Kat Scrap Fever

So, It's Been A While...

2010-01-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

I kind of took an unplanned hiatus from my blog :( First of all, I was focusing more on miniatures and my Etsy shops, then the holidays came along which meant I was working crazy hours. And now, just when my hours are back to slim to none and I'm ready to get crafy again - a certain little 2 year old has decided she doesn't need to nap anymore. Well, there goes mommy's crafty time! :(

I didn't want to completely abandon my blog (again), and I'm hoping that I might be able to actually get some scrapping done even when she's awake. (Mission Impossible?) If I'm able to get some new pages done, you can be sure I'll post them here :)

Yippee!

2009-10-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

I received my wonderful Pay it Forward gift from Marlene today!

A great little keepsake box - perfect for this Twilight fan (who by the way, is counting down the minutes until New Moon comes out!!) I haven't decided just what I'm going to keep in the box yet, but it has a nice home in my craft room! Thank you so much Marlene!

I have my Pay it Forward gifts all finished, and will be sending them out within the next week :) I've been really busy with cutom orders from my Etsy shops - which is nice for the wallet, but bad for the scrapbook which has been sorely neglected. :( If I can get my shops nice and stocked, then hopefully I'll have some more time to get scrappin!

Taking a Step Back...

2009-09-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

For as much multi-tasking that I do on a daily basis, I am just not able to do that with my crafts. It's kind of an all or nothing, I guess. I was fully submerged in scrapping for MONTHS, couldn't think of doing anything else with what little free time I had. But then I picked up the clay and that was all over, I'm fully into making miniatures now. I've tried a few times to scrap a page, but my mojo is just gone.

I've emailed Christine at Practical Scrappers and let her know what's going on with me. I don't want to make half-assed attempts at layouts just to be able to say I scrapped. Better just to put it all on the back burner for a bit.

I'm working lots more hours, so my free time is a bit more limited of late.

You'll be able to see me a bit more often over on my other blog, Jellybean Junction.

Feeling Crafty with Felt

2009-09-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, fellow scrappy bloggers, you may have noticed a distinct lack of layouts lately! With the holidays getting ever closer, I've decided to try and get my Etsy shops filled up, so I'm concentrating almost exclusively on that at the moment. Hopefully I can add a little more to our family Christmas budget.

But my design team commitments keep me in a scrappy frame of mind - which is very good for me... I'm far enough behind on my albums!

This week's challenge at Practical Scrappers is all about felt! I actually don't have a whole lot of felt in my stash, but I did find these fun felt ribbons in the bargain bin at Michaels!

I love these pics of McKenna. We were just hanging out at the park one morning and she was fascinated by the clover.

"Lucky Me
Cardstock - DCWV Brights
Embossing Border Punch - Fiskars
Cardstock - DCWV Brights
Acrylic Alphas - atd
Chipboard Tag - K&Co

Bad, Bad Blogger!

2009-09-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

No Candy List this week, sorry :( I had all the best intentions to get it posted, but I had to stay late at work last night and just needed to sleep! But you can always find the links over there ----> on my sidebar :)

It's getting into our busy time at work, so I'm not going to have as much "me time" :( but I hope to get some new layouts posted soon!

BONUS!

2009-09-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

I just love happy little surprises! In my blog candy package from LilSweetPea, one of the items was a Fiskars Embossing Border Punch. I used it on a layout earlier this week:
Just a sneak peek for now... the full page will have to wait for next week's design team reveal!

I was left with dozens of teeny tiny white cardstock flowers. My mini mind immediately kicked in, and I made this:

Too cute!! I'm definitely on a mini kick at the moment.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Pay It Forward Ladies
I haven't forgotten about you all :) I'm pretty much done with your little gifties, but it might be a little bit before I'm able to get them all packaged up and sent out. Here are some little sneak peeks for you. I tried to match your items to the little questionnaire that I sent you, so you may be able to pick out which one belongs to you. I've also posted the full picture "elsewhere", so if you happen across that, you just might have an even better idea which is yours!

8 Years Later

2009-09-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

A Candy List

2009-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of the giveaways I've found this week :)

I have done almost NO blog stalking this week, but I did find a few new giveaways to add to the list :)

Brae's Candy - Giveaway at 100 followers

Carol's Paper Candy - Ends September 13th

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 14th

Caryn's Christmas Candy - Ends September 14th

Joanne's Surprise Birthday Candy - Ends September 17th

Priscilla's Stampy Candy - Ends September 18th

Kath's Holiday Candy - Ends September 20th

Kim's Candy - Ends September 21st

Carolyn's Blog Candy - Ends September 22nd

Ida's Blog Candy - Ends September 24th

Vikki's Surprise Candy - Ends September 30th

Ingvild's Fabulous Candy - Ends September 30th

Good luck! :)

Working on the New Blog

2009-09-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly trying to get the Etsy thing off the ground again. (Made my first *new* sale today... yay!)

I've been working on the new blog all day, and it's finally (kind of) coming together. So from now on, if I have clay projects or miniatures to share, they will be featured on that blog. I may from time to time make a note over here, but I'm kind of trying to keep this as my main blog focused mainly on scrapping and some "life" posts, and I'll keep my other crafty endeavors over there. I also plan to feature Etsy Finds from other crafters as well.

Go ahead and take a peek if it strikes your fancy :)
http://jellybean-junction.blogspot.com/

OK, off to the craft room to hopefully get some scrapping done!

Design Team Card Reveal

2009-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a card I created for the Practical Scrappers shape punch challenge this week:

One of the best things about making cards
is the ability to get a little more creative when photographing it!

This card was fun to make. I just took each punched circle, stamped a swirl design on one side, folded in thirds, inked the edges and arranged in a flower design. The center is a prima flower and a decorative brad from my stash. The sentiment is an EK Success stamp.

A New Layout To Share!

2009-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Time for the latest Design Team reveal for Practical Scrappers. The challenge this week is to use our basic shape punches. I really had no idea what I was going to do, since I don't have that many punches - and my only basic punches are a circle and triangle. I started playing around with my triangle punch, and I was inspired by quilts again. (You may have seen my crazy quilt post from a few weeks ago...) Then I remembered this picture of McKenna and my MIL, and it all kind of came together.

I punched holes all around the edge of my cardstock and crocheted a simple chain with DMC floss, and added some more country style embellies, including my triangle "quilt", which is simply made of triangles punched from various papers, adhered to cardstock, and then faux stitched together.
Cardstock - Bazzill
Patterned Paper - Little Yellow Bicycle, Tinkering Ink, DCWV
Alphas (black) - Doodlebug Design
Red Alphas, Buttons - stash

Come back tomorrow and you'll see what I created using my circle punch

I'm on a Polymer Clay Jag...

2009-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

I really do go through crafty phases... Right now I just can't put down my clay! You can see the evidence of my latest clay ventures over there <---- on my sidebar, in the link to my Etsy shop.

So, I might not have as many layouts to share, but rest assured - I'm still scrappin!

I am FINALLY feeling better after being sick this whole past week. Ick.

And because it jsut feels wrong to leave a post picture-less, here's McKenna on the slide yesterday. First time by herself. *sigh*

Candy List

2009-09-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of the giveaways I've found this week :)

Just a note: I'll be working on new projects for Etsy for a bit, so I probably won't be blog stalking as much. The candy list might look a litttle slim in future postings...

Jo's BasicGrey Candy - Ends September 5th

Tara's Candy - Ends September 6th

Steph's Manga Candy - Ends September 7th

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Dianne's Blog Candy - Ends September 7th

Cass' Rockin' Candy - Ends September 8th

Dawn's Marth Stewart Candy - Ends September 11th

Caryn's Christmas Candy - Ends September 14th

Priscilla's Stampy Candy - Ends September 18th

Carolyn's Blog Candy - Ends September 22nd

Ida's Blog Candy - Ends September 24th

Vikki's Surprise Candy - Ends September 30th

Good luck! :)

Death Warmed Over...

2009-09-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

That's how I've felt this whole week! It's making its rounds, and I just hope McKenna doesn't get whatever the heck this is. I'm way behind on my blog reading; don't see much hope of getting caught up since I read a million blogs... lol!

I did get some DT projects completed before I the worst of it hit. You'll have to wait until next week for the reveal, though!

I'm also working on some new Halloweenies, including some teeny tiny pups. They will be up on Etsy soon.

Off to get some rest. I miss all my bloggers :(

A Public Service Announcement:

2009-08-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Don't go to the LA Zoo if you're allergic to bees!

We had a great time at the zoo, but were not expecting the massive amount of bees buzzing about! Even after we saw the sign at the entrance warning us of the bees' presence, I don't think we were expecting quite so many. They are all over, especially around the trash & recycling receptacles.

Did I mention I hate bees??
Ryan was getting a little annoyed with me because I would freeze up whenever one got close.

And unfortunately, McKenna got her first bee sting :( Right between her first two fingers. They got all red and swollen! But she was so good, we didn't even realize when it happened, just looked down and saw her puffy little finger. I feel so bad that she got stung, but it is good to know that she's not allergic. That had been one of my big fears. (Anyone see My Girl?)

Well, like any good scrapbooker, I had to take pictures to document the event, and here's the resulting layout:

The paper has been in my stash for a while. Not sure who makes it. I doodled on the bees and bee trails.
* The acrylic Alphas are from atd; I outlined them with the larger side of my Zig writer.
* The black Alphas are Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou).
* Cardstock photo mats are from the DCWV Brights stack.
* Bracket Rub Ons are from Luxe Design

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

On a side note, I've listed my Halloweenies in My Etsy Shop. You can see my little mini gallery over there on my left sidebar.

I've also started a Facebook Product/Fan Page for my Halloweenies. Still not quite sure what I'm doing there, though. I've been on Facebook for a while, still playing around with this new idea though :)

Photohunt: Surprise

2009-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

I almost didn't post a photo for this week since I didn't have time to think of a new one to take, but then I remembered this pic of McKenna from last Christmas. She was so happy and surprised when she pulled her ELMO toy out of the stocking.

Not a very creative photo, but cute :)
(I might be biased though)

Join in!

PAWSitively Fun Layouts

2009-08-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

groan.

Excuse the cheesy title...

I wanted to change it up a little bit a scrap some pics of my doggies. I used 5x7 photos, and these pages came together so quickly!

"It's A Dog's Life"
Cardstock and a strip of patterned paper from BasicGrey's Urban Prairie collection, some leftover Bazzill cardstock, alphas from Doodlebug Design and some AC Thickers. And some old buttons for a finishing touch! (note: these buttons are actually BAKELITE, which I didn't realize until after I dug them out of an old button jar (yard sale find!) I almost couldn't bring myself to use them, but I figured what the heck?)

"Get Low"
I started with a sheet of BasicGrey Aged & Confused paper, tossed on a few random blocks of Bazzill and Wausau cardstock inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink, added some Bazzill chipboard alphas, and sewed on a pleated strip of patterned paper. Easy Peasy!

Candy Anyone?

2009-08-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well, yeah - it's still Thursday night here, but I hit publish instead of schedule. D'oh!!
Here's a list of the giveaways I've found while blog stalking this week :)

Steph's Awesome Giveaway - Ends TODAY

Brae's Candy - Giveaway @ 100 followers

True's Blog Candy - Ends August 31st

Jenn's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 31st

Jill's MME Giveaway - Ends August 31st

Melissa's Super Cool Giveaway - Ends August 31st

Leanne's Gorjuss Candy - Ends September 1st

Jo's Super Cute Candy - Ends September 1st

Alysabeth's Gorjuss Giveaway - Ends September 1st

Jo's BasicGrey Candy - Ends September 5th

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Vikki's Surprise Candy - Ends September 7th

Dianne's Blog Candy - Ends September 7th

Priscilla's Stampy Candy - Ends September 18th

Carolyn's Blog Candy - Ends September 22nd

Ida's Blog Candy - Ends September 24th

Good luck! :)

Weebas & Wuppos

2009-08-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have an idea for a layout - or even just a title - before you even have the photos? Before we took our trip to the Los Angeles Zoo last weekend, I knew I wanted to do a "Weebas & Wuppos" page. Right now, I am just fascinated with McKenna's vocabulary and I have lots of layouts in the works (in my head, at least) that feature her pronunciations. So needless to say, zebras and hippos were on our "must see" list for our zoo trip. I wasn't too happy with the photos I was able to snap, but I love how the layout came out!

I hadn't a clue what I wanted to do with this page, except that I knew I wanted to use zebra print somewhere. I originally thought I wanted to do something very similar to my "New Hoos" layout with a black or white cardstock background and blocks of either cardstock or patterned paper in black, white, bright green and zebra. Well, that idea went out the window when I found this patterned paper in my stash! I love it :)

"Weebas & Wuppos"

Recipe:
Patterned Paper:
Background & Flowers - Tinkering Ink (al fresco)
Zebra - DCWV (All Dressed Up 8x8 glitter stack)
Cardstock:
Photo Mats - DCWV - Brights
Flowers - Wausau Paper
Alphas:
Title - Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou)
Subtitle - My Little Shoebox
Ink:
Color Box

There's even a little hidden journaling on this page

Finally New Layouts.... and a Winner!

