KelzScraps

Tuesday Layouts

2012-02-21T08:09:00.007-05:00

This morning I seem to have an excessive amount of energy. I hope that means I will get lots of things accomplished today, but it is more likely that I'll be crashed by 10am. However, I do have two layouts to share. I actually managed to finish a paper layout yesterday, and (even better) I really like how it turned out!

This was Braelyn's first time on the swings at the park last summer. I kept trying to get her to smile so I could catch her teeth in the picture, but of course it was a no go. For this one I used an art inspiration challenge at Citrus Tree Studio and the 2/4 sketch from My Sketch World. I even used all scraps on this page too, except for the background.

Here is a digital page of poor Braelyn while she was sick last summer. She looks so pitiful, I couldn't help but snap a picture of her. This one uses the 2/15 sketch from My Sketch World.

In case you didn't know, Citrus Tree Studio is running a sale on kits right now. Some great kits are available at great prices! You should definitely check it out. :)

Scrap Box Cards

2012-02-20T10:47:00.005-05:00

When I do get a chance to scrap, I've been focusing on trying to widdle down my scrap paper. Since cards are great for that, I wind up making a lot of them (plus they are quick projects which is an added bonus). Here are a few cards I've done in the past couple weeks, all with supplies from my scraps box.

For this one, I used the 2/12 Card Sketch from My Sketch World, which I flipped.

A Valentine's card using scraps...

This one is using the 2/7 Card sketch from My Sketch World. Another thank you card made from scraps.

My apologies for the bad quality of the pictures. I didn't look at them prior to actually mailing out the cards, so I can't retake them. :( I really should keep that in mind for the future!

On another note, we got a dusting of snow yesterday. So I took the kids out first thing this morning to play, of course with a camera! I'm hoping that means they will be tired this afternoon and maybe I'll get a chance to scrap!

some digitals

2012-02-13T10:00:00.004-05:00

While most in the house are sick, I haven't really been able to play with paper much. I have managed to put together a few digital layouts. That is better than nothing, right?!

This weekend I decided to work with the sketches at My Sketch World for their 6th birthday celebration. So here are a few digitals I did this weekend.

Trick or Treating - My Sketch World (2/10)

Braelyn @ 6 Months - My Sketch World (2/11)

Braelyn in her Christmas Dress - My Sketch World (2/3)

The Girls - My Sketch World (2/13)

Tomorrow I think I'll have some cards to share. :) I'm so excited to be scrapping again!

Happy Friday!

2012-02-10T18:50:00.005-05:00

I'm really trying to get back into scrapping and crafting. Life just keeps getting in the way! Did you know, if you don't scrap for awhile your inks are likely to dry up? As well as your paints, mists and lots of other supplies? I'm figuring that out now.

I did take time last night to make a couple projects, so here is a little share. :)
I used the most current layout & card sketch from twisted sketches. My projects don't really fit the 'theme', but I'm happy that I got to create something.

I can't believe that she is this big, and I don't know where the past year went. I love seeing her grow and learn though, and yes I know one day I will miss this age! I used some goods from my stash and a piece of the Prima ledger paper I won at the CTS online crop in January.

I used a Momenta card box kit to create the above card. Made everything super easy to already have coordinated goods! I do love those kits. :)

Hell Hath Frozen Over!

2012-01-02T10:59:00.003-05:00

I believe it now, hell hath frozen over. You know why? Cause I scrapped. :)

It has been months since I have done anything that remotely involved a paper cutter & adhesive. I missed it, but I have been occupied with other things. So I decided to ring in 2012 right, I pulled out my supplies and did some creating - and the crop over at CTS was a perfect point of inspiration! I didn't get much done, but I did manage a few cards, an ATC and a layout.

Hopefully this means I am back on the bandwagon! If you have time, you should join in the fun over at CTS. It really is a great place and they have loved me, even though I haven't been scrapping.

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

2011-05-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

I know there are tons of fun things happening around the world for scrapbookers today! Hope you all enjoy the celebrations. :)

Momenta has a sketch challenge on the new blog, so be sure to check it out! I decided to go with a digital page using the Sweet Talk collection.

Here is the sketch, by Design Team member Sherri Thompson (do check out her blog, she is super talented!)

And here is the page I created. Braelyn's first spoon feeding of oatmeal cereal. :)

Happy NSD to my fellow scrappers! Enjoy the day!

Scrap That Baby - Cry Baby Cry

2011-05-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

A new Scrap That Baby prompt went up this week! This time it is Cry Baby Cry, which gives you the perfect opportunity to scrap those pictures (you know you have them, don't deny it!) about the not so perfect moments of parenthood.

Another digital page from me (that seems to be all I've had time to do lately), using lots of pieces from different designers.

Be sure to check it out, cause the prize up for grabs is from the awesomeness of Tally Scrapper! I have no doubt it will be packed full of scrappy goodness.

Making Flourish Stencils

2011-04-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

A really quick and easy tutorial today about making your own flourish templates using Momenta's blank stencil sheets. I love doing this, and they don't even have to be perfect - which makes it so much better! The supplies you will need: hole punch blank stencil sheets (I'm using 4"x5") sharpie flourish pattern

For this first stencil, I made a copy of a set of crystal flourishes I purchased - this isn't the first time I've used my copy either. 1. Place the blank stencil sheet on top of your flourish and use the sharpie to dot where the crystals would be.

Here you can see that I didn't copy all of it - just the parts that I wanted to use.

2. Use your hole punch and punch holes where you placed the dots. They don't have to be perfect either - you can fix that when you use them on your page.

Here is my punched out stencil. You can see in the upper left corner where my holes got a bit crooked.

Now take your punched stencil and use it on your projects.

You can use a pencil to make dots on your project for places to put gem stickers, dots of glitter or just to go back and add a bit of a doodled flourish to your page.

And I wanted to share, you don't have to do this solely with a copied print. Here is a photoshop brush that I printed off to do the same thing.

I told you - super easy! And you'll get much more mileage out of the stencil than your purchased gem flourish. :)

And just as an example, here I used the new One Fine Day line from Momenta and used Dimensional Pearls with my stencils to create the flourish.

CTS April Challenge 2

2011-04-12T11:51:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I posted my second challenge for April over at Citrus Tree Studio. For this challenge, you must use liquid in some form on your page (emulate it with paper, use mist, use water to distress, etc) and additionally you must use flowers on your page. Here is the page I created following the guidelines, using the Citrus Tree Studio April Kit "Hello Spring".

Additionally, I have to apologize to those involved in the CSN Giveaway. It totally slipped my mind to draw a winner. So here it is (better late than never)...

Sherri R. said... I'm not sure exactly but maybe a kitchen scale.

Please contact me so I can get your code to you!

CTS Challenges

2011-04-04T09:40:00.003-05:00

Over at Citrus Tree Studio, I will be posting a new challenge every Monday during the month of April! You have until Midnight EST the following Sunday to upload your creations to the gallery for a chance to win the prize. And the prizes are rockin'! I posted the first challenge this morning - to create a page using 2 of everything you choose to use!

Here is my example. I used Momenta products to create this page with 2 pieces of cardstock, 2 pieces of patterned paper, 2 blue crystals, 2 white crystals, 2 blue acrylic bubbles, 2 chipboard hearts, 2 pictures and 2 flourishes.

If you have a few moments, definitely stop by the message board at CTS and check it out. And while you are there, check out the details about the Design Team call going on right now!

Scrap That Baby - Messy

2011-04-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

Time for a new prompt at Scrap That Baby! This prompt is all about being messy, and I have to be honest.... that is the one side of motherhood that I could honestly care less about. Grayson is constantly leaving icky spots everywhere. So here is my page for the challenge - a digital page using elements from lots of different designers. Be sure to stop by the Scrap That Baby blog to participate in the challenge, we would love to have you!

ordinary kinda day

2011-04-01T09:00:00.003-05:00

Another survivor layout from the TallyScrapper challenge. I am honestly amazed that I have kept up with it each week thus far. This one is just a simple page about Braelyn's ordinary day.

Project 12 - February

2011-03-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before, this year I've decided to do a project 12 book. I'm doing mine digitally so I can easily print it and contain it all in one book. Makes it easier to have it all in one place and I think this will be a great way to see Braelyn's growth all through the year!

Here is my February 2011 spread, I'm trying to use the sketch provided for them too!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Giveaway for CSN Stores!

2011-03-27T17:52:00.004-05:00

I have been lucky to work with CSN Stores in the past and I am happy to say I am doing it again! This time around I ordered the Melissa & Doug Clay Set. This is going to be a fabulous gift for the birthday we have coming up next month. I know Grayson will absolutely love playing with it! The set is very well constructed and it comes with 4 containers of clay, as well as some neat tools to work with. I'm a big fan of Melissa & Doug toys, and this set was not a dissapointment. :) Now for the giveaway... Just follow these steps for a chance to win $35 credit to CSNStores.com 1. Become a follower of my blog 2. Go to CSNStores.com and browse around to see all the available items they have 3. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would like to order if you win! Comments will remain open for one week and a winner will be announced Monday, April 4th.

I {heart} sewing!

2011-03-17T01:20:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this by saying, I DO NOT have mad sewing skillz.

I have fumbled my way through some pants for Braelyn and a sweater vest for Grayson, I've even managed to sew some cloth diapers (which I may eventually share on my blog) and some clothes for myself (nobody wants to see pictures of me modeling, LOL). However, sewing has become a fun hobby for me and well, it makes me feel good to be able to create something.

So I really wanted to buy some baby legs for Braelyn, but I'm super cheap. I don't want to spend $10 on a pair of leg warmers. So... I started thinking that I could do it myself, and into the pile of refashionables I dug. :)

I think they turned out cute, the edges are leftover from a shirt I used to make Braelyn's pants. The inside are from a pair of baby pants that were given to us (don't you love hand me down's?). Since I had most of them done before we ventured out yesterday evening, I picked up a couple other things to cheaply refashion into leg warmers. And the greatest thing, I should be able to get more than one pair out of the pieces I picked up! Score!!

