Crazy For Crafting!

My Favorite 20 Layouts of 2011

2012-01-01T20:18:00.007-06:00

I decided to look back at my scrapbook layouts today and reflect on what I created in the past year. Do I care how many layouts were done? No. Do I care if I used a sketch, a kit, completed them for a challenge, or used a certain manufacturer? No. What I care about is that I took the time to be creative in 2011 and create layouts that preserve a memory and capture a moment in time that was definitely worth capturing! It's a reminder about why I create, and it's a reminder to me that I do what I love! I create! Here are my favorite 20 layouts of 2011. I love them all! ♥♥♥

I love the Enjoy Life layout that ends this look back! It's a gorgeous photo of my two favorite people in the whole wide world! The smiles on their faces mean everything to me! They are my joy! Thanks for looking back with me! As always, thanks for stopping by, and Happy 2012! ☺

25 Days Until Christmas 2011

2011-12-11T13:58:00.003-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated my blog or did anything crafty. I miss my creative time. Working full time leaves little time to do things that I want to do. My free time is spent doing things that I have to do. Oh well! Maybe in time it will all get easier. Anyway, here is the cover to my 25 Days Until Christmas book for this year. I love the way it turned out. Obviously, I'm already far behind on this book, but I'll be able to print some pics this week, and quickly put pages together. I keep this book very simple, so I should be able to get many pages done in one night. We'll see! Considering I haven't even decorated yet, it's pretty obvious that I'm behind on pretty much everything!

I hope you're having a great day. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Fall Layout and Card

2011-11-16T08:09:00.005-06:00

Here's a fall layout and a card that I made recently. I love Fall! ♥ I used some Making Memories items that I bought on clearance at Michael's a couple of years ago. I really miss the Making Memories collections. They haven't come out with anything that I truly love in quite some time. I only have a couple of those silk fall leaves left. I need to get some more for my stash.

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

Bootiful

2011-10-05T17:58:00.003-05:00

I used some brand new American Crafts Nightfall on this layout. My background sheet is Tim Holtz ink resist kraft. This photo represents the end of an era, because only one of my girls dressed up for Halloween last year. Time passes by too quickly! This is based on a sketch by Stacey at Inspired to Scrap.

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

WCMD Cards

2011-10-02T14:24:00.007-05:00

Wow, it's been a month since I updated my blog! Well, I haven't been creative lately. Just too much going on. I'm searching for a full-time job. That's a depressing process! Anyway, I made three cards yesterday for World Cardmaking Day. Epiphany Crafts issued a couple of challenges, and since I won some really cool Epiphany tools a while back from Cosmo Cricket, I decided to play along! I'm glad I did, because I WON one of the challenges! I am a very lucky lady! Anyway, all three of these cards has an Epiphany button on it! Their button makers are totally cool!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy Life - Crate Paper RANDOM!

2011-09-02T19:34:00.002-05:00

I am the luckiest lady I know! I won the ENTIRE Random Collection from Crate Paper! Thank you, thank you, thank you Crate Paper!! I love this collection!! I had to create a layout immediately!! I used this CUTE photo of my girls that was taken when they were at band camp! I love it! You can click on the layout to see it larger. I used the awesome sketch at Sketchy Thursdays! Thank you to my most wonderful and amazing blogging friend Chris for the reminder to USE the Sketchy Thursdays sketches!! I started off my misting my layout because the sketch has misting on it, but my Glimmer Mists are ALWAYS clogged (drive me CRAZY!!), and it just looked awful, because the drops fell on my layout in big ugly drops! Blech! SO, never fear, I covered it up with the AWESOME blue paper! Success! Love it!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch Layouts!

2011-09-02T12:20:00.011-05:00

I created all of these layouts using sketches by Stacey at Inspired to Scrap! If you've never taken one of her sketch clasess before, you don't know what you're missing!

I have you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Creative Saturday!

2011-08-29T10:24:00.010-05:00

I created three layouts on Saturday! Memorable Seasons was having a members' challenges crop, and I created all three of these layouts for challenges! It was really fun to spend a couple of hours scrapbooking!

Thanks for stopping by!

Make A Wish!

2011-08-26T09:47:00.002-05:00

I love negative space! I created this page, and I used it as a challenge on a site that is doing members' challenges this weekend. I used some goodies from my Sassafras warehouse box! FUN!! Isn't Jessica adorable!?! Wow, this is from 2006! Time passes by too quickly!

I hope you have a great day! Those of you on the East Coast . . . stay SAFE! Thanks for stopping by!

More layouts!

2011-08-19T11:29:00.008-05:00

I've been neglecting my blog lately, but I don't think anyone really visits it anyway, so that's OK! Here are some more layouts I've done lately! The first one uses an awesome kit from Inspired to Scrap! I love, love, love the grid design that I created! The next two use Crate Paper! I love Crate Paper collections!

I'm wrapping up all DT duties at the end of August, and I will then be scrapping for ME!! Just for me! I won't be doing challenges, etc., unless I LOVE them, and I will be creating only things that make me happy! Remember that? Remember not using sketches or challenges or even thinking about what's on another site, blog, or message board? Remember creating a layout just because you wanted to preserve the memory? I am NOT saying that I haven't loved each and every DT that I've been a part of, because I have! They were all wonderful opportunities, and for them ALL, I'm so thankful! It's all been a creative journey, and I would change that for anything! However, I think somewhere along the line I've forgotten about doing what I want to do! No more! Beginning in September, I'm doing my own thing and I'm going to be having FUN!

I hope you have an excellent Friday, a fantastic weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Some layouts!

2011-07-22T18:26:00.003-05:00

All of these layouts are based on sketches from the last sketch class at Inspired to Scrap! There is going to be another awesome sketch class in August!! Check out Inspired to Scrap for more information! The layouts ALSO use the amazing kits at Inspired to Scrap!! Check them out in the I2S store! They're an AMAZING value!!

Also . . . I2S is having a DT call! Be sure to check it out on the forum!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

2011-07-13T08:04:00.003-05:00

I created this layout for a challenge at Memorable Seasons for the last scrapper standing contest. I was kicked to the curb two weeks ago, but I'm still playing along, because I like the challenges. This week we needed to create a layout using no photo, at least 20 of something, and patterned papers from 3 manufacturers. No photo, no problem. I have 36 manufacturers on my layout, and I apologize to those that I left off! I already know of a few that aren't on there! My patterned papers are from Pink Paislee, Cosmo Cricket, LYB, and Authentique! This layout also shows my love of sewing on my layouts, my Thickers obsession, and how I love Primas!! This was fun! I love it!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

LWE Marching Griffins

2011-07-06T10:04:00.009-05:00

I created this layout using the NEW amazing July/August STORYTIME kit at Inspired to Scrap! I ♥ it! This is also based on a sketch by Audrey at Memorable Seaons. It's for the LSS contest, and even though I was kicked to the curb, I'm still playing along. I did a lot of inking and distressing on this layout!

This is my favorite part of the layout! I stitched a star! It looks AWESOME!!

Here's a close up of the smaller photos! You can see my talented girls in action!

I've had these tickets in my stash for a while, so I used them because I loved the stars with the wood veneer stars! I added some Technique Tuesday stamps to the layout too!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

How Do You Like My Moustache?

2011-07-05T16:40:00.003-05:00

I created this layout for a last scrapper standing contest, and I did not make it through this round! Oh well, I love this layout, and I really don't care if anyone else does!! :) This is GCD Studios Funhouse that I won off the Moxie Fab World! The collection included a moustache on a stick! Isn't that the coolest thing ever!?! We had fun taking silly photos with it! I cut the background with my Expression. I love that big circle scallop shape!