2009-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to say Happy Anniversary to my hubby.

You still rock my world :)

I was finally able to get a couple new layouts put together!

New "Hoos"

Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Making Memories Boho Chic
Stamps: Inkadinkado Flourishes
Ink: Color Box
Alphas: AC Thickers
Gems: Recollections
Flowers: Prima & stash

This is a new favorite. I really love this color combo (taken directly from the photo). I recently saw a tip about outlining title stickers to make them stand out more. (Can't remember if I found it while blog hopping or on scrapbook.com) My Zig Writer matches the Color Box ink perfectly, and I really love the effect here.

"Pool Party"

Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants Summer Soiree
Alpha Stamps: Image Tree
Flourish Stamps: Inkadinkado
Ink: Color Box
Title Alphas: Doodlebug Design Loopy Lou

I'm not completely in love with this one, but there are parts of it that I really like. I stamped some orange flourishes in the corners to kind of fill out the background a little bit, and then I tried to mimic the design of the paper by using different stamps and lettering to add in the subtitle "MOMS Club Splashin' Babes"

**************************************************************

And now, I know you've been waiting patiently for me to reveal the winner of my blog candy.

Thank you to all who entered!

After going through the entries and taking into account a couple of multiple posts, the person with comment #20 is...

CLAUDE

Congratulations! Email me at mamakat_b (at) hotmail.com with your address :)

Candy Time!!

2009-08-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

This post will remain at the top until the candy is over on August 25th. Please scroll down for newer posts...

In celebration of my first Design Team position with Practical Scrappers, I've decided to give away some BLOG CANDY!

If you've taken a look at my layouts, you kow that my style is very eclectic and random. I might do a page with soft colors, lace and flowers one day, and then bright colors and lots of geometric shapes the next day. I just like trying lots of different techniques! So, this candy is totally random. I've just been wandering around for a bit, finding fun stuff to give away.

Here's what ya get:

American Crafts Amplified 12x12 paper pack - 60 sheets

BasicGrey Obscure chipboard embellishments - 120 pieces

DCWV Rockstar adhesive ribbon - 3ft x 4 designs

Marvy Star punch and Teardrop/Petal" punch

Pressed Petals Chip Chatter Flowers - 12 self-adhesive shapes

Making Memories rub-on alphas Rummage (cornflower) and Mixed (brite)

AC Thickers Tinsel Accents foil stickers (black)

Making Memories alpha stickers Kids Quilt and Alphabet Map

Making Memories metal word fetti & tiles Card Sayings, Expressions and Dog

Zippy Metal Tags

Paper Ware Stitched Tags

Scrap Metal Word Freedom

Favorite Findings Square Buttons pack and 2 large Confetti buttons

Just a bunch of random fun stuff :)

This candy is open to anyone, anywhere!

Want to win? Here's what you need to do:

1.) Become a follower of my blog, if you're not already

and

2.) Leave a comment on this post sharing one "totally random" fun fact about yourself :)

That's it!

If you have a blog, and you'd like to link back to my giveaway I'd really appreciate it, but it's not required to be entered in the drawing.

This candy will end at 11:59pm (PST) Monday, August 24th.
I will use random.org to choose the winner, and announce it here on Tuesday, August 25th - my wedding anniversary :)

When I Think Vellum...

2009-08-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

I think BUBBLES!!!

I know there are so many more uses for vellum, but I just love bubbles!

The featured supply this week at Practical Scrappers is - you guessed it! - Vellum.

I didn't have much free time this week, so I just whipped up a cute little card featuring my favorite vellum bubbles. The circles were cut in different sizes with my circle cutter (and some with small punches) and inked a little bit with Color Box chalk ink in Azurite. The cardstock is from Bazzill and the patterned paper is from an older Marcella by K baby theme pack. The sentiment stickers and chipboard duckie are from my stash.

And look - more sewing! I think I've used sewing on all of my cards and layouts the past couple weeks. I've got to learn the settings on my sewing machine though; I think the tension was off on parts of this card. I still think it turned out cute though. :)

Now I just need someone to give it to. I have a couple girlfriends with baby fever, though - so I don't think I'll have to wait too long to give it away :)

Hopefully this week will be a little more calm and I'll have some new layouts to share.

Have a great week, and remember, today's the last day to enter my blog candy!

Photohunt: Ripples

2009-08-21T23:25:00.001-07:00

I wasn't planning on playing along this week, because it has been really hectic around here. I was called out of town for a few days because my Mom had to go in for emergency surgery. (she's doing well now, but prayers for a quick recovery would be greatly appreciated) So, needless to say, my whole week was thrown out of whack!

But when I saw this week's theme, I immediately thought of this photo:

Ripples In The Fountain

Historic Atascadero (California) City Hall building as seen across the fountain in Sunken Gardens Park

Designed by Walter G Bliss of San Francisco and completed in 1918, this historical building was damaged in a 6.5 earthquake in 2003 and is currently closed and awaiting restoration. If you really want to dig really deep into this week's theme, remember that earthquake tremors are kind of like ripples along the Earth's landscape...

I have been fascinated by this building since I was a little girl and would visit my grandfather who lived in Atascadero. Mom lives there now, and I have had occasion to visit Atascadero at least a couple times a year for the past 10 years or so. I finally took the opportunity to photograph this building when McKenna and I took a picnic lunch to the park after visiting mom in the hospital.

I hope you enjoyed my take on "Ripples"

Join in!

Sweet Stuff...

2009-08-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of the giveaways I've found while blog stalking this week :)

Brae's Candy - Giveaway @ 100 followers

BasicGrey Challenges Blog Candy - Ends August 21st

Sue's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 21st

Kristin's Birthday Candy - Ends August 21st

Claire's Yummy Candy - Ends August 21st

Jo's BasicGrey Candy - Ends August 22nd

Jacqui's Candy - Ends August 22nd

Denise's Fabulous Candy - Ends August 23rd

My Candy!! - Ends August 24th

Debbi's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 25th

Nina's Big New Blog Giveaway - Ends August 27th

Steph's Awesome Giveaway - Ends August 28th

True's Blog Candy - Ends August 31st

Jenn's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 31st

Melissa's Super Cool Giveaway - Ends August 31st

Leanne's Gorjuss Candy - Ends September 1st

Jo's Super Cute Candy - Ends September 1st

Alysabeth's Gorjuss Giveaway - Ends September 1st

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Vikki's Surprise Candy - Ends September 7th

Dianne's Blog Candy - Ends September 7th

Priscilla's Stampy Candy - Ends September 18th

Good luck! :)

My Latest Projects, A New Blog, And A Couple Thank-Yous!

2009-08-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

I gave you a sneak peek at "Drake" last week. Here he is with a few of his pals, which I plan to be listing soon on Etsy and/or eBay.

click to enlarge
I've also started a new blog, Jellybean Junction, to feature my little Halloweenies and other polymer clay endeavors. As if I really have time for another blog... lol!

It been a pretty rough week, with mom going into the hospital for emergency surgery. Unexpected out of town trips with a toddler are quite a challenge! Mom is going to be in the hospital for a week, so we just stayed for a couple days until she got started feeling better.

I did get some fun good news while I was away, though - I won not just one, but TWO awesome giveaways!

First, some very cool Purple chipboard and rub-ons from GCD on Amber's Blog. (did I mention purple is one of my favorite colors??) I love Amber's designs - they're always so bright and cheerful!

And then some COSMO CRICKET on Jamie's Blog. Cosmo Cricket is totally one of my favorite companies! Yay me :)

Oh, and I forgot to post a couple weeks ago, I was also the surprise runner up winner on Michelle's Blog, and she sent me a super cute Inky Impressions stamp!

Thanks so much, girls! You all rock!

Here's Where I Was At 4 AM

2009-08-17T21:56:00.001-07:00

Stopping for a caffeine refill halfway through the trip to see my mom after emergency surgery.

I meant to send this pic to my "Three Six Five" blog, but I figured I'd leave it here too since it's going to be a crazy week, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to blog again.

Note: a 2+ hour drive starting at 3 am is no fun. Thank goodness McKenna slept or was at least quiet for the drive. Although, trying to work in naptime later in the day was a chore.

Mom is ok, just in a lot of pain and will be in the hospital for at least a week. I won't give details about how much it scared me to see her all hooked up to machines and oxygen and IVs... I don't do well with hospitals.

Hope to be back with more craftiness soon. I was working on some super cute Halloweenies when I got the call; I can't wait to share them with you all :)

Use Your Scraps! Crazy Quilt Embellishment Tutorial

2009-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been scrapping for any length of time, you will have amassed a stash of scrap papers, from the almost complete 12x12 sheet that you used for just a couple little punches, to the teeniest sliver of a favorite paper that you just couldn't bear to throw away. I of course am no exception!

The featured supply this week on Practical Scrappers is SCRAPS. Even though it's not my week to submit a project, I decided to share one of my favorite uses for scraps: "Crazy Quilt" Embellishments.

I've always loved Victorian crazy quilts, and even though I don't quilt or even really know my way around a sewing machine, I knew there had to be a way to translate these to paper.

The best thing about making these embellies, is there are no rules!
The example I'm going to show you today is very simple, but you can do so much with this basic idea.

Basically, the only things you need are:
Your scraps
Some base cardstock
Adhesive / glue (I use ZIG 2 way glue)
Scissors

You may also want:
Stencil or template
Piercing tool and pen (for faux stitching)
Sewing machine or
Needle & thread
Embellies for your embellie (like tiny buttons or punches)

I chose papers from the same color family, and cut my scraps into strips of fairly uniform width, but remember, anything goes! You can use different, more random shapes and of course any colors.

Now you're going to glue your scraps to you base cardstock. If you've chosen a coordinating base color or pattern, you can get really messy with how you glue down your pieces. You need to use a glue that gives full coverage and dries flat without warping. I glued my strips down slightly overlapping.

It is important to get all the pieces glued down as securely as possible, because if you're going to be using the sewing machine, you want to make sure the pieces don't start to lift. (NOTE: I've heard that some adhesives can gum up your sewing machine needle, so keep that in mind. I've never had a problem with it, and I've used different adhesives too. But I only use my machine for scrapping, so proceed with caution)

And if you're not going to be sewing, you won't have that extra security from the stitch, so it's all about the glue :)

I knew I was going to make a heart, so I had that in mind as I glued down my strips. If you're going to be using a stencil, you can trace it out first to make sure you've got full coverage. Or just wing it like I did!

Once you've got your shape cut out, the fun begins! Stitch it up (if you want) anyway you want. You can do some faux straight stitching around the outside, some cross stitches through the middle, anything goes. Even if you don't do a thing to it beyond this point, you've still got a great little embellie and a fun way to use up scraps!

I decided to use the heart on on cute little card for my hubby (shhhh.... um - hi babe!)
It's a good thing this is supposed to be a crazy quilt, because I can't sew straight to save my life. I just did a simple (nice and crooked) straight stitch around the outside and some zigzags through the middle.

I hope some of you have found this useful. If you decide to try it out, I'd love to see what you come up with :)

p.s. Don't forget my BLOG CANDY

Photohunt: Artificial

2009-08-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I remembered to take a photo for PhotoHunt 2 weeks in a row!! Well, I'm actually scheduling this post on Thursday night so I don't forget.. LOL!

I decided to get artsy with the sweetener packets.

And what's more artificial that day-glo cheese?

Join in!

Making Weenies...

2009-08-14T22:59:00.000-07:00

A sneaky peek at what I've been up to lately:

My favorite of several new Halloweenies that I've made. I've decided to give eBay and/or Etsy another go. It's going to cut down on my papercrafting time, but I really do love making these little guys :)

Sweets to Share

2009-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of the giveaways I've found while blog stalking this week :)

Priscilla's Blog Candy - Ends August 14th

Sarita's Blog Candy - Ends August 15th

Michelle's Birthday Candy - Ends August 15th

Jamie's Cosmo Cricket Giveaway - Ends August 17th

Bev's Awesome Candy - Ends August 17th

Carolyn's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 18th

Alanna's Candy - Ends August 18th

BasicGrey Challenges Blog Candy - Ends August 21st

Sue's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 21st

Kristin's Birthday Candy - Ends August 21st

Claire's Yummy Candy - Ends August 21st

Jacqui's Candy - Ends August 22nd

Denise's Fabulous Candy - Ends August 23rd

My Candy!! - Ends August 24th

Nina's Big New Blog Giveaway - Ends August 27th

Steph's Awesome Giveaway - Ends August 28th

True's Blog Candy - Ends August 31st

Jenn's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 31st

Leanne's Gorjuss Candy - Ends September 1st

Jo's Super Cute Candy - Ends September 1st

Alysabeth's Gorjuss Giveaway - Ends September 1st

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Vikki's Surprise Candy - Ends September 7th

Good luck! :)

Finishing These Layouts...