And since I don't have a picture of her wearing them, here is another pic... just cause I think she is a cutie!

Scrap That Baby

2011-03-08T10:21:00.000-05:00

Did you see the good news? Lucky me (and my kidlets) got a spot on the Scrap That Baby Design Team. Woot!

There are some seriously talented women on the team, so be sure to stop by the blog and check out their work. Challenges post on the 1st and 15th. Even if you don't have young children anymore, I know most people have older pictures they need to scrap. And some awesome prizes!

Speaking of, check out the current challenge - Happy Happy Birthday! And the fabulous sponsor AllyScraps, who is providing a $20 gift certificate!

And because of the birthday challenge, here is a digital page from Grayson's 2nd birthday! Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Bringing the Outdoors In!

2011-03-07T11:09:00.005-05:00

Part of the challenge for this week's survivor layout (at Tally Scrapper) was to use something found in nature. I figured what better way to embrace the challenge than to get dirty! I decided to grab a little of the NC red mud and give my background page some texture.

I trompsed out into the rain to gather up some dirt. Luckily, I only had to go to the driveway (stupid erosion is causing the hill to fall).

I brought it back in to add some water until it gained the consistency I liked. Much like baby poo (sorry, you know I have a new baby - right?)

After that I grabbed my wide paint brush, dipped it in my dirt and 'flicked' (yeah, that's what I'm technicaly terming it) the dirt onto my page. Set it aside to dry and then created my layout.

Here is the finished product. I also added a couple vine wrapped sticks I snagged from the backyard. The rest of the challenge was to do a monochromatic page and use a Green Day song title/lyric in your title. So I used the title of the song (warning) and some of the lyrics as my journaling. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I think the clumps of dirt look pretty cool on there.

Terror Toddler

2011-03-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

I love my little guy, but some days he is a demon. I know its his age and having a new little sister, blah blah blah... but why not call it like it is, right?!

I am really working hard on using up my old supplies before I purchase new. And I have to say I'm doing a pretty good job. One day, I might be down to a manageable supply again! But for now I'll keep plugging away at the pile of papers and embellishments.

Supplies:
Sassafras Papers, AC & Bazzill Cardstock, Stickles, Making Memories Alphabet Rubons, Kaiser Rhinestones, Rusty Pickle Chipboard, Martha Stewart Glitter and some foam alphabet stickers from my stash.

TallyScrapper Survivor Layouts Week 2

2011-02-28T22:14:00.003-05:00

I forgot all about my blog last week. Oops! I am happy to say that the time was not spent wasted, as I removed 99% of the wallpaper in our kitchen. Soon comes removing the paneling and then getting reacquainted with my friend the electric sander. But, kitchen remodeling is a whole other post.

Here is my 2nd week layout for the Survivor challenge over at TallyScrapper. You can see my first week layout here. The challenge for my team this week was to use "That Just Happened," along with yellow, burgundy, olive green and orange.

Let me say, I am not proud of this layout. Well, the layout is fine... but the fact that this happened - not so good. Jeff and I took Grayson to the park on a Sunday. It was busy and kids were everywhere. I ran over and grabbed a geocache and came back. We were both keeping an eye on Grayson, but we got involved in conversation and looked up - he was nowhere to be found. My heart sank, I was litterally stuck in one spot frantically searching the play area for him. I decided to turn around and to my delight, there he was - throwing a little nerf football with a girl and her parents. I was scared to death. Even thinking of it now brings tears to my eyes. I failed as a mother and I know I'm not the first, but God I whole heartedly pray that is the one and only time I ever have that feeling.

Pencil Lines DT Call Sketch

2011-02-23T10:21:00.003-05:00

I was looking for a little inspiration last night to do a digital page, so I decided to grab the sketch for the Pencil Lines DT call. I doubt I will send it in, but it was a cute sketch... so I figured I would give it a go.

Here is what I did with it, and I like how it came out. I used my Spring Forward digital kit and changed the colors on it to match the picture a little better. Enjoy!

Scrap That Baby - I Love Challenge

2011-02-18T19:09:00.004-05:00

The challenge over at Scrap that Baby is to scrap about something you love. So I decided to go with Grayson's funny words. I love it and I know that as soon as I don't hear these fun little things anymore, its a sign he is growing up. :(

Supplies:

Junkitz Paper, Joann's Pins, Tim Holtz Film Strip, Prima Star & Crystals, AC Thickers & Felt, Remember When Cardstock, Kaiser Pearls, Viva Pearl Pen, Making Memories Alpha Stickers, Flower Soft Glitter, Unknown - mini flowers, chipboard & brad

My Kids Define Me

2011-02-17T09:00:00.001-05:00

My kids do define me - and I am okay with that. As a matter of fact, I absolutely love it (most days). The only thing I can confidently say I hate about being a mom is tripping over toys, especially hot wheels. Those things are evil and I know I'm going to land in the ER with a broken ankle one day.

So I joined the Tally Scrapper Survivor Challenge and the first challenge went live yesterday. I had a lot of fun creating this layout - and it makes me happy!

My Kids Define Me & I Love It!

Part of the challenge was to use recycled scrapbooking package. My package recycling is the acetate from some Momenta rubons previously used. They leave a little edging, so I just cut out the flourish shape and stapled it to my layout. I thought it was creative - and you can see it better in the second picture.

Supplies: Bazzill & Momenta Cardstock, Carolees Alphabet Stickers, Old Dictionary Pages, Nikki Sivils Flag & Burlap Buttons, Martha Stewart Garden Labels, Pink Paisley 365 Degrees Flip Notes, AC Thickers, Twine & scrap paper from stash (reminisce I believe)

I am becoming that mom!!

2011-02-16T19:20:00.003-05:00

So I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day. But now that I have kids, I look for reasons to have fun. Of course, I decided to make a special Valentine's Day dinner on Monday.

Strawberry pancakes! They were super easy (especially since I got a Kitchen Aid mixer at Christmas - shout out to my wonderful husband there). I even tried to make them in heart shapes with cookie cutters, but let's just say that my festiveness only goes so far and as soon as something messes up I get mad and give up. LOL!

So the menu consisted of strawberry pancakes, scrambled cheesy eggs and bacon. And it was a big hit as breakfast night is always welcomed at our house!

The pancakes are really easy.

1 1/2 cups cake mix
1 egg
1 cup milk
Mix it up and cook just like you would for regular pancakes. Throw on a spoonful of icing (in this case vanilla) and you have a super sweet and fun pancake for the occasion!

*side note - if you have a child who thinks mashed potato is the Anti-Christ... he won't eat the vanilla icing either (or anything white like that) because he is CONVINCED it is a spoonful of potato.

Follow dinner up with this chocolate cake and you are set! That is, until your husband reads on facebook that one of his friends got steak & crab legs for dinner.

So now I have to start planning for Dr. Seuss' Birthay and St. Patrick's Day!! I'd love to hear ideas if you have some!

Project 12 - January

2011-02-15T23:15:00.005-05:00

Have you heard of Project 12? It's a cool way to document your year, month by month. And not to mention there are prizes involved! They release a sketch at the 1st of each month and you don't have to use it, but it is a really cute sketch.

So here is my January project, using the January sketch and some of my most recent digital papers & elements.

Valentine Card & Bag

2011-02-14T16:59:00.004-05:00

This is a super quick & easy project. It came together in about half an hour (and that includes interruptions from the 2 year old - LOL). All supplies are from Momenta - including recycling the package from the card pack to create the bag.

Supplies:
Card Pack (NC-1271)
Occasions & Celebrations Paper (PA-1992)
Foil Flourish Rub-Ons (RO-1895)
Black & White Gem Stickers (ST-3056)

I know it will be warmly welcomed, just because of the treats on the inside of the bag! ;)

Moxie Fab World Cameo Challenge

2011-02-14T12:32:00.006-05:00

I created this card for the Cameo Challenge at Moxie Fab World.

I found the cameo image online and cut it out with my wishblade, cut the frame with my wishblade and put it all together. All supplies are from Momenta. I really do LOVE these card packs from Momenta - they make card making super quick and easy!!

Supplies:
Relaxed Cardstock (PA-1035)
Occasions & Celebrations Paper (PA-1992)
Card Pack (NC-1279)
Foil Flourish Rub-Ons (RO-1895)
Chipboard Buttons (EM-1409)
Earthtones Alphabet Stickers (ST-3209)
Pastel Gem Stickers (ST-3031)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day and spending it with the ones you love!!

Design Dollies Feb Color Challenge

2011-02-13T19:59:00.004-05:00

I decided to participate in the February Color Challenge over at Design Dollies...

The colors were Purple, Green & Ivory... perfect colors for the little girl in my life!

This picture was taken just the other day. I can't believe our little girl is 2 months old already!

To create the polka dot background, I dipped the cap of my pen in ink and dotted it onto the textured cardstock. Super easy and I love the effect b/c some areas are heavier and it really gave it extra texture.

Supplies:

Momenta Pure Cardstock (PA-1036)

Momenta Relaxed Cardstock (PA-1035)

Flutter Stickers (ST-2855)

Flower Doodle Rub Ons (RO-1566)

Silver Crimped Alphabet Stickers (ST-1988)

Silver Foil Flourish Rub Ons (RO-1895)

Acrylic Craft Paint

Paper Doilies

Prima & Silk Flower Leaves

CSN Stores

2011-02-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of CSN Stores? I was lucky enough to work with CSN Stores a couple months ago and provide one reader a great prize, as well as provide a review for an item from their wide variety of stores. This was such a cool opportunity, and I'm happy to say that I am able to do it again for my readers.

This time I'd like to point your focus toward a wooden swing set from http://www.swingsetsandmore.com/. They have some super cool swing sets - like this Explorer's Station Swing Set. What kid wouldn't absolutely LOVE having this in their backyard? I know Grayson would. And I won't lie - I would have fun with that too!

Not in the market for a swingset? No worries - with over 200 stores, you have a variety of choices at the simple click of your mouse. Seriously, everything you could want - all in one place! Can't ask for better than that!

So I just wanted to give you a head's up that I'll be having another review and giveaway here on my blog for CSN Stores. So stay tuned! And if you are interested in hosting one, please let me know and I will pass your information along!

How I spent my Wednesday

2011-02-09T15:12:00.012-05:00

You know, I have a huge love of dogs. I've always had one or two or three... They are tons of fun to play with, great companions, loving, fuzzy, etc, etc. Well, apparently the feeling is not mutual at our house. And I swear, these dogs have it GOOD. They get to sleep on the bed (the little one anyway), they have a never ending bowl of food and a big fat bowl of water. I love on them each and every day, feed them snacks, Grayson loves on them, Jeff loves on them ... we provide everything they could ever need.

Our dogs are constantly (and I mean constantly) trying to run away. When they do succeed at it, they never want to come back either. Have you ever tried to wrangle a 100 lb dog (who despises the car) into the car and get her home? Let me just say - IT IS NOT EASY!!! Yet, they want to run. So, after spending a couple grand on a fence for them to run in, they still want more. They have dug under the fence in various spots and are persistent about it. At this point, there are more rocks along our fence line than you can find in the grand canyon. Apparently when you are a 100 pound horse, its easy peasy to move rocks and dig a new hole.

The following is a tutorial on how to rig your fence so the dogs actually stay in the fenced yard.

#1 - Bundle up if it is cold. I swear, it was cold enough to freeze the snot in even Satan's nose that morning.

#2 - Listen to dogs whine on the back porch. Enjoy the satisfaction b/c they get to watch you destroy their hopes and dreams. Yeah, that's probably not happening... but whatever.

#3 - Insert shovel and begin digging a trench along the bottom of the fence line.

#4 - Curse every other tree root you come across.
#5 - Fall (as your weight is still on the shovel) over every third tree root.
*note - steps 4 & 5 can occur simultaneously

#6 - Break every 2-3ish hours and savor this:

#7 - Search garage(s) for hacksaw. Give up and look for something else that will cut pvc pipe. While looking for new tool, find hacksaw on workbench - really, why wouldn't it be with all the other tools?! Sigh b/c loving, endearing husband has no organization skills. Proceed to cut pvc where needed.

#8 - Insert pvc pipe into trench.

#9 - Drop a 50 pound bag of quikrete on top of the pvc in the trench.

Yeah, I know it helps if you open it and spread it out. :)

#10 - Cut & bend coat hanger into hooks. Insert through bottom wire on fence and around pvc pipe. Take that dogs!

#11 - Discover garden hose is a solid tube of ice. Curse adults in the house for not bringing it inside during winter.

#12 - Go here

and purchase this:

#13 - Stop for lunch on the way home to make the boy happy. Listen to him sing twinkle, twinkle little star through chicken nuggets and french fries all the way home. Smile b/c it's just cute!

#14 - Get home and decide to read the quikrete bag to see how much water. Smack yourself in the head for not reading you are supposed to use HOT water in cold temperatures (wouldn't need the hose anyway). Enjoy knowing you don't have to buy a new garden hose for your actual garden this spring, but you will need new gloves.

#15 - Carry buckets of hot water (yeah, the new hose wouldn't reach from the nearest connection) over and pour on top of quikrete.

#16 - Shovel dirt back on top of trench.

#17 - Finally sit on your butt and think your dogs aren't getting out, but quickly realize you are going to be proved wrong when they find a spot where you dug down too far and then chase them through the neighborhood to get them back.

#18 - Head back to the store for more quikrete and to start the process over again.

ARGH!!!

Beautiful Baby Braelyn

2011-02-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here is another page I finished up in the last few days. I'm not terribly thrilled with how it turned out, but it does have an adorable subject... what more can I ask for?

Sassafras Lass Papers
Two Chicks Embellishments
Prima Flowers & Crystals

Caricature Digital Page

2011-02-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

I love doing digital pages - they are so much quicker and easier for me (little hands can't mess them up). Not to mention I organized all my digital files this past weekend... that just meant I had to do something with them, right?!

So I created this digital page for a challenge over at Tally Scapper. The picture is a caricature that was done of Jeff and I during our last visit to Orlando.

I used elements from various different designers on this page. Which leads me to a little side note about digital designers. When saving your files, you should put your name in the file - that way we know who it came from and can give you credit!

Giveaway Enabling Alert

2011-02-07T18:49:00.003-05:00

There is an awesome giveaway on Life As Lou. Seriously, I saw awesome because it is just that! Definitely go check it out and read some of her other posts - her work is fabulous!

Not only is she giving away an Epic 6, but there are also dies and to top it off, she is giving away 2 prizes. Stop on by!

Altered Love Notes Box

2011-02-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but one of the things I have an abundance of at my house is empty cardboard boxes. It doesn't matter how often I take them to the recycling center, there are a huge amount of them here. Luckily for me, that comes in handy when I want to alter a quick box. :)

I altered this for a Valentine decoration. It coincides with a crop challenge held over at Tally Scrapper too, bonus!

Supplies:
MM Cardstock & Alpha Letters
Cloud 9 Pattened Paper
Rusty Pickle Chipboard
AC Thickers
Prima Crystals & Flower
Joann Pins
Misc Buttons, Ribbons & Stickers

Valentine Card & Tag

2011-02-02T12:26:00.003-05:00

Just a quick share of a valentine card and tag I created for challenges over at Tally Scrapper and the New Beginnings Crop. I used mostly Momenta supplies.

It felt really good to create something again! I can say I have the bug again and hopefully I can stick with it and get lots of projects done this month!

Supplies:
All Through The Year Papers (PA-1991)
Relaxed Cardstock (PA-1035)
Primary Cardstock (PA-0658)
Black & White Gems (ST-3056)
Flourish Stickers (ST-2841)
Black & White Alphabet Stickers (ST-3190)

Supplies:
All Through The Year Papers (PA-1991)
Relaxed Cardstock (PA-1035)
Primary Cardstock (PA-0658)
Black & White Gems (ST-3056)
Black & White Alphabet Stickers (ST-3190)
Brass Template (FS-1034)

New Blog Look :)

2011-02-02T01:25:00.004-05:00

I decided it was time to change up my blog a bit. It has looked nearly the same since I started it, so this time I added some color!

I created a new digital banner using my Spring Forward digital kit - it worked perfect with the colors for this template. :)

Now I'm really in the mood to create, so I think I'll go finish the card I started earlier today for a challenge at Tally Scrapper.

Momenta Stencil Storage

2011-01-31T17:28:00.002-05:00

Today I decided to clean up my printer table. It was overflowing with crap - piles of clothes to be refashioned or mended, scrapbook supplies, paperwork and all kinds of other junk that has collected over the past couple months.

Some of the things on there were the big border stencils from Momenta. I love them, however I have storage issues with them. They are long and don't fit in my cart or on my bookshelf (which is full of paper anyway, not that I should admit that) so I really haven't known what to do with them. I decided to alter a cardboard box to house them on my table - so they are still at arms reach, but they won't be falling off when I stack my junk (not that I'm admitting to that either).

So here ya go... what started as a simple cardboard box, but is now a little more eye appealing. :)

And I have to say, it felt great to be creative again! Now I've got the bug and I want to create a bunch more stuff!!

Supplies:
Relaxed Cardstock (PA-1035)
Flutter Paper Pad (PA-1563)
Flutter Rubons (RO-1849)
Flutter Stickers (ST-2855)
Graceful Stencil (BL-799)

Unexpected Blogging Vacation

2011-01-30T08:09:00.004-05:00

Well, I wound up taking an unexpected blogging vacation. I wound up having a couple surgeries to remove some kidney stones. Apparently when they get lodged and cause your kidney to stop functioning properly - it is a problem!

At any rate, I haven't been scrapping at all so I don't have anything new to share. I have been doing some sewing. Braelyn is growing steadily, but newborn pants are still way too big for her and the preemie sleepers are too short. So I've made her a few pants to wear in the meantime. And I've been sewing cloth diapers.

Instead of sharing something scrappy, I'm sharing a picture of Braelyn at 6 weeks old (last week) - sporting a pair of pants I made from an old maternity shirt that was stained. They were the perfect color for this onesie and are great since they are super soft!

I've got the urge to scrap again, so hopefully I'll have some new projects to share with you soon. I think I'll be back to my daily updates this week - and I might even have a giveaway, so be sure to stay tuned!

A Card & A Winner

2011-01-08T15:56:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to share a card I made earlier this week. I think it turned out cute. I can always use thank you cards, so that is what I make the most of.

Supplies: SEI Paper, Bazzill Cardstock & Pom Pom Ribbon, Joann’s Hat Pin, American Crafts Thickers, Kaiser Craft Pearls, Martha Stewart Glitter, Ribbon & Brad Unknown

It is time to announce the winner of the $35 CSN Stores giveaway. Thank you to everyone who participated. It is interesting to see what

Congrats Lisa! Please email me through the link available from my blogger profile page within 48 hours so I can get you your prize!

Don't forget...

2011-01-07T09:38:00.002-05:00

Today is the last day to leave a comment for a chance to win the $35 credit to CSN Stores.

Check out the post, become a follower and leave a comment!!

Part of the Family

2011-01-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

This was another simple page I did for my dad's Christmas album with Momenta supplies.

He loved his album and was very happy to open it and see all the animal pages in there, even though he knew it was coming. I left quite a few blank pages in the back too... so I can add to it whenever the mood strikes!

Don't forget to enter my CSN Stores giveaway, the winner will be drawn this weekend!

A Couple Momenta Projects

2011-01-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple more projects done for the crop at Citrus Tree Studio this weekend. These pages were both done with mostly Momenta supplies.

