Creative Organization

Finishing Up

2011-06-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

We are finishing up the school year down here in Florida. Only 1 1/2 days left until the girls are home again for the summer - the best!!

I had a kindergarten teacher summon me last week asking for some ideas for an end of the year treat for her little ones. We were going for simple and quick! She mentioned having sidewalk chalk in her closet so we decided to go with a theme of "Fun in the Sun" and activities the children could use on their summer break.

She was kind enough to go that night and purchase some of the supplies we needed, including Miracle Bubbles and CD envelopes in bright colors.

As I packaged everything up I decided to make some colorful pinwheels to use as a clip-on for the bag decoration. (No sticks on these pinwheels so the kids are less likely to poke their eyes out.)

Here's what my bags looked like....although you can't see the goodies inside - they were too cute!

I used the CD envelopes as the template for the pinwheel and followed the basic instructions for cutting and connecting the "flags" of the pinwheel together with a brad.

Here is the back of the treat bag showing the clothespin clip which attaches the pinwheel using a medium-sized glue dot:

These were really simple and quick - just like we wanted!! Happy Summer!

Printables Make it Fun

2011-05-27T13:34:00.001-04:00

I have a few projects in the works for some of my teacher friends and classmates at school. I knew what I wanted to make, but I wasn't sure about the tagging....but then, I found some really awesome printables for FREE and they were just what I was looking for...

First up is a teacher's gift for my daughter's 3rd grade teacher:

This is a really simple gift using an eco-friendly drink cup and some yummy lemonade single to-go packets. I also used a little bit of scrapbook paper and a stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

I found the idea here and knew I had to make one. Lisa's idea and printable made it so easy to put together really quickly. I found my cup at Walmart and the to-go singles can be found just about anywhere. In fact, these were on sale, so I decided to get two boxes, one for now and one for later. I wrapped the second box up in a glassine bag and decorated it with a sewn on topper.

Next is a simple end of the year gift for my daughter's 3rd grade classmates. It did involve a little pre-planning to purchase the cello bags from here. They are a 1x8 size and fit regular-sized gumballs perfectly. (Mine are Carousel brand.)

To top off the gumballs bags, I used my scalloped die with this printable. Amanda has some AMAZING printables and I've just recently found her blog....where have I been? It was the perfect topper for my treats.

20 down and 16 more to go....this is definitely an easy, and enjoyable treat to put together.

As always, if you have any questions just give me a shout! I wish you all a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend! Have fun!

We're Going Nuts

2011-05-02T11:31:00.001-04:00

We're going nuts over here celebrating our teachers this week! I have a few small things planned, including this:

I've had this idea in my notebook for a while now, I think the original idea was posted in "Papercrafts" magazine some time back....here's my interpretation:

Begin with some basic supplies, including cello bags, scrapbook paper, pencil, adhesive and peanuts.

Next, I cut my solid colored paper to fit the outside of my cello bag and then I used a square-shaped die to cut a "window" out of the front of the cardstock.

To apply some adhesive, I ran it through my Xyron.

I applied the cardstock to the cello bag and began decorating it with die cut letters and alphabet stickers. I also used a die cut scallop strip and some fun glossy stickers.

I filled it with peanuts (after sampling a few) and stapled it shut using my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (love that tool). And, just for fun, I added a colorful paperclip and a snippet of ribbon.

These will be fun to pass out and hopefully will provide the teachers with a yummy, unpredictable treat. Who doesn't like peanuts?

ETA: I'm linking over at Skip to My Lou today - first time!

Creating with Cosmo Cricket

2011-04-29T17:25:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned Lulu on my blog before, but I'm mentioning her here again because she is offering up an awesome challenge in conjunction with her new design team gig at Cosmo Cricket. Be sure to check the challenge out by clicking here. Well, I decided to play along by creating this card:

I went to my stash and grabbed my favorite sheets of "Girl Friday" patterned papers. I absolutely love all the designs in this line and have hoarded many of these pages for quite some time. I put it to use with some solid cardstock from Stampin' Up and Papertrey Ink along with a Spellbinders die, Papertrey's Banner Builder dies, Martha Stewart's butterfly punch and some Twinery twine.

Here is a picture of the card sketch I followed:

This was a fun challenge and I thought this card would make a cute mailbox stuffer to brighten someone's day. I hope you like it!!

Enjoying

2011-04-27T15:53:00.000-04:00

some card making time lately...and I had a few to catch up on so that's always good when you can get two things accomplished at once!! I'm all about multi-tasking!!

Here's what I put together:

This card was made using a stamp set from Close to My Heart that I purchased while attending the Orlando scrapbook convention a few weeks ago. I had an idea in my head when I started the card, however I'm not sure this is exactly what I envisioned. Can you tell the circles are buttons? I'm not sure they "scream" buttons the way I had hoped they would. This stamp set is called, "Buttoned Together."

Next is a card I made using some Crate Paper die cuts. This is actually a thank you card, but the "Hello" sentiment from Papertrey Ink fit perfectly so I used it instead. I love that ledger paper background stamp from Jenni Bowlin.

And last is a simple card I put together for a group of ladies at my Mom's church. I attended a really nice class on canning and preserving food and they did such a wonderful job with the presentation and the food afterwards I wanted to make sure they knew how much I appreciated their efforts. I found this Mason jar stamp a long time ago at a garage sale (for $1.00) and was excited to put it to good use. I wanted to take a really simple approach (no distressing on this one) because I know what my Mom's taste is like and I thought the other ladies would have the same point of view. After I finished it I thought that maybe next time I might try masking the jar and stamping a pretty background of some kind. Isn't it funny what you think about when you finish something? If there were only more hours in the day...

The little tag says, "thanks so much."

That's it....I'll see you guys later!!

Easter Happenings

2011-04-23T18:04:00.000-04:00

It took me a long time to "get into" Easter this year. I don't know why, maybe because both of my girls decided they didn't want to hunt eggs this year, or maybe because lately I've either been working or volunteering at school and our weekends have been busy....not much free time = not much time for holiday crafting and decorating around the house. We all know the drill, but I did manage to sneek some time in for a few things:

This is the "one and only" Easter card I made for a special friend. I had the idea floating around in my head for a while and one night when I couldn't sleep I got up and quietly put this together in my craft room while everyone slept. I made an egg-shaped template and die cut a bunch of scalloped strips using my Big Shot. I layered and adhered the strips on the egg template until it was covered and then simply flipped it over to the back and cut along the outside. Other cardstock includes Stampin' Up's Very Vanilla and patterned paper from a scrap stash that I bought at a garage sale for $1.00. The sentiment stamp is from Kitchen Sink stamps (another garage sale purchase).

Next is a little treat that I found on the internet somewhere....it was something so different I had to make a few of them to pass out:

It is called "Bunny Hop Pop" and when I saw it, it was one of those times when I thought, "How did they think of that?" It just goes to show that there are so many talented and creative people in this big old world of ours. Anyways, it is made using an orange soda and simply covering the outside with decorative paper, adding a green top to the lid using hot glue and finishing it off with a ribbon and tag. I will definitely be making more of those for next year.