2009-08-12T22:34:00.001-07:00

was like pulling teeth!! Don't you hate it when that happens?

I was stuck on this one for over a week! I had this much done and totally hit a creative roadblock. But the girls over at scrapbook.com gave me some great ideas, and I added a little here and there till it was done :)

"Nee-Nee"

Recipe:
Patterned paper - DCWV Green Stack
Title alphas - Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou)
Heart punch - Fiskars
plus... and old Dymo label maker and messy stitches on my old machine

McKenna-ese makes for fun titles, and I have even more in mind :)

"Sharing is Caring"
Recipe:
Patterned paper & Die cuts - MME (Daydream)
Cardstock - DCWV Brights
Title alphas - Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou)
Flourish stamp - Inkadinkado
Ink - Colorbox
plus... felt embellies and more stitches on my old machine

I lost count of how many times I redid this layout. I'm glad the adhesive I use isn't super grabby, or this one would have been destined for the bin. I wasn't happy with any of the background paper I tried, or any of the plain cardstock... so I made my own patterned paper with my flourish stamps. I had already picked out the floral paper, but I dug deep in my stash and found the die cuts too. I love the bright color combo. (sorry for the poor photographs - it's late and there's no natural light)

When in Doubt....

2009-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Scraplift!

I am constantly inspired by all of the talented scrappers out there! I don't actually scraplift all too often, but I have lots of "starred" blog posts, "favorited" galleries, and sketches in my notebooks. Once again, I've been feeling a little low on mojo, so I took a browse through some of my favorite artists to get some ideas!

I was inspired by this design from Brook several weeks ago, and finally decided to scrap it.

I had actually intended to do a very literal scraplift with the same layout and everything, but as it usually goes, the page took off with a life of it's own.

I wish I could remember who makes this paper! I've had it in my stash for ages and I just love it. The lighter strip is actually the back of the dark blue patterned paper. Double sided paper rocks! The scroll and divider bracket are Thickers. The flowers are... darn! I can't remember who makes the flowers either! I stamped the Inkadinkado flourishes with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo. The "wonderful you" rub on is from October Afternoon The buttons are from my stash, and they're so old that they're crackled - what a cool touch! And more machine stitching... oh yeah - I'm addicted! I printed the journaling block out on a clear label. (love that technique!) The fonts are Jeana and Pupcat if you're interested.

I saw Crystal's layout just a couple days ago and I automatically knew how I was going to scraplift it.

I had just taken tons of Jell-o pics, and I knew they would be a perfect fit for this design!

The papers are from the American Crafts Amplified pack (yes, the same paper pack I'm giving away in my blog candy... it's just too fun; I had to get some for myself!) I drew and cut the alphas by hand. You can't see in the photos because it's red on red, but I stamped some tiny flourish/scrolls on the letters. I made a fun flower out of paper scraps with an old button for the center. And look - more machine stitching!

I printed out tons of pics, so I hope to have some more to share with you this week.

Oh, on a totally random note...
I follow a lot of crafty bloggers from the UK, and I have decided that my new favorite word is "chuffed"

Main Entry: chuffed
Pronunciation: \ˈchəft\
Function: adjective
Etymology: English dialect chuff pleased, puffed with fat
Date: 1957
British : quite pleased : delighted

Do you think I can help it catch on in the states?

I'm just chuffed to bits that you've visited my blog today!
Happy crafting :)

p.s. don't forget my blog candy

Where Did All Her Money Go??

2009-08-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

... it could be yours if you're lucky!

Steph at Where'd All My Money Go - Confessions of a PaperCrafting Addict is giving away $150 to the shop of your choice! Make sure to stop by her blog before August 28th for your chance to enter the drawing!

Making A Dent in the Sticker Stash...

2009-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

...kind of...

This week's featured supply at Practical Scrappers is STICKERS. I'm sure I'm not the only scrapper that has a huge stash of stickers. I even collected stickers when I was a little girl and I still have tons of those! But with the exception of letter stickers, I rarely use them on projects. Most of the time, they'll catch my eye in the store, but then when I go to use them, I feel they don't give enough "oomph" to my project, or, I'll use one or two and have the rest of the package left over.

Even with all the stickers at my disposal, I was stumped this week! But I did manage to churn out a couple projects to share, although they don't feature the stickers quite as much as I had hoped. But just as I was writing out this blog, I thought of another idea- so hopefully I'll be able to bust that out sometime this week too :)

"I Love Your Smile"

Recipe
Cardstock - Bazzill (white) & DCWV Brights (pink & green)
Patterned Paper - K&Co Brenda Walton - Dollhouse
Stickers - K & Co
Flowers - Prima
Alphas - Colorbox (pink) & DCWV Chip Chatter Lime Stripe
Buttons & Gems - stash

Here's a technique to make your stickers stand out - literally. Mat them on coordinating cardstock and pop them up with some foam squares. A great way to add some dimension!
By the way - I love my sewing machine! I know there aren't any visible stitches here, but stitching down those pleats was 100% more effective than any glue or adhesive runner would have been - and it is so addicting to sew on paper!

I made a card for this week's design team submission too (although I didn't make this one to send; instead I plan on framing it)

The papers and cardstock are all from my scrap file, so I'm not sure of the maker. The 3d stickers are from a Marcella by K pack.
I added a little "something" by piercing the edges of the cardstock. The verse is one of my favorites: Psalm 37:4 - "Delight thyself also in the LORD and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." This was done with another little trick that I like to use - clear printable labels. Perfect for adding journaling, sentiments, and titles to your projects using your favorite computer fonts. I use the full sheet size and then I can do any size I need.

I'm finally working on some more layouts, so hopefully I'll have more to share this week.

Remember, my blog candy giveaway is still going on until August 24th!

PhotoHunt: Low

2009-08-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I've been really hit and miss about posting a pic for PhotoHunt each week, but when I saw this week's theme, I knew I had to make sure to join in. A dachshund is pretty much the definition of LOW, don't you think?

Here's Pinkerton:

...and our little Ziggy. RIP buddy :(

Join in!

Yumm-o!

2009-08-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lots of generous bloggers out there! I found tons of candy this week :)

Val's Yummy Birthday Candy - Ends August 8th

Donalda's Scrummy Candy - Ends August 9th

Blog Candy from Rach - Ends August 9th

Crafty Pagan's Blog Candy - Ends August 10th

Priscilla's Blog Candy - Ends August 14th

Sarita's Blog Candy - Ends August 15th

Michelle's Birthday Candy - Ends August 15th

Carolyn's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 18th

BasicGrey Challenges Blog Candy - Ends August 21st

Kristin's Birthday Candy - Ends August 21st

Claire's Yummy Candy - Ends August 21st

Denise's Fabulous Candy - Ends August 23rd

My Candy!! - Ends August 24th

Nina's Big New Blog Giveaway - Ends August 27th

Jenn's Blogaversary Candy - Ends August 31st

Leanne's Gorjuss Candy - Ends September 1st

Jo's Super Cute Candy - Ends September 1st

Alysabeth's Gorjuss Giveaway - Ends September 1st

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Good luck! :)

A Little Birthday Card To Share

2009-08-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have been fairly busy this week, but most of my craftiness has been top secret again. I'm working on DT projects for Practical Scrappers (and Pay It Forward ladies, I'm having lots of fun working on your gifts!)

I did make a quick little card for my niece's birthday. She's not a really girly girl, and I had this cute Mickey sticker in my stash. Who doesn't love Mickey?

Patterned paper - Cosmo Cricket
Ribbon - American Crafts
Alphas - My Little Shoebox, Making Memories, Doodlebug Design

Don't forget, my blog candy is still going on!

Just Popping In To Share...

2009-08-03T23:33:00.001-07:00

Tanisha is celebrating her birthday by giving away some very generous gifts! Be sure to stop by her blog by Thursday August 6th for your chance to win.

And don't forget I'm giving away some candy too

Good Luck!

Time for the Reveal!

2009-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's finally time for the first Practical Scrappers challenge and design team reveal!! The featured supply this week is Eyelets.

I really like eyelets, and have tons, but haven't used them much at all recently because a.) I use a hammer and setter, and b.) I scrap while McKenna's sleeping, in the room right across the hall from hers. Time to get a Crop-A-Dile!!

Since my intention when scrapbooking is to preserve memories for the future, I realize it is important to scrap everyday moments, and -YIPE!- pictures of myself. I would much rather be behind the camera, thank-you-very-much! So I chose to scrap this picture of McKenna and I laughing our heads off at I can't remember what. Her little laugh is just so contagious!

Recipe:
Papers - Cosmo Cricket - Get Happy (Strip Tease), Snorkel (Boardwalk) & Fancy Pants - Summer Soiree (Glimmer)
Eyelets - Making Memories
Arrow Punch - Fiskars
Alphas - AC Thickers (Patchwork), Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou & Candy Shoppe)

Dont forget to hop on over the the Practical Scrappers Blog and check out the submissions from the rest of the design team. I can't wait to see what everyone has created!

Aaaannndd... Hop on back here later today when I will be posting my "totally random" blog candy!

Cards, Candy and A Mini Album

2009-07-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

Our local MOMS Club chapter did a Secret Sister/Christmas in July exchange, and you know I just got all kinds of scrappy! In the interest of secrecy I haven't posted these yet in case my secret sister wandered over to my blog. But now that it's August (how the heck did THAT happen??) I'll share 'em all with you!

We were supposed to send something to our secret sister 2 times in July.

In the first package, I send a card, a little box of Jelly Bellys, and a mini album (I had fun making a boy-themed project!). I love this unique card style. I got the design template from someone on Scrapbook.com a couple years ago, and I really wish I could remember who it was so I could give proper credit. The little plastic pillow box is the perfect size for a handful of jelly beans. Add a strip of coordinating paper and a piece of ribbon, and it's a cute little gift set.

Recipe:
Patterned Paper - Making Memories Boho Chic
Purple Flowers - Prima
"hello" Tag - Making Memories Metal Word Fetti
Ribbon, Blue Flower, Gems - Stash

I don't do mini albums very often, and I never do boy stuff, so I had a lot of fun making this 4x4 accordian album. I definitely plan to do more mini albums in the future!

Recipe:
A Smorgasbord!

Lots of Basic Grey Lime Rickey, some Little Yellow Bicycle Baby Safari, a little Fancy Pants Summer Soiree, and some other random bits n' bobs...

I can't remember who makes the album. I received it in my June prize pack from Scrapbook.com

Earlier this week, I sent another card with a gift certificate to our local scrapbook store tucked inside.

Recipe:
Patterned Paper - SEI
Alphas - My Little Shoebox
Rick Rack & Gems - Stash

(No, that's not a Fiskars "Threading Water" edge punch; I used scallop edging scissors and a hole punch...)

Hope you enjoyed your goodies, Rahnell :)

I Want Candy!

2009-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the cool giveaways I've found out there:
(oh, and I will be posting my blog candy on Monday to celebrate Practical Scrappers' first challenge!)

Kirsten's Gorjuss Candy - Ends TODAY

Michelle's Cool Giveaway - Ends August 1st

Melissa's Blogoversary Giveaway - Ends August 5th

Val's Yummy Birthday Candy - Ends August 8th

Donalda's Scrummy Candy - Ends August 9th

Kristin's Birthday Candy - Ends August 21st

Nina's Big New Blog Giveaway - Ends August 27th

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Good luck! :)

So, I Guess I Do Have Something To Share Today...

2009-07-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

I found out a friend had her baby boy, so I put together this card for her:

Recipe:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Paper:Little Yellow Bicycle - Baby Safari
Chipboard: American Crafts
Alphas: Making Memories
Buttons & Ribbons: Stash

I found some baby theme vellum quotes in my stash, perfect to add to the inside of the card :)

Welcome, Elliott!

She's Growing So Fast... sniffle

2009-07-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

(Look at that hair! It's impossible to tame after naptime because she gets so darn sweaty when she sleeps...)

I don't have anything crafty to share today since I'm working on some top secret projects, and it's been a while since I made a "Mushy Mommy" post, so I figured I'l talk about McKenna a bit :)

This kid makes me laugh all the time! Yesterday, we were looking a a big coffee table book of paintings, and she got up from my lap, climbed onto the book and said "Wheee!" as she slid down it. Of course, I had to put a stop to that because it's not a cheap book, but it was so stinkin' cute!

She's learning her manners. She says "Beeeee" (please), "Nee Noo" (thank you), and "Wum Wum" (you're welcome). Although sometimes she forgets to say thank you, and when I remind her "Say thank you" she says "wum wum". Little goober!