Supplies:
Black Tie Papers (PA-1952)
Gold Metallic Papers (PA-1161)
Pure Cardstock (PA-1036)
Black Tie Chipboard Stickers (ST-3087)
Black Alpha Stickers (ST-1814)
Black & White Gem Stickers (ST-3056)
Silver Foil Rub Ons (RO-1895)
Puffy Alpha Stickers (ST-3190)
Puffy Flourish Stickers (ST-2841)
Prima Flower, Misc Ribbon

The cool thing about this page (other than the picture of my husband, which I dearly love) is the clear background. Some of the Momenta paper packs come with a clear sheet under the cover - so what better way to use it than as a background paper?! It isn't as stiff as your standard acetate, but they work great for a background!

Supplies:
Family Ties Paper (PA-1486)
Primary Cardstock (PA-0658)
Family Ties Chipboard Stickers (ST-3264)
Pastel Gem Stickers (ST-3031)
Glitter Glue

Weekend Scrappiness

2011-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the crop at Citrus Tree Studio. And while I didn't get all of the challenges done, I did complete quite a few of them. So I thought I would share some of what I created over the weekend with you.

These were all done for various challenges, which I find really inspiring these days. I think without challenges I wouldn't be doing a thing with my supplies!

Of course, don't forget about the $35 CSN credit giveaway going on. You still have a few days to enter!

So what will be happening for 2011?

I'm not really a 'goal' oriented person, but I do have some ideas that I would like to work with for the upcoming year. Like doing at least 12 projects per month. I would also like to keep a running total in my side bar so I can have some accountability for myself (hopefully I can remember to update it, LOL). I'd also like to participate in more challenge blogs and message board challenges - since I find them so inspiring.

As for non-scrappy things, I'd really like to get out more with my children. I would like to get Grayson more outside time - whether just playing in our yard or going to the park. I have some other things too, but I don't want to bore you with those... but I will say that I think I'm going to start sharing some of my favorite recipes with you guys too.

With the start of 2011, do you have any goals for the year... scrapping or otherwise?

CSN Stores Giveaway & Review

2011-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had the great opportunity to work with CSN Stores to write a review - and even better - to host a giveaway! If you aren't familiar with CSN Stores, they have everything you could possibly imagine! Definitely take a look at their website, and read a bit about their company.

Because we love to cook around our house, I decided on the Polder Dual Probe Thermometer to write my review on. The pros - the thermometer is accurate and easy to use - and the dual probe definitely comes in handy if you have more than one item. We typically smoke 2 turkeys at a time, so this is definitely a plus for us. The screen is large, easy to read, easy to navigate and get set for your meat type.

In the con column, we were storing it on the side of the fridge, but sadly the magnet fell out of the back (totally a cosmetic and ease thing, so nothing critical). The other complaint is that the cords on the probes are not metal braided (although they look to be in the picture).

And now, on to the fun part! One lucky person will receive a $35 credit to spend at CSN Stores. In order to qualify, you must do the following:
1. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, thanks!)
2. Go to CSN Stores and look around.
3. Leave a comment on this thread and tell me what you think you would get with a $35 credit!

The winner will be announced on Saturday, January 8th - so be sure to check back and see if you are the lucky one!

CTS Crop Reminder

2010-12-31T14:31:00.002-05:00

Just a quick reminder that Citrus Tree Studio has a crop going on this weekend. Lots of fun challenges and prizes. So please, come join us if you can!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T13:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays to all my blog readers, family and friends! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with love, joy and all the fun anyone could ask for.

Next week should be packed full of fun (including a giveaway for CSN Stores).

So be sure to stop by and visit!

One Week Old

2010-12-19T16:08:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Braelyn is already a week old. I'm completely hormonal and still cry at stupid movies and commercials. I am doing good, although I'm still tired and wish I were getting more sleep... but I'm sure I'll be saying that for the next 15 years.

Thought I would share just a couple pictures that we took on Saturday.

She had to get the grumpy face from her daddy... that can't possibly be from me. ;)

The preemie outfit is quickly becoming snug, which makes me happy! Although, it is an adorable little sleeper and I think I'll miss it when she outgrows it.

And this picture... it makes me realize just how big Grayson is getting. He looks so much older now that little Braelyn is around.

Welcoming Braelyn Joy! :)

2010-12-17T01:14:00.003-05:00

Well, I have to say I'm glad I had some posts scheduled for this week! Our schedule got thrown for a loop last weekend when our little bundle decided to arrive 3 weeks ahead of time.

She is so small and looks so fragile - but so cuddly and sweet!

Welcome Braelyn Joy!
12/11/10
9:39 pm
6 lbs, 6 oz
20" long

The one thing I've been reminded of this week is how much it hurts to laugh, sneeze or cough after being filleted open. And it's awfully hard not to do those!

Grayson is doing great as a big brother - he loves to give her kisses, however he also thinks she is the perfect size for a hot wheels track! He is also loving having his Grandma here and getting tons of attention from her.

So there may be a slight lapse in my scrappy posts and for that I'm sorry - but I promise to come back!! Hopefully I can even create and share some great girly pages!! Maybe one day I'll even get to catch up on my December Daily album!

Star Boxes {neighbor gifts}

2010-12-16T09:47:00.000-05:00

I've decided this year that I'm not going to do as much baking as I normally do (it kills my back to stand in the kitchen these days), but I still wanted to give my neighbors a little something. They are really great people and always friendly with us (and they don't complain about our unkempt lawn in the summer - huge bonus points!!).

So each of them is getting a holiday mini loaf full of pumpkin raisin bread and an origami star box full of candy. The star boxes are made from Momenta All Through The Year papers. I cut an 8x8 sheet and used this video for help on folding them.

After I got them all folded up I simply glued some ric rack around the edges. Super easy and they hold quite a few pieces of candy since they flare out at the bottom.

So next time you need a quick gift, grab a sheet of patterned paper and a bag of chocolate - you can't go wrong!

Momenta Explosion Box

2010-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

We have a few people that we are giving gift cards to this year. I hate to just stick them in a card, so I thought it would be fun to do an explosion box for one, if not all of them.

I love these and they are so easy to make - plus you can embellish them however you want! This is created with all Momenta supplies.

Supplies:
Primary Cardstock (PA-0658)
All Through The Year Papers (PA-1991)
Shooting Star Brass Template (GS-164)
Pastel Gem Stickers (ST-3031)

I have plans for a few more (they are great for things other than gift cards too) - so keep your eyes peeled cause there should be a tutorial on the way!!

Giveaway Enabling Alert

2010-12-11T09:29:00.001-05:00

My friend Rita has a great giveaway going on at her blog right now. Seriously, don't believe me... check it out. I think that would be a fun package to get in the mail, don't you? Hop on over and follow her and comment for a chance to win!

And be sure to check out her super duper talent while you are there... she can definitely rock the scrap supplies!

Citrus Tree Studio December Challenge

2010-12-10T16:52:00.003-05:00

Since I was lucky enough to get a GDT spot at Citrus Tree Studio this month, I also get to host a challenge. I'm doing an ad challenge... and there is a great prize up for grabs!

So head on over to the CTS board and check it out. :)

I created this page (sorry about the bad picture)...

using design inspiration from this ad....

I'd love to see what you can do with the ad. And be sure to share it over at CTS for a chance to win the 6" paper pack from Kaiser Craft!

CTS December Kit {Altered Reveal}

2010-12-09T09:30:00.001-05:00

Earlier in the week I shared the layouts I created using the Christmas Potpourri kit from Citrus Tree Studio. Today I'm sharing the altered goodies (and a card) that I also created using the kit.

Seriously, this kit was lots of fun to work with and made for great holiday stuff. I highly suggest you jump over and pick it up. You know you are going to have holiday pictures... so why not be ready to scrap them when the mood strikes?

Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the creations!

December Daily {6 & 7}

2010-12-08T10:21:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday (although it feels weirdly like a Monday in my mind...)

Yesterday we had our last ultrasound. The little stinker didn't want to show her face, so I guess she is shy. Must take after her Daddy, cause shy is definitely not a word to describe me! LOL!

Today I'm sharing 2 more pages from my December Daily album.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you are having an awesome December! Tomorrow are more shares from the Citrus Tree Studio Kit I got to design with for this month. Hope you'll check back! And don't forget about the crop coming up around New Year's!

CTS December Kit {Layouts Revealed}

2010-12-07T09:08:00.002-05:00

I was a super lucky girl for my Guest Design Team spot at Citrus Tree Studio! I got to work with the Christmas Potpourri kit, which I mentioned before in my sneaks that I absolutely loved. I will even be picking up another one for this years holiday layouts!

So I'm here today to share my layouts with you (I've got some other projects, so be sure to check back later this week). I love the projects that I created and I hope you will too! And definitely swing by the forum at CTS, its full of fun challenges and friendly chatter!!

Hope you enjoyed my layouts. Like I said, be sure to check back later in the week for the other goodies I created with the "Christmas Potpourri" kit from Citrus Tree Studio!

And speaking of CTS... come ring in the new year at a crop from 12/31 - 1/2! The GDT members are participating and I have no doubt there will be loads of inspiration and awesome challenges. And, check out the prizes available. Come join us!!

December Daily 2010 {3,4&5}

2010-12-06T09:30:00.003-05:00

Monday, December 6th. Can you believe it? Soon we'll all be scurrying to take down our decorations. I find it sad that the days pass so quickly and the song Sixteen Tons comes to mind... "another day older and deeper in debt"

We got a bit of snow this weekend. :) It wasn't too much, but it made everything white and fluffy and really helps put you in the holiday spirit.

Today I'm sharing more of my December Daily pages, actually the ones from this weekend. I'm happy to say that I'm staying caught up! LOL! I find it so much easier to stay current doing digital pages...

Hope you have a great Monday - thanks for stopping by!

Stay Warm Card {Momenta}

2010-12-05T09:27:00.002-05:00

It should be a relaxing Sunday around our house as we are putting up the big Christmas tree in the living room (we've been waiting to see if we could find a new one, but no such luck) today and watching the snow melt. Maybe even with a warm mug of hot chocolate!

Due to our wintry weather and the chill in the air, I thought it fitting to share this card I created using Momenta goodies and some flock & glitter.

Hope you are staying warm and enjoying your weekend wherever you are!

Momenta Supplies:
Silver Metallic Paper (PA-1160)

Primary Colors Cardstock (PA-0658)

All Through The Year Papers (PA-1991)

December Daily 2010

2010-12-03T08:35:00.003-05:00

Wow, what happened to yesterday? I had planned to share my first December Daily page and I guess the day slipped away. Sorry about that! So today you get to see the first two pages of my DD album!

The December Daily is a popular concept from Ali Edwards. It helps document your journey through the holiday season. I did one last year, and this year is no different for me since we have a ton of new experiences hitting our family. As with last year, this year I'll be doing a digital book. I would love to have done a paper album, but I'm never coordinated enough to get it together prior to December - so digital it is!

If you have the time, I would highly recommend checking out and creating your own December Daily album. I love that I can look back and remember the little things that happened, not just all the stress surrounded by the holidays.

All elements/papers are a combination of things from my stash. Some are my own creations and some are from various other designers therefore credit will not be given over the course of the month. If you have a question about something specific, please let me know and I'll get you the designer information.

Snow Banner {Momenta}

2010-12-01T13:02:00.003-05:00

Is anybody else floored that it is already December 1st? I am always amazed at how quickly time passes the older I get. At any rate, I've been working on getting our house cleaned and decorated. Yesterday I decided to stop and make a snow banner for my mantel. I love how it turned out, especially since it incorporates the colors of a cute little snowman that is sitting next to it!

Momenta Supplies:
Primary Textured Cardstock (PA-0658)
Through the Year Paper Pad (PA-1991)
Metallic Silver Alphabet Stickers (ST-1988)
Black & White Gem Stickers (ST-3056)
Silver Flourish Rubons (RO-1895)

Enjoy - it was a great little addition and took next to no time whatsoever to assemble!

Hope your December is off to a great start! I'll be working on my December Daily this evening, so hopefully I'll have that to share tomorrow!

27 days {and counting}

2010-11-30T08:12:00.003-05:00

I know most people are counting down to the holidays, but not me! I'm counting down to a couple days after Christmas... when we will be lucky enough to welcome our newest family addition. It has finally hit that I need to get things finalized and ready, so this week I'm focusing on knocking a few things off my to do list.

I have nothing spectacularly new and creative to share... so today I figured I would share pictures.

We have added a new Christmas tree this year. One for our basement (family area) that I thought Grayson would have fun helping me decorate. Turns out, I had much higher hopes for his desires than he did. I have a collection of ornaments from days gone by that are non-breakable (or one would think, but he has a knack for breaking things I think are safe) so I decided to use those.

At any rate, the decorating lasted for a little bit. At least long enough to snap a few pictures. So now I need to finish up the rest of the house and get in the holiday spirit!

Check out this giveaway...

2010-11-29T10:11:00.001-05:00

If you haven't seen it, Patti has a huge giveaway on her blog right now. I think I would have a hard time putting that in the mail. I do hope she kept a set of everything for herself! Oh... did I just let my selfishness sneak out? Oopsie!

Seriously though, jump over to her blog and become a follower (don't forget to leave a comment) so you have a chance to win. Wouldn't you just love to get that bundle of joy in the mail in a couple weeks?

Citrus Tree Studio December Kit

2010-11-27T11:48:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to be asked to design with one of the December kits from Citrus Tree Studio. I got the Christmas Potpourri kit and let me tell you - it rocks! I'll definitely be picking up another one to scrap this years holiday pictures.

I thought I would share a couple of the sneak peeks to perk your interest! Be sure to check out CTS and the forum later this month for the full reveal (12/5) and some fun challenges (12/10).

CSN Stores

2010-11-27T11:28:00.002-05:00

Have you heard of CSN Stores? I've seen lots of blogs around doing reviews and giveaways from CSN Stores and I'm excited to tell you that I'll be able to join the ranks! In case you didn't know, CSN Stores have a HUGE variety of items. You can pick up everything in one location from things like extra tall bar stools to kids toys to kitchen gadgets and appliances.

CSN Stores is a Boston based company and is quickly growing in popularity as well as reputation. I've seen quite a few things on the site that I would just love to have in my house....

For example, check out this Tripp Trapp High Chair. I love that it is completely adjustable.

And of course the highly covetted Kitchen Aid mixer.

So, be sure to check back as you won't want to miss the giveaway & review. And who couldn't use a little bonus this holiday season?

Momenta Giveaway Winner

2010-11-13T21:38:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by and entering the giveaway for the Momenta Page Kit!

I used Random.org to choose the winner... and congratulations to...

Mara!

Please get in touch with me (you can use the email link from my blogger profile) with your address so I can get your prize in the mail!

Halloween Pics

2010-11-11T13:39:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I'm a little late to the game. I figured I would share Grayson's gnome costume anyway though. The beard and hat were not his favorite part of the costume - if you can't tell by the 2nd picture. We all had fun trick or treating though! I'll be sad next year when he wants to pick his own costume, I've kinda enjoyed dressing him up how I want!

While you are here, don't forget to enter my Momenta giveaway... it is ending soon!

Momenta Projects & A Giveaway!!

2010-11-09T10:10:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned how much I love the card packs from Momenta? It may be my laziness, but not having to cut the card base and saving the few extra minutes really help me out. I also love to make thank you cards, and probably because I use them moreso than any other card.

Here is a card I made, using the Birthday Wishes Card Pack (NC-1267), Family Ties Paper Pack (PA-1486), Thank You Stickers (ST-3047), Flutter Stickers (ST-3075), Flutter Rubons (RO-1849) and the Pastel Gems (ST-3031).

Here is a digital page I put together using some digital freebies from Momenta. They really do have a bit of everything for everyone!

Now, on to the giveaway... we all know that is why you are here. ;) LOL!

Since I love my Momenta goodies so much, I want to share them with you! Up for grabs is "A Family Affair" Page Kit! The colors in this kit are so much fun and I know you will enjoy working with it.

Now, on to the details...
a. leave a comment on this post between now and Friday (11/12)
b. blog about the giveaway and leave a link in the comments
c. become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already)

For each of these instances, you will receive an entry. The winner will be announced on Saturday (11/13) - so be sure to check back over the weekend to see if you are the lucky one!

Abstract Fusion from Momenta

2010-11-06T11:07:00.003-05:00

If you haven't seen them, you should check out the boxed album kits available from Momenta.

I got the Abstract Fusion kit to work with... and I love it! The colors are fabulous and there is a ton of product in the box to create multiple layouts - and a coordinating album to boot! Can't get much better than that for an all in one product!

I wanted to share a couple of the layouts I've done so far, and I have more projects planned. Not only pages - but the box that it comes in is cool too, and I have a plan for that as well. I love that it is already designed - makes creating so much easier!

The kit is definitely worth the cost, and makes creating super easy since nearly everything is already at your finger tips. It would be especially great if you are planning to give some albums for holiday gifts, but don't have the time to coordinate everything yourself!

Give the dog a bath...

2010-11-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

So, does everyone have huge plans for the weekend? Not much planned here, although I believe I'll be doing the same as is pictured in my layout below. Except somehow it will become frantic and I'll be more covered with suds and water than the dog. :)

Be sure to stop back by next week for a scrappy giveaway, never want to miss an opportunity for free goodies!

Using some older pics here (1970-ish) for Dad's requested pet album. I do love the page kits from Momenta as nearly everything is in there, but my puppy one is running thin so I'm having to supplement with other supplies.

Momenta Supplies:
Precious Pets Page Kit (PK-1977)
Pure Cardstock (PA-1036)
Precious Pets Stickers (ST-2893)

Fun!

2010-11-04T09:16:00.003-05:00

Here's another layout using Momenta supplies! This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip to the NC Zoo back in April. Grayson loves to explore and look around, and I love to watch him grow and explore.

For the letters, I sanded them down and used Smooch Spritz on them so they weren't such a high contrast with the silver. For journaling and doodling, I used my Metallic Sakura pens.

Momenta Supplies:
Endless Summer Paper Pack (PA-1108)
Star Dimensional Stickers (ST-2227)
Silver Chipboard Alphabet (ST-2397)
Bright Gem Stickers (ST-3044)

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check back soon as I'll be having a giveaway of some sort, but you'll have to wait to see exactly what it is!

Check out this giveaway...

2010-11-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Check out this giveaway, in honor of her birthday (hope you have a wonderful birthday). She is going to give somebody else a present?!

Be sure to check out her blog for the ways to win...

http://whimcees.blogspot.com/

Buddies (Momenta)

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

For this one, I worked with Got Sketch? #104. Since I'm not doing any journaling for my dad's pet book I decided to just adapt it and roll. Not much on this page, but I think the design is super cute.

I should also mention, I think this is the last time I will let my dad request a book by a certain date. I've had forever to work on it, but I know if I don't get it done by Christmas he will ask about it and I will feel bad. So... I'm trying to whip through some pages so I can at least wrap something for him!

All Momenta supplies...
Relaxed Textured Cardstock (PA-1035)
Flutter Paper Pack (PA-1563)
Crimped Alpha Stickers (ST-1814)
Flutter Borders (ST-3072)
Wonderland Dimensional Stickers (ST-2066)
Bright Gems (ST-3044)

Sketchy Thursdays

2010-11-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Since I'm looking for challenges to jumpstart my scrapping right now, I decided to work with the 10/28 sketch at Sketchy Thursdays. And since I'm working on the book my dad requested, I am using his pictures. I have no idea why he wants the deer in the book of pets - but that is my dad for ya.

At any rate, here is my take on the sketch...

Enjoy and have a great Tuesday!!

And if you know of any good challenge blogs, sketches or otherwise... link me up!

Happy November!

2010-11-01T08:25:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it is November already. I've not been terribly happy with my crafting these days. So I found this sketch at sketchabilities this weekend and fell in love. The sketch rocks and I immediately knew I wanted to do something with it. So I grabbed the pictures of Grayson decorating his pumpkin this weekend (he didn't want to have anything to do with carving, so we stuck with stickers) and an older kit from Citrus Tree Studio.

The colors are perfect for my pics, and I only added a few embellishments.

Hope everyone has a great Monday and beginning of the month!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T12:24:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great Halloween weekend. I thought I would share this spooky card I created using Momenta products. So here ya go, just a quick & easy tutorial!

Supplies:

Earthtones Cardstock Pad (PA-0659), Pure Textured Cardstock Pad (PA-1036), Acrylic Alpha Stickers (ST-1788), Black & White Gem Stickers (ST-3056), Scissors, Liquid Adhesive, Glitter and Black Copic Marker

The first thing you want to do is cut all your pieces. Your card base (orange cardstock) should be 8.5x5.5” (fold in half to create the card). I also freehand cut the two ovals and V shapes for the spider legs.

At that point, I used my black copic marker to shade the spider pieces. I simply ran the marker across one side of the legs and around the ovals. You don’t have to be particular or make sure everything is perfect – the mistakes add character.

From there, you will want to glue your two ovals together to make the spider body. Overlap them slightly, but remember the smaller piece is the head. Flip the spider body over and begin attaching your legs on one side, using the angle point to line them up.

Remember – spiders have 8 legs so you want 4 on each side! (It is very possible that it is just us pregnant ladies that need the reminder, but I thought I would throw it out there for ya). ;)

Flip the spider back over and use black gemstones for the eyes.

While the spider is drying, use the acrylic alphabet stickers to put the word on your card on the bottom right corner. Attach your spider to the card using pop dots (or other dimensional adhesive). Add a drop of glue to each leg and trim the left legs so they aren’t hanging off of the card (especially if you are putting it in an envelope)!

From there, embellish your card as desired. I simply added a web string of black glitter to give the appearance of the spider crawling down.

Quick and easy cards are perfect for those last minute needs (you know, the ones we always forget about)! And we all know I'm all about the quick & easy!

Weekend Productivity!

2010-10-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it is Wednesday already. The weeks are just flying by (which is a good thing for me right now). Hope everyone is enjoying Fall so far. The leaves here are changing, but this week the weather has been damp - so no getting out to take pictures. :(

As of today, there are 62 days left until my current surgical 'due date'. With everything going on during this pregnancy... I say bring on the baby! Who (at the current moment) is riddled with the name "baby x". Hopefully we'll come up with something better than that in the next 2 months. Probably not, but we'll give it a shot.

At any rate, this past weekend was a crop at Citrus Tree Studio. I was lucky enough to complete 4 challenges - which for me was 3 layouts and a card! That is more than I have done in one scrapping session in awhile, so I was pretty happy.

The last two layouts were created with Momenta supplies, so hopefully they will be up on the Momenta site soon.

Dirty Scraps Challenge #20

2010-10-26T16:01:00.002-05:00

Time for another challenge over at Dirty Scraps! This time the prompt is Moving On Up!

I scrapped about the decision to put our pup Onyx to sleep. It was a very difficult one for me, something that weighed heavily on me for months. I still feel twinges of guilt, but I know given the circumstances it was the best decision we could have made for her.

Journaling:
this was the day i learned how much strength i really had. i had dealt with putting dogs to sleep before, but never have I had to make a decision like that one for onyx. she was healthy and young, but mentally unstable. although she was young at only 5 years old, she had always shown signs of aggresion. it had gotten to the point that we were not safe, nor were grayson or the other dogs. the decision to put her to sleep was not easy, but over time it became clear it was the only option. while we miss her daily, we really had no other options. i have learned to be at peace with my decision, and she will always be in our hearts.

I used digital elements from various different designers.

Head on over to Dirty Scraps and check out the challenge. There is a prize up for grabs from Paper Wishes, but you can't win unless you participate!!

Dirty Scraps Blog Hop Winner

2010-10-25T19:50:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everybody for stopping by my blog during the Dirty Scraps Blog Hop! I loved hearing the feedback on my owl banner.

So on to the winner...

I printed out all the comments and put them in the dump truck, which had to be driven around for a little while before one would actually be picked. sigh. Please excuse the lack of shirt - we had spaghetti for dinner and it is so much easier to wash him than the clothes!

Then, when I finally convinced him to pick one, he refused to take his eyes off the tv long enough to pose all cute like.

At any rate... I managed to get it out of his hands and the lucky winner is....

.......

Denise!!

Denise said...
Your owl banner is sooo cute!!! Love how you glimmer misted them. I'm definitely going to follow you now to see what you make next :)

Denise, please email me (you can grab my email from my blogger profile page) so I can get your prize in the mail!

Thanks again to everyone that stopped by - I hope you have checked out the Dirty Scraps blog and all the Design Team blogs to see if you won!

Fall Banner Dirty Scraps Blog Hop

2010-10-23T04:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Fall Ya'll!!

Welcome to the Dirty Scraps blog hop!!

If you came from Laura's blog, you are on the right track! If you didn't, you might want to start at the beginning (Dirty Scraps Challenge Blog) and follow through so you can check out *ALL* of the awesomeness on the Dirty Scrapper’s blogs without missing anyone. Don't forget to comment and follow all of the blogs for a chance to win the prizes!

I created a fun fall banner - of course with a hinted at southern accent since I have readily adapted it living in the south. ;) I used TONS of fun product on this banner including mists, bling, burlap & even a cinnamon stick!

This banner was lots of fun and adds a little fall feel to my fireplace (which is in my scraproom... jealous, eh?!). I love the colors of fall, so this project went together super easy.

I am a bit backwards of a scrapper, but for this project you will definitely need to mist your chipboard album first. From there I used my Helmar 450 to add embellishment groupings to each of my pieces. After that I added my FALL letters (using Basic Grey Chipboard Letters as templates). Then I added my thickers (happy & ya'll) and continued embellishing each piece until I was happy with the results. I punched holes with my Crop-o-Dile Big Bite, tied in some twine for an added fall feel and all was done!

Supplies: Nikki Sivils Owl Chipboard Album, Imaginisce Flowers, Bazzill Flowers, Prima Crystals, American Crafts Felt Pieces & Thickers, Burlap Scraps, Cinnamon Stick, Joann's Stick Pin, K&Co Gems, Kaiser Craft Pearls, Fancy Pants Paper, Misc. Buttons, Twine and Various Mists (including some I made).

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed my fall banner as much as I do!

Now, I know you want to qualify for the Momenta Prize I am giving away, but in order to do that you must follow my blog & comment (on this post). This prize is full of Momenta goodness, shimmer and shine! Definitely a fun piece of scrappy mail one lucky winner will receive! The winner will be announced early next week, so be sure to check back then.

And don't forget the rest of the Dirty Scraps blog hop... from here you should head over to Amy's Blog where I know you are in for a treat!!

Huge thanks to the following sponsors for working with Dirty Scraps ...
Liz @ http://javaortea4me.blogspot.com/
Scrapbooking From The Inside Out
And Crop Stop!

Remember, you must leave a comment not only on the Dirty Scraps blog and be a follower, but you also have to leave a comment on all the DTs blogs as well. You only have to become a follower of the DT members blog that you would like to win a prize from. Choose one or all - that is up to you!

Happy Wednesday!

2010-10-20T11:39:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it is already Wednesday. The week seems to be going by rather fast in our household!

I am lucky enough to have a HUGE scrapping/sewing/crafting space. The wall is lined with shelves and I love it. However, I (like most other crafters I know) am always looking for the perfect storage. There are a couple things that I have perfected for me, so I wanted to share those with you guys. This is an old picture (Grayson is definitely bigger than that these days), but it looks pretty much the same.

First up is my ribbon storage. I had my ribbons all crammed in jars by color (please ignore the ugly brown panelling on the wall). It was great because I could just grab a jar that matched my layout - except my ribbons were wrinkled and wound up getting all bunched up together. So I could never just grab and pull since they all wanted to come out together.

So I spent a few days cutting pieces of heavy cardboard and wrapping my ribbons around them. I absolutely love it this way! I don't have a wrinkle problem anymore and the ribbons are so easy to see and grab from the drawers.

Then there is my small embellishment storage. Prior to this, I had lots of little fishing tackle boxes. They were great, and honestly worked for awhile... but the hinges and snaps had started to break so the boxes weren't closing properly. So I had saved lots of baby food jars in hopes of doing something creative with them.

Baby food jars are fairly indestructable (unless you happen to drop one down the garbage disposal then turn it on - oops) so I thought they would make good storage. The stage 1 and 2 jars fit in the box perfectly too. So I transferred my storage to these. I keep them flipped upside down so I can see the colors/type of items in them. And the box stays in the bottom drawer of my desk - so I don't have to lift the entire thing, just the jars I want to use!

So there are just a couple ideas of storage from my scrap room. Maybe they will inspire some storage solutions for you!

Corn Maze (Momenta)

2010-10-18T17:00:00.001-05:00

Today, my corn maze layout is featured on the Momenta Designer's blog :)

If you have a moment, stop by over there and check it out. Thanks!!

Helmar Halloween Howler Hop

2010-10-17T15:50:00.004-05:00

Today is the day - it is the Helmar Halloween Howler Hop!

There are tons of great projects (and tips) from the Helmar Design Team, not to mention a bunch of prizes! So head on over to the Helmar Design Team Blog and 'hop' through to the various designer's blogs.

And then, be sure to check out Helmar's Facebook page for other fun prizes and contests today!!

Tic Tac Toe - travel style

2010-10-15T07:53:00.002-05:00

Well, our week has been full of coughs, sniffles, sneezes and such so I don't really have anything new to share. I decided to dig through and find an older project (for the sake of updating my blog) that I don't remember sharing here.

So... I found this travel tic tac toe board I made for the car. It was featured in Ready Set Create where I wrote an article about creatively using things you have in your stash from years past.

I used a piece of acrylic from a Rusty Pickle album, Nikki Sivils papers, some cherry ribbon and some old bottle caps I had in my stash from years past.

After I assembled the board I used diamond glaze on it (you can see the streaks, but my son doesn't care!) to give it more durability. I also coated each bottle cap with diamond glaze so the pieces are nice and strong. They attach to the board via velcro - so they shouldn't fall off and get lost very easily.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully next week all the sickies will be gone and I can share some new things with you guys!

Dirty Scraps Blog Hop & CTS Crop

2010-10-12T13:30:00.004-05:00

I posted a few days ago about the Dirty Scraps blog hop that is coming up October 23 & 24. I just finished up my project, so I wanted to give you a preview... Lots of product used, including some fun mists, bling and LOTS of helmar glue!

And a glimpse of the prize I am offering up to one lucky participant...

It is also the weekend of the Citrus Tree Studio Scraptoberfest Crop. CTS Crops are awesome - with tons of great challenges, prizes and lots of fun conversation. We would love to have you join in the challenges (and the great message board too)!

These are definitely *DO NOT MISS* events, so mark your calendars, send the hubby's away, pack the kid's for grandparents and consider yourself booked up!

Dirty Scraps Challenge 19 & Blog Hop

2010-10-10T14:00:00.001-05:00

Have you heard the news? Dirty Scraps is hosting it's first blog hop on October 23rd and 24th. So not only will there be awesome eye candy from the designer's at Dirty Scraps, but there will be some great prizes and fun giveaways too!

Here's a sneak of the prize I am providing... A pack of Momenta goodies - all ready and waiting to be played with!

And on to the current challenge (#19) at Dirty Scraps...

"You thought I didn't know....but I do"

This challenge is all about lies. I decided to scrap about the feeling of betrayal that you get after you discovered you have been lied to. I'm sure we've all experienced it.

Supplies:
Fancy Pants Papers, Bazzill Cardstock, Prima Flowers & Leaves, American Crafts Felt Accent Pieces & Thickers, Kaiser Craft Pearls, Maya Road Sheer, DMC Embroidery Floss, Helmar 450 Glue, Misc Buttons and Doodlebug Designs Alphabet Stickers.

Journaling: I opened my heart and soul to you. I trusted you completely. When I find out you lied, I feel betrayed. It became a quick realization that I don't matter to you. That my feelings aren't important. The trust has been broken and I don't know it can be re-gained.

And here are a couple of close-up shots of the embellishment gatherings...

Be sure to stop by the Dirty Scraps blog and participate in the challenge. You can't win a prize if you don't play along!! And the prize is from Paper Wishes, so hurry up!

Citrus Tree Studio Crop

2010-09-30T10:00:00.003-05:00

Have you heard? Citrus Tree Studio is hosting a Scraptoberfest Crop! There will be all kinds of challenges and prizes - so stop on over and check it out! A great time to be inspired and get some pages knocked out!

Hand Tree from Momenta Papers

2010-09-28T10:46:00.005-05:00

I would first like to say that this project was not my idea. I found it done somewhere (I'll look for the link to add) with fabric and of course, I had to turn it into a paper project. :)

I really thought this project would be MUCH harder than it was. As it turns out, it was really easy - except tracing G's hand/arm.

He is 2
He doesn't get that he should stand still EVER
He wanted to do the tracing
He wanted the 'hand'
He wanted the ink pen once we finished (smart choice mom)
He then drew all over his belly
He had to be cleaned up

But, it's all in good fun ... so it's no biggie and if that is the worst that happens today, after yesterday I will count my blessings.

Now, onto the project.

For this one, I used the following papers from Momenta:
Earthtones Textured Cardstock PA-0659
Relax Textured Cardstock PA-1035
Occasions & Celebrations Paper PA-1992
Metallics Paper Pad PA-1161

Other supplies include an old frame, Helmar 450, a burlap scrap and my Xyron Cheetah.
All these things I had on hand in my overstock room (have I mentioned I'm trying to clean that out?).

So, here's the tutorial, which probably isn't needed at all since the project is so simple.

1. Pull apart frame and discard any unwanted materials (the paper picture, the mat, etc).

2. Apply adhesive to the front side of your frame back board (this is where I used the Xyron Cheetah for a wider coverage area).

3. Lay burlap over the 'sticky' and be sure to smooth it out.

4. Turn piece over and trim next to the edge.

The finished back board piece should look like the picture below. Go ahead and set it to the side for a few mintues.

Now... onto the actual tree...

5. Trace your victim's hand & arm up to the elbow (sorry, no picture as it was hard enough to get the tracing down).

6. Place the traced hand onto your brown cardstock and cut it out.
* If you are good enough to do the tracing directly onto you cardstock I go ahead and bow down gracefully.
* And my son's forefinger is really not deformed and that much skinnier than the rest - he just likes to squirm.

7. Cut all of your leaves from the various patterned papers/cardstock. I went with freehand, but you can easily do this with your cutting system.

*If freehand cutting, stack your papers and staple in one or two corners to keep them from sliding as you cut.

8. Using your glue (I used the Helmar 450 for the following steps) begin attaching your leaves in an upward & outward motion. You may want to leave the hand sitting gently on the burlap so you have an idea of where to start.

9. Finish attaching your leaves and then attach your hand.

10. Reassemble your frame and hang it up! And, if your child is like mine... smile at the fact that he recognizes it is a tree (and a hand) as he tries to climb the wall to exclaim and share his knowledge!

Stencil Painted Magnet Boards

2010-09-27T12:33:00.003-05:00

This was a fairly quick & easy project - so I thought I would share it with you guys. Since we recently repainted Grayson's room, I am looking for new things to hang on the wall. I've already created a name plaque to hang above his closet door, but that is all he has. Since he likes robots (and I used them on his name plaque) I thought I would do this quickly to have at least something in there. And then, since I had the stencils pulled out, I decided to grab a butterfly and create one for the little girl who is on the way.

I picked up these magnetic note boards at Target in the dollar spot a few years ago - and they have been sitting in my to do bin (cleaning that out is also on the to do list). So I figured I would put them to use here...

I even skipped the painting of the frame for the butterfly since it was already a girly color! I used Momenta Stencils for the robot & butterfly (Robots BL-350 & Cheyenne’s Butterfly BL-345) and Plaid Acrylic Paints.

Super easy, and now at least I have something to hang on the walls in the bedrooms of my kiddos. :) And, I have some other ideas stirring about how I can creatively use these stencils for other decorations in their room - so stay tuned!

I've taken a hiatus

2010-09-24T13:50:00.002-05:00

I took a hiatus from blogging, but I have been busy elsewhere. The carpets got cleaned this morning so I've spent all of this week trying to get furniture moved and get the rest of the house cleaned up. I haven't done too much crafting wise, but I did manage to make part of Grayson's Halloween costume and I tried my hand at sewing some diaper covers. They are cute, but I believe my homemade pattern might need to be perfected before they can actually be used. Who knows though, I might just try one on him and see if it flies.

Then of course, I've had the dreaded case of poison ivy on my face. You know, it has to be bad when your husband looks at you and says "uh....." with nothing to follow. In his defense, his shock & awe was a valid response. I wound up looking very monster-ish for a couple days and I'm sure some people at the grocery store were convinced I was a domestic abuse case. Thankfully it seems to be healing well, despite the fact it still itches on occasion. I'll spare you the pictures for now, but I'm sure I'll scrap them at some point.

So no scrapping from me, but I have been slowly whittling away at my to do list (which is still huge). Can someone say nesting? I know Jeff can - and does on a regular basis - right before he rolls his eyes. But, it makes me feel better and that is all that matters. :)

I'll be scrapping next week though, so be on the lookout for some projects to come!

But, in the meantime, consider this your PSA. If you get poison ivy on your face (especially near your eye) ... GO SEE A DOCTOR!!!

Star of the Party (Treasured Hunt Page)

2010-09-14T10:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the deadline for Round 3 of the Treasured Hunt at Treasured Scrapbooking. We had to focus on one technique, so I chose painting. I used orange & green shimmerz as well as regular acrylic craft paint on the chipboard, picture and cardstock.

I like how the layout turned out, but looking at it now I wish I had added a few more details to it.

Journaling:
You are such a happy little guy, you definitely make people happy and so far have proved to be the star of the party.

Supplies:

Cardstock - DCWV

Paper Stars & Bling Flourish - Prima

Shimmerz Paint

Misc. Chipboard

Adornit & Momenta Alpha Stickers

Crafter's Warehouse Stencil

Acrylic Craft Paint

Treasured Scrapbooking Treasured Hunt {Round 2}

2010-09-06T16:19:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to make it to Round 2 of the Treasured Hunt! The challenge this round was lots of fun. You needed to use a book title, use a particular phrase in your journaling, have at least 3 layers of paper somewhere and use something school related.

Here is my lengthy journaling...

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease somewhere around the age of 20. When the diagnosis finally came in I was convinced I would spend the rest of my life alone. I mean, after all, who would want to love someone with a bag on their side? Luckily, with the help of medication, I have been able to hold off that procedure. I am now a wife and a mother, which is something I was convinced I would never get to do. These two things have been the far most rewarding events in my life thus far, and I am thankful for every minute I get to spend in those roles.

For me, significance has come mostly from being a mom. It has been one of those things that I didn’t know what was missing from life until it was given to me. As a mom, the things I’ve learned about myself never cease to amaze me. The moments when my son says ‘bless you’ after a sneeze, ‘thanks’ when you hand him something or ‘sorry’ when something doesn’t go the right way make it easier to handle the harder moments (like when he is pounding his head on the floor because I told him no).

I can’t say that I am the best of the best at being either a wife or a mother, but I can say that I try to give it my all. Yes because of my disease there are days that we can’t go do something – but hopefully, through time, my son will learn that having a disease does not mean a person cannot continue to live life to the fullest.

Supplies: SEI Bridgeport Bordeaux, Love Elsie Toby Culture, KI Memories Pop Culture Feather Boa, AC Thickers & MiniMarks, Kaiser Pearls, Martha Stewart Glitter, Flowers, Leaves & Butterflies - Prima (I believe), Brad, Hat Pin & Ribbon - Unknown

For my school related item - I made the compass point out of paper and I also have a paper clip near the title.

Back to the Grind

2010-09-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

Well, after a week of vacation we are back to reality. I have to say though, it was loads of fun. We had a blast watching Grayson experience stuff and have fun while doing it. So here are a few pictures that encompass our week...

A great view...

LOTS of road construction...

Plenty of pointing out body parts while waiting in lines...

Riding on Daddy's shoulders...

A box of sidewalk chalk (oops, I'm a bad mommy for letting him draw on the table - good thing we don't have one at home)

Everyone pulling their hair out to get out of the car...

Giggles Galore!

And plenty of 'what in the world' faces from me...

And lots and lots of trains {Choo Choo}!!

But, after all was said and done we had a great time! If you are bored or just want to see more pics, I have added them to my gallery.

Now I need to get scrapping all these pictures!

Sympathy Card {Momenta}

2010-09-03T10:30:00.001-05:00

Another quick project created with Momenta supplies. I needed a quick sympathy card, so I pulled out the black tie collection and made this in about 15 minutes.

And can I tell you how much I LOVE these pre-cut card packs? They rock and are a steal at only $1.49!

Supplies:

Card Pack NC-1270
Metal Paper Pack PA-1502
Chipboard Icon Stickers ST-3087

Laugh {Momenta Digital}

2010-09-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love quick projects. With a toddler around, the best thing is to have something on and off my table in a heartbeat (which also includes my computer since he can reach the keyboard). That said, I created this digital page using the Sweet Talk Collection from Momenta.

Quick and painless - this layout took me about 30 minutes (with multiple interruptions I'm sure) to complete. The perfect project for me!

Quilted Stars Tutorial

2010-08-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

This was so simple, and really I don't know why I'm even bothering to type up the tutorial... with the exception that I am deranged and didn't think of it earlier. So, maybe somebody else could use that simple (and gentle) smack to the head. Followed by the 'duh' that usually comes when you have a light bulb moment.

Now... I used the quilted stars on the last layout I put here on my blog (Eating Oatmeal All By Myself for Round One of the Treasured Hunt).

Here's a shot of it used on the layout...

So, beware this is picture heavy... but it really only takes 5 minutes or so to accomplish (maybe a few more if you are hand sewing).

Supplies Needed:
Fabric (I used some courdoroy scraps I had left from purses last year)
Scissors (good for cutting layered fabric)
Batting, Felt, Fleece, etc.
Needle & Thread or Sewing Machine
Fabric Pen
Template (or freehand if you are good)

So now let's get to the fun part...

The first thing you want to do is trace/mark your template (or freehand your shape) on the WRONG SIDE of your fabric. Now, don't get me wrong, you are welcome to do it on the right side, but I'm not nearly that good. For my template I used a star chipboard piece I had in my stash.

Here is a pic of my traced copy.

At that point you want to place it against your backing material (I used a couple scrap pieces of felt). You can see my markings through the fabric. If you can't see your markings through the fabric you might want to try tracing gently on the right side of the fabric.

Then just start sewing on your markings.... easy peasy!

On this piece, I sewed the star shape then decided to encase it into a square. Excuse the toy cars - he was trying to bribe me away from my project, but I couldn't crop them out - cause he was so cute about it!

Once you finish sewing you can either keep it square or cut the star shape out. And more car toy bribes.

Here are the finished pieces. They took no time at all and they actually looked really cool!

I did use a contrasting thread on my pieces, but you don't have to. I thought it would make the star shape a little more emphasis. This really was super easy and made a great coordinating and textured embellishment for my page.

Treasured Scrapbooking Treasured Hunt!

2010-08-26T18:17:00.004-05:00

I couldn't decide if I wanted to participate in the Treasured Hunt over at Treasured Scrapbooking. Well, I decided to bite the bullet and just go for it...

The requirements for Round 1 are patterned paper from 3 manufacturers (fancy pants, scenic route & fiskars), 1 sheet cardstock (bazzill), 5 and only 5 buttons, something handmade (quilted stars), at least 5 words in your title and 2 pictures taken by you.

The title thing stumped me for a bit, as sometimes I don't even use a title. But I finished it today and am pretty happy with how it turned out. :)

The quilted stars were really easy and I'll be doing a tutorial post on them in the next day or so.

And if you like a good challenge - you can still play along with the Treasured Hunt just for fun, even though the deadline for the actual contest has passed.

My Guys - Momenta

2010-08-24T20:40:00.003-05:00

I got this page done for a sketch challenge at Citrus Tree Studio. Since I haven't scrapped in a few weeks, I figured I should start with a challenge to get myself back in the groove. Not sure if that worked, especially since I won't have much time to do anything else until September. But, we'll see...

I used all Momenta products with the exception of the star chipboard.

Momenta Supplies:
Endless Summer Paper PA-1108
Primary Textured Cardstock PA-0658
Earthtones Textured Cardstock PA-0659
Black Metallic Alpha Stickers ST-1814

Dirty Scraps #15 {Games}

2010-08-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

The current challenge at Dirty Scraps is about games. For those who have a toddler, who have lived through having a toddler or have just spent time around them... you know that I'm stuck playing these mind games on a daily basis. Some days I really wonder if I am even getting through to him, but then when I least expect it, I actually see that I am. :)

So here is my page for this challenge. It's a digital using mostly Momenta freebies, although I did add in a couple elements from some other designers.

Journaling:
I realize it is part of having a child and raising you to do the right thing, but there are days when these mind games we play are just enough to do me in. I say no and you do it anyway. You are learning you can’t get away with it, but the hardest part is actually teaching you that. I have to come up with new ways to teach you each and every day. And you come up with new ways to push the limits each day too. Some days I want to give up and bang my head on the wall, but I resist and hope that eventually I will get through to you!

the domestic side of me...

2010-08-09T10:09:00.004-05:00

So I haven't been doing much paper crafting these days. It seems like there are plenty of other things keeping me busy. My mom brought me a bunch of tomatoes from their garden. Mind didn't produce, honestly the plants didn't even grow. I think they got potted as it took me awhile to get them planted. But, I got some fresh ones none the less.

So I picked up some onions and peppers and made a batch of salsa.

Now I have peaches and nectarines in the fridge that I need to puree & freeze. I imagine there might be a few smoothies in our future, maybe even a peach cobbler.

sometimes we just don't get what we want!

2010-08-06T15:58:00.004-05:00

With all the activity here at our house (leaky main water pipe, the dogs escaping, plumber appointments), I haven't had much time to scrap. To be honest, by the time I do get any sort of 'down time' I'm frankly exhausted and usually wind up catching a couple minutes of sleep.

So Jeff has asked me a couple times how old my facebook profile picture (a subtle hint that I should update it I guess). Today, as Grayson and I were sitting I decided to give it a try. The quick photo shoot was just that - quick! He decided it would be better for him to take pictures or the pictures needed to be of his car, his arm, etc.

And here is my personal favorite... the stoner family.

So there you go, you don't always get what you want. Especially if you have a toddler!
Maybe next time. :)

Scrap That Baby Prompt 10

2010-08-04T08:38:00.002-05:00

I was excited to be asked to work with Scrap that Baby for their Prompt 10 Challenge! The challenge is How I Met Your Father.

There is a cool Pebbles prize available from the sponsor Scrappy Jo's too.

I created a digital page for this challenge, using a variety of elements from different designers. Be sure to check out the challenge blog, it's especially for scrappers with young children!

Altered Grayson Frame

2010-07-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

I did this project quickly to hang in grayson's room after it gets painted. It's featured on the Momenta Blog, so hop on over there and check it out for the simple instructions and supply list.

KelzScraps

Tuesday Layouts

Scrap Box Cards

some digitals

Happy Friday!

Hell Hath Frozen Over!

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

Scrap That Baby - Cry Baby Cry

Making Flourish Stencils

CTS April Challenge 2

CTS Challenges

Scrap That Baby - Messy

ordinary kinda day

Project 12 - February

A Giveaway for CSN Stores!

I {heart} sewing!

Scrap That Baby

Bringing the Outdoors In!

Terror Toddler

TallyScrapper Survivor Layouts Week 2

Pencil Lines DT Call Sketch

Scrap That Baby - I Love Challenge

My Kids Define Me

I am becoming *that* mom!!

Project 12 - January

Valentine Card & Bag

Moxie Fab World Cameo Challenge

Design Dollies Feb Color Challenge

CSN Stores

How I spent my Wednesday

Beautiful Baby Braelyn

Caricature Digital Page

** Giveaway Enabling Alert **

Altered Love Notes Box

Valentine Card & Tag

New Blog Look :)

Momenta Stencil Storage

Unexpected Blogging Vacation

A Card & A Winner

Don't forget...

Part of the Family

A Couple Momenta Projects

Weekend Scrappiness

CSN Stores Giveaway & Review

CTS Crop Reminder

Happy Holidays

One Week Old

Welcoming Braelyn Joy! :)

Star Boxes {neighbor gifts}

Momenta Explosion Box

** Giveaway Enabling Alert **

Citrus Tree Studio December Challenge

CTS December Kit {Altered Reveal}

December Daily {6 & 7}

CTS December Kit {Layouts Revealed}

December Daily 2010 {3,4&5}

Stay Warm Card {Momenta}

December Daily 2010

Snow Banner {Momenta}

27 days {and counting}

Check out this giveaway...

Citrus Tree Studio December Kit

CSN Stores

Momenta Giveaway Winner

Halloween Pics

Momenta Projects & A Giveaway!!

Abstract Fusion from Momenta

Give the dog a bath...

Fun!

Check out this giveaway...

Buddies (Momenta)

Sketchy Thursdays

Happy November!

Happy Halloween!

Weekend Productivity!

Dirty Scraps Challenge #20

Dirty Scraps Blog Hop Winner

Fall Banner *Dirty Scraps Blog Hop*

Happy Wednesday!

Corn Maze (Momenta)

I am becoming that mom!!

Giveaway Enabling Alert

Giveaway Enabling Alert

Fall Banner Dirty Scraps Blog Hop