Scrappy Wonder Woman

bread sticks and Stromboli

2012-01-27T21:25:00.002-07:00

here is the promised bread stick recipe:
1 1/4 cup Hot water
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon

Combine all ingredients. Knead 3 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. roll out on cookie sheet cut into strips. Spread butter on top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning (I add Parmesan cheese too!) Let sit 10 more minutes . Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
This is yummy!

The other day I was wanting to make homemade pizza, for my recipe see HERE. Anyway, Sasha Farina posted that she made Stromboli, it's basically Pizza rolled up! I thought I would try it and the crowd at my house says MORE PLEASE--I had enough dough to also make bread sticks--I seriously ate 5 before I told my family that the food was ready, they were THAT good! :) I followed her link to the recipe you can see it HERE, but I want to copy it "just in case" it disappears one day!

*REMEMBER this comes from the Laura's Latest BLOG*

Basic Pizza Dough

yield: 2-12 inch pizzas, approximately 1 lb. of dough
Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity}

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix. Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands. Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean! Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it!

**her blog has pictures with how beautiful it looks**

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks
yield: 1- 12 inch pie

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Fail-Proof Pizza Dough
2 tablespoons softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese {use the real stuff!}
1/4 pound grated mozzarella cheese
{salt & pepper, if desired}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. {If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an upside down cookie sheet…a tip I got from Natalie!}
Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.}
Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired. {That step is totally optional!}

This long post was TOTALLY worth it--ENJOY!

The year 2012...

2012-01-26T06:00:00.010-07:00

first I want to apologize, I'm just to lazy to put this album on to a one page spread...you're going to have to scroll...this was not my original idea I saw it on Elizabeth Kartchner's BLOG and it inspired me. This is what I came up with:

do you notice STAMPING?! I know don't fall out of your chair--one of them is studio calico, not really sure what the other polka dot stamp is...but I like it! :)

I'm only going to show everyone else's picture side, not their journaling side. My son would like his to remain "secret"

My youngest and I had a blast making these envelopes, we sprayed different colors and wiped the envelopes through them and let them dry..

the papers are from an old Crate Paper set (rubons/stickers included). The assembly of the kit went relatively quickly, the filling out of the papers was a WHOLE different story! But everyone did it, it will be fun to read what we wrote next year.... ALL of the printouts are linked to Dear Lizzy BLOG. The fun thing about this is that you could do this RIGHT now if you wanted--who says that you have to do EXACTLY on the first of the year! :)
So yesterday my desk came! I ordered it in anticipation of my birthday next week and was SO excited and it came, the assembly was quick especially with the helping hands of my youngest.

isn't is pretty?! My cricut is not going to stay on that bottom shelf, but for right now it is there. I still have to put things away. but I'm happy to report that my rolling tote has a home to the right, next to the window as well as my trash can. Makes sense that it is on my right since I'm right handed...ANYWAY! I was SO excited I had to share!
Thanks for the visit today!

little sneak of what's coming this next month...

2012-01-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

from Scrapbook Circle:

CHEVRONS, yellow, blue--YUM! If you want to see the complete listing for Remember This go HERE!

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf

2012-01-24T06:00:00.016-07:00

These picture are some of my favorites--they CRACK me up! My son received his wolf advancement for cub scouts..after he put on the mask he had to howl. You can tell by the way he is holding his hands that he wished he wasn't up in front of everyone else! What a trooper though!

here are some closeups:

all of the items minus the larger letters are from the You + Me from Scrapbook Circle. This is a quick post have LOTS of things to do today! Thanks for the visit!

quick spagetti sauce

2012-01-23T06:00:00.023-07:00

Yesterday I made a new favorite of ours, Quick Spagetti Sauce. This recipe came about when I wanted to have spagetti but realized I didn't have ANY spagetti sauce! I looked it up online and with a little trepidation tried it for the first time--it was a HIT! I've since tried it with meat, without peppers (we didn't have any), and in the crock pot. (you cook your veggies and meat then add all ingredients in the crock) My favorite way to have it is in the crock pot after it's simmered a few hours on low--YUM!

I got it from Recipes.com:

1 green bell pepper, chopped (any pepper will do)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced (I like garlic I add 2 more)
1 (20 oz can whole tomatoes)--(I use diced because that is what I have)
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning (my favorite place for spices is Penzey's)
1 cup chicken broth (I add the whole can)
1 6oz can tomato paste

in skillet saute pepper, onion. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Stir in tomatoes and chicken broth--remove from heat.
Place mixture in blender and blend until the desired level of chunkiness is achieved. Return to medium low heat. Stir in tomato paste. Cook 20 minutes, stiring occasionally.

*I will have to post the recipe for my bread sticks another time!*

It's totally delicious! Thanks for the visit today, let me know if you try it. And if you have any recipes you'd like to share I love trying new things! :)

Snowball fight!

2012-01-22T06:00:00.020-07:00

I'm still using the Jack Frost kit from Elle's Studio, so fabulous! ANYWAY, I think these are the last of my snow pictures from last year, these crack me up--especially the one where my son has evidence of being nailed right on the chest! I used my cricut to cut some snowflakes & the buttons, twine are from my stash, everything else is from the kit.

closeups of course!

added a little bling:

these are some of my favorite pictures because this was one of the first times I took my new camera out for a photo shoot! :) One other little note, the small picture on the top is popped up with pop dots--love that affect gives you something interesting to look at!

I wanted to share real quick is how I finish the back of my layouts when I have a bunch of stitching. It looks like a mess. I carefully pull the front piece of thread through the back. (gently pull the back thread and it will cause the thread to "bubble"pull that all the way through until you have both of the pieces of thread to the back)

Then I tie them in a square knot. Right over left and left over right. I have tried many different ways to adhere my string to the back this way seems to keep it tight on the front. Hope this little tutorial helps, AND makes sense! :)

Thanks so much for the visit-hope you have a good one!

week 2 Project Life....

2012-01-21T06:00:00.018-07:00

okay, I have to admit that week two preparation got thrown off due to the holiday on Monday and everyone home. But it all worked out okay, I did a bunch of prep work including mapping where I wanted things to go and printing pictures and rounding the corners (I want my book this year to look more uniform) this may sound like a lot of work but I'm enjoying the process SO MUCH more! That being said here is week 2:

I do have to tell you that I have things in between in sheet protectors, (grades & map to the science center) Miracle of miracles batman! There are a couple of pictures of me! (one is a self portrait!) Does anyone else not like their picture to be taken? I'm trying to enjoy it more, but I sure feel more comfortable BEHIND the lens! :)

I have a few printables I purchased from Marcy Penner's etsy store, click HERE to see what she has, remember that you can change the colors!

That's it for today kids, thanks for the visit!

Front page as promised....

2012-01-20T06:00:00.013-07:00

As I promised! The title page to my Project Life! I finished this last Saturday, surprising to me it took me a while..but I am REALLY happy with how it turned out. I wanted to include things out of my stash but also use what came in the kit.

The only picture that is from 2012 is of my hubby and I. (THIS is the picture I had taken for this year!) The others were leftover from a print job I had and were the perfect size. If you have a question about anything included here, just ask!
Sorry this is going to be a quick most today! Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

2012-01-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

yesterday on this page was featured on the Scrapbook Circle blog. the post was regarding the printable in the January kit You + Me--I really enjoyed working with it this month! Printables are unique to the Scrapbook Circle and are made for each kit. And one of the cool things is that they can be manipulated a bit in Photoshop. I'm not an expert and still learning but did play with it AFTER I made my layouts for January.

little closeup of the banner:

Do you notice where the printables are? the little banner Love you and the journaling spot. I love this picture of my hubby and I, my hair is a mess (it was a HUMID day for AZ) and sadly it was the ONLY picture we took together! Sad, I know--this year I vow to make a change! We've already had one taken so at least we are caught up to last year! :)

See that fun little punched scalloped circle/seal? That is my FAVORITE punch right now. I bought it for my Believe banner and I'm SO glad I did I have used it for a lot of different things. It's by Martha Stewart and I bought it at Michael's....

I forgot to mention that this was based off a sketch that I pinned on Pinterest I "believe" it was from Pencilines....I snagged it off someone else's blog! :)

Well, I'm off and running today--thanks so much for the visit! :)

New Kicks....

2012-01-18T06:00:00.092-07:00

I challenged myself with this layout! At Christmas time we bought this bottle of club soda to make some homemade root beer. The bottle intrigued me and I took a picture of it not knowing what it would inspire me to do. Then I remembered I took a picture of my new shoes--perfect combo!

Challenges:

1. use the design of this bottle to create a layout.

2. use the picture of my new shoes as the focus of my layout.

3. use ONLY cardstock! NO pattern paper.

my take on my own challenges:

A few close ups:

I used my trusty Cricut Gypsy to help me out with planing out my page. I like using my gypsy because you can use layers which provide you a view of the creations on different layers so that you can get an idea at what size to cut your objects. (You could also do the same thing with Cricut Craft room--I just happened to want to watch a show with my kiddos....)

1. I picked a circle using the Accent Essentials cartridge (this came with my Cricut Expression), if you do not have this cartridge, there are several others that have a circle on them. (you can use the Search option on your gypsy or Cricut Craft room--type in circle and they will pull up all available cartridges) I picked a size I wanted 1.5" and copied and pasted this a few times. Then I changed the size of my circle to 1", .85" & 1/2" repeated the process. Each of these circle groups were matched like they were on the bottle on my gypsy

2. Next on Layer 2, I worked with my title using the Opposites Attract cartridge I sized the title so it would fit with my circles. For the word New (I used the opposite feature) I sized it to be 1.5" high, then using the K_E tool (I like to call it the scoot tool) I scooted all of the letters together so I could meld them and so that they cut as one word. I did the same with the word Kicks, I sized it to 2.5" tall and using the scoot tool connected the letters.

3. The sunburst were cut at 1.5, the smaller is cut at .5" (on Layer 3, again to measure up to the rest of the work I) with the Accent Essentials cartridge. I used white cardstock then sprayed it with tattered Angels Ink. The colors I used were Key Lime Pie and Silver Sugar. )If you click the links they will take you to where I purchase my glimmer mist.)

4. After all items were cut I backed the main page with different colored cardstock.

5. Using my any where seal punch I punched out the red.

6. I adhered everything to the page, then journaled.

I really had a great time with my own challenge, making everything work to celebrate my new kicks!

Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

playing....

2012-01-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Elle's studio had a little sketch challenge:

I played a long using their Jack Frost kit (I bought in December). Here is my take:

I have to tell you the mist is FABULOUS in this kit--Mr. Huey's it was my first time using it and really loved it. The maya road snowflakes came in 2nd--they're misted lightly...Do you see the large snowflake peeking out from behind my daughter? That is an Elle's studio tag as well as the things in the right corner and strip that says let it snow....

I've been a absent a bit from the old blog spending time with my family. Grateful that everyone is healthy and happy for the most part! :)

Kids are off to school after a long weekend and I've got some catching up to do! I worked on the cover of my Project Life and I will be sharing that this week, I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

thanks so much for you visit today!

Dinner at Joe's

2012-01-13T12:00:00.002-07:00

okay, I thought I had posted this layout already! Here ya go:

of course closeups:

I added the last picture because you can't really tell that I misted in the first one! I used a mask from my stash--I've had it FOREVER, I think it's Heidi Swapp. I used the white chalk ink from Tattered Angels--I love the affect it gave!
These pictures of course have another story besides being birthday pictures, they were some of the first I took after my photo class back in August 2011--they were shot in MANUAL mode! I've shot that way and not looked back, it's been a challenge but I've loved EVERY minute of it!
I'm off to a field trip with my boy today AZ Science Center here we come!
Thanks for the visit today!

I feel like a genius! :) Project Life...

2012-01-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

I actually learned something, had an A-HA moment, found something that ACTUALLY pertains to me and Scrapbooking. I feel excited, it might not be new to you but to me it's like HALLELUJAH! I was reading On Marcy Penner's blog about project life and she posted THIS tutorial! I loved her digital elements but didn't really care for the colors (I literally had one of her items in my cart the day before but didn't buy it because of the colors!) So after I saw this tutorial I jumped at the chance to buy something from her etsy shop and got busy changing colors in Photoshop Elements. (that was one of my scrappy goals--getting to know Photoshop Elements better...)

Then yesterday I was reading Becky Higgins and she mentioned that the lady who designed the Clementine edition of Project Life had come out with digital journaling cards. They can be found HERE. Guess what?! You can manipulate them and move them change the color AND they are on sale!

and TODAY Rhonna Farrer gave another tutorial on changing colors! You can see it HERE, I haven't had time to play with that idea and have NO idea if it will work with Photoshop Elements but I thought I would pass on the knowledge any how!

With all the ideas floating around I decided to make a Project Life board on Pinterest you can see it HERE. I do have a follow me button on my side bar as well ---->

Here is page 1 of my project life....

page 2:

I promise to take better pictures next time. I've decided to be more organized about it. I use a project folder to collect pictures, and memorabilia. then I journal on Monday, I have been journaling about each day in my notes section of my computer--this is linked up in icloud from my phone as well. It's a pretty cool feature. Once I journal that certain day I delete it off my calendar....I feel SO MUCH better about this process--organized and free. Last year I was hit and miss with the journaling and had to go back and remember and i couldn't and I felt bad, this way feels more like me and MORE fun!
I would love to hear about your project life experiences please feel free to share your links in the comments section!
Thanks for stopping by!

the forgotten album...

2012-01-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

sad title isn't it? I made this FUN album for a DT call, at the time I was just having fun playing and creating. Then I thought I could give it to my parent's for their anniversary (since they are the ones in the pictures) WONDERFUL idea! Guess what I forgot which day was their anniversary! I gave it to my mom a few weeks late but she loved it and that makes it all worth while.

supplies used:

pattern paper: Pebbles

buttons: Jenni Bowlin

stickles: ranger

button: American crafts

punches: ek success, fiskars

sewing

I LOVED how this turned out. The pattern paper is Pebbles, I have some Fancy Pants chipboard in there, and Jenni Bowlin buttons. See the glittery hearts? I painted those with acrylic paint and then topped them with stickles, it really made them POP!
My mom is so cute she told me that she has had compliments on this where she has it displayed at work. :)
Today is going to be a BEAUTIFUL day outside, really like winter time in the desert--makes it worth living here!
Thanks for popping in for a visit--take care!

LOVE technology..

2012-01-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

I really do! Can I tell you that this is my FAVORITE layout from You + Me kit? (it's actually okay to LOVE a layout you know!) I seriously wanted some awesome inspiration for this fun picture I took of my kids and their cousins while we were visiting at Thanksgiving. When I told them to get out their ipods/phones and pretend to text--this is what I got on my first snap of the camera! The lighting was AMAZING and the models were just so fun!

some closeups:

I used some mist, button, paint, & masks from my stash the rest is in the kit! The letters are old, i mean like 5 years or so. They are Heidi Swapp and worked out perfectly, the button is crate, and the sparkly letters are American Crafts.

This week will be the first FULL week of activities from the break. Today is going pretty well, got laundry going and an idea for dinner! THAT is exciting to me--sometimes it's just hard to be creative and hope that you have the ingredients on hand.

Happy news! I FINALLY bought the actual album for my Project Life to go into! I've been journaling and taking pictures FAITHFULLY! I'm excited to use THIS plan to get me going. I want this to be more comfortable for me than last year, creative and just ME!

thanks so much for the visit! Hoping that your day is WONDERFUL!

lovely weather...some cards.

2012-01-07T17:22:00.001-07:00

so we decided to go for a hike at South Mountain. We took both the hairy girls and they LOVED it!

This particular hike is called Fat Man's pass. See that crack between the rocks? the one to the right of the picture? Yep, that is the pass and we all fit! I LOVED it!! And these pictures are all from my phone, SO loving that it takes such great shots when I don't have my "good" camera.

I wanted to share some cards with you real quick. I made them with the Note to Self kit from Scrapbook Circle. I send out A LOT of birthday cards and these came together quickly. I bought the little cupcakes at Michael's on clearance they are from pebbles:

I'm off to play--"hopefully"--thanks for the visit!

I almost forgot! Ali Edwards is giving away TWO You + Me kits on her blog! Go check it out HERE!

Amazing

2012-01-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

happy to report my back feels *almost* back to normal!--yipee! I pushed myself in spinning today, let's just say I felt it--now my kids want to go on a bike ride! :) Letting me rest a bit I'll go--I will!

Today I was able to share one of my layouts from the January You + Me kit from Scrapbook Circle. I have to be honest I needed this kit to sit and simmer, and then the ideas just came. you can tell from some of the journaling which book i'm reading right now (The Help):

little closeup detail:

I just loved using those teeny type letters from Glitz. there were enough letters or journaling, AMAZING!

these pictures I took while on thanksgiving break, I was experimenting with lighting and jumping and the scenery--REALLY happy with the outcome. (You will be seeing a lot of different layouts with different children with this same background, I took quite a few that day...) I printed them at 2"x3" then mounted them on white cardstock and using my perfect layers cut the edges.

Well, it's time for me to leave for the bike ride, should be an adventure--I'm thinking we might just have to go for some lunch seeing as it's the last day before they go back to school....thanks for the visit!

Good morning Tuesday!

2012-01-03T13:18:00.001-07:00

well, I'm determined to enjoy today. I woke up with a bit of headache and last night I strained something in my back, made for a restless night's sleep. I did do some stretching and it feels better but I thought I would take today off from the gym as it's yoga day and I didn't want to make it worse! So, what have I done with my one hour of extra time? I cleaned off my desk and put things away, I even wiped it down! The desert is a VERY dusty place and if you don't dust for a week it looks like you haven't dusted in MONTHS! Here's a little peek:

I tried to back up and get all of it but I couldn't quite get the whole affect. I love my large fiskars cutting Matte, it covers up the peeling part of my table. I bought this when we moved into this house 7 years ago, it came with free chairs (all of which have died). It's what we could afford at the time and it's 6ft long which is AWESOME for spreading out. I've been eyeing another table with storage on the sides for a couple of years now it looks like this (they sell it at Target HERE) :

perfect for getting some of that stuff off the top of my desk! Especially my picture storage (still working on that!) Got a great idea from Melissa Stinson today in her reorganization of her office. With this shorter desk (and my current desk) this would work an Alex cart:

Can you tell I like black? it will fit right up next to the table just fine. I'll have to be patient though because I'll have to get these things one at a time and there are some other things that are in need but a girl can dream!

on to my office (I do share it with my hubby, I won't show that part...) But this is another picture of how I store my adhesives, punches, cricut cartridges, and layouts. you can't really see all of it in the picture but they are in baskets on the bottom)

It needs a larger basket to put my camera paraphernalia in it (my older smaller cameras, they are the kid's cameras now) and a larger basket to put my punches in. guess that will be on my next ikea expedition!

I do have a couple of cards I wanted to share with you that I made with the new You + ME kit:

I loved working with the twist ties by pebbles (it's the stapled pink thing under the Dollie) These cards came together pretty quick!
I have to tell you, I went to the ideas section at Scrapbook circle to look and see what the other girls did--AMAZING! Check it out HERE.

Thanks for the visit today!

My Favorites of 2011...

2011-12-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you this was HARD to choose 12... :)

I had to WORK hard with this color combo--really like how it came together...

Really liked how the paper did the talking to accentuate the pictures (first time I popped a picture up with a pop dot)

So excited that I could use these fun photo booth shots of my girl and her friend...

just love all the stitching and misting--came together...I remember thinking I wasn't sure...

these pictures CRACK me up! I basically scrapped them the day I took them...something I rarely do!

LOVE how the misting worked on the wood pieces as they were masks:

these pictures crack me up! Looks like she is talking...

really like the paper, I had been HOARDING it FOREVER--happy note they re released it!

really like how clean this layout feels...

what can I say? I LOVE the boy who is the man I married...made this from scraps....

don't remember having to many pictures of my dad and I...really like the misting mask technique and the flowers I made with post it note....

I talked about this one yesterday, just love the colors...

some observations:
*I have EMBRACED misting! I remember the first time I saw it. I thought it was messy--I didn't think I would ever use it! :)
*thanks to a better camera I get BETTER pictures!
*I feel comfortable in my designing "skin" I was so worried about finding my style I wasn't having fun. Now I just create and it's a blast!
*pinterest has changed my life! I used to print off ideas, try and bookmark where I saw layouts. LOVE it, all in one place for me to look at!
*I have become more comfortable scrapping single pictures, SERIOUSLY was a hard thing for me to do before!
*I love to work with quality products!
*I've become more comfortable scrapping pictures of myself.

I have some designing plans in my mind and written down for 2012, I will EMBRACE them and make the best of it! Thanks for the visit and Happy New Year to you!

Snow

2011-12-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Wanted to show my FAVORITE layout from the Note to Self kit. I bought the snowflake mask at Michael's and have a ton of fun with them. I live in the desert, we DO NOT get snow. This happened to be a year ago--strange how time flies so fast.

Some closeups:

one of my favorite things to work with in this kit was the corrugated sheet. It was punchable! I had to "work" it into the punch--it didn't want to go straight in, but once it was it punched clean.

I have to tell you my son's hat in this picture was borrowed from his grandma, it's just so bright and fun! This particular hat belonged to one of his uncles WAY back when...hey, it works!

I plan on going through and choosing my favorite layouts of 2011 (something I haven't done before--my favorites of the year....) Hopefully I'll have time. We took down Christmas down and did a CLEAN out and organize of the garage. Felt kind of good to get it cleaned up! Need to do it in several other places but that was a MAJOR one and I was SO glad that everyone was working together to get the job done. (that was the part I was dreading--doing it by myself...)

I'm hoping to "play" some, but don't know if that will happen as we want to go on a hike while the weather is nice. Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit!

taking a little break....

2011-12-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

not from blogging NO way! :) I've just had the spring cleaning bug hit me. I've had nail pops that needed patching and painting, things that I haven't used, worn for a LONG time. Time to donate so someone else can get use out of it and out of my house! :) Feels good, feels like I can breathe....I still have other places that need cleaning but focusing on the small first so I don't get distracted.
Wanted to share some EXCITING! The January kit from Scrapbook Circle, You + Me (cute name huh?)

LOVE the Kraft paper, red, and....it's just FUN! I SO loved creating with this kit--keep tuned in for some pages!
Well, my break is over! :) Thanks for the quick visit--hope your day is AWESOME!

Nan's place

2011-12-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hope that your day was wonderful yesterday! We had a great time, it's been a relaxing day enjoying toys and being together. I do have another layout to share from the Note to Self kit from Scrapbook circle.

I took these pictures in June when I was in Washington state for a funeral. I tried to capture the things that meant the most to me when I visited my nanny, it's an AMAZINGLY beautiful place that is dear to my heart. The only thing I wasn't able to do was bottle up the smell, fresh green growing things....See the raccoon? He scared me a bit, I thought he was a cat! And they can be rabid, he was just curious and wanted some food....
One of my favorite parts of this layout is the mist I tried a technique (see the circles?) I sprayed a pool of mist and then dipped the lid into it and then "stamped" it. I also used some acrylic paint behind some of the pictures it is a pearl tone.

I went on a date with my hubby today (the first showing is $5 at our local theatre), we went and saw Mission Impossible Ghost protocol, I was pleasantly surprised. (I DID NOT like the last mission Impossible...) So if you are looking to be entertained, it's pretty exciting!
Well, must run--thanks for the visit!

