Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday!
Tap, tap – is this thing on?
Yes, it’s been such an eternity since I posted anything that you’d be forgiven for forgetting I actually exist! So allow me to reintroduce myself: I’m Taheerah, and I used to be far better at being a part of the papercrafting community than I have been recently. Let’s just say that life and a few issues have been putting paid to that quite a bit. In fact, I had been considering my place in the papercrafting world, and had been coming close to hanging up my heat tool, secreting my scissors, and shying away from my stamps altogether.
So it took something rather special to break me out of my funk and back into creating. And that something special goes by the name of Ruby.
You’re probably more than aware of the amazing and awesome talent that is Rubeena Ianigro – she has, after all, been setting the place ablaze with her talent, her style, and her infectious humour. So when she asked me if I’d help her celebrate her 4 year blogging anniversary, I just had to say yes!
So welcome!
Welcome to Rubeena’s Crafting Anniversary 2-Day Blog Hop! This hop is epic with more than 70 guests and over $1,000 in sponsored prizes! Not only are we celebrating four years since Rubeena first discovered cardmaking but also crafting in general. This industry is made up of wonderful individuals who are creative, inspirational, kind, and incredibly supportive! Hop along so you can learn about why we create and how much joy it brings us!
So seeing as we’re celebrating crafting, I thought I’d talk about what it means to me, and why I love it so much.
To me, crafting has always been a way for me to express myself through art. I see it as anything from a technical exercise, to something to do with my hands to balance out all the cerebral stuff I do at work, to just having fun and seeing where the supplies take me. Through this ‘hobby’ I found the industry and the amazingly talented individuals that inhabit it. I’ve seen dizzying heights when my star was in the ascendency, to quieter periods where I’ve questioned whether I even belong her anymore. But one thing that has always kept my soul fed, was the inspiration and joy of others’ work, and the kind souls I’ve encountered in my journey. I may not be one of the ‘big names’ – but I won’t ever forget some of the industry’s biggest hearts. Like Ruby’s.
So, before I get all existential again, let’s have a pretty card!
Well, this event called for a celebration so here’s my celebration on a card!
I used some Ranger Detail Blending Tools to add pops of colour to my card base using some of my favourite inks from Catherine Pooler. I love these inks so much!
I added sentiment, stars and little circly things (sorry, I really can’t think of the names of them!) from the Pinkfresh Studio Sweet Treats stamp set. I also built a multi-layer cake which was originally going to adorn this card, but I settled for just the ‘YAY’ topper instead, which I partially heat embossed with sparkly gold embossing powder. This card is perfectly ‘me’ in its style – bold, bright, trendy, and fun!
Giveaways!
So it wouldn’t be a party without prizes! Ruby has pulled out all the stops to secure you some amazing prizes!
In celebration of this anniversary, we have several amazing sponsors. Let’s thank them for their generosity! Winners will be randomly selected from comments left on all the blogs. The winners will be announced by Wednesday, September 5 on this page. Winners will have up to 2 weeks to contact Rubeena at [email protected] to claim their prize before another winner is selected.
Let’s take a look at what you could win, shall we?
Here’s your Hop order for today:
Rubeena Ianigro
The Stamp Market Blog
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Nina-Marie Trapani
Neat & Tangled Blog
Cheiron Brandon
Tania Ahmed
Laurie Willison
Barb Engler
Janette Kausen
Carly Tee Minner
Nichol Spohr
Amy Tsuruta
Mayline Jung
Emily Midgett
Kelly Griglione
Caly Person
Stephanie Klauck
Tracy Freeman
Dana Joy
Erica A-B
Channin Pelletier
Kimberly Wiener
Marcie Sharp
Rowena Miniaci
Sharna Waksmulski
Laurel Beard
Miriam Prantner
Leanne West
Tracey McNeely
Marge Yoon
Ankita Gupta
Justine Hovey
Taheerah Atchia
Kimberly Crawford
Lisa Hetrick
Laura Jane
Michele Ferguson
Talk about talent! I’m sure you recognise many famous names there!
I want to thank Ruby once again for inviting me to her Hop, and for just generally being awesome. Happy crafting Anniversary Ruby! Here’s to many more!
Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies
I’m so happy that Rubeena’s anniversary helped you to go back to creating. To me, you are a ‘big name’. You have such a unique style and are able to incorporate trends into your cardmaking like no other crafter I know. I also miss the W&W Gossip Column, that has inspired me to try and explore new techniques and generally have fun playing.
Marianne x
How utterly FUN!
Fabulous! Perfect for so many occasions!
Such a sweet and whimsical creation… love it! Always inspired when I visit here!
What a fun card! Please don’t give up paper crafting & posting your lovely creations! I love your site! Life can get in the way but playing with stamps & paper really helps my sanity! Thanks for sharing!
What a pretty card! Glad to have found your blog! 🙂
I loved reading about you and Rubeena and the card you made in her honor. It is the epitome of CAS.
Sweet card. You are a very talented paper crafter Taheerah. I’m glad you decided to continue in this wonderful community. I enjoyed your Advent Calendar extravaganzas, and appreciate the tremendous amount of organization and effort that goes in to making them happen. Thank you for participating in Rubeena’s celebration
What a fun card! I love that YAY! Thanks for the inspiration!
First of all, I think you are a major player in this industry. I love the Advent Calendar you do at Christmas. I think I’ve done it 2 or more years. It is loads of fun. Thanks for supporting Rubeena. Your C&S card is stunning.
YAY! So happy to see you posting! You’re kidding, right? About stepping away from crafting? I hope you are…check out this post. Your card, brilliant. The partially embossed sentiment, genius. I’ve missed you + your wonderful inspiration.
Lovely to see you back joining in with this wonderful hop! Your card is so very pretty, love the simple, fun design!
Unique! I like it!
Oh….what a delightful card. Simple…yet beautiful. I pray you will bless all of us with an occasional creation! You are so talented. Thanks so much for being a part of this blog hop!
Beautiful cute card! Thanks for sharing.
YAY! Such a fun card!
What a creative card! Love it!
Lovely card!
What a fun card.
Thanks for sharing!
Simply wonderful!
so good to see you back at creating, Taheerah – and your card is so fun and quiky – perfect card for Ruby!
Beautiful celebration card, so artsy I LOVE it! I also love your Advent Calendar extravaganza and I get so much inspiration on your blog! Thanks so much for sharing your incredible talents.
Such a fun card!! I love the way you only partially heat embossed YAY.
Yay is right!! Yay for Rubeena!
Congratulations to Rubeena! Love her work. And what an amazing group this crafting world is to sponsor such wonderful prizes. Love your card inspiration too!
Yay! A terrific card!
Ooh! What a fun card! Thanks for coming out and being a part of this blog hop!! I hope you will continue to create!
Yay! for celebrations! Fun card!
Your background is unique and motivates me to get experimenting with my watercolors and my alsohol ink.
Beautiful card!! Simple yet elegant!!
I LOVE this sweet card with the very sweet sentiment! The tiny little YAY! makes a big impact. So sweet and fresh too!
What a pretty card!!! Love it!!!
Lovely card. Thanks for sharing.
Another great design by you, and another card I really like 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration, and for supporting Rubeena, too!
Great and artistic CAS card. Thanks for sharing.
Very simple card but with so many little elements to make it pretty.
A fun card to make and what a fun card to receive. Thanks for sharing.
Such a fun card!
Love your bright, happy card!
Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Wonderful card! Thanks for sharing your feelings. Hope you stay in the crafting world. You definitely would be missed…
Hey! I love your adorable card in honor of Ruby. I always thought you were a “biggie” in the crafting world and think you have great talent. Your beautiful work and inspiration will be missed if you hang up the heat tool and put away the inks and paints. Just sayin’! 🙂
I really like the fun element in your CAS card with the lines dripping down from the YAY. Even though it is clean & simple, you have an eye for balance & just where to place the dots to make it cohesive looking. I lack that. I know any time in the past I’ve seen your blog on hops I’ve always left a comment as I think your cards are top notch. It’s easy to say, but not always easy to do, please don’t think you don’t belong in this crafting arena. We can’t all “soar with the eagles”, but you are definitely up there!
Very cute! Thank you so much for sharing!
super fun and splattery card!!!
YAY! That’s a unique card!
Yay!! welcome back – great card:)
It is great to see you back and as always love your cards.
Taheerah, thank you for the beautiful card. I hope that life will treat you well and that you will feel better soon. Do whatever makes you happy when it comes to crafting.
Beautiful card! Such a fun hop!