I also made 20 more of these little critters for my 3rd grade class:

Although we kept it gender generic by not adding the beauty mark and bow they turned out super cute! I was so excited to get them boxed up and delivered I forgot to snap a finishing picture.

I think I may check out some submission calls and get myself geared up for a few days off and maybe some creative time squeezed into my busy schedule. I also have a Mother's Day craft that I want to share as soon as I get some cute pictures. Another idea I'm borrowing and it's a cute one too!

Just a few...

2011-04-14T05:01:00.001-04:00

...cards that I've made recently. No reason for these particular cards, just felt like being creative.

First up is a birthday card I'm sure I'll put to good use one day:

This card was made using some of my favorites by Stampin' Up including Melon Mambo and Real Red cardstock. I also added some jewels and a strip of patterned paper from my scrap stash.

Next up is a wedding card I made during to donate to our school's card stash. I was using a stash of scraps and loved how the colors went together.

I also added a mixture of Spellbinders dies along with a sentiment stamp from Papertrey and my scalloped edge punch. This one was really out of my norm as far as colors go, but I was pleased with how it turned out.

Convention Shopping

2011-04-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

My family headed to Orlando this past weekend to hang out and for me to attend the Scrapbook Expo convention being held at the Gaylord Palms Resort. I arrived on Friday (early) and shopped until the late afternoon. Although I heard mixed reviews about the Expo I had a good time, even with going by myself. There were lots of ladies to talk with and I even made a few new (fast) friends. The show floor was crowded, the demo lines were long and the checkout areas very slow, so you really had to bring your patience to the arena.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite finds. I really didn't buy that much, I mainly went for the experience and just to spend the day in the crafting environment.

Here are a few of my goodies:

This pennant die was the first thing I saw that I knew, instantly, that I wanted to purchase. It is made by Lifestyle Crafts which I think is designed very similar to the QuicKutz dies because they look identical. I haven't used it yet, but intend to get it cranking this weekend.

Next up are some stamps from Jenni Bowlin. These were sold in a booth from Scrap Yard.

The last stamp is a "receipt" stamp which I thought would make a great background stamp. I used it on this card yesterday:

I also hit a booth called the "Dollar Depot" at the end of the day. I browsed around and found these great assortment of stickers by Creative Imaginations. Their booth was sooooo crowded, I think I stood in line for about 30 minutes just to check out, but we always love having cute stickers around to attach to tags and such.

I think I'll be using those Easter stickers tomorrow to make a few crafty things for the holiday.

Take care and I'll see you later!!

We are headed...

2011-04-07T02:23:00.000-04:00

to this gorgeous place for a few days!!

The girls have an extra day off from school, so we thought we would head out of town and have some fun.

I found out that the Scrapbook Expo is being held in Orlando this weekend also (beginning Friday), so we thought we would make it a family affair. My hubby will keep the girls busy while I am checking out the convention.

I can't wait to see what's new and what's going on down in Mickey Mouse land. I'll keep you updated!!

Where do I begin? A bunch o' stuff...

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

You know, once in a while I get a little down...I start thinking about this blog and I wonder, "Does anyone really care if I post or not?" I think we all have "visions" when we start a blog, and sometimes the visions become a reality and sometimes they do not. I don't know where I'm going with all of this, I usually don't get this "philosphical" on my blog, and I don't mean to sound like a downer....just letting you know what my thoughts have been. Anyways, I understand and totally get that to become a famous blogger it requires a lot of time, a lot of skill (great photos are a huge bonus) and a lot of dedication. Some days I have it and some days I don't. Some days I want to focus on the fun stuff and some days I want to focus on the required stuff....chores, paying bills, grocery shopping, homework -- you get it. So, that is basically my "excuse" for where I have been and what I've been up to. But, in a positive light, a few weeks ago I got the sweetest e-mail from someone I admire and have admired for a long time....I've never met her, but I think she's super talented, super sweet and I deeply appreciate the fact that she reached out to me during a time when I was thinking, "does it matter?" If you've never been to Laura Craigie's blog, you MUST check it out....she's been on a roll lately and has many accomplishments attached to her sweet name. I would love to be half as talented...

Here's some of what I've been busy with lately:

This is a card I made for a friend using some scraps, SU cardstock, the Teeny Tags stamp set, scallop border punch, Fiskars edge punch, the Outlines alphabet stamp set from Papertrey Ink and a Martha Stewart butterfly punch. Can you tell that punches are my favorite tools to use?

Next up a little card I made for my sister:

This was a quick card I made using a Hero Arts bicycle stamp. (My sister gave my daughter a bike and I wanted to send a thank-you card.) The patterned paper was from my stash, but I think it's from Hobby Lobby's brand. I also used the Apron Lace border punch and the Teeny Tags stamp set.

I've also been working on a few Easter treat samples. I'm not sure what I'm going to go with yet so I just make one or two of something and then I decide.

This is a fun egg-shaped tote that is just small enough to make with one piece of 8x11 paper but big enough to fill with some fun treats. (I actually made these last year.)

This was an easy craft using a piece of cardstock and a piece of vinyl. I punched the holes using my Crop-a-Dile and then cinched it together using purple organza ribbon. I also made another version using clear vinyl on both sides and stitched it together using pink thread and my sewing machine. (Sorry the photo isn't the best quality.)

I think both of these would work much better using flat M&M's (the plain version) but for Easter, the plain version is made in an egg shape. Who would have thunk such a thing? (is thunk a word???)

And, one of my favorite Easter treats is a non-sweet treat....I shared these last year but thought I would re-post a picture:

Easter "carrots" made using Cheetos (or you could use Goldfish crackers) and piping bags from Wilton. These were a huge hit in my 2nd grade class.

And, just in case you're interested, here are a few things I've done in the last few days (things that I've actually managed to take pictures of):

I've long admired a turquoise and red necklace worn by another blogger (that I visit daily) and I've never been able to find one like it....so, yesterday I gathered the supplies and made one all by myself!! I was shocked that it took less than 15 minutes and turned out just the right length and exactly how I envisioned it. Yahoo!!

Next up, I thought I would share a fabulous bread that we've been making lately. I got the recipe from another blog (what we would do without blogs?) and it's fantastic! In my quest to get my family on a healthier eating path this Oatmeal Bread will be making an appearance quite often at my dinner table.

That's it for now...I promise to be a better blogger, but thanks in advance for your patience and understanding! Bloggers and blog readers are the best!!

Papertrey - Color Challenge

2011-02-09T17:15:00.000-05:00

Today's challenge on the Papertrey blog was to pick a color combo from a favorite designer and create your own project using those combinations. I loved the colors chosen by Lisa Johnson, and I had the same cardstock and ribbon to match.

The colors I chose were Pure Poppy, Kraft, Spring Rain and Vintage Cream.

I also went to my Bitty Boxes paper pad and used a Spring Rain paper from that selection.

