my scrappiness and other simple, everyday ramblings

excited to share: I’m teaching for True Scrap 3

2012-02-01T12:34:00.001-06:00

Super excited! I cannot wait! Want to know who else is teaching? Check it out here! You can also join the email list for special offers and discounts. Enrollment starts on April 1st. Stay tuned for more info on sign ups!

Jumpstart Your Art: What to do when you’re just not feeling it

To stay up to date for the latest details you can:

Click “join this site” on the right hand side
Sign up using the “follow me by email” form on the right hand side
Follow me on Twitter
Copy and paste http://gscrapbooks.blogspot.com into your Google Reader
Join the email list at True Scrap 3

I know I need a new adjective but I really am excited! It’s going to be awesome!

Can’t wait to share more!!!

Create Scrapbooks: The Stamps of Life February 2012 release: umbrella4you

2012-02-01T12:03:00.001-06:00

It’s the 1st of the month! woo! I’ve got newest release from The Stamps of Life to share with you. This stamp set is called umbrella4you and it’s the February club release.

You can find the official blog post at Create Scrapbooks. :)

Card showcased in the video:

Supplies: umbrella4you (The Stamps of Life), Licorice, Bubblegum, and Banana Premium Dye Ink (Colorbox), Pop `n Cuts XL Die Set and Label Insert (Karen Burniston, Sizzix), Movers & Shapers Label and Ribbon Set (Karen Burniston, Sizzix), Open Scallop Border Punch (EK Success), Fly a Kite “Genuine” Sky Paper (Lime Twist, My Mind’s Eye), white cardstock (Bazzill).

Stay tuned! I’ve got a second blog post coming!!! ;-)

love card featuring Pop `n Cuts

2012-01-31T08:22:00.001-06:00

I am really loving this system! I love the simplicity… you have one XL base die and then swap out the inserts! Easy peasy! For this card I used the Winged Hearts insert.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: ribbon

Want to see ALL the Pop `n Cuts? Click the banner below!!! :-)

Until tomorrow… ;-)

if friends were flowers card featuring Pop `n Cuts

2012-01-30T10:48:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday! I’ve got another Pop `n Cuts card to share today and this one features the Flower insert! :-)

Supplies:

Sizzix Pop `n Cuts XL Die Set – Card, Horizontal A2 w/Circle Label, 3-d (Pop-Up) #657802
Sizzix Pop `n Cuts Magnetic Insert Die – Flower, #657796

InLinkz.com

Want to know more about Pop `n Cuts? Check out this new video from CHA-W!

Stuff to check out

Karen Burniston’s blog
The Pop `n Cuts video with Karen Burniston (this video explains it all!)
Sizzix

February 1st is right around the corner

Did you know, on February 1st I’ll have something fun to share? More than fun really – pretty darned exciting if I do say so myself! True story. ;-)

Stay tuned…

I have you in my heart card featuring Pop `n Cuts

2012-01-28T10:58:00.001-06:00

I’ve got another Pop `n Cuts card to share today, this one features the Love Phrase.

The Love Phrase is an insert that goes into the base die. On top of that, I used the word Love from the Sizzlet set. As you can see, it’s cut slightly smaller so it gives it a nice border.

You basically have the base die which is the Bigz XL size and then you can add any of the inserts to the center of it, creating different shapes and word phrases for the part that pops up. You just simply swap them out. :-)

Supplies:

Sizzix Pop `n Cuts XL Die Set – Card, Horizontal A2 w/Circle Label, 3-d (Pop-Up) #657802
Sizzix Pop `n Cuts Magnetic Insert Die – Phrase, Love 3-D #657800
Sizzix Sizzlits Die Set 3 PK – Love Set #657789

InLinkz.com

Other: border punch (Stampin’ Up), jewels.

Stuff to check out

Karen Burniston’s blog
The Pop `n Cuts video (this video explains it all!)
Sizzix

Enjoy your weekend!

you’re my stud-muffin card featuring Pop `n Cuts

2012-01-27T15:23:00.001-06:00

Remember I said I was going to have some samples to show you using the new Pop `n Cuts? Well, I’m a woman of my word! Here’s the first one I have to share. :-)

When you open the card there’s some extra wow! The inside and outside are created with the new Pop `n Cuts system by Karen Burniston for Sizzix. (Check out the Pop `n Cuts video for more detail).

When you cut the card using the XL die, the corners automatically round. I love that feature! There are only a few simple folds to create the inside so it’s super easy to make. It takes maybe 20 seconds to fold, that’s all. Makes it a little bit more dynamic don’t you think?

To make the floating heart, I used the Heart Mover’s and Shapers die inside the Circle Label. I cut a page protector to size and glued it behind the label. I then glued the smaller heart that I cut from another piece of patterned paper into the center of the heart. wa-la! floating! cool eh?

Supplies:

Sizzix Pop `n Cuts XL Die Set – Card, Horizontal A2 w/Circle Label, 3-d (Pop-Up) #657802
Sizzix Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set 2PK – Heart & Wing Set #657793

InLinkz.com

So, what do you think? Pretty cool right?

wordless Wednesday: love the nails

2012-01-25T11:36:00.001-06:00

I’ve been a busy girl

2012-01-24T17:49:00.001-06:00

It’s that time of year to be buried in CHA-Winter projects. Karen heads out to the show on Thursday to show her new Pop `n Cuts System for Sizzix. If you missed the video about her new Pop `n Cuts, you can check it out HERE.

Between last week and this week I’ve been a busy girl! I’ve been helping Karen kit…

I love her new system. seriously. I’m a fan of pop-ups, if you read my blog you know that… yet somehow the genius that Karen is, she made them even easier! I’m all for quick and simple so the Pop `n Cuts are right up my alley!

I’ve been recreating cards for her to take to the show… 80 to be exact! 50 of one design (which apparently I didn’t get any photos of) and 30 of another.

The little Xyron X is a lifesaver by the way! just sayin’.

The design is Karen’s, isn’t it adorable?

The above card shows the XL Die Set with Horizontal A2 Card and Circle Label. Also shown in the Decorative Flagpole with Lantern & Sign Sizzlet Strip. The star is from the Star & Circle Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set. The other card set (that isn’t shown) uses the coolest Sizzlet Strip called Bird on a Wire – it’s WAY cute!

I do have a few samples to share but everything is still on my camera. I need to clean up my scrapbook room before I upload them… I can’t remember the last time my room was such a mess. But it’s a good mess so I’m okay with that. :-)

Now to get all the adhesive off my work table…

CHA-W Sneak Peek - Pop 'n Cuts! by Karen Burniston

2012-01-19T16:28:00.001-06:00

I am so happy to be able to share this! Karen’s new Pop 'n Cuts system! I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome and easy this new system is to use – you’re going to love it! Make sure to follow Karen’s blog to stay up to date on all the latest information on this cool new system.

Pop 'n Cuts are similar to Movers & Shapers dies, in that they are magnetic. In fact, they are the same height as Movers & Shapers, which means you will be able to use your Pop 'n Cuts interchangeably with all the other magnetic dies from Sizzix.

