June ’15 Top 5

July 2, 2015October 31, 2015 Diana SanchezLeave a comment

Happy July everyone! I can’t believe half the year is gone! I just wanted to say thank you if you are a follower of The Lovely Pear, I just love where this blog is right now. I feel like my little blog has done awesome these past six months and I can’t wait to see how it will do the rest of the year! Now let’s start with June’s Top 5:

1. We R Memory Keepers Banner Punch Board

We R Memory Keepers makes it on to the list for a second time in a row with this awesome punch board. I have made banners before where I had to insert one sheet of paper at a time into my die cutting machine in order to cut out each flag, so it felt like forever to cut out enough to spell out “Happy Birthday” (insert bored face emoticon). I knew I had to get this when a friend asked me to make a banner for her son’s birthday, and I couldn’t believe how fast it was to cut out each flag. I especially love how it makes three different styles, plus it is so simple to use. This is a must-have if you’re into throwing parties and love a good banner.

2. HP Social Media Snapshots

If you love Instagram as much as I do, then you HAVE to try this out! You buy this pack of HP photo paper, which is 25 sheets of 4×5 glossy paper, and you download the HP Snapshots app (only available on Apple App Store). Once you connect to your Instagram account and your HP printer, you can choose an Instagram photo and a template and you get this picture with your Instagram stats. You can have your photo caption, the date you posted it, your icon, and how many likes and comments your photo received printed. There are 11 different templates to choose from, including some that come with a black, green chevron, or pink border. The duck photo was printed with an antique looking template called “Dickens”. I think this would be perfect to use with Project Life or scrapbook layouts.

3. Mama Elephant Creative Color Pigment Ink

So, I’m cheating a little on this one. I have had one or two Mama Elephant ink pads for a while now but I really didn’t know how to work with pigment ink so I hardly used them. This month I decided to try again and now I only want to use this ink! I bought a lot of new colors this month and they are so vibrant and Mama Elephant has the best colors! I’m going through a Lemongrass phase right now but I just got Tutti Frutti in and I’m sure that will be the color for July. This is my favorite colored ink to use, period.

4. Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

According to my Instagram feed, everybody and their momma bought the Zig Clean Color Markers, and you know me… I had to get them also. I like to use these because they are easy to blend with, which comes in handy if you’re like me and can’t master Copics. If you’re waiting on a good deal to get these, you can get them from the Marker Supply website for half off.

5. Hero Arts Kelly’s Yes Please Stamp SetI love me a good small quote and especially now that I’m getting into Project Life. Then you mix it up with a wood mounted stamp? Even better. This stamp set is perfect to add that extra sass to your PL layouts! Now if only my boss would let me use these to stamp office documents… I just processed your invoice, like a boss!

I hope you guys enjoyed, I can’t wait to show you my newest Project Life layout on my next post. Make sure to stay tuned!!!

Items mentioned:

InLinkz.com

Link to HP Social Media Snapshots: http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/ink–toner—paper/hp-social-media-snapshots-removable-sticky-photo-paper-25-sht-4-x-5-in

My Favorites

May ’15 Top 5

May 31, 2015October 31, 2015 Diana SanchezLeave a comment

Hey guys! It’s the end of May, I feel like I just posted my Top 5 for April! Time is going by way too fast. I am now the parent of a sixth grader (whaaaaat?!).

I wanted to show you guys what I’ve been practicing. I’ve been working on collecting embroidery threads and other accessories. This is my first try at embroidery. I stamped the Love You Tons stamp set from Lawn Fawn with Mama Elephant’s Blush Pigment Ink Pad. I’m really going to try to practice some more and try different techniques.

And now, on to the top 5!

1. Hero Arts Stylish Letter Upper Case Woodblock Set

By now you know I love a good alphabet stamp set and I just happened to get this awesome set at such a good deal. I found it at Hobby Lobby for about $15 and then used my 40% off coupon. This is going to be perfect for future Project Life layouts. Plus, who doesn’t love old fashion wooden stamps?

2. Kellie Stamps
So number 2 is Kellie Stamps, period. Not just one stamp set, all of Kellie Stamps. I LOOOOVE all her sets and I can’t pick just one. I went on her online store and bought whatever she had in stock. These sets are fun and different and you can use them for cards, scrapbook or Project Life layouts. My favorite? If I must pick one I’d go with “Does BAE = Bacon and Eggs? Cause I love BAE”.

3. Peerless Water ColorsSo I wanted to get in with the water coloring fad but I didn’t want to spend too much money (because I can’t even color with markers) and I read about Peerless Water Colors. The colors are so vibrant and I love how they come in sheets plus they are super affordable. I cut each sheet to a 1″ long by 2.5″ wide rectangle and glued them to a Strathmore watercolor book. I’m definitely looking forward to using these during the next The Daily Marker’s 30 Day Coloring Challenge starting tomorrow!