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July! We enjoyed the parade and the fireworks very much! I love the way our town celebrates! Thanks for stopping by!

New Glitz!

2011-07-05T15:20:00.002-05:00

Glitz is coming out with THREE amazing new collections! Check out their blog for a FULL look at this collection . . . Dance In Sunshine! Plus, you can leave a comment and post about their new collection for a chance to WIN it!! Pretty cool, huh!?! Thanks for stopping by!

Another Glitz collection!

2011-07-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

Glitz is featuring another beautiful new collection on their blog today . . . Beautiful Dreamer! Gorgeous! Check out the entire collection on their blog!

Glitz Vintage Blue!

2011-07-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

I really LOVE the new collections by Glitz! This is Vintage Blue! Isn't the blue and yellow color combination gorgeous!?! I love it! Check out the Glitz blog to see more!!

Inspired to Scrap "STORYTIME" kit!

2011-07-01T09:58:00.004-05:00

This is the NEW July/August "Storytime" kit at Inspired to Scrap! Be sure to check out the kit in the Inspired to Scrap store! Plus, you can buy the kit with the August sketch class, AND you can also pick up past kits for $15!!! WOW!! That's really an incredible deal!! Here's what I've created so far with this AWESOME kit!

I love what I've created so far! This kit is very versatile!! The double-sided papers are awesome!! It's a great mix of Crate Paper and Studio Calico with a couple of other surprises thrown in!! Be sure to check it out in the Inspired to Scrap store! You'll love it!

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!! Thanks for stopping by!

The Graduate

2011-06-30T15:52:00.004-05:00

This is the layout I created for the 1st round of the Last Scrapper Standing contest over at Memorable Seasons. I really had fun with this!! Tami issued the first challenge, and I love that she said NOT to used themed paper that went with your photo. So, when I was thinking about what I was going to do, I was originally going to use Halloween paper for a Harley-Davidson layout of my husband. The black and orange WORKS for H-D layouts! However, then this graduation idea popped into my head. Graduation from junior high school is a milestone, but it's really the beginning of the next journey that my daughter is going to take . . . into high school!! Journey = travel collection!! YES, I like it! So, I embraced that idea and pulled out a favorite travel collection, Making Memories Panorama, and I love the way it worked! I used papers, the tape (love the tape!), tags, a postage stamp, pennant flag pins (love these too! one says "dream" and the other says "live"), buttons, flowers . . . all from that collection!! And then the clothing tag!?! That came from a pair of jeans, and could it be any more perfect!?! It says, "Embrace Your Independence - This is your life. Put all of your energy into it and show off your intelligence to the world! You are unique & beautiful." WOW! I love that!! I couldn't have planned it better!! You can click on the layout to see it larger. Anyway, I made it through the first round, and I hope to make it through the second round! No matter what, I'll be creating with all of the challenges all the way through the contest, because that's how I roll!

I hope you're having a great day! I can't believe it's the last day of June! Thanks for stopping by!

Some Cards

2011-06-27T12:35:00.006-05:00

I am WAY overdue on getting some cards out in the mail! I'm horrible with making the cards and MAILING the cards! Not sure what my problem is! Anyway, I got some done, and I will get them out . . . hopefully today!! I used a sketch that was posted on the Crafty Steals blog! They are celebrating the 2nd birthday of Crafty Steals! I love that site!

Here's a close-up view of one of the cards. I actually made three! I used Basic Grey Max & Whiskers for these cards. Love the colors in this collection.

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

My Princesses

2011-06-16T08:25:00.002-05:00

I need to finish up my Disney layouts! I'm almost there!! Here are some cute pics I took of the girls while we were at Downtown Disney outside the huge Disney Store. CUTE! I used a kit that I got from Memorable Seasons.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Some Blogs WON'T Let Me Comment!

2011-06-08T09:47:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure what's going on, but certain blogs will NOT let me comment! If you visited me and left a comment, and you didn't get a comment back on your blog, it's not because I didn't try to leave a comment!! I cannot! If I have to select "Google Account" when I leave my comment, I am unable to leave a comment. I have no idea WHY! I am signed in, but Blogger is NOT recognizing this! I'm really getting aggravated and confused as to why this is happening! I feel like I'm going CRAZY!!

EDITED TO ADD: Uncheck the "Stay signed in" box and then sign in. It will then work! Weird!!

Five Layouts In One Day!

2011-06-07T19:15:00.008-05:00

I'm not sure what was going on with me yesterday, but the scrappy mojo hit, and I created five layouts in one day! The first one uses an older kit from Inspired to Scrap! The photo is from 1998!! Wow, aren't the girls CUTE!?! I scraplifted a layout by Tami when I created that layout! The second layout uses a kit from Memorable Seasons. The third layout features one of my all-time favorites . . . Cosmo Cricket Snorkel! I love the Thickers on the Harley-Davidson layout! Shiny silver! Nice! The last layout is Basic Grey Lauderale. So, that was FUN!! Creating all day long is really a good time!

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

Totally Us!

2011-05-31T20:06:00.011-05:00

Moxie Fab is one of my favorite blogs! Every Tuesday, Cath posts a Tuesday Trigger. If I'm not in card mode, which I'm usually NOT, I admire the Tuesday Trigger, but don't usually create anything for it! Not this week! Lightbulb moment! The Tuesday Trigger can inspire my layouts!! Yeah baby!! So, this is my layout that was inspired by the Tuesday Trigger! As soon as I saw the photo, I thought of this Pink Paislee paper from the 365 Degrees collection. I know this paper is completely different from the pattern in the photo, but it's what I thought of! I decided to scrap a self-portrait of the four of us, and this is TOTALLY US! I love self-portraits! The sewing and the glitter white chipboard Thickers really were inspired by the photo too! I kept this layout clean and simple, and I love it!

Besides immediately thinking of that particular patterned paper, I also noticed the mirror and the flowers. Well, the mirror inspired me to use the silver sparkly brads, and the flowers inspired me to use a Prima trio. I just couldn't do pink flowers though. Pink wouldn't work with this page, so I took the liberty of using orange instead which really worked with my page AND the cute Pink Paislee flip note I used for my journaling! :)

Here is the photo that was my inspiration! Hopefully you can SEE how it inspired me! Thanks for stopping by!

Congratulations Jessica - 2011

2011-05-24T15:45:00.004-05:00

I made this CUTE graduation card for Jessica today! She graduates on Thursday! I can't believe it! I am SO PROUD of both of my girls on a daily basis, but when a milestone comes along, I realize how AMAZING they truly are! Jessica has done so many incredible things in Junior High! She's grown into a lovely young lady! She works hard, she has fun, and she just impresses me often! She has maintained high honors throughout 8 years of school, and she has carried a full honors class load! She's been in band, choir, drama, National Junior Honor Society, scholastic bowl, track and field, etc. She IS an amazing and wonderful girl! I know I'm her mom, and I'm supposed to say that, but she really is! ♥

Back to the card! I created this using the May/June 2011 "A Bit Of Sunshine" kit from Inspired to Scrap! I was inspired to hand cut my own banner by a post I saw on the Bella Blvd. blog! I love the way this turned out, and more importantly, Jessica will love it too!!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

2 Cool - FRAME YOUR PAGE!

2011-05-17T09:02:00.003-05:00

I created this layout for a Walking on Sunshine CROP CHALLENGE over at Inspired to Scrap! The challenge is to Frame Your Page! I used the AWESOME A Bit of Sunshine kit from Inspired to Scrap! I just love the way this turned out!! :) Come on over and play with some of the awesome challenges!!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!!

