A sweet blog award from KIM!

First I want to thank Kim for her sweetness. Her comments on my creations, great and small are so pleasing and happy to read whenever she leaves them. Thank you sweetie! I really appreciate that and I LOVE your work!!!!

Here's the rules for this one. Accept the award from the Sweet Friend (s) that sent it to you, thank her in your post and pass it on to bloggers whose creativity knock your socks off. Then reveal 10 things about yourself.

So the three other bloggers that I want to send this to are:
1. Lynne
2. Melissa
3. Shirley

So for 10 things about me, hmmmm
1. I live on Coke Zero (seriously if I do not have it I am grouchy!)
2. I have been seriously scrapping for almost three years, but always did this in some form in high school and before hand I have a few of the "books" that I did way back when.
3. I am a younger scrapper, only 28.
4. I have a teaching degree, and have wanted to teach since I was in fifth grade.
5. I served four years in the Army Officer Corps and did a deployment to Iraq.
6. I run the Cricut Card Fairies and LOVE IT! I also started the CFS and am so happy that is still going.
7. My best friend is my hubby, he is my better half and I love him dearly.
8. My daughters laugh is my happiness.
9. White chocolate is the best thing ever invented YUMMY!
10. I love to stay in my warm PJs all weekend and relax with my family, that to me is a PERFECT weekend (just like this one!)

Practical Scrappers FRIDAY SKETCH CHALLENGE

Over at Practical Scrappers we were given the amazing sketch by Lucy. I love the simplicity of it. This is my take. I use SWEETHEARTS cricut cart for the bow in the middle and the font is either Calligraphy or Lyrical Letters I think. LOL! I used my swiss dots cuttlebug folder on just about everything. I also used the EK success heart/swirl border punch for the two sides. Labels one nestabilities were used for the journaling. Everything is stickled and very shiny in real life but we have not seen the sun in days here sorry! These pictures are of Caitlyn giving us her first fashion show. Mawmaw bought her several dresses for Easter this past year and I thought she looked so grown up here! What personality, my little princess! What do you think?


Thanks Kim for letting me know about Frosted Designs challenge or EMBOSSING! There is LOTS on here!

Practical Scrappers PATTERN PAPER challenge

Good morning friends! Do you have Patterned paper coming out of every crevice in your space? Do you love it but are worried on "matching it" or GASP using it up for fear of not having it anymore? Then come and see PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS challenge this week. We were challenged as the design team to use TWO patterned papers but you only need to use ONE, now how simple is that?There are TONS of talent and ideas, we just added new design team members to come and check them out! So get to creating, link up on PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS Mr. Linky for a chance at a fab prize and some blog love! I cant wait to see what you come up with!!!!

For this challenge I was inspired by a video posted on youtube that made its way around the cricut.com site. My mini album is simply bill fold envelopes, cut in half, sealed and decorated as I saw fit. I kept this one pretty simple, since it is a gift and I want her to add what she wants to it and make it her own. You could bind it up, tie it with ribbon or do what I did and use book rings. Each section holds tags at about 4.5 by 3.5 or so. So come on use what you have and show me what you can do!

ETA: Here is the link to the you tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj85KIIAU4U&feature=channel

Various layouts from this weekend

Slurp

I was able to get FOUR pages done this weekend. I posted one already, here is the second one. The pictures are of Caitlyn sucking from a straw for the first time, she was super excited! The other two pages I completed need pictures and there is no sun today so look for them later on this week!

Drum Roll Please.......

I had hubby pick a number from 1-37 and he picked NUMBER 6!!! Congrats JamieLane! Email me your mailing address please!!!

Jamie Lane said...

Love the non-traditional love card, those colors are some of my favorites!

Thank you all for stopping by and I hope to see all my new followers back soon! Hope you enjoyed the blog hop and don't forget to check out Practical Scrappers daily for inspiration to USE WHAT WE HAVE! We have some new Design Team members that will be announced today so come check us out!!!!

Practical Scrappers BLOG HOP! WOOHOOO!

Thank you for stopping by my blog during the Practical Scrappers Designer Blog Hop. Today I have created a few projects to share with you. The first is a simple lunchbox tin that I made for a friend and filled with goodies. You will notice that it is NOT traditional Valentines colors and I love it that way. (Thank you Okie for the cut file!)

The second is a set of homemade 1.75 by 1.75 altered blocks to spell the word "CREATE". Thank you honey for cutting these for me. I painted each one and only covered the top and one side of them. I love to create, as I know most of you do too so I thought this was appropriate for the theme of Love or Valentines. I used various patterned papers, thickers, ribbons, paint, clear buttons, SONGBIRD Cricut Cartridge for the font, flat backed pearls, and prima flowers for these projects. I loved making them and hope the friends like them as well.


Are you ready for some yummy blog candy? I am giving away this super cute clear stamp set to one lucky winner. Unfortunately I can only ship to the U.S. at this time. In order to qualify you need to become a follower here and leave a comment on this post. I will announce the winner on Monday, January 25th so make sure to check back in!

You should have arrived here from NADYA blog. Your next stop is the wonderful ROBIN If this was your first stop head over to Practical Scrappers to start at the beginning of the hop. The designers are giving away some great prizes - you don't want to miss your chance! So sit back, relax and enjoy the inspiration and giveaways!

POP! Goes Caitlyn for EBTKS Challenge

I got my inspiration for this layout from EBTKS Challenge 3 I flipped the sketch to fit this layout. This layout is WAY brighter in real life and a very different color set for me. The pictures are from Caitlyn playing "pop goes Caitlyn" with us in the toy box that Daddy built for her. She loved climbing in there LOL! Pretty simple but I like it.

Are you ready for a blog hop?????

Get ready to be wowed and even win some yummy prizes! PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS is having a Designer blog hop starting Friday January 22nd! Come and join us for some fun, prizes, and inspiration! It is sure to be a BLAST! Hope to see you there!

Quickie Card to go with a gift

This did NOT photograph well at all! The butterfly is from Serenade, and covered in stickles. The stamping is not that messed up either LOL!

Easel Card-My first

I got WAY more done than this but it is all for a swap so I cant post just yet! I wanted to try an Easel Card and got my instructions from Split Coast. I whipped this one up this morning, what do you think? All scraps!

Scrap Sketch # 3 FLIPPED

I loved the sketch but I had more than two pictures so I flipped it on its side. How versatile is this sketch? I used My Community for the crayons and the circle. All the rest is stamps and embossing. I have not heat embossed since I first started scrapping so it was nice to get back into it. The paper is from DCWV Grade School stack, such fun patterns and colors! I like how this one turned out, was going in a different direction but I like it. What do you think?

Scrap Sketch #1 2010

WOW! I am super excited to get back into designing for scrapsketch.com. I think Stephanie is super duper sweet and uber talented! Yep I said uber! LOL! I used tons and tons of pattern paper on this one, it is all from the DCWV Valentine stack. I used nesties and punches for my circles. "Daddy's Shoes" is done at one inch on Jubille cricut cartridge. Lots of staples, inking, ribbon, and glitter galore, pearls, border strips and handwritten journaling. What do you think?

Bling baby Bling!

What girl does not love some sort of bling? Don't most of us! I know I do and my DD does too! I made two projects for Practical Scrappers this week and we blinged it up! Please make sure to stop by and leave my DT sisters some love! Oh and guess what!?!?!? We are looking for some designers so check it out at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS! Tons of talent and super sweet ladies!

Enough chit chat, the first project I did I hated. It is the layout and story behind this amazing duck that my DD received from a complete stranger while in Kohl's this past summer. Talk about super sweet restore your faith in mankind moment! I needed and wanted to get it down on paper, but this is NOT what I had in mind LOL! OH well it is done and the memory is kept.

The second project I LOVE! I want to keep for myself but alas my last name is not that LOL! I will be making my family one of these very similar so no worries. I hope you can spot my BLING! I hope it does not blind you! COME BLING IT UP WITH US AT PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS!!!


OK in case you cant find them on the first project I used lots of stars to symbolize how bright I was looking at the world after the random act of kindness we were a part of. In the second project I used rhinestones in the corners and it is hard to tell but all the EST 1965 and swirls are Stickled to within an inch of their lives! LOL!

Better than Green Beans

I had all these ideas for this page, but I am not feeling this one. But it is done and I used the title that my wonderful hubby came up with so there you go, Learning curve for the title at 1.5 and .75 inches, and then cuttle bug folder spots and dots. Lots of ink, brads, and layering.

ScrapSketch is BACK! WOOHOO!

Thank you Steph for the much needed break over the holidays but we are BACK and ready to rock! Come check out the FIRST sketch of 2010!!!! Aren't you loving the new colors and of course this is right up my alley. I hope to work on it later on this week and will post it there and here!

Only a mom that scrapbooks......

would run to get the camera and think "now I have to design a pinto bean!" before putting the child in time out and having her clean up the mess! LOL! My whole dining room floor was covered in pinto beans, I thought it would be easier than vacuuming up rice all the time. We have a sand/water table that C loves so this was my next idea LOL! I was cracking up, hard to put her in time out when you are laughing!

DH saves the day!

I don't know about you but I always worry about spilling my drinks while crafting. I have been wanting a ScrapMabob for a while but could not justify the 20-25 on it so DH made me this today! It is an old pencil/pen holder that we are not using anymore and some bits and pieces he had in the garage. It is MOVABLE too! SWEETTT! I love it! What do you think?

Serenade card

Quick and personalized card for someone we wanted to thank. She loves birds so Jon and I decided to make the bird from Serenade into a Golden Finch. How did we do? I usually hate yellow and black together but this one works for me. I used Nesties to make the scallop and regular circle and embossed the scalloped one with swiss dots cuttlebug folder. The flash was not working with me today, I think it is because the yellow paper is bling and the black/white patterned paper has a gloss to it. I am not sure. What do you think? I am starting to try cards again so be honest but nice please!

BUTTONS Practical Scrappers Challenge

Closeup of the gumball machine.

Closeup of the scalloped frame with the buttons

This weeks challenge at Practical Scrapper was BUTTONS! I was super duper excited, and did two, the button trees on "Little Soldier" and the one that is posted here. I used SWEETHEARTS to cut the base and details on the gumball machine. I filled the gumball machine with threaded buttons for the "gumballs" and used more buttons with thread for the scallop frame around the picture of my daughter. I love this layout. This is the picture right after her very first haircut! She was a hot mess during it, Daddy had to end up holding her but afterwards even with the crooked bangs she was a smiling cutie! Amazing how five minutes can change her world huh? Most of the embellishments minus stamp and gumball machine are from the Sweet Life found on clearance at Joann's a few weeks back. I did a lot of stamping with this one, the frog and the circles that say "Always". Bling, thickers, ribbon, doodling and buttons galore. I promise it is much brighter in person but the sun was not out when I photographed it. What do you think?

Buttons, Ribbon GALORE!

I have had this idea in my head forever and since Practical Scrappers challenge this week was buttons I tried it. THIS IS NOT MY DESIGN WORK FOR THEM! LOL! I just loved the challenge I did another one. The "trees" are actually branches cut from Serenade at three inches and then flipped to be trees. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the current "thing" of Lollipop trees in scrapping projects (not sure if that is what they are really called!) and I went insane with the ribbon grass, but what a great way to use up my stash. It is hard to see it but the grass (some) is pop dotted. I love the pink and army camo together, drew it from the pictures. Ribbon for photo corners also. I know the title is crooked but that sucker is STUCK down there LOL! I used Learning Curve on regular and shadow at 1.75 for the title. Little dabs of acrylic paint and a flower and we are done. What do you think? I just love it (except for the crooked title!) BE HONEST!

Here's a Hug-PeachyKeen Challenge 19

I made this card for a dear friend that needs some hugs now. I am not an orange/yellow girl but I love how this one came out. It is so much better in person but it is nighttime here and I wanted to get a picture up ASAP! I did LOTS of inking, stamping, and distressing (even the ribbon!). This entire card was made with scraps (keeping with the using what I have!) HERE is the sketch and challenge I took my inspiration from; I am NOWHERE near as talented as the ladies designing but I had lots of fun. I also see a layout for this but wanted to get this card done first! What do you think?

Enabler Alert-DOLLAR TREE

Over the Christmas holiday there were tons of crafters looking for the metal lunchbox tins at the Dollar Trees. They sold out QUICK! Well guess what I popped in there today to look just in case and they were JUST putting out PLASTIC Valentine themed ones. They are a bit of a different shape but still super cute and alterable! I only got two since funds are low but how fun are these!? MOM look after valentines and see if they go for half price, if so pick me up some LOL!

Ribbon storage

This is how I store my ribbon that is thin enough. I use the doll pins from Michael's (30 pack for 3.99 but I am cheap and use a coupon!) Then I just wrap them on them, tape the ends or pin whichever I have handy and place on this handmade spinning organizer. The doll pins have slits in the middle and are flat ended so they slide right on the organizer. I organize it by most prominent color. It has 12 sides and I have lots of room to grow! It sits on the top shelf in my craft room and I just spin and remove what I need. Easy Peasy. Hubby made it for me! What do you think?

Recipe Binder (Just Buggin Shadow Challenge)

Something quick I made to hold all the recipes that we print or scrawl down quickly!This is just a binder that I had laying around and some scraps. I used FROM MY KITCHEN for the Recipes and the hand mixer. Recipes is cut at 3.5 and the hand mixer is cut at 2.5 and shadowed/blackout in white! Used some gelly roll metallic pens to make all the silver dots and to accent the hand mixer. Hand wrote BUTLER FAMILY 2010 and added some ribbon scraps with staples. I plan on doing super simple dividers listing desserts, main dish etc. Just Buggin challenge this week was to use shadows so here you go! What do you think?

2010 first Layout and two more Cards

I love the way that this layout came together. I think it is very masculine and I used lots of patterned paper which is always a trial for me! Thickers for the title, a photo turn, three brads, Christmas ribbon (brown felt) and lots of ink and layering. I love my hubby, my man, my geek!

Now these I am not too happy with but I was in a black and red mood. I found the bees in the stocking stuffers of Michaels, wish I would have picked up another set, they are too cute. Some stamping on bling cardstock (need to work on that!) and scraps made these cards. What do you think?