The reason for the season--Merry CHRISTmas

2011-12-24T08:00:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a beautiful short video with you. There are more celebrating the coming of the Savior and his birth which can be seen HERE. You can also view them in itunes HERE. I hope that your day is wonderful tomorrow spent with family--Merry Christmas.

teacher's gifts....

2011-12-21T15:10:00.001-07:00

I rocked these out this morning...early...luckily I had all the things cut out and a vision of what I wanted to do and had ideas from HERE and HERE. Thank you girls! If I would've had more time I would've probably sewn BUT anyway....

I literally had 2 minutes for these shots, hopefully you can make out what they look like. I used my cricut to cut the actual tags & paper snowflakes. Then I used the Elle's studio 'Tis the Season kit, and the Scrapbook Circle Jingle all the Way kit. Love how they are all different but go together at the same time. I left the back blank so that if they want to write they can OR if they want to craft with them (which they both do.) they can...
I wrapped some gifts today--yipee! A little at a time and it will get done. I'm off to clean up my mess :) Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

Busy, busy!

2011-12-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

how about you? Kids have 1.5 days until they are out for Christmas. That means parties, gifts for friends, teachers, concerts...general business. it's all good but also crazy, my poor blog is getting neglected! I do have a few more shares for you from the note to self kit from scrapbook Circle:

My challenge for this layout was to scrap about my One little word for 2012. I decided to go with Embrace. Basically don't sweet the small stuff, if it doesn't matter don't worry about it! :) I really liked working with the corrugated paper that came in the kit it's TOTALLY cool! The border punch is fairly new to me as is the framed punch I used for the title--HAD to use them together! :) Really liked working with all that October Afternoon as well!

I tried to go to yoga this morning the one class at the gym that tends to relax me and drive stress away as well as being painful to stretch! I got a call from my boy asking me to come to his class for a party (I wasn't asked to come--SURE I said!) So, with that being said I must RUN! Thanks for the visit today!

so I'm going to toot my own horn!

2011-12-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

I finally have the time to sit down and get our Christmas card ready. I realized as I sift through our pictures there really isn't a picture of all of us together--SO what! I did have a picture of my hubby & I and then the kids so I used those. I searched through SEVERAL cards online and just couldn't find anything that fit. THEN then light bulb went on! DUH! You've got digital Christmas paper! Truth be told I've been collecting digital items hoping one day I would be brave enough to actually do something with them. Now, I know this isn't the fanciest card around but I'm pretty proud of the fact that I made it all myself. NO help from my techno AMAZING hubby, or googling for videos:

what was even better it only took me 45 minutes to complete! I ordered them at 4x6 perfect for A2 envelope size and I can pick them up in an hour from Costco! WOOHOO! One less thing on my checklist, AND I proved to myself that I can do HARD things! :)

supplies used:

pattern paper: Echo Park

type fonts: Apple typewriter, mr. and mrs. popsicle

not sure where the doilies came from it just says Christmas Giveaways

One more thing I wanted to share was about my December Daily. I didn't want my pictures to have finger prints all over them (I'm printing them 2 x 3 from home...) so I am making my own protectors out of these:

yes, there are 100 in the stack, they were sitting on my desk from another project. They work great! here is what some of mine look like:

Thanks for reading through this post! Hope you are having an AWESOME day!

Joy, small sized

2011-12-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

so this weekend I was able to complete some friend gifts, very simple but SUPER fun! I had scraps from other projects so these came together quickly for me:

supplies:

pattern paper: My Mind's eye

letters: pink paislee

snowflake, hollie: from Hobby lobby

ribbon: may arts

scroll cut at LSS, ornament from my stash (clearance some where!)

supplies:

Christmas balls, flowers from Hobby Lobby Christmas section

pattern paper: crate paper

scroll cut at LSS (added some paint and glitter

chipboard: Maya Road

ribbon: Michael's $1 bin, may arts

Sorry this is such a quick post have to go help a kid with something! :) Thanks for stopping in!

How we do Christmas around here....Need, Want, Wear, Read

2011-12-13T12:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, I don't like wrapping gifts--it could possibly be because I wait until the last moment--why do I wait? it's not like I don't have tape and wrapping paper... This year while picking up some other things at my local Walmart I ran across this:

guess what? I like wrapping presents now! It's just like a tape runner AND it lets you have as much tape as you want--you are in control. My kids can even use it and like it!

Tonight I am going to a cookie exchange and I'm taking my most favorite cookies! My mom used to make these for us and I REALLY like Molasses. here is the recipe:

Joe Froggers

Cook 10 minutes at 375 degrees

#1 SIFT:

8 cups flour 1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ginger ½ tsp allspice

¾ cup water 1 Tbsp Rum flavor

2 tsp. baking soda 2 cup molasses

#2 CREAM:

1 shortening 2 cup sugar

Add ½ of 1,2,3; repeat. Chill for at least 3 hours. Roll out on a floured surface ¼” thick, cut with cookie cutters. If it gets to warm chill again.

A few years ago my friend inspired me to SIMPLIFY Christmas with a focus. a NEED, a WANT, a WEAR, and a READ. I did it last year for the first time and it worked out AWESOME, it was like a serious weight was taken off my shoulders. Christmas should be joyous!

Lastly I have a picture of one of my gifts, simple easy and QUICK to make! (no worries this person doesn't read my blog!)

closeups:

I bought the frames at Big Lots, didn't have to do anything to them they were perfect just the way they are. The paper is October Afternoon, and glitter paper I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I used my cricut to cut out the letters. The flowers I bought a few years ago, I think they are prima....

Thanks for the visit, I know it's a little random--but I have been described as RANDOM. :)

Believe banner...

2011-12-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

In October I was in charge of a class at church I collected and put together a banner (based on another sample)--it actually turned out quite lovely if I do say so myself! :) I made a sample which will be gifted away...but I FINALLY got mine all put together and wanted to share it:

closeups:

supplies used:

pattern paper: Lost & Found from My Mind's eye

chipboard, glitter paper, distress ink, sewing,

jewels, paint, cricut

various embellishments: Hobby Lobby Christmas Aisle

punch: Martha Stewart

ribbon: May Arts

With all the detail it did take me a few hours to assemble, I added the sewing to mine that was NOT on the sample...SO glad I got it done for this year's Christmas decorations! I'm off working on some other projects (presents, I'll share another time!)
Thanks so much for the visit! Hope that your weekend is WONDERFUL!

Hello Tuesday!

2011-12-06T14:14:00.001-07:00

the weather outside is FREEZING...for us in the desert it's cold, we have to cover our poor little plants so they won't get to cold. NOT joking either.... I wanted to share with you some birthday cards I made using the Note to self kit:

Yep, they're the same! :) I just used different colored baker's twine. I use a little ink on the embossed bit and stamped! (I know--it's like some sort of miracle...) All the pattern paper is Jillibean soup--really like the fun little flowers.
With it cold outside I decided to make some stew, I'm trying a new recipe:

looks yummy--smells DIVINE! It's totally making me hungry... here's the link if you want to try it for yourself, HERE.

I'm off and running, I've gotten 4 presents put together, 3 wrapped and I want to assemble another before the kids get home! BTW this is the first time in quite a few days I've been able to sit down and create, so BYE! :)

The pink Padawan....

2011-12-03T09:53:00.001-07:00

Note to self is not your typical themed December kit (from Scrapbook Circle), it's filled with DELICIOUS papers and colors. I LOVED the pink in the kit it inspired me to scrap these particular pictures, they've been waiting for YEARS--three to be precise.

A little story on this layout. We went to Disneyland a few years ago and they have a Jedi training area for kids (still don't know what Jedi's and Disney have in common, BUT I like it!) Anyway, neither of my boys were brave enough (even though they love Star Wars) to even volunteer. My daughter held up a sign proudly (it's said PICK ME!!) and was chosen. They let the children choose their light sabers, and put their Jedi robes on--SO ADORABLE! What made me giggle is that she had on these BRIGHT pink crocs on! Once her feet hit the stage it was ALL business. She was SERIOUSLY learning to fight Darth Vader!

For my pictures I actually scanned them and printed them smaller, they just did not work the size that they were. I really like that one of my pictures actually printed wrong, it shows a closer look at my daughter's face. Happy accident!

The misting was crazy fun to do, I LOVE mist! For this particular layout I wanted to try something new, well new for me... I misted on a darker cardstock, not only did I mist, I misted A LOT and then tilted the page to let it run a bit. I really like the affect. It looks SO much better in person....
I added a bit from my stash from previous kits and things that are sold in the shop over at Scrapbook Circle, the corrugated circle, and buttons....

So last night my middle guy had his last soccer game. It was COLD--cold for us like 52 degrees, I had on my silk long johns, long sleeve shirt, winter coat, hat and two blankets. I was just right--the kids looked a little cold, in fact it hurt to kick the ball--they had fun and won! yeah!

Afterward, my DH said, "you know what sounds good?" Ice cream! I know him well, I had packed my Tiger pride card in my wallet (I bought it from a football player doing a fund raiser, there are certain discounts it affords you from local businesses. DQ has their medium blizzards buy one medium get one free!) So we headed over to DQ, I normally order the mint Oreo (LOVE mint!) So when I looked up and saw this:

I jumped up and down for joy--LITERALLY--yes, I am like a little kid....it's called Candy Cane chill. And it is AWESOME! The kids and I all ordered it. DH? ordered mint Oreo, he figured he could taste one of ours--SO yummy! Don't worry I had my milk pills with me so I could enjoy this tasty treat, it was GREAT! Can't wait to go again! :)

Today is packed with a hike, soccer games and soccer parties, it's overcast and chilly with a chance of rain....bundling up is a must! Hope you have a fantastic day and thanks for the visit!

My December daily 2011

2011-12-02T06:16:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited how well these pictures turned out! Yesterday was pretty overcast and I only had to edit them a little.

I used the Season's Greetings line from Echo Park. (if you click on the link you can see the whole line). I did use a little mist as well, the masks were ones that I picked up (literally stumbled on) walking through Michael's (this year) I also used a bit of glossy accents accents. The numbers (and stamp) came from the sold out Elle's studio tis' the season kit. Loved all the little numbers, and have plans for the one's I did not use! I especially liked the stamp included, I also picked up the Jack Frost kit and want to play with that today if I have time....I forgot to mention the base! I bought several different $1 albums at Michael's intending to make something else, I realized they would work together! I decided to paint the bottoms with red paint and the last of my lil davis designs glitter paint. (if you click on the project it will display larger)

Everyone went to school yesterday, it was a chilly overcast day. I got caught up on a lot of what I wanted to but not everything. Sort of hard to get back in the swing of things when you are away for a few days! Thanks for popping in for a visit! :)

Welcome December!

2011-12-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

It's a good month--LOVE this month! Happens to be the month of Christmas, season of giving, but also the month in which I celebrate my anniversary, (probably talk about that on that day....) I do have my December daily finished--need to take pictures of that should've done that with the good light of yesterday but I took a nap instead--my body needed it I'm trying to fight off something. And everyday this week I've had a child home sick, ready to have them well and back at it. Looks like today will be the day!

Want to share a quick card I made using some Echo Park:

little side view:

I love this line of paper, I've almost used it all up! I used it in my December Daily....
The weather this morning is a little overcast, love that but it will probably will burn off by this afternoon, I will have to enjoy it for as much as I can this morning.....Today is going to be a good day!
Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

Note to self....

2011-11-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

A look at the December kit from Scrapbook Circle, have to tell you the colors in this are NOT typical for a December kit--it's very diverse and FUN! I loved working with this and have plans for more projects....

pictures to come of my projects.....

Who I am.

