

Paper Crafts Magazine May/June Published Card

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:19:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you are all well. We are doing ok around here. Life with three kids is so much harder than I thought and it's just taking a lot of time to adjust. I haven't had much time to craft. I actually haven't had that much time to myself period. But I'm trying to savor the moment since this baby phase goes by in the blink of an eye.

Today, I'm sharing a card I have published in the May/June 2013 issue of Paper Crafts Magazine. Sadly, this was from the last month I submitted before I had Avery so I don't have much to share after this. I really really love this card though. It's inspired completely by Dustin and this is totally a card I would make and actually give to my husband. While I usually love my published cards, I can't really say that they all have someone in my life that I actually had in mind when I made them. For a supply list and instructions on how I made this card, please purchase the Paper Crafts May/June 2013 issue. I've posted the cover here. This issue is packed full of fabulous inspiration!

Have a great day, friends!

Hello!! (Chit Chat and Update)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Hi friends! I just wanted to blog really quickly because it's been SO long. I haven't been crafting much so I feel like I have nothing to write about but I actually have some things I wanted to blog about like how to save money using apps on your phone and some recipes. One day I'll get used to the idea of having a lifestyle blog instead of just a crafting blog. Maybe. Hopefully!

The kids are doing well. Brady only have 1.5 months of kindergarten left and I feel like I'm going to cry. Yikes! Parker is doing well. He'll be going to 4 year old preschool in the fall (actually late summer) and hopefully that will go better than 3 year old preschool which he dropped out of. And Avery is doing fantastic. She's a sweet baby with adorable rolls and is a huge hit everywhere we go.

Over spring break, I got really really sick and ended up in the hospital. I had viral and bacterial infections which caused me to have a fever. I was sweating constantly and I managed to get dehydrated even though I was drinking and eating soup. I had to get 4 bags of IV fluids and antibiotics. I spent last week recovering some more. I'm still tired but I think I'm getting well now.

THANK YOU to my friends who always comment every time I blog which is so infrequently. It makes me feel very loved knowing that you didn't give up on me. :)

January CARDS Pubs

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:45:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a lovely day! We are having a great day! It's sunny outside and the baby is in a great mood. I was actually able to make dinner which is a huge feat with three kids. It's the little things.

Today, I'm showing you the cards I had published in the Jan 2013 issue of CARDS Magazine. I should have done this post in February but it was kind of a busy month for me.

Have a great day, friends!

Springtime Bird House

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 05:24:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great day! We are doing ok around here. We are slowly getting into a routine and I'm sleeping enough to keep me going through the day (most nights). I can't believe my baby is already over 9 weeks old! It goes by SO fast!

Today, I'm sharing a project that screams spring to me. I love when the sun comes out, the flowers start blooming, and the birds are singing. I decided to alter a small wooden birdhouse for decor. I ripped apart some paper from My Mind's Eye and used Mod Podge to adhere it onto the birdhouse. Then I added some May Arts ribbon using some i {stick} papers red line tape from i {heart} papers. I'm linking this up to the Paper Issues Spring Challenge.

Have a great day, friends!

Congrats Baby Card

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:22:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're doing great! Sorry I haven't blogged in so long. I am SO busy with the kids especially the baby. I'd forgotten how tired I get with a baby. Hopefully, we will get more sleep and I can start crafting soon. I keep trying to take the baby into the craft room with me but she doesn't seem to like it in there. It must be the GIANT mess in there.

I made this card for my friend JoAnn to congratulate her on her new baby. I'm a little late. Like she had her baby while I was still pregnant late. But I'm sure she understands. I used super cute stamps from Paper Smooches and the paper is from Kaisercraft. The ribbon is May Arts. I'm entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.

Here's the sketch I used CAS(E) this Sketch #16:

Have a great day, friends! Until next time!

May Arts Valentine's Day Hop (Giveaway)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today, I have a super fun post for you! It's my day to be on the May Arts Ribbon Valentine's Blog Hop! YAY! Two of my favorite things, ribbon and Valentine's! To start the hop, head over to the May Arts Blog. Be sure to leave a comment on every blog because May Arts is giving away 4 spools of ribbon as a prize!

Here's a picture of my Valentine's Day mantel with a couple of the projects I made. As you could probably tell from my blog title, I love hearts! That's one of the reasons I LOVE Valentine's Day so much. I made the heart garland and the little jar for this hop.