She's discovering even more animals. She LOVES animals! I wish there were more nature type programs on TV. Even on Animal Planet and Discovery it seems like it's mostly reality shows - although I did really enjoy the Planet Earth series. Anyhoo, 2 of her favorite animals are "Weebas" (zebras) and "Wuppos" (hippos). (I see a future layout with that title...) I just love all her words!

On a frustrating note, we've had to ban sippy cups of milk in the living room. She has decided she likes to take a mouthful and then spit it out... on the floor, in her toy box, in an open book, in the empty side table drawer... Aargh! Well, she is nearing the terrible twos and I guess she has to balance out the cuteness.

Time To Get To Work...

2009-07-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything to share today, it's been a busy couple of days, and I have had no time to scrap :( I do have a lot in the works, though!

I'm ready to start "Paying It Forward"!

The five ladies I will be making gifts for are:

Sarah
Boni
Laura
Kim
Heather

I have a few ideas in mind, and I'm brainstorming for a couple more.

And...Christine sent out the upcoming challenge themes for the Practical Scrappers design team, so I'm going to try to get a headstart on those. I am totally stoked about being a part of this design team - I can't wait to see the rest of the team's take on the challenges :)

I've got to grab a bit of time tonight, though. I need to make a card for my secret sister and drop it in the mail by tomorrow. Yipe! I was going to make it this afternoon, but there was a little scare here in our neighborhood: my next-door neighbor was burglarized! She and I both left to run errands this morning and got home at the same time. As I was getting out of the car, she ran over and said "Hey, I'm being robbed!" She must have walked in on them and they ran out the back. They seem to think that her new housekeeper might have been involved. They got away with computers, cameras, and 3 vaccuums. Curious, no? I feel awful for her, but it will make me feel a little safer if it wasn't totally random, ya know?

Practical Scrappers Blog Candy

2009-07-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Practical Scrappers is kicking off the new challenge blog with some CANDY!

As soon we get 100 followers, Christine is going to give away a fun pack of goodies!
Want to win?
Head on over to Practical Scrappers!!

Pay It Forward...

2009-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm going to keep this post at the top until I get enough people that want to join in on my "Pay it Forward". Scroll down for newer posts.

I'm overdue in making this post, but here goes :)

Marlene told me all about "Pay It Forward". The first five people to respond to her Pay It Forward message get a special handmade surprise from her. I'm so happy I was one of the lucky 5! Here's how the PAY IT FORWARD part works: The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive a handmade gift from me!

Here's the RULES:

1. The gift will be a mystery of my choice, created especially for the recipient.

2. I have one year to get all five gifts made, but I'm sure it won't take me that long LOL

3. If you're one of the five, you must make a post in your blog offering to make a gift for five people, spreading the joy of creation.

4. When you receive your gift, you should make a post on your blog and show everyone inspiring others to follow the chain and participate.

Want in? Leave me a message here (and it is not required that you have a blog; forums like scrapbook.com or even Facebook are fine too) I love creating things, so I'm super excited to get started! So post quickly to receive something specially made for you by me!

A Little Toot For Me

2009-07-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

I decided to give it a go and apply for the Practical Scrappers design team, and I made it! WooHoo!

Practical Scrappers is a new challenge blog dedicated to making use of the supplies that we already have and are neglecting I love this concept!

I've already started working on my first project. Here's a little sneaky peeky:

You may remember I've been talking about the blog candy that I'm putting together. I've finally got it all together and I'll post it on Monday, along with my first DT layout.

I Think My Mojo is Coming Back!

2009-07-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say my Mojo's Risin'?
(Apologies to Jim Morrison for my poor attempt at humor; I'm a Doors fan, and that's just where my mind went...)

Anyhoo... you may have read before that I've been less than thrilled with my latest scrappy attempts. I was going to take a paper hiatus and work with my clay for a while. Then I came across a box of old family photos I had forgotten about, and I just had to scrap something! Of course I love scrapping pics of McKenna, but I think I just needed to step outside of the box and try a new style to get my creative juices flowing again. I love this picture of my dad! I tried some new techniques, including paper burning and curled edges. I am actually very happy with the result. This layout was actually based on one I found at scrapbook.com. I did originally intend to use some brown natural and burlap look flowers down there in the left corner, but there wasn't enought contrast with the ribbon, so I used the buttons instead, and I think I'm happier with them anyway. I love buttons!

Recipe:
Patterned Papers:Cosmo Cricket: "Souvenir" and "Wanted"
Horse Paper: Reminisce
"Genuine" Rub On: October Afternoon
"Bingo" Rub On: Maya Road
Chipboard Alphas: Bazzill
Tiny Alphas: Making Memories
Buttons & Ribbon/Fiber: my stash

I cut the brown frame by hand from Bazzill cardstock and made it nice and grungy with distress ink. Most of the time I don't think my techniques are all that unique, or it's something that I've found online and I'm sure I'm the last to know; but I have had people ask me "How did you do that??", so forgive me if you already know this technique. To make a nice symetrical shape like so much of the popular die-cut papers out there, fold a piece of scrap paper or cardstock in half twice so you have a 6-inch square. Draw or freehand cut the corner shape (you can do a full background shape, or a frame as I did). Unfold the paper and you will have and even, symetrical shape. You can then use this as a stencil for your actual paper/cardstock. Also a great technique for journaling/sentiment blocks of any size. If you're like me, and not lucky enough to own a die-cutting machine, this technique can come in very handy!

Practical Scrappers!

2009-07-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

Wow - my 3rd post today!

I jsut found out Practical Scrappers is having a design team call. I really love their concept - sounds like a great way to help us use those supplies!

Check them out at http://practicalscrappers.blogspot.com/. They will be taking submissions until July 26th, so hurry! :)

In The Words of Austin Powers....

2009-07-24T12:25:00.001-07:00

"I've Lost My Mojo!!"

I'm just not happy with my last few scrappy projects, and even though I have lots of pics printed and page ideas too, nothing is coming together just right. Don't you hate it when that happens??

So I took a look at my scrap space:

You think that might have something to do with my creative roadblock??
So I cleaned up and re-organized:

It's not "pretty", but at least I have some table space now! I can't wait to paint the walls. What color is supposed to foster creativity??

Who Wants Candy??

2009-07-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the candy I've found out in BlogWorld:
(oh, and I am still working on a little giveaway of my own, so stay tuned!)

Claudia's Blooming Candy - Ends TODAY

Piali's Blog Candy - Ends July 25th

Boni's Stickeriffic Candy - Ends July 26th

Nina's Cute Giveaway - Ends July 27th

Joanne's Awesome Giveaway - Ends July 31st

Joanne's Blogoversary Candy - Ends July 31st

Kirsten's Gorjuss Candy - Ends July 31st

Michelle's Cool Giveaway - Ends August 1st

Val's Yummy Birthday Candy - Ends August 8th

Nina's Big New Blog Giveaway - Ends August 27th

Jude's Holiday Candy - Ends September 7th

Good luck! :)

Me at 18...

2009-07-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Another fun blogging challenge from Tammylin :)

Eighteen was a good year for me. I was happy, in my second year of college, working a job I loved in radio, I had my own car and was tasting a little bit of freedom after a rather strict upbringing. I was making ok money and didn't have too many bills. I guess this is a time when I could have gone a little wild, but I didn't. Life was good. (This was before my parents' divorce that kind of threw a wrench into my life)
But the first thing that comes to mind when I think of me at 18 is that's when Ryan and I got together for good (after a big high-school-drama-filled hiatus) After not speaking to one another for 2 years, we finally started talking again. I guess it was unavoidable - we had the same group of friends and couldn't ignore each other forever. After high school, we both attended the same college; our paths were bound to cross. I hadn't ever stopped loving Ryan, and I knew that if he ever said the word, I was his. I just never had a clue he felt the same way. (Never mind that I had been seeing someone else for almost 2 years) But, one day he asked me for a ride to a friend's birthday party. I thought my boyfriend at the time would be going later that night, but he couldn't make it. And Ryan got up the nerve to tell me he still loved me. And the rest, as they say, is history... That was 11 years ago.

Some Cards To Share

2009-07-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've not been loving my last few layouts, but I have made a couple cards lately. I've hopped around so many cardmakers blogs lately, and I have been so inspired! But these are very simple. Every time I try to do more "stuff" it just doesn't look right... I'm just getting in a crafty rut I guess. Maybe I should work on minis for a bit. Anyway, here are a couple of the cards I made last week:

For my FIL's Birthday. (I don't have much birthday stuff, but I got this paper in my June contest prize pack from scrapbook.com just in time)

Recipe
Patterned paper - Reminisce
Cardstock - Bazzill
Alphas - Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou)
Smiley Stamp - old stash

An Anniversary card for the in-laws (35 years!) I thought these little birds look kind of 70's-ish, so I figured they would be a good fit.

Recipe
Patterned Paper - Basic Grey
Cardstock - Basic Grey (blue) & stash
Sentiment - old stash
Stitched Leather - Li'l Davis Designs
Charm - a lonely old earring

Project 365

2009-07-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do my own "Project 365" for quite a while. Well, there's no time like the present! I decided to create a new blog just for my daily photos:
Three Six Five - Our little life in pictures
Stop by sometime :)

mmmmm.....

2009-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I found a lot of new blogs this week, so I have a virtual piñata full of blog candy to share with you:

Ruby's Blogaversary Candy - Ends TODAY

Sue's "99 Things" Giveaway - Ends TODAY

Rachel's Blog Candy - Ends Tomorrow

Carol's Blog Candy - Ends Tomorrow

Pinky's Prima Flowers Giveaway - Ends Tomorrow

Kimmi's Awesome Candy - Ends July 21st

Fran's Fabulous Candy - Ends July 21st

Piali's Blog Candy - Ends July 25th

Nina's Cute Giveaway - Ends July 27th

Joanne's Awesome Giveaway - Ends July 31st

Joanne's Blogoversary Candy - Ends July 31st

Kirsten's Gorjuss Candy - Ends July 31st

Val's Yummy Birthday Candy - Ends August 8th

Nina's Big New Blog Giveaway - Ends August 27th

Good luck! :)

A Pot of Flowers...

2009-07-15T23:30:00.001-07:00

I've seen these flowerpot cards out there, and have been wanting to make one. I finally gave it a whirl! I think it turned out cute! All the flowers were cut from patterned paper and some were popped with 3d foam squares. I'll be sending this one to my aunt who just had surgery.

(Trying this out...)
RECIPE
Patterned papers - Marcella by K Bungalow mat stack
Edge Punch - Martha Stewart Floral Lace
Pearls - Recollections
Pen - Zig Millennium

Yes, I'm One of "Them"

2009-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time for reading, but I just had to check out the Twilight series - and I'm hooked. I could not put these books down! Can't wait for New Moon to come out! I'm actually re-reading it right now in preparation for the movie :)

Anyway, when I saw a Twilight Challenge over at scrapbook.com, I just had to join in. I decided to use my favorite quote from the first book:
"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."
"What a stupid lamb."
"What a sick, masochistic lion"
Edward & Bella, Twilight

I used Bazzill black cardstock as a base, matted the photo in white and inked the edges in red. (I printed the photo with the quote written on). I've naver found a white ink that I like, so i used as sponge brush to apply white acrylic paint to my stamp for the flourishes. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I love the result. The flourish around the flowers was doodled with my Chalk Writer. The flowers are Prima. The title is are Making Memories (tiny alphas and glitter foam alphas) and Doodlebug Design Loopy Lou alphas (man, I use those everywhere!) And I had to slip a little apple stamp in there as a nod to the book cover ;)

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

2009-07-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Life is full of changes and goodbyes, and this is one of the quotes that helps me rejoice in what remains in the memories we have, and not mourn for what is lost. (Even if there are times when that is a little difficult)

In an effort to improve my journaling and help me record not just memories but feelings, I'm joining in on some blogging challenges I found over at scrapbook.com. Tammylin, you're making me dig deep!

I don't remember many goodbyes from my childhood. We moved twice between the ages of about 6 and 8, but I can't really remember my feelings at the time. I do remember friends from Kindergarten and 1st Grade, I just don't remember the whole "moving away" thing. Graduating from high school was not about goodbyes for me. It felt like a beginning. And besides we all vowed we'd "keep in touch". Well, I'm sure you all know how that goes. Now thanks to MySpace and FaceBook, I can "keep in touch" with those high school friends with little snippets here and there. But it's pretty much been the past 10 years that I've learned goodbye takes many forms. Death, divorce, moving on, growing up.

There are goodbyes that we try to pretend aren't happening - like when Granny went into the hospital and made sure to give me her wedding rings. She never came home.
Guilty goodbyes like when Gramma died at 86 and I couldn't remember the last time I spoke to her. When was that last goodbye?
Or the goodbyes that aren't supposed to be forever. Like when dad was going in for surgery and died from complications of his heart disease. He wouldn't let me say goodbye on the phone because he assured me he would be fine.

