All Things Crafty...

Pinterest crafts!!

2012-02-08T20:21:00.000-06:00

So I think I mentioned before that I joined Pinterest and was using it as a crutch to get me through the weeks (months) of no crafting. So I've been on it stockpiling cool craft ideas and with Valentine's Day coming up I decided to try a few. This first one if for my daughters' kindergarten classmates, I got the idea from little felt snowman ornaments. I made mine into pockets for a lollipop. I used buttons from my recent shopping trip as well as from my stash!

The second one looked really cool but the instructions were literally in Chinese (or Japanese, I'm not sure) So I just had to go off of the pictures and wing it. I will say the next time I do this I won't get such stiff felt, the red was a bit too stiff. I think both projects turned out pretty cute and I'm really happy with them! If you aren't on Pinterest you should check it out, if you are, look me up! I could always use more people and ideas to glean inspiration from!

A close up

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

Super Scrap Sunday...

2012-02-06T06:37:00.000-06:00

A few years ago my girlfriends and I started a tradition of scrapping on Superbowl Sunday instead of watching the game. Well this year, even though we are all in different states, we decided to do it again. I had gone goodie shopping on saturday and found a great score on Valentines stuff for 30% off at Hobby Lobby,so using some of that and a LOT of my stash I was able to make 9 Valentine cards. I also had two more design team submission LO's I wanted to do and I managed to get those done as well. It was a pretty productive day all around!

The first LO is for a new sketch site called Let's Get Sketchy. I'm really excited about it and not only are they looking for a design team but also a sketch team! The DT call ends on the 13th so go check them out!

This next LO is for the design team call over at Creative Scrappers. Their call ends in 2 days so I'm glad I got this one done in time. I really like the sketch I chose to work with from them.

Here are the goodies I found during my shopping trip!

Here are 7 of the 9 cards (2 are for my friends and I don't want to show those yet!)

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

Eh, I guess….

2012-01-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

So yesterday didn't quite turn out to be the crafting bonanza I envisioned in my head, although it was fun to be simultaneously be scrapping with my friends Janette and Alicia. Starting was in fits because every time I turned around I realized I didn't have some important item, like my cardstock tote or the bag with all my pens, scissors, chalk and stickles! I finally got everything together and was able to whip out a few pages…and then the girls started in "mommy this" and "mommy that"! Finally I gave them some paper, photos and stickers and let them do their own pages! It actually ended up being an epiphany for me! On occasion I will do 3 LO's of the same photos (usually using the same sketch too, for efficiency) because we have a family book and they each have their own book. Well, while they were doing their pages it hit me; they can take over from here on out (unless of course there are pictures I REALLY want to do) doing the pages for their own books! Brilliant, and actually they did a really nice job! But alas, even with them busy crafting they were still pretty time demanding and then there was lunch to make and the dog to let in and out and in again! So I only got 4 LO's done, however I found a few LO's that I had done at the last crop I went to and had never posted, so, really I have quite a lot to share!

The first 2 are based on a sketch from this new blog I came across called Nuts About Sketches It's actually their DT Call sketch so I MAY send in one of my LO's and see what happens!=)

(the splotches were a bit of a mistake, I'm still not sure how I feel about them)

This next one is based on an Allison Davis two page sketch #17

(Sorry for the poor photo quality, using glimmer mist makes the paper crinkle up, if anyone has any tricks to avoid this I would LOVE to know them!)

This next one is based on the right side of the above sketch with the Add on Sketch #13 included. The snowman has been flocked, but it's impossible to tell. I did use some flocking on his hat to mimic snow.

Here are the LO's my girls did

Caitie 5yrs. old

(the writing says "I love snow, I love snow ball fights it is fun" of course it's in her 5 yr. old spelling!)

Rylie (7 yrs. old)

These are the LO's I found from my last crop

So now that I know where all my stuff is hopefully I can get more done!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!

dry spell...

2012-01-19T16:36:00.000-06:00

Well it has been over a month since I last posted, over a month since we moved and even longer than that since I've crafted in any way! I have become obsessed with Pinterest in my crafting dryspell. It is a poor substitute but has certainly given me some great ideas and inspiration! If you are on Pinterest and are so inclined you can follow me and my many pins!

On saturday, back in MO, the tenth Scrap-a-palooza is happening and I won't be there. I'm very sad about this as are my two scrap buddies. The last one of us remaining in Mo, Janette, will be there so this is what we have proposed to do. Each of us will spend the day scrapping, me in New Hampshire, Alicia in Georgia and Janette at palooza, and post our creations in our group on FB. It's a poor substitute (a common theme in my life lately!) but it'll do. The very cool thing is that Scrapbook Generation posted the LO classes being taught at palooza and people went so crazy for them they decided to offer them as kits! So I called immediately and ordered mine! You can see the LO's here, Allison Davis is amazing as are Debbie, Stacey and Karin! I'll certainly miss them on saturday!

Here is my dilemma, I've been so busy with the move and settling the girls into school and us into a new life, as well as looking for a permanent home (we are renting right now) that I have not taken my scrap stuff out of boxes. It is very sad to see the boxes knowing my stuff is just sitting there! I will dig through them tonight though (I may even kiss my cricut!) and get myself as ready as I can be for saturday. I promise to post pictures of my creations from sat., and once my stuff is liberated I promise to create and post more! Here are the sad pictures of the boxed up stuff:

Thanks for visiting and Happy Crafting!!

kid stuff!

2011-12-12T17:30:00.000-06:00

I haven't been able to be very crafty lately as we are preparing to move back to the east coast on saturday so I've been busy cleaning, organizing and purging the excess (that includes my scrap stash!) I have to say I am a bit nervous about letting the movers pack and take all my precious supplies, 2 Cricuts and numerous tools and bags! I will be doing a lot of deep breathing until that truck shows up at the new house! However I do have something sweet and crafty to share. My youngest daughter was very bored the other day as her sister was sick and, in her words, "It's boring when someone is sick" so to help her I suggested doing a little craft project. She had purchased some American Girl doll stickers at Michaels a while back and wanted to use them so I got her all set up and let her craft away. This is what she came up with! She's 5!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!