Here's a close up of the ribbon garland that I took while I was making it. I just cut a length of ribbon and stapled the cut ends together. Then I placed a staple directly across from my first staple making the bottom of the heart. I linked my hearts together as I went along. When I was done making my garland, I used fabric stiffener all over my hearts to make sure they all keep their shape. I used 3/8" Stripe/Stitch Grosgrain Ribbon for this garland.

After I decorated my mantel, I thought it needed a little something extra so I put together this SUPER simple jar. I had an empty jar and I filled it with conversation heart candies. Then I used 1/2" Pink Crotchet Ribbon as a finishing touch. This is really simple and a perfect little gift.

Lastly, I made this wall decor. I saw a project online that used a child's footprints slightly overlapped to make a heart and thought it was so cute. I made this wall hanging using my kids footprints that I put onto cardstock with non-toxic finger paint. This part was SO hard. Apparently, kids don't like to have their feet painted then stamped onto paper. Go figure. Then I cut out the hearts and stapled them onto the fuchsia ribbon. I made a loop at the top so you can hang it. Then I tied on a light pink bow. I used the two pink 5/8" Satin Scalloped Ribbon for this project.

Here's the blog hop order for today:

Charlene Driggs

Ashley N Newell (you are here)

Erin Thiem

Marie Otake

Gini Williams Cagle

Have a great day, friends! And don't forget to leave comments for your chance to win!

Bitty Bag Favors

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope that you are doing well. We are ok. Dustin went back to work so we have been going through yet another transition period. It's going alright. I'm a little under the weather though. Hopefully, it doesn't turn into anything because I am still getting only 4-5 hours of broken sleep a night with the baby and the kids.

Today, I'm sharing a project I helped my friend make for my baby shower. She bought some mixed nuts and some delicious chocolate for the favors but didn't really know how to package them up. I told her that I would take care of it since she was doing SO many amazing things for me already. I used some Whisker Graphics Diagonal Stripe Little Bitty Bags for these and filled them with the nuts and chocolates. Then I used some Raspberry Divine Twine and then sealed them with Chick 1" Stickers.

Have a great day, friends!

Project Life: 20 Week Ultrasound Week

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 06:55:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope that you are doing well. We are doing ok over here. We are still trying to get into a routine. Avery just turned one month on Jan 27. Dustin goes back to work tomorrow and I'm just really nervous since he's been doing SO much around here. Yikes! Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Today, I'm posting an older Project Life layout. This is from the week Brady started Kindergarten and when we found out that we were having a girl. My friend also had a baby and we went to a memorial event. It was a busy week so I did two layouts. I don't ALWAYS do two. ;)

First page using Echo Park This and That Charming and a little This and That Graceful, SRM stickers, May Arts ribbons, Paper Smooches stamps, and lots of embellishments.

Left Side

Right Side

Second page using Echo Park This and That Graceful and This and That Charming.

Left side

Right side

Have a great day, friends!

Linking Up

30 Before 30 Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great day! We are doing pretty good. We are getting into more of a routine and the baby is growing SO much. I wish she would slow down a bit. Brady has had an ear infection but he's on antibiotics so he should be getting better really soon.

Last year, I made a 30 Before 30 list. I was doing great for a while but then I had lots of health problems, then I got pregnant, and then I got the whooping cough. It just all went out the window. Here's what ended up happening.

1. Read 30 books. --- 24/30

2. Send 30 "just because" cards. ---- 4/30

3. Lose 30 pounds. --- My nurse practitioner advised me not to lose weight while pregnant.

4. Go on a family trip. --- done

5. Try 10 new restaurants. --- done

6. Learn to use my sewing machine. --- never started

7. Get 6 projects published. --- done

8. Go wine tasting. --- not done

9. Complete a 30 day "no buy" --- fail

10. Start and maintain a skin care routine. --- I had one until I got pregnant then intended on switching to natural products and never found things I wanted to use.

11. Keep a journal. --- I tried and decided this isn't really for me.

12. Make 30 new recipes. --- 20/30

13. Project 365 -iPhone only. --- fail

14. Throw a dinner party. --- we had people for dinner but not a real dinner party

15. Purge 30 bags of stuff. ---- 10/30

16. Finish a scrapbook. --- fail

17. Save up and buy myself something expensive. --- fail, both in money and Swagbucks. What I saved, I spent on the baby.