The best way to understand the system is to watch this 5 minute video:

Stay tuned… I’ll be sharing some samples! :-)

wordless Wednesday: when skies are gray

2012-01-18T15:08:00.001-06:00

Create Scrapbooks: The Stamps of Life January 2012 Releases (plus the December 2011 mid-month Releases)

2012-01-17T06:16:00.001-06:00

I’ve got new The Stamps of Life stuff to share! I know, you’re thinking finally right?! I had to play catch up from the holidays and get myself back on track. I think (think being the operative word) that I just might be there.

I’ve got latest releases – all the January 2012 stamps and the December 2011 mid-month stamps. Head on over to Create Scrapbooks to check it out the entire blog entry.

Supplies for cards: hope4us, list2write, and phrases2say stamp sets (The Stamps of Life, cardstock (Bazzill), Kraft Funday Happy Days Designer Cardstock Paper (My Mind’s Eye), Life of the Party Designer Cardstock Paper (My Mind’s Eye), Open Scallop Border Punch (EK Success), Strawberry, Licorice, and Bubblegum Premium Dye Ink (Stephanie Barnard, Colorbox), black pen.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great week!

wordless Wednesday: birthday inferno

2012-01-11T15:23:00.001-06:00

furniture shopping. check!

2012-01-10T13:29:00.001-06:00

My husband and I kept our Christmas gifts to one another at a minimum this past holiday because we decided instead of going crazy in the gift department, that we’d get new furniture instead. This past weekend we went out shopping and it made for a very weekend. Not really what my husband wanted to do on Friday since it was his birthday. He had taken the day off though so he figured what the heck because it needed to get done. Then the debating, the measuring, and the changing of minds started… good times. So we drive, here, there, over there, every where, and then back there again. Thank goodness after such a long weekend and so many miles that we made a few decisions.

Thanks to Rooms To Go we’ve got a new sectional and rug coming. Thanks to Gallery Furniture we have a new (ubber cool!) coffee table. I can’t wait to do some before and after photos. We’ve had our current sectional for 14 years so it’s definitely time for a new one. The sectional will be here on the 16th but the rug wont be here until February 2nd. I actually thought we’d be leaving with the rug but they were out of stock… oh well. The coffee tables already here, we’re just waiting for the rest of the new stuff to arrive before moving it into the main room.

You know what happens next?

This chic has to pick a color! I didn’t want to paint the living room* until the new furniture was picked. That’s officially been checked off our list so it’s time to move on to the next step.

*We call it the living room. Some might say family room. It’s main where we all hang out, watch TV, lounge, and what not.

You know what I like best about paint samples? Seeing them all lined up… it’s like instant inspiration! So pretty!

Decisions! Decisions!

December Daily 2011 | Day 24

2012-01-07T09:27:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas Eve was pretty low key since my oldest son had to work all day… in the rain pushing carts outside a grocery store (poor kid!). I decided to keep day 24 pretty simple because honestly, besides the kids getting their rockin’ jammies, we didn’t do much.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Happy Saturday!

December Daily 2011 | Day 23

2012-01-06T17:04:00.001-06:00

Day 23 was awesome! We had mad fun I tell ya!!! If I haven’t mentioned before how wonderful Karen is (because it was her and her family that we had the mad fun with), let me just tell you one more time – she’s amazing!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Have a wonderful weekend!

hello 2012.

2012-01-05T12:29:00.001-06:00

I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. It seems to be proving a difficult task since Christmas hit and I went into do a whole lot of nothing and hang out with the kids mode.

The kids went back to school yesterday so normal life resumes. Problem is, I’m still feeling like I want to do a whole lot of nothing! I pretty much made myself get out of the house and run a few errands. The more regular things I do, the more I feel like things are getting back to normal.

I did stop by JoAnn’s and scored this awesome new punch (that sure made me feel a whole lot better!)

love it! It’s called Jester. Super cute, right?

Creative Agenda

Finish my December Daily! I’m almost done. So close yet so far away. I have three days to do, the cover, introduction and closing pages. must. find. motivation. Finding that motivation is hard to do when I’m holiday-ed out!
The Stamps of Life for Create Scrapbooks. I’ve got some cute new stamps to work with.
CHA is soon. I’ll have samples to make for Karen. She’s got new stuff coming out for Sizzix. Major awesomeness. Major! `nough said.
I might be up to a little something else too! ;-)

Other Stuff

I’ve been making good use of my new Kindle Touch. I read the Hunger Games trilogy. Is it wrong that as soon as I was finished, I wanted to start rereading it? Now I’m on to Heart Shaped Box… apparently I’m going to be scared. We shall see.

I use Goodreads.com to keep track of all the books I want to read. I’m doing another reading challenge this year (my goal is to read 24 books). If you haven’t ever checked out Goodreads, I highly recommend it.

And that’s it for today. :-)

Have a wonderful 2012!!!

December Daily 2011 | Day 22

2011-12-28T13:55:00.001-06:00

Another simple one for day 22. :-)

I can’t believe I’m almost to the end of my December Daily! I’ve got all my photos through the 25th printed and ready to go. I’m trying to carve out some time to get it done. I’m also thinking about the cover, the introduction and closing page. I still have no idea what I’m going to do with them but I am thinking about them… it’s a start!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

:-)

December Daily 2011 | Day 21

2011-12-28T13:44:00.001-06:00

Keepin’ it simple. I used a few photos I took with my phone that have been filtered with the Instagram app. The photo corners are made out of ribbon. I just cut two short strips, added adhesive to each, them wrapped them around and tucked them under. wa-la!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Trying to get caught up…

Merry! Merry!

2011-12-26T10:18:00.001-06:00

Belated Merry Christmas to one and all. I hope you spent quality time with family and friends and that Santa brought you an extra nice somethin’ somethin’!

What’s up with the Boba Fett Bobble Head Doll you ask? A present from my 16 year old son for my desk. He gets me. ;-)

Merry! Merry!

December Daily 2011 | Day 20

2011-12-23T07:23:00.001-06:00

I cannot tell you how much I love the collage feature in Picasa. It makes it so easy to group photos together. Best of all… it’s free. I like free.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other Stuff

So looking forward to a get together at Karen’s tonight. We’re going to get our game on! Bummed one of my big kids has to work and will be missing the fun though. Hopefully I’ll remember to take lots of pictures. We got together last year too and I think I forgot my camera, lol!

It’s Christmas Eve Eve baby!

December Daily 2011 | Day 19

2011-12-22T17:29:00.001-06:00

Treat making for day 19 did not go as well as day 18. Funny how it works with treats… even though they might not look so pretty, they still taste good.

I only feel a little behind with my December Daily album so I’m trying not to stress about it. I have no idea how I’d pull this off if we actually had a lot of plans and a house full of company. I’ve been printing the previous days photos every morning so that’s helpful. If I get to the assembly or not that’s another thing, lol!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other supplies: alphabet stamps

Have a great night!

