Crafty Paper Girl

Pretty Paper=Easy Card!

2012-01-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! A quick share today... I made this card for a friend that got married recently:

This took me about 5 minutes to make. I cut a portion of pretty paper out, inked the edges, adhered it to a card base, added some pink pearls and stamped "Mr. & Mrs." Seriously. Easy. I added the liner to my envelope with a coordinating print. I am totally digging the envelope liners... if I'm going to spend the time to make a pretty card, I want the envelope to be pretty too!
Now, I'm off to run- literally.

Long Time, No See...

2012-01-25T20:58:00.000-05:00

Well, January is here and it's almost over! It's been a wet, rainy month of up and down temperatures. I've been busy doing this and that, but mostly updating my stationery website. I have been adding new products, better photos, and a new web design is in the process. I've lowered prices on some items and I'm excited about all the changes! Right now, you can get 20% off your total online purchase! Woo-hoo! Go check out what's new! You'll like what you see!

I have gotten a little crafty when I've had the chance... I have been finishing up a needlepoint belt that I'm making Stephen and most recently, I made this brooch for a friend for her birthday. The background fabric is a scarf I purchased and made the brooch to match.

In other news, Elan has been really sick. Ten days of fever, aches, pains and a double ear infection to top it all of. He spent most of his time on the couch with me next to him, just sleeping or staring into space for a good 8 days. I got a lot of good reading done in that time! Once he was feeling better, his energy would come and go in short spurts. He played with the bunny...

Bun Bun is huge- she is more like a cat than a bunny. She lives outside in a large hutch, but we bring her inside to play all the time! When she does come inside, she likes to terrorize Wrigley. She will hop through his legs or nibble his nails. He gets so jealous and grumpy...

Well, that's it for today. I'm wiped out and tomorrow is looking busy. Lord knows I could use some beauty rest. I'll be back soon!

2011 Highlights!

2011-12-31T07:25:00.003-05:00

It's New Year's Eve, 2011 and I am reflecting on the resolutions I made for myself last year. I don't typically stick to the resolutions I set for myself, and almost always, I fail miserably! Not this year... The two things I wanted to make happen were to start running (for exercise and to get back in shape) and to continue submitting my work in hopes of getting published for the first time.

In January, I started running. I started small... 3.1 miles was my first goal and race. By the time spring had arrived, I decided I wanted to run a marathon. The Chicago Marathon. So, in October, with lots of training and hard work, I did it. Cheers!

In July, I got word that one of my card submissions got picked up for the September issue of CARDS. I was beyond excited!

And this was my card... found on page 111 just sayin'

AND... while I'm tootin' my own horn, I may as well let you know that my Paper Source holiday card WON!!!

Finally, a few of my favorites over this past year:
My favorite layout was this one with tons of little pictures on it from our beach vacation in Hilton Head, SC.

My favorite little project were these tags I made out of scrap fabric and die cut felt.

Last, but not least, my favorite card from 2011, which I didn't send out because I just can't let go.

I am going to embrace the New Year and continue to set goals and challenges for myself.

I want to laugh more and yell less, craft more and clean less, drink more tea and less coffee. Continue running- even if I don't sign up for a full marathon! Go on more dates with my husband. Live more simply and enjoy my own surroundings.

In one word: CALM.

Have a Happy New Year! I wish all of you blessings, good health and an abundance of happiness in 2012!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:55:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to you all... we had a fantastic day that started way too early. The kids were up before seven and in bed way too late the night before. Another day full of celebrating, present opening and... eating. We said our farewell to Lucas Snowflake last night. We knew he would be flying back to the North Pole with Santa (and secretly, I was thrilled to see him go. I was running out of spots to hide the little elf and several times I would forget to hide him, but suddenly remember while laying in bed at midnight).

Lucas liked to watch me get crafty in my studio!

A cookie box for neighbors and friends

Cookie baking is one of my favorite holiday traditions. Every year, I bake loads of different types of cookies and candies. This year, I found some cookie boxes by Martha Stewart and decked them out with snowflake parchment, a satin ribbon and a cute snowflake label. Sorry I don't have a picture of the finished box, I couldn't get a good one. :(
Anyway, the treats in the box were: oatmeal raisin spice, white chocolate chex mix, molasses spice, toffee and chocolate chip. I also make tagalongs, chocolate covered pretzel sticks with sprinkles, and sugar cookies. It's like sugar overload the last week before Christmas- my kitchen is full of sweet smells and little, chocolate handed helpers! We have to hide the cookies from Stephen... he ate almost 2 dozen of molasses cookies in 2 days and claimed he ate them because they were "healthy."
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

Handmade Gift Giving

2011-12-22T19:01:00.001-05:00

This week has been quite productive. Since I got all my shopping done before the kids got out of school, it left me with a week of stress free baking and crafting! It has been so refreshing to actually make things that I want to make. I love to wrap beautiful gifts and tuck something handmade inside. It's not what you spend, but the thought.

So, are you wondering what's inside the pretty box? A set of handmade stationery for each of my girlfriends. I added their monogram to the top of each card and coordinated papers for a fabulous envelope liner. I made several sets and each of them are different, depending on the recipient.

All papers, boxes and envelopes came from Paper Source. I hope my girlfriends will love them! The best part? We don't exchange gifts... so they will really be surprised! Merry, Merry Handmade Holiday!

Oh Joy!

2011-12-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Like I promised... our Christmas card for 2011. I send out over a hundred cards every year- they can't ALL be handmade! So, I order some photo cards and the handmade ones get the same photo inserted.

I love the most recent comment from someone that received our card, "I love how you don't match your kids in holiday outfits and don't make them pose!" Not sure if I should be offended or not! :) I like to send out photos that express who my children are- not what they are pretending to be, with cheesy smiles and stiff poses, cringing at an outfit that I made them wear for 10 minutes and will never wear again! And actually, they do match! And this is who they are... darling, toothless, playful and full of Christmas JOY!

Paper Source Card Contest

2011-12-20T14:51:00.000-05:00

This past September, Louisville got its own Paper Source! I was so excited that they were opening a store here that I was their very first customer! When I found out about their annual holiday card contest, I knew I would enter, but what would I make? The card had to be 100% Paper Source and include an envelope. Oh my... PS has so many delicious items to choose from! How would I decide on just one card to submit?! Waiting until the last day to submit my creation, (because it just keeps life more interesting to rush and procrastinate) I came up with this:

I used the PS colors: red and chartreuse. The stamps are theirs also, and I added red Stickles for the berries. Satin ribbon and gold twine pulls it all together. The envelope liner is their handmade paper: concentric dots- with glitter... yum! And the best part? The winner gets a $50 gift certificate! I could use it!

Holiday Festivities!

2011-12-19T19:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, friends! This week has started off pretty good... the kids are out of school, all the stationery and holiday card orders have been placed, signed, sealed and delivered! I always try to keep the week before Christmas for myself. I love to bake and fix delicious cookie boxes for friends, neighbors and family. I try to stop and enjoy the week before Christmas with my kiddos, try to absorb their excitement and anticipation!

Last week, we had Mac's Christmas program at school. He got to play the bongo during one of the songs and he was so into it! He sang his little heart out!

Anna also had her Angel Program at school. She got to sign a solo part and she was very proud! She looked like an absolute angel, despite the fact that she had a stomach virus. It lasted a long 6 days!

I'll be back with our holiday card for 2011! Enjoy the night!

What's Going On...

2011-12-12T15:51:00.001-05:00

Hello friends, Season's Greetings to you all! I had to take a blog vacation for the past 5 weeks due to some heavy stuff going on. We had Thanksgiving, a wonderful time spent with family over really good food! Anna lost her first tooth over the break and she was so excited! A week later, Mac lost his first front tooth. He looks so much older with that big gap in his mouth!

I have a client every year that orders an obscene amount of handmade holiday cards- 750 to be exact. So, most of my time has been spent cutting and stitching felt hearts and glittering buttons to look like sugar. Seriously, if I don't see glitter until Valentine's Day, I'll be ok with that.

We got the perfect Christmas tree at Lowe's for a super low $30 eventhough we didn't chop it down ourselves, it still looks nice and smells good. I really do miss the tradition of going to the Christmas tree farm in Indiana and searching for the most glorious tree with the least amount of holes.

Nonetheless, we still had fun and the boys worked together to tie it on top of the van.

Yesterday I forced the kids to sit together in hopes of getting "the" Christmas card photo for 2011. I had to snap fast and before church, so they were still in good clothes and clean. I got one... tune in next time! ;)

Halloween Recap!

2011-11-04T19:56:00.000-04:00

We had a ball on Halloween night! My brother, Nate and his family always come to our house for dinner and trick-or-treating since their closest neighbor is over a mile away! As usual, the kiddos got loads of candy and were worn out at the end of the night...

Anna was an owl, Mac was The Grim Reaper, and Elan was a hunter.

We watched Goonies with the kids the Saturday before Halloween, so they wanted to carve the pumpkin like "One-Eyed Willie."

The sweetest kid being something scary!

Anna looked precious as an owl!

This is Elan's mean hunting face.

Here's a nice group picture of the kids...

My dad is putting Claudia in the photo and really, she wanted to have no part of it. Elan looks like the biggest buck just got away, and the girls, well, they just look so darn cute! They were ready to fill their bags with loot!
I hope you all had a safe, happy Halloween. Now that it's November, I'm frantically getting stuff together for my holiday show and thinking ahead to the Christmas crafts I want to do! Enjoy the weekend!

Fleas Navidad!

2011-11-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

Once again, I am posting my card for the Jingle Belles prompt "Not a Creature Was Stirring..." with about five minutes to spare. Ugh... how did life get so busy? I struggled to find the perfect animal for my card and while I was in bed last night, I remembered I had the Paper-Source lab stamp. A beloved dog stamp. Yes! Oh, and tartan plaid paper to go with! Excellent!

I know, another CAS card, but hey, that's my style. It works. I know exactly who I'm going to send it to, with a beautiful picture of my big boy, Wrigley.