Inspired to Scrap CROP!!

2011-05-12T08:18:00.000-05:00

Inspired to Scrap is having a Online Crop called ”Walking on Sunshine!” It will take place on the forum from May 16-22. Here are some of the prizes you can win (all winners will be chosen randomly!). (Bella Blvd. generously donated these great packs! We will have more from them in class next month!) Please stop by and play with us!! I would LOVE to see you there!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Layouts!

2011-05-10T13:54:00.006-05:00

These two layouts are based on a couple of sketches that are posted at Memorable Seasons. I can't believe I'm already scrapping vacation photos! That makes me happy!

This first layout uses Basic Grey Lauderdale that I won from The Scrap Review. LOVE these bright colors with my fun photos!! I did some detail cutting with the papers. I love the way this layout turned out! It just screams vacation to me! :)

This next layout uses Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe. Love the Emma's Shoppe buttons! I used quite a few of them on my flower border! I love this photo that I took of the girls and I in Arizona!

I hope you're having a GREAT day! As always, thanks for stopping by!

"A Bit Of Sunshine" kit layouts

2011-05-03T15:04:00.022-05:00

This is the first layout I created using the "A Bit Of Sunshine" kit at Inspired to Scrap! I love this kit!! What a value! The Bella Blvd. Sophisticates collection is really nice! LOVE it! The kit also features Echo Park, Lily Bee Design, and American Crafts!

One of the layered American Crafts pieces that I got in the kit reminded me of the sun, so that's what I used it for! I hand cut the rays and inked them up with a little orange on the edges.

I love the Ciao Bella Blvd. chipboard pieces that come in this kit. I added a circle scallop that I cut with one of my Nestabilities templates under the chipboard. I love the way it looks! It's like a little flower!

There is some American Crafts tulle in the kit too, and I cut mine with the Nestabilities and then used some glimmer mist on the pieces! I love the way these flowers turned out! The glimmer mist worked really well on the tulle!

Here is my second layout using the kit! I love this photo! While we were on vacation in Arizona, Emily and Jessica would take silly self portraits on my camera! I, of course, love that! This is one of them! Classic! I love these two girls! ♥ The title is perfect for the photo!!

I just had to add googly eyes to the title! Googly eyes crack me up!!

So, I love this kit! Check it out in the Inspired to Scrap store! You will love it! I'll be working more with it this week! Check out the forum for more awesome DT layouts featuring this kit! As always, thanks for stopping by!

Inspired to Scrap Design Team!

2011-05-01T10:09:00.006-05:00

I'm so excited!! Check out this announcement at Inspired to Scrap!

Announcing the new Design Team for May –August 2011:

Angie Gutshall
Carol Sheetz <----- That's ME!! ♥
Von Tinney

Guest Design Team (May-June 2011)

Jaime Grider
Sarah Rentz

Guest Design Team (July-August 2011)

Janie Boots
Kate Vickers

I'm so excited to get started!! Be sure to check out Inspired to Scrap for awesome May Challenges, cool classes, and an amazing kit!! You will be inspired for sure, so come hang out and get some layouts done!

Reorganizing, Cleaning, and Purging!

2011-05-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

I am reorganizing, cleaning, and purging in my scrapbooking area!

So, I was cleaning off my VERY messy desk in my scrapbooking area, and I had this pile of stuff that I needed to do something with. There's some good stuff in this stack, so I decided to put it to good use!

I added a cardstock page base, a slate blue scrap that was also on my desk, a photo, some Thickers, and then I used all of the bits & pieces that were in that stack! I think this turned out VERY cute! This is also one of the inspiration pages for a "scrap your stash" class lesson at Inspired to Scrap! I love it!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!!

Kit Projects!

2011-05-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

I created all three of these projects using an amazing kit that I got at Coordinates Collections called Blue Skies. Unfortunately, Coordinates Collections is closing down, but I still wanted to share my projects with you and tell you how much I loved using this kit!!

On the first layout, I did some misting, and then really played with the patterned papers in the kit! This was my first time using Echo Park papers. I did enjoy working with them! The Jillibean Soup corrugated shapes and the buttons were really fun to use too! I love that I added a Hollister gift card and a tag. To the right of the photo, you can see a little scalloped edge. That is actually the journaling hidden behind the photo. I didn't hide the journaling to be secretive, I hid it because I liked the way the page looked without it!

On the second page, I used colorful strips on the side to add some personality, and then I added a whole bunch of brads down the other side. Great way to use up some brads! I also detail cut some clouds from an American Crafts sheet of paper, and I used some pop dots to add some dimension to the cluster I added at the top of the page.

I then created a card using up some scraps on my desk. This is another rejected card that I submitted for the Paper Crafts sketches call. I love the way this turned out!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Carol's Smash Book!

2011-04-19T13:52:00.002-05:00

I made a Smash Book to take on vacation!! I love the way it turned out! It's 6x12, and I used my Bind It All to bind it! I used paper that I don't particularly care for anymore, and it's perfect for this book! The papers are going to be covered up anyway! I can't wait to start adding things to my cool new Smash Book!!

The papers are pretty BOLD, aren't they!?! What was I thinking when I bought some of them!?! I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Girls' Day Out!

2011-04-11T07:48:00.008-05:00

I created this FUN layout with an amazing kit that I got at Inspired to Scrap!! I love the mix of papers and embellishments in this kit! Emily, Jessica, and I don't have too many "shopping" days (mostly because I don't like mall shopping . . . I much prefer to shop for scrapbooking supplies!), but recently we went to the mall to look around, and we had a lot of FUN! I snapped the pic of the three of us while we were at a stoplight, and I'm totally impressed with my camera phone! That's a great shot! We also picked up some Shamrock shakes on the way home! I love my girls, and spending some fun time with them is the BEST! I'm glad I created a page documenting our day!

I hope you're having a great day and enjoyed your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate 15!

2011-04-05T10:21:00.005-05:00

I created this layout with an amazing kit that I got to work with from Coordinates Collections. Unfortunately, Coordinates Collections is closing, I am very sad, and I will miss the site very much! These gorgeous papers are LYB Twig, and I did a lot of paper pleating on this layout! I love the way it turned out, especially with sewing down the pleats!

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

Love These 3!

2011-04-01T09:06:00.005-05:00

I created this fun layout featuring a photo that I LOVE!! I used a kit that I got at Memorable Seasons. I love it! So many FUN manufacturers . . . American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket, Crate Paper, Pink Paislee . . . and more! I did a lot of sewing and distressing on this page! It was really fun to incorporate the number 3 so many times in my layout!

I hope you're having a great day! Thank goodness it's Friday! As always, thanks for stopping by!

You're Sweet!

2011-03-24T08:44:00.003-05:00

The wonderful and amazing Stephanie from Crafty Steals sent me so many amazing goodies to work with as her guest designer!! The most recent were awesome Martha Stewart punches!! I used a wonderful border punch and a cupcake punch to make this card! They're both on sale today at an incredible price at Crafty Steals! Be sure to check it out! I made this card using Sassafras goodies! I love the way it turned out!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!!