2011-11-18T08:07:00.002-07:00

I've been thinking about this for a while, seeing several of my blog friends share about themselves. This morning Ronda Palazzari shared about herself and got me thinking while I fixed breakfast about WHO I am:

(picture taken by my 11 year old)

*I am Diana, DD, or Dinanny to my family...NEVER Diane--it's NOT my name and I WILL correct you.
*I'm a ground hog (think February)
*Wife to my best friend--almost 15 years (in December)
*mom to 3 wonderful kids who just happen to ALL play soccer (makes life a little crazy but fun), their nicknames: Psycho, Crazy and Freakazoid. Yes, I'm proud to say I came up with two of those names and want to get a shirt made "mom to psycho, Crazy & Freak"--one day....
*I'm a morning person--I wake up at 5:30am--I read my scriptures then.
*I talk to myself *often*
*I am lactose intolerant, but refuse to give up cheese!
*I love to sing (I'm in my church choir and currently in a combined Christmas choir Catholics & LDS Church we will perform at the Mesa Temple in December)
*I am an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (people call us Mormons), I currently serve in the Primary (kids ages 4-11) as the chorister--love it!
*I served an 18 month mission to Venezuela when I was 21, it was an adventure that helped me GROW spiritually and understand myself better, it also means I speak Spanish.
*I enjoy trying new recipes especially ones that aren't to complicated or have strange ingredients.
*I can my own meat & beans. I make my own bread from scratch (yes, I own a wheat grinder)
*I cut coupons and THRIVE on making my $$ work for me!
*I am a gym goer (5 times a week)--hey, I got to keep up with my active kids!
*I like to dance, yes the 80's kind of dancing--I'm awesome! :)
*I would rather be cold than hot. (my theory? it's easier to warm up than cool down)
*I have an active imagination, as a child I would get nightmares after watching Wonder Woman & Scooby Doo--thankfully I've outgrown that!
*As a child I loved Wonder Woman & Bionic Woman, I hoped one day that I would grow into my super powers, in a way I have--I'm a MOM!
*I'm a dog person.
*I'm outgoing but shy too....
* I like to read, it's mostly teenagery juvenile books, I like to be able to talk to my kids on what they are reading....FAVORITE series? Harry Potter!
*sort of closet superhero, sci fi nerd, but I also like a good mystery.
*I love taking pictures, so much so that people NOTICE when I don't have my camera on me. Love that I can shoot in manual mode now.
*I LOVE to scrapbook I look forward to the therapeutic time it gives me--RELIEVES stress for me!

So, Who are you?

One more thing I wanted to share was this BEAUTIFUL video of one of my FAVORITE Christian artist:

another Happy Toot! sketches and layouts?

2011-11-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

So happy to announce I won over at Elle's studio for the sketch challenge! you can see the post HERE. Speaking of Elle's studio did you see this? Yep, I should be receiving these any day now! So excited I'm finishing up my December Daily. AND my daughter has a school project where they have to sell something, I thought that it would be fun to make gift tags, using my cricut AND this WONDERFUL product!

So I was thinking about sketches and layouts and inspiration this morning. I read a blog that commented about giving themselves permission to use a sketch. I TOTALLY understand that! Why do we think we have to do it ALL ourselves? it's okay to look and be inspired (THANK YOU PINTEREST!). I love the challenge of look at some one's layout/sketch breaking it down and making it my own. I think that "study" came from the MANY hours that I spent in the DREADED fabric store with my mom with nothing to look at but pattern books. (my brothers HATED this as well...) this is NOT very exciting for a little child. ANYWAY, my point is, that my mom would ask me if I liked a certain pattern. As a child I couldn't get past the material used. My mom would ask me to look past the material and LOOK at THE PATTERN! As I got older the "vision" came, and I understood what she meant. Thanks mom for those TORTUROUS hours in the store I did learn something but I still DON'T like the fabric store.... :)

Okay now I feel better, got that off my chest! I do have a layout I wanted to share of my BEAUTIFUL mother on her birthday. I used the Hallow's Eve kit from Scrapbook Circle....

closeups:

Oh, one more thing before I go! On NBC there is a new show called Grimm, I wanted to watch it from the commercials--looked kind of good. I had to screen it first (to see if hubby would like it) and ended up watching it twice yesterday. Once by myself and once with hubby, he liked it. You can watch the first 3 episodes online (the pilot will screen until 12/3). It's basically your good vs. evil with a twist of Grimm's fairy tale...
Gotta run--well, actually can some beans! Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

a TOOT! Hot Air Balloon and does anyone....

2011-11-16T10:44:00.005-07:00

Hey everyone! Today is a GREAT day, I'm finally feeling like myself again--YIPEE! :) I've got something exciting to share. Two of my cards were featured on the Jillibean Soup blog today!!! A first for me and I'm TOTALLY excited! I have shared them from this month's Harvest Festival kit from Scrapbook Circle.
yesterday I came home from dropping my boys off to piano lessons and noticed a hot air balloon-SUPER close to my house. So close that I could hear the people speaking and the fire being blown into the balloon part. What did I do? I ran into my house grabbed my camera popped the zoom lens on and start shooting like crazy (in manual--thank you Amy!) My hubby happened to be home and came out with me too, so fun! thinking I need to scrapbook a page--I have ridden on a hot air balloon when I was young it was a right place right time thing and it was AWESOME! Don't know that we have pictures of that (we have video) but this would be fun to write down those feelings....

One last share. I have been project life (I have to do some major catch up--like 3 weeks, I do have my pictures and calendaring stuff I just NEED to do it!) ANYWAY, I also follow Becky Higgins blog and a few weeks ago she announced that she was coming out with some new product (different styles of page protectors and Envelope pages). I JUMPED at the opportunity to buy her things--they ALWAYS sell out and I didn't want to miss out. (they also inspired me for one of my Christmas gifts which I can't tell you about because the person READS my blog!) I wanted to talk about the Envelope pages--they are AWESOME for organizing! I'm trying to figure out how to organize the top of my desk a little better--anyone have great ideas to organize photos? Anyway, this is what they look like:

they are sturdy so that you can put heavier items in there. I placed on of my grandma albums (pictures to come!) unbound in there and it fit and closed just fine. I'm really happy with my purchase, the quality is guaranteed.

I'm off and running. Actually, I'm sitting and typing while my laundry washes... :) Thanks for the visit today!

on a roll....

2011-11-15T14:25:00.005-07:00

I'm telling you I LOVE pinterest! Last Friday I rolled out a few pages from wonderful layouts I spotted and pinned. Today one of the layouts that inspired me was featured on the Studio Calico blog with a challenge!
So here is the sketch:

and here is my take:

and of course closeups:

I had a few kits from Scrapbook Circle with "leftovers" I couldn't throw them away! I searched through my pictures and found this ONE of my husband! He is 11 years old in this shot, the same age as my middle boy now. So fun to see some similarities between them....

the journaling was a little hard because I wasn't there and wanted to make this as surprise for my hubby. After the page was done, he says he doesn't remember the event but he TOTALLY remember his shirt and jacket...funny the things we remember...

Truth be told my favorite part of this layout besides the punched medallion circles are the clouds, love how they just popped off the page. YES, it's okay to LOVE something on your page! And yes, it's okay to say so! (I give you permission!)

Anyway, don't know if I really qualify for the contest because I made this last week, but I was inspired by the layout (if you click on the link above it will take you there). I really enjoyed the challenge of stretching myself a bit!

Thanks for stopping in! I'm off to continue working on a grandma gift! :) Have a great one!

Big deal!

2011-11-14T06:26:00.002-07:00

I had the opportunity of "lifting" fellow design team member Diane Payne's layout:

This was SO fun! I loved working and getting messy, and scrapping some pictures that were a little harder to find "matching" papers for. This is my youngest son receiving his religious knot in cub scouts (one of two patches that can transfer to his boy scout uniform) he worked really hard to receive this and I took like 20 pictures of the event. His face was so funny while he was being presented his award, I HAD to use the best ones on this layout:

and of course I have some closeups:

*the brads and twine are from my stash the rest came from the Harvest Festival Kit from Scrapbook Circle.*

Well, it's a busy Monday for me! Hope that I can figure something interesting to make for dinner! :) It's HARD to be creative EVERY DAY when it comes to food! Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

Two takes on the same sketch!

2011-11-10T14:23:00.002-07:00

this whole week I've been fighting the crud, started in my chest and it's in my head...I don't get sick EVER, so this hasn't gotten me all the way down but I decided to take it easy so it wouldn't!! Yesterday, I had a bought of the creative and completed 3 1/2 pages! I pinned this wonderful layout from Elle's studio, guess what?! They have a challenge using that sketch today, so here is the sketch (I really liked the buttons but didn't have enough of the color I wanted, so I improvised):

And my two takes on it, with some closeups:

supplies used:

American Crafts

Bella Blvd.

Twinery

ek success

making memories

some other old stuff that I'm not sure!

And my second layout:

supplies used:

Hallow's Eve Kit from Scrapbook Circle

buttons, twine, mist, paint is from my stash

Yes, they are Halloween, heck I've got a lot of pictures! I started each layout by painting on them with acrylic paint, then I applied the paper then misted and splattered....no I didn't use any Elle's studio but I sure enjoy looking at her pretty tags....

Life has been crazy of course, today was my youngest musical...SO cute! It's fun to see personalities come out when he sings, he just BARELY does the action and sings, but it's not that he is to cool or doesn't know them, that's just HIM! :) Glad I took pictures and video to remember today.

Well, I'm off to finish Christmas gifts for Grandmas! :) Thanks for the visit!

Friends hiking together...

2011-11-08T08:01:00.002-07:00

for this layout I knew I wanted to do tone on tone but I also wanted the stitching to really show, once I had the vision it came together rather quickly.....
here is a little closeup:

it is hard to tell but the title is popped up a bit over the subtitle (the letters are from the printable, so is the journaling box....)
One more thing I wanted to mention about this layout are the pictures. I told you about the collage feature over at snapfish, I did both of these but at 5" x 7". I really liked them when I made them but once they got home I wasn't sure how I was going to scrap them! After I did the background I just decided to place them side by side (best way to tell the story!) I made this page using the Harvest Festival kit from Scrapbook Circle.
I'm off and running --thanks for the visit!

It's november 1?!

2011-11-01T14:49:00.002-07:00

REALLY?! That being said I have something FUN to share with you using the new Harvest Festival kit from Scrapbook Circle--I LOOOVE the colors they are FABULOUS and the kit is just AWESOME! My assignment for today was to use the Jillibean Soup bite size bits (yes a mouth full!) Here's view of what they look like:

Totally cute right?! The gnomes just spoke to me and I made these:

The twine and buttons are from my stash....

the greeting here on the second is also popped up with pop dots! you need to go check out the blog post for today to see what Michelle did with hers! SO clever!!
Thanks for stopping by for the visit! Hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:38:00.003-07:00

First off wanted to share the cake I made for my mom's birthday. The stem on the top is actually an ice cream cone I dipped in dipping chocolate. I made this sort of cake a few years ago frosted and with a face but wanted to do something different this time. I saw a pin on pinterest that inspired me.

here is a little closer look:

The green stuff is icing in a can--I am NOT a cake decorator....the frosting is actually Betty Crocker whipped cream cheese tinted with orange food coloring....The recipe for the bundt cake is as follows...it was SOOOO yummy and rich!

Very Chocolate bundt cake
1pkg chocolate cake (Devil's food)
1pkg. chocolate pudding
1 8oz. sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 Cup oil
1/2 Cup Warm Water
8 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake, pudding, oil & water together. Add sour cream and eggs one at a time. Finally add chocolate chips. Bake for 60 minutes. Let stand 50 minutes to cool then gently shake it out.

This is our lovely pumpkin that the "boys" all carved, I was impressed! (I was busy making mashed potatoes..)

So I was lucky enough to go to two parties today (they were at the same time!) We did a little pumpkin rolling race:

they needed an extra person, umm yeah that would be me! This is the picture my son snapped as I was standing up that's why I look a little out of it! :)

just wanted to share a little bit of the day and holiday wishes of fun to you! Hope you have a safe, fun night! Thanks for the visit!