If at first you don't succeed...

2011-11-27T14:24:00.000-06:00

So I entered a design team call, haven't done that in a while! It's for Sketch Support which boasts some amazingly talented current design team members, not to mention Allison Davis of Scrapbook Generation Sketch Book fame! =) They had some really awesome LO's to work from for the contest and I chose to do three projects based on them. This will be a short post as the team will be revealed tomorrow!! So here are my 3 projects!

Here are a few cards I did just because!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy crafting!

In a challenge kind of mood...

2011-11-11T16:15:00.000-06:00

This month, even though we are moving back home to New Hampshire very soon (YAY!!!) and I am super busy, I wanted to participate in a couple challenges out in blog land! My husband took this great picture of my daughters a couple weekends ago and when I saw the challenge on Nikki Sivils blog I knew what I wanted to do with it. I changed the photo color to black and white for this challenge. But even though I had the photo and I knew what papers I wanted to use I had no idea where to start with it; which brings me to the second challenge I am entering! Sketchy Thursdays, whom I haven't played with in a while, had a sketch up for their December Guest Design Team challenge. It was a great sketch so I merged the two together and I really like the result! I used Nikkis' lines of 'My Friend Birdie" and 'Tree Love'. Here it is:

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!

It's DONE!!!

2011-10-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

I finished my Halloween project! It was SO much fun to make! My daughters helped with the painting and I did the rest in an afternoon while they were at school! I used less paper on the house than I thought I would, but I like the result. The Cricut cartridge I used, Happy Hauntings, got a good workout as well! The 3D tree was fun and my daughter noticed the silver glimmer mist I sprayed on it to make it seem like the moon was shining on it (I don't think the picture shows it very well). I hope you like it!

First we painted the pieces. The girls really enjoyed this part…as evidenced by all the paint on the paper as well as the pieces!

This is one of the finished blocks. I used this great ribbon with fuzzy fringe to go around the tops and sides. I found the wooden word at Hobby Lobby as well as the foam spider and broom. The broom was in the dollhouse accessory section and I just used black stickles to cover the broom handle. The cat was cut with my Cricut and stuck into the styrofoam with pins through the feet. I put some stickles on the body of the spider. The Witch's hat is from my Cricut as well.

This is the other block. The ghost was cut from my Cricut and again I used a pin to stick it into the block. The Skeleton was a sweet find at Hobby Lobby. I know he's missing an arm but he was the only one and I really wanted him, they gave him to me for 1/2 off!! So now I say he did from massive bleeding when his arm was torn off! =) His back was nice and flat so I just glued him to the block!

Here is the house! I used packing tape to make the windows and I will put a little battery operated tea light in it for a little spook effect! There is a ghost inside as well as coming out of the chimney (again used a pin). I attached the first two pieces of fence to the house with glue, the other pieces on the right are all attached with wire ( a brilliant idea from my friend Alicia). Plus I distressed them with some Distressing ink and then took a hammer to each piece! The little pumpkins are from the dollhouse accessories section and the tree is a 3D tree from the Happy Hauntings cartridge. I added stickles to the spiders too!

A shot of the whole scene.

A close up of the house

Close up of the fence and tree

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this project. It was so much fun to imagine and put together!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

A few more pages done and a sneak peek!!

2011-10-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

I was lucky enough to be able to have my friend over again for a day of scrapping at my house. Our children go to the same school and they had a few days off so she and her daughter came over here for the day so the girls could play and we could scrap!! I got 5 more layouts made, even though I was exhausted for some unknown reason! I also have a little sneak peek at some cool things I bought for a fun Halloween project that will be posted later (once it's finished!) I had such a nice time leisurely walking through Hobby Lobby and gleaning inspiration everywhere! Here are the LO's and the sneak peek items!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

It's Fall!!

2011-10-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

I love this time of year! Of course I love the season but I also love it because it means my birthday (as well as my oldest daughter's) is near! Regardless of the fact that I hate the aging process (are your toes supposed to hurt when you walk?) I wholeheartedly love birthdays. I think it is so important to celebrate the life of the ones you love as well as your own life! For the last 6 years I have been able to not only celebrate my life but also that of my daughter's as she and I share a birthday! It is very special indeed and I look forward to the days when we can do wonderful mother/daughter birthday activities together…I really hope she grows up to enjoy a weekend at a resort spa…it's my dream birthday wish!! =)

I was finally granted enough time by my busy schedule to make a new banner for my mantel! Both my daughter's helped me with the construction. I really used my Cricut to its' utmost on this one and I love how it turned out! The pumpkins and apples were done using that fun technique I learned from Allison Davis at Scrap-a-palooza. The girls weren't really sure about it at first but once I showed them how it worked they thought it was the coolest thing EVER!! So, here is our new fall banner! Happy Fall everyone!

A close up of the squirrel

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

bitten by the bug...

2011-09-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

So after Scrap-a-palooza I had the bug to craft again!! Luckily I had the chance two weeks later at my local library. I have a room reserved there once a month to scrap the day away. A friend joined me for a few hours as well!! These are the LO's I got done! This is going to be a short post, I need more time to keep crafting! =)

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

2 months??!!!

2011-09-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

Wow, has it really been two months since I've scrapped and posted? Time has just flown by and it was such a busy few months! My scrap stuff just sat down in the guest room feeling all neglected for quite sometime, and probably would have stayed that way a little longer if not for my awesome friend Jeanette! She decided we needed to scrap and bought us both tickets to Scrap-a-Palooza here in Springfield. It is a whole 13 hours of scrapping bliss, complete with a fully stocked store compliments of Scrapbook Generation, goodie bags, good food, free demos and tips from the great Allison Davis and so much more! It is quite the event and I was so glad we got to go! I managed to get quite a bit done, even though the first LO I did took 3 hours to complete…no it's not any spectacular feat, just a lot of hand stitching! =) So without further ado here is my work and I must say I'm pretty happy with most of it! (I know some of the pictures are tilted, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to photograph my LO's without that happening, sorry!)

I used a LOT of chipboard on this LO, it was kind of fun!