18. Get a spa treatment at a real spa. ---- done.

19. Dress up 30 times. No jeans, t-shirts, sweats, hoodies, or sneakers. --- maybe 5/30?

20. Go see a play. --- done

21. Get professional pictures, alone. --- I got some maternity photos but mostly it was a family shoot.

22. Go to a festival. --- done

23. Take my kids fruit picking, not in our yard. --- done

24. Make 30 things from Pinterest. --- maybe 8/30?

25. Sell my cards in a store. --- never started

26. Buy and wear a pair of heels. --- fail, I'm gonna have to order online

27. Get a Parker inspired tattoo. --- couldn't get a tattoo while pregnant

28. Take pictures of every major holiday. --- done, sort of.

29. Take my boys on 1-on-1 dates, 3 each. --- done

30. Research adoption and decide. --- done

I intend on making a 31 Before 31 list. Hopefully, this year will be more calm for me and I can concentrate on completing my list. That and my OLW for this year is Actualize so I need to focus on bringing things into fruition.

Have a great day, friends!

May Arts and CardMaker Blog Hop (Giveaway)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope that you are all doing well! Today, I have a very special post for you. I'm participating in the May Arts and CardMaker Magazine Blog Hop. To start the hop, please go to the CardMaker Blog. Be sure to leave comments on every blog because May Arts is giving away a prize to one lucky person, FOUR spools of ribbon!

I haven't made many cards in the last few months. Since I had the baby, I feel like my creativity is back but my time is really limited. That and I'm really sleep deprived. I'm a little rusty at making cards so please bear with me.

My first card is actually featured in the banner! :D I was pretty excited when I figured that out! I used a bunch of colors of May Arts 3/4" striped twill and 1/2" white crinkle ribbon. The sentiment is from Fresh Squeezed Stamps.

Here's a more vintage card. I used May Arts 3/4" lace with pearl center, 1/4" trimming ringlets, and gold metallic string. The paper is Pink Paislee and the stamp is Hero Arts.

My next card is for when someone finds out they are having a little girl. I used May Arts 1" solid woven check ribbon, 1/2" crotchet ribbon, 3/8" grosgrain striped and stitched, 5/8" satin scalloped edge, 5/8" satin pleats, 3/4" twill stripes, and 5/8" faux suede. The stamps are Paper Smooches and I added a velvet flower.

And for my last card, I made another baby girl card because apparently I have baby girl on the brain. I used May Arts 1/2" crotchet, 5/8" satin scalloped edge, and the 1 1/4" silk ribbons. The stamps are Paper Smooches and the paper is Crate Paper.

I hope you enjoyed my creations! Next up on the hop is Candy Rosenberg. Don't forget to leave comments to be entered in the giveaway! Have a great day, friends!

75 Creative Card Challenges Publication

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:02:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope that you're having a great day! We are doing ok. I am still VERY tired. Avery is waking up about every 2 hours at night to eat which is kind of annoying because she wakes up every 3-4 hours during the day. :( I guess she has her days and nights confused? She also wants to stay awake at night and just stare at me. She doesn't cry and she's just so sweet so what can you do? Hopefully, I can start sleeping soon.

Today, I'm sharing a card I had published in Paper Crafts Magazine's 75 Creative Card Challenges. This issue is some major MOJO boosting goodness! One of my very favorite things to do when I'm low on creative juices is to try some challenges to get things going. This issue offers 75 of them right at the tip of your fingers. Here's the cover:

And here's the card I have published in this issue. If you'd like the details on this card, please check out the issue.

Have a great day, friends!

New Year, New Direction, and OLW

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:08:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great day! We are doing ok. I'm not getting a ton of sleep and my healing is going a little slower than I would like but everyone else is doing well. I really need to soak in these days that Dustin has off. It's so hard to savor these newborn moments when you're not feeling well but I'm trying.

Ok, so every couple months I get on this kick where I want to turn my blog into a lifestyle blog and then I chicken out. I've added a couple recipes here and there. A couple makeup/nail posts. A couple reviews. But every time, I always ended up coming back to cards. When I started this blog, it was meant to be a lifestyle blog (before I even knew what that was) but it turned into a paper crafting blog. My original intention was to blog pictures of Brady (it was only him back then), things I liked, reviews of homemade items I bought, digital projects, etc... Then I discovered the world of design teams and all that went out the window. This year, I'd like to take my blog back to what I originally wanted and more.

My focus has changed since I started this blog. I still want to post creations that I make. I do love crafting and love sharing my projects. I still want to be on design teams. But I also want to post recipes, reviews, money saving ideas, personal stuff, photos, and well anything I like. After all, it is my blog and I've worked REALLY hard on getting it to where it is today.