Happy Birthday mommy!

2011-10-30T07:16:00.001-07:00

My mommy's birthday is today, I made this card for her a few months ago. I can't remember where the sketch came from exactly....I misted the back of the card then I used my cricut gypsy to space and cut these flowers out of the card top. After the mist dried I attached the top to the bottom with adhesive and sewed around the edges. After that was done using my paper piercer I punched around the edges of the flower and along lines that I created using my ruler & pencil. After all of that I placed the pearls in the center of the flowers & added this rubon.

I was really happy with how this turned out, it took some time but was SO worth it!

Today is our Primary Program for church. I have the blessing of teaching the children from the ages of 4-11 to sing (there are around 60 of them), we have been practicing 8 different songs (one of them in sign language) since the beginning of the year. The children not only sing but will also have speaking parts. This program is our sermon for the congregation today, it's always every one's favorite because of the children and the special spirit they bring to the meeting. I'm excited for them because I know they will do well!
So with that I need to run and get ready for the day so we can be on time to make sure I have the right music stand! (there is one that is loose and dumps the music right on the floor!)
Thanks for stopping in for the visit--have a GREAT day!

Pin It

love my lens

2011-10-25T18:11:00.001-07:00

I really love this layout, it took a bit to come together. The story behind it was really fun, my parents and I were walking around the small town my mother grew up in. It was just me and them (just like when I was young....) I had owned my new lens for about a week and I was still trying to figure out how to shoot with it. They were my models, I guess I am hilarious when I take pictures, because they kept laughing at my frustrated faces....Glad I caught one of the pictures where they were really laughing.
It was in June of this year and it was COLD--see the water behind them--that's the Puget sound, so cool that I got these shots.
Everything you see is Bella Blvd., but from different lines....

Today was the first day of tournament play in Jr. High soccer, our girls won today and will go on to the next round. Tomorrow is going to be tough but I know that they can do it! I've been taking a ton of pictures and learning a lot taking manual.... I read on a photography blog to start with your recipe like this:
ISO 100, f-stop between 9-11, and your shutter speed at 1/500, you have to adjust for lighting. But this is pretty accurate for my 70-300 lens....I'll have to share my favorites with you from the season on another post. I've got to run and make dinner! Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

A little sneaky peak for November....

2011-10-20T06:46:00.004-07:00

Here's what is coming at you in November Scrapbook Circle:

LOVE all the fall colors. We don't get all of these pretty colors where I am at, but we do get the crisp cool air--LOVE it! :) I'll be sharing my creations soon!
Thanks for the visit!

Hallow's Eve....

2011-10-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

So Scrapbook Circle is offering a Halloween kit, it's called Hallow's Eve it's packed with Halloween Goodness! :) I just finished my Spooky banner:

a few closeups:

I used my cricut to cut out the letters and frames. The spiders were punched out by my mom--She got a new fun Halloween punch! I think it's Martha Stewart.... the ribbon, black paper and glitter paper are from my stash.
So glad I got this up BEFORE Halloween, I had to work on it here and there and I'm happy to say it's hanging up on my wall! :)

Today is chicken in a pot day. A whole chicken fryer in the crockpot--it's my 9 year old favorite. LOVE that my crock pot has a probe to tell you how hot it is inside and turns to warm once it's reached it's temperature. Makes days like these, MUCH easier! (got a soccer game tonight and craft night at the church tonight.....)

If you are interested in the Hallow's eve kit. Click the words and it will take you right to the page where it is sold at Scrapbook Circle. Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

grandpas truck

2011-10-14T06:00:00.022-07:00

These pictures have been sitting on my desk for a couple of years. Why haven't I scrapped them--don't know, I decided that I was going to scrap them when I found the paper that fit I guess.... And I did in this months Fresh Picked kit!

you have to know that this boy was SO proud to help out his grandpa--he loves this truck too! :)
You see those stars down there to the right? I actually traced around a piece of chipboard star and then cut with my xacto--why? I had already cut the sheet and had it sewn to the page! I decided that it needed something else. HORROR--I CAREFULLY flipped it so that I would not cut through the background and then placed it on my self healing cutting matte, I then backed each star with one of the studio calico scrap pads--I even used one of the stars behind the title. fun stuff--this layout took me a long time because I wanted to get it just right. The buttons are from my stash....everything else is from the Fresh Picked kit.
That's it for today! Thanks for popping in for a visit!

2011-10-13T06:00:00.009-07:00

This is some sort of record! I've posted for several days in a ROW--guess that's what you get when you have a LITTLE more time on your hands! :)
How I love this picture! This is one of the first "keepers" I took with my new camera...I actually took this with my 70-300mm lens....
For this layout I used a bunch of DIFFERENT lines of Bella Blvd., I just LOVE the circle paper--isn't it COOL?!

the title & circles were cut with my cricut, so excited that I "rediscovered" this cool tool! :)

Have you heard of the Cricut Craft room? I just heard about it from my SIL, it's like Design studio except it's FREE! yep, they even have it for the MAC which is awesome as the design studio was never something I could use. you can design anything with any cartridge (like the gypsy) but you can ONLY cut with the cartridges you have. So that means you need a connection between your cricut and your computer. I'm excited about trying this out, I will let you know how it goes!
Thanks for popping in for the visit, really appreciate it! :)

Friends Forever

2011-10-12T06:00:00.005-07:00

Yes, I scrapped this picture again! :) I love it SO much--these two have a special bond and this happened to be a down day with NO practice. This also happened to be one of my entries to the Bella Blvd. DT call....

So love using pop dots and bling! This page just makes me happy--I use all sorts of Bella on this page from random lines so I can't really name them all for you!
This is going to be a quick post--thanks for the visit today!

Today with my Dad....

2011-10-11T06:00:00.027-07:00

My assignment for this month for Scrapbook Circle was to use the studio calico classic studio scrap pads:

I didn't want to just use them for journaling so I made flowers!

yes, a closeup:

I had to experiment a little bit but came up with these lovelies--for the center I used the twine in the kit. The scallop along the bottom of the layout are from the chat/talk bubble. I just snipped off the pointy part....
The misting was just SO fun I used a pink paislee mistable for the mask and chalk white tattered angels for the mist.
a little note about these pictures. these were taken in June in Washington state next to the Puget Sound in one of my FAVORITE places in the whole world. Anyway, I was testing out my new lens and had my mom shoot these pictures--love that they're with my dad. Don't really have to many together so the ones I do have are treasures. I know I need to do better about taking my picture with my family members--I just DON'T like to be in front of the camera! Do you feel like that?!
well, I've gotta run! Thanks SO much for the visit!

Boo!

2011-10-10T06:00:00.003-07:00

it's Halloween and I LOVE to decorate for it! I used my Gypsy and the Happy Hauntings cartridge to complete this fun project. I even used the layers in my gypsy--(I've NEVER used that feature before--don't know why...)

closer images of each:

I used the Fancy Pants Halloween line for the pattern paper. the ribbon was stuff I had on hand, and the other embellishments came from a "lot" of American Craft Halloween that I purchased a few weeks ago from peachy cheap LOVE that place! Anyway, on my assembly I cut out the back out of chipboard then put on the pattern paper then put the frame around the pattern paper. The paper I used for the letters is sparkly and SO pretty-don't know if you can tell....
anyway, I made this as a birthday gift for my mommy her birthday is at the end of the month but I've given it to her already as she can enjoy it! :)
That's all I've got for now creatively. So looking forward to this next week because it's fall break and NO schedule-Yipee!!
Thanks for the visit!

Halloween Teachers/friends gifts

2011-10-09T06:00:00.018-07:00

Okay, I LOVE Halloween and I fell in LOVE with the K&Company line (it comes in a pad) when I walked into Michaels! The sheets are a nice weight and they are double sided--both sides are CUTE! So I thought I would make up some legal note pad covers--you can buy them at your local office supply store (they are either yellow or white)...
Anyway, I added a bit of stickles, brads (I picked them up in the $$ section at Walmart) and stamped the message (also from $1 section of Walmart)

They all look better in person....my favorite? I think it would have to be the second one...LOVE those dressed up people.
I am going to tie (with tulle) a bow and slip in a Halloween pencil which I picked up from the $1 section at Michaels--easy FUN gift! Thanks for the visit--hoping your day is WONDERFUL!

Soccer Style

2011-10-08T06:00:00.034-07:00

We are all about soccer--well...most of the time. I'm the crazy mom that takes her camera to pretty much EVERY game, the only time I don't is when I know it's going to rain...How do I scrap these pictures? Well, it varies really, here is an example of what I did with the last season:

little closeup:

I really used this sketch:

I didn't include any journaling because it is part of a two pager! The other page will be of my son and his team.
I went through all the pictures I had of this son and I printed each at 2x3". I wasn't so sure what to do with the top photo and a light came on--put it up at the top! This came together in about 20 minutes--really!
That's some kind of record for me.
That's all I have to share today-thanks so much for stopping by!

supplies used:

pattern paper/stickers: Echo Park dots and stripes

cardstock: Coordinations

button: American Crafts

journaling card: Jenni Bowlin

Zinger cakes....

2011-10-07T09:38:00.001-07:00

August, September, and October are birthday months in our house. I initially pinned this from Heidi Swapp...I loved the idea of using hostess zingers and cupcakes. What's even awesomer (I know not a word....) we have a hostess bakery outlet semi close to my house. I was able to get my boxes of treats for only $1.40 instead of like almost $4! The best part they were still good.

If you notice the boy's "cakes" use the same elements, the only difference are the banners...the cakes were layered up depending on how many guests were coming, they each got a cupcake and a zinger (and ice cream) the kids LOVED having their own treat and it was EXACTLY the same size. :) Both the boy's cakes I used the dots and dashes line from Echo Park. The skewers I bought at Walmart in the kitchen section along with the toothpicks.

Don't know if you can tell but the cupcakes are layered up and have stickles on them. They are Maya Road.

The girls that came to my daughter's party were SO excited about the cake. I was excited to use pink (strawberry) cupcakes! :) I had a fun time mixing lines of Echo Park for this one--my daughter was SO surprised--(her "cake" was the first I made of the three)

I would TOTALLY do this again--basically a no brainer! The actually assembly took me less than 10 minutes. The making of the paper products a little longer.
I did keep each of the kids name banners, might just have to use them on their birthday layouts...or do a frame or something....
Thanks for popping in for a visit--sure hope that your day is WONDERFUL!

Elle's studio tags

2011-10-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I love them! they are one of the most versatile embellishments and SO fun to use! I especially loved the red ones included in the Fresh Picked kit --here is one of the layouts that really features them:

for the tags on the bottom of the photo I just cut them in half, pretty simple way of extending the tags....for the fun wooden letters (they are by Pink Paislee) I sprayed them with tattered angels mist--LOVE that red!
I need to make this quick, have to get dinner going and FINISH my Spooky banner BEFORE Halloween! :) Thanks for the visit!

Hello there! a share.

2011-10-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

My goodness it seems like forever since I've posted! Life has been hectic, in fact we are right in the midst (can't say middle because we aren't yet!) of 6 games of soccer this week! 3 of those are for my girl--I'm loving it--it's tricky balancing everything but I have a VERY supportive team (my family who eats crock pot meals, set out their clothes, and do their homework--if they didn't we wouldn't be playing!) I just finished up my HUGE Believe Christmas banner project! It feels like I can breathe a bit more--don't worry I will share pictures with you when it's time! :)
The new Scrapbook Circle kit is out and the colors are lovely! The kit is called Freshed Picked--perfect for Fall---and (today it FINALLY feels like it here in WAY to HOT AZ! I've had my windows open all day--SO excited for that! :) )
I was asked to lift Andrea (for her layout and Rebecca's take go HERE)

closeups:

you can't really tell but I misted the title with glimmer mist--it's quite sparkly in person....