4. We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool

So the fuse tool was all the rage this month and I can see why after playing with it. It is so easy to use and it’s just so cool! I made this little sequin pocket in no time!

5. Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 CameraI was so excited to get this camera! It’s been so long since I had an instant camera. It comes in many different colors and I chose yellow because of Lucky (our pet duck) and had I waited a couple of weeks, I would’ve ended up with a white one instead. I’ve been stingy with the roll of film because only 10 come in a roll, but I’m ready to start taking some pictures for some scrapbook layouts. Also, I bought this at Michael’s Craft Store and was able to use my 40% off coupon!!!

I hope you guys enjoyed this month’s Top 5! I have so much fun picking my favorite supplies each month and I can’t believe it’s already been five Top 5s!

Thanks for stopping by!

Items Mentioned:

InLinkz.com

Link to Kellie’s Stamps: http://kelliestamps.bigcartel.com/category/clear-stamps

My Favorites

April ’15 Top 5

May 2, 2015October 31, 2015 Diana SanchezLeave a comment

Hi everyone! I feel so bad because I’m late with my My Faves for April but I’ve been so busy this week and I haven’t even had time to craft or play with some new supplies I’ve bought. And here are the two reasons I’ve been busy this week:

We got ducks! Long story short, the first one (Lucky, the yellow one) was my son’s, given to him by the school as a project to help take care of the egg and raise the duckling at school. He (or she, we’re not sure) was able to come home on Tuesday. AJ won the black one (yet to be named), it was between AJ and another student. We had asked for an extra one so Lucky wouldn’t be lonely, and he/she came home on Wednesday. They are just awesome, we love these ducks and have gotten so attached to them already. It has taken a little longer for our girls (dogs) to get used to them but they’re getting there.

So it was a crazy ending to April but slow for me overall. I didn’t get into my craft room as much as I wanted. One of my cards, Thanks Teacher, made it as a Featured Player though, on the Paper Smooches SPARKS Anything Goes Challenge for week 3! I was very happy about that! I also did get some very cool stuff this month that I’m very excited to use, check it out below!

1. My Sweet Petunia MISTI (Most Incredible Stamp Tool Invented)

I finally bought a MISTI, I think I was the last card-maker to get one! I have not played with it yet. I’m hoping to watch some videos on YouTube to get ideas on different techniques. It was a little difficult to get since it was always out of stock but I was able to get it through Simon Says Stamp.

2. Hero Arts Ombre Ink Pad

I was so excited to find out Hobby Lobby was carrying these ink pads! This is actually my first Hero Arts product. This is the only ombre ink pad I have so far but I definitely want to get the rest. The color you see here is Pool to Navy, looks even better in person!

3. Paper Smooches Tag Stitched Die

I really wanted a tag die and it was hard to choose one out of so many but I decided to go with Paper Smooches. I picked this one because of the size and the stitching along the edge. I used this on my Thanks Teacher card, and I want to use it for tags on gifts in the future.

4. Mama Elephant Block Party Letters Stamp Set

I love these letters… this is my favorite letter stamp set right now. This font is so fun to use on cards, Project Life layouts, and scrapbook layouts. Another perk is Mama Elephant stamps are really good quality.

5. Tsukineko Versamark Versamarker Watermark Emboss Pen

Say that 3 times fast! Ok, this is awesome… you can emboss anything you write or draw with this pen. It is very simple to use and is as good as the VersaMark Emboss Ink Pad. This is definitely a must have!

That is my Top 5 for April, I hope you guys enjoyed! I hope to get into my craft room more this month for sure. Plus I have two new cute models to create some stuff with!

Thanks for stopping by!

Items Mentioned:

InLinkz.com

My Favorites

March ’15 Top 5

March 31, 2015May 22, 2016 Diana Sanchez1 Comment

Well, March has come and gone. In the beginning of March, I was still wearing my winter coat, now it’s 92 degrees outside and I’m in shorts, that’s west Texas for you. This top 5 was hard for me because I bought sooooo many stamps and dies this month! But I narrowed it down and here it is:

1. Paper Smooches Sassy Letters Die Set

This is THE die set to have especially if you can’t decide what sentiment(s) to purchase. I love this font, it’s so funky and (obviously) sassy. Each letter is unique and no matter what sentiment you make, it’ll give your card a fun feel. As you can see, I’ve kept the letters attached and I plan on keeping it that way because I think the negative part of your paper would make an awesome background. You can see the card I made with this die set, A Sassy Thanks, here (I forgot to mention, this card was chosen as a Featured Player for the Paper Smooches March Picture Perfect Challenge).