December Daily 2011 | Day 18

2011-12-22T17:15:00.001-06:00

Day 18 was all about the treats. :-)

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

:-)

December Daily 2011 | Day 17

2011-12-18T12:49:00.001-06:00

The Christmas Party was a fun! Much merriment! I think it’s the only time of year my husband and I take a we look nice picture together.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Edited to add: Noticed a spelling error in my journaling. nice. Rollin’ with it. Wrote over the one letter with a black pen and calling it good but not taking the pictures again. (*can’t believe I did that!*)

When Parents Text Book and Blog

I was looking around on Amazon early this morning while drinking my coffee and I found this book called When Parents Text. I read a few excerpts that were under the book description that were pretty funny. So I searched online for more.They’re on Facebook and there’s a When Parents Text blog. I basically sat, drank coffee, and hit random while tears streamed down my face. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so… seriously! I actually spit coffee on my computer! I don’t mean that as an expression of funniness either… it literally happened. So anyway, if you need a little humor, I totally suggest checking it out. Hilarious!!!

Today, I bake! :-)

December Daily 2011 | Day 16

2011-12-17T12:09:00.001-06:00

I was probably a little to excited about the first grown up hot chocolate of the season. ;-)

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other Supplies: Snowflake 3-D Die (Karen Burniston, Sizzix), white felt.

Other Stuff

So excited! Tonight is my husbands Christmas Party. I get to get all fancy schmancy looking and actually go out without kids and be a grown up. woot!!! I’m sure you can guess what kind of photo I’ll be using for day 17.

Happy Saturday!

December Daily 2011 | Day 15

2011-12-16T11:33:00.001-06:00

It’s day 15! I can’t believe it! I’m over half way through my December Daily album and am loving how it’s coming together. :-)

A little recap: my album is 6” x 6”. I’m holding everything together with two big notebook rings that I found at an office supply store. If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: Foundation Pages. I’ve got the full supply list posted if you’re interested. I try to be as detailed as possible so if you have any questions, please let me know.

With every entry, I try to add a little something extra from my supplies and Christmas stash to mix it up a bit. This way the album looks uniform but each entry has it’s own feel.

Additional supplies for today’s entry:

InLinkz.com

Other supplies: white pigment ink, ledger paper (from my stash).

Other Stuff

Winter Break officially starts today for my kids! I like break for so many reasons… one selfishly being that I don’t have to make lunches bright and early in the morning. It’s nice having them home… relaxing, laughing, playing, being silly. To soon the bigs will be off to college and I want to absorb every bit of them I can while I can.

And that’s it for today! Have a wonderful weekend!

December Daily 2011 | Day 14

2011-12-15T16:26:00.001-06:00

I love how the pages for day 14 turned out! Probably because I had more time to be a little extra creative instead of just gluing and going. Nothing wrong with the ol’ glue and go… but it’s nice to take your time too and enjoy the process.

The photo I used actually breaks from my regular white border which is what I have been doing throughout my album. Since we got iPhones though, I’ve kind of fallen in love with the Instagram app that I downloaded. The picture of Daisy uses one of the filters with Instagram and I love how it looked and wanted to make sure to use it in my December Daily album. I’m a pretty patterned person so breaking from the regular white border is actually pretty big for me. I really like the look… might have to do it again.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Did you have a question?

I love it when people leave comments. I love it when people ask questions. If you ask, I will answer… if I can. To make sure I can answer you, make sure your email address is saved with blogger.

Once you’re in your Blogger dashboard, click on “username” in the upper right hand corner.
A menu pops up, click on “blogger profile.”
Click on “edit profile” in upper right hand corner.
Edit your profile so an email address is included in the “email address” box.
Save profile.

This means, when you leave a comment and it gets emailed to me, if you have a question, I can click reply and reply properly. Otherwise I get a noreply-comment@blogger.com address and I can’t get back to you.

Other Stuff

Tomorrow the kids get out for break. The big kids only had half day today so I took them to Five Guys for lunch. They’re in High School and have a wonky final’s schedule so I’ve done a lot of dropping off and picking up this week. In the afternoon, I conquered the grocery store. Of course now I am wondering what I forgot already… lol! I got the majority of everything needed for Christmas and New Years so I should be good to go!

Have a great night!

December Daily 2011 | Day 13

2011-12-15T13:10:00.001-06:00

The only reason there is no picture is because I forgot to go get the camera. My husband helped me wrap some gifts this year – a task that is normally all me – so I envisioned a great (and fun!) photo. I guess getting so wrapped up in the moment isn’t a bad thing. :-)

Wrapped. Get it? ha.

I used a printable for day 13. You can find it here: Polkadots on Parade.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other supplies: Christmas 2 Word Fetti Stickers (Making Memories)

:-)

December Daily 2011 | Day 12

2011-12-14T16:50:00.001-06:00

Day 12… which was Monday. Trying not to get to far behind but this running errand business is throwing me off. I usually run errands one day a week, maybe two. During the holiday season however, all bets are off.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Looking forward to next week when there will be less running around!

wordless Wednesday: new orange ball

2011-12-14T06:24:00.001-06:00

December Daily 2011 | Day 11

2011-12-12T13:05:00.001-06:00

No pictures today… and that’s perfectly okay. Sometimes it happens. It was one of those days that turned out to be a really long and stressful. I messed up on the journaling a bit and went back and wrote over it. I’m leaving it as is. That’s what I do in real life on my scrapbook pages. I figured it’s pretty true to life, so it stays.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Happy Monday!

December Daily 2011 | Day 10

2011-12-12T12:54:00.001-06:00

Shopping at the mall on a Saturday a few weeks before Christmas. Who thought that was a good idea? Oh… that would be me.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

:-)

December Daily 2011 | Day 9

2011-12-12T12:47:00.001-06:00

I’m playing catch up today on my December Daily album. I forgot how busy the weekends were during the holiday season. ack!

For day 9, I found an image of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas DVD cover, printed it out, then used the Ornamental die to cut it to match the transparency.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Have a great week!

December Daily 2011 | Day 8

2011-12-09T14:27:00.001-06:00

If you’re looking for my project for the All About Red Lawnscaping Blog Hop, please CLICK HERE. Thanks!

Today I decided to have a little fun with my Wacom Tablet today. Love! Love! Love! The effect of the handwriting on the photo. Last year I tried to write on a photo with a white pen… I remember saying a few choice words during the process. ha. This was so much easier!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: Bling (Heidi Swapp)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

All About Red Lawnscaping Blog Hop: Warm Winter Wishes

2011-12-08T23:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the second Lawnscaping Blog Hop. So glad you’re here! You should have come to me by way of Erin T. The theme is All About RED!!! The hop runs from Friday, December 9th to Sunday, December 11th! Make sure to comment on all of the blogs because there are LOTS of prizes to be won! All the details can be found on the Lawnscaping home page (http://lawnscaping.blogspot.com). The hop is being sponsored by some amazing companies: Lawn Fawn, Mold Muse and Whiskers Graphics.