I used my ruler to lightly pencil in lines to stitch over, it was really fun made it feel like a quilt.
Well, I'm off and running! Thanks for popping in for a visit! :)

Cardabilities #40

2011-09-30T18:57:00.001-07:00

This is my last card for Cardabilities, I really enjoyed my time as a designer thank you Karan for a chance to play with your sketches!

Serious serendipity with the transparency it's by My Mind's eye it was from one of my Scrapbook Circle kits, it didn't fit with any of the designs I went with but I laid it aside and then this sketch came and I KNEW what I needed to do with it!

Here's a little side view of this bad boy:

really LOVED using Summer Days Echo Park behind (for the clouds) and the stickers in that line for the rest. Do you notice the little green flower popping up behind? My border was to short....
Life has been a little crazy, but good--trucking a long though! Thanks so much for the visit!!

and the kit goes to...and my final layout....

2011-09-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

June said...

"What a kewl giveaway...thanks for the chance to win...I have scads of photos that would go with that kit..."

Thanks to everyone for their nice comments and for playing! June I will be emailing for your snail mail address....

Before I go I wanted to share my final layout I made with the Good Life kit:

A few closeups:

These pictures crack me up, typical siblings--right?! So glad there was awesome light and I could use my new lens (even though at the time I had NO idea what I was doing!)
This is a quick post, thanks for popping in for a visit!!

girls camp

2011-09-24T06:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Saturday to you! If you are looking for my giveaway (which ends tomorrow) scroll down.

Wanted to share the layout I did with my photos I shared HERE , I have to tell you that this was one of my favorite layouts of that I made with the Good Life kit it was just fun to layer up and I

loved adding a little dimension with pop dots and paper folding:

(the only thing on this layout that wasn't included in the kit were the letters....)

this week has been BUSY filled with soccer, the kids have finished several practices 4 games with two more today, they are having a blast and I'm practicing picture taking in manual, last night was hard under the lights, but I did get a couple that were okay.....
I'm off and running this morning (have to go cut apples for half time snack today!)
thanks for popping in!

I've got an AWESOME giveaway!!

2011-09-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

well HELLO and welcome to my blog! The weather is cooler, it's a GREAT day! :) I have an AWESOME giveaway today:

yes, that is "the Good Life" kit from Scrapbook Circle ! I have to be honest this has been one of my favorite kits of all time. I made 7 layouts and 2 cards and STILL have enough to make cards! It's filled loveliness!

What you need to do to have a chance to win! Become a follower ---> (over on the side bar) if you are go tell your friends--if they mention your name that means your name goes in another time INCREASING your chances of winning! I'll draw a winner on Sunday, September 26th at 8 PM (Mountain Standard time), and announce the winner on Monday. Please make sure you leave your contact info (your e-mail address would be great) so you can be notified if you win. good luck!

And before I go here is a layout I did with the kit that features the printable which can only be found with the Scrapbook Circle kits:

(what you can't tell is that the learn is popped up on a pop dot...) Thanks for the visit!

Happy Birthday to my daddy!

2011-09-21T10:20:00.001-07:00

In honor of my daddy's birthday today I wanted to share his birthday present I made for him this year:

I used the Boarding pass collection from October Afternoon. My mom gave me these pictures a while a go and suggested I do "something" with them. These are actually copies of the originals. I remember my dad telling us stories about his first official car. A copy of the pink slip was in the stuff I was given but wasn't so sure how to incorporate it, think it just will go in a sheet protector next to this. Couple of cool things about this shot, the building right behind the car (the second picture) is actually the high school, the building next to him?--his house! The paper on the bottom literally tracks where he lived after he left home...just SO cool!

My dad was so cute when I gave him this page. he truly held it like it might break, and just studied the pictures, then told me how he got the car. He has another car (not sure if it was given to him by his parents but he didn't really LOVE the car like this one) Anyway, he traded in the "other" car for this one which was owned by a farmer that would go to town once a month and haul his stuff back home--have no idea why he didn't have a truck. Anyway, the farmer traded this car in for a newer one with a larger trunk and space inside. So my dad spent HOURS cleaning out the dirt, debris, and junk from the car. He said that it literally sat higher off the ground when he was done. What's to love about this car? it's FAAAAAST! He did eventually have to sell this one, but guess what? He has another one now--and that is ANOTHER story for another time....

Happy Birthday Dad--love you!

Thanks for popping in for a visit today!

(p.s. this is TOTALLY random BUT for those of you waiting for the iPhone 5 or 4s or whatever they are going to call it....it's official via CNN.com that they will present the new phone on October 4--and it will be available a few weeks later for purchase! Yes, I was GIDDY with excitement!!!--that is all.)

wow last week was busy...BUT this week--seriously crazy!

2011-09-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not lying! This week is going to be busy but it's ALL good! :) Anyway, I wanted to share a fun layout with you that I made with the September It's a Good Life kit from Scrapbook Circle.

a little title work:

this was actually made from some of my scraps from this kit. I literally used EVERY sheet--it's THAT AWESOME! I really wanted to use this die cut camera for something fun, I fell in love with it when I saw it--just love that it helps focus the eye....

I wanted to talk about this picture, I DID not print this one at home. I printed it from snapfish! You load your pictures in your account then chose how many you want in your collage. (go to prints, then scroll down and you will see collages...you can make them many sizes from 4 x 6 to 8 x 10 and change from landscape to Portrait...) EASY! This happens to be the 8 x 10 size....no, I am not getting paid for this, I just thought it was something cool to pass on to you! it's sort of a neat way to add some of those other pictures you want to add that you weren't so sure how you were going to. Only downside is that your pictures are randomly put in areas, sure you can shuffle until you get it just right, but I wish there was a feature where I could manually change where the photos were placed. Other than that it's GREAT!

thanks for stopping in for a visit! Hope that you have a FANTASTIC day!

soccer & cardabilities #39

2011-09-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

Wow this week is just flying and PACKED full of things! This afternoon we have the 2nd of 5 soccer games this week. (the other one was on Tues. for my girl and, they won!! She even scored a goal, she was a little nervous and surprised herself. She was also fouled and the penalty kick was good too--she didn't get to shoot it. they have an appointed shooter...) Then tonight we have 2 soccer practices--yes, I am a PROUD soccer mom. It's crazy, it's busy, but my kids really enjoy it!

Okay, you didn't come here to read about soccer you want to see my card for sketch #39 over at Cardabilities:

a little side view:

aren't these papers just SO yummy?! They are from Echo Park....(Victoria Garden collection). I'm off and running like a crazy person. Thanks for the visit today!

Scrapbook Circle Design Team call!!!

2011-09-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook Circle is having a design team call! I can tell you from working with Lisa for a few years it's a WONDERFUL experience, and the kits are awesome! Here are the details:

Who are they looking for?

* People who love working with monthly scrapbook kits
* People who are good communicators and e-mailers
* People who maintain an active blog
* People who enjoy sharing ideas in the scrapbook community
* People who able to meet deadlines

How do you apply?
Email the following to lisa@scrapbookcircle.com.

* 5 images of your favorite layouts (keep images below 600kb)
* Links to your blog and online galleries/communities where you actively participate
* Short bio including why you would be a good fit on our design team
* List of other current design teams you participate on (if any)

All submissions are due by Friday, September 30.

The design team term will be from November 2011 – April 2012.

Apply today!

Good luck!

Teenager---lift..

2011-09-12T15:12:00.001-07:00

I was given this wonderful layout by Fay to lift:

I came up with this:

Truthfully I had to tell you this silhouette was one of those things in the kit I challenged myself to use, I really like how it adds just a touch of fun to this layout of my beautiful teenager.....

A little closeup of the title:

this is one my favorite layouts from this kit from Scrapbook Circle, because the product was just WONDERFUL to work with. Notice the green strip of paper? I messed up with the journaling but still wanted to keep the card...glad the fix went well.....

looks like we are going to receive more rain. yipee! Saturday night it came down hard, it was wonderful. Only bad thing it might postpone soccer games....

I'm off, got a lot to do before the kids come home! Thanks for stopping in.

Precocious Paper GDT spot...

2011-09-09T12:02:00.001-07:00

have you ever thought that every day in the week made tomorrow Friday? Now that Friday is here it doesn't seem like it, not that I have really wanted it to be Friday anyway--does that even make sense?!

ANYWAY! I do have some FUN creations I made with the September Sampler kit from Precocious Paper. First off I wanted to show you what the kit looked like:

Yummy isn't it?! You can see all the details in Tessa's etsy shop HERE. She has some BEAUTIFUL things there, you need to RUN and check it out! From what I understand it's selling quickly....

(this pattern paper on this card is from the Good Life kit from Scrapbook Circle--matched PERFECTLY)

here is what I created:

this card was so fun it came together slower than the first, it was like adding seasonings to your food. A little bit of this and little bit of that and :

I actually came up with the hair clip first layering up some of the elements in the kit, then decided wouldn't it be fun to add it to a card?

Yes, this is a 8 1/2" x 11" layout that I made! I seriously haven't made one of these in about 5 years! It was so fun to challenge myself to do the smaller size. This picture is of my girl ON her birthday (remember this was my first day of my photography class, so I was taking ALL sorts of pictures....)

It was just fun to do something simple.....and again these flowers--YUMMY!

something kind of exciting...yesterday one of the teacher's at my boy's school called and asked if I could come take pictures for NFL day. I was honored and a little nervous, then terrified as I climbed a ladder to take a HUGE group shot of the kids spelling out NFL. I guess if they win they get some $$ for the school from the NFL, no stress that these pictures need to be good....Not so pleased with the huge shot but I liked the random kid shots I got. sorry can't share as I don't have permission...but it was a fun experience that I wouldn't mind doing it again, maybe withOUT the ladder!

I am off to the school again! It's grandparent's day and I want to get some fun shots of the kids with my parents, THEN I get to help in the classroom, THEN I get to help chaperon the Jr. High band at the high school as they play at half time (pretty excited about this! Not only for my girl, but because they are playing my Alma matter! go JACKRABBITS!!) Yep, it's Friday alright and I'm BUSY--but glad to be! Thanks for popping in!

Sketchy thursdays 9.9--Look mom no hands!

2011-09-08T16:07:00.002-07:00

LOVED this sketch by sketchy thursdays today! It just spoke to me, I had my pictures and paper out and it just came together SO fast! I just love the radiant stripes of this pattern paper, that day on the lake was *HOT*, so glad we had enough water and we were in the water! (I used the Splash line from Echo Park.) these pictures make me laugh--my boy thought he was pretty fancy riding the boogie board without holding on!

the above picture is a closeup of the bubbles from the sticker sheet....

Today is another busy one, off here and there running everywhere! :) Thanks for the visit!!

Lost Tooth...

2011-09-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

In August my youngest lost yet another tooth, he was so funny about it. Without going to anymore disgusting details he waited until well....it just fell out. Actually my hubby had, had enough and he waited until he was asleep and pulled it, my son didn't even move! he was however very upset at the discovery in the morning thinking it fell out in the middle of the night and was somewhere by his bed....
Once his dad showed him his tooth he was all smiles and ready for the camera.....

little pop dot action:

closeup of the stars I hand cut:

All the products used (except for the green letters) came from the Scrapbook Circle The Good Life kit. This was one of my last layouts (I've made 7 layouts and have enough--maybe to make one more layout!) I've literally used ALL of the paper up in this kit! There are so many yummy embellishments to, it was really fun to work with!
Life with activities is picking up and that makes life SO exciting! :) Looking forward to the fun! thanks for the visit!

party girls...