Happy Sketch

2011-11-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

Good morning, friends. Happy first day of November! Can you believe it's already November? I know... Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! I am trying to squeeze in a little craft time for myself here and there, between filling stationery orders, working on a big holiday card commission, and chasing the kiddos around! It's only going to get busier! ;)

This week, I really liked the Sketchy Thursdays sketch. It was CAS and inspired me. So, I used this picture of my mom and dad that I have had sitting on my desk for months. We were in Hilton Head and also at my cousins wedding. We had so much fun and this picture of them really does show their happiness with each other.

My parents have been married for over 40 years!!! Sure, they have their moments, we all do, but for the most part, they have a solid relationship that my three brothers and I really look up to and strive to have in our own marriage. They brought us up right with strong values, and for that, I am forever grateful. They make me so happy!

And, if you want to play along with this weeks sketch at Sketchy Thursdays, this is what you have to play with:

You have until Wednesday night at 10pm to link up! :)

No tricks... just treats!

2011-10-31T17:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween! Today, I wanted to share the last of my Halloween cards that I made...

This one is for my crafty niece, Kendall that loves *glitter*! The witch is covered in crystal glitter and her shoes are red. Kendall is also going to be a candy corn witch for Halloween, so "good little witch" was perfect!

These last two are just random... no one in mind and they didn't even get sent! Sheesh... I am bad at actually getting a card in the mail.

Hope you and all the little goblins out there have a happy, safe Halloween! I'll post a picture of my little creeps dressed up tomorrow! Anna's costume is a hoot! ;)

And the winner is...

2011-10-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

Ruth Little!

You are now the proud ower of two Washi Tape rolls from Washi Wishes!

Enjoy your treat! :) I emailed you!

'Tis near Halloween...

2011-10-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

I have made several Halloween cards this week! Here is another using the papers from Fancy Pants "Oct. 31st" collection. The vintage image is from an Etsy shop... forgot the name.

Tonight, I have declared it "Family Movie Night." I feel like we have all been going is several different directions pretty much since school started. So, a pot roast for dinner and snuggling in PJ's tonight in front of the TV. Sounds good, huh?! Now, if we can all agree on a family movie...

GIVEAWAY time!

2011-10-26T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hi crafty peeps! I had a super nice gal ask if she could send me some of her Washi Tape to work with to help get her business name, Washi Wishes out there. Well... uh, YES! Please do send it! I *LOVE* working with Washi tapes- they are easy, removable, versatile, and add so much to any project. They are a definite must have for any crafter!

So, this is what I made with the generous package of samples that came my way!

This Thank You card was a snap to make and really packs a punch. The flower was easily made by pleating the tape in a circle making a flower. I added a brad and the sentiment is an SRM sticker.

Sometimes, birthday cards for boys are hard for me to create. Well, using some cute boy paper a stamped sentiment and a little Washi Tape at the top- BAM! Done!

My last project is this Christmas tree card. I used the green and yellow and red and yellow striped tape only on this card. However, I got out my Copic markers and colored the yellow stripe. In the tree, I colored it grass green, and in the gifts, chartreuse and prawn. I finished it of with a glittered button at the top of the tree and some sequins and rhinestones at the top of the gifts. Fun and bright!

And for you? Washi Wishes sent me *two* full rolls of tape to giveaway! Yippee!

Argyle Print

Bright Stripe

Leave a comment below by Saturday and I will randomly choose two people to get a fun roll of Washi Tape in the mail! In the meantime, visit Washi Wishes site and browse through their selection of tapes.

Use the code: Fall Tape Fun to save 10% on your entire order too!
*If you can only choose one roll to purchase... get the green stripe. My fave!

PTI October Blog Hop

2011-10-25T18:59:00.000-04:00

*If you are here for the Jingle Belles card, scroll down to the post below. I am such a dork... I thought today was Wednesday!
OK... on with the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop for the month! I got this stunning picture via email for the inspiration and I had to participate!

Holy gorgeous! The colors, patterns, stacked fabric, and darling decor just screams "FALL!" I love it. With the inspiration of the photo pumping through my veins, I came up with this card:

I used all scraps on this card! The paper, the fabric strip and the orange twine were all scraps from another project! I hand cut some leave from the PTI chartreuse felt, added a button, the twine and a rhinestone. Then, I repeatedly stamped the PTI sentiment "birthday wishes." An instant fall birthday card. Enjoy!

A "soft" card...

2011-10-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

Jingle Belles prompt this week is by a *lovely* guest star... she suggested that we use the term "snow is softly falling" and interpret it any way we like, making *soft* the focus. So, I used some soft felt and die cut my Christmas tree. I decorated with blue rhinestones and used a SRM sticker on the banner for my sentiment. The paper is a new fave... full of glitter! It's from My Minds Eye, lost and found collection.
Ok, off I go in a rush to link up before the deadline! I'll be back with my PTI blog hop entry! ;)

Hello, My Pretty!

2011-10-20T13:15:00.000-04:00

It's almost Halloween! I have my house decorated with pumpkins, witches and gourds and the kids are always jacked up on the bowls of candy corn I have in the house! It smells good with the candles lit and soup is on the stove. Ahhh... the autumn season is here!

Lovin' this card mostly because of that homemade broom I made with a scrap of kraft paper and my handy dandy Martha Stewart fringe scissors! I tied it together with a bit of twine and inked the edges of the paper. I also glittered the witches shoes in red.

Inspiration for this little gem was brought to you by:

This weeks sketch from Card Patterns:

And, Paper Craft Star's 67th challenge: Trick or Treat!
Enjoy, my pretties!

Happy 7th Birthday, Anna!

2011-10-19T21:43:00.000-04:00

My oh my, how fast seven years has passed. Anna, sweet girl, you have grown up so much in just the past year that it is frightening. You are too old for bows and precious cotton dresses, you want to dress like me and have sparkles in your ears. You still have a taste for adventure and excitement and seem to fear so little.

Holiday World, August, 2011

You continue to excel in sports, soccer being one of your favorites. Maybe it's because daddy coaches and your bestie, Molly, plays too:

Fall Soccer, 2010

You are still a great runner and you sometimes ask to go with me on my runs. I hope you still like running in a few years so we can do a quick few together. You'd be great company!

Rodes City Run, March, 2011

All I ask of you is to be the best you can be, by your own standards. Be yourself, be unique. Never be ashamed of who you are and always stand up for what you believe in. Do what's right. Be smart. You are such a blessing, and every time I think of you, I smile.

Layout: November 2010

Happy Birthday, darling daughter. I love you.

26.2 Layout

2011-10-19T19:44:00.000-04:00

I feel like I haven't done a layout in so long, but looking over all my race day photos that Stephen took, I felt inspired to create. I used this weeks Sketchy Thursdays sketch and really liked the design. So, here was the starting point:

And this is the layout that came to be:

Sorry about the crappy photo- it has been raining all day and I couldn't get outside. Had to use my flash. OK- there are a lot of happy goodies on here: Smash tape, Glimmer Mist paint, rhinestones, a faux Polaroid stamp from Lawn Fawn, felt, a fussy cut camera from some wrapping paper I got at Paper-Source, number stickers (26.2), and star embellies. Whew!

The journaling reads: He said I couldn't do it. I was determined to prove him wrong. It took courage, commitment and determination. I was scared and nervous, but also excited and anxious. I trained, and I trained hard. It all paid off because now I can say, "I did it." He was so proud... "

Thoughts from my first marathon- 26.2 miles of trying to beat myself. I won.

Everything but the kitchen sink...

2011-10-18T16:57:00.000-04:00

Hello friends, I have a doozie of a Christmas card for your viewing pleasure today. First, I got started with the Jingle Belles prompt "A caroling we will go." Meaning: use music or a song somehow in your card. So, I came up with this little gem:

There is actually a method to this madness of a card. This is my *special* card for my uncle Gene. Uncle Gene is one of six children, my mom's older brother. He is sensitive, sentimental, and truly cherishes everything that has any kind of meaning. A couple of years ago, I made him a card and it was a big hit. Last year, it didn't get done in time, so this year, he's getting a good one!

This card has a ton of meaning. Each little piece of it has significance. My grandmother, my mom's mother, passed away several years ago, but because of her, it's why we have all the wonderful traditions we still carry on today during Christmastime.

The base of the card is red cardstock layered with Silent Night sheet music. On Christmas Eve every year, we would gather together, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters, and sing Silent Night together before opening any gifts. It was usually off key and wonderful, which always sent my Grandmother into a pool of tears. Thankfully, she kept Kleenex tissues strategically stuffed under her sleeve. So, I added crumpled Kleenex to the bottom of the tree. Once the crying was over and laughing began, it was time for the presents! Grandmommy always wrapped her gifts in tissue paper or newsprint and tied them up with yarn. To remember that, this tree is made of all the things she used to wrap our gifts with. Sometimes, Grandmommy even made all of our gifts- and they were always crochet. Crochet stuffed animals, toboggans, scarfs, and one year... slippers. Have you ever tried on crochet slippers and walked on hardwood or linoleum? It's not pretty and a few of us almost broke our necks. So, the bottom of the tree is adorned with some beloved crochet. Finally, we come to the tinsel. The tacky, messy silver stuff that clogs vacuums and immediately makes any room "vintage." I had to add this because Grandmommy's tree- no matter how big or small it was, it always had a load of tinsel on it. Uncle Gene always came over and helped her decorate the tree when she got older, and he never left off the tinsel. In fact, he probably saved the darn stuff from years past and just re-used it.

So, you see, this tree made with everything but the kitchen sink actually has meaning and symbolism. I know my uncle Gene will love it... especially since it's "Grandmommy's Christmas Tree."

My First Marathon...

2011-10-12T17:02:00.000-04:00

My first marathon was this past Sunday in Chicago. I am still in awe that I actually did it. I set a goal and accomplished it. This race was an unbelievable experience- the city, the crowd, the 20 minute crawl to the start line, the miles and miles of hilarious posters made by the spectators. It was a new found energy at this race. I enjoyed (almost) every step. To share with you, here's the day in photos...

Wake up call at 5 am. I head down to the hotel lobby after getting dressed and have 2 cups of coffee and some oatmeal. I go back up and do my Trigger Point stretching/massaging. It's 6:15 and time to meet everyone else in the lobby to start walking to the start.

This is where Stephen leaves me. He can't get into the area that is just for runners, so he snaps a picture of us and gives me a kiss before departing.