Stamp sets I used include the Make a Wish sentiment set along with Heather's Library Ledger set which I used to create a background design.

The focal point for my card is a "Wish" bingo card from a Jenni Bowlin pack I've had in my stash for quite a while. I loved how the colors popped on the main background. I hope you liked it!!

My Favorite from 2010

2011-02-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite cards from 2010 was this card made for one of Betsy Veldman's color challenges:

It uses some of my most favorite Papertrey products, including the Woodgrain impression plate and Say it with Style stamp set. It was an "out of the box" color combination for me, but I was so glad Betsy issued it. This was one of the cards that just fell together. And, I love it when that happens!

Be sure to check out Papertrey's site today....there is an amazing giveaway going on in celebration of their anniversary!! Happy Anniversary Papertrey Ink!! I can only imagine what they have in store for us this month! Whatever it is you know it's going to be awesome!

Adding a Little Chicken Wire

2011-02-04T05:50:00.002-05:00

From the moment I saw this photo I knew I had to have one. It literally yelled out at me...."Make one just like me!!!" So last weekend, with my hubby's help, I did!! Don't know what I'm talking about?

Here's my take on Marcy Penner's fabulous wire frame:

I used what I had on hand, an old frame, chicken wire and staples.

The first step was to remove the picture, glass and wire prongs. I found that using an old spoon worked the best for this.

Next up was to cut and staple in the chicken wire. My hubby was kind enough to tackle this and did it so quickly I didn't get any pictures. But, I'm sure you get the idea.

Here's what it looked like with the wire installed:

I wanted to use this board as a way to display the many cards I receive from friends and relatives, and I was thinking I would use small clothespins to hang up everything, until I spotted these at JoAnn's:

They were perfect and at a great price, $1.99 with 40% off!

Next up is to get the frame hung in a convenient spot. Right now it is sitting on the back of my sewing desk.

I love Marcy's studio and encourage you to check it out. It makes my heart smile everytime I look at it. Thanks Marcy!

Make a Wish - Birthday Wishes

2011-02-03T11:31:00.001-05:00

I'm sending out some special "pre-birthday" wishes to a great friend today!! Her birthday is tomorrow....Happy Birthday Jennifer!! I hope you have a fun and fantastic day!!

The inside of the card reads: "Don't despair about the number of candles on your cake. The more candles, the bigger the wish that you can make." I love the Make a Wish stamp set from Papertrey.

By the way....your card (which is up above) will be a teensy tiny bit late.

**I forgot to mention that the layout for this card design was borrowed from Lisa Johnson's feature in this month's CARDS magazine. I loved her card on page 129.

Cutie Pie Keychain Clutch

2011-01-27T16:37:00.000-05:00

This has to be the cutest sewing project I've ever completed....and better yet, I finished it in one afternoon, in a few hours to be exact. It's called a "Keychain Clutch" and the pattern can be purchased here.

This was my first pattern purchased through Keyka Lou Patterns and I'll have to say that I will be purchasing many more! Her patterns are very detailed and take you through a step-by-step process complete with pictures of each step. I am a visual person so the pictures help tremendously.

Here's a shot of the inside of my clutch:

The clutch is lined and also supported with a layer of interfacing. I need to do a little bit of ironing, but it's finished and I can't wait to use it.

I grabbed my organic lip balm and took this shot:

Wouldn't these make great girlfriend gifts? teacher gifts? thinking of you gifts? and what a great little treat to stick in the mailbox for someone special!

Think about making one today. Before I began, I e-mailed Michelle and told her I was a semi-newbie at the sewing machine, but honesly, I didn't have one single problem with this pattern. I also learned how to make and sew darts - a first for me.

I'm off to check out her other patterns. Take care!

January Blog Hop - Papertrey Style

2011-01-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Hi and Welcome to my blog!! I am so excited to be a participant in this month's Papertrey "Blog Hop."

A dear friend of mine recently purchased a new car and, once I heard the news, I knew exactly what stamp set I wanted to use to help her celebrate.

I went to my Papertrey stamp collection and got to work using the "Enjoy the Ride" stamp set. I've loved this set since the moment I saw it released, but have actually waited quite a while before using it. Why? I am not sure, because it is so much fun! It was also a perfect match for this month's theme which is to use a stamp set that has seen little or no ink.

Here's the card I created using lots of Papertrey goodies:

I began with Papertrey's white and kraft cardstock, along with a Spellbinders die cut using Hawaiin Shores cardstock which I embossed with a QuicKutz embossing folder. I also found this really cute patterned paper in my stash, and sorry....I don't know who the manufacturer is....it is something I found on clearance at my local scrapbook store. I paired the patterned paper with Papertrey's Distressed Dots paper and Dotty Biscotti paper.

Other dies I used include the Enjoy the Ride car die, along with the double-ended banner die which I love!! Inks I used include Papertrey's Dark Chocolate and Pure Poppy. Other ink colors include Stampin Up's Gable Green and a Marvy turquoise.

I also paired this card with a scented air freshener for her car from Bath & Body Works.

I hope you enjoyed your visit and be sure to come back soon!!

So stinkin' cute!!

2011-01-23T15:13:00.000-05:00

I found this fantastic download last week and nearly jumped out of my chair!!! I was looking for something fun for my 3rd grader to share with her class for Valentine's Day and this was IT!!

Aren't these iphone candy covers just the cutest thing??? After I got permission from my 3rd grader to proceed, I ran and hopped in the car to Target to buy the Brach's candy boxes. I chose the tart & tangy variety.

Here they are all covered and wrapped in their cozy covers:

A big shout out to Amy Locurto for her amazing talent and most of all, for sharing this fun download with all of her blog viewers!!

Upcycling Fun

2011-01-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

How many times have you seen a project, decided to make the project, bought the materials for the project and then everything just s-i-t-s for a while? a long while? Maybe because you have other crafty things to do, maybe because you enjoy just staring at it everyday? Or maybe because you slowly start talking yourself out of beginning another project that you are not sure about. That's what happened with this project.

I saw a tutorial (somewhere out there in blog land) for an upcycled t-shirt scarf and fell in love with the design, not to mention the easiness of it (at least that was my first impression). But after I made the trip to the Salvation Army store to get the t-shirts, I talked myself out of sitting down at my sewing machine for fear that they wouldn't turn out because this technique was something I had never tried before.

Well, for some reason, yesterday afternoon I was feeling ambitious and decided to just go for it!! I am so glad I did because they were so easy, so quick and really fun to make. Let me show you just what I'm talking about.

Take a trip to your t-shirt drawer, or in my case, the nearest Salvation Army store (on half-price day) and get a large or extra-large sized t-shirt, plain with no design. Next, lay out your shirt and cut two large strips off of the bottom (get rid of the original hem first). I made mine 6 inches wide.

Once this is done, cut your strips open (this red shirt had inside seams, but the other one I used did not). If your shirt has an inside seam or serged line, be sure to cut those off.

Here are my strips once I cut them open:

The next step is to match up your strips (on the short ends), pin and sew them together to make one continuous long piece of t-shirt material. Remember we are making a scarf so this will actually be your scarf. Use the regular straight stitch setting on your sewing machine. (I don't have a picture of this.)

Now this is where it gets really fun!! And you will be able to see how excited I got because I didn't take a picture mid-way through, but on the finishing end....sorry.

Once you have your t-shirt strips all sewn together (check that all your front sides match and that you didn't get one strip facing backwards) -- I wouldn't know anything about that of course -- you are going to change the settings on your sewing machine. You may need to get your machine's manual for this or not, I needed to. (1)Set your straight stitch setting to its highest (or longest) number, mine was set at "5.0" and (2)Set your tension level to its highest number, mine was set at "9". And now you are ready to finish your scarf.

Measure the width of your t-shirt strip and decide where you want your gathers to be. I just eyeballed mine and spaced the stitch lines one inch apart.

Begin sewing and sew a straight line all the way down the length of your scarf. Your machine should automatically gather your material to create the prettiest ruffled look.

After you get to the bottom of your scarf you are going to begin again at the top, move your scarf over (I had about an inch of space between my stitch lines) and repeat using the same settings on your sewing machine.

To finish, I returned my machine back to its original straight stitch settings and sewed a small hem on the two short ends of my scarf.

I had so much fun with the first scarf I grabbed another shirt and made a second one.

I literally had these two made in less than 30 minutes. They were, by far, the easiest sewing project I've ever tried. So glad I finally jumped in and gave it a go!!

Working on a few things...

2011-01-10T11:01:00.000-05:00

Spending some time this morning working on a few upcoming projects for the next holiday...always thinking ahead although one of my goals for this year is to "live" in the moment....here's what I put together for my 5th grader to take to school:

Have you seen the sour cream containers you can make with a piece of paper cut to 4.25 x 5.5 inches? I'm not ready to fill mine, but here's a great tutorial. They make the cutest little packages to hide yummy treats.

Also gathering a few of these for an upcoming project:

Actually, we have a few girls getting together for a fun afternoon of crafting Valentine Sundae Cup Centerpieces. I need to get busy finding all the pretty candy to fill the glasses for my sweeties. This is going to be fun! And, I'm having the best time hunting through my local thrift stores to find the glasses for everyone. There's nothing like a good hunt!

Take care and stay safe!

Sculpey Bug

2011-01-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

My youngest daughter, Abby, has caught the crafting/Sculpey bug. I don't know how she got started on it, but she has had the best time this holiday season making all kinds of different food items with Sculpey clay. She's made a variety of things and has also filmed a few of her tutorial sessions using her new video camera. Here's a shot from a session this morning:

Some of the items she has made include this hamburger and waffle which are this morning's projects:

She's also made ice cream cones, pop tarts, pizza slices, hot chocolate drinks, rainbow cakes, donuts and popsicles.

A few have been turned into pendants and put on strands of ribbon to make necklaces. I told her with a little time we might actually invest in a few purchases from etsy of actual ribbon necklaces so that she can give them away to friends.

I'm working on getting my Valentine inspiration basket put together as well as organizing a few projects for the future. See you in a little bit!

Christmas Thank You Cards

2011-01-01T10:43:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I sat down and had the best time making a big ole' batch of Christmas Thank You cards. I began with an inspirational card sketch and I also knew I wanted to use my new Papertrey felt and Christmas tree die...I fell in love with that thing the minute I saw it.

Here's what I came up with, a few different designs:

Lots of Papertrey and Stampin' Up cardstock, a Fiskars border punch, a Cuttlebug embossing folder, a Spellbinders tag die, Papertrey stamps and as I mentioned, Papertrey felt and their fabulous tree die. I made two variations of this card, one with red buttons and one with blue buttons....a certain friend of mine has a fondness for blue and green.

And, to round the bunch out, I reached into my "felt goodies" basket and found these snowflakes from a few years back. They were the perfect touch to finish these cards. Same supplies, I just added a different felt embellishment.

I still needed a few more cards, but decided to go with something a little easier and something that would take less time to make in a large quantity....after looking at the latest CARDS magazine, I borrowed this design from the featured designer, Amy Heller. Amy's card design can be found on page 117 of this month's issue. Here's my interpretation:

The die cut sentiment is from Stampin' Up, the patterned paper from DCWV and the stamped stitches are from Sandylion (I've had this set for years).

Now I need to get busy writing my messages and letting everyone know just how much we enjoyed our holiday! Take care until next time!!

A Look at My Tuesday

2010-12-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Here's what I've been looking at today....pretty stuff for this time of year.

First up is a picture of the prettiest ice crystal my oldest found on the ground this morning. I was glad this brought a smile to her face after a disappointing trip to the bird bath revealed a leak in our miniature ice skating pond.

Next is a package that came in the mail from a Scrapbook Trends giveaway I won last week. I opened the box to find this fabulous nested tower of treats with a gorgeous red and green felted bow.

And last is a picture of one of my krafty wrapped gifts that I am giving away this year. When I am doing something in multiples I like to keep things simple but I also like to add a few touches of sparkle. I thought this color combo of brown, gold and green was just what I was looking for. The ribbon is from Michael's and the glittered snowflake tag is from Target.

I hope you are having a fun Tuesday!

Sunday Puffs

2010-11-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

I got up a little early this morning to surprise my girls with a delicious batch of these:

they are Pioneer Woman's "French Breakfast Puffs" and they are, in one word, divine!!! They take just a few mintues to whip together...and they bake for 20 minutes, so just enough time to get the dishes washed and the butter and cinnamon melted.

Here's another photo showing them in all their glory:

If you get a chance to pick up Pioneer Woman's book you will find the recipe on page 66....I would encourage you to try them. They are a cross between an airy, puffy muffin and a cinnamon sugar donut. They are a fantastic, once-in-a-while treat!!

**Just as I finished typing I did a search and found the recipe on PW's site. Here it is....try it, you'll be glad you did!!

Making Merry Gifts

2010-11-26T01:34:00.001-05:00

This year my goal is to make lots and lots of homemade goodies for my friends and family. Many of those gifts involve my sewing machine and my serger. The first project checked off my list was my countdown chain and #2 on that same list was a set of these:

I am s-l-o-w-l-y steering my family toward the trend of going paperless, and by that I mean less buying of paper napkins, paper towels and paper plates. I know they are convenient to use, but they are so costly, and take up so much room in my trash can, not to mention the landfills where they ultimately end up.

Here's a set of Christmas-themed flannel fabric towels that I am gifting this year:

It's a set of 6 all bundled up with a twill tape and decorative tag. The towels measure 10x10 and are made with soft flannel on one side and terry cloth on the other. I use a similar set in my kitchen for cleaning up spills around the sink. They are super absorbent and have saved me from wasting countless paper towels. I didn't have a tutorial when I made these, but I first serged the edges and then top-stitched around the perimeter so they would hold their shape after being washed.