Here’s my take on the All About Red theme:

I went paper piecing happy! Honestly, it’s my favorite way to stamp. I always love the end result. :)

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: star gem, ric-rac.

Next head on to Britta Swiderski's blog. If you've gotten off track, don't worry! Head on back to the Lawnscaping All About Red Blog Hop post to see the complete list of designers and prize information!

Happy hopping!

December Daily 2011 | Day 7

2011-12-08T15:12:00.001-06:00

I made day 7’s page quick and easy… sometimes that’s all you need!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: ribbon

And I’m caught up. whew!

December Daily 2011 | Day 6

2011-12-08T15:00:00.001-06:00

I added an extra page to day 6 since I had so many pictures I wanted to use. I just made it slightly smaller than the foundation pages so you could tell it fit within day 6. To create the collages, I used Picasa. This is the program I used to organize and do basic editing of all my photos.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

December Daily 2011 | Day 5

2011-12-06T11:49:00.001-06:00

True story… I love the easy, nothing going on days as much as I love the hustle and bustle. The 5th happened to be an easy, nothing going on day so I made Daisy the star of the show.

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here:December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Happy Tuesday!

December Daily 2011 | Day 4

2011-12-05T11:17:00.001-06:00

Day 4. :-)

I did some stamping and masking. I love the technique, I’m not sure why I don’t do it more. I use Post It Notes to do the masking. The pre-made sticky makes it easy.

Close up:

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: Basic Pearls (Jewels, Stampin’ Up), Christmas 2 Word Fetti Stickers (Making Memories).

Creative stuff

I’m working on my project for the Lawnscaping blog hop today. I have a plan! The hop is on Friday, December 9th, so be sure to check back then.

Thanks for visiting!

December Daily 2011 | Day 3

2011-12-04T06:53:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a great day, we had so much fun. Breakfast with Santa! I love how the page turned out. I think the film strip look is really cool. I’m not talented enough with Photoshop to pull that off myself so I searched online and found a free template and Photoshop tutorial at Stacey Bishop Photography. I think it adds a bit of flare and it’s a great way to add lots of photos. I also pulled out my Scallop Circles which fit the journaling spot perfectly… always a bonus!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here:December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other stuff

I foresee a busy week ahead. Mrs. Claus needs to go shopping! She also needs to find a dress for a fancy schmancy holiday party. My deadline for everything is December 16th… when the kids get out of school for break. I’m taking a deep breath and trying not to get overwhelmed by everything that is ahead otherwise I might end up on the couch, watching Love Actually and blowing a few days off. One step at a time!

Here’s to a get `er done type of week!

December Daily 2011 | Day 2

2011-12-03T14:33:00.001-06:00

My plan is to keep my December Daily album simple. Some days are low key and others are super busy, I think the page itself can reflect the day. That is why today’s entry is so simple. It was a simple day… I enjoyed that fact immensely! I hung out all day doing regular stuff waiting for my Kindle Touch to arrive. :-)

It occurred to me that I actually used a lot of my Christmas embellishments with last years December Daily. I might have to pick up some more. I don’t want it heavely embellished but more than I haaave would be nice. Seriously, Mother Hubbard's Christmas scrapbooking cupboard are bare!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here:December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Additional supplies:

InLinkz.com

Happy Saturday!

December Daily 2011 | Day 1

2011-12-02T12:26:00.001-06:00

Day 1 complete! whew! I’m going to do my best to create and upload the previous days page the following day but I’m going to be realistic. If I can’t get to it, then I can’t get to it. No stressing! I want this to be fun!

If you missed my foundation pages, you can check that post out here: December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages (there’s also a complete supply list).

Added supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other Stuff

I’m happy to say I am house bound today! I feel like for well over a week all I’ve done is run around and rush. It’s nice to be home with nothing on the agenda other than creating, catching up on Glee, and waiting for UPS!

Enjoy your weekend!

Create Scrapbooks: Tutorial with The Stamps of Life December 2011 Release: candy2share

2011-12-01T12:33:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! Happy December! I’m blogging over at Create Scrapbooks today. I’ve got a new video tutorial to share featuring The Stamps of Life new candy2share stamp set.

Supplies: candy2share stamps (The Stamps of Life), white cardstock (Bazzill), patterned paper (Scenic Route), Premium Dye Inks – Strawberry, Artichoke, and Licorice (Colorbox), Honeydew and Maraschino twine (The Twinery). Other: pop-dots, adhesive.

Other Stuff

December Daily starts today! I am so excited for this. It was my favorite project last year and I am sure this year will be no different. Don’t know what December Daily is? You can check it out here – December Daily with Ai Edwards.

Scrapbook.com is doing their 12 days of Christmas sale again! They offer up some seriously great deals so if you’re a a bargain shopper on the look out, this is the sale for you! Sign up for their emails because the deals come bright and early in the morning.

I’m getting a Kindle Touch! My oldest son bought himself a Kindle Keyboard in May with his birthday money and I’ve been eyeballing it ever since. I got some gift certificates for my birthday, cashed them in, and ordered my new Touch yesterday. I can’t wait for it to get here – I’m super excited! I’ll finally get to read the Hunger Games trilogy. I actually bought the trilogy when it was on sale for the Kindle so I’ve been waiting months to read it.

On my wish list: a Zig Zag Punch! Or maybe I should say “dear Santa…” Isn’t it awesome? I would love to use it in my December Daily album.

Happy December everyone! Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate you! :-)

wordless Wednesday: birthday boy

2011-11-30T10:49:00.001-06:00

check out my amazing birthday card

2011-11-29T10:13:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We ate turkey, decorated for Christmas and celebrated two birthdays. I’m playing catch up on a few things and a project (and lots of laundry!) but my blog felt lonely so I wanted to say HI! and share a really cool video with all of you.

This is the birthday card that my wonderful friend Karen made me. She’s amazing. The card is amazing. Thank you Karen!

I turned 40 yesterday, yo!

I am thankful for…

2011-11-24T17:14:00.001-06:00

all of them. <3

Happy Thanksgiving!

wordless Wednesday: on the coffee table

2011-11-23T16:51:00.001-06:00

I’m kind of in love with Pinterest

2011-11-22T12:10:00.001-06:00

So, Pinterest is awesome. just sayin’.

Pinterest is an online, visual idea board where you pin things you like. You know how you put stuff on your fridge or in a notebook? It’s kind of like that. What kind of things? Whatever your little heart desires…

Scrapbook and stamping ideas
inspirational pictures
kids crafts
people
Holiday ideas
Style ideas for clothes
Ideas for your home
food
fun stuff
bugs (if you’re into that sort of thing… but eww!)
whatever!

I’m always looking for new recipes and I find it very helpful to pin recipes I want to try. I have it broken down into two boards that are food related – good eats and sweat treats. It’s so easy just to refer back to the boards without printing out a ton of recipes – and there’s a visual reminder too!