My brother, Ironman Nate, sister-in-law, Lara and me.

Stephen had his day mapped out and planned to see me at several mile markers. He had a backpack full of my nutrition, just in case I got hungry, weak, dehydrated, etc. He was at every spot he said he would be at plus a few and navigated the city by train by himself! This is where we see him at the first spot... mile 4.

Nate took his camera and took so many pictures along the way- it was cracking us up- we really had a lot of fun!

This race was packed with runners... about 45,000 to be exact. It was crowded and the weather was hot- a sunny, almost 80 degree day. The heat didn't bother me much since I trained all summer long and lots of days the heat index was well over 100 degrees. Stephen got a picture of this guys running outfit...

Someone must have paid this guy $2K to run in that awful outfit.

Hi guys! I run into my brother, Adam, sis-in-law, Erin and Stephen again at mile 21. Adam is hootin' and hollerin' cheering me on! I stop for a minute to say hi, laugh and ask if they think I can finish in 27 minutes. Um... I don't think so...

Adam says, "LULU, You can do it! You look great! Keep going! Woo-hoo!"

Later, guys! I have about 5 more miles to go. See you at the finish line...

By the time I reached the 24th mile, I really felt like stealing this guys shirt:

I did have a goal to finish in 4:45 or at least under 5 hours. Already, I had been running for about 4 hours and 50 minutes. I knew I was getting closer to the finish, and I also knew I wasn't going to make my finish time, but never during the entire race did I say, "I don't think I can do this" or, "I need to stop" or "I just can't go any farther." I never hit a wall or ran out of steam. The only thing going through my head was, "I trained so hard for this, I can do it and I am not going to give up." And by God, I didn't. I came across that finish line with a smile, saying to myself (or I may have said it out loud) "I knew I could do it!"

showing off my bling

My reward, immediately after the race...

replacing lost carbs

I reunite with Nate and Lara, they were about 20 minutes behind me. I was so proud of Lara for pushing through. Not only was she running a marathon with an injury (shin splints), but she also has colitis. She did awesome!

The sweat, the tears, all the self doubt, 16 weeks of training, over 300 miles of running, sore legs, blisters, narly toenails, 4 am wake up calls on Saturday mornings, running through 2 states in one day before 7:30 am, music malfunctions, carb loading and obscene potty breaks... it all paid off.

The best running buddy and friend anyone could ask for, and I get a bonus because she's family!

Will I do it again? Absolutely.

I'm Leaving...

2011-10-07T22:26:00.000-04:00

I am bustin' out early in the morning to go to Chicago. My first marathon is Sunday. I am excited. I am nervous. I have worked and trained so hard for the past 3 months, I am ready.
When I started running, just this past January, I was elated that I could run 1 mile without stopping after "training" by running around my measly little court a few times. I set some goals, stuck with my training and here I am... headed off to conquer one of my biggest accomplishments. A 26.2 mile race. I can do this.

I hope to give you all a play by play when I return Monday night and share some pictures of the experience.
Wish me luck! ;)

Hang In There!

2011-10-07T10:51:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Wanted to share this little card and goody bag I made for a friend of mine going through a rough patch.

I used the Paper Smooches set "Falling for You." This was the first set I purchased and it's still my favorite. Lots of cute images that can be used all year round! I stamped the bat and colored him with Copics and added black rhinestones for his eyes(which you can't see from this picture). I added some decorative tape, twine and chipboard buttons. I used stickers to spell out my sentiment. I folded the card over and attached to a polka dot bag filled with Dove chocolates.

My friend loved it and I think it cheered her up. Mission accomplished! :)

Peace

2011-10-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

This weeks Jingle Belles prompt is "Peace." You can use the word peace or a peace symbol. I love the Paper Smooches stamp set, "Pretty Phrases" and that's where I started.

I embossed the sentiment in white on kraft and then added my patterned paper, felt border and small stitched felt heart. I used the new Claudine Hellmuth Studio stamps for my bird. First, I stamped him with white paint, then ink chocolate ink for the outline. I added a small silver rhinestone for an eye. This card was pretty easy and could easily be mass produced.

Enjoy!

More Recycled Cards

2011-10-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

A few posts ago, I wrote about the flyer I got in the mail with a circus theme. I loved the images so much that I cut them out and saved them. So glad I did too... I made 4 birthday cards from something I would normally pitch!
The fire eater...

The muscle man- this one went to my Ironman brother, Nate yesterday for his birthday...

The trapeze artist- this card went to Stephen's grandmother this weekend for her 89th birthday. She's still always up for a thrill of any kind!

So, together with a few odds and ends, this trash certainly turned into some treasure!
Enjoy, and I hope you find a treasure in your sea of junk mail soon! ;)

If Anna were a snowman...

2011-09-28T17:09:00.001-04:00

This is what she would look like:

The Jingle Belles prompt this week was "Suzy Snowflake," a song by Rosemary Clooney that I have never heard. We could interpret it any way we would like. So, I made a snow lady decked out in her finest jewels, hat and scarf. You can't tell from the photo, but the snowman is made from silver cardstock that I covered in crystal, coarse glitter. Her eyes and mouth are black rhinestones and her hat has a bit of felt on it too! Like I said, if Anna were a snowman, this is what she would look like! ;)

Digital Scrapbooking

2011-09-22T20:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you that have done some digital/hybrid scrapbooking, and for those who haven't jumped into scrapbooking because it's either too expensive, too overwhelming or just too much trouble, this is for you:

Using my code, you get $10 off MyMemories Suite v2 Software and $10 in free products (like super cute digital packages, etc.) from http://www.mymemories.com/
Use Promo Code: STMMMS35796
Click HERE to go to the site and browse or watch a video tutorial or two!
Now is the time to try it out since it's cheap! And, you can have projects ready for Christmas! ;)
Have fun!

Challenges? I've got it covered...

2011-09-21T07:30:00.001-04:00

I made my rounds to my fave blog challenge sites on Sunday and found so much inspiration! I decided to do my Christmas card this week based on the following 3 challenges:

Jingle Belles- Hybrid Holidays (using a digital images with embellishments, papers, etc.)
Shopping Our Stash- No Coloring! No Coopics or Prismacolors!

Card Patterns- this sketch, but I rotated it once, clockwise:

My card:

I loved working with the Card Patterns sketch! I got this vintage image of Santa from an Etsy seller and printed it on ivory cardstock. No coloring! I just inked the edges of my papers and added some Hero Arts felt pointsettias and placed a vintage button on top for a little added "oompf!" Easy and fun, not to mention how crafty I felt to combine 3 challenges! I never do that!

Best Friend

2011-09-20T20:45:00.000-04:00

This week, Sketchy Thursdays is having a challenge/prize blowout! There is a sketch, a theme (friendship) and a blog hop! Woo-hoo! I couldn't resist playing along. Here is the sketch from Sketchy Thursdays:

The theme is from ScrapFit, workout #52- F is for Friendship. Hands down, my husband is my best friend, besides my mom.

My layout:

These pictures were taken in Hilton Head this summer. We were at my cousins wedding and the two of us had the best time! My cousin caught these pics of us and I knew I wanted to scrap 'em! :) Enjoy!

Recycle It!

2011-09-18T11:21:00.001-04:00

Hello there... a quick card share today! I got this mailer a couple weeks ago that opened up to a poster size advertisement. It was a circus theme and I loved the images that were used in the ad. So, I cut out the squares and decided to use them for birthday cards.

I mounted the part I cut out on a piece of ivory and then put it on a card base. I added the stars, jewels, button and red scalloped border. The banner at the top had a paper brand name on it, so I covered it with paper that I used SRM stickers on. Added a little foam tape and was done!
I'm playing along this week with Paper Issues... their theme is "Tree Hugger!" Upcycle, recycle, interpret any way you like!

A day late...

2011-09-15T17:03:00.000-04:00

And a dollar short. I am so behind that I thought today was Wednesday. If I were in school, and blogging was a subject, I would get an "F" with comments from the teacher that said, "unorganized, unfocused, tardy and missing assignments." Sheesh... I have been taking week long breaks between posts and that is just unacceptable! I'm going to have to do some extra credit work to make it up to you. Read on...

This is my Jingle Belles card for the week. The challenge was "Deck the Halls" and to use a ATC (artist trading card) or playing card on your handmade card. I printed my own ATC's- vintage kids decorating a snowman. I added it to a shipping tag and embellished with fabric leaves and a button tied with twine.

I mounted the tag to some Basic Grey Jovial paper, added a strip of red and tied some blue seam binding ribbon around it. I added a punched star and a decorative stick pin and it was done.

And now, to try and win your hearts over again (I am not above bribery), let's do a little giveaway. I have made several of these tags and they are for sale in my Etsy shop. You can add them to gifts, scrapbook pages, or like I did above, to a card. I am GIVING AWAY one set of 3 tags.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you will do with the tags and I will choose a winner on Saturday afternoon. I'll be back here tomorrow... I am pre-posting now so I don't get side tracked! :)

JB- Labor Lost

2011-09-07T14:28:00.000-04:00

This week, over at Jingle Belles, they are cutting the "labor" out of card making. They want us to CASE a card that another friendly card maker has already done. No problemo... loads of inspiration at the JB blog! I chose the previous challenge "Shape Up" and used Leslie Hannah's cute card of a shaped beanie.

How cute is this?!! Leslie makes loads of cute cards and you can check them out on her blog "The Crooked Stamper." She is hilarious! So, this is the card I ended up making...

So, her beanie creation totally inspired me to not only CASE her card, but also make some cute felt embellies to add to my Etsy shop:

And, since you guys totally got jipped out of seeing crafts last week due to my blog abandonment, I made another holiday to share...

This card took me like 5 minutes to make. Easy.

Now, go check out Leslie's blog, The Crooked Stamper. Gotta RUN!

Hello, Friend

2011-09-05T18:11:00.000-04:00

I know, it's been a while... almost a week! I just wanted to pop in quickly to share this card I made back in July, but hadn't shared yet. I had gotten the new Claudine Helmuth creative layers stamp set. The set is so fun! You use paint and/or ink, I used both.