And last up, a quickie card I made for a friend:

This was a quick card using a sticker from my Christmas stash, a fiskars edge punch, some twine and a cute tree die from Quickutz.

See you next time!

Thankful for you

2010-11-25T11:33:00.000-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for, I don't even think I could compile everything on one list....I would have to have multiple lists...but I try to stay grounded and stay in the moment so that I don't let the "little" things slip by. I think that's what we all strive for, right?

Here's my "thankful" card for this season...I only made a few, but I wanted to share this one with you...my blog reader.

I enjoy your visits and your comments and hope to post more often as I let go of some resposibilities which keep me very busy. I want to have more creative time for myself and my family in 2011.

This card was made with some yummy Papertrey products, including their new stamp set, "A Wreath for All Seasons". You will be seeing lots of projects made with that set...I just love grapevine wreaths.

Take care and have a wonderful holiday!

Cute Countdown Chain

2010-11-21T15:53:00.001-05:00

Hey there! I've been dabbling in a few things here and there, but finally managed to complete a sewing project I began a few days ago.

After getting this fantastic book a while back I decided to put roots down and get started on one of my favorite projects. If you don't have this book I would highly recommend it! There are some extremely cute projects in it!

One of the projects that immediately caught my eye was a fabric countdown chain. Remember those construction paper chains we all made in elementary school? Sometimes they were stapled together and sometimes they were glued together...well, I decided to make a Christmas countdown chain, complete with 25 links.

Here's a picture of my links all stacked up and pretty:

I used a stash of Christmas fabric I bought a while back at a community sale. I was able to snag an entire grocery bag full for $5.00. Those pieces definitely came in handy for this project.

Here's what they look like all spread out on my kitchen table:

I was going for a traditional look with a "side" of cutesy charm...

Next up I took them outside and linked them together for a group photo:

And then back inside for a photo in front of my kitchen cabinets:

It's really an easy project, but a little time consuming. Lots of cutting, ironing and sewing (but isn't that what most sewing projects involve?). I made 25 links so it seemed a little never-ending, but I probably didn't spend as much time as it sounds.

This set is going to a dear friend of mine and her three children. I hope it will brighten her mailbox as she is going through a difficult time right now.

I would love to make one for myself, but mine will probably be more rustic which = not turning inside out and ironing, more like frayed ends and a distressed/shabby look.

Let me know if you need specifics, I decided to forego a tutorial but instead gave credit to the book author because I know she worked extremely hard producing this fabulous book.

Yippee, Woohoo...What?

2010-11-10T17:50:00.000-05:00

Two of my teacher friends received some really great news this week, so I thought I would whip out a card or two to celebrate. These are more pieces from the "Funfetti" collection I mentioned in my last post. I also used a few of their papers which are now scrap-sized pieces in my stash. These are such fun colors to work with.

I thought some sparkly gems would add to the excitement factor and they ended up being just the finishing touch I was looking for.

Congratulations are going out to Mrs. Carroll and Mrs. Bailey on your accomplishments!! Yippee! Woohoo! Way to go!!

Scenes from My [Messy] Desktop

2010-11-04T12:57:00.001-04:00

I'm having the most wonderful kind of day....no commitments, no time schedules and NO LAUNDRY DUTY! And, on this kind of day, I love to get a few chores done in the morning so I don't feel guilty about "playing" for the rest of the afternoon. I'm in the midst of creating some fun and cute projects and thought I would take a quick break to snap a few photos to share with you.

Here's the scene from my desktop:

I usually clean in-between projects because my space is a little limited. And, right now, my youngest daughter has her "classroom" set up on the other side of the room, so I'm feeling a teensy bit cramped.

It's funny how I can start out with a "plan" and then, for some reason, I have the hardest time sticking to it. I bring out a million and one things to find the pieces that make the project "just right." I wonder if anyone else uses that kind of method.

Here's a brightly-colored card I finished for my big sis who will be celebrating a birthday tomorrow:

I have several of these fun birthday papers and die cuts from the We R Memory Keepers "Funfetti" collection. Talk about some fun images and birthday stickers to choose from. I could have gone way overboard with this collection! I also think some pretty Stickles or glitter added to the candle flames would have been fun.

Next up is a card for a sweet friend recovering from a recent surgery. [Sharon- Sorry I didn't send something sooner.]

This card mixes some patterned paper from my stash (in other words: I don't remember when and/or where I got it) with some Papertrey Ink cardstock and ribbon. I also used some of my favorite Spellbinders dies.

That's it for now...I'm moving on to some gift wrapping and one more card before...who knows what!! See you next time!

Finishing Up & Learning Something New

2010-10-26T02:35:00.001-04:00

Well, I thought I was just about finished with all of my Halloween goodies including these little kraft bags:

I made a few extras today using the fab & wonderful K&Company die cuts I bought from Michael's a while back.

And then I thought I would re-purpose a Starbucks bottle given to me by decorating it with some cute paper and adding a few chocolate goodies. (I don't have a clue where the original candy went...) This will brighten someone's school cubby tomorrow.

And then I found this fun tutorial yesterday and had to give these little triangle boxes a try:

They are so nifty and so easy to make!! Where have these been all my life? Have I been living in a cave? Well, I don't know, but I will definitely be hanging on to this pattern for future's sake. And, as I was tying the last few I made this morning I thought how cool they would be to use for an advent calendar and instead of punching the "Happy Halloween" sentiment each box could be labeled with a number. Thanks so much Angie for this awesome tutorial!!

The patterned paper and stamped image I used on these boxes are from Papertrey Ink, along with Stampin Up's Pumpkin Pie cardstock and my 1 3/4" circle punch.

I can't wait to pass these out and make more!

2 for One

2010-10-25T04:59:00.003-04:00

Isn't she pretty? Every house with a child needs a gumball machine, right? I never considered buying one until this past Friday when we spotted this one lying sideways in a box at a church rummage sale. I pulled her out and took a quick glance. My girls were with me and immediately said, "Cool!" so I hung on to her while we shopped the sale.

It is a Carousel model, tho not an original. We've done some research. I think this model retails for $60.

Anyways, we picked up some other items, enough for a medium boxful, and carried it up to the check out area. The church lady looked through what we had gathered, including the gumball machine, and announced, "$8.00 for all of it!" How could I refuse? So, we brought her home.

This morning we cleaned her up nice and pretty after we bought a large container of gumballs at WM. And, the fun thing is for one penny you get two gumballs! 2 for 1....not a bad deal after all.

Be sure to check out the other thrifty finds over at Apron Thrift Girl's blog....I'm linking along this week.

A Peek & Share

2010-10-24T12:55:00.000-04:00

Here's a peek and share of what my girls will be giving away in their classrooms for Halloween treats this year. I decided to go simple and give both girls the same thing to share with their classmates.

Still don't know what they are? How about if I show you this picture?

Hmmm, now we are getting closer.....but here's a full shot for you to check out. I told you I would share. :)

And another version:

I kept things very simple....just a little bit of cardstock, stickers, and a simple stamp that says, "Open if you dare!" I think the kids will like them.