2011-09-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Good Life kit at Scrapbook Circle is up and ready for purchase. This kit is packed with super fun embellishments. I really love the Jenni Bowlin Doily flowers, they are flexible and have a hole in the middle so that you can adhere them with a brad. One of the design team even colored them with ink, very FUN!

this layout came together quickly, really diggin' the white space for this one. These pictures were taken on day on of my photography class in manual mode. I told the girls at my daughter's party that I needed some pictures and they obliged, they liked being the center of a photo shoot. I learned a lot from taking the pictures and actually got some really fun shots.
My daughter will be journaling on the back of this layout. (she's been so busy with school and things, today will be the day I have her sit down and do it.) I don't think I've ever actually had my kids write on any of their layouts, this should be fun! She is becoming more apt to craft with me now, my boys are a different story they love coming in and cutting and gluing and creating.
So glad that the weather has FINALLY decided to cool down. It was the hottest August EVER on record, I'm not exaggerating it's what the news people said. I believe there was a 15 day heat advisory, that means in simple terms that the kids didn't go out for recess in the afternoon, they stayed inside and did activities. Poor teachers!
What gotta run! (funny thing about that saying I've been recently reading old journals of mine, and that has been my sign off for a LONG time...) Thanks for popping in for a visit, hope that your Saturday is a good one!

A few quick shares...

2011-09-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share some real quick fun scrapping news! I was contacted on Two Peas in a Bucket a few days ago by craft gossip to share my CELEBRATION layout. They featured it yesterday, you can see it HERE.
remember this layout?

yesterday on the Simple Stories blog my layout a long with some of the other girls from the Scrapbook Circle DT were featured using their paper. you can see that HERE.
Thanks for the visit and letting me share my happy scrappy news! :) hope your weekend is wonderful!

Happy Birthday Bella Style and some PROUD mama moments

2011-09-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Okay so last Friday when I posted my celebration layout sharing my love for the Bella Blvd. Celebration line and how much I loved it and wished I could get more (because I was hoarding it?) Guess what?!

They announced HERE that they have printed more! (coincidentally it was the SAME day!--made me so giddy!)

Speaking of giddy, I have some proud mommy moments to share. My daughter made the soccer team at school! She didn't last year and worked really hard to do so this time around--it's just exciting! our lives will be a lot busier here in the next bit!
My oldest boy received his arrow of light award, the highest award you can receive as a cub scout. Cool thing about the award is that he can wear his patch on his Boy scout uniform.
Then lastly my youngest received his religious know also a harder patch to earn and transfers to his boy scout uniform.
Yes, I'm proud of ALL of the HARD work! I'm proud to see that they set goals and achieved them.

Thanks so much for popping in for a visit, I appreciate it!

My take on Sketch #38 Cardabilities

2011-08-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Life has been so busy with family the last few days, it's nice to be back in blogging land! Today I want to share with you my take on sketch #38 for Cardabilities:
the sketch:

my card:

I made this card using my scraps! Just love those paper flowers, so easy to make! If anyone is interested I could make a tutorial--just let me know! all the product minus the flower, pearls and sentiment are fancy pants (really old). The Cardabilities DT did an awesome job with this sketch! If you want to play and view their takes go HERE.

Off and running like always! My boy just reminded me that I need to place his book order and the other just reminded me that they have a class auction today! Better get going! Thanks for the visit.

Smile x3

2011-08-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to make you smile today!

I don't know if you can tell from this shot but those flowers are actually GORGEOUS layered paper flowers, I added glitter to them to make them sparkle. That punch on the card is relatively new and I really love it! It's a Martha Stewart one and comes with a corner punch too. All the paper/sticker product is Pebbles--just loved working with this fun girly line!

Need to go eat breakfast, we are off to celebrate my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary today! That is a LONG time, 7 kids, 23 grandkids, 8 great grand children.

thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and visit!

A week ago today....

2011-08-26T06:00:00.004-07:00

my brother had to put his beloved Sammy down--he was 7. He was a funny animal...he will be missed...so glad that I took pictures of him at Easter. I happened to have Bella Blvd. tail waggers & cat naps on my desk when I got the news. I decided that I needed to make a special card to celebrate him:

it's pretty simple but I wanted to focus on this beautiful face. this came together really quickly, the background measures 5" x 10".
thanks for the visit today. hope you make your Friday FANTASTIC!

A week ago today....

2011-08-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

my girl turned 13! it also happened to be the first day of a two day (in two weeks) photography class, I shot her birthday in MANUAL mode! Whoopee for me! Today I finished this class and feel a lot more confident with the taking of pictures in the manual mode. Now dont' get me wrong I don't claim to be even remotely close to a professional photographer, I like to take pictures and was looking for a way to improve my knowledge.... That being said I got some fun shots of her birthday, I made this layout with some of those shots:

this page was SO fun to put together, really like when I have great pictures to work with. Now the color isn't perfect but what I love about these pictures is that my girl is GENUINELY smiling--not the cheesy hurry up and take the picture mom. It was "almost" like I wasn't there....
what is this cute paper you see? It's Bella Blvd.! Yep, I have been hoarding this Celebrate line for a few years--I LOVE it! (This was back before they went double sided.) here are some closeups:

(seriously addicted to using pop dots!)
Well, I'm off and running want to get some much needed creating done! :) Thanks for popping in for a visit!

Just Me....

2011-08-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I really actually like this picture of myself! :) I usually don't--but isn't that pretty much what everybody thinks? I took this last October when I
1. had a lot of hair
2. was dressed up for Halloween as a mom-razzi.
funny thing is I took this all by myself! :) So fun when the stars align....
I made this layout with all Pebbles yummies and had SO MUCH fun doing it! The flowers on this paper are just AWESOME and then there were rubons...

Today is a half day and I have some fun things for my kids and I to do. Sure hope that they want to play! :) That being said I need to run! Thanks for popping in for a visit!

mom & me

2011-08-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my last layout for Scrapbook Circle for the month of August:

I took these pictures in June, so glad I took these once in a lifetime pictures. LOVE that I captured this moment between my mom and Nanny. I just love that the Sassafrass was perfect for the embellishments and paper....I of course used some pop dots for some flowers, sewing both machine and hand stitching.... this layout came together once I saw it in my head.

guess what?! I have sneaks of the September kit for Scrapbook Circle:

just love the fall colors AND Amy Tangerine!

thanks for popping in! supposed to be 115 degrees today-CRAZY hot, so ready for fall....

star students

2011-08-17T06:00:00.004-07:00

The other day I school album, I had a few scraps left of paper and happened to also have pictures of my niece and nephew from the first day of school too! So I made this fun little card as a thank you to my SIL:

here are some closeup details:

the background is a 5" x 10" piece of black cardstock. I basically scrapped a 4 3/4" 4 3/4" piece of pattern paper and added the pictures (of course these were printed at 3" x 4" to fit.) At this size they fit into my 5.5" square envelope.

For those of you that are curious this is the report card line from october afternoon, I believe it's from last year. I've been holding onto it for a while for just the right moment to play--LOVE it!

Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit!

Field day--lift for Scrapbook Circle

2011-08-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

The lift for this month at Scrapbook Circle was Doreen:

Here is my take:

I wasn't so sure about the Basic Grey paper (with the dots) but I ended up loving how it worked with my niece's tie dye shirt. here are some closeups of the layout:

You can't really tell from the larger picture but here is the title:

there are still some left of You are My Sunshine it is a FUN kit! You can also see Heather's take on the sketch on the Scrapbook Circle's BLOG.

Thanks for popping in today! I'm off to do some EXCITING laundry. :)

Cardabilities #37

2011-08-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my card from this sketch:

here is my take on it:

this card took a mind of it's own--this paper from Bo Bunny was just so fun to work with and layer up! It really only took me about 20 minutes to get this card all together, I did have to let the stickles dry and chipboard too. The other design team members did such a FABULOUS job you can see what they did HERE.

had a visit with the dentist today, couple things on that. GRATEFUL I have dental insurance but truly hate the shot, and drilling....they had to fix some old silver fillings that stuff flew EVERYWHERE. It's so weird to have your mouth numb, in fact it's still numb....Ah, well the filings look great! We get to go back this afternoon because one of my kids has a chipped tooth that needs to be filled--hope he doesn't freak out, I had to use a stress ball, and yoga breathing when they were drilling...

Thanks SO much for stopping by for a visit!

Back to school album 2011-2012

2011-08-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

I finished my back to school album the other day and wanted to share it with you. I was really excited about getting the whole project on a "sheet" so you wouldn't have to scroll through a bunch of pictures (yeah for Photoshop Elements!) No I don't have pictures in it yet or the journaling. I need to print my pictures out, but I plan on having the children write their names, so we can track their progress. For some reason I didn't get an album together last year but the year before I did--slacker! Anyway here it is (if you click on it you can see upclose):

Yes, that is some October Afternoon goodness you are looking at! I had so much fun--I found this little album in my closet (it was filled with some other papers that just weren't me--but their sheet protected. Pretty cool!) So excited that I found something the perfect size!
Off to go running with my daughter, INSIDE-it's nasty humid right now! Thanks for popping in for a visit!

Just Be

2011-08-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures look familiar I have scrapped them before, but I had more than one copy and this paper from Pebbles just fit so perfectly I HAD to do them again for my daughter's book:

some closeups:

this title is popped up with pop dots--just LOVE how this looks!
My kids are back in school, so nice to have QUIET. The beauty of it is that they are liking being in school. DOUBLE bonus!
with that being said I am off to create! :)
Thanks for stopping by!

First Fishing Adventure.....

2011-08-05T18:20:00.001-07:00

A few years ago the kids and I both had our very first fishing adventure. I know, how sad that I hadn't fished before....ANYWAY, on our way up to see family north of us we stopped at an area with lots of water, we didn't have enough poles for everyone to fish at once so I took pictures. I caught this site as I rounded the corner and it's one of my favorite pictures EVER. (if you click on the layout it makes it larger....)

love the fact that my hubby is helping out my daughter and they are having a chat as they fish. I had the best time adding pop dots behind the cloud, adventure & parenthesis (from the printable included in the you are my sunshine kit--from scrapbook circle.)

School starts next week. it will be good to have the kids on a schedule and doing something other than annoying each other. Today one of my friends posted this on facebook: "As of today, I am ready for my kids to learn real curriculum- not just cool Wii games." it made me laugh because it's TOTALLY true!

Hope that you have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for popping in to visit!

girl's camp...You are my sunshine

2011-08-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

I can finally share with you pictures from girl's camp last week, I had a blast with my daughter and the other girls from my ward (congregation). A week ago we went on a HARD hike, actually one person put it perfectly it should have said Rock climbing-we did a lot of that! So glad that I've been stretching and have some upper body strength....the scenery was SO beautiful! It was muggy on the lower elevation we were sweating a lot, but as we began to climb the mountain it began to cool.

On Wednesday we had a HUGE water fight. With 200 girls plus leaders it was an all out war--the girls braided my hair in preparation:

(yes, those green things are leaves. I was mother nature.....)

notice the standing water on my pants? I was SO wet! Luckily they rang the bell and everyone was able to change into something dry. But it sure was fun to drench and be drenched!

it's August and that means a new kit from Scrapbook circle! This month's kit is called You are My Sunshine this kit is filled with FUN paper and embellishments from Echo Park, Simple Stories, Basic Grey and Sassafras.

here's a little sneak peak at what the kit looks like:

this is one of the pages that I created with this kit:

In keeping with my Project Life picture journaling, I took this random shot of my mom. It's not the "perfect" shot (where she's looking at the camera) but this captures a lot about her, she is serving food-which she always does at her house, she is wearing an apron, and telling a story. This captures her "in action", I love it!

Do you have shots like this? Are you worried it might not be the "perfect" picture, guess what? It doesn't matter, it's preserving memories that is the important part. Is there something that your family does habitually? It doesn't have to be complicated. This day I was just snapping pictures and found this jewel.

Here is a closeup of the side:

I sure had fun with this layout.

The summer is winding down for us, today we get to pick up my daughter's schedule for Jr. high. Exciting!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit--I sure hope your day is a WONDERFUL one!