I’m warning you now, it’s addicting… but it’s oh so fun! I currently have 18 pin boards (because you can categorize your pins! cool huh?). One of my favorites may or may not be boys I like.

You know what is really cool? When someone pins you. I ran across this early this morning and it made my day -

That happy mug layout is my layout! It was pinned from Scrapbook.com… how fun is that?! Another reason this was such a treat for me… I have a thing for Alan Rickman! And there’s ol’ Alan as Severus Snape just a few pins above mine. I find this highly amusing and it made me totally happy. true story.

Want to know if something has been pinned from your blog? Just copy and paste in the following text and replace my blog name with yours (or click and replace… it works with Typepad too!) -

http://pinterest.com/source/gscrapbooks.blogspot.com/

If you want to search a site that isn’t a blog, just drop the www. Like this -

http://pinterest.com/source/scrapbook.com/

How do you know if you have been pinned from Scrapbook.com or Two Peas? I have no clue! But you dear reader, if you know, please share because that is the question of the day!

How exactly do you pin? Check out this page on Pinterest, they tell you all about it: Goodies on Pinterest.

So, are you on Pinterest? It’s very pinteresting don’t you think? ;-)

Happy Pinning!

wordless Wednesday: trashies in the house - smelly mouse

2011-11-16T16:19:00.001-06:00

December Daily 2011 | Foundation Pages

2011-11-14T13:22:00.001-06:00

My foundation pages for my December Daily album are done – woo! go me! As mentioned in my previous post about prep work I did some debating on the size but am really happy I chose to go with another 6” x 6” album again. It seems to be a good size for me.

The set up is pretty much the same throughout the album with a few alterations. All the left hand pages contain white cardstock that have been embossed with a 25 Days of Christmas Textured Impressions by Sizzix. There’s a strip of cardstock and patterned paper on the bottom, and a label die from the Celebrate Sizzlits Set by Sizzix and that shows a number signifying the day. For that number, I used the Vintage Market alphabet set by Sizzix. I can’t tell you how much I adore the look of the white embossed cardstock. It’s so crisp and clean, I love it! For the right hand page I used a coordinating piece of patterned paper with a piece of Frosty Snow Flakes Screen Print by Hambly in between.

Foundation Pages:

Throughout the album will alternate between these two basic designs (feel free to click on the images to make them all bigger):

Odd numbered pages have a Hambly Screen Print in between that were cut with an Ornamental die, I cut the print using about 3/4 of the die. The even numbered pages use a 6” x 6” piece of Hambly. I alternate colors throughout.

Here are all the inside pages:

Close up details:

I used the Season’s Greetings Collection from Echo Park and threw in some Fancy pants. I think it mixed together well. I originally pulled ribbon out to use but haven’t yet… don’t know if I’ll use it at all actually but it’s out, just in case!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Notes (or lessons learned from last year):

This year I am not adding a lot of decoration before hand or any pre-done journaling spots to the inside pages. Last year I had added those extras and found it difficult to work around when I had a lot to say or wanted to use more than one photo. This year I decided to be a little more loose and wing it a bit (if you know me, this is huge! I’m pretty structured). The Season's Greetings Collection came with two sticker sheets and a sheet of cut-outs for journaling so I plan on incorporating those as I go. I’m keeping all my extra December Daily papers and items together so they’re at the ready when December comes.

What about the cover, title page, and closing page?

One thing at a time! Last year I drug my feet on all three of these, I’m sure this year will be no exception.

Just for fun:

my December Daily from 2010
follow me on Twitter
click on “Join this site” on the right hand side of my blog (come on, you know you want too!)

Alright, that’s it. Longest post ever right? Happy Monday!

Create Scrapbooks: The Stamps of Life November 2011 Special Release Sets

2011-11-11T09:29:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! It’s time for the November special releases for The Stamps of Life. There are three super cute sets so head on over to CreateScrapbooks.com to check them out.

Supplies - Froggy Mini Card Sets: sayings4froggy (The Stamps of Life), white cardstock (Bazzill), Umbrellas (Splash, Echo Park), Hello Sunshine: Clover (Cosmo Cricket), Flower Dots (Adorn It, Carolee’s Creations), twine – Charcoal, Denim, and Cappuccino (The Twinery), Premium Dye Inks – Artichoke, Spearmint, Blueberry, Chocolate, and Licorice (Colorbox), black pen. | Happy House Warming Card: born2party, houses4us, and summer4fun (The Stamps of Life), Brown Floral, Seeing Spots, Set the Table, Simple Stripes, and The Neighborhood patterned papers (Life is Good, Echo Park), Scallop On The Edge die cut (Tim Holtz, Sizzix), Licorice Premium Dye Ink (Colorbox), Big Shot (Sizzix), black pen. | Friends 4 Ever Card: morepenguins2love and borders4me (The Stamps of Life), Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up), Heart (Celebrate Sizzlet Set, Sizzix), Carnival Color Set markers (Marvy), Licorice and Bubblegum Premium Dye Ink (Colorbox), Big Shot (Sizzix), Mono Aqua Adhesive (Tombow), felt.

Have a great weekend!

wordless Wednesday: homework

2011-11-09T17:09:00.001-06:00

photo recap | October 2011

2011-11-08T11:37:00.001-06:00

October was a full month. Now that we’re in November with December right around the corner, I don’t see the craziness slowing down any time soon.

October brought our anniversary, first jobs, a Senior t-shirt, chalk art, pumpkin carving and costumes, and a very patient dog waiting for kids to come home. It was rather awesome.

Here’s to a great November!

December Daily 2011 | prep work

2011-11-07T10:56:00.001-06:00

The papers I chose for this years December Daily album pretty much laid on my table all weekend long. I was having a debate with myself about the size and completely over thinking everything. I encourage you to not do this – do not over think it – it’s a complete time waster! It’s suppose to be fun! I decided to go with a 6'” x 6” album just like last year. I feel good with my decision. The alternative was doing a 6” x 8” but I decided to stick with what I knew.

The papers are from the Season’s Greetings collection from Echo Park. I plan on mixing in some other papers from my Christmas stash, coordinating cardstocks and ribbon… and anything else that strikes my fancy! Anyone else doing a December Daily this year?

Want to know more about December Daily? All the details you need can be found here: December Daily by Ali Edwards.

Order Your Holiday Cards

True story: I order my holiday cards every year. I only make a handful for those I know who will truly appreciate them. Mixbook has an awesome deal going that I wanted to share in case anyone else orders them too. :-)

Deal: 75 5x7" Flat Classic Coated Cards with Free Budget Shipping for $30
Code: CARD75
Valid: November 7th, 2011 4:00AM PDT - November 9th, 2011 to 11:59PM PDT
Restrictions: This offer cannot be combined with other coupons, vouchers, Groupons, or applied after an order has been placed.

Happy Monday!

well, that’s a fun surprise…

2011-11-05T11:31:00.001-05:00

Always fun while visiting galleries for inspiration to find a project you’ve made featured.