I also want to share the original source for the idea....I found them at an amazing blog called "it is what it is" - and let me just tell you, her stuff is so stinkin' cute! I only wish I had that kind of talent when it comes to graphic design....oh the possibilities. Her bags are cuter and stuffed with much more candy, but I have 40 kids to treat, so I thought 4 peanut butter cups were plenty + let's not consider the other goodies and candy they will receive. Here are the bags she put together which inlcude a free printable tag. I think she applied the stickers to the tops of her Reese cups, although I found the bottoms (the smaller end) much easier to use. And, I wanted to use her printable tag, but because my bags were smaller, I opted for this version.

This was an easy, mess-free craft profect that we worked on together. Try it out!

This is why...

2010-10-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

I love garage sales!!! Check out what I found today at a church sale for cheap, cheap, cheap:
Isn't she a lovely? (I am actually using Pottery Barn's stock photo.) I recognized this Pottery Barn tabletop photo carousel as soon as I spotted it sitting under a table. I grabbed her up and asked, "Is this for sale?" Sure enough, she was.

Now my biggest decision is whether or not to keep her. I don't really have the space, but I couldn't leave the sale today without it. I'll let you know in a week or so what my decision is...is there anyone else out there interested? She might be for sale...

Boo Bags

2010-10-07T14:53:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed giving out these "Boo Bags" today to a few special people in my life. My kind of easy, non-stamping, fast, whip together kind of treat.

Not much as far as edibles in these spooky treat bags, but instead some fun Bath & Body Works "Candy Corn" hand sanitizer along with a fun matching gelly holder [sorry, forgot to take a picture of the contents]. I was trying to be considerate to those watching their waistlines...but I did manage to sneak in a few pieces of Halloween chocolate. Maybe they won't notice...

I found these fun die cut images at Michael's. They are from the K&Company "Spooktacular" line. The background patterned paper is from Papertrey Ink (last year's designs).

Take care!

Did you see her?

2010-10-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

Two of my favorite ladies together on one show today!!! Martha was on Oprah!

It was a delightful hour, although I wish we could have seen more peeks into Martha's life. We've all heard the scoop on her time in prison and frankly, I think we've all moved on.

Don't forget to print out your coupon. I'm off to Michael's tomorrow to see what I can find.

A Few of My Favorite Scenes

2010-09-27T19:08:00.000-04:00

I know everyone has been on the bandwagon lately with the "I Love Fall" theme, so I thought I would jump on in....because, you know what? I love the fall!!!

We are at home tonight, it's raining, my girls are in their jammies, I'm not far behind....and we have a fresh pot of potato sausage soup cooking, homemade french bread ready to be gobbled up:

and pretty candy corn lights shimmering outside my kitchen window:

and inside I've pulled out some of my favorite fall decorations including these lovelies:

No, they aren't real, but in Florida, we don't get a huge change of colors....in fact, my air conditioner is running right now at 77 degrees...oh well....it will cool down soon enough. And when it does, I will be sure to make another batch of these yummy treats:

Roast Beef and Argula paninis we cooked up the other night for dinner. A tasty recipe from one of my favorite cooking shows, Five Ingredient Fix. I love this show!

Take care....sorry for all the randomness, that is how my mind has been operating lately.

New Cards to Share

2010-09-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

So I realize that I have an entire box full of cards that I've made but I simply cannot resist "stealing" a few minutes here and there to make more...something about the process...

Here are a few cards that I've whipped up in the last few days:

This card made me smile when I finished it....I know I could have added some stitching or other goodness, but I decided to keep it simple. I love the colorful butterflies.

Next is a "friend" card because you just never know when you might need one:

This card was defnitely a "throw together" and I got my inspiration from an old magazine clipping I had hanging out in one of my binders. I got so happy with the designing of this card that I failed to notice my rub-ons were on short supply, thus the empty space at the bottom. I don't think anyone will notice, do you?

Lastly, I made this card Saturday night while we were hanging out....I bought a pack of sock-monkey paper at a garage sale a few weeks ago and just thought it was cute. I didn't know how I was going to incorporate it into my scrapbook pages when I bought it, but for $1.00 I didn't question it at the time. Anyways, I had two people that I wanted to share a "Thank You" with and designed two of these cards to give to them.

I thought these turned out so cute....and I also passed out some "Funky Monkey" banana bread I had stashed in the freezer....I thought it was appropriate for the theme.

Now, back to my box of cards...whatever shall I do with them? Got any ideas?

P.S. All of the stamped sentiments and letters are from Papertrey Stamps, my cardstock is either from Stampin' Up or Papertrey and the border punches include the jumbo scallop, bracket and postal edge from Fiskars or EK Success.

My Kind of Organization Project

2010-09-17T17:56:00.000-04:00

I was going to label this post, "Houston, we might have a problem." but then I changed my mind. As a girl with a papercrafting heart, recently, my interests have shifted slightly into a sewing direction. I've been busy this past week selecting and cutting fabric for several pieces I want to sell in an upcoming craft show. The show is in November, so I think I have plenty of time, but I like to get a good head start.

After spending two weeks with my dining room table covered, I decided to clean it up a bit because, frankly, the mess was driving me crazy.

I went to my craft room and sorted the fabrics I've purchased recently, along with some I picked up this summer and found my drawers overflowing with prettiness!!! This is more fabric than I have ever had at one single time.

Here's a shot of my blue, brown and black drawer:

And next is my white, yellow, orange, pink, red and green drawer:

I know, this is not the MOST exciting blog post you've ever read, but I was so happy to see all of my pretty fabrics housed together in one spot (well two spots, technically) and I thought you might be interested to see how I store my fabric. Everyone has their own different methods and this is mine. I also decided that although my space is small, my choices are plenty and as I squeezed the last piece in I got the "sign" that my purchasing days are over, at least for the time being....or until I find something I like at a great price. :) So the answer is, "No Houston, we don't have a problem."

Baking My Way Through

2010-09-12T16:13:00.000-04:00

I bought Pioneer Woman's cookbook over the summer and I have just this week tried out two of her recipes. I can attest that both have been extraordinarily yummy!!! Definitely a 10++ on the yumminess scale.

Here's a shot of a "French Breakast Puff" that I made this morning. This recipe is an easy one and makes 12 really good-sized muffins.

They are also very close to a recipe on her blog called, "Muffins that Taste Like Donuts" which I have also made. In my personal opinion, PW's recipe makes a better muffin.

Here's a shot of the tray before they were devoured:

I think one of the secrets to this recipe may be the melted butter and cinnamon bath the muffins take when they come out of the oven....ooo la la....what a treat these are!!

I also made a batch of her meatballs with egg noodles this week, but honestly, I was w-a-y too hungry when it came dinner time to take a picture...they were sooooo delicious and satisfying!! I know they will become a regular in our house so I'll be sure to take a picture next time.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Big Birthday Wishes - Boy Style

2010-08-30T12:08:00.000-04:00

I had a really easy time yesterday morning putting together this card for a super swell 9-year old friend of mine.