We Love The 4th Of July

2011-03-12T16:24:00.003-06:00

I created this layout for Layout Challenge Friday on the Bo Bunny Blog! I really loved the sketch, and I also loved another feature on their blog this week, Mixing Collections. Not only did I mix collections, but I used collections that don't have ANYTHING to do with the 4th of July! I used Whooligans, Crazy In Love, and Cambridge on this layout, and I LOVE the way it turned out! I added a lot of stitching, I detail cut the harlequin from a Cambridge paper, and I circle punched the pops of color from a Whooligans sheet. The stars are Cambridge chipboard, and I stamped a journaling stamp on another Whooligans paper! The red strip of paper, and the word "love" in the title are both from Crazy In Love! I sanded the edges of the photos, and I did a lot of distressing on the papers. I seriously had the best time putting this layout together!! You can click on it to see it larger!

I hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Circa 1934 cards!

2011-03-10T16:26:00.005-06:00

I created some fun Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 cards. I love this collection! The last card has a Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous stamp on it! I love it with the Circa 1934! I added some stitching to all three too! I just love sewing on my cards!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Echo Park For The Record cards

2011-03-08T19:47:00.005-06:00

I recently got the Echo Park For The Record collection, and I really love it! I created these two cards using it. These cards are both rejects from the Paper Crafts sketches call. That's OK. I love them! :) The first card uses a Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous stamp. I love that sentiment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Student Government Day

2011-03-06T16:38:00.003-06:00

I really need to get moving and get organized with my scrapping! I need to get productive and put all of my albums together! I have HUNDREDS of layouts waiting to go into albums! One of these days! Anyway, I couldn't believe I didn't scrap Emily's Student Government Day yet! In 8th grade, she was picked to be the Village President! How cool is that!?! She did a GREAT job! They even had a mock board meeting! She was very impressive sitting in that chair! I used Pink Paislee Old School. I love this collection! I love the way this turned out! The star that I added was from a clothing tag!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm on the Design Team!!

2011-03-02T08:00:00.004-06:00

I'm so excited! I'm the new Blog Coordinator over at Coordinates Collections! I will be posting the monthly blog challenge starting in April! I love this site, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the Design Team!! Come on by and check out this amazing site! There's a very friendly forum, an awesome online store, wonderful monthly kits, and tons of challenges!! It's an inspiring place to be!! Come on by!!

Cards For My Girls!

2011-02-27T09:28:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of cards I made in the last couple of weeks for my girls!

This is Emily's birthday card! How is it possible that she's 15 years old!?! I used Pink Paislee and a Petaloo flower. I love the flip notes! That shape is so fun!

Jessica also made her Confirmation! Once again, I used Pink Paislee. This time I used Queen Bee. Seriously, I love the flip notes! I also typed up the sentiment, printed it on the patterned paper, and then cut it out with one of my circle scallop Nestabilities.

I hope you are having a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Another Scenic Route layout!

2011-02-24T17:05:00.002-06:00

After I created all of my projects for Crafty Steals, I couldn't stop using the collections! I created this layout too! I love the kraft papers!! I also love this blue, green, and brown color combination! Aren't the arrows fun!?! I just love how easily and quickly this page came together!

Thanks for stopping by!

Scenic Route layouts!

2011-02-24T09:21:00.003-06:00

The most amazing and wonderful Stephanie from Crafty Steals sent me some AWESOME Scenic Route goodies to work with for Crafty Steals! I got some goodies from the Sonoma, Surprise, and Sumner collections! The amount of items that are with each collection is unbelievable!! Here's a layout from each of the collections!

I love all the double-sided papers, the chipboard, and journaling pieces! Seriously awesome stuff!! I'm still sad that Scenic Route is no more!

Head on over the Crafty Steals and grab these while you can! You will NOT be disappointed!! Thanks for stopping by!

My Superstars

2011-02-22T15:13:00.004-06:00

It is SO gloomy outside, and this photo of my layout isn't the best. I need some light! Anyway, I created this layout for a challenge to use negative space, masking, misting, and doodling. I used some Studio Calico wood veneer stars for my masks, and I used Glimmer Mist chalkboard mist. I also used a couple of Basic Grey tags. I'm not exactly thrilled with the way this page turned out, but it's OK I guess. I also did some sewing on the layout.

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

Sticker & Hat Buddies

2011-02-20T20:25:00.004-06:00

I created a layout that was inspired by an ad I found in a magazine! This was very fun to do! I copied the black background, the color splash, and the title in a line across the page. I really like the way this turned out!! I love this photo of Jessica and Dave with their Mickey Mouse stickers on the back of their hats while we were at Disney! Too cute! I love Jessica's hand on Dave's shoulder!! :)

This is the ad I used! Pretty cool, huh? I hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Freshman Flute 2010

2011-02-17T12:03:00.002-06:00

I created this layout for a scraplift challenge at Coordinates Collections. I love the Pink Paislee Anthology ink resist papers! They are so cool! I sewed a heart on the layout, featured a wonderful photo of Emily in her marching band show uniform, and then just added journaling next to the photo. I used some Bo Bunny Cambridge letters and some Cosmo Cricket tiny type. The stickers borders are also Bo Bunny Cambridge. I love the way this turned out. It's very simple, but striking!

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

Beauty and the Beast

2011-02-15T13:27:00.002-06:00

I really want to work on getting my Disney layouts completely done! I have a HUGE stack of completed layouts, but I just want to finish them up and get them all in an album! Here's one more towards that goal. On our last day while we were walking around the Epcot World Showcase, we saw Beauty and the Beast. We love that movie, and it was fantastic to see them. The girls only collected a few signatures during the whole trip, but it was nice that Bella signed their books for both her and the Beast! I was also glad to get these photos of the girls with them! This page is pretty much Pink Paislee. I love the flip notes, so I used three of them!! I just had to add the Beauty and the Beast sticker to the layout!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Friendz with He{ART} Scrap-Friendzy Blog Hop Winner!

2011-02-14T07:00:00.003-06:00

True Random Number
Generator
Min: 1
Max: 38
Result: 27
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And the 27th comment on my post was left by:

Tammy said...
Cute treat box - I might have to make those!
February 10, 2011 12:19 AM

Congratulations Tammy!! You can send me a PM on the Scrap-Friendzy message board with your mailing address, and I'll get your card kit out to you right away!!

Thanks to everyone who left comments! I hope you enjoyed the blog hop!

LOVE projects!

2011-02-13T18:13:00.004-06:00

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, here are a couple of projects that focus on LOVE!

This first project showcases a silly photo of US! I love it, and I also love Crate Paper Restoration! Put them both on the same layout, and I'm really happy with the way this turned out! I LOVE OUR FAMILY!!

This next project was fun, because I used up some eyelets! I have way too many eyelets! I created this clean and graphic card for Dave! I hand drew a heart, punched a bunch of holes, and then set all the eyelets. It's cute! I added a bit of ribbon, two felt letters, and I ended up with a pretty awesome card!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Friendz with He{ART} Scrap-Friendzy Blog Hop

2011-02-09T09:00:00.004-06:00

Welcome to your 1st stop on the “Friends with He{ART}” Scrap-Friendzy Blog Hop! If you are following the links from the beginning of the hop, you should have come from the Scrap-Friendzy blog. If not, and you wish to participate in the blog hop, please start at the Scrap-Friendzy blog.

I am happy to share my version of a treat container with you today! It's called a 2-5-7-10 box. I created these Valentine-themed containers just for the blog hop!

What's a 2-5-7-10 box? Great question! It's a little container that you can create with just one sheet of cardstock, some scored lines, and some adhesive. Easy as can be! I found how to make the 2-5-7-10 box on Splitcoast Stampers. You'll definitely want to check out the tutorial on that site! For my containers, I do not stamp on the cardstock (step 3 in the tutorial), I used my threading water punch on my box flap (step 5 in the tutorial), and I added a 2 3/4" x 4 3/4" sheet of patterned paper to the front of my container! My containers are holding three fun size candy bars. These are the perfect size for small Valentine treats!