This circle was inspired by one of Allison Davis' great little techniques. She used scraps to cover different shapes to make all kinds of embellishments, I just decided to do it for a background. It's a great way to use scraps and I thought it went well with the picture theme!

This is my other awesome scrapping friend Alicia, we miss her, she's moved to Georgia =(

This is the LO that took me so long!! The stitches are also covered in stickles to give some sparkle!

This is me and my awesome friend Janette!!

Thanks for visiting, Happy Crafting!!

Going on Vacation!!

2011-07-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

So I am leaving tomorrow for a nice long vacation to Maine! I get to spend all kinds of time on the beach with my family and a good book! But before I left I wanted to post a few layouts I did recently. The first was inspired by the stitching week over at sketch support! It had such awesome projects and tips, it was my favorite week so far! The next one is a simple layout I did using a Scrapbook Generation sketch. The last one is from a Basic Grey kit! It was a lot of fun to use! So here they are and I hope you enjoy them! I am off to finish packing!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy crafting!!

So exciting...

2011-07-06T13:17:00.000-05:00

I am from New England and am a north east girl through and through but Missouri has it's perks, and this is one of them; I live in very close proximity to an awesome lady who makes fantastic scrapbook paper! Nikki Sivils lives in Springfield as do I and not only do I get to benefit from all her wonderful paper we also are in the same pet therapy organization. If you want to see all her new amazing fall/winter paper lines check out this link! You are going to love it!! And if you don't see her stuff in your local scrapbook store ask them to order it, you won't be disappointed! Here are a few projects I've made using Nikki's previous paper lines:

My 5 year old daughter actually made this next one!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy crafting!

It's SUMMER!!!!

2011-06-25T19:21:00.000-05:00

So for weeks my girls have been telling me I needed to take down our spring banner and make one for summer (apparently they love having themed banners on a regular basis!) Finding the time was seeming impossible though. Luckily I had an all day crop scheduled with some friends here at my house this past week. I had two projects to work on; a chipboard album for my great friend as a going away gift, she's leaving us and moving to Georgia..booooo, and I wanted to finally do the summer banner. I managed to get both done so here they are, I hope you enjoy them!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy crafting!

New Challenge at Fave Things!!!

2011-06-15T00:00:00.012-05:00

*** I tried to have this post go live early this morning but blogger was giving me fits, sorry for the delay!***

So this new challenge is about our favorite piece of art. I debated on this one for a while, my favorite piece of art has very personal connotations for me and I debated on whether or not I wanted to go there or even if I could. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it justice as it is a very colorful piece of art. I thought about doing some artwork from my children, I love their art, they are so talented but I decided to give the art piece a try and scrap something very meaningful to me.

The piece I chose is "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. I first saw this piece in the movie Dying Young with Julia Roberts. I felt an immediate connection to it that I couldn't really articulate. It introduced me to more of his work, some I like, others not so much but "The Kiss" will always have meaning for me.

As for the LO, I did a lot of layering on it. I'm usually afraid of layering but once I started I couldn't stop! You may also notice the one 's' is a different color from the other letters. I'm sure all you scrappers can relate to not having the right amount of letters in your stash when you need them, well this is what happened to me! I thought I was pretty clever in splitting the one chipboard 's' I had into two and then spraying the one with the same color glimmer mist as the flourish on top. What I didn't think of doing was the same thing to all the letters! ARG!! Oh well, live and learn! Overall I am pretty pleased with the outcome and think I was able to do the piece some justice. I'd love to hear what you think of it!
Here is the LO:

Thanks for visiting!

Happy crafting!

Thank Goodness for Sketches!!

2011-06-01T14:05:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I had some friends over for an all day crop at my house. While it was a lot of fun, I found I was less than inspired in my creativity. That's where a good sketch comes in handy! As you may notice these Lo's are variations on a couple different sketches. The variations are not extreme and it is pretty obvious they are nearly identical. Some days I just have to say "Oh well, at least they are done and they look nice" They may not be the most creative but I like them nonetheless and they are done and I can move on…hopefully my mojo will have some spunk next time! =)

The two page LO's are based on two different sketches by Allison Davis of Sketch Support and Scrapbook Generation. The one page LO's are based off a sketch I think is from Bo Bunny but I'm not positive, it was printed out and there is no name on it.

On a side note there are a lot of fun challenges going on in blog land! Fave Things has their new challenge live, this time it is Fave Childhood toy! How fun is that?? =) Also Nikki Sivils has a new challenge going on on her blog, Scrapping the Music has a new song challenge and Scrapbookers Anonymous has a new challenge too for those of us with those little 6x6 or 8x8 pads of paper that we may have no idea what to do with, here's your chance to use them! So get your scrap on and enjoy the challenges out there! I hope to get in on the action as well!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!

New Challenge!!

2011-05-15T08:53:00.000-05:00

So today the newest challenge is live over on the Fave Things blog! Go check it out and enter to win some great prizes! Today we are asking "what is your favorite photo?" Being a scrapper I have hundreds upon hundreds of photos and soooo many that are my favorites! So to narrow it down I chose a photo from the past 6 months. I chose this photo of my daughters at our family portrait photo shoot in Dogwood Canyon last October. It shows what fun, silly girls they are! The entire LO was made using Nikki Sivils "Dan the Record Man" paper line. I happened to win the entire line a while back in a contest on her blog and this picture was perfect for it!

Thanks for visiting,

Happy Crafting!!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2011-05-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

So today I let my husband play the part of domestic goddess and I got to scrap all day while he cleaned the house and took care of the kids! I got breakfast made for me, my house cleaned and even ice cream before dinner! I hope everyone else had a wonderfully selfish day too, we mother's deserve it! So while I didn't create all of these projects today these are some that I've done lately. These are all inspired by Allison Davis sketches, her work as well as that of the design team can be found on the Sketch Support blog. Enjoy!

Happy Crafting…

and don't forget the latest challenge over on the Fave Things blog!

Inspired creativity...