But goodbye doesn't always mean death. How about the gradual goodbye when your stepfather decides he doesn't want to keep you in his life afterall following the divorce but doesn't have the balls to come out and say it? (pardon my french... touchy subject)

There are other goodbyes I don't understand... like when a classmate was killed in the Middle East. Or friends that fall off the radar and make no effort to stay in touch after contacting them.

I don't like goodbyes.

But this has got me thinking about "goodbye" in a different way. I remember another particularly difficult one. The first day I went back to work after maternity leave, I could hardly drag myself out the door. I didn't want to leave my little baby! But going back to work was good for me because it gets me out of the house, and good for McKenna because she gets "daddy time". So goodbye isn't always bad. It's not always a door closing - sometimes it can be a door opening.

It's late, I'm rambling and likely making no sense, but since I have a hard time leaving a post picture free, I though I'd share this one:

Miss You Daddy!
Summertime always brings you to mind...

Can I Get A Few More Hours In The Day, Please?

2009-07-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Even though, I haven't worked much this week, it's been one of those weeks where I can't seem to get anything done... and looking back, I couldn't tell you where all the time went. I think I just have issues with time management. If I have a million things to do in a day, I can stick to an agenda to get it all done, but if I don't have anything I NEED to do or anywhere I HAVE to be, I somehow manage to squander that time. Although most of it is spent playing with McKenna, so it's not wasted :)

McKenna's been having sleep issues lately too, so I haven't had much naptime scraptime lately, either. I've been making some things for my MOMS Club Secret Sister, so I don't want to share it here in case she wanders over. I do have a couple new layouts to share though:

"LAX"
There is a technique challenge this month over at scrapbook.com this month - MOSAICS. I've always wanted to try it, and I think sports pics lend themselves really well to this technique.

and i just realized i put the wrong year... d'oh!

And I got to make another lacrosse stick like the one that I made for Ryan's father's day card :)

"Berry Sweet"
I think this one turned out cute! I didn't even plan on making the strawberries until after I already had the matted photo and ribbon on the page. I love how they came out. I just cut a strawberry shape out of some glitter cardstock and added a stem made with my Fiskars May Flower punch, and some Stickle dots for seeds. I think the cross stitches made the perfect finishing touch! (the alphas and patterned paper are both from Doodlebug Design)

BTW, I am brainstorming an idea for a "totally random" blog candy giveaway. Stay tuned....

Photohunt: Rock(s)... or not....

2009-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Edited to add: ACK! I goofed! I was looking at the wrong week for today's theme...
Today's theme is actually "Garbage". Oops...

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I'm in again for this week's Photohunt :) When I saw today's theme, I immediately thought of this pic:

I love all the different colors and textures of the rocks. I took this shot a few weeks back in Cayucos, CA at a place we call "Gramma's Beach". It's a public access beach in a residential neighborhood where Mom's Gramma used to live, so we've been going there for as long as I can remember. It's a beautiful stretch of shoreline, and nice because it's a lot less crowded than the main beach access downtown. It's also where McKenna first experienced the ocean!

Something for your sweet tooth!

2009-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday - time to share some giveaways with you:

Vikki's Candy - Ends July 12th

Christine's RAK - Ends July 12th

Jude's Birthday Candy - Ends July 13th

Sue's "99 Things" Giveaway - Ends July 17th

Joanne's Awesome Giveaway - Ends July 31st

Good luck! :)

99 Things...

2009-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across Sue's blog, and she has a great giveaway going on!

She has made a list of 99 things you may or may not have done, and is encouraging other bloggers to post their responses to enter into the giveaway.
Here is mine: 40 of 99
(my "haves" are in bold italic)

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower (As a teenager, I remember dragging sleeping bags outside and sleeping outside during a really awesome meteor shower. We lived high up in the hills, so the stars were super bright!)

6. Given more than you can afford to charity (We were newly married when 9/11 happened, and I probably gave more than we could afford. We were still learning our combined finances at that point. And after the Indonesian tsunami in 2004, I kind of overstretched myself to give - especially since it was right after Christmas.)

7. Been to Disneyland/world/Disneyland Paris (I've been to Disneyland 5 or 6 times)

8. Climbed a mountain (I grew up in the mountains, and did a lot of climbing around. No world class climbing, though - just hills really)

9. Held a praying mantis (Most recently last week. There was one hanging out in the front flower bed)

10. Sang a solo (sang the National Anthem at my high school graduation)

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (All my "stuff" is self-taught)

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables (I had some great tomato plants a couple years ago. Can't wait to get a little veggie garden going here!)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight (I have some classic shots of my junior high sleepover & pillow fight!)

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Made a Snow Angel

25. Held a lamb (no, but McKenna & I held a 2 day old baby goat last month)

26. Gone skinny dipping (I was by myself, and it was a swimming pool - but that counts, right?)

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an erupting volcano in person.

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke (My fave songs to sing are "Me & Bobby McGee" and "Black Velvet")

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theatre (to see Jaws!)

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business (online, anyway)

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Cookies for charity

62. Gone whale watching

63. Been given flowers for no reason (it's been a while though... hint, hint. Just kidding, hon!)

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favourite childhood toy

70. Visited Buckingham Palace

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt or blanket (I made a quilt in school when I was 8, and I've made a few "pieced" crocheted blankets)

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Been to the top of the Empire State Building

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper (other than our engagement notice, there was a picture of me at storytime at the library when I was a kid...)

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox (twice!)

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (I met P. Diddy over 10 years ago, before he was such a big deal... I also met Jordan Knight from NKOTB)

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one (too many...)

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

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Be sure to stop by Sue's blog before July 17th!

And also, be sure to stop by Christine's blog before July 12th for this yummy giveaway (Aren't those colors gorgeous??):

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And if that's not enough to tantalize your sweet tooth - here's some more candy from Pinky:

Stop by before July 9th

Introducing....

2009-07-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

Umm... well... his name isn't 100% decided upon yet. Why, do you ask? And just where did the inspiration for this latest dachshund figurine come from???

Meet the newest member of our family:

He comes to us with the name Coati (Cody) given by his foster mom, but we're not sure if we're keeping the name yet.

In the 3 months since we lost Ziggy, Ryan and I have talked in the abstract about sometime-maybe-in-the-future-when-we-know-we're-ready getting another dog. We've looked at ads on craigslist several times, and have even seen several dachshunds listed, but something about this little guy made Ryan send an email on Sunday morning. I don't think of this as "replacing Ziggy" - we're just adding on to the pack. But I know it would have been harder if we never had Weezer. If Ziggy had been an only dog, and we had to try to fill that void it would have been so much harder and more painful. Not that having Weezer makes me miss Ziggy any less - but it's just different, ya know?

Enter Cody. Back when we first got Ziggy and knew we wanted at least one more dachshund, we talked about getting a piebald. He's a tweenie, around 14 lbs. Isn't he so cute?? I kind of like the name Cody, but the other name we're tossing around is Pinkerton - Pinky. We have Weezer (named after our favorite band), so why not name this little guy after our favorite album?? Plus, he is kinda pink...

We're all still getting used to each other, but he seems to be settling in. At the moment, he's sleeping at my feet. His foster mom rescued him from a puppy mill in SoCal. She really wanted to keep him, but health issues prevented her from doing so. He's a little shy (and we're not what you'd call a quiet household...) so it going to take a little bit of adjustment, but I've already seen little glimpses of goofiness and playfulness that will fit in just fine here :)

Here's a few more pics, just because I can ;)

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I want to wish a Happy 4th to my fellow Americans :) We spent the day yesterday at my in-law's home for a bbq. McKenna doesn't get to see her cousins very often, and they all had fun playing with blocks and throwing (or rather, dropping) the football. I made a batch of ^those cupcakes^ but I put on the berries ahead of time and things got soggy. Darn! I thought the flower shapes cut out of the strawberries were so cute. Oh well - they still taste good!

There is a blogging/journaling challenge over at scrapbook.com to blog about what makes us proud to be an American. I love my country - and even though I don't always agree with all the choices we make, I believe in the freedoms and ideals that our country is founded on. My beliefs might not be your beliefs, but we are both free to express them. Our family is small, and we do not have any active members of the military among us, but I am still so thankful for those that choose to serve our country. I truly believe that quote "The land of the free because of the brave"

However you celebrate today - be safe and have fun! :)

Wish I Was Here...

2009-07-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Every summer from the time I was 7 years old, I would fly across the country to stay with my Dad and Grandma in Michigan for at least a few weeks. I have great memories of those summers. We took lots of little mini trips: Amish Country in Indiana, Niagara Falls, and of course all around the state of Michigan, listening to stories my grandmother would tell about how she grew up and the places she would visit in her youth.

Almost every summer we stayed with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Traverse City and went to the National Cherry Festival. I have fond memories of the Midway, Gibby's Fries, Elephant Ears, Concerts in the Open Space and of course the bingo tent. But out of all of those summer memories, my favorites are when we visited Mackinac Island (my first trip was in 1994 and then again in 1997)

A trip to Mackinac Island is like a step back in time. There are no cars allowed on the island. Transportation is by foot, bike, or horse. Gorgeous old Victorians, forested pathways, beautiful lakeshores. I can't describe it in words - but I did find a website with breathtaking photos taken all around the island. If you'd like to take a look, go >>here<< (pardon the crass title - I didn't post it...lol!) But there are almost 100 beautiful pics. Unfortunately, the island has become a bit touristy - but the beauty is still there.

Here's a layout I did last week featuring the majestic Grand Hotel.
I *will* stay there sometime in my life!

Ryan has been to Michigan with me, and was able to enjoy some of the sights, but we've never been to the island together. I can't wait until we're able to take another trip togeter - and I would love to introduce McKenna to the Cherry Festival!

I hope you're having a great summer!

Friday Blog Candy List

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday - time to share some of the awesome blog giveaways I've found!

Amber's Giveaway - Ends TODAY

Dianne's Independence Day Celebration - Ends July 4th

Lovely Candy @ Abby's Garden - Ends July 5th

Christine's RAK - Ends July 5th

Leslie's Birthday Candy - Ends July 7th

Vikki's Candy - Ends July 12th

Jude's Birthday Candy - Ends July 13th

Joanne's Awesome Giveaway - Ends July 31st

Good luck! :)

Hey, Look - It Matches My Blog!

2009-07-01T22:25:00.001-07:00

Pink & black is one of my fave color combos! I used lots of scraps on this page, so I can't remember who made most of the papers. The black & white polka dots is My Minds Eye (from a Halloween collection, actually) The butterflies were punched from glitter cardstock with a Fiskars punch, and the title alphas are Making Memories rub-ons. My circles were made with a combination of my Fiskars cutter, a CM cutter, and a compass and scissors. The swirl and butterfly stamps are from Inkadinkado.

These pics are from our Easter Sunday photo shoot. Never did get that "perfect shot", but I think all the pics are perfect. They are so McKenna-at-16-months. Won't sit still, won't look at the camera, playing with her shoes, and the sleepy little eye rub. And how could I not add this last little pic - my dainty little girl with her finger stuck up her nose! Oy! I love doing hidden pics and I really love the way this one came out.

Speaking of pink, stop by Pinky's blog, Much Ado About Nothing. She has a fabulous style, a great personality, and she's giving away some yummy embellies! Please be sure to say Katherine sent you ;)

How is it July already??

2009-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've had kind of an off week. I was sickly on Monday (hey, maybe it was those pickles!), and then I just wanted to sleep all day yesterday. (HA! Try that with a toddler!) Hopefully today will be better. McKenna has her playgroup this morning. Gotta get out to the park before the triple digits kick in. Oy- it has been so crazy hot this week! I've been trying to grab a couple hours at night to scrap, so I have some pages to share.

I keep wandering around the idea of thinking about possibly maybe at some point in the future submitting for a design team, but I look at my pages and my styles are so all over the place. I love trying every new idea that I see, and I don't normally stick to a majority of one brand on a page. Heck, half the time I've had things in my stash for so long I forget what they are!

This page was done for a couple different challenges over at scrapbook.com. The pictures are over a year old, and I've been wanting to scrap them for a while. The Basic Grey Urban Couture paper is perfect! Add on a bunch of pearls, flowers accented with Stickles, AC foam butterflies, printed fabric ribbon, and a title made with inked AC Thickers - and here's a cute girly page that's not pink!
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Here's a scraplift for another challenge at sb.com
(You can see the original here)

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I used different colors of Bazzill cardstock, and flower print paper for SEI. The paper strips are stamped with Inkadinkado flourishes, and the title alphas are AC Thickers. My only issue with this LO is my journaling. I should have used a finer point pen - the writing looks so sloppy and juvenile here because of the thicker point. Sigh. Ah, well!

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Some more pages to share. You can mouse over for details if you'd like :)

Kool Aid Pickles: The Verdict

2009-06-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, make sure to see my previous post to get caught up.

So, I waited the 24 hours and look at the result!