My card from the Fresh Vintage Blog Hop is currently listed under “Top 3 by Views” and “Top 3 Most Bookmarked” at Two Peas.

Find me on Two Peas in a Bucket: gscrapbooks gallery

Made my day! :-)

an Angry Bird, a Jester, and The Blue Man Group

2011-11-04T09:18:00.001-05:00

It’s time for a Halloween costume recap! Guess what my kids were? Not that the title is a tip off or anything huh? ;-)

The Green Angry Bird

Remember this post about making a Green Angry Bird Costume? Well, here’s my 9 year old in the completed costume:

I believe he said this was the “best Halloween EVER!” yeah! patting self on back! Here’s something flattering and odd all at the same time… people wanted to take pictures of his costume. I’m all about photos, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not down with strangers wanting to photograph my kid. My husband wasn’t into it either and steered him clear of a camera or two since he was on Trick-or-Treating-with-the-bird duty. It’s nice that they liked the costume and all but I just thought it was strange.

The Jester

So my oldest son, who is 16, wasn’t Trick-or-Treating this year but he and a few friends were going to the Renaissance Festival and wanted to dress up. He headed to Party City and came home with a Jester Costume.

Here’s the thing though, that costume had sculls hanging all over it. He said he didn’t want to be an angry Jester, he wanted to be a happy Jester. He asks, “mom, do you have any bells I could sew on the costume instead?” Tell me, how many moms out there can answer yes to that question?! Of course at 9pm is when he remembered he needed to get them on there. I lost him at “just thread the needle and…” That’s when I took over and just did it for him (because yes, I had bells!). He had a great time at the festival, I believe he said “it was the best day ever!”

The Blue Man Group

Which leaves me to my 17 year old daughter and her friends. They were The Blue Man Group. Or would it be Blue Girl Group? Throughout their High School career they’ve all been in orchestra together and every October they have an Orchestra Masquerade. All the kids get to dress up and the parents get to listen to an awesome concert. This year they did a piece from Phantom of the Opera – it was AMAZING! I believe she said it was “the best concert ever.” These three Senior girls wanted to go out with a bang with some really kickin’ costumes… I think they did it! Up close they looked freaky though. Cool… but freaky!

How’s this for a lame “what was I thinking!” moment… the photo below is the only one I got of her by herself. I completely forgot to get shots of just her. I snapped this one because I thought it was cute that she was all covered in blue and eating. After all, a Blue Man’s got to eat!

I’m thinking they had a pretty awesome month… one could say, “the best ever!”

Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: Petal Power

2011-11-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

It’s my day to get to hop! yeah! Thanks to Eileen Hull for inviting me to be a part of the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop. To create my card I used some cool papers from Grant Studios (a company from Australia), pretty stamps from The Stamps of Life, and of course the fun Petal Power die from Sizzix.

Want to hop around and see some other projects? Just click the nifty Fresh Vintage banner in the upper left hand corner. :-)

Make sure you check out the Oh My Crafts blog, where you can enter to win a Flower Layers #9 die! (between the dates of September 27-November 3, 2011)

And now for the project…

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: daisies2garden (The Stamps of Life), Patterned paper - Hello Doiley, Tangerine Tulips, Lemon Bloom (Grant Studios), ribbon, button, embroidery thread, corner rounder.

Basic directions

Cut your card shape and round corners. The card I made is approximately 6” x 6”.
Layer cardstock and patterned paper onto card front towards the left side. Edge your card with brown ink.
Use a long sentiment to stamp continuously on the right hand side of your card.
Cut all your petal pieces and the center piece for the flower. Ink edges of all pieces and assemble.
Glue flower to card front. Thread embroidery thread through button and add to card front.
Tie a ribbon on the left hand side and you're done. wa-la!

Want to see some other ideas for using the Power Petal die? Visit this post on Eileen's blog to find links to all the other projects.

FAQ about the Fresh Vintage Blog Hop:

How do I hop around to see ideas using the current featured die?

Every Tuesday and Thursday between September 27-November 3, 2011 there will be a new Sizzix Fresh Vintage die featured on 6-10 of the 75 participating designers' blogs. The navigation buttons for "Hop Back" and "Hop Forward" will allow you to easily hop around and see projects featuring whatever the current die is, since those buttons are programmed to navigate only to the blogs that are participating for that die. On the next Tuesday/Thursday, the buttons will automatically reprogram themselves to navigate to the blogs that are signed up for the next featured die.

What if I start at a designer's blog that isn't one of the 6-10 signed up for that die?

No problem! Simply hit either the "Hop Forward" or "Hop Back" button on the Fresh Vintage navigation widget from any blog's sidebar and you'll automatically advance to one of the participating blogs.

Can I go back and view the ideas for a previously featured die?

Of course! Go to Eileen Hull's blog and find the "Blog Hops" link at the top of the page. It will bring up her blog posts where you'll find direct links to each participating blog along with a thumbnail image of the project.

Where can I buy the Sizzix Fresh Vintage dies, by Eileen Hull?

You can visit Sizzix.com to find a local and online retailers for Sizzix products. Also be sure to visit Oh My Crafts, one of this blog hop's sponsors, (between the dates of September 27-November 3, 2011) and enter for a chance to win a Flower Layers #9 die!

The Blog Hop has ended and the navigation widget is no longer in the sidebar. How can I see the ideas?

Go to Eileen Hull's blog and find the "Blog Hops" link at the top of the page. It will bring up her blog posts where you'll find direct links to each participating blog along with a thumbnail image of the project.

Enjoy the hop!

wordless Wednesday: favorites

2011-11-02T09:37:00.001-05:00

Create Scrapbooks: Tutorial with The Stamps of Life November 2011 Release - froggy2love

2011-11-01T15:25:00.001-05:00

It’s November 1st and that means I’ve got a new stamp set from The Stamps of Life to share with everyone as well as a video tutorial. Head on over to Create Scrapbooks and check it out. The newest set is called froggy2love and it’s super cute!

Supplies: froggy2love (The Stamps of Life), Life of the Party – 6x6 paper pad (Lime Twist, My Mind’s Eye), Artichoke Premium Dye Ink (Colorbox), Licorice Premium Dye Ink (Colorbox), Sage Chalk Ink (VersaMagic, Tsukinek), Zig 2 Way Glue, Tombow Permanent Adhesive, black pen .01 (Zig Millennium), MicroTip Scissors (Fiskars), paper trimmer (Fiskars). Other: bone folder, ribbon, pencil, eraser.

Happy stamping!

the angry (bird) pumpkin and then some…

2011-10-31T09:27:00.001-05:00

We have a theme this year obviously… Angry Birds! Like the messy kitchen? keepin’ it real, yo.

Ideas and Inspiration

As a card maker, I’m always looking for new things to try when it comes to creating. This exciting new card-making book, 31 Thank You Cards, from Ella Publishing is packed with useful card-making tips and tutorials, plus beautiful thank-you cards that will fill your heart with gratitude. Right now you can get if for only $6.49 through November 7 (after that the price changes to $7.99). Check it out and be inspired!

