A Quiet Place...

...that's exactly where I wish I was! It's the first day of Spring Break here, and the kids were occupied with a long play date. With seven kids, all under 8, it was busy, wild, and chaotic, but fun! We do have a busy week planned, so hopefully we will have some nice weather! Here is my most current layout: I love how it turned out! I finally decided to use the fabric tree from Trinkets,NH that I got on Etsy- it seemed perfect for this page! I also pryed that button I made out of my Kung-Fu grip and used it. The grass was made with green scrap paper and Martha Stewart fringe scissors- love them. Here's a close up: The background story to this layout is kinda funny... Elan was bugging the tar out of Mac, following him everywhere and talking his ear off. Finally, when Elan turned his back, Mac climbed the tree and finally had a quiet place to draw and write. It actually took Elan a while to find him! ;) *Challenge: Paper Issues: "Show Us Your Grass!"

GIVEAWAY! woo-hoo!

Are you anxious to see what the giveaway is? Well, here it is! I made this brooch this afternoon and chose theses 3 buttons to give to one lucky, crafty girl! How cute would that pin be on a black beret or beanie? I don't know about you, but I don't leave the house without a hat in this miserable weather! And I have these cute felt pins on all of them! The buttons are so fresh and bright for spring... which I am eagerly awaiting...

So, if you want to win, see how in the post directly below this one! I will randomly chose a winner tomorrow.

Handmade Buttons + GIVEAWAY!!

As promised... pictures of handmade buttons! My friend, Elizabeth (my bestest scrappin' buddy and oldest friend) came over last Friday and showed Anna and I how to make clay buttons. It was super fun! I love the thought of being able to make my own buttons for brooches, cards and scrapbook layouts. Here's a sampling of some we made together...
My creations:

Elizabeth's creations:


The pictures didn't turn out very good, but you get the idea! It's so "glarey bright" since we have a million inches of snow out there, (and it's still snowing!!!) so it was hard to get a good pic! But don't you love 'em?

So, I haven't done a GIVEAWAY in a while. Now is the time! How's about some cute handmade buttons AND a craft using a button or two? I'm doin' some stitching since I'm stuck inside from the snow and the Olympics are on at night, so I promise you will love the Giveaway Goods!

How do you win? Here's how:

*Follow this blogaroo. Click "Follow" on the right.

And, for 2 more chances:

*Leave a comment.

*Post this Giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment that you have done so.

I will choose a random winner on Thursday, February 18 (Mac's birthday). So good luck, spread the word and share some love.

Show and Tell

Long time, no see! Happy Friday! Woo-hoo! I'll be leaving in a couple hours for a girls weekend of scrappin'! Three days of pure creative fun, eating, drinking, and girl time!

Today, I wanted to share a few things. First, the wonderfully talented Sammye Jo at 62 Cards made Anna a precious name banner for her birthday. Anna (and I) loved it! It matches her room perfectly and it is so cute and girly! Here's Anna holding it in her festive outfit (she was painted like a cat at her school fall festival!)

Secondly, I was in a card and stamped image swap that Sammy Jo also hosted. I got all my images and cards back and there were lots of cute ones. I thought I would share my faves:

This vintage coffee pot has my name written all over it! I love it and see lots of uses for it... how will I choose? The card swap... lots of darling cards!

It was hard to only choose one fave, so I chose two:

Lastly, I got a Pay It Forward gift from Sammye Jo. Oohhh... So cute... a package of pink letters with polka dots on them and a darling set of handmade buttons! I was so excited! Those buttons are to die for! And, how cute is that pink and green packaging she tucked the buttons into?

That's it for today! I've got to get packing! I hope to have lots more to share when I get back Sunday evening!

Fun Mail

Don't you just love it... getting fun mail? A package, a card, an invitation? I LOVE mail and I very rarely receive it. Mostly, I get crap mail, but yesterday I got fun mail. I ordered some super cute stuff from an Etsy shop. If you have shopped on Etsy, check it out here: www.Etsy.com
I opened my package and it was wrapped up in a way that I almost didn't want to open it!

How cute is that stuff? This girl that I ordered the stuff from is named Tessa Ann, and she has a shop on Etsy. She handmade these buttons and felt bird. It was love at first sight and I had to have them! Now, what to do with these cuties... first, they will sit on my desk so I can stare at them for a week or so! ;) Enjoy the day!