Now they really look like a bloody science experiment! I braved a taste and I have to say, it wasn't unpleasant. The cherry flavor is pretty subtle, but it's still.... weird. I've never been a fan of sweet pickles - but I love dills and the combination of sweet and sour is - dare I say - good? Now I don't know that I'll be craving these or making them on any regular basis... but it's definitely a converstaion starter!

I snagged Ryan after he got home from hockey tonight, and had him take a taste. Just check out that look of trepidation! His response was - and I quote - "Whatever". He's not a fan of pickles anyway, but at least he wasn't grossed out! He said he couldn't really taste the cherry flavor.

I'm curious what weird recipe I'll stumble across next...

Kool Aid: It's not just for hair dye anymore...

2009-06-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

There I was doing a simple little Google search for the Kool Aid Man. You know the little "suggestions" that pop up while you're typing in your search?? The 2nd one read "kool aid pickles"

Aroo??? (insert Scooby Doo sound here)

Of course curiosity got the better of me, and I had to click on the search. It led me to this recipe:

1 (46-ounce) jar whole dill pickles
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
2 packets red Kool-Aid (such as cherry flavored)

Directions
Drain and discard the juice from the pickle jar. Remove the pickles from the jar and cut each one in half lengthwise. Return the pickles to the jar and set aside.
In a large measuring cup, combine the sugar, water and Kool-Aid. Mix until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour enough of the liquid into the pickle jar to cover the pickles. Discard any excess.
Cover the jar and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
Makes one 46-ounce jar of pickles.

Well, of course I had to try it! Even though it really does sound gross- it's easy, and the pickles were on sale so I figured what the heck? Blog fodder, right??? Lol :) They are looking rather like a science experiment at the moment. I'll update tomorrow.

You have Cheerios on your behind...

2009-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Filed under "You know you're a mom when..."
I had to work last night and Ryan needed to give his dad a ride home, so we met up at the store to do the kiddo handoff. I got there a little early, so I stopped by to say hi to my coworkers before grabbing a lemonade. As I was walking away, one of the girls informed me that I was sporting some "decorations" on my rear. You see, McKenna likes to munch on cereal in the car, although it seems most of it ends up on the car seat. Car seat to butt transfer is not uncommon... lol! At least it wasn't a strawberry nutrigrain bar vs. white pants!

This LO that I completed earlier yesterday is appropriate :)

"I Love Being Mama"
This was for the Doodle Challenge over at scrapbook.com. Lots of doodles here - around the border, on the arrow, photo mat and title blocks. Faux stitches on the patterned paper, and Stickles dots too. I got the paper in a swap a few years ago, and I don't know the maker. The alphas are Loopy Lou and Candy Shoppe from Doodlebug Design.

Here's a couple more pages I've done recently:

"Just Chillin'"
I love this picture of McKenna taken last Christmas, but I wasn't sure how to scrap it. So, I just piled on the stitches! I really had fun with the stitched title. Punched flowers, some circles, some presents... all together for fun little layout :)

"Pancakes & Eggies"
I'm loving the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird line; vintage yumminess! The color combo is so fun! How perfect is the felt trim?? Michael's bargain bin! 9 ft for a dollar. The flowers are from a die cut layering set from Daisy D's that I've had in my stash forever. I think they compliment the Cosmo Cricket perfectly! The alphas are AC Thickers and My Little Shoebox Tiny Alphas.

Friday Blog Candy List

2009-06-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

There are so many awesome bloggers out there! I read A LOT of crafty blogs, and I am always so amazed at all the generosity I've found. I've decided that each Friday I will post a list here of the blog candy giveaways that I have come across, just in case anyone that stops by here hasn't already found all these gorgeous blogs! FYI, you can always find a picture and link to these giveaways over on my sidebar. I just wanted to make this post so Google followers who don't actually visit too often don't miss out :)

Erin's Birthday Candy - Ends TODAY

Michelle's Birthday Candy - Ends Tomorrow

Linda's Giveaway - Ends Tomorrow

Beth's Blog Candy - Ends June 28th

Jane's Birthday Giveaway - Ends June 28th

Patriotic Candy @ Victoria's - Ends June 30th

Rusha's Blog Candy - Ends June 30th

Enfys' Candy - Ends June 30th

Michelle's Summery Giveaway - Ends June 30th

Carolyn's Candy - Ends June 30th

Jan's RAK - Ends July 1st

Kim's Cupcake Candy - Ends July 1st

Dianne's Independence Day Celebration - Ends July 4th

Lovely Candy @ Abby's Garden - Ends July 5th

Leslie's Birthday Candy - Ends July 7th

Vikki's Candy - Ends July 12th

Jude's Birthday Candy - Ends July 13th

Joanne's Awesome Giveaway - Ends July 31st

Good luck! :)

Layouts, Cards and New (Old) Techniques...

2009-06-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

I managed to get a couple pages finished in the past few days. Although I did work all weekend, it was otherwise uneventful. (read:boring!) Having no internet connection also meant that I wasn't able to send pics out for printing; and since I only have a couple relatively recent pics printed out, I ended up spending more time on the layouts I did work on. While organizing my craft space over the past few weeks, I've found lots of non-scrapbook "stuff" that I've wanted to incorporate into my pages.

I love this pic of Ryan & McKenna. I just can't believe how quickly she's growing up! *sniffle* She surprises me every day with the new things she learns. It's so interesting to see the the different interactions she has with Ryan and I. She likes to cuddle and read with me, and she is more upset when I have to leave... but no one can make her laugh like Daddy!

"Remember These Days"
This page is made with papers from Fancy Pants - both Daily Grind and Summer Soiree. The frame around the photo is Bazzill "Just the Edge" cardstock strips. I cut around the large flower with my x-acto pen knife and dressed it up with Tim Holtz Distress Stickles in Faded Jeans. I used my Fiskars May Flower punch to make the little flowers. The crochet flower is one I've had in my stash for a while, but I decided I wanted to add a little more crochet to this layout - so I took some of the same yarn and did a blanket stitch along the blue cardstock border and went back and did a single crochet along those stitches. The title alphas are the "Candy Shoppe" font from Doodlebug Design and tiny alphas from My Little Shoebox.

To say that I have an eclectic and varied craft stash would be an understatement; I think at one point I've tried it all, and I have the supplies to show it! When I pulled out my beads, I couldn't wait to get them on a page! On Easter Sunday, I finally had to give up trying to get the perfect "little lady" pic... and I'm glad I did, because this one of McKenna taking the bow out of her hair is one of my faves! I don't even want to think back to the days before digital cameras... If I had to worry about using up film, I would never have half of the super cute "oopsie" pics that I love so much!

"Sitting Pretty"
This pretty paper is From Basic Grey's "Phoebe" collection. The title alphas are my favorite Loopy Lou font. I used lots of Primas (some accented with more Stickles), gems and brads, and a string of pearls. The scalloped edges were cut with scissors and then punched with hole punches. I used a selection of beads and beading wire to make the "fringe" on the little quote block.

Yes, it's a little late, but I'll share my fathers day cards with you :)

Here's one for my hubby - the lacrosse player:
This didn't turn out a thing like I had in mind, but I love it. I wanted to use the fun lacrosse ribbon I found, but after this card started coming together, I decided that would have "femmed" it up a bit too much! The lacrosse image was traced from one of Ryan's catalogs. I cut it out with my awesome Cutter Bee scissors and X-acto pen, and shaded it with a Micron pen. Some shimmery silver cardstock made a perfect shaft. I put it all together on paper from Basic Grey's Aged & Confused collection, and black Bazzill cardstock. The larger title alphas are AC fabric Thickers. I gave McKenna orange, green & black crayons and let her draw a picture on white cardstock to put inside the card :)

And here's one for my FIL (and with all the craziness this weekend I - EEP! - just sent it out today!)
This is made with papers from DCWV's "Green Stack". I just think these bears are so cute! I cut them out of a sheet of patterned paper. The little sign is written with a Micron pen and inked in Colorbox Chalk Ink. I managed to use ribbon in a masculine way - it's brown, and tied in a knot, not a bow :) And have I ever mentioned how addicting it is to stitch on paper?

That's all for now... time for bed!

And now back to your regularly scheduled blogging....

2009-06-22T12:58:00.001-07:00

I never thought I was that addicted to the internet until ours went down Thursday night! Comcast FINALLY fixed it today. Almost 4 days without being able to check my email - or blog - had me going through withdrawals! So, I've got a lot to catch up on! I'll be posting some new layouts soon :)

Blog Awards to Share :)

2009-06-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Just popping on to post a couple blog awards I received today!

Marlene from My Spot of Sunshine has given me this award:

Be sure to stop by and check out her blog - she does great work!
Thank you Marlene! Your blog is always so inspirational :)

The rules for this award are.......

* post 10 honest things about yourself and post the award on your blog.
* give this award to some people who follow your blog.

10 honest things about me:
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1.) I love to cook and I think I'm pretty good at it, but I can't cook a steak to save my life.

2.) I'm a dork. I love sci-fi and fantasy movies and books and I even play World of Warcraft. (Not so much now that I have my craft space set up, tho!)

3.) Moths and grasshoppers freak me out.

4.) All through jr. high and high school I wanted to be a psychologist.

5.) I've been collecting rabbits since I was 8 years old.

6.) I love yard sales and thrift stores!

7.) My favorite color is purple.

8.) I love to photograph old rundown cemeteries and buildings

9.) Favorite National Parks I've visited: Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls

10.) Being a scrapbooker and a miniaturist, I keep the tiniest bits of EVERYTHING - much to my husband's chagrin...

I’m giving this award to:

*Beth

*Heather

*Tiffany

*Heather

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank goodness for autosave! I've been trying to get this post together for what seems like forever, with a fussy/clingy toddler on my hands and my computer just froze up!! Oy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also received this award from Beth at Wind Walker Altered Arts

Do yourself a favor and head over to Beth's blog - she makes some amazing ATCs and cards - a true treat for your eyes!
Thanks, Beth! I hope you're enjoying "Tookie" :)

I give this award to:

Jerusha

Leesa

Candace

Ami

Crystal

Here are the rules for sharing this with others:

1-Comment on this blog.
2-Cut and paste the award logo and use it in your own blog.
3-Nominate 5 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude.
4-Link to your nominees within your blog post.
5-Comment on their blogs to let them know they’ve received the award.
6-Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

A Winner!

2009-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who stopped by my tutorial and entered to win my little giveaway. It was fun! The winner, chosen by Random.org is.... Heather from Miracles Momma Designs!!! Congrats :) Email me at mamakat_b (-at-) hotmail.com with your addy and let me know which kit you prefer.

I'm having a little scrapper's block at the moment, so I need to send some more pics off to Target to be printed. I've been looking at the same layout for over a day, and I've already redone it twice. I'm glad I don't use a ton of adhesive, because I'm always repositioning things!

Blog Candy Alert

2009-06-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Rusha makes some of the CUTEST cards! To celebrate 5000 hits on her blog, she's having a giveaway! Stop by I Love Paper Crafting before June 30th for your chance to win! :)

And Martine is giving away some scrumptious candy at The Craft Table. Stop by before June 22nd and enter to win!

I'm Such A Klutz...

2009-06-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Finally a day off! I took the opportunity to really clean the kitchen today, incluing mopping the floors, wiping down the cabinets, scrubbing the stove and backsplash. Time comes to make dinner (Enchiladas), and everthing is going fine until suddenly the tongs that I had resting in the pan of red sauce snapped open and flung sauce all over ME, the newly clean floor, the stovetop, cabinets, refrigerator, backsplash.... Oy!! (I know my MIL, reading this, is asking why I wasn't just using my hands??? Live & learn...) :)
Well, at least I wasn't wearing white!

As I mentioned, it's been a busy week, but I've grabbed a few hours at night to put some pages together. Here are a couple of my faves:

"Every Day is a New Adventure"
McKenna is such a climber! We don't have stairs, but she manages to find anything else to climb in, on, through... She keeps me on my toes!
I have been wanting to use this Jenni Bowlin die cut paper for a while now, and I just love it with the bright primary colors here. This was my first attempt at lollipop flowers, and I think they turned out pretty cute. But I'm thinking the Fiskars May Flower punch I used for leaves might look a little like a marijuana leaf... oops! I cut out the arrow and matted it with the green, then punched around the edge. I was going to stitch, but decided against it. The title alphas are from atd, and the yellow floral that I used on the double mat and the lollipop flowers is from Tinkering Ink. I think I could easily become addicted to the die cut papers - they're so much fun!

"Whee!"
I really had no clue where I was going with this LO until I started trying out papers. I liked the way this Fancy Pants "Daily Grind" paper looked with the photos, and it somehow evolved into monochromatic blues... This was also my first very humble (and crooked) attempt at machine sewing on a LO. I am not a seamstress by any means, I'm surprised I managed to thread my machine! The title alphas are DCWV chip chatter foil letters that I distressed with a file. The blue chipboard flower is from Pressed Petals. I accented it with Tim Holtz Distress Stickles in "Faded Jeans". The white flowers were had cut, doodled and filled in with Stickles. The flourishes are Inkadinkado clear stamps using Colorbox Chalk Ink in Blue Iris.