The patterned paper is Basic Grey, Out of Print and the sentiment is from Michael's $ bin. I added some twine, a button and a glittered flower piece of chipboard. The end.

I hope you all have had a nice long Labor Day weekend. Saturday morning I ran 20 miles (!!!) and on Sunday, I got to have breakfast and coffee with one of my best, oldest friends, Megan. She lives in Chicago, so she will see me again in 5 weeks for the Marathon! Ran 7 miles again this morning and tonight... the plan is to eat, drink some wine and go to bed early. ;) I'll post again soon. Promise.

Ironman Nate

2011-08-30T13:26:00.000-04:00

This blog has been left unattended for a very good reason. My brother, Nate competed in the Ford Ironman this past Sunday. He has been on a rigerous training schedule for the past 14 weeks just for this event. For those of you that don't know, an Ironman is a triathlon that athletes swim 2.4 miles, bike 114 miles and run 26.2 miles.

My younger brother, Adam and I were a team for the day. He picked me up at 5:30 am to head down to the start of the swim. I also might add that brothers do not change as they get older- he immediately started ragging on me for not being in the driveway waiting for him and packing a backpack with way too much stuff in it. He changed his toon when he wanted some coffee out of my carafe, not to mention that I found 2 wicked awesome parking spots.

We found Nate in line, waiting for the swim to start. They swim 2.4 miles... in the Ohio River.

Adam was also Nate's "Coach."

The National Anthem was sung before the event started. Nate takes it all in, beginning to focus and trying to breathe. The cannon is about to go off and all the athletes prepare themselves for a long day.

Cool as a cucumber, ready to swim...

Nate finished the 2.4 mile swim with no problem. I see him get out of the river and run up the path to get ready for the bike ride. The crowd was going crazy. Nate goes off to get his bike and gear up for the 112 mile bike ride. We sprint to see him ride down the shoot. Again, the crowd was insane... he was so pumped up, he was even cheering!

We get back in the car and drive to LaGrange, KY where the bikers make two laps in this one area. Adam is an insane driver. I can not believe I survived the day being his co-pilot. We steak out a spot to cheer him on at this point in the race. I figured it would be a good time to get a picture of all the signs we made.

Here's Nate on his bike after the second loop...

Now that he finished the second loop, we get back in the car and head back downtown to see the bike to run exchange. I caught this picture of Nate dismounting off his bike. He quickly drops his bike and gear and gets on his running shoes. Easy ladies, he's taken.

Run, Nate, run! You only have 26.2 miles to go.

My two brothers and I cheering him on every step of the way. Eric is on the left, Adam is on the right. It went downhill fast from this point with the sibling banter.

Seriously, Nate is a machine. He only has 12 miles left to go in this race and he is smiling, high-fiving, and running like he's being chased with a knife.

Nates two older kiddos, baby Claudia is home cheering. Kendall and Daniel named Nates bike: "Zig-Dad" and "Blue Steel." We are all waiting at the finish line...

Here he comes, down the stretch...

"Nate Norrenbrock, You are an IRONMAN!"

Unbelievably, Nate finished 140.6 miles in under 12 hours. He's freakishly amazing...

Mom and Stephen... they love to cry over everything. The Ironman was worth every tear, very emothional.

Our Ironman Nate! We are so proud of him and his awesome accomplishment. He did amazing and look how great he looks!

After 140.6 miles, now Lara gets her husband back. Nate is wondering what he's going to do with the extra 20 hours a week he has now that training is over. :)

One last hug and "good job" from Coach.

Nate, you are amazing. An inspirartion and a freakishly amazing athlete. You set your eye on the prize and went after it. You never lost focus and went after your dream. Your determination and will got you there. I can't wait to run my first marathon with you in October. I can't think of anyone else I would want to share my goal with than you. Love you, big brother. You 'da bomb.

Clean and Simple... again!

2011-08-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

I loved the Clean and Simple Stamping blog so much after the Jingle Belles steered me their way, that I picked another one of their sketches to work with. I actually made two cards...

This one is most like the sketch:

Here's the sketch:

And this one, well, I flipped the sketch and added some ribbon and a button. Still CAS, but with a little "ooh!'

I used Paper Smooches flower stamp and stamped flowers in grey and one in black. Colored the black one in with my Copics and added one little rhinestone in the center. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink. Both cards were very easy and made them in less than 30 minutes.
I know you are wondering were I got that amazing color of seam binding ribbon... my mom. She gave me tons of colors all on these vintage spools! She said she paid like .10 cents for a spool of 100 yards! Gotta love that! And mom, I know you're reading this... these cards are part of your collection. ;)

Coloring Outside the Lines!

2011-08-24T08:19:00.000-04:00

I love to color... I love fresh, new crayons and I love my big girl Copic markers! I admit, Copics are a bit intimidating. Is it the big price tag? All the blending? Technique? Probably a little of all that I mentioned! Well, this week, Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday Challenge is all about coloring outside the lines. Watch the video HERE.
Here's my card...

A close up of the scribble lines for candles...

I used Papertrey's lavender moon cardstock as my base and stamp sets "Make A Wish" (candles) and "Big & Bold Wishes (sentiment). I added a load of glitter to really make those candles *sparkle* and a few giant rhinestones to finish it off! Enjoy!

Clean and Simple = Love

2011-08-23T07:30:00.002-04:00

Those cute Jingle Belles are teaming up with the Clean and Simple Stamping gals this week! I don't care what it is, I love clean and simple- it's my style... it's just how I roll, k? So, imagine my excitement when I was handed not only a sketch, (love!) but also the instructions to keep it clean and simple! Holy awesome, Batman! I'm on it!

Here's what I came up with:

A close up of all those delicious Basic Grey chipboard embellishments... I only have 3 left from the pack!!! I also used October Afternoon paper and stickers and added a few tiny clear rhinestones.

And last, but not least, the sketch:

I hope you'll play along! You have until Wednesday at 6 pm to add your link. AND, the Jingle Belles have a swell prize up for grabs to one lucky, random participant! Woo-hoo!

A Sketchy Thursday Layout on Monday!

2011-08-22T17:05:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've played along with Sketchy Thursdays! When I saw this weeks sketch, I immediately knew what pictures I wanted to scrap. I liked the sketch, but flipped it clockwise once to work with my photos and title.

Here's the layout:

This is Mac at the Crossover Ceremony for Cub Scouts. They walk across a wood 2x4 and "crossover" from a cub to a bear. He was so proud to be in the next level of scouting... A Bear!

Here's the sketch:

I hope you get to play along... you have until 10 p.m. on Wednesday to get your scrap on!
Have a good night!

Late... again!

2011-08-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

Hi friends... I'm late posting my Jingle Belles card... again. *Sigh* I'm not too good with time. But late is better than never, right? This week those Belles wanted to see some *bling*! Let me first start off by saying that I don't use much bling on my cards. In fact, when I showed Anna this card, she wanted to know who made it. Exactly! It's not my style. I'm more of a CAS gal.

So, this is my bling-ed out card:

Yowza, that's a lot of rhinestone cowgirl goodness, huh?

Well, this is my kind of bling:

Clean and simple, and jazzed up with a few pearls. Pearls are always in style and they are so classy! I added some vellum that I used one of my punches on too.

Even though I tend to stay CAS in my style, it was fun to totally cover a card with rhinestones, and step outside of my comfort zone. :)

Lastly, yesterday was the first day of school for all of my kiddos. They had a great first day and were ready to go back this morning. Finally, I feel more organized and my house is staying clean a bit longer!

Mac, 3rd grade, Anna, 1st grade, and Elan, 4 year old Preschool. Here's to another great year at St. Albert the Great!

Bunny Love

2011-08-13T10:50:00.000-04:00

The newest member of our family is the bunny. Anna has wanted a bunny since she could talk. Well, after talking to Stephen and batting her eyes, she got one. We got it from a "rabbit farmer" if you will, and she carefully chose the perfect one. A cinnamon colored bunny that she would later name, Cinnamon. how original... :)

So, Anna has treated the bunny like a stuffed animal. She carries it everywhere, holds it and pets her until her fur starts falling out. She takes her up to her bedroom and plays, but the funniest thing I have ever seen, is Anna taking this bunny for a walk in the wagon. It needed documenting...

This little bunny just sits in the wagon and rides! It's so funny- she doesn't even try to hop out!

Anyway, all the little embellies are mostly from October Afternoon and that stitching along the edges, it's faux... drawn on with a white pen. :)

Well, this little bunny has grown a lot since these pictures were taken. She's about 8 pounds and 3-4 times bigger than in these pictures. She is awfully sweet though!

Cards, Cards, Cards!

2011-08-10T17:18:00.000-04:00

I swear, I am being crafty and creating a lot, but since doing so, I haven't had time to post and share. So, today, I'm going to just go on and post 'em all! Woo-hoo! Let's get to it:

First, I'll start with birthday cards. This one was for my nephew, Graham. It was his very first birthday:

Next up, a belated birthday card. This one was for one of my oldest, dearest friends who lives in Chicago. I sent her a texty birthday wish the day of, but to bandage any possible hurt feelings, I also added a Starbucks gift card. ;)

Now, time for some friendly little creations. These cards were for some friends "just because."

Here's a thank you card, I love how this turned out...

And lastly, a baby congrats card. I had one dear friend tell me she is expecting and another had her baby! Yay! I love babies!

Most of my cards are created with scraps left over from scrapbooking. I love making cards because it takes little thinking, prepping and planning and they are finished quickly! I'm an instant gratification kind of girl. :)

Okay, now I'm off to run 8 miles with my running group. We reward ourselves with margaritas and tacos afterward. Ole!

Jingle Belles- Shape Up!

2011-08-09T15:24:00.000-04:00

Shape up! The Jingle Belles challenge this week is to make a shaped card! Okay, I think I made a shaped card back in the 90's, but haven't since, so this was actually a challenge for me! Once I got an idea in my head, I got excited and eager to start.

So, here's my not so Clark Griswald decorated home for the holidays:

AND, I even made the house shape attach to a card that actually opens! Squeal! I was so impressed with myself!

If you look close, really close, you can see the coarse glitter I used on the chimney, trees and window edges. Those trees are cut from a Papertrey Ink die and the snow drifts? Those are die cut clouds from felt, cut in half. My wreath was assembled with Hero Arts poinsettia flowers and leaves, all attached with a vivid green brad. The Christmas lights are from Michael's and they have glitter on them too! ;) Whew!

Now, shape up, or ship out! That's what I always say to my kiddos... get yourself going on a shaped card- it was fun!

8 is Great!

2011-08-09T09:21:00.000-04:00

Mac turned 8 this past February and I just now did his birthday layout! Eight has been a great year for Mac, he has grown up so much and has become so independent! He started playing tackle football a few weeks ago and loves it, and he is active in scouts. He {I think} is finally excited, getting ready to start third grade next week!

Now, on with the layout...

Lots of odds and ends going on here, but they all seem to work together. Old and new supplies... I love when that happens!

We finally have a break in humidity today, so I'm getting the kids outside! Hope you have a great day!

Jingle Belles- Blue Christmas

2011-08-03T17:16:00.000-04:00

This week, the Jingle Belles are blue... the prompt is "Blue Christmas" and every time I say it, the Elvis song pops into my head and my kids are wondering why the heck I'm belting out Christmas songs in August! I tell them I'm trying to stay cool... they think I'm crazy. :p Well, I am. It's 100 degrees and the kids aren't in school yet. That's enough to make anyone a little whacked out!
So, here's my blue Christmas card:

Don't you love the October Afternoon paper? Those houses are so cute! Here's to staying cool...

Stars and Stripes!

2011-08-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

Hello there. Just quickly stopping in to post a layout I did of this past 4th of July. We go to my cousins house every year and have an absolute ball. This year was no different!

A neighborhood parade, trolley rides with Mimi, the Bubble Truck, popsicles and ice cream, sparklers, fireworks, music, food, family and loads of fun! We had a blast!

Hope you are all staying cool... it's really HOT in these parts. I stayed in most of the day, making Christmas cards, thinking cool thoughts! ;)

You Make Me Hoppy!

2011-07-31T17:06:00.000-04:00

Hi there, hoppy Sunday! Hope you have had a little time to create today... I'm squeezing a little in before I head into a busy week! I loved the Card Patterns sketch this week, and I actually needed to make several cards for various reasons. This one is going to my animal loving niece, along with a pack of animal stickers- just for fun. :)

The stamps are from Papertrey Ink and the patterned paper is Echo Park. The frog embellishment is from an Etsy store called "Ring-O Crafts."

If you get a chance, and want to play along, here's the sketch:

Enjoy your Sunday evening!

RUNinspired

2011-07-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

Good morning... I am normally out running a long run on Saturday morning, but this weekend, I had to rearrange my schedule a little. I wanted to share a layout I did on my girls scrappin' weekend about my first big race, the KY Derby Mini Marathon- 13.2 miles!

When I first started running, I went into a local running store called Fleet Feet. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was a huge poster that said, "Uninspired" at the top and then, underneath, "RUNinspired... running changes everything." I loved it. It was such a motivator for me, and now, I am 10 weeks away from running my first Marathon- 26.2 miles!

My two brothers, my sister-in-law and me running together in the Mini Marathon:

We had a blast running together and finishing was a feeling only someone who's "been there, done that" can understand. RUNinspired...

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

2011-07-25T18:55:00.000-04:00

Hi friends... this is my second post for the day! I wanted to squeeze in a card I made for the Papertrey Ink July Blog Hop! This month, the inspiration came from this awesome photo:

I wish I had a spot in my house that looks like this! It looks like such a happy place... the perfect spot to read or do some needlepoint! ;)

This is the card it inspired me to create:

Quite simple, actually. It was leftover Sassafrass paper, odds and ends, paired with some Papertrey ribbon and sentiment stamp. A happy little card!

Click here to join the hop and see all the creations!

Just Beachy!

2011-07-25T16:03:00.000-04:00

This layout could quite possibly be my most favorite ever! It took a long time to make and it was agony choosing all the photos to add, but the end result was exactly what I wanted... a collage of memories from our recent trip to the beach.

I printed some of my favorite photos from the week and printed in a contact sheet form. From that point, I hand cut each one out and arranged on the layout. I added buttons, hand cut clouds, some chipboard, patterned paper and stickers for finishing touches. I love the way it looks...

I am submitting this to the City Crafter challenge blog. The theme this week is "It's a Shore Thing"... I think I got that covered! ;)

Sketchy Thursdays- GDT

2011-07-21T11:37:00.000-04:00

Sketchy Thursdays has their challenge up for the guest designer for August. I decided to play along... I got a lot of scrappin' and card makin' done on my girls trip this past weekend. The gals at Sketchy Thursdays requested that we not only use the sketch, but to also include:

• A summer topic
• The colors red, orange and/or yellow
• A journaling spot

here's the sketch...

here's my take...

I chose to use the colors red and yellow and my journaling spot is from the SMASH pad "entertainment." The summer topic: RUNNING! Training now for the Chicago Marathon in this heat has been murder. The layout is about the Rodes City Run, second race in the triple crown leading up to the KY Derby mini Marathon. After I finished my race, the kids got to run. It was a ball- they got to run along the river at Waterfront Park. All the kids got a prize, a free lunch at Chick-fil-A and had fun in a giant cow jumper.

A close up of some cute faces and embellishments! I love those puffy clouds- thanks, Elizabeth! ;) If you want to play along in the GDT Challenge, click HERE for all the details. You have until July 23!

Oh Deer!

2011-07-19T17:09:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! I whipped up a quick card this morning for the Jingle Belles weekly prompt. This week... "reindeer games!" At first, I was like, "great. I don't have any reindeer in my stash." Then, I found the Basic Grey paper pad! The tag and the patterned paper are both from the Jovial collection... are you sick of seeing me use the same 'ole stuff?

In addition to the BG Jovial papers and tag embellishment, I also used a couple rub-ons, a "love" stamp, some cranberry seam binding tape (my mom gave me loads of spools!!) to make a bow and added some hand cut felt leaves all bound together with button and twine. I actually love this card... and so does Elan. He thinks it's a hunting card. :)

You're the Best!

2011-07-15T14:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Getting ready to leave for a girls weekend to do some scrappin' and craftin' and eatin'! Super excited, but first I wanted to share a fun card using the Card Patterns sketch for the week. Here's my card:

And this is the sketch:

Hope you have a great weekend!

With Sympathy...

2011-07-13T16:18:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately, I've had to send a few sympathy cards in the last week. I got out my new Basic Grey Out of Print paper pad and used Paper Smooches Friendly Flowers stamp set. Added some ribbon, colored and paper pieced the flower and then used my Papertrey set for the sentiment. Easy, pretty, tasteful.

I hope the recipients felt a little sun on their face when they got the card. It's always hard to lose someone you love...

Always Up to Something...

2011-07-10T16:55:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Hope you all had a great Saturday. It was a beautiful day and I have officially started my marathon training! I ran 10 miles yesterday morning with my running group, and I have to say... it was awesome. I was so dang proud of myself for running at a wicked pace and up lots of hills to boot! Took the kiddos for a full day at the pool and grilled out for dinner. Pretty much a perfect summer Saturday!

I wanted to share a cute layout of Elan I made last week. I took these pictures of him while we were on vacation and thought they showed his little personality so well... that face always looks like he's up to something!

I really just took the cute pictures and put them on the page. Not many embellies... I did use some chipboard and decorative tape, and yellow twine that I am in love with! Easy peasy... have a good Sunday!

Card Patterns Sketch

2011-07-06T16:37:00.000-04:00

Here's the card of the day! "Happy Bird-day" is based on the great sketch from Card Patterns...

I used a ribbon embellishment of a bird from Ring-O Crafts on Etsy. It went so well with this paper from Basic Grey! The stamped sentiment and die cut are from Papertrey Ink.

Here's the sketch, it's a good one, don't cha' think?

I hope you get to play along! :)

Jingle Belles- Stars OR Stripes!

2011-07-05T22:18:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Have you all recovered from the long July 4th weekend? We are slowly catching up on our rest. ;) Before I hop off to bed, I wanted to share my Jingle Belles card for this week. The challenge was to use stars OR stripes in your Christmas card creation. Here's mine:

The snowflake paper from Basic Grey reminded me of stars and my chipboard "JOY" has striped letters. Yes, I used PINK on another Christmas card. That's what happens when you make a holiday card in the summer. Come fall, my Christmas cards might be ORANGE! ;)
Enjoy your evening...

Happy Fourth, USA!

2011-07-04T13:46:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July to all my crafty friends in the USA! I thought I would share some layouts from the past.

Here's a collage layout of the 4th of July bike parade in 2008, that my neighborhood has every year...

Here's a cute picture of the kiddos and Wrigley after the parade in 2009...

This is a more recent layout. It's pictures of the kids and Stephen watching the fireworks last year...

And, after today, I will have more pictures to view, reminisce, and scrapbook! Have a happy and safe 4th of July, friends!

Scrapping Everyday Miracles

2011-07-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday, crafty friends! I am sorry to admit that I failed to post the second challenge over at Scrapping Everyday Miracles. Ugh... oh well, here is my project anyway:

This is my niece, Claudia at the beach. She just learned how to walk and had a ball exploring the ocean and the sand! The caption at the top reads, "How blessings brighten as they take flight" -Young.

The last couple of layouts I have done, I've used the Echo Park line, "Sweet Summertime." It's been fun using stickers again! ;)

I hope you get a chance to be creative this weekend!

Elan is 2 Wheelin'!

2011-07-01T17:18:00.000-04:00

Last week, Elan learned to ride his bike without his training wheels. *Sigh* isn't he a little young for this? Why does he want to grow up so fast? This year, he will be riding a big boy bike in the 4th of July neighborhood parade, and it seems like last year I was pushing him in a stroller. Time just goes by so fast...

He was so excited, and so proud of himself... he ran to me saying, "Mom! I'm never riding with training wheels again!" He picked it up easily and has been 2 wheelin' ever since.

Card Patterns Sketch

2011-06-29T08:07:00.001-04:00

I am always in need of a birthday card- especially with as many nieces and nephews that I have! When I saw this weeks Card Patterns sketch, I knew exactly what I was going to do...

I love that this card can be used for a boy or a girl. The banner is from the border sticker collection from Pink Paisley and the lion dimensional sticker is by Recollections at Michael's- it came in a pack of 6 darling animals wearing birthday hats and the entire pack was only $0.99!!! I only have 2 stickers left... need to pick up another pack! I added some punched circles, stamped a couple Hero Arts stars, added a button and twine and viola!

Here's the sketch:

Hope you get a chance to play along! You have until this Friday, July 1st.

Jingle Belles- "Tagging Along"

2011-06-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

This week, the Jingle Belles are playing "tag team" with the chics over at The Order of the Opus Gluei. So, our crafty instructions were to make a holiday card and something to go along with it... like a box, bag, tag, etc. I'm always in need of a tag, so that's what I chose as my second project.

All the papers and chipboard are from Crate Paper- I love the colors! The ice skates stamp and die (which I have used over and over and over again...) are from Papertrey Ink. If I could only choose one stamp set for the winter, this "On Ice" set from PTI would be it!

I had fun tagging along... Can't wait to see what everyone else makes! :)

Wanna Dance?

2011-06-27T22:08:00.000-04:00

Hello, crafty friends! I have a layout today! This weekend was very productive in the creation department, so I got lots done and the inspiration was rollin'! I used this weeks sketch from Sketchy Thursdays, which I *loved*. In fact, I have two more layouts in the process using the same sketch... one for each of the boys. I hope to share them on Wednesday. Here's the sketch:

Here's my layout:

I had loads of fun doing this page- used some paint, tape, different borders, chipboard... Anna loves it- she wants to put it in her room. ;) It's of her and Stephen dancing at my cousins wedding we went to a couple weeks ago while we were at the beach. So fun...

For Dad

2011-06-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

I failed to post my Father's Day card and *toot* to my dear ole' dad last Sunday. It's been busy around here and I'm barely keeping my head above water. So, here it is, a week late, but better than never.

My dad is retired and plays golf three times a week, so I thought this would be the perfect card for him!

The green is torn mulberry paper and the flag is cut mulberry paper. I drew the pole and used glossy accents in black for the hole. I stamped "DAD" with foam stamps inked in black. The inside was simply stamped "happy father's day" from Papertrey ink. He loved it!

I thought I would also share a recent picture of dad with my kiddos. He comes over for dinner when my mom is out of town. :) This particular night, we were playing "Simon Says" and he was cracking the kids up with his commands! It was a very fun night and my kids adore their Poppy!

Dad, you are the BEST! Love you lots!
XO

Homemade Gifts are Great!

2011-06-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! I'm happy to see the weekend here! I wanted to show you a cute gift I made a friend for her birthday. I know I have shared one of these journals before, but this one is decorated differently. ;)

I love personalized gifts. I think this little journal is even more fun with a family last name on the cover. The house and "happy" and "home" are from Studio Calico. The "take note" is Papertrey Ink.

The inside of the book has pages with the months, a spot to fill in the date and lines to journal on. I love to record the funny things my kids say in this little book!

I wrapped it all up in a cellophane bag with some paper shreds and ribbon. I tied on a Martha Stewart tag that I stamped and it was ready to give. My friend loved it! :)

New Stationery

2011-06-23T16:21:00.000-04:00

Hi there... hope you all have been staying dry from the wet weather we've been having! Just popping in today to share some of the new stationery designs that I just added to the web site. I found/purchased the graphics from a darling Etsy shop called Erin Bradley. You can find the stationery for sale in my shop here.

I think this is so fun for the preppy guy in your life...

These were a birthday gift for one of my girlfriends who loves owls! I also paired it with a note pad- she loved it!

The whale design was inspired by an adorable beach towel that my cousin had in Hilton Head while we were on vacation.

I made these for myself since I'm the camera girl in the family! It reminds me of an Andy Warhol print!

Enjoy... :)

Jingle Belles- All Bundled Up!

2011-06-21T21:28:00.000-04:00

This week, the Jingle Belles have challenged us to get "all bundled up," or rather... lots of layers! I love to layer, so I think I'm covered on this card! I used the Basic Grey Jovial collection and added 3 layers to my card base, then topped it off with ribbon, twine, a hand cut felt heart, decorative tape, and some blue half pearls. I used chipboard letters to spell out the "you" in my greeting- also Basic Grey. I love this card... it warms me right up... just like a good friend would. Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry I have been MIA... got started on another big home project- stripping wallpaper hung in 1972 in my foyer. It's been a serious job, but I am almost completely done! Yahoo! Next up... paint colors! :)

Jingle Belles Sketch!

2011-06-15T17:48:00.000-04:00

Hello there! I have a Jingle Belles card for you today! Brace yourself... it's busy... and shiny...

The cards this week have to be based on this sketch:

Let me tell you, I love to work off a sketch, and I really liked this sketch- looked easy and clean. However, the more I added to the card, the tackier it got! I mean, first the tree. Then the buttons- they looked "blah" so I added coarse glitter and some twine for garland. Loved the star (of course, it's plain!), but my sentiment lacked the tacky theme, so I added some half pearls. I should have used the sentiment "Merry & Bright"!

I'm Back! AND...I have a winner!

2011-06-13T18:05:00.000-04:00

First, I wanted to let you guys know who won this cute, new spring owl from the Scrapping Everyday Miracles blog hop...

The winner is CARRIE B.! Here's what Carrie had to say...

"Love the stuff that I have bought from you in the past! Would LOVE to win that owl! Thanks for the chance! I AM a follower! Can't wait to see what you have lined up for Monday!!! "

Her comment totally made me smile! :) Carrie, I have contacted you and will send your owl this week!

We have returned from a glorious week on the beach in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The weather was unbelievable, and we really had so much fun everyday cramming in loads of beach time! The kids had a blast finding treasure on the beach...

Starfish and shells... even Wrigley found a starfish and a couple jelly fish... yikes- glad they were dead!

My cousins beach wedding was beautiful. We all had a great time and the bride was stunning.

Just a few photo shares today. I am itching to craft! I made LOTS of new felties on the long drive down and I hope to get them in the Etsy shop tomorrow. Have a great night! ;)

Celebrating Today...

2011-06-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

We are celebrating tonight! My cousin is getting married while we are here at the beach. I can't say that I have ever been to a beach wedding, and Anna is so excited that she gets to go! She has never seen a real life bride! ;) This is the card I made for the new, happy couple...

I love the soft colors and the ivory seam binding ribbon with a vintage button makes it a bit romantic, don't cha think? Enjoy your day... hope the sun is shining on you!

Stamp: Paper Smooches

Scrapping Everyday Miracles- Challenge #1

2011-06-06T08:30:00.001-04:00

Hello, friends! Today is the first challenge over at the brand spankin' new blog, Scrapping Everyday Miracles! Be sure to check out the blog for some awesome inspiration!

Hopefully you had a chance to hop with us this last week and check out the DT and their awesome work. Each of the Design Team members made a layout showing what God is doing in their life, focusing on the little things....those everyday miracles!

My layout is of my daughter, Anna. She finds such happiness in the everyday, little things. She loves to swing, climb trees, gets giddy over finding a bug, she always brings her own sunshine. She is such a blessing!

Now it is your chance...

Little Things Challenge... What kind of everyday little things is God showing you in your life?

Don't forget our Scrap TWIST!
Please use computer journaling to journal and paint/mist. Computer journaling doesn't have to be just journaling that you print from your computer... it can embellishments that have pre-printed journaling on them. For example a sticker that has the perfect quote on it.... or a die cut frame that has something meaningful printed on it... so in short make it yourself or use something pre-made. The paint/mist is self explanatory and easy I think!

Link up your layout to the Scrapping Everyday Miracles blog post by June 30th.... and you could win a prize from our lovely sponsor.... ME!... A gift certificate to choose what you like from my Etsy shop! Yay!

Not only can you possibly win some some of my cute felties, but from all of the layouts submitted for June's Challenges, the DT will pick their top 3 layouts.... and if you are our top favorite you will win a spot as our Guest Designer for August. FUN!

I can't wait to see what you create!

Beach Bound!

2011-06-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

Hello! First, I need to say WELCOME all new friends and followers to Crafty Paper Girl! I have loved reading all your sweet comments from the blog hops this week... it's been busy! Are you tired from hopping? :) I can't wait to visit all of your blogs too... but... I am going to the beach first. Hilton Head Island, S.C. is waiting for us to stick our toes in the sand.

I have a couple of pre-scheduled posts ready, so check back Monday when the Scrapping Everyday Miracles First Challenge goes LIVE! Ya-hoo! My Etsy shop is sponsoring the winner!

I'll draw the winners of both felt items when I get back... it'll give you something to look forward to. ;)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-06-02T22:32:00.000-04:00

Today is my beautiful mother's 65th birthday.The kids and I got to spend most of our afternoon with her, doing art, talking and eating ice cream! My mom is my very best friend and I am so lucky to get to spend so much wonderful time with her. In a couple days...a whole week with her at the beach... we leave Saturday!

My mom doesn't love anything as much as she loves her 12 grandchildren! This picture was taken 2 years ago on the beach. She is with all her granddaughters- since then, another has been born!

Mom and Anna having a moment this weekend... Anna said, "Mimi, you are the grandmother that I love the most." Mom has a very special bond with all three of my children, we are so lucky.

I love you, Mom. You are a rock, an inspiration and the most wonderful friend anyone could hope for. Thanks for teaching me to be just like you. Happy Birthday.

Scrapping Everyday Miracles Blog Hop!

2011-06-01T14:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Scrapping Everyday Miracles first ever blog hop! If you are coming from Roulien's blog, welcome! If I'm your first stop, see below for the hopping map! I'm proud to say that not only am I their first guest designer, but I'm also sponsoring the first challenge! ;) More on that later!

One everyday miracle that sometimes, I take for granite, is the fact that my three brothers and I are so close. The best part, all of our kids love each other and get so excited to play and spend time with one another! It certainly makes life easy that 9 kids always look forward to seeing each other- and we get together a lot!

I love these pictures of Elan and his cousin, Daniel. Not only are they perfect playmates and cousins, but they are best friends! They rarely stand still long enough to get a photo taken, but I must have been quicker than they were!