Randomness

Tomorrow, the November The Stamps of Life Release... I’ll have a new project and video tutorial up at CreateScrapbooks.com. Thursday, I’m posting my project for the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop. The man goes out of town tomorrow for the rest of the week (gulp!). Watched Bridesmaids last night, loved it (the man did not). I am going to keep chanting “no sweets, no sweets, no sweets…” in hopes it will keep me out of the Halloween candy bowl. The dog is currently begging for a bite of my apple and… that’s what’s up!

Happy Halloween!

so, I made a Green Angry Bird…

2011-10-30T17:16:00.001-05:00

When my youngest told me he wanted to be an Angry Bird for Halloween, my first thought was, “Awesome! I’ll gladly spend $40 so I don’t have to make it.” They sell red and black birds. Not green ones. What did he want to be? A Green Angry Bird. You know what that means? It means a trip to JoAnn’s, lots of felt, and me pulling out the ol’ Elna sewing machine I got for my 14th birthday. (yes, that says 14… it was a while ago obviously.)

I got to work.

I taped two very large pieces of paper together and drew out a pattern using images I printed out as a visual... I was basically winging it! Daisy helped.

I drew the face as detailed as I could and then cut the pieces out to use as a pattern. I used some No Sew glue to keep everything in place.

Since I like to make things difficult I hand stich all the pieces onto the front. Talk about a mind numbing task! It was worth it though. I sewed the tail and head feathers together, stuffed them to capacity, sewed all the edges up leaving the appropriate openings and wa-la!

Go me! I made the Green Angry Bird! No idea what level it’s on but apparently it exists.

What’s it look like on? You’ll have to wait and see. :-)

wordless Wednesday: hi!

2011-10-26T06:19:00.001-05:00

weekend recap (and then some!)

2011-10-25T07:33:00.001-05:00

Saturday

On Saturday Karen and I headed to that crazy Swedish utopia that is Ikea so she could order some new cabinets for her home office.

(she’s got two highly amusing blog entries on how we got to this point – Flat Earth Confession and Curvature of the Earth. And just so you know, she took a little creative license with that whole tiger comment. ha.)

Ikea messed something up on part of her order and getting it changed cost us half our life… but I got some delicious Cinnamon Buns out of it and that totally made up for it.

Sunday

On Sunday Karen and I went to a crop for the Fiskateers…aptly titled called United States of Fiskateers Crop for Texas. If you’ve never heard of the Fiskateers, it’s a a supportive community with a message board and gallery where people and encourage one another and share there love of Fiskars. There are challenges, online crops, and a plethora of goodness so it’s something I encourage you to check out.

I had such a good time at the crop! Making new friends, seeing everyone's projects, and hanging out with people that really get it. It was a fantastic day! And thanks to our hostess with the mostess Lizzie, for putting on such an awesome spread!

What did I get done at the crop? Drum roll please… this one card! And before you say, “she only got one card done in 6 hours?” I have to tell you, I got one card done! woo! I was actually surprised… crops for me are a social-get-out-of-the-house-and-chat-with-awesome-people thing. It’s not a time for me to be productive so that fact that I actually completed a project is pretty darn impressive.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: stamps (penguins4Christmas, The Stamps of Life), Square Flip-it (Stephanie Barnard, Sizzix).

Monday

Yesterday I got my project for the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop done. Look for that on November 3rd. It turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. I’m using some cool papers from Grant Studios which is an Australian company. The hop continues (every Tuesday and Thursday) so you can check it out today too.

Tuesday

Today it’s The Stamps of Life Day (at least for me!). I’ll be working on projects and a new video. I really enjoy making the videos, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the whole talking to yourself thing though. At least the kids are back in school and I get no extra commentary after I mess up. ;-)

Wednesday

Tomorrow – heading to Karen’s! (thank goodness she only lives 10 minutes from me – if that!). Ikea is coming to put her cabinets in today and since I’m absolutely obsessed with organizing (love, love, love it!) I begged to help. I think I said something like, “don’t you dare put anything away without me.” It’s probably wrong I’m so excited and it’s not even my office but as my teenage daughter would say, whatever!

And now it’s time to start my day… kids out the door, walk the dog, workout, get cleaned up, and get `er done!

Happy Tuesday friends!

Lawnscaping Challenge #20 | bon voyage

2011-10-19T12:24:00.001-05:00

It’s been a while since I participated in a Lawnscaping challenge and I’ve really missed it. I’ve got a few unopened Lawn Fawn stamp sets that are still in the package (gasp!) and they were calling me so I decided to break one open and take part of the current challenge.

I used a the Sizzix Scallop Oval Framelit to create the card base. After I folded the paper over, I made sure there was a bit of the Scallop Framelit hanging off the edge of the crease so that portion of the paper would not get cut, creating the connected portion of the card. I like the effect with the scallop. :-)

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: patterned paper (from my scrap drawer), yellow cardstock.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

on my desk

2011-10-18T09:51:00.001-05:00

On my desk today: pretty papers from Grant Studios (a company from Australia) and one very cool die by Eileen Hull (Petal Power). I’m working on my project for the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop. The hop has been going on since September 27th featuring a ton of awesome designers and amazing projects.

Want to play catch up the projects, check the following links…

more to come…

Leaves
Thursday, October 20
ScoreBoard Suitcase
Tuesday,October 25
Flower, 3D #2
Thursday October 27
ScoreBoard Caddy
Tuesday, November 1
Flower, Petal Power
Thursday, November 3

I highly recommend you check it out, there are some very cool project to see. :-)

Look for my project on November 3rd!

holiday gift idea: a Mixbook

2011-10-15T07:42:00.001-05:00

Last year for Christmas, we made photo books for our family as gifts. They were a HUGE hit! Besides everyone thinking I was a genius and that I put a lot of work into them (which I didn’t, they were super easy to make!), they were truly touched to get something so heartfelt and personalized. This year we’re going to make them again and since the holidays are right around the corner – you know how they sneak up on us – I’m going to go ahead and get started. I got this buy one get one free coupon from Mixbook and wanted to share it because it’s to good of a deal not to.

Until October 23rd, 2011, Mixbook is having a Get Your Free Photo Book deal! When you buy one photo book, you get one photo book for free. With this great offer, think of all the great memories you can share in two great photo books, for the price of one (and all the family members you can cover if you’re using them as gifts!). Visit Mixbook and start creating your photo books now, as this deal will disappear sooner than you know. Use coupon code: BK4FREE.

It’s never to early for holiday ideas!

Create Scrapbooks: The Stamps of Life October 2011 Special Release Sets

2011-10-13T15:08:00.001-05:00

Hi all! I’m blogging at Create Scrapbooks today bringing you the October special releases from The Stamps of Life.There are four awesome new sets: wreath4me, Christmas4Him, fancy4labels, and search4words.

Here’s a quick video showing you the new sets:

Head on over to Create Scrapbooks and check it out!