Your next stop on the blog hop will be Jean's blog. Don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each stop on the blog hop. Then, make sure you finish up at the Scrap-Friendzy forum and post that you have completed the hop. Your name will be entered into a drawing for a fabulous prize! We're also hosting a weekend crop from Friday, February 11 through Sunday, February 13 on the forum. We hope you will join in the fun!

I'm also offering a small RAK during this blog hop! All you need to do to be eligible for this Bo Bunny Cambridge card kit is leave a comment on my blog! I will randomly select a winner! We would love it if you would also post about this Friendz with He{ART} Scrap-Friendzy blog hop on your blog, Facebook, or any other place that allows it!

Start at the Scrap-Friendzy blog!

Then follow the blogs in this order:

Carol <------- YOU ARE HERE!! :)

Jean <------- Visit this blog next!

I hope you enjoy all of the stops on the blog hop! Thanks for stopping by!

Zip It

2011-02-07T08:24:00.005-06:00

I created this layout for a scraplift challenge at Memorable Seasons. I love this photo of the girls from our Christmas celebration with Dave's side of the family. The girls' Aunt Pam got them these totally cool zipper purses in San Francisco while she was there on vacation. I used Making Memories Mistletoe on this layout. I love this collection!

I hope you had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Back to School 2008

2011-02-04T13:33:00.004-06:00

I created this layout for a challenge at Memorable Seasons, and I used Sketch #104 at The Scrappiest. I turned the sketch sideways so that I could use horizontal photos! I used all Pink Paislee on this. I love this collection! The girls were so little in 2008! My goodness, how time flies! My favorite part of this layout is how I used the 6 and 7 from the canvas border since the girls were going into 6th and 7th grade!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

More Layouts!

2011-02-04T11:19:00.005-06:00

Here are two more layouts that I created during the Winter Crop at Coordinates Collections! I had so much fun with the challenges, and I love the layouts I created!

This first layout was created for a frills and bling challenge. I had these fantastic photos of Emily all dressed up for Homecoming, and I knew they were the perfect photos to use. I used My Mind's Eye Lost & Found paper and glitter die cut, MME Lush brads, some rhinestone bling, Primas, a Pink Paislee ticket, and actual ribbon from her wrist corsage. I wasn't too thrilled with this when I was done, because I wanted it to be amazing, but the more I look at it, the more I like it!

This layout was created for a tools challenge. We need to use at least two tools on our layout. I used three: my i-Top, my i-Rock, and a border punch. I used Crate Paper Restoration and some Studio Calico wood veneer letters. I love my cactus flowers!

I hope you're having a great day! Things are calming down around here after the BLIZZARD and after having lost power for over 16 hours overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday! I'm so glad it's Friday! Have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

I'm The Moxie Fabber of the Week!!

2011-01-31T12:26:00.005-06:00

I am so excited!! Cath Edvalson who writes the wonderful Moxie Fab World blog, asked to feature ME as the Moxie Fabber of the Week!! THIS is my week! Please check it out, and let me know what you think! Please leave a comment too!! This is really an honor, and I'm THRILLED!!

Lots of Scrapping!

2011-01-31T07:26:00.005-06:00

I was very CREATIVE this weekend! It was wonderful! An online crop at Coordinates Collections really inspired me! Here are just a few of the things that I created!

I created this page for a white space/negative space challenge. I love white space! I used Crate Paper Snow Day, some Pink Paislee cushy alphas, and some ribbons. I love the trio of ribbon next to the photo! Isn't that a gorgeous photo? It was a sunrise, and I love a pink sky!

This page was created for an orange and turquoise challenge. I love that color combination! These are some fun photos from our Disney vacation. I used a Hambly transparency (yes, it got sewed on crooked!), some Jillibean Soup, American Crafts, and Prima. I love the way this turned out. Fun vacation layout!

This layout features just one manufacturer. I love Sassafras Indie Girl, and it just seemed to work with these photos of the girls and their new fleece blankets. They're so CUTE!

This card was created for a frills and bling challenge. My mom's birthday is coming up, and she'll love a pretty feminine card! I used Cosmo Cricket DeLovely, some tulle, rhinestones, and a Prima. The sentiment is a Stampin' Up stamp, and I cut it with one of my circle scallop Nestabilities. I like it!

I hope you had a great weekend! There's talk of a blizzard for Illinois. I hope they're wrong! I don't like the word blizzard unless I'm going to Dairy Queen! :) Thanks for stopping by!

{love}

2011-01-26T08:17:00.004-06:00

I couldn't wait to dig in and use my Memorable Seasons kit! I used an awesome sketch by Liz at The Scrappiest! She's celebrating all week long because she has posted 100 sketches! Isn't that amazing? This is my take on sketch #101. I really loved using the kit! What fun! This is my mom! I love her! She's a great mom and grandma! I think this page is so pretty, and I love it! You can click on the layout to see it larger. I love the little heart detail that I created. I used the itty bitty stamp by Unity that was included in the kit. So cute! Love Unity Stamps! The photo of this layout is not the best, because it's been cloudy, foggy, and gloomy here for days now! I just wish the sun would come out! Oh well!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Petals and Polka Dots

2011-01-25T11:06:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I got the first Memorable Seasons kit called Petals and Polka Dots. It's awesome, and I'm really thrilled with it, so I thought I would shoot a quick video showing you what came in the kit! Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bracelet Buddies

2011-01-21T08:05:00.004-06:00

I created this page using a January 2011 PageMaps sketch by Becky Fleck. I love PageMaps! I used Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934! Oh, how I love this collection! I won the collection from the fantastic SRM Stickers! Thank you so much!! I just love the way this layout turned out! The flowers were made using my Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Die by Sizzix. This is one of my most favorite layouts EVER!!

I hope you're having a great day. Enjoy your weekend! It's cold here today! Right now, it's -5 degrees! Brrr!! Thanks for stopping by!

Can you nominate me?

2011-01-17T12:25:00.004-06:00

Cosmo Cricket revealed their new 2011 CHA Sneak Peeks today! I love Social Club and Upcycle! They're also taking nominations for their design team! I would LOVE to be nominated!! If you're already not nominating someone else, please nominate me! Thanks!! ♥

Old Navy Mannequins

2011-01-16T09:01:00.006-06:00

I created this layout for a sparkle challenge at the Whimsical Winter Crop taking place at Inspired to Scrap!! Check it out for some fun challenges!! I also used the January / February kit that I bought in the online store! It's fabulous, and I love it!! I also created this layout for the January Blog Hop Challenge at Coordinates Collections! The challenge is to use circles! I love round elements on my pages! :)

Here's a close up of some rhinestones, sewing, and distressing!

I hope you're having an awesome weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Dart Guns!

2011-01-11T17:26:00.003-06:00

I just love these three! They're so crazy! They picked up these dart guns at Menard's, and since then, you never know when they will be a sneak attack or a battle! They posed for a photo, and it cracks me up that it has a Charlie's Angels feel to it! This layout is pretty much Jillibean Soup with LOTS of sewing on it! I also added some Prima Sprites and a Jenni Bowlin ticket. That stamping in the upper left corner is with a Studio Calico stamp. The layout is based on a sketch that is posted for the sketch event at Scrap-Friendzy.

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Be You

2011-01-09T10:45:00.007-06:00

I rarely create two page layouts, and this is my second one in the last few weeks! I used the January / February "Happy Together" kit that I bought at Inspired to Scrap.

I let a Unity Stamp inspire me with the title! "Be Unique. Be Unforgettable. Be YOU." Love it!

My girls LOVE taking silly self-portraits! I love when they take silly self-portraits! It's a wonderful surprise to see them all when I upload photos from my camera! I stamped words up the side of the three photos! They're from a PaperTrey Ink stamp set. Love it! Both of these layouts are based on sketches that are posted at the sketch event at Scrap-Friendzy.

I hope you're having a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Carol's Last Clip It Up Post! :(

2011-01-07T09:32:00.001-06:00

My last Clip It Up post is posted on the blog! Go check it out! Please leave a comment! I had an amazing time being a part of the Clip It Up team! ♥ Thanks Renee!! :)

Thankful

2011-01-03T20:48:00.009-06:00

I haven't done a two-page layout in a long time! This one is based on a sketch by Stacey Lokovic at Inspired to Scrap. I used my Just Desserts kit from Coordinates Collections. Love the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found papers! Just gorgeous! I also love the Pink Paislee tickets! Too cute! I also did some misting on this layout. These are photos of us from Thanksgiving!

Thanks for stopping by!

Melissa's Blog Candy

2011-01-03T17:03:00.003-06:00

My very good blogging friend Melissa at Needful Things is really giving away some AMAZING blog candy, so go check it out, and leave a comment for your chance to win!!

LWE Flute

2011-01-02T10:40:00.005-06:00

We're having another Sketch-A-Thon at Scrap-Friendzy, and this is my layout based on the first sketch that was posted!! I used all Jillibean Soup, and I love the way this turned out! I just love those corrugated letters! This is Emily in her flute section sweatshirt! She looks wonderful!

We're back to the routine tomorrow. Jessica heads back to school. Emily has another whole week off. Hard to believe the holidays are over! I hope you enjoyed it all! Thanks for stopping by!

25 Days Until Christmas - Days 17 - 25

2010-12-27T14:16:00.008-06:00

I am finished with my "25 Days Until Christmas" book! I might go back and add little finishing touches on some of the pages because they are VERY simple, but other than that . . . it's DONE! I love this project, and I really like finishing my book up as soon as possible after Christmas! I'm thrilled that I worked on all of these yesterday and got my book finished!

The photographs are not the greatest, because it is VERY gloomy here today, but you get the idea! This is my third December book, and I do enjoy this project! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!! Thanks for stopping by!

White Christmas Cartoon Song

2010-12-24T11:08:00.000-06:00

I just LOVE this!! Enjoy!! Merry Christmas!! ♥

The 4 Of Us

2010-12-24T09:12:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve! Here's a fun layout! We LOVE taking these silly self portrait photos of US! This is one of my many favorites! Dave or I do the long arm reach to take the photo! Most of the time, the ones where we're not all in the frame are hysterical! Anyway, I finally used Crate Paper Restoration! I love it! I used a Prima mask four times down the side of the paper. The yellow wood grain is from the inside of my Studio Calico wood veneer letters! Isn't it fabulous!?! I also did some sewing on this layout. You know I love my sewing machine! I really love the way this turned out! It's totally US!

Have a WONDERFUL Holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Peace, Love, and JOY! As always, thanks for stopping by!

25 Days Until Christmas - Days 13 - 16

2010-12-20T21:35:00.004-06:00

Here are my pages for December 13 - 16 in my "25 Days Until Christmas" book.

I had to show you the flower that I used Glimmer Mist on! I love the way it looks! Sparkly! We already had one Christmas celebration this weekend. It was fun! I hope you had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Gift Card Holders

2010-12-20T10:21:00.004-06:00

I created a couple of fun gift card holders over the weekend. These really just took me a few minutes! I used some awesome Cosmo Cricket double-sided paper, put in a couple of folds, stitched on my machine, added a couple of stamps, some glitter leaves, a flower, and a button! Done! Cute as can be!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We have one Christmas celebration done, and one to go! We had a wonderful time celebrating! Thanks for stopping by!

Random Draw

2010-12-17T09:55:00.006-06:00

I'm decluttering my scrappy area. I won't finish until after the holidays, but I'm already coming across stuff I do not want. Do you have little ones that scrap, are artistic, or just love to create? Do you want a box of scrapbooking papers and stuff for them? Leave a comment letting me know that you want the stuff I no longer want. It's not the latest and greatest, but there is still some good stuff! What's the catch? Well, you need to pay the PRIORITY postage. That's it! If you are not already a scrappy friend or if you are not from a message board that I frequent, sorry, but you do not need to leave a comment. This is a random draw for one of my scrappy friends that I already know and love!!

25 Days Until Christmas - Days 9 - 12

2010-12-16T10:59:00.004-06:00

Here are December 9 - 12 in my December book. Just simple pages! I used some glitter leaves that I picked up at Michael's. I love using photo collages!

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

Clip It Up Design Team Call!

2010-12-15T13:35:00.002-06:00

There is a design team call posted on the Clip It Up blog! Check it out! It's been a pleasure working with the ladies at Simply Renee! I LOVE my Clip It Up!

Joyful

2010-12-13T07:49:00.003-06:00

I actually made a Christmas card! I really like the way this turned out using paper strips from the awesome Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly collection! The letters are chipboard from that same collection! I added sheer ribbon and an awesome button! I also sewed on the card front.

I hope you're having a great day! It's very COLD here! As always, thanks for stopping by!

25 Days Until Christmas - Days 1 - 8

2010-12-10T13:20:00.009-06:00

Here are Days 1 - 8 in my 25 Days Until Christmas book. My pages are very simple, quick, and easy! I do not spend a lot of time attempting to create a scrapbooking masterpiece. The purpose of this book is for me to record the memories of what we do during December while Christmas VERY quickly approaches!

Like I said, simple, but I like them! I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Clip It Up Video!

2010-12-03T10:34:00.001-06:00

Another video! This one is showing you my Clip It Up! I love my Clip It Up!!

Thanks for stopping by!

December Daily - 25 Days Until Christmas - 2010

2010-11-29T13:39:00.003-06:00

Instead of taking photographs of the inside of my book, I decided to create a video! Let me know what you think! As always, thanks for stopping by!

25 Days Until Christmas - 2010

2010-11-28T17:36:00.008-06:00

I got my 2010 "25 Days Until Christmas" book done! I love the way it turned out! My most awesome friend Chris sent me incredible Christmas papers at the end of the season last year, and I couldn't wait to use them in this year's book! Most of these papers are 12x12, and most of them cannot be cut, so that is how I determined that my book would be 12x12 this year! The last couple of years, my book has been smaller. Anyway, you can see what I mean about the paper when you look at the cover. That paper is gorgeous, and should NOT be cut! That tree is flocked! Just gorgeous! I added various Thickers for the title, and a couple of K&Company Christmas die cuts. The flowers are Primas, and I love the coppery color. I also added a trio of rhinestones. You'll have to forgive the poor photograph. It's dark, and I need some natural light in order to show you how pretty this book is! You can click on the photo to see the cover larger!

In the awesome papers, there was a number sheet! I cut it apart, and I will use these to number my pages. I still need to distress the edges, and then they'll be ready to go. I do NOT prenumber my pages. I need to be able to rearrange as I go! Also, sometimes a day ends up with more than one page. If and when that happens, I'll just number the second page with chipboard, Thickers, miscellaneous stickers, etc.

This is what I call my spare parts! I will distress the edges of all of these and just keep them in a baggie for when I need them! Some of the larger pieces might end up getting punched and added to the rings in the book. This is just a bunch of small Christmas-themed items. Chances are, I'll end up using all of this in my book this year!