I used a piece of patterned scrapbook paper from Little Yellow Bicycle, along with a distressed striped Cuttlebug embossing folder, a Sizzix star die cut and a new stamp set from Papertrey Ink, "Birthday Bash Sentiments." Thanks to my sis for buying that one for my birthday!!

The wonky stitches are from a set I bought years ago from the Kelly Panacci line through Sandylion. I bought it because I loved the variety of different stitches but I haven't used it until this week when I've picked it up twice. Go figure!!

Papertrey August Blog Hop Challenge

2010-08-25T17:06:00.000-04:00

Hey guys and welcome to my little blog home!! This is my first time participating in Papertrey's "Blog Hop Challenge" so here we go!!!

For this month's project, I decided to whip out some of my most favorite and yummiest Papertrey patterned papers, along with a few solids. You simply can't go wrong with any of Papertrey's products....honestly, they are all my favorites. How about you?

Here's a look at what I created using a plain ole' paper lunch bag:

To begin the body of my owl I grabbed my Dark Chocolate cardstock, and stamped it using my Tin Types background stamp and my Versamark ink pad.

Next, I cut small strips of random paper from my Bitty Box Basics pad, along with my Dotty Biscotti pad as well as my Bitty Dot Basics pad. I then used my scallop-edged scissors on the ends of each paper strip. After I adhered the rows of paper strips, I rubbed each edge with my Chai ink.

To give my cute owl her face, I used two circle dies along with my Polka Dot Basics II stamp set and my Dot Spot stamp set. I added "eyelashes" using a few silk flowers from my stash. To finish her eyes, I used a glue dot and attached two large brown buttons.

A piece of Bitty Box Basics paper was cut in a triangle to resemble an owl's beak. I also gave it some dimension using foam tape.

To complete "her" body I used my Papertrey rickrack die, a bit of rustic twine, a button and more Chai ink. I added a sentiment to the bag using a Spellbinders tag die, my Woodgrain background stamp set and the "Picture This" stamp set from Stampin' Up.

I can't wait to fill "her" up with some homemade goodness and surprise someone's day.

I hope you enjoyed my little project!

Yumminess in a Bowl

2010-08-22T19:45:00.001-04:00

I made a really easy and really tasty pasta salad the other night. If you like your pasta salad with a little "kick" then this might just be right up your alley...

I'm calling this "Fresh Market Spicy Pasta Salad" because the original pasta salad we tasted came from a fancy food store called "Fresh Market." They sell grocery items plus fresh fruits and veggies along with tons of prepared items that are good, but at the same time very pricey.

To make this one start out with some cooked angel hair pasta that you have drained and rinsed. I have found that one-half pound (or half the box) makes plenty, but adjust to your needs.

Next, in another bowl, combine diced tomatoes (2-3) and diced fresh jalepenos (2):

To that add diced onion (1/3 of a medium-sized onion), olive and canola oil (1/4 cup each) and rice vinegar (1/4 cup):

I also added some small cubes of Parmesan cheese because that's what we had on hand. You could also add Asiago cheese and that would be equally as yummy.

To finish up the mixins' I added Italian seasoning (1-2 tsps.), salt and pepper, crushed garlic (3 cloves) and dried parsley.

Add the pasta and toss it all together.

The first time I made this salad I added fresh basil. This time I left it out. I think the basil adds a really nice flavor so if you have it use it....I hope you try it and like it!

Papertrey Scrappy Cards

2010-08-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

I decided this month to participate in Papertrey Ink's "Blog Hop" held on the 25th at 8:00 P.M. (EST). This month's challenge is a fun one. In observance of "back to school" month the challenge is to alter a brown paper bag. This will be my first time participating and I'm excited!!

I spent some time yesterday digging out some of my Papertrey paper pads (Bitty Dot, Dotty Biscotti and Bitty Box) along with a few favorite stamp sets to come up with a cute project (at least I think so) and it will makes its reveal on the 25th....but, after that was done, I sat looking at the pretty leftovers and didn't want them to go to waste. I decided to make a few cards using what was left.

The first one is really simple, using paper scraps, some twine and a few flowers from my stash. I used a lot of Papertrey's Chai Blend ink on both of these cards.

The stamped sentiment is from a Stampin' Up set I recently purchased at a garage sale.

Next is a similar, but different card using the same scrappy pile:

I also used Papertrey's original ricrack die for the first time. I love it!! Bad thing tho, I guess I had the pad configuration wrong on my Big Shot because I actually snapped the end off of my die. I knew these things could break, but I'd been lucky so far...until yesterday. At least it didn't snap in the middle of the die.

This was my favorite out of the two. I just couldn't make two of the same card, for some reason, I had to change it up. The sentiment on this stamp is also from Stampin' Up. I added dimension on the flower to pop it up a bit.

I've also decided to go back to my window shots....I'm not a fan of the lighting in my craft room. See you next time!

Stacks & Stacks

2010-08-16T04:13:00.003-04:00

Do you have stacks at your house? By "stacks" I mean, stacks of stuff? Come on, admit me....we ALL do!! Right now these are two stacks I'm looking at:

This is what my nightstand looks like. As much reading as I've done this summer you would think that my "reading stack" would be a little smaller, but I'm a self-admitted magazine junkie and I love picking up new books here and there. One day I'll get through them all.

And, this is what my desktop looks like. Actually, I took this stack and widened it so you could see all of my lovelies. We found an awesome fabric store this summer while we were on vacation and it wasn't until I was ready to leave that I found out they had a bargain room.....bargain room??? Well, I had to check it out and I was so glad I did. I ended up finding some cool stuff.

That's it....I'm actually in the process of finding designated "homes" for my stacks. Feeling the need to de-clutter for some reason.

Oh Henry!

2010-08-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

Have you ever eaten an Oh Henry bar? I don't know where I've been all my life, but I have never eaten one, at least not one from a store.

Last week I was browsing through Becky Higgins' blog and browsed through her recipe section. I'm always on the lookout for new and tasty recipes. She has some really yummy stuff...I've already tried three different things including these bars.

Aside from them being a bit on the sticky side, they were really scrumptious. And, perhaps they should have set up a little better, but I used a natural peanut butter and that might have made a difference.

Have you made anything new in the ktichen lately?

Well....

2010-08-14T18:19:00.000-04:00

what can I say? I honestly have never taken such a l-o-n-g blog break, but I did it and I don't regret it. I won't go into all the [somewhat non-exciting] details about why...but it involved a little stress [on my part] and spending a bit more time with my girls. Blogging and uploading pictures [as we all know] takes a lot of time on some days, and a little bit of time on other days. I just decided that I wanted to eliminate that part of my responsibility list and concentrate on other things.

On a lighter note, I have been doing some fun things this summer and have really enjoyed the "free" time. Here's a peek into what I've been up to...

First up is a cover I made for my iPad [which I LOVE dearly]:

I used two pieces of Amy Butler fabric that I had leftover from my backsack project. The interior is lined with a coordinating fabric, even though you can't see it.