I've also made a couple Father's Day cards... but I'm keeping them under wraps for a few more days :)

Photohunt: Lock

2009-06-13T10:03:00.001-07:00

It's been a few weeks since I posted a pic for the Saturday Photo Hunters, but here's my entry for this week's theme: "Lock"

My heirloom china cabinet, using the Time Machine effect in Paint Shop Pro...

Check out PhotoHunt

~~Blog Candy Alert~~

2009-06-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Stop by Stamps, Paper, Scissors and Donkey Smiles for a chance to win some great blog candy. The Pink Cat Studio stamps in her giveaway are the cutest!! Go check it out before June 23rd for your chance to win!

And that's not all, Jan is giving away a Bind-It-All over at Paper Craft Pleasures. Stop by before July 1st :)

New Layouts! :)

2009-06-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've been grabbing all the scrap time I can the past couple days. Of course this means staying up *way* too late and therefore shuffling around like a zombie until I get a sufficient amount of caffeine in the morning.

"Halloween 08"
This design was taken from a PageMaps sketch. I knew I wanted Halloween colors, but not too much literal "stuff". The papers are My Mind's Eye - Night Light Collection, with the exception of the black & white stripe which is from Delish Designs Indulge. The chipboard "H" is from Making Memories and the numbers are from Bazzill. I decided to try a little stitching and made a fun little spiderweb.
I was so upset with myself that I got so busy on Halloween that I forgot to take good pics of McKenna in her first costume! I took a couple quick pics when I first tried it on her, but the only pic I actually snapped on Halloween was with my cell phone at the doctor's office :( D'oh!

"Unwrap the Magic"
Another pagemaps sketch here. For this Christmas layout, I knew I wanted to stay away from the traditional red & green. These papers from Fiskars (Heidi Grace Winter collection) were perfect! The alpha stickers are the Loopy Lou font in "cupcake" from Doodlebug Design. I picked up the jewels in the clearance bin at JoAnn's. They're "Project Runway" jewels from Westrim Crafts. I can't believe how perfectly they match the paper! I cut the little packages from cardstock and the bows were cut from the pp and punched with the Fiskars May Flower squeeze punch.

"Kennabug"
I've been loving the stitching lately :) I was waffling between different ribbon & felt borders and finally I just decided to stitch and I love it :) The paper is from Me & My Big Ideas, and I just love how the colors match the stripes in McKenna's sweater perfectly. I used the Martha Stewart "Floral Lace" edge punch for the frame, and the big alphas are Chip Chatter Gellies in "Lime Stripe"

A new Weenie to share...

2009-06-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

Beth from Wind Walker Altered Arts hopped over to my blog last week and asked me if I could make her a custom sculpt based on her chocolate dachshund. I was more than happy to do so! It's been such a long time since I've done any custom work because I didn't have my craft space set up. It gives me the motivation to maybe put some things up on Etsy again!

Introducing "Tookie":

Beth told me Tookie chases everything that flies, so her request for a butterfly on her behind is just perfect!

Here's the real Tookie:

Nothing scrappy to share today, but I did make some clay buttons to use on future layouts. Buttons are fun!

A Round of Applause for MOMS Club!

2009-06-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

I want to give a big shout out to all my girls in MOMS Club Fresno - Central. They pulled together an *AMAZING* crop on Friday night and raised over $2600 for The Shawna Kilbert Project. The community really came together and so many people donated their time, money, prizes and more.

I was able to get 4 pages done at the crop:

"Just Beachy"
This page was made with Fancy Pants Summer Soiree paper (including the hand cut sun), Bazzill "Just the Edge" cardstock strips, AC Thickers, Greenhouse vinyl asterisks, and a little journaling block that I put together with cardstock and a dot stamp.

"Discover"
I really need to do negative space LOs more often. I'm always happy with how they turn out! This one is made with strips of Basic Grey's Lime Rickey (I *Love* that line!!), glitter alphas stickers from Sticko and Image Tree alpha stamps. The flower - isn't it gorgeous?? - is from Prima. I enjoyed doodling on the page, too!

"Auntie"
I'm loving Urban Prairie. Basic Grey again! This paper is so pretty. Not much going on here, because I wanted to use lots of pics. The title is Loopy Lou stickers from Doodlebug Design, and the little flowers are Jolee's.

"Look Who's One"
Yep - more Urban Prairie. I think this is my favorite paper in the pack. I love the combo of pink & yellow. The title here is made with Loopy Lou alphas again, and Shimmer Jigsaw glitter alphas from Making Memories. The butterflies were hand cut from some scrap patterned paper (K&Co, I think...) The flourishes and little butterflies are clear stamps from Inkadinkado.

So after my big night of scrapping, Ryan had a lacrosse game the next morning. Mckenna and I went out for a while before I had to head to work. It was a really nice day out! Ryan's mom & dad came out too. Here's a cute pic I snapped of McKenna & Grampa on the swings:

Blog Candy and a Tutorial: Polymer Clay Embellishments

2009-06-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Have you even been on a search for just the right embellishment without success?? Whay not make your own? I've been working with polymer clay for years, and was so glad to find that it has been tested as acid free! The possibilities are virtually endless! There are *so* many colors on the market, and the cured clay can also be painted, sanded or drilled.

One of my favorite things to make is small frames. They are great for cards and layouts, as well as home decor and gift items too.

To make your own frame you will need:
*Polymer clay (any brand, your choice of color)
*Wax Paper or Paper Pallette
*Acrylic Roller (or something that will roll your clay out nice and smooth - pasta machines are great too!)
*Round Cookie Cutters in 2 sizes (mine are 2 3/4" and 3 1/2")
*Stamp (or anything else that will make a cool impression. I've used old jewelry to make cool designs in the past)
*Stylus, knitting needle, something with a blunt point.
*X-acto Knife
*Ceramic Tile (for baking... you can also use a Pyrex dish if needed)

I recently received a huge stash of clay from a friend whose aunt had it in storage for years, but it's still good. I see a lot more custom embellies in the future! By the way, if you're new to polymer clay (and even if you're not) you need to check out Sue Heaser's Polymer Clay Techniques book.

I chose Sculpey III silver metallic clay. I started with about half of a 2 oz brick. Sculpey III is a very soft clay. If you choose a different type, you may have to knead your clay for a while before working with it. Once your clay is pliable, roll it out until it's smooth and flat and about 1/8" thick. I like to use either wax paper or a paper pallette book because it makes it easier to lift/peel your uncured piece without damaging it.

Use your cookie cutters to cut out your frame. I chose circles because they're the easiest to work with, but squares are nice too. If you've got a steady hand, you can even cut out your own shape with an X-acto knife.

I like to lift the piece off the paper after each step - just to keep it from sticking so much.

Now it's time to start stamping. I chose a clear stamp from Inkadinkado's "flourishes" collection. It's also fun to do simple lines, stripes or circles that can be made with found objects or your stylus. You can add a name with small alphabet stamps. Lots of possibilities here!

Once your stamping is done, roll out a snake of clay about 1/8" wide and long enough to go around the outside of your frame. (This was the point at which I decided to turn my circle frame into an oval. It was easy for me to do since the type of clay I used was so pliable.) Now you will use your stylus or knitting needle to make small indentations on the outer edge. This helps secure the "snake" to the rest of your frame, and creates the scalloped edge along the outside. Next, you will use the tip of your stylus to create the "eyelet" design. There are lots of other options for the edging too. You can press the back of an X-acto knife in at close intervals for a ribbed effect, or you can add a twist rope, or some swirls. Your imagination is the only limit!

Carefully transfer your frame to a ceramic tile or pyrex dish, and pop it in the oven. (The curing times & temperatures for each brand are a little different - make sure to follow the instructions printed on your package)

You're done!

Your frame is ready to be added to your next scrappy project. (well, after it cools off anyway!) Have fun!

In addition to the oval frame, I made a couple other embellies last night, too:

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Now, are you ready for a little candy?
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I have a "Life's Journey" vintage style kit from K&CO, and a pretty "Girlfriends" kit from American Crafts. I've added a few extras from my stash to each of the kits. The winner can choose their fave!

The "Life's Journey" Kit includes:
* 6 12x12 papers
* Vintage style postage stickers
* Epoxy alpha stickers
* Dimensional quote tags
I've added:
* 4 die cut tags and matching frame
* 4 metal tags
* 12 self-adhesive chipboard flowers
* 6 Prima artful collage flowers
* 14" each brown and golden brown rickrack

The "Girlfriends" Kit includes:
* 6 12x12 double-sided papers
* 12 buttons in assorted sizes
* 24 brads in assorted sizes
* 4' each pink ribbon, green & white polka dot ribbon
* sheet of white adhesive alphas
I've added:
* 5 assorted chipboard tags/slides
* 6 assorted flowers
* 9 flower brads
* 1 K&Co Clip
* 6 circle tags
* 42 pc chip chatter foil alphas

Wanna Win??
Tell me about your favorite "non-traditional" scrapbooking supply. Just leave a comment here on this post before 11:59 pm (Pacific) on Wednesday, June 17th. I will announce the winner (chosen by Random.org) on Thursday the 18th.

How about some extra entry chances?
* For one extra entry, become a follower of my blog. Just click the "follow" button over there >>> or up at the top ^^^.

* For another entry, tell your friends! Post a link to my giveaway on your blog, and leave me a link in your comment (I love discovering new blogs!)

Thats it :)
Thanks for looking and Good Luck

Another Blog Candy Alert!

2009-06-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

I just found Beth's blog,
Wind Walker Altered Arts - and I love her super cute style! (plus, she has dachshunds so I know she has to be a great person) She's giving away some scrumptious scrapping and card-making candy! Be sure to stop by her blog before June 28th for your chance to win :)

I Have A New Obsession...

2009-06-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

... using the cross-process photo effect in Paint Shop Pro.

"Cross Processing is a modern photography technique that creates unique color effects by mismatching the film and the chemicals used to develop the film."

I really love the result! The color effects really are awesome! Using the photo edges is optional, but I think it gives a really cool distressed effect - great for scrapbooking.

This is the original:

I was in a snap-happy mood this past weekend!
Here are a couple more fishing boats in Morro Bay:

Blog Candy Alert!

2009-06-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a li'l blog candy?? Be sure to check out Jamie's blog at http://mytinylittlecorneroftheworld.blogspot.com/
Papers and chipboard and ribbons, oh my!

The Shawna Kilbert Project

2009-06-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I told you all about the charity crop I am attending this Friday. My friend Rahnell asked me to create a layout using some of the goodies that are being given away at the crop. I decided to do a layout featuring Shawna and her beautiful family.

This is what I came up with:

The color combo came from the color challenge over a scrapbook.com

A Couple New Pages to Share

2009-06-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pages I've been working on lately:

"Funny Face"

All those funny faces can always make me smile!
The paper is My Minds Eye - 29th Street Market - Carefree Color Scheme:
*Adorable Polka Spots
*Precious Baby Blanket
The chipboard alphas are from Bazzill
I finished it up with some buttons and a little doodling.

"Pumpkin Patch"

I just love these pics of McKenna & Ryan at the pumpkin patch last year. I'm glad I was finally able to get them on a layout! I used a sketch from Pagemaps for the design.
The paper is from the studio 8 falling leaves collection:
*Autumn Ribbons
*Autumn Dots
The cardstock is from Bazzill.

The flowers are Making Memories hul.la.ba.loo collection.
Title alpha stickers is "Loopy Lou" in Bon Bon from Doodlebug Design. Have I mentioned how much I love this font??
The little "08" stickers are alphabitties from Provo Craft.
The word stickers are from a DCWV value pack.
For the "die cut" background, I actually just drew out the design on cardstock, cut it out and doodled the edges.

A Kite, A Graduation, and a hooray for me!

2009-05-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

I love this pic of Mom & McKenna flying a kite on the beach in Cayucos

But, whew- what a weekend! Traveling with a toddler is anything but relaxing. Naptime doesn't happen, bedtime is a struggle. Mama needs her sanity back! It was a good weekend, though. Lots of pics just waiting to be scrapped!

I am so proud of my little bro! He graduated from the psychiatric technician program, and got his full time appointment. He has overcome a lot of adversity, and could have easily gone down any number of bad roads. I'm just so glad to see that he's finally making good choices! Although, something went awry in his education; when we went out to eat he ordered a Filet Mignon well done and proceeded to smother it in A1 steak sauce! D'oh!

And now to toot my own horn:
Last week I entered a card scraplift challenge from the Mosh Posh Blog
The sweet "Welcome Baby" card was the inspiration, and I used that as the basis of my design for my brother's "You Rock" graduation card...

... and guess what?!? I won! It's the first time I've ever won anything, so I'm so stoked! I get all this yummy card-making goodness:

Thanks so much to the girls over at Mosh Posh!