Speaking of finally making changes, this year I'm going to focus more on the One Little Word concept from Ali Edwards. Instead of making a bunch of resolutions, I want to focus on this one word and making myself better in this way. My One Little Word for 2013 is ACTUALIZE.

Over the last few weeks, I've gotten fed up with how many people I've dealt with in my life who don't follow through on what they say they are going to do. Then I took a good long look in the mirror and thought of how many times I said I was going to do something and haven't finished or even started it. I decided that if I disliked this trait so much in other people, I need to work on it myself.

Actualize:
~Make my ideas come to fruition
~Follow through with what I tell people I'm going to do
~Finishing projects
~And who else knows where this word will take me this year. But I intend to follow it.

And because who likes a blog post with no picture, I give you Avery smiling. :D Or maybe Avery with gas.

Have a great day, friends!

Project Life : Monterey Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. We are doing pretty good. Baby Avery is gaining weight well and looks pretty healthy. I'm having a few small issues after delivery and I'm taking some medicine to help with bleeding and blood clots but I should be fine in no time. The boys are doing good.

Today, I'm sharing my Project Life layouts from when we took a trip to Monterey this summer. (I made these a LONG TIME AGO and just never blogged them. I have TONS of PL layouts to blog.) For those of you who don't know, it's COLD there even in the summer. It's right on the coast but in Northern California which is not warm like Southern California. Though, we live in the valley which is SUPER HOT in the summer. Ok, enough weather lessons. ;)

Here's our short trip to Fisherman's Wharf and some of the food we ate. I used My Mind's Eye paper for these layouts.

Left side

Right side

Here's our trip to the beach and the aquarium.

Left side

Right side

I made these photos really big since I really like looking at the detail on Project Life layouts. What do you think? Too big? I can scale them back.

Have a great day, friends! Hope to talk to you soon.

Linking Up:

Influenster Box #2: Ferrero Rocher

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:04:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. We are scraping by here. It's been a rough transition and we are still in it with the kids.

Today, I wanted to tell you about my second Influenster box. I talked about Influenster in THIS POST last month. Basically, you can sign up to try out FREE products if you agree to review them. How cool is that? My second box came from Influenster and it was a GORGEOUS golden box of Ferrero Rocher! 18 pieces! Not some tiny sample. Look at how pretty it is! Now, because I am reviewing it, I didn't give the whole box away though it would make a great present!

In case you've never had Ferrero Rocher, they are individually wrapped little balls of goodness. There's a hazelnut in the center surrounded by a chocolate cream then there's a wafer cookie layer and they top it with a chocolate coating that is loaded with hazelnut pieces. If you love hazelnuts and hazelnut spreads, you will love these! They are so yummy! Now, I wanted to keep them all for myself but after a long day of taking care of all the kids, I pulled out my box and sat on the couch and gave some to my husband too.

Here's the description from the company:
Ferrero Rocher® is a unique and delicious chocolate experience made by Italian chocolatier Ferrero, since 1982. The chocolates are a tempting combination of smooth chocolaty cream surrounding a whole hazelnut; within a delicate, crisp wafer. . . all enveloped in milk chocolate and finely chopped hazelnuts. The chocolates are individually wrapped in gold foil.

Have a great day, friends!

Welcome to the World Baby Avery

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:57:00 +0000

Hi friends! I'm a little late in posting but I've been really busy. As you can tell from the title of the post, my daughter was born. :) Her name is Avery and she was born on Dec 27. She weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz and is 20 3/4 inches long. Right now, we are struggling with her weight. She kept losing weight. :( Yesterday, we had a .03 oz gain so keep your fingers crossed that we have crossed this bridge and she'll keep gaining weight. Without further ado, I assume you came for the pictures.

Here is a picture of Avery less than 12 hours old, meeting her brothers for the first time.

And here's Avery at home with this little dolly that I got from Dustin's aunt that I just adore.

Needless to say, my blog might go neglected for a while. Have a great day friends!

Top Ten Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well! Today, I'm participating in a blog hop hosted by my friend Christine Meyer. She asked a bunch of her friends to put together their top 10 favorite projects of the year and post them so we could have a blog hop. Some people are giving away blog candy. I am not, I'm scheduling this post and hopefully I'll have a new baby by the time it goes live. ;)

Here are my top ten favorite projects of 2012 in chronological order.

I love this panda from Some Odd Girl especially with the polka dots!

I made this card for my crafty BFF, Savannah.