So, now it's time to hop... there are tons of chances to win! All you have to do is visit each of the DT's blogs for inspiration, become a follower and leave a comment. There are RAKS to win along the way and if you leave a comment at each blog you could win our grand prize!!!

The Grand Prize is sponsored by Sweet Peach Crop Shop....

My RAK is this cute, bright felt owl to go along with that grand prize! Who-ooo knows, you might win both!

So, here are your instructions:

Click, Follow, Comment, Gain Inspiration, Repeat.

Here's your hopping destinations:

Scrapping Everyday Miracles

Nicole

Elizabeth
Jeannine
Lisa
Kline
Roulien
Amanda {you are here... the last stop!

Polkadot Door Blog Hop + Giveaway!

2011-06-01T00:15:00.001-04:00

It's time for the second inspirational blog hop at Polkadot Door Designs!

Look at this fantastic bit of inspiration:

This is what it inspired me to create:

This is a wedding gift for my cousin who's getting married next week. It's 8x10 and I am going to frame it in a black shadow box.

I made my felt nest using tulle, raffia, blue felt and cut strips of brown. I would *LOVE* for you to have one too! If you are a FOLLOWER and LEAVE A COMMENT, it could be yours! Straight from my Etsy Shop!

Our sponsors for the Month of June are :

She is providing 3 tags to the winner of our Blog Hop!

Pinkpearlstudio is providing a digital download of scrapbooking goodies to the winner of the Inspiration Challenge!

Polkadot Door Designs is giving away a Scrapbooking kit to our June Featured Designer! Be sure to comment on your favorite project when you finish the blog hop at Polkadot Door Designs!

Here's your Hopping Map! Have fun, get inspired, join in!

Marivic

Jennifer
Valerie
Amanda { you are here!
Diana
Sabrina
Nicole B.
Jennifer G.
Polkadot Door Designs

Jingle Belles- "We Three Kings"

2011-05-31T22:21:00.000-04:00

This week, the Jingle Belles are challenging us to use three different types of patterned papers on our cards! Fun! I love mixing it up and my Christmas paper and embellie collection is put together using basically three different manufacturers: Crate Paper, Basic Grey and October Afternoon. I chose to work with Crate Paper and created this fun card:

I used 3 patterns from Crate Paper, a red loopy border, and an October Afternoon sticker strip that says "Let it Snow." I made the tag and stamped snowflakes and added the snowman chipboard. Easy peasy, bright and cheesy! :)

PTI May Blog Hop!

2011-05-25T19:08:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends! Today is the May Papertrey Ink blog hop! The challenge this month was to use flowers! Here's my card:

I used the Papertrey Everyday Button Bits set for my flowers. The felt bee is one of my creations, also available in my Etsy shop! I printed the sentiment "thanks a buzz-illion!" on my computer and trimmed.

Thanks for stopping here along the hop! Enjoy all the creations... I know I will!

Smash Books!

2011-05-24T21:03:00.000-04:00

The new Smash books are all the rage, and Archiver's has them! Not only are the books super fun, but all the delicious things that go with it are drool worthy! Check out this video on YouTube:

I plan to keep mine filled with stuff about me: goals, books to read, ones I've read, funny things the kids say, and just daily things or inspiration. Pretty much, whatever I want! ;)

A Favorite Photo

2011-05-23T16:30:00.004-04:00

The challenge blog over at These Are a Few of My Favorite Things has requested the use of a favorite photo(s). I love this picture of Elan. It was taken on his fourth birthday in February and the eyeballs on the kid are just huge! I also loved that I captured the "4" fingers he was holding up and he's mouthing the word "four" in the background. I love pictures that you take and will never be able to recreate! This is a rather simple layout, but I really wanted the pictures to be the main focus. So, do you have a favorite photo that needs scrappin'? Join the fun if you do! ;)

JB- Sugar Plums!

2011-05-20T00:02:00.002-04:00

Today, I am the Guest Designer over at Jingle Belles! I came across this inspiration board on the Paper Doll Romance blog and it was titled "Visions of Sugar Plums." I thought it would be a great prompt for a holiday card! It reminds me of the Nutcracker, and all that purple, glittery goodness reminds me of how sweet the holidays actually are!This is the card I came up with: I was inspired by the bottom right corner of the photo. I loved the garland and the ballet shoes, and how soft it all looked. So, I pulled out some sugar plum colors, coarse glitter, white ink and some scissors and went to town!

As I was crafting, 2 of my 3 shadows were close. So close, they wanted to make a skate card too. Ugh... I agreed and then they went to town with glitter, the Cuttlebug, ink and rhinestones. I love that they want to create, but they get everything out and make a huge mess. I still have coarse glitter on my desk... 3 days later!

Here is Anna's card. She is 6 and I believe she is adopting my "clean and simple" style. But the girl does love glitter, and more is, well, more! Her favorite tools- stamps and markers!

Here is Elan's card. He is 4. Anna was a bit perturbed that he kind of "copied" off of her card, but actually, he copied my card. How about those orange socks? He's quite the stamper! His favorite tools- the Cuttlebug and Glue Dots.I hope you will join the Jingle Belles blog this week and make a Sugar Plum card! With all this purplicious inspiration, I don't see how you could pass up the challenge! ;)

Can't wait to see all the creations!

Multi-Photo Layout

2011-05-19T11:07:00.004-04:00

In the summer of 2009, I took the kids to the Zoo. It was a full day, but on the way home, we saw the Louisville firefighters checking their engines, lights and hoses outside the fire house. After stopping the car for a moment so the kids could watch, the fire Chief invited them to help. It was a kids dream... getting on the truck, spraying the hose, trying on gear and it was just my kiddos there- the firefighters gave them all their attention! It was awesome and I didn't want them to forget it.

Which brings me to the layout of the day... I loved all the pictures I took that afternoon, but I prefer making one 12x12 layout- that could be a problem with lots of photos. Problem solved when you print your own! I printed 6 photos at a 2x3 inch size and then arranged them on the page. I love lots of photos that capture the moment, and the daily stuff, like the "Fire House Pit Stop," are the days I want my kiddos to remember. That's what scrapbooking is all about!

Have a great day!

JB- Jolly Old St. Nicholas!

2011-05-18T14:58:00.002-04:00

The Jingle Belles are at it again! This week the prompt is to use "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" on your card.
Seriously, this was my one and only Santa in my stash and it was on a journaling card. I used my Basic Grey "jovial" paper pad and the sticker is from October Afternoon. I inked up all the edges to make it look a little more vintage. Simple, yes, but that's just my style... roll with it, k?

Until next time, friends, happy crafting.

Teacher Card

2011-05-17T08:21:00.005-04:00

Good morning, friends! A quick post today to share a cute card that I made for one of Anna's teachers. I used Paper Smooches apple from the "Falling for You" set. Let me tell you, I have used this apple stamp a lot! Love it and very versatile!
Like I said, quick post... Blogger is on my very last nerve.

Finally Toothless!

2011-05-13T13:48:00.000-04:00

I love this layout... mainly because it features my oldest, Mac, who is 8, and his first lost tooth! He was the only kid in the entire second grade that hadn't lost a tooth- that's 75 kids with a mouth full of adult teeth and Mac still had all his baby teeth! He waited, and waited, wiggled and yanked and finally, his first tooth came out!He was so proud, and now smiles with his mouth open! Since his tooth fell out and this layout was made, he has lost another tooth! I believe they will be dropping out quickly now, but the first one, we will always remember!

JB- Christmas Past

2011-05-11T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hey there! It's been a whirlwind of business since last Thursday! Derby week is a blast, but it takes me a few days to recover! ;) Then, we threw in Mother's Day the day after Derby, and sheesh... I'm still catching my breath!
Anyway, I had to get my Jingle Belles card done and posted before the deadline! Again, just in the nick of time! This week, the prompt: "Christmas Past." I used a vintage card from October afternoon as my starting point of "Christmas Past" and went from there. Adding printed paper from Basic Grey, felt embellie from MM, rosette ribbon from Am. Crafts, and the blue button? That really is vintage! I thought it looked great with the blue in the little girls dress!
Enjoy! I hope to breathing at a more regular pace by next weekend!

PolkaDot Door Blog Hop!

2011-05-07T03:01:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome! Today, I am participating in the first Polkadot Door Designs blog hop! It lasts through the week with tons of fun, inspiration and prizes! I hope you will join us and browse from one creative blog to the next!
For the first blog hop, Polkadot Door decided on an inspiration challenge to base a layout, card or project on. I love this picture of colorful goodness, inspiration is all over it:
At first glance, I was drawn in by the colors. So fresh, bright and springy! So, I based my layout on color inspiration:

Then, I really was digging those pinwheels. So, I made another project... lots of the same colors, but with a handmade embellie!
My two boys sharing a birthday party- this layout goes in my oldests book! ;)

A close up of the pinwheel:
Now it's your turn! All of the blog hop details can be found HERE. The blog hop list is below, and I encourage you to start at the beginning if you found yourself here first! After you cruise the hop and get loads of inspiring ideas, link up your creation at the Polkadot Door Designs site!

Kim {begin here}

Natasha

Geri

Amanda {you are here!}

Polkadot Door Designs

Have fun hopping, and if you create something, please leave me a link so I can check it out! A special thanks to Sarah and Rebecca for all their hard work putting together a fantastic blog hop!

Jingle Belles- No Designer Paper!

2011-05-04T18:17:00.003-04:00

Hello y'all. I know my Jingle Belles post is up too late- past the 6 p.m. deadline, but it's my computers fault. My Photoshop was giving me fits and didn't feel like uploading and editing today. Hmph. Oh well, I finally did get it to work, so thought I'd share anyway.
This week, Jingle Belles said, "No Designer Papers!" No problem! I love jazzing up plain paper! ;) I used kraft and white (swiss dot embossed) and inked the edges of both in brown. Cut out my tree and embellished, added a sticker and some red jewels and my card was finished!

Mini Album

2011-05-03T11:35:00.005-04:00

Hello friends. I hope you are staying dry, 'cause in these parts, it's awfully wet. The rain can stop now. I'm serious. It's Derby week and the weather really needs to make a full 360 degree turn before Thursday. Louisville is depressing right now... So, to lift some creative spirits, I'm going to share this mini album I made for Elan during my scrappin' trip with the girls. Each of my kiddos now have their own little album of favorites and they love them!

Here is the cover and order of pages:

"The End"These mini albums are very easy to create. I use 4x6 chipboard postcards and cover them with crumpled tissue paper. I simply attach the tissue with a glue stick and then take Glossy Accents glue to smooth around the edges to prevent the paper from pulling up. Punch two holes, add your binder rings, ribbon, photos and embellishments a ta'da! A mini album is born.

Runner Girl

2011-05-01T19:33:00.005-04:00

I did it... I conquered it... I didn't stop and I didn't cry. I ran the KY Derby half Marathon- 13.1 miles! Even the day after, I feel great, besides a little soreness in the thighs! Next stop... Chicago Marathon, October 9!

My brothers, Adam and Nate and sister-in-law, Lara all ran and did awesome too! Here we are at the end, sporting our medals:

Elan and Stephen were there to cheer me on at mile number 7 going into Churchill Downs and then again at the finish line.Finishing strong at 2 hours and 30 something minutes! I did it, and I'm so dang proud of myself.

Easter Photos

2011-04-28T15:06:00.005-04:00

Easter was wet. We even had to have our Easter egg hunt inside. The rain broke for a few minutes, so I thought, "perfect time for a photo!" Unfortunately, no one was in the mood for a family pic- including me. I was gross from cooking in a hot kitchen, the kids were on a sugar meltdown and tired from getting up at 6 am to see what the bunny brought. Nonetheless, I gave it a shot.

Attempt #1. Elan refused to look at the camera even when Stephen was trying to convince him that Uncle Nate was making a hideous face.
Attempt #2: Resorting to the fact that Elan was not going to cooperate, I look a tad bewildered, but Anna makes the best of it and starts making goofy faces back. This family photo thing is not happening...
Attempt #3: Elan gets set free from the torture and Mac and Anna decide not to cooperate. At least it's a good one of Stephen and I!
Finally, I refuse to give up and pull out the big guns. "No Easter photo, No egg hunt. Your choice." Ha! It worked. Mama wins.
Because the weather was so awful, we couldn't play or eat outside. So, I had to set my tables inside. I pulled out my China, crystal, fancy flatware, and borrowed a beautiful linen tablecloth and napkins from mom.

Each spot had a treat. I used pink bags for the girls, and green for the boys. I used the darling tag from Free Pretty Things For You and tied them on with twine. The bags were filled with chocolate mints and Godiva truffles. They were a big hit!

So, I survived my first Easter hosting dinner and it was so much fun! Now, I just need to survive the big race tomorrow... Kentucky Derby mini/Marathon is in the morning. Kicking off Derby week with my running shoes on!

Jingle Belles are Recycling!

2011-04-27T17:25:00.003-04:00

This week, those crafty Jingle Belles are "Reusing and Recycling!" I knew exactly what to use for this prompt... a chenille candy cane that I cut off a t-shirt that was too worn out to wear for another season. I paired it with some October Afternoon paper and stickers, added a button and twine and my recycled card was born!
Gotta bolt... dinner's a cookin'!

Go Away, Rain!

2011-04-26T10:50:00.003-04:00

Enough with the rain already! Good grief... we have had epic rainfall and we are expecting buckets more between tonight and tomorrow. The depression almost settled in when I remembered I had this precious layout to share of Elan. I made it on my girls scrappin' trip:

A close up of the cute "puffy" by KI Memories and the beads I used to mimic raindrops.
Sorry for my blog absence... I hosted my first Easter and I was preparing food and cleaning house all last week. I took some fun photos that I hope to upload today and share a little later. Until then, enjoy this little cutie in all his rain gear glory!

A Boy Layout With gulp LACE!

2011-04-19T21:07:00.004-04:00

Boy layouts are kind of hard when you have to "dress them up." For example: Mac's First Communion. I wanted it to be sweet, white, add some softness, maybe a flower... but for a boy, it's tough. So, I was glad to see the Etsy Inspired Challenge for the week. The Etsy shop is Creating Is Fun and there are lots of great, vintage looking things in the shop. These are the two things that inspired me:

And here is my layout: I am happy to say that it's still very much all boy, but has a flower, lace, a button, rhinestone and laser cut paper. It's sweet and peaceful- exactly what I was going for!
Thanks for the inspiration! ;)

Thanks, Teacher!

2011-04-18T19:08:00.002-04:00

I love this Paper Smooches apple stamp! I have used it several times and have had fun paper piecing it with different patterns. This card came together nicely with all the fun, bright colors!

A close up of the card- the envelope has a little card in it that I stamped with a Hero Arts sentiment.

That's all for today... didn't get much sleep last night and the day was full. We have added a new member to the family... a guinea pig named Henry. More on that later. ;)

Rollin' with it!

2011-04-17T20:42:00.004-04:00

Another school themed layout! I thought I would keep the ball rolling since I have done one of each child! Here is Mac on his first day of second grade: I really love how the colorful strips add just the right amount of "pop" to the layout. I thought the text style paper was perfect since he learned cursive this year! I used a sketch for this layout while I was on my scrappin' trip, but have no idea what the sketch was or where it came from! Anyway, enjoy! And, speaking of Mac, he lost his second tooth tonight at dinner. It all started with biting into a juicy piece of corn on the cob!

Using Your Scraps!

2011-04-15T19:28:00.004-04:00

Do you have scraps? I have scraps, yes I do, I have scraps, how 'bout you? Okay, that was really cheesy, but it just flew out of my mouth like a peppy cheerleader. But seriously, do you save your scraps? If so, do you use them? I save 'em and I use them- a lot. I even have drawers that the scraps are in and organized by color. For example... If you make a layout like this: ...you are only using less than half of a 12x12 sheet of paper. Sometimes, I save to use on a layout for a different kid (heaven forbid that the same paper be on 2 different layouts in the same book!). When I don't want to do a layout, I make a card! This card, I used the orange polka dot paper and added some matching stripes to coordinate at the top. I had a bit of the stripes left, so I used it to make another card: The pleated paper is another scrap that my friend, Elizabeth had in her trash. This type of trash digging would be called "Ragpickin'" in my family. Waste not, want not, Mom always said! The flower is from a swap that Elizabeth had also discarded- well I sure am glad I saved it, because it looks pretty cute on this card! So, there you have it... a layout, and two cards made mostly of scraps and unwanted leftovers that I fostered into cuteness. Hope you find some use of your scraps and make them feel wanted and loved... that hideous paper is just begging for a makeover!

Adorable Easter Tag Freebie!

2011-04-15T19:19:00.004-04:00

Are these not the cutest tags ever?! They are free on the Shabby Blog! Click here to download your *free* set of Easter tags! I plan to print mine, jazz them up a bit and use them for place settings at my Easter table- my first time ever hosting! I'm thinking of adding them to a small white bag with chocolate mints inside, and some fringed paper grass at the bottom... ooo... the wheels are turning! So, go download these cuties and enjoy! ;)

First Birthday Wishes

2011-04-14T19:01:00.003-04:00

Today is my niece and God daughter, Claudia's first birthday. She is named after my grandfather (Claude) and her middle name, Scott, was chosen by her two older siblings, after the Louisville Zoo's baby elephant, "Scotty." So, needless to say, this elephant card was perfectly crafted just for her! And, I probably don't need to mention that she is a bit on the hefty side, but chubby babies are so precious! Here she is hamming with Uncle Stephen- hmmm... which is the bigger goof ball? One of the rare shots of Claudia without her finger in her mouth... Claudette and her mama, my SIL, Lara. Love this picture of them together...

Happy Birthday, sweetie! Your Aunt Lou Lou loves you very much!

Sketchy Layout

2011-04-13T10:31:00.003-04:00

Here is my Sketchy Thursdays layout for the week! This is the sketch: I loved the sketch and instead of using 4 photos, I substituted some embellishments and a journaling card. :) Anna and Mac have changed so much since the first day of school! I love looking back at all these photos! Have a good day! It's beautiful here, so I'm off to run 5 or 6 miles!

Crafty Paper Girl

Pretty Paper=Easy Card!

Long Time, No See...

2011 Highlights!

Merry Christmas!

Handmade Gift Giving

Oh Joy!

Paper Source Card Contest

Holiday Festivities!

What's Going On...

Halloween Recap!

Fleas Navidad!

Happy Sketch

No tricks... just treats!

And the winner is...

'Tis near Halloween...

GIVEAWAY time!

PTI October Blog Hop

A "soft" card...

Hello, My Pretty!

Happy 7th Birthday, Anna!

26.2 Layout

Everything but the kitchen sink...

My First Marathon...

I'm Leaving...

Hang In There!

Peace

More Recycled Cards

If Anna were a snowman...

Digital Scrapbooking

Challenges? I've got it covered...

Best Friend

Recycle It!

A day late...

JB- Labor Lost

Hello, Friend

Ironman Nate

Clean and Simple... again!

Coloring Outside the Lines!

Clean and Simple = Love

A Sketchy Thursday Layout on Monday!

Late... again!

Bunny Love

Cards, Cards, Cards!

Jingle Belles- Shape Up!

8 is Great!

Jingle Belles- Blue Christmas

Stars and Stripes!

You Make Me Hoppy!

RUNinspired

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

Just Beachy!

Sketchy Thursdays- GDT

Oh Deer!

You're the Best!

With Sympathy...

Always Up to Something...

Card Patterns Sketch

Jingle Belles- Stars OR Stripes!

Happy Fourth, USA!

Scrapping Everyday Miracles

Elan is 2 Wheelin'!

Card Patterns Sketch

Jingle Belles- "Tagging Along"

Wanna Dance?

For *Dad*

Homemade Gifts are Great!

New Stationery

Jingle Belles- All Bundled Up!

Jingle Belles Sketch!

I'm Back! AND...I have a winner!

Celebrating Today...

Scrapping Everyday Miracles- Challenge #1

Beach Bound!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Scrapping Everyday Miracles Blog Hop!

Polkadot Door Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Jingle Belles- "We Three Kings"

PTI May Blog Hop!

Smash Books!

For Dad

A Boy Layout With gulp LACE!