Cardabilities #36

2011-07-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

yes, it's been a week since I blogged last! But I went to girl's camp with my girl Monday, was a walking zombie on Thursday, felt a little more like myself yesterday, and today I think I've finally caught up on my missing sleep. It was a BLAST! (I'll post some pictures later on, right now my iphoto is being upgraded and I can't post anything!)

So today is the reveal for the Cardabilites sketch #36:

I really like the fact that it's simple, I went a little overboard myself--but had SO MUCH fun! (I used Echo Park Splash line.)

as you can tell because of the direction of the umbrella I flipped the card a bit. I especially like the googly eyes on the crab.

*One little tip to add dimension is pop dots on the back of the stickers. you don't have to back the sticker with anything just apply directly to the sticker--it just adds that little touch.*

Thanks so much for popping in for visit! If you feel like you want to play along the link for the Cardablities is HERE.

Happy Birthday cards--makes me laugh!

2011-07-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've been working on birthday cards and wanted to share:

this line from imaginisce is just SO fun to play with! I had a good clean out a couple of weeks ago and found so many fun things I forgot I had. LOVE that! (it's been a fun challenge to work in my "old" stuff with my new)

My SIL posted something that made me laugh and continues to make me laugh EVERY time I see it! i thought I would share:

Source: thechive.com via Diana on Pinterest

Give it a second.....ever have something in your mind you wanted to create and it didn't quite turn out how you pictured? ME TOO!
Have a great day! Thanks for popping in for a visit!

Echo Park feature! A sketch and my take!

2011-07-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

So as I was reading my "blogs" this morning, there was my card featured on the I spy Echo Park feature on the Echo Park blog!! I was so excited and surprised. Yes, this is my second card featured but it was still SO surprising and EXCITING! :) you can see it HERE.

The challenge on the Scrapbook Circle blog involves a sketch (by our own Nicole Nowosad), several of the design team girls participated with some fun takes, you need to check out the blog!
here is the sketch:

I loved how straight forward it was!

here is my take:

no, you are not seeing double! I've scrapped these pictures before, I usually do more than one page with the same pictures for whoever is in the page--I know I'm crazy but it's fun! :)
here is a little closeup of the button flower thingy in the corner:

now you can play a long with the sketch as well. the instructions are as follows:

1. Create a layout using the sketch above. We would love to see a Scrapbook Circle kit in action, but any materials will do.

2. Post your layout to your blog, a gallery, or our Facebook page. Come back to this post and leave a comment with the direct link to your posted page.

3. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, August 3rd, 9:00 pm PST.

You could win a $15.00 credit to Scrapbook Circle!

Good luck!! Thanks for stopping in for a visit, hope your day is wonderful!

Want to win a Blast off kit?

2011-07-18T11:36:00.001-07:00

Scrapbook Circle is sponsoring a giveaway at Sketch inspiration this week (it just so happens to be the blast off kit!) The designers were give their sketch to work with:

And this is the layout I came up with:

this was a fun layout to get a little messy with, the paper is a little distressed so it was fun to add that affect to the rest of the page..... I misted the background with yellow mist then my darker mist, (I like to think that's how it is when you are in art class for the first time with finger paints!) This picture totally pulls at my heart strings--my youngest on his first day of preschool...

here's a closeup of the layered embellishments:

So if you would like to win a BLAST off kit. go get scrappin with this sketch! you have until the 23rd--whatcha waiting for? :)

Thanks for the visit today! Hope your Monday is FANTASTIC!

(all supplies minus the mist are from the Blast off kit!

The mist can be found in the Scrapbook Circle store)

Cardabilities #35!

2011-07-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

My first card for Cardabilities went live today! The sketch is super fun and we would love to have you play--just make sure that you link your card up on the BLOG.
here is the sketch:

and my take:

I had a blast playing with Echo Park Summer days on this card. I was also excited to pull some of my older embellishments that have been buried (buttons, bling around the sun) I just did a SERIOUS clean out of my stuff and it feels good to know what I have and where it's at! :)

thanks for stopping in for a short visit!

in honor of the release of the last Harry Potter movie....

2011-07-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

are you going to see it? ANYONE?!! we are going saturday first showing (it's the cheapest....) So VERY excited weird that Harry Potter has been such a phenomenon for SO long--but cool at the same time as it got a lot of non readers READING! this is one of my most favorite series of all time, and yes i'm a nerd and PROUD of it! :) Just had to share this quote from pinterest for those that know what I'm talking about! :)

Thanks for dropping in!!

deep cleaning, fans, and layout! (not necessarily in that order!)

2011-07-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

I loved the pictures for this layout! I was so excited that this paper just fit right along with the theme, a field trip to the AZ science center. I was borrowing a 50mm lens and felt certain that I could get some great shots in this VERY dark unphoto friendly place and I did!

these shots were not posed in anyway, meaning I didn't say do this or that. I just had the camera focused on my subjects and got great results! Love the miscellany from October Afternoon included in the Blast off kit! this so far this year is my favorite, I made 5 layouts and a card and still have enough paper to make more! :) I used the cork stars in the kit to trace and cut out these stars....

so today was the day....the day to clean the boy's bathroom...DISGUSTING....toothpaste, dirty floor, mirrors, I'll stop so I won't give you nightmares. I avoid this bathroom like the plague, today though I couldn't stand it anymore! It's now beautiful towel holder is back up on the wall. I've done a walk through with the boys showing them how it would look after they "clean it" it will probably last a day...

ceiling fans, this is sort of long story. but we had fans in three areas upstairs they are all different, one doesn't really work. 2 of our bedrooms upstairs needed them, so the kids and I went and picked four fans out last week. DH with my assistance (I only assembled the blades...) got the last two up today--wonderful! The man at Lowe's tried to tell me it didn't really matter what I put up on the ceiling no one looks. Ummm, DUDE! i do and it matters to me! I want to replace the one in my bedroom too, but it'll have to wait it's working and I haven't found just the right one anyway... I feel complete....ALMOST...but seriously I feel better and my kids who now have founds are proud to share with whoever will listen. :)

Thanks for the Saturday visit--hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Capri Sun Lunch bags....

2011-07-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but it seems like I have to buy a lunch bag EVERY school year, and really I don't like spending $5-$10 on something that really isn't that cute anyway! Anyway, in my search for something else I came across THIS tutorial for capri sun lunch bags! I went a step further than what they said BECAUSE the bags that you buy at the store are insulated and I send frozen juice to school to keep their food cold....what to do? I researched and found this stuff called Insul-bright, they actually sell it at Joann's. With this information I bought a yard of it (a yard is a ton, but as I don't have a clue how to sew that sounded like a good # to start with!) So if you are going to be doing this you will need 48 bags not the 24 they suggest....

Now for the collection of Capri Sun bags! I happened to come up with this idea at the end of the school year, very convenient as there were quiet a few parties going on. I just asked the teachers to collect them for me! My boys were excited to be in charge and reminded their classmates to not throw them away.

bag #1 front and inside.

bag #2 front and closure

bag #3 front and inside.

some things I learned on my "experiment":

1. rinse all the bags thoroughly let them dry--it does take 3 days.
2. make sure that you have a heavier gage needle.
3. you will want some goo-gone as the straw plastic leaves sticky residue.
4. don't cut you insulation as large as the front of your bag, leave about 2" so that it will fold over.
5. the lined inside should be silver so that you don't have to remove all the sticky it will help the insulation not move. (the first bag I had the front facing out, so I had to remove all the sticky, that mean I was STICKY! my fingers were all stuck together--it was gross.)
6. Be patient!! :)

I really did have fun making these bags and I feel like the last one was the best, only because by that time I knew what I was doing!

today my daughter and I are creating other things, hers has to do with can pulls, and mine? Capri suns....don't want to spoil it! :) Thanks for checking in--hope you have a FABULOUS day!

yesterday's haboob and a lift!

2011-07-06T16:03:00.001-07:00

So last night we were sitting in our house playing video games. We looked out the window and noticed the clouds, and that the wind had started to blow, you could still see the sky. There is a look that everything gets right before a monsoon storm, the air gets a yellow tinge. anyway, it was beginning to look this way. the next thing we knew everything was dark like night.we went out front to dust and a lot of it (this was taken by a coworker of my husband):

A haboob (Arabic هبوب) is a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in arid regions throughout the world. In the USA, they are frequently observed in the deserts of Arizona, including Yuma and Phoenix^[2]^[3], as well as New Mexico and Texas ^[4]. During thunderstorm formation, winds move in a direction opposite to the storm's travel, and they will move from all directions into the thunderstorm.

When this downdraft, or "downburst", reaches the ground, dry, loose sand from the desert settings is essentially blown up, creating a wall of sediment preceding the storm cloud. This wall of sand can be up to 100 km (60 miles) wide and several kilometers in elevation. At their strongest, haboob winds can travel at 35-50 km/h (20-30 mph), and they may approach with little to no warning.

these don't come that often here but when they do it sure makes you feel very small....okay, there is your nature lesson for today! :)

I do have a layout to share, my assignment was to lift this layout by Alison McGuinn:

here's my take:

this is my niece isn't she adorable? I shot the batting picture standing right up to the chain link fence (you can sort of see the outline of the fence) the others I stood just outside the dugout. The cork stars in this kit are so fun to work with. I just added some stickles to make them shine--looks really great in person.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit! Hope you have a FANTASTIC day!

Happy 4th of July--foto shoot 2004

2011-07-04T06:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! I wanted to share with you (real quick!) a layout I made with the new Blast off! kit from scrapbook circle.

I took these pictures our first summer here in Arizona from moving from Colorado the month before. We did the shoot in the morning but still---it was so warm, but these kiddos were such troopers! These are some of my most favorite pictures, I have individual shots from this I have up on my desk all the time, funny how kids grow up SO fast!

a little break down of the layout, for the star (which came in the Miscellany kit from October afternoon), I misted the star with white chalk glimmer mist and while STILL wet I put it in my embossing folder--looks pretty neat in person.

the i smile rub on is from Studio Calico and just seem to fit! Really pleased with how this all came together and QUICKLY like 30 minutes!

I wanted to share one more crafty thing before I go:

My boys and I made this star garland the other day. I cut the stars using my cricut, and then my boys embossed them with some of my embossing folders:

what's funny is my 10 year old didn't want to help his younger brother. but after he saw how cool the embossing was he wanted a turn too! I was in the office and they were in the kitchen (using the table) and I could hear them "oh! look at this one! Wow, I want to do that one!" It was pretty cute.

I hope that you have a WONDERFUL day with your family! Thanks for visiting me today!

USA and an Echo Park shout out!

2011-06-30T16:01:00.003-07:00

I just couldn't help it after I saw THIS I had to make one myself! I bought the frames 3 1/2" x 5" at hobby lobby (they are half off this week.)

I cut my paper (which is ALL October afternoon--Rocket Age, it's included in the new Blast Off kit for Scrapbook Circle. I LOVED working with it so much I bought some more!). then with my cricut gypsy cut my letters and star. The vinyl is actually fuzzy and by silhouette, I misted it with Red apple, it's so sparkly and fun! I had excess spray so I just flipped my letters up and soaked up more ink. here's a little closeup of the S:

Do you see the sewn edge? I put the paper in the frame with out the glass and traced the edge of the frame, then set my sewing machine to sew left of the line. EASY!
The star is distressed just a little bit to give it an edge.

In other creative news my card Happy day was featured on the Echo Park blog today! So totally excited--thank you ECHO PARK!

after the vinyl had dried from being misted I placed it on the center of the glass--(yes, it's on the outside.)
I put it all together in under 45 minutes--most of that was drying time, well really I did it this morning and was doing the morning routine with the family.... :)

I hope you have a WONDERFUL long weekend--we plan to hang out with family and swim! Thanks for dropping in!