2011-04-20T14:26:00.000-05:00

So this week I finished 3 projects that were all inspired by different things. The first project I finished was my spring mantel banner (finally!). The gorgeous weather we have been having really put me in the mood to create it and I LOVE how it turned out! The next 2 projects are LO's inspired by different blog challenges. The first challenge was for the May GDT call for Sketchy Thursdays. The next one was for the latest challenge going on over at Scrapping the Music. I had never heard the song they are using but one of the lines really struck me and I knew what pictures I wanted to use!

I'll start with the Sketchy Thursdays LO. The photo is of my oldest daughter. She and I spent a gorgeous day at the local farm park for their Harvest Festivities. We had such a fun time and I got some beautiful photos of her that day. This is one of my favorites, she had just come out of the sunflower garden maze and found this flower on the ground!

This next LO is for the challenge on the Scrapping the Music blog. The line I used is "Everything is still the same except the time." These are some pictures of my husband and I over the course of our almost 9 year marriage! I used 2 different Nikki Sivils Lines for this LO too!

And lastly I have my spring banner. The base was made by taking apart the Cosmo Cricket blackboard album that I received as part of my goodie bag from Scrapbook Generation at their Grand Re-opening festivities! The rest is just stuff from my stash!

New Challenge!!

2011-04-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! There is a new challenge up on the Fave Things blog. The challenge is a kind of 'player's choice'. You get to pick your favorite of all the challenges they've had! Pretty exciting right?! Julie has had some great challenges so the choices are hard. I actually picked two. The first one I did I wasn't as crazy about the LO; so I chose another and liked how that turned out better so that's the one that is on the Fave things blog as my DT submission. I'll post both here and you can see the difference and tell me what you think! Go check it out and join in on the fun, I can't wait to see what everyone creates!

This first LO is my DT LO, it is for the challenge "Favorite Memory"

This next LO is the first one I did it was for the challenge "Favorite Season"

Play along with us and enjoy the weekend!

Happy Crafting!!

There are winners...

2011-04-11T06:50:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all the winners of the No More Housework Blog Hop! If you aren't sure if you are a winner or not head over to If It's Groovy and check for your name!!

I want to say thanks for all the comments and new followers, this was so much fun and I hope to do it again soon!

Happy Crafting!!

No Housework Blog Hop…Day 4!!

2011-04-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back! It's the last day of this very fun blog hop, if you are just joining us check out this post first and then come back and look around! Comments are always welcome! =)

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Missouri, so, I admit, I did not spend any time crafting. Instead I spent it outside at the park with my family enjoying the much missed sunshine! I was so excited to get out of the house that I, an avid picture taker and scrapper, forgot my camera! So no pictures to show you of my daughters riding their bikes on the paths at the park, or climbing all over the swing set or looking for roly poly's under rocks! Sorry! What I do have for you are some LO's I have done as part of an Album Kit Club I joined. These kits are put together by the very talented Debbie Sanders of Scrapbook Generation. It is an album all about me and my life. That may sound vain but how many of us never step out from behind the camera and get in the pictures or tell a story about ourselves? I didn't want my children, years from now, to go through all these beautiful scrapbooks we have and not be able to find one tidbit about me in them. I had been thinking of doing an album like this for a while but I wasn't sure how or where to start. That's where Debbie comes in. She not only puts together these kits each month she also gives thematic inspiration for each. It gets the ball moving and helps bring out your own personal story! It's been great! I have also incorporated the LO's I've done as a DT member of These are A Few of My Favorite Things. Now remember these are kits that come with sketches as well so while I may have tweaked them a bit it's not really original work! If you like them check out Debbie, there are lots of other kits and clubs they offer!

(Also, I apologize for the poor photos, I took these at night so no nice sunlight to help!)

This is the first page in the album

This LO is to show all the "jobs" I have in my life; wife, mother, housekeeper, dog trainer..etc,etc.!!

I hope you've enjoyed this nice 4 day break from House Work and found some inspiration along the way! Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting!!

No Housework Blog Hop…Day 3!!

2011-04-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello again!! If you are just joining the blog hop, go to this post first. Then come on back and check out the rest of it!!

I was a busy girl yesterday. I had meetings and private lessons; I had to bring my cat to the vet and then pick him up again..etc, etc. I did manage to squeeze out an hour and a half to complete this 2 page LO.

A couple years ago my oldest daughter had VERY long hair and she wanted to get it cut. She decided she wanted to donate it to Locks of Love (well at first she wanted to donate it to her Papa b/c he's bald; I had to explain why she couldn't do that, even though it was a sweet thought!). I was a little sad to see all that hair go but she was so proud of herself and liked the haircut so much it made it all worth it!

Here is the LO:

Sorry the photo seems so far away, my computer wouldn't let me upload any other pictures! Grrrrr.

Anyway, I hope you've had a fun time with this blog hop, there is one more day left so come back tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have something to show you! =)

Happy Crafting!

No Housework Blog Hop…Day 2!!

2011-04-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

If you came back to my blog again, WELCOME BACK!! If you are joining the hop for the first time read this post first, then come back to this one!

So I have a confession…I did some housework yesterday=( I scooped the cat boxes, I have 4 cats and really, no one wants to let that go too long!! I also of course had to cook dinner…my husband can barely boil water, we'd have starved if I left it to him! =)

However, I also did some crafting! I used the latest card sketch up on the Sketch Support blog and made 4 cards to give to my daughters teachers at the end of the year (talk about getting a head start!). I used a LOT of Nikki Sivils papers too! Here is the first one:

For this first one I used 3 different Nikki Sivils lines: 'Henry's Brilliance'; 'My Friend Birdie' and 'My Sweet Cherry Pie'…the apples are from a sheet of paper by Imaginisce

The journaling spot on this card is blank to allow my daughter to write in her teachers' name!

This card has some more of Nikki Sivils 'My Friend Birdie' on it. This is the front and here is the inside...

This last card reads "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."

Thanks for visiting again, I hope you are enjoying this hop and are getting absolutely NO housework done!

Happy Crafting!

No Housework Blog Hop!!

2011-04-07T00:00:00.014-05:00

WELCOME to the National No Housework Day Online Blog hop! We celebrate this national holiday by scrapping today and into the weekend with projects that remind us of housework or getting away from it!!! Take the day off, put up your feet and let's hop!