So, I'll show more tomorrow! I want to show you the cool mixture of pages that I used this year! I use some sheers that I got on sale, some Pink Paislee papers that I've had for a while, and the cool mix of papers that wonderful and generous Chris sent to me! I am ready for December 1st! Bring it on!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did! As always, thanks for stopping by!

BOA Regionals - Indy

2010-11-15T14:54:00.004-06:00

I FINALLY got a chance to use some of the AWESOME Bo Bunny Cambridge that I won from Shanna Vineyard at Bo Bunny! I love this collection! LOVE IT! It's just perfect for this marching band page featuring our trip to Indy for the BOA Regionals! Just to let you know, BOA = Bands of America! Emily performed in Lucas Oil Stadium! Very cool! Jessica and I had a great time going there to cheer on the Marching Griffins! I also used a photo collage on this layout! It makes a page come together in minutes, because what else needs to be done!?! It really sums up the trip! My favorite part of the page is the "I'm with the band!" sticker! I could use a lot of those stickers with two girls that are in band!! I also added one beautiful Maya Road velvet flower.

I had the Scrap-A-Thon on Saturday! It was a lot of work, but also a lot of FUN! We raised $1,100 for the Special Donation Fund for our schools! Not too shabby! I hope you had a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Simply Renee Clip it Up 50% off SALE

2010-11-15T06:48:00.004-06:00

This time of year we're grateful for the leaves changing colors, family gatherings, cool nights cuddled up by the fire and most of all SALES!!! The after Thanksgiving sales have always been the highlight of the season, however they bring late nights, early mornings, frozen fingers and toes, and worst of all long lines.

This year we're going to start early and have an unbelievable week long sale BEFORE Thanksgiving. November 15-22 EVERYTHING 50% off! You may want to send a little heads up to Santa so he doesn't miss this sale :-) Don't procrastinate you won't see these prices again!

On top of that the first 100 orders will receive a FREE bag of 40 Clips!!!

Now for the fine print (don't worry it's short) : Retail customers only, cannot be combined with any other offer. US & Canada customers can order online, International customers email us at clipitup@gmail.com!!!

We'll also be doing lots and lots of random drawings next week and here's how you'll be entered:
- Every item you order your name will be put in once
- Comment on blog posts (only 1 per post)
- Comment on facebook (only 1 per day)
- Also your name will go into the big drawing for the Floor Model

Check the blog and on Facebook to see if you are a winner, for more updates, and more chances to win! Happy Shopping!!!

Clip It Up Blog Post!

2010-11-05T09:43:00.002-05:00

I have a NEW Clip It Up blog post up! Check it out!! I truly love my Clip It Up Jumbo!! :)

I hope you have a great day, an awesome weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Father's Day

2010-11-03T14:26:00.004-05:00

I created this page for a bunch of challenges! I normally do NOT combine challenges, because it feels like cheating to me, but I want to do so many of them, they're all awesome, and I just figured I would give it a try this one time! So, I started off with the sketch at Sketchy Thursdays! I was also inspired by a sketch at Coordinates Collections! This is also for a scraplifting challenge at Scrap-Friendzy, a use your scraps challenge at Inspired to Scrap, and a color challenge at Memorable Seasons! Anyway, I just love the way this layout turned out!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Color Me Happy!

2010-10-31T15:33:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween!! I'm so excited, because I worked on and finished up this layout today!! So, a few weeks ago, Jillibean Soup announced that they were giving away a kit from Coordinates Collections! Well, I WON the kit! I got it on Saturday, and WOW, I couldn't wait to work with it! I saw that there is a Color Me Happy challenge at ScrapFit. They want us to use lime green, orange, purple, and black! YES! It just so happens that my fantastic Black Magic kit from Coordinates Collections HAS those very same colors! The kit features Jillibean Soup and American Crafts, and I am crazy about it!! So, I found these photos of Jessica and Emily from 2004! We had gone to a health fair, and they got the doctor gowns, masks, and gloves! We came home, they grabbed "scalpels", and we took some pictures! LOVE these photos, and they totally work with this color scheme and kit! I also loved using the Jillibean Soup monster and "I'm watchin' you" sprouts! I think the sewing is an awesome finishing touch! Perfect!

I hope you have a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween!! Eat some candy!! Thanks for stopping by!

My Mind's Eye Sketch

2010-10-26T09:37:00.006-05:00

My Mind's Eye posted another awesome challenge and sketch on their blog, and I've had my layout on my desk for over a week now, and I just got a chance to finish it!! I'm late for the challenge, but that's OK, because I love the way this turned out!! I have been wanting to use the Haunted collection! The flocking is awesome, and I love the die cuts and the brads! I did a lot of distressing and sewing on this layout. This page was fun to put together, and I just love this photo of Mary Poppins, Dorothy, and Toto!! You can click on the layout to see it larger!

I hope you're having a great day, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Fall Layout

2010-10-20T15:49:00.003-05:00

I used a wonderful October PageMaps sketch as inspiration for this layout! I used Little Yellow Bicycle products! I love this collection! I love fall, and I love to scrap fall photos! I did a lot of machine stitching on this page, and I finally used my i-rock to apply the rhinestones! I love it! I love seeing how much the girls have grown since 2006! Wow, times passes by so quickly! This is why we scrap . . . to capture these moments in time!!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Sassafras from Crafty Steals!

2010-10-15T12:06:00.010-05:00

I am so thrilled to reveal more Crafty Steals projects that I created for Stephanie! She is featuring AMAZING Sassafras goodies today on the Crafty Steals site! What an amazing bargain! Thank you Stephanie for featuring ME again! I had so much fun creating with these amazing products!!

The Sassafras products are so bright, cheerful, and fun! I had a great time pulling out some older photos of the girls! Emily is totally adorable eating her ice cream cone in these photos! Could that patterned paper be any more perfect?

Next, I featured a wonderful photo of Jessica! Jessica walked at nine months! It was truly amazing! I went a little Dr. Seuss on the paper title, but I think it's perfect for this page! The big alphabets are fantastic! The Sassafras blossoms are also just wonderful! They add a lot of personality to my title!

I just laughed when I pulled out this photo of Emily! We had the cozy coupe in out basement, and she was always trying to pull in that BIG lion pillow into the car! Of course, she was also holding onto Elmo! Would you say "3 is a crowd"? I think so! She was a CRAZY DRIVER!!

Next, I created a couple of cards! The patterned papers are just gorgeous!

The Sassafras stamps are really fun too! I stamped a flower trio on the Bungle Jungle papers! Don't you just love Sassafras borders that are on the bottom of the papers?

To use the stamps even more, I did a little stamping on the inside of the cards too! Isn't that fun? RUN to Crafty Steals to snatch up some of these amazing Sassafras deals! You will NOT be disappointed! Crafty Steals and Stephanie are AWESOME!

I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Spider's Web Creations!

2010-10-04T08:12:00.007-05:00

I got more fabulous goodies from the most awesome Stephanie at CraftySteals! She sent me the My Mind's Eye Spider's Web collection to work with! Oh my goodness, I love Halloween, I love this collection, and I love what I created!

Is this not the coolest layout ever!?! I love these papers! This is from Halloween 2006! Aren't the girls CUTE!?! I just love the way this turned out!

Here are my Candy Monsters! I love it! I did lots of stitching on this page! I cut that cool large shape on my Cricut Expression! The Pink Paislee glitter chipboard letters are the perfect touch!

Here's a fun, overly distressed card! I really like the way this turned out!