It's going to be another busy week, but I hope to squeeze in some scrappy time. I joined the Anything Goes Challenge for June over at sb.com. I know it's going to keep me busy, but I hope it motivates me to get more pages done.

I will be going to a crop on Friday night. This is my first crop, and I'm already overwhelmed. Even though I've decided I'm probably just going to work on cards, I have no idea how to get packed up.
Our local MOMS Club chapter is organizing this crop as a charity to benefit The Shawna Kilbert Project. Shawna was a local mom who recently lost her battle with cervical cancer.

Cards for Heroes

2009-05-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

I am so glad to have found this organization!
Cardsforheroes.org provides *handmade* cards for men & women in the military stationed overseas. Their mission statement is "To support our nation’s armed forces by sending blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them"
What a wonderful idea!

I have really enjoyed making cards lately. It's a great way to get a handle on that scrap pile and a fun quick project when there aren't any pics around to be scrapped. I'm going to my first crop next week, and I think I'm just going to make cards. When I make layouts I need to have EVERYTHING at my disposal, and I think I'd end up getting frustrated by the little that I'm able to pack up. I don't know how some of you regular croppers do it!

Anyhoooo, I made my first card destined for CFH today:

Does this design look a little familiar?? If you scroll down to my previous post you'll see the vintage ad that was my inspiration for this card.
(another great idea from the Mosh Posh Blog)

Vintage Ad Inspiration

2009-05-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

Scrappin' inspiration can come from all kinds of sources! I remember not too long ago, there was a foam tree on display at the store where I work, and I took a picture of it so I can re-create the style in a layout. (Please tell me I'm not the only one that does stuff like that) There is a challenge over at the Mosh Posh Blog to use a vintage ad for inspiration. I found this one and it's just perfect! I love pink, and I love circles, so it just jumped out at me :) (and look at how it matches my blog!)

It's from a December 1967 issue of Family Circle.
I can't wait to make a LO based on this ad!

Can I Have My 3-Day Weekend Now?

2009-05-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a very non-relaxing Memorial Day weekend! I worked all 3 days! Ah, well; more funds to support the habit (scrapping, that is!) Speaking of which, I've been doing more gathering inspiration than actual scrapping lately. I'll be out of town this weekend for my brother's graduation, so no scrapping for me!

I do have one new thing to share:

A graduation card for my brother! :)
(hey, bro - I don't think you visit my blog, but if you do - just act surprised)

The patterned paper here is from Basic Grey - the Lime Rickey Collection. I made the skulls using a template that I drew, and then I stamped the star design on them and inked the edges. I made the guitar myself too - and I think it turned out pretty cool! I don't do cards often, but this one is my fave! I actually did this for the Card Scraplift Challenge over at the Mosh Posh blog. Which reminds me... they're having another GIVEAWAY!! Be sure to stop by over there before May 28th for your chance to win a really yummy scrappy prize pack! (*and don't forget so say Katherine sent you*)

Speaking of giveaways, stay tuned here; I've got a little something in the works. It's going to be a busy week, so it might be a while before I have the details, but the gears are turning...

Photohunt: Plastic

2009-05-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

It must be a busy week! The day's almost over, and I forgot to post my pic for today's Photohunt!

I was stumped with by today's theme, but then I looked around and saw a pile of my daughter's toys - all plastic!

I played with the photo in Paint Shop a little - I used the cross-process aging effect to give it a little "something".

Check out PhotoHunt

A Place For Everything...

2009-05-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

and everything in its place:

I finally have my scrap space organized! Yippee! I have a big table set up with lots of drawers, trays and jars. Open stock paper storage shelves stacked to the left, with a divider file on top to hold my paper packs. The first shelf above the table holds more paper, some tools, adhesives and embellies, as well as my flowers and ribbons (old beanie baby cases make great ribbon storage! I picked mine up at a yard sale for a quarter). More random tools, some beads, stamps, reference books and mags are on the shelf above that. I have mini crates/baskets hanging on the wall that hold my stickers.

I have a cabinet to the left of the table that my grandmother used to use to store her sheet music. It's got dividers so it's perfect for organizing stencils, die cuts, more random papers (mostly 8x8 that I rarely use) and more beads and fabric.

I know this space is going to evolve, but it's so nice to be able to see all of my STUFF! I forgot half of what I've had stashed away!

But somehow with all that, the layouts I've put together over the past couple days have been really simple.

"Squeaky Clean"
The patterned paper here (including the mat and photo corners) is from the Dollhouse Scrap Pad from Brenda Walton/K& Co.
The edges are inked with Colorbox Chalk Ink in Rouge.
Flowers are from the hul.la.ba.loo collection by Making Memories.
The title alphas are Thickers in Pink Grapefruit.
I added vellum circles for a little whimsy.

"Have Your Cake... and wear it too"
All the patterned paper here is from My Minds Eye - Daydream collection.
The file folder die cut is also from that collection.
The chipboard buttons are from Colorbox.
The flower center is a bedazzler stud.
The title is made with Loopy Lou alphas from Doodlebug Design, Thickers, and mini alpha beads.

"Hockey Night in Fresno"
This one is really simple.
Patterned paper is from Creative Imaginations/Gin-x; Take A Vacation Line.
I used cardstock from the DCWV Brights Stack.
Loopy Lou alphas again, and the edges of the title strip are inked with ColorBox Chalk Ink in Citrus Yellow.
Embellies are a bunch of random things I threw together :)

Who Doesn't Love A Party??

2009-05-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

And a great giveaway???
If you love yummy embellies, check out the Mosh Posh blog (it's addicting!!) for contest details: Mosh Posh

Is it really only Tuesday??

2009-05-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Lots of pics coming...
I feel like I've had a full week already! Whew! The weekend was filled with getting things done around the house - organizing my scrap room (*photos coming soon*), shopping, cleaning, and a teensy bit of scrapbooking.

The layouts I did this weekend are very simple, not really my normal style at all.
For this one, I just wanted to feature my grandmother's artwork, and I didn't want any patterns or embellies to compete with it:

My grandmother was very talented. She loved to paint and crochet. She also played the piano and had a beautiful voice. She did so many paintings! Everyone in the family has at least a couple. I have a large 3' x 3' painting of poppies and daisies in my living room, and one of a ship in a turbulent sea hanging over my fireplace in the family room. These pictures of of the mural that she painted on her stairwell and on the walls of her home.

And here's a simple 2-pager I did just to preserve the memory of McKenna's "knee walk" and her vocabulary. Again, not my normal style, but here it is:

Ryan got a new toy... a grill; so we had a yummy Tri Tip for dinner Sunday night. Since it was 102 degrees out, the plan was to let McKenna play in her new pool while the meat cooked.

She wasn't too fond of that idea:

How can a kid that LOVES the bath HATE the pool?? What a goober.

Anyway, I had to work last night. I got home at 9:45, and Ryan had put her to bed about 8:30, but she had just started to fuss and cry. I go in to try to calm her down, and THAR SHE BLOWS!!! Sicky all down my back and in my hair. Eeeewww! I guess she saved it up for me. Daddy has yet to have to deal with her sick. Don't I feel special?? Thankfully, she's feeling much better this morning... dancing along with Zoboomafoo on the TV!

Photohunt: Painting

2009-05-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

While blog hopping, I stumbled across tnchick's blog. She does a "photo hunt" every Saturday, and I had to join in! I love photos and I love scavenger hunts, so it's a perfect fit :)

This is part of the mural that my grandmother painted on her wall:

Actually, Granny painted murals throughout the house, but this is the main one that ran along the stairwell.

PhotoHunt

Added by request-
Here is the full stairwell:

There will be a scrapbook layout featuring Granny's Mural very soon :)

A Busy Week! Playgroups and Scrapbooking and Frosties, Oh My!

2009-05-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

There will be LOTS of pics in this post; we've had a busy week!

Wednesday we met Gramma for a Frosty:
(Ryan's mom has claimed the tradition of buying McKenna a Frosty because her mom used to buy them for Ryan)
Yum!

On Thursday we had a MOMS Club Baby Beach Party:

And today we had another MOMS Club get together (no pics this time - bad mommy!)
It's really nice to get McKenna out and about among kids her age. Hopefully it will give her incentive to start walking! There are several toddlers younger than her that have been walking for a while now. But it will also be good to help her socialize. The past couple days, it seems like she gets startled and upset easily by the other kids. But then again she has been a little tired and out of sorts, so hopefully next playdate she'll be better. I can't think of a thing that really upsets her like that when we're at home.

But I still managed to sneak some naptime scraptime and put together a few layouts:
Life Is Beautiful:

I'm really loving this one! The striped pp is from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie Collection, the cardstock layer underneath was punched with the Martha Stewart Floral Lace edge punch, and the alpha stickers are Thickers in Pink Grapefruit.

Life Is A Highway:

This one was for a challenge at scrapbook.com. I picked the song title "Life Is A Highway" to go with this pic of McKenna in her Jeep. I had a heck of a time finding any paper to coordinate. Finally, I found the road sign pp in an ANCIENT book from Hot Off The Press. It's a perfect match! It was fun to do something "not girly".

First Spaghetti:

I think this turned out cute! The pp matches well. I dug it out of my stash, so I'm not sure of the maker.

Mommy's Little Helper:

Back when I was pregnant, I bought a whole bunch of baby themed papers, and I haven't used many of them. Pastel is just not my style. But I thought this "laundry line" theme went great with the pics! The paper is from stack from Marcella by K. I broke up the blue background by adding the striped paper and then hand cut out duplicate clothing from another piece of paper and popped them with foam dots for dimension.

2 New Layouts

2009-05-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

I was able to get some late-night scrapping done last night, and a little bit more during McKenna's nap this afternoon.

I did this one last night - I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but it's growing on me.

The background pp is DCWV - Brown Funky Flowers.

I did this one today:

I'm really happy with how this one came out. I've seen a circle frame used this way before, and I've been wanting to do it. I used my Creative Memories circle cutting tool to make the frame. The background pp is from Basic Grey: the Urban Prairie Collection. Cardstock is DCWV. I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.

All of the pp strips, as well as the "crazy quilt" heart and numbers are from scraps of the Dollhouse Scrap Pad from Brenda Walton / K&Co. The crazy quilt is another technique I've been wanting to try - and a great way to use up scraps! Just adhere strips or irregular scraps of paper to a piece of cardstock in a random or striped pattern, and cut out the shape of your choice. I think it might get addicting - and goodness knows I've got more than enough scraps.

Kat Scrap Fever

So, It's Been A While...

Yippee!

Taking a Step Back...

Feeling Crafty with Felt

Bad, Bad Blogger!

BONUS!

8 Years Later

A Candy List

Working on the New Blog

Design Team Card Reveal

A New Layout To Share!

I'm on a Polymer Clay Jag...

Candy List

Death Warmed Over...

A Public Service Announcement:

Photohunt: Surprise

PAWSitively Fun Layouts

Candy Anyone?

Weebas & Wuppos

*Finally* New Layouts.... and a Winner!

Candy Time!!

When I Think Vellum...

Photohunt: Ripples

Sweet Stuff...

My Latest Projects, A New Blog, And A Couple Thank-Yous!

Here's Where I Was At 4 AM

Use Your Scraps! Crazy Quilt Embellishment Tutorial

Photohunt: Artificial

Making Weenies...

Sweets to Share

Finishing These Layouts...

When in Doubt....

Where Did All Her Money Go??

Making A Dent in the Sticker Stash...

PhotoHunt: Low

Yumm-o!

A Little Birthday Card To Share

Just Popping In To Share...

Time for the Reveal!

Cards, Candy and A Mini Album

I Want Candy!

So, I Guess I Do Have Something To Share Today...

She's Growing So Fast... *sniffle*

Time To Get To Work...

Practical Scrappers Blog Candy

Pay It Forward...

A Little Toot For Me

I Think My Mojo is Coming Back!

Practical Scrappers!

In The Words of Austin Powers....

Who Wants Candy??

Me at 18...

Some Cards To Share

Project 365

mmmmm.....

A Pot of Flowers...

Yes, I'm One of "Them"

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

Can I Get A Few More Hours In The Day, Please?

Photohunt: Rock(s)... or not....

Something for your sweet tooth!

99 Things...

Introducing....

***Happy 4th of July***

Wish I Was Here...

Friday Blog Candy List

Hey, Look - It Matches My Blog!

How is it July already??

Kool Aid Pickles: The Verdict

Kool Aid: It's not just for hair dye anymore...

You have Cheerios on your behind...

Friday Blog Candy List

Layouts, Cards and New (Old) Techniques...

And now back to your regularly scheduled blogging....

Blog Awards to Share :)

A Winner!

Blog Candy Alert

I'm Such A Klutz...

Photohunt: Lock

Finally New Layouts.... and a Winner!

She's Growing So Fast... sniffle

Happy 4th of July

~~Blog Candy Alert~~