If you have arrived not knowing until now about the hop, no problem...just go to the blog If It's Groovy and start from there. If you've started at the beginning, you should be coming to my blog from Peg's Crafting Corner. When you have seen all you need to see and left a comment on my blog you will need to go next to Heather's Blog Scrapping the Guys.

Today I have for your viewing pleasure =) a card I made for the blog hop challenge over at These Are a Few of My Favorite Things. The challenge is about our favorite colors. Mine is Green! I love all shades and when I was younger I wanted to paint my entire room green, my mother put her foot down on that one though. Maybe someday I'll have my green bedroom, until then I will try to work it in to my life in all possible ways! This is a simple card but it was fun to make!

This next project, I made in honor of this fun hop! I made it about my most dreaded chore ever…folding clothes! I hate it with a passion! If I could get away with it, my entire family would live out of baskets of clean but unfolded laundry! I am such a procrastinator that I will often have 3-4 baskets full to nearly toppling over of clean clothes before I can make myself fold them! I'd rather scrub toilets all day than fold laundry! =)

For this LO I used some leftover fabric and sewed it onto my page. My journaling is all along the curve of the fabric.

Thanks for visiting, remember to leave a comment and if you are so inclined I'd love it if you became a follower too! Your next stop on this hop is here! Below is a list of all the blogs in case you get lost! =)

1. If It's Groovy (Groovy Deb)

http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com

2. Life With...(Julie)

http://thetuckerwolekclan.blogspot.com/

3. Leading a Craftastic Life (Kristin)

http://craftasticlife.blogspot.com/

4. Scrappy Side of Me (Jen T)

http://jentscrappysideofme.blogspot.com

5. Peg's Crafting Corner (Peg)

http://www.pegscraftingcorner.blogspot.com/

6. All Things Crafty (Erica)

http://www.allthingscrafty-erica.blogspot.com/

7. Scrapping the Guys (Heather)

http://www.scrappingtheguys.blogspot.com

8. Let's Get Peachy (Laura)

http://getpeachy.blogspot.com

9. Creating Sensations (Vanessa)

http://www.creatingsensations.blogspot.com

10. Everyday Me (Michelle)

http://www.everydayscrapbook.blogspot.com/

11. Basement Chronicles (Maya)

http://mayadahan.blogspot.com/

12. Love to Create (Misty)

http://mistybrune.blogspot.com/

13. Scrappy Go Lucky (Darlene)

http://scrappygolucky.blogspot.com

14. Dragonfly Destiny (Jean-Marie)

http://dragonflydestiny.blogspot.com/

15. Andrea's Metta (Andrea)

http://andreasmetta.blogspot.com/

16. Red Car Productions (Krista)

http://redcarproductions.blogspot.com/

17. Greets N Treats (Becky)

http://greetsntreats.blogspot.com/

18. Paper Universe (Silvana)

http://ununiversodepapel.blogspot.com/

19. The Limitations of Thought (Irini)

http://thelimitationsofthought.blogspot.com/

20. Step Into My World (Becky)

http://www.beckythackston.blogspot.com/

21. From the Owls Nest (Sharon)

http://fromtheowlsnest.wordpress.com/

22. Creations with Becka (Becka)

http://Www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com

23. Crafty Go Lucky (Valerie)

http://www.craftygolucky.blogspot.com/

24. Crafty Diva Lounge (Jen)

http://craftydivalounge.blogspot.com/

25.Just a Glimpse...(Jenneke)

http://jenneke-justwhoiam.blogspot.com/

26. Scrap it Girl (Kimberly)

http://scrap-it-girl.blogspot.com/

27. These are a Few...(Julie)

http://whatisyourfavething.blogspot.com/

28. Really? That Just Happened (Doreen)

http://thefourvs.blogspot.com/

29. Nikki Sivils (Julie c/o Nikki)

http://nikkisdoghouse.blogspot.com/

30. Marci's Scrapping Spot (Marci)

http://MarcisScrappingSpot.blogspot.com

31. Scrapbookers Anonymous (Theresa)

http://scrapbookers-anonymous.blogspot.com/

32.Intrepid Thread (Julie)

http://intrepidthread.blogspot.com

33. Scrapbooking SOS (Michelle)

http://scrapbookingsos.blogspot.com

34. Flamingo Scraps (Amanda)

http://flamingoscraps.blogspot.com/

35. Scrapbook Abundance (Jana)

http://preprostobogastvo.blogspot.com/

36. Artful Delight(Leeanne)

http://artfuldelight.blogspot.com/

37. Mommy of 5 Kidz (Misty)

http://mommyof5kidz.blogspot.com/

38. Designs by Diana(Diana)

http://designbydiana.blogspot.com

39. Polka Cabana(Jeannie)

http://polkacabana.wordpress.com

40. A Day in the Life...(Kelly)

http://kellyisascrapdiva.blogspot.com/

41. MarBare Scraps (Mary)

http://www.marebearscraps.blogspot.com/

42. One by One...(Karel)

http://www.kareljcreations.com/

Coming Soon...

2011-03-30T09:10:00.000-05:00

I will be participating in my first ever Blog Hop, April 7-10th. It will include lots of great blogs, some fun challenges and of course prizes from some amazing blog sponsors! You won't want to miss out...and hey, who doesn't like a day (or even a few hours) off from housework!

My blog will feature a couple new layouts/projects and links to all the other great blogs and challenges! Come back soon and see what it's all about!

In the meantime, to check out the "leader" of this hop, click the picture below!

See you soon and Happy Crafting!

P.S Don't forget there is a new challenge up on the Fave Things Blog...It's a fun one!

We have a winner...

2011-03-20T20:08:00.000-05:00

WARNING VERY PICTURE HEAVY! =)

I just spent all weekend in Branson at a scrapbook retreat put on by my local scrapbook store; Scrapbook Generation! It was fantastic and I have lots to share with everyone! The first layout I am sharing was a contest winner; it also happens to be the layout I have submitted to Scrapbook and Cards Today blog. I used the sketch they supplied for the challenge and the fantastic papers are from My Mind's Eye and were part of a whole pack that was given as a gift at the retreat! I loved this pack so much I used nearly the entire thing over the course of the weekend! My Mind's Eye ROCKS!!

Next I'll share more layouts I completed throughout the weekend, It was a very productive few days!

The sketch for the LO below can be found on the Sketch Support with Allison Davis blog; you should check it out. There is always awesome inspiration over there.

I finished the above LO at one o'clock this morning! So when I finally rolled out of bed and got back to the crop room around 7am I decided not to start any more LO's and instead try to use up all the scraps I had left and make some cards, here they are:

Last but not least I wanted to show you the amazing gifts and door prizes I took home this weekend!! The ladies at Scrapbook Generation are so generous!

The cut outs above are from the awesome My Mind's eye pack; that's pretty much all I have left from it! Below are the amazing door prizes I won!

Thanks for visiting! Don't forget there is a challenge going on at TAAFOMFT , I hope you join and play along!

Happy Crafting!

A little plug...

2011-03-17T06:37:00.000-05:00

So there is this amazing piece of scrapbook organizing furniture I desperately want. It's called the Workbox and it is fantastic! Right now the company that makes them, The Original Scrapbox, is having a contest for National Craft Month where one person can win one of their fabulous pieces by helping spread the word about them! So here I am shouting it out loud, go to their facebook page and "like" them, help them get to 10,000 fans and maybe in the process you'll help me get the most amazing scrapping surprise ever! You can check out their website too!

Happy Scrapping!

Fave Things Challenge!!

2011-03-15T06:14:00.000-05:00

There is a new challenge going on at These are a Few of My Favorite Things blog. You should check it out it's a really fun one...Favorite Pastime!!

I had a hard time with this at first, even went so far as to check the definition of 'pastime'. It means just what I thought it means but that didn't really help me in choosing my favorite. There is of course the obvious...scrapping; the parental, of spending time with my family; but I really am trying to make these layouts about me so my children will have something to look back on and be given the chance to know more of who I was as a person/woman rather than just as their mother. So I then thought about dog training, but I decided that too was kind of obvious and I do it so often.

Then I remembered a photo I have of myself taken recently, napping on the couch and knew that was the pastime I wanted to document! It is a rare occurrence but I sure do love a good nap! So here is my layout, go visit the blog and play along, we'd love to see your favorite pastimes!

Another crafty endeavor...

2011-03-09T14:08:00.000-06:00

I have become a bit obsessed with banners for my mantle! Ever since doing the valentine's banner I have had visions of one for every season...I'm sure you will all get sick of seeing them! But until then, here is my second seasonal banner, for St. Patrick's day. My daughter Rylie helped me find all the buttons for the rainbow and she had an opinion about where each one should go! This one was lots of fun to make and everything but the buttons, ribbon and glitter glue were made with my Cricut! I used the Mother's day 2010 cartridge for the banner shape, the Calligraphy cartridge for the letters and the Speaking of Fall cartridge for the pot of gold!

I also finished a layout for the latest Sketchy Thursdays sketch challenge, just in time! I really like how it turned out and will be keeping my fingers crossed!

I have one more finished layout...but I can't show you yet! You'll have to wait 6 more days for the next challenge when it goes live on Fave Things!! Be on the lookout for an upcoming blog hop too!!

Thanks for visiting!

Here I go again!

2011-03-05T16:25:00.000-06:00

So one of my favorite challenge blogs, Sketchy Thursdays, is having a Design Team call. I always love their sketches and so I decided to send in my own work for a submission. The call is open until March 18th and the winners will be notified and announced on the 21st! So I have a few weeks of nail biting left! They are also having a Guest Design Team call for April as well. You should check them out and enter your submission, no hurt in trying! =)

Also don't forget about the latest challenge over on the Fave Things blog!

Here are the layouts I submitted:

Mojo has returned =)

2011-02-28T12:37:00.000-06:00

So I haven't scrapped in a while. I was really going strong for a bit there and then life happened and well, you know how that goes! But this morning my creative juices were flowing and thanks to some inspiration from the latest card layout on the Sketch Support Blog, I was able to knock out a two page layout that I really like! My variation is the different length flowers on the side of layout and the title is closer to the bottom. My hands are a bit sore from hand cutting those flowers from some paper that I've had for years and have no idea who made it!

On another exciting note the newest challenge is live on the These are a Few of My Favorite Things blog. Go check it out and play along! Can't wait to see what everyone creates!

Thanks for stopping by!

It's contagious!

2011-02-20T11:43:00.000-06:00

So my 6 year old daughter has been on the scrapbooking kick for a little over a year. My youngest Caitie started getting into it too. This Christmas she got some stickers and other scrap stuff. She turned 5 yesterday and has officially joined her sister and I as a scrapper. Her sister got her a whole album kit! This is one thing that I don't mind spreading throughout the house! My husband however is wondering where we'll put it all!! =) Here is Caitie with her new album kit:

The Big Reveal...

2011-02-15T05:33:00.000-06:00

So I can finally post my Very First Design Team layout that went live today over on the 'Fave Things' challenge blog. I am so excited to see it on there!! The challenge was 'What is your favorite Magazine' I knew right away what magazine I would use! The Bark has been my favorite from the very first time I read it. It was a Christmas gift from my best friend back home and I've been renewing ever since! I read it cover to cover in under 2 days and I'm always a little sad, because then I have to wait for the next edition,but I can't help it, the magazine ROCKS!!

Lost in translation...

2011-02-09T15:56:00.000-06:00

I've said it before, I often have trouble transferring an idea in my head onto the paper. Some times it turns out worse than others but every time I am less than happy with the result. That is what has happened today, unfortunately. I thought I had this great idea and I just couldn't execute it properly on the layout. It's not terrible but it just didn't come out as I had envisioned. I was trying to pull off a really awesome LO for the Guest Designer Challenge on the Sketchy Thursdays blog. I have until the 19th to decide if I am going to enter it or not. Let me know what you think, here is the LO:

Another Sketchy Thursdays layout challenge...

2011-02-07T14:04:00.000-06:00

This week there is a little more on the line with the Sketchy Thursdays challenge. There will be two or three participants picked to be published in Gingerscraps Magazine. So without further ado here is my layout...I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

Organizing...

2011-02-05T17:58:00.000-06:00

So today I decided to work in my scrap room, cleaning it up, organizing things and going through my stashes to try to weed out things I never use. I was able to consolidate a ton of stuff as well as fill a whole bag full of stuff for my daughters to use! My little budding scrappers! I took before and after photos so you could see my progress. This room has been a mess since before Christmas!!

Snow Day= Craft Day!!

2011-02-01T18:12:00.000-06:00

So we are getting a whopper of a storm (at least for the midwest, not when compared to my home range of New England!) So the girls were out of school, my husband came home early and I knew I'd be stuck inside. Ever since finishing that mini album I have been on a Valentine's kick! I really wanted to make a banner for my mantel and had this great vision in mind, very frilly and cute. The reality was not so frilly, very plain but I think cute just the same. I am very pleased with myself. I managed to get this done in between doing copious amounts of laundry!! All of the hearts were cut with my Cricut Expression. I used the Love Struck 2010 cartridge and the Calligraphy cartridge for the letters, plus some yummy glimmer mist. Here is the banner:

Sometimes it's good to have a bossy friend...

2011-01-30T14:44:00.000-06:00

I say "bossy" with much love! My friend Janette gave me a chipboard album for Christmas. I have never done a chipboard album, never really saw a need for something so little and in all honesty I was a bit intimidated by them! So her cute little gift sat in my craft room and would have remained there if it were not for her bossy insistence that I do something with it. She even offered the idea inspiration, something to do with Valentine's day! My wheels of creativity started creaking to life and a vision of it popped into my head. I was still a little afraid though, often my visions do not translate well to paper! My first order of business was to get appropriate paper, and what better paper to use for a Valentine book than Nikki Sivils 'Sugar Cookie' line? Once that was accomplished I then needed to carve out time to actually work on it, easier said than done! This past week started out wonderfully and ended on a very flu ridden note! My daughters and I all came down with it around the same time and spent the second half of the week fighting off fevers and body aches...soooo not fun! Finally yesterday I was feeling a bit better so I got to work. I was amazed by 2 things; first was how flippin' long it took to make and second was that it actually came together just as I imagined! So I am thankful to my bossy friend and her idea inspiration! Here is my very first chipboard album!

Blog problems...

2011-01-26T15:52:00.000-06:00

So I am having problems posting a comment to certain blogs as well as my own. I keep getting this error code:bX-54y3lx anyone ever see this before? It's really frustrating and even my tech savvy husband can't figure it out! So my blog may change in the next day or two, hopefully I can get it sorted out!

BIG, BIG News!!

2011-01-25T16:25:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen as one of the newest Design Team members for the challenge blog These are a few of my favorite things!! I am beyond excited and am so honored to be amongst such vast talent! I am hoping to learn and absorb a tiny fraction of that talent working with all these ladies! Go check out the blog and check out all the other Design Team members, they are amazing! Thanks again Julie for this exciting opportunity! Here is a list of the other DT members:

Valerie Allen http://www.craftygolucky.blogspot.com/
Debbie Burns http://lovelifeslittlepleasures.blogspot.com/
Erika Taylor http://taylordconcepts.blogspot.com/
Melissa Wilson http://brewerygirlmel.blogspot.com/
Sue Mylde http://justperspective.blogspot.com/
Misty Willis http://mommyof5kidz.blogspot.com/
Irini Liolia http://thelimitationsofthought.blogspot.com/
Krista Koenig http://redcarproductions.blogspot.com/
Melissa Zordilla (Isay) http://isay-creativegenius.blogspot.com/
Andrea MacDonald http://andreasmetta.blogspot.com/
Jolanda Goeshttp://verderhebikniksmeegemaakt.blogspot.com/
Leanne Love http://www.loveleanne.blogspot.com/
Wendy Swenne http://wendyscrappings.blogspot.com/
Diana Fisher: http://www.designbydiana.blogspot.com/

Big giveaway on Nikki Sivils Blog

2011-01-22T07:22:00.000-06:00

If you are not already a follower (and even if you are) you should head over to Nikki Sivils blog and check out the "secret" giveaway of her gorgeous 'Sugar Cookie' paper line. I love her stuff and I am lamenting that I don't have nearly enough of it right now so I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that I am the lucky winner! Either way I hope she gets more blog followers, she really does have great stuff! Good Luck!

It's Thursday again....

2011-01-20T19:51:00.000-06:00

...and do you know what that means? It means it's Thursday silly! No really, it is time for another sketch from Sketchy Thursdays ( I am loving this sketch a week deal, I am getting so much done and trying so many new things!) So this time I got my layout done early, as opposed to yesterday just making it in under the wire. I didn't win yesterday but I'll keep trying. I figure at some point the random generator has to pick me. Really though, my goal is to be picked as a favorite of one of the design team members! I am running out of pictures though, I hope my order from Shutterfly comes in soon!

I used black memory thread to wrap the photo:

persistence and perseverance...

2011-01-19T09:37:00.000-06:00

Here is yet another entry for Sketchy Thursdays weekly sketch challenge! Hey, if nothing else, I'll get a sketch a week done and that is a good thing!

Try new things...

2011-01-13T12:12:00.000-06:00

This week as I was reading my latest Creating Keepsakes Magazine, I discovered a really cool new technique that was easy enough even I could do it! Although I did have some trepidation as it involved my own handwriting on the page for something other than journaling and I notoriously HATE my handwriting. I do NOT have a steady hand as my scrapping friends can tell you! But I tried it anyway (I know quite the rebel!) and, actually I was really happy with how it turned out! I am even entering it into a sketch challenge at Blue Moon Scrapbooking (if I ever figure out how to upload it!) Here's the layout:

This is the new technique, doodling. I kept it simple with just the word 'Love'

Killing two contests with one layout!

2011-01-10T14:04:00.000-06:00

This is the Sketchy Thursdays most recent sketch contest layout:

Here is my version of it:

The reason I say I got two contests from this one sketch is because I am also entering it into the

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things blog challenge. So wish me luck!