There were some fun spider elements in the collection, and I decided to create a Halloween card featuring them! Very cool!

Thanks Stephanie for the opportunity to play with more awesome goodies from CraftySteals! I really ♥ CraftySteals! I hope you're all having a great day, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Summer 2010

2010-09-23T08:14:00.005-05:00

We're issuing some awesome assignmentz and challengez at Scrap-Friendzy's Scrap University!! This is my challenge for an extra credit assignment called "Dean's List!" Here's what our Scrap U studentz needed to do to make the Dean's List:

Journal as a list!
Since summer is ending . . . include photos from THIS summer!
Include FIVE OR MORE photos!

Not too difficult . . . right!?! My layout features twelve photos, and instead of it being a Summer Top 10, it's a Summer Top 11!! I totally think of Spinal Tap when I say that! Anyway, I love the way this turned out!

I hope you're having a GREAT day! Thanks for stopping by!

September Guest Designer at CraftySteals!

2010-09-21T09:37:00.004-05:00

I am the Guest Designer at CraftySteals today! Stephanie is wonderful, and she sent me some Martha Stewart stamps to work with! I created four projects!

First, I used the stamps on this layout! I stamped the border stamps down the side of the layout and under the photo. I stamped the scallop circle down the other side of the layout. I love the way that looks! Then I stamped a plaid circle ring on striped paper and made a journaling circle! I repeatedly stamped a small asterisk/flower stamp in the white strip under the phone. I also stamped a butterfly and a heart, detail cut them, and then added them to the layout. I really love the way this turned out! I love incorporating stamping on my layouts!

Next, I decided to stamp a fun scallop flower trio. The scallop ring and the inner ring are two separate stamps, but I stamped them together. I then used an asterisk/flower stamp and repeatedly stamped it across the card front. Last, I stamped a butterfly, detail cut it, added some rhinestones, and then added it to my card. I love this card! It's bright and fun! It's a happy card!

I decided to try a monochromatic card, and I love the way this turned out! I stamped two butterflies. One is directly on the card front, and the other was stamped on white cardstock, detail cut, and added to the bottom of the card. I stamped the scallop border stamp across the bottom of the card front, and I also stamped it twice on an angle so that it formed a corner design. As you can tell, I really like that asterisk/flower stamp, because I used it again when I stamped a trio on this card front! I'm digging this monochromatic card!

Last, I used one of the elegant flower stamps in a trio, and stamped a simple sentiment under them. I think this card is elegant! I love the way it turned out!

I had a lot of fun creating these projects for Stephanie to feature on the CraftySteals blog! If you check out the blog post, please leave a comment!! Thank you Stephanie for asking me to be one of your guest designers at CraftySteals! It's a thrill! I hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Goodbye Rainbow Playset!

2010-09-13T20:02:00.002-05:00

Wow! I haven't updated my blog in a LONG time!! I created this layout for an after-school activity challenge over at Scrap-Friendzy! There are so many fun challenges going on right now, you should stop by and play along! I used Sassafras papers and letter stickers! I wasn't originally going to put on a HUGE title, but now I love it! It was sad to see the playset go, but my nephew and niece LOVE it, and they're giving it a good home!

Thanks for stopping by!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2010-09-04T12:34:00.003-05:00

I created this page for a Music Challenge over at Scrap-Friendzy! I coffee stained and then glimmer misted some music paper, and I created three flowers and one butterfly with the paper. I love it! I used my Nestabilities circle scallops to cut the flowers. The rest of the page is ALL Pink Paislee! I used awesome stuff that I got from my warehouse box! Oh my, I love that warehouse box! What a value for the money!! I just love how this page turned out!

I hope you enjoy your long weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

My 2nd Clip It Up Post!

2010-09-03T10:13:00.003-05:00

My 2nd Clip It Up post is on the blog! Check it out, and please leave a comment!! ♥

Home Economics Challenge!

2010-09-03T08:17:00.003-05:00

Scrap-Friendzy just started our Scrap University! It's going to run the entire month of September! Come on by and play along! Today, I posted the 2nd challenge of the month, and it's a Home Economics Challenge! For my challenge you need to add fabric and sewing to your layout! Here are my examples.

This page features denim and machine sewing! I literally cut a pocket out of a pair of shorts that the girls wore when they were younger. I love the pocket design! I also die cut two denim flowers in my Cuttlebug using my Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die. This layout features Jillibean Soup papers, some Cosmo Cricket Lil' Man items, a Jenni Bowlin ticket, and Maya Road velvet flowers. I even added a clothing tag from one of the shirts to the page. Last, but not least, I am LOVING those varsity Thickers for this layout! I used my sewing machine too! Oh, how I love my sewing machine!!

This page features a fabric flower that I created (tutorial is on the Scrap-Friendzy site), and I also added fabric to the edge of my journaling block. All of the sewing on this page is hand stitching. I took some FUN photos of Jessica in June, so I decided to create a Jessica June 2010 page! I love these Bo Bunny papers!

I hope you have a wonderful long holiday weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

A Layout for FUN!

2010-08-29T10:52:00.002-05:00

I finished a layout yesterday that I created just for FUN! It isn't for a challenge, it's not based on a sketch, it is just something that I wanted to work on! What a concept! I used some new Sassafras Indie Girl papers. I love them! These are photos of Emily marching in her first high school parade on the 4th of July. Wow, was it HOT! What a trooper! I love the way this turned out!

I hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

I Lost A Bunch Of Comments!

2010-08-13T07:01:00.002-05:00

Blogger changed the moderate/publish/reject part of the comment process, and unfortunately, I selected the wrong thing, and I deleted about 25 - 50 comments on my blog! I'm so sorry to all of you who left a wonderful comment that I ended up accidently deleting!! I guarantee I read it and appreciate it very much!

Lumiere

2010-08-12T13:43:00.005-05:00

Two posts in one day! Look out!! I created this page for a challenge at ScrapFIT. My Scrap-Friendzy design team friend Jenny told me about this site! She's a new member of their design team! I checked out the blog, and they are celebrating their 1st Birthday, and they have a Wet & Wild challenge going on! On my layout, I used my Tim Holtz mask alphabet for the title, and I used three shades of Glimmer Mist to do the title. Love it! I also used the glimmer mists on a piece of the October Afternoon paper. I punched it with my threading water punch before I used the mists, and after the mists dried, I rewet the paper with water, crumbled it, pleated it, and then sewed it down. I was going for a ruffle effect! I also used a lot of paint and ink on this layout! Last in the "wet" category, I added some distress Stickles. I got some fabric squares from Stitch Steals a short time ago, and I sewed two of them to the background. The fabric is Basic Grey Urban Couture. Cool! It adds an awesome texture to the layout. I also pleated a piece of Cosmo Cricket, and placed that to the right of the photo. Anyway, I LOVE ♥ Lumiere from Beauty & The Beast, and I was THRILLED to see this huge statue of him in the Downtown Disney Store in Orlando! He's fabulous! I'm loving the way this page turned out, and I'm thrilled to have another page for my Disney album DONE!!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

The Box

2010-08-12T10:48:00.006-05:00

I created this page during a layout tag game! I love these silly pics of the girls! The Weber Grill box was on the front lawn, and when there is a box, there are kids who want to play in the box, no matter how old they are!! I used October Afternoon papers and journaling stickers, Jillibean Soup letters, and Scenic Route flowers. The little chipboard piece is by Love Elsie. I hand cut the little pennant banner! I love the way this turned out!

It's unbelievably hot and humid here. I'm tired of the excessively horrible summer weather! I'm ready for fall!! ♥ Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!