See you there!

wordless Wednesday: weekend project

2011-10-12T07:04:00.001-05:00

getting ready for Christmas

2011-10-10T18:24:00.001-05:00

(Why yes, I did say Christmas!)

I can’t believe I’ve already purchased something for Christmas! I’m not sure if I should classify that as ahead of the game or just plain crazy! I’m going with ahead of the game since I’ll need it for December 1st… and I currently don’t feel like admitting I’m crazy! ha!

I ordered a Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar. I figured my 9 year old son would really get a kick out of it. I was surprised when my 16 year old son was really excited about it too. He was really pushing for the Star Wars one. I was debating between Lego City 7553 and Lego City 2824 but hey! I’m all for holding on to my kids being little as long as possible so I figured going for the Star Wars one would be the smart choice. My 17 year old daughter did not care at all… that doesn’t surprise me in the least considering she’s not really a Star Wars or Lego’s fan. I need to figure out something fun to do for her this year since I’ve got the boys covered. The Advent Calendar will be a new tradition for us. I’m excited about it.

I know December is a while away but I’ve already got Christmas on the brain. I’ve purchased the papers I’m going to use for the December Daily album this year. I went with the Season’s Greetings collection by Echo Park.

What do you think? Perfect right? I’m glad I went with the pack because it’s got extra element stickers and journaling spots. It should make assembly easy-peasy. I’m really excited about this years December Daily.

What did I do last year for December Daily? Check it out HERE on my blog or HERE in my Flickr album.

Anyone else out there ahead of the game and prepping for Christmas?

Create Scrapbooks: Tutorial with The Stamps of Life October 2011 Release - penguins4Christmas

2011-10-07T16:58:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! I’m blogging at Create Scrapbooks today sharing the October club release from The Stamps of Life with a cute set called penguins4Christmas! I’ve got a video tutorial too making this cute card… stay tuned to the end because there’s a bonus project.

Have a great weekend!

wordless Wednesday: a good morning

2011-10-05T09:54:00.001-05:00

this one’s for my man…

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Because he’s a great husband and Dad, because he’s the most hard working man I’ve ever known, because his dedication knows no bounds, because he’s cute, because he has fantastic legs, because he makes me stuff with all his DIY knowledge, because all these years later he still puts up with all I can dish out - all that plus a million other reasons and a million more we haven’t even experienced together yet - that’s why I love him.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Stamps: happy2becircles (The Stamps of Life). Other: ribbon.

Happy Anniversary to my man!

photo recap | September 2011

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Funny thing, time. I remember it being January and in the blink of an eye it’s already October. I actually asked my husband about Christmas yesterday! This year is going way to fast.

September was a pretty good month. Our weather cooled slightly, which means it was about 5 degrees less but just as humid. Small fry had some kite flying fun (it’s not easy finding a kite in September by the way). My big kids went to Homecoming. I still can’t believe I have a Junior and Senior. Maybe that’s why I have such an issue with time flying by… the faster it goes the sooner I know there will be graduation, college, and another Senior. I am so not ready. At least I’ll have my youngest at home for a long time to come still. :-)

Here’s to having time stand still!

Happy Halloween banner

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Just because September is over doesn’t mean Spooky September has to be! I’ve got another fun Halloween project to share with you today – a Happy Halloween banner. I got to use my new Pennant Framelits from Sizzix… the outside scallop fits perfectly with the inside triangle! I used the Spider and Spider web die cut in a non pop-up way and added it as part of the decoration. I love how everything looks with the Bella Blvd. papers. I used the heck out of the Too Cute to Spook collection, I hardly have any left!

Tip: When making a banner and adding elements to the front or back pieces, only adhere elements to one “banner” so everything can still hang properly. (i.e. don’t try to glue one web to two different triangle's because it wont hang right.)

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Other: black felt, small hole punch, black embroidery floss.

Have a great October!!!

spooky September: trick–or-treat card with floating frames

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It’s September 30th and that means the month is is coming to a close so I wanted to share one more creepy creation for Spooky September. This time I used the Floating Frames die to highlight a few ghostly friends. This is such a versatile die and could be used for any theme or season, not just Halloween. I’m loving the Bella Blvd papers… way cute! I used one of the new Sizzix Framelits for the inside sentiments too.. they cut like butter!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Stamps: solids4Halloween (The Stamps of Life). Twine: Lemondrop, Charcoal, Lilac (The Twinery).

Spooky September projects

trick-or-treat card
Halloween card
Happy Haunting card
happy fall card
fright night card
spooky inspiration
trick-or-treat card with floating frames

Other stuff

September was such a busy month, I can’t believe it’s almost over. I’m excited to go through all my photos and do another recap, my big kids went to Homecoming so I’m sure I’ve got some good ones (fingers crossed!). I’m looking forward to October 1st so I can pull out our Fall and Halloween decorations. We really don’t feel like we get much of a fall down here in the land of hot so I pretend as much as possible. It’s my favorite season, I miss it.

Ready for Halloween?

product showcase: Stephanie Barnard Premium Colorbox Ink Pads

2011-09-29T08:30:00.001-05:00

I’m kind of in love with these new Stephanie Barnard Premium Colobox Ink Pads… the colors are gorgeous! I don’t think I can use the word awesome enough to describe them – they’re so vibrant and true! The thing I love most – the pad itself is not textured. What you stamp is what you get… this makes me a happy camper! If you’ve had a textured ink pad before, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

I made a quick video showcasing each of the colors…

wordless Wednesday: I see you Severus

2011-09-28T05:59:00.001-05:00

Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop STARTS TODAY!

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Today is the start of Eileen Hull's blog hop featuring all twelve dies from her new Fresh Vintage collection. You’ll be able to see my project on November 3rd using the Power Petal die. :-)

Here's the schedule:

ScoreBoard Album
Tuesday, September 27

Flower, 3D Fringed
Thursday, September 29

ScoreBoard Butterfly
Tuesday, October 4

Flower, Layers #9
Thursday, October 6

ScoreBoard Vase
Tuesday, October 11

Flower, 3D Wrapped
Thursday, October 13

ScoreBoard Bird
Tuesday,October 18
Leaves
Thursday, October 20

ScoreBoard Suitcase
Tuesday,October 25

Flower, 3D #2
Thursday October 27

ScoreBoard Caddy
Tuesday, November 1

Flower, Petal Power
Thursday, November 3

FAQ about the Fresh Vintage Blog Hop:

How do I hop around to see ideas using the current featured die?

What if I start at a designer's blog that isn't one of the 6-10 signed up for that die?

No problem! Simply hit either the "Hop Forward" or "Hop Back" button on the Fresh Vintage navigation widget from any blog's sidebar and you'll automatically advance to one of the participating blogs.

Can I go back and view the ideas for a previously featured die?

Where can I buy the Sizzix Fresh Vintage dies, by Eileen Hull?

The Blog Hop has ended and the navigation widget is no longer in the sidebar. How can I see the ideas?

Enjoy the hop!

(This blog post was pretty much copy and pasted from Karen Burniston’s blog with permission.)