Goodbye 2008...or so I thought!

2011-01-02T14:33:00.000-06:00

I decided to stay up late one night last week and finish the last few remaining photos of 2008. I had just purchased some great My Minds Eye Christmas paper and was inspired! I got right to work and not only was it a layout that used 95% My Minds Eye, it was also the Sketchy Thursdays FB secret sketch! So I posted the final product on both FB pages and sat back to admire my work...then it hit me! I still have a ton of 2008 photos to do for my daughters albums! UGH!! Sometimes I hate that I am so compulsive about the whole scrapping chronologically thing but I get panicked if I think about doing something different! I create more work for myself yes, but I am able to capture all the moments of our lives that I love and I can share them with my girls too!

I am very excited for the New Year my only real resolutions or rather goals (I hate the term "resolution") are to eat a bit healthier (not so much candy and sugar!) and to finish the photos of 2009 and 2010 before the end of 2011! This has been my goal for about 2 years now, to only be a year behind, I haven't come too close yet but I hope to this year! Either way it gets me scrapping and that is always a good thing!

Here is the Layout I THOUGHT was the last of 2008!

If at first you don't succeed....

2010-12-29T09:16:00.000-06:00

Well, I did it again, I entered myself into a Design Team call For the blog "These are a few of my favorite things" (http://whatisyourfavething.blogspot.com). A bit scary but sometimes scary is good and like I always tell my girls, "You never know until you try". So this time I used some old layouts I had done that I personally really liked. I did make some nice ones yesterday at my friend's house but I decided to go with these three instead. It may come back to bite me in the butt but who knows! Here are my three submissions:

The Big Reveal!

2010-12-25T22:02:00.000-06:00

I just barely finished the plaques and they were still drying this morning as the girls opened all their gifts so as a result they didn't get them until after they had opened all their many other cool toys and gifts, I think they were a bit gifted out! They did seem to really like them and were quite interested in how I made them. Caitie was quite excited about her new music box and the fact that it was a jewelry box as well AND played the same music as her sisters' music box was icing on the cake! All in all this was a great Christmas! Here are some photos of the girls with the plaques and the music box.

Nearly finished...

2010-12-20T21:20:00.000-06:00

The plaques and music box are nearly finished. The designs have been applied now all that is left is to Mod Poge over it all. I was so happy with how Caitie's turned out! I love my Cricut Expression and my wonderful husband who allowed me to get the cartridge that had that fantastic tree on it! Also thanks to my new friend Penny for digging in her kids sand box and getting me those tiny shells on Rylie's plaque. The picture of Rylie's plaque was taken before I added two little seagull stickers. I'll be sure to post the girls' reactions as they open them!

Scrap pages

2010-12-12T09:35:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I got to take some time out from the busy activities of December and spend the day scrapping with friends. I have so much to do and unfortunately I don't think I will make my goal of finishing photos from 2008 before the end of 2010! Well, there's always next year! That's what I love about scrapping, it's never done and there is always something more to create! Now that my last scrap day of the year is behind me I will get back to working on the plaques for the girls, they are coming along and I hope once school is out I will have more time to finish them! I am excited about the pictures of them I have in my head, let's hope that translates into reality! Here are the pages I got done yesterday. 2 layouts are from the "Remember Me" Kit club I am part of through Scrapbook Generation and most of the other layouts are derived from my very talented friend Alicia and her sketches!

These last 2 are from the "Remember Me" club

And so it begins...

2010-11-30T22:12:00.000-06:00

I finally made it to Michaels today to get the supplies I needed to make the plaques for my daughters as well as decoupage the music/jewelry box for my youngest. As I sat down tonight to plan it out I realized the plaques really should be painted first! So back to Michaels I will go in the morning.

I have also finally made the Advent Calendar activity tags. About 3 years ago I made an Advent Calendar from a design I saw in a magazine. The first year I didn't really know what to do with it so it just served as decoration. But then I got the idea to make tags that described a fun activity or charitable act for each day of the month of December. So for the last 2 Christmas' we've done things like "family movie night", "gather toys for shelter pets", "go to the library", etc. The girls really enjoy it and it's a way to spend our time during this season with each other instead of running around and missing the whole point! This year coming up with activities was a bit more challenging since they are both in school every day but I managed and some of the stuff is really awesome and some is cheap! Either way it gets us doing things together and that is always a good thing!

The supplies!

A few of the Advent Calendar tags

"Scrap Friday"

2010-11-26T21:06:00.000-06:00

I try my hardest not to leave my house on Black Friday. I do not find waiting in line for hours in the freezing cold to save a few bucks, fun at all! So a year or so ago I started having friends over to my house for a day of scrapping. Our husbands all work retail and are usually at the office at the insane hour of 4am! This year both my scrap buddies were able to join me in a day of scrapping and our kids got a whole day to play together! Here are the layouts I was able to complete.

Latest Scrap pages

2010-11-21T07:20:00.000-06:00

I recently went out of my comfort zone and submitted some pages for a chance to be on a "Creative Team" regardless of the outcome I really like the pages and it was fun to do. Here are the pages.

My crafting goals for the remainder of the year

2010-11-19T15:06:00.000-06:00

It is nearly Thanksgiving and I am just starting my Christmas shopping. I am very behind this year but I have some great ideas for gifts! Last spring I purchased a plain white music/jewelry box for my youngest daughter with the intent of jazzing it up somehow. My plan is to use my fabulous Cricut Expression and one of the new cartridges I got for my birthday, "Serenade", and do a decoupage scene on the top. I also plan on making each of my daughters' welcome signs for their bedrooms. A fun trip to Michaels is in order. I have never decoupaged before so this will be a learning experience! I'll be sure to take photos along the way! Also my other goal is to finish scrapbooking the photos of 2008 before the year 2010 is finished! I think I can, I think I can! My two favorite scrapbooking buddies will be coming over on black friday (or as I like to call it 'SCRAP' Friday) and we'll be scrapping all day while our husbands (who all work together in the retail business, hence no day off for them) are at work.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and I hope you make and capture many wonderful moments and memories!