I made this for a challenge on the Create (Cards Mag) Blog and it was featured on there.

I made this chalkboard for the Paper Made Bakery Blog.

I made this one for the Love My Tapes Blog and used a sentiment from The Cat's Pajamas. I think this is one of the cards that gets pinned on Pinterest the most from my blog.

I made this for a May Arts Challenge and was one of the top ten.

This is a totally random card I made for a call that was rejected over and over yet I still love it.

This was for a Paper Smooches challenge.

I made this for my friend Summer to give to her daughter Mia after she had her second daughter.

I made this for the Moxie Fab World Minty Fresh challenge and I was picked as one of the Moxie Fab winners. :)

Next up, please check out Cathy Harper! I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me. :) Have a great weekend and a Happy New Year! :)

And here's the whole hop list:

Liz Chidester http://thescrappiest.blogspot.com

Marcia Dehn Nix   http://onescrapatatime-bymumsie.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012-blog-hop-plus-giveaway.html

Monika Wright http://www.iloveitallwithmonikawright.com/

Ivanka Lentle http://ivankascardstudio.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-of-2012.html

Christine Meyer http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-ten-of-2012-plus-giveaway-and.html

Jamie Cripps http://jamielanedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-of-2012.html

Erin Morehousehttp http://girlpaperscissors.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012.html

Melissa Elsner http://www.theprofoundbrunette.com/2012/12/top-ten-for-2012.html

Jodi Wilton http://luvalotland.blogspot.ca/

Sarah Hill http://rockoandbella.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-blog-hop-2012.html

Laurel Seabrook  http://want2scrap.blogspot.ca/

Carrie Walz http://everydaymoments-carrie.blogspot.com/

Jen Matott http://arttalk-sigmagirl.blogspot.com/

Jan Tatomir http://www.jantatomir.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Haggerty http://livethemoment-jen.blogspot.com/

Kerri Yarus http://kerrikr8tions.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-projects-of-2012-plus-blog-hop.html

Ashley Nguyen Newell  http://hearthugsdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-blog-hop.html

Cathy Harper  http://alteredplayground.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012-blog-hop.html

Malika Kelly http://malikakelly.blogspot.com/

Lynn Shokoples http://scrappyhappymom.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-of-2012-blog-hop.html

Kris Berc http://stashofprettypaper.blogspot.com/

Julie Tucker Wolek http://thetuckerwolekclan.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-projects-for-2012.html

Rhonda VanGinkel http://snapwhiz.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-10-of-2012-blog-hop.html

Savannah O'Gwynn http://www.savannahland2.blogspot.com

Audrey Yeager http://audreysreflection.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-twelve-of-2012-blog-hop-and-giveaway.html

Katrina Hunt http://paperscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-ten-of-2012-along-with-blog-hop.html

Merry Christmas 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 05:33:00 +0000

Hi friends! I haven't sent out Christmas cards yet. I'm just not feeling it this year. Maybe I can get around to it very soon being that Christmas is coming really soon. Like the day after tomorrow...

Here are the photo cards Dustin designed for us to send out. I just picked out the pictures, he did the rest. Hopefully, we get them sent soon.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Quick Gift Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:45:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great day! I'm still here. Hoping to have this baby before Christmas. It's looking bleak though. :/ That's ok. It will happen when it happens.

Today, I'm sharing a present I made for a friend with you. I started with some inexpensive Glade candles. I like these kinds of candle. I can't justify paying $20 for Yankee candles. I'm sure they are fabulous but I'm cheap. ;) I used some OLD May Arts burlap and some newer May Arts pearl lace to decorate these. It was a pretty quick project but I really think it elevates these simple little candles.

Have a great day friends! Send over some labor dust! :)

Brady's Teacher Christmas Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Nguyen Newell) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. Alas, I'm still here and very pregnant. Please keep your fingers crossed that I don't have this baby on Christmas or Christmas Eve. I don't want to be in the hospital. I'd like to be with my boys that day. ;)

Speaking of Christmas, this year Brady decided to make his own Christmas cards for his teachers. That boy is SO sweet! He told me he wanted a Christmas tree on the card so Dustin and I drew some triangles for him to cut out himself. I trimmed the tree trunks and punched the stars our for him but he picked the colors. He added the rhinestones and Stickles himself. He wrote From Brady on the front of both as well. Then he wrote a special message inside for his teachers. He really is a sweet little doll. I didn't do anything crafty for their presents this year. They will get these cards with some gifts basket things from Starbucks.

Have a great day, friends!