2. Mama Elephant Sew Fancy Die Set

Here is another die set that I think is a must have. I have to say the border dies are my favorite. I love the stitched look on the two border dies, you can see how I used one on the We Really Really Miss You card I made recently. Also, the stitched die (in gray) is also a fun look to add on any card.

Here you can see how the circle dies pierce your cut and the negative space of your paper. There’s so many things you can do with this, and you get different size circles!

3. Mama Elephant Dainty Bow Die Set

So I’ve been wanting a bow die for a while now and I decided to get the Mama Elephant version of it. This is a great die set for that little feminine touch. I love how you can make two different styles with this die and how the bow pops up and isn’t flat (works better with thinner paper). It’s super easy to make and would work great for a lot more projects than just cards.

4. Lawn Fawn Premium Dye Ink Pads

Lawn Fawn recently came out with their own line of ink pads. I don’t have that much experience with ink because the majority of my ink is from Papertrey Ink, but I knew I needed to start experimenting. I wanted to try Lawn Fawn because I just love all their products and also because the line is new and they only have 10 colors out right now. I knew if I loved the ink I was going to want the whole set, and sure enough, Lawn Fawn did not disappoint! I only have Fake Tan and Cranberry so far. You can see in the picture above how vibrant the ink is. I’m really looking forward to getting the rest!

5. Altenew Vintage Roses Stamp Set

I FINALLY got Vintage Roses!!! I have been wanting this for so long. At first I was a little intimidated by this set. It seemed complicated and hard, like it would take forever to piece the stamps but I was wrong! Once I finally decided to purchase this, I had to wait for it to be in stock because this stamp set is so popular and it was always sold out. I didn’t realize how many roses and leaves you can make with this until it arrived, it’s the biggest stamp set I have. You can see an example of the beautiful roses and leafs it makes on the picture above, they have great detail.

I am definitely looking forward to buying new stuff during April and can’t wait to see all the new products that will be coming out. I hope you guys had a great March and have an even better April!

Item’s Mentioned:

InLinkz.com

My Favorites

February ’15 Top 5

March 1, 2015October 31, 2015 Diana Sanchez1 Comment

Hi everyone! I’m back with my top 5 favorite supplies for the month of February. Even though this month was fast and very cold, it was still a good month. Not much happened other than I turned 32 and won my first challenge! Also, I got brave and made Valentine chocolate lollipops, which is the first time ever I give away something edible that I made.

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Not too bad for my first try!

And now, on to my top 5:

1. Brother XL2600I Sew Advance Sew Affordable 25-Stitch Free-Arm Sewing Machine

This was my birthday present from the hubby. I had been wanting this since I first saw it on Jennifer McGuire’s video My Favorite Crafty Things 2014 – Crafting Tools. My mom taught me how to sew when I was real young but I hadn’t touched a sewing machine since I was about 12 so I was a little nervous about sewing again, but this is real easy to use. I haven’t used it that much but I plan to change that soon.

2. Canson Cold Press 140lb Watercolor Paper

I’ve been trying to get more into watercoloring and I found this paper at Michael’s Craft Store. I bought this because it was a little cheaper than the Strathmore paper I had purchased previously and I have been real happy with it. Below is a picture of some watercolor airplanes I made (I used PTI’s Fly Away stamp and die set).3. WPlus9 Sunshine Layers Die

I added quite a few things to my WPlus9 collection this month and they just have the most awesome stamps and dies. This die comes with the matching stamp set, which I don’t have yet, but this can pretty much be used by itself. It has borders, a sentiment, and cute shapes. I love the stitched look, look at those clouds!

4. WPlus9 Unforgettable Stamp Set
Ok, how freaking adorable are those elephants?! I’m on an elephant kick right now, I also had another elephant stamp set on January’s top 5. Not only are the elephants great but the sentiments are also! Plus you get other little shapes in this set, not to mention, you can stamp your elephant to carry the balloon or flower, it can also wear a little bow or party hat. How do they come up with this stuff?!

5. Copic Multiliner Fine, Black, 4PC Set

I love cards that have doodling on them. Usually I only see lines drawn to frame a card but recently I saw this card on instagram and thought “I must doodle more!” I definitely need to practice some more with different doodles. I bought a Zig Millennium pen to play around with but then decided to splurge on this Copic set. I can’t help it, I’m addicted to anything Copic!

Well there you have it! I hope you guys keep checking back on my top 5 for each month, it’s a lot of fun trying to decide what to pick. I already ordered more stuff that I’m sure will make it into March’s list!

Item’s Mentioned: