Year in Review

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Hey y'all! I hope you're having a Great Friday and are getting ready for your New Year's weekend.

I know I normally have an End of the Week Technique post about this point in the week, but I decided to take a cue from most of my other blogging friends and do a little recap. I guess I should have put a survey up to ask for your favorites but the truth is I didn't think about it till just now so I did the next best thing and just looked at my stats. I know they only reflect the direct page hits and not the ones that were scrolled through but still....maybe next year I'll have a big enough following I can do a survey, at least that's the hope.

I decided I would do the Top 10 Readers Picks and then my Top 10 Picks so here they are-

Top 10 Readers Picks-

#10 - A Sneak Peak, an Oops and A Smile 



 #9 - I Love You Guys



#8 - Merry and Pink



#7 - A Ghostly Challenge



#6 - Pretty Pines & Poinsettias



#5 - Very Last Minute Gifts

 

#4 - Wine Bottle Gift Tag ( Good Grief it looks like there's a trend here!)



#3 - ATriple Challenge and A Little Holiday Cheer (This was my second challenge winner. I entered in 3 challenges and won at Stampin Queens an all SU challenge)



#2 - Just a Preview  which was actually a preview for this End of the Week Technique and My Christmas Card for this year.



#1 - Merry Christmas - Stampin 411 Challenge  This was second card I ever entered in a challenge and I won with it!



Now for my Top 10 Picks-

#10 - Merry Christmas - Stampin 411 Challenge


Yeah, Yeah, I know you just saw it. It made my list because I stuck my self out there and it worked. I really kinda had a Sally Fields kind of moment and felt like maybe my stuff wasn't so bad. In fact it still surprises me and makes me smile when I see on my ticker that someone new has stopped by and taken a look at this card. Not only that, but I really do like the card. I knew in my mind how I wanted it to come out and it did just like I saw it. For that reason it gets a spot on my Top 10.

#9 - End of the Week Technique #5 A G3 (Ghostly Trio) Halloween Purse


How could I not love these little guys? Seriously, I still wish I had a big girl purse featuring them! This was my first 3-D project and one of my first EWT's. I went back later and added a little glitter around the scalloped edge and loved it even more!

#8 - End of the Week #3 A Sparkly Spinner for a Friend in Need


Spinners are one of my favorite types of cards. They just make me smile. This one was made especially for a little girl who loved frogs and who really needed to be able to smile. Unfortunately the color didn't photograph well, but it was absolutely beautiful in person and when it spun it sparkled like crazy. It made me smile to watch it and I really hope it made her smile too!

#7 - Serendipity


I love this card because it's soft and simple and just is.... something that is not usually associated with my cards. It also reminds me that I need to learn to relax and not stress so much and that things don't always have to be perfect or have to end up just like I planned. They can start out in one direction and end up somewhere else and be absolutely "Amazing!"

#6 - Purple Passion- Hope in the Fight Against Domestic Violence



This is one of my favorite cards/posts for two reasons- 1- It's about a subject that's near and dear to my heart- Domestic Violence. 2- I think it's just a beautiful card and yet it always surprises me that it's one of the least looked at posts out of all of my posts. Even after I re-posted the card in another post with a similar title. Shocking, huh? It saddens my heart greatly. Hopefully though, people will at least see it through this post and some might even read the actual post that goes along with it. Love Does Not Hurt!

#5 - Snow Swirled Christmas


I picked this card because I think it's so pretty and because it's the first card of mine anyone ever saw and told me they wanted. My girlfriend Stephanie, who I love dearly and miss bunches (Luv you Nannie!) told me "I want that for my Christmas Card this year!" and I gladly obliged her and even made it a little more sparklier (just cuz I luv her sooo much!!!!)

#4 - You Know Why They Call it Distressing, Right?


 For any of you that have followed me for any length of time you know about my little (HAHAHAHAHA) OCD issue. I love the fact that 1- This card turned out, I think beautifully, and 2- I was able to crumple up paper. Now I know that may not seem like a big deal to you, but oh my goodness! You have no idea how long I held that piece of River Rock c/s in my hand before I was able to make my self crumple it up and then when I unfolded it and found out it wasn't crumpled enough, well I just about put myself into palpitations! Thank the Good Lord above I didn't have the inclination to tear it as well as crumple it or this card may never have been made. Read the full post for more on the story.

#3 - A Very Special Birthday


This was a card I designed for a very special friend. I design all my cards with the hope that they are going to be loved and appreciated, but this one was extra special. It was for my best friend Jason and it had a symbol on it that was significant for the both of us, kind of hidden in the design, that I was certain he would see right away and he did. Of course when you do something extra special for someone specific, you're really hoping even more than usual that it's well received and this one got me a "You're wicked good at making those (cards)." I loved the card to start with but knowing how much he loved it and that he's going to put it on his desk where not only he gets to see it everyday but everyone else gets to see it everyday, well that's pretty special.

#2- 911 Remembrance and A Thanks


Although I posted this card for 911, I actually made it prior to that. This is actually the first card I made specifically for someone, since becoming a demonstrator. I made it for my friend James' son Jonathan for his graduation from Army Bootcamp. Not only did James like what I had made for his son, but more importantly his son liked it too. I recently met his son, who just graduated from AIT and is about to start his first duty assignment as an Army Combat Medic. He told me "I Love My Job!" How amazing is that? In a day when so many of our young and even older adults have no jobs or are under employed or complaining about their jobs this young man is not only willing to go out and put his life on the line for you and me but he's excited about the opportunity to do it! God Bless Him! I was so stressed out hoping to make a card he liked and I am glad to know I put that much effort into a card for someone that was so worthy of it!

#1- A Scaredy Cat Beginning

No card here just pictures of my two studio assistants-




 This was where it all started. Absolutely no-one has gone to this page alone except probably me. Not a single page visit. :-) But that's okay. It's still my favorite because it's where this Scaredy Cat took the first step in this crazy world of blogging and designing and decided to become just a little bit better. And you know what? I do believe it's working. I have MDS Monday's and End of the Week Techniques. I'm entering challenges and I've won two of them. Most importantly though, I'm stepping outside of my self-imposed restrictions and learning to stretch my creative boundaries.

I've only been doing this for a few months but I'm so excited at how far I've come and can hardly wait to see what the next year brings. I hope you will come along on that adventure with me!


If you liked any of today's cards, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)

I hope you have a Safe and Happy New Year's Weekend and I hope to see you next year.

Till next time-

Be Safe,
Shan

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