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got the instructions, but I do have the measurements if you need them. I love this cover because, not only is it stylish....but the sides are made from a recycled notebook, so they are firm and will keep my baby safe and protected.

Next is another sewing project that I had on my to-do list for a long, long time.

We always use mats at Jazzercise and sometimes they can be a bit dusty, so I bought my own and, well, it needed a stylish bag....this project came from the "One Yard Wonders" book. Unfortunately, even with my husband's help (because he is the math mastermind) this pattern needed a bit of altering. Overall, I am very happy with it and my model was excited to pose for the picture. :)

And now for a bit of randomness:

Hubby's [famous] BBQ Chicken

Lights from the Hilton Hotel lobby

And lastly, a big celebration we enjoyed last week:

My youngest daughter turned 8! We've had a good summer!! How about you?

Open House - Kitchen Tour

2010-07-02T04:10:00.008-04:00

Welcome!! I am beginning today's "Open House" tour by sharing some pictures from my kitchen. I'll start off by saying that we've been in our home for a little over 10 years and haven't really done a lot of remodeling. I have hopes for different things: back splashes, new flooring, new countertops, a new kitchen sink, etc., but everything will come in its due time. I am a patient person. In the meantime, I love decorating, mixing old with new, but still maintaining a clean and uncluttered space. Now let's begin (you can click on all the pictures to make them a little bigger):

This is the view of my eat-in space showing my garage sale table combined with a hutch that I found at the Goodwill. The table was something that I fell in love with immediately and even though I had a hard time making the decision to purchase it for $180 I have never regretted it. It came with four chairs and a table extension. It's been the center of many of our family discussions.

The hutch was a treasure of a find. I just happened to be at the Goodwill store within minutes after the "guys in the back" brought it out. I was actually standing in line to purchase something when I over heard the lady behind me mention, "Did you see the hutch they just brought in? It's gorgeous!" I wasn't sure what she was talking about (because I had already looked at everything) so I got out of the line and went to check it out. It has three display shelves, two bookshelves underneath and two drawers. It was the perfect storage piece for my cookbooks and extra cookware. And, it was a bargain for $49.

I use the upper shelves to rotate my seasonal decorative pieces. Here's what I have on one shelf right now:

The silver bowls are from Pottery Barn, clearanced for .99/cents each. The patriotic balls are from Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale. The cream colored plate and Teak square platter are from the Goodwill.

Next, I will take you up...up to the tops of my cabinets:

These are the cabinets above my stove area. I have an assortment of painted shutters along with an empty frame and two (faux) potted topiaries. I believe the green shutter came from the trash. The white shutters and frame were purchased from a garage sale and the topiaries are cast-offs from a Hallmark store going out of business. They were just the perfect "something" I was looking for and at a bargain price. Next is an old wooden box I found at an outside antique sale:

I was looking for some additional storage so I went to this outside sale with my measurements in hand. This box sits on top of my pantry closet. It holds a large coffee pot, holiday dishes and a few other small things. I love the hinged lid and usefulness of it.

On the other side of the kitchen I have another collection displayed:

I remember being at this church garage sale (outside) and not having much luck until I stumbled on a stack of these locker baskets. There must have been 30 or so. Now, it is at this point that I won't mention the fact that I still kick myself for not buying every one of them, but instead I bought 10 and gave 5 to a friend. I perched them up on this row of cabinets for display and they've never been relocated. These are one of my definite favorite finds!

Now for some smaller pieces that make up my kitchen decor. These are things I use almost every day:

Crocks that I use to hold my kitchen utensils. I have three, one for wooden tools and two for larger and smaller metal tools. These sit on top of my counters, next to my stove. These were purchased at garage sales here and there.

I use white pottery dishes everyday to hold simple things like my dish soaps, counter spray and sponges. I've picked up all shapes and sizes of these dishes. This rectangle dish was a great find at a neighborhood sale for less than $1.

This little iron lantern sits on top of my hutch and holds pretty red candle. I remember getting this from an outside antique sale. I didn't like the $3 asking price (I wanted to pay $2) but I gave in and have enjoyed having it.

Can you believe I even found my drawer pulls from a neighborhood sale? When we moved in we had white pulls and they just seemed boring after a while. When I saw these in a box for $8 I fell in love. They are from Pier One and I know the lady paid much more for them than I did. I bought 12 in all.

And to complete my kitchen tour I'll show you a little wall that sits next to my laundry room. I started a rolling pin collection after seeing an example on the old show "Party of Five." Since then I have purchased some rolling pins along the way, been given one or two from friends, and have even been honored to display the pins used by both of my grandmothers along with my hubby's Nanny. The pin hooks were made by my husband.

And this completes the first showing of my "Open House!" I hope you enjoyed the little tour and please know that you are invited back for more. I'm not sure if I can make it a daily viewing, but it won't be too far in between. Invite your friends to take a look! Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your comments.

Tasty Almond Butter & An Invitation

2010-07-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

One of the things I most enjoy about spending time with friends over the summer break is thinking about what to bring as a "hostess" gift. I love coming up with little ways to show my friends just how much they mean to me. The last time I was invited over to a friend's for dinner I brought some homemade pesto fancied up in a little squatty mason jar. This time I decided to go a little simpler.

[Changing the subject for just a minute]: Did I ever mention that my husband and I bought ourselves a combined gift this past Christmas? Well, it was the first time I'd ever bought something from a paid commercial, but I was so impressed with this little guy we decided to splurge and buy it.

Here's a picture of the Healthmaster:

It is similar to a Vitamix (and I've wanted one of those for a l-o-n-g time) in that it will juice and blend with ease and quickness. We love to make homemade smoothies with it using only fresh and/or frozen fruit, veggies, a little juice and skim milk. And, the reason for telling you all that is....it also makes the most delicious peanut butter and almond butter.

So, for this last get together I knew I wanted to whip up a few batches of homemade almond butter to give out. It is so yummy and good for you!

I bought two bags of roasted and salted organic almonds from Whole Foods and blended them with three tablespoons of Canola oil. That's it! I poured an equal amount into four containers and fancied them up using a computer-printed label which I attached to a scalloped die cut.

And, because it made four of these 6 oz. containers I was able to keep some for myself which we are enjoying this week for breakfast. (The little house image in the center of the label is a clear rubber stamp from the dollar bin at Michael's.)

I also wanted to invite you back for an "Open House" of sorts. I've been thinking for a long time about giving a tour of my house and some of its thrifted contents. I love seeing my stuff in all its "glory" and remembering back to the time when I purchased each item for just a small amount of money. I have a mixture of items, some coming from garage sales, thrift stores, hand-me-downs, and even the trash. I plan to go room-by-room and give you guys the VIP tour. (Because you are all VIPs in my book.) I'll start off with my kitchen and we'll see where I go from there. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think...good or bad.

Card Feature

2010-06-28T08:02:00.000-04:00

I am tickled pink to share some exciting news with you....I logged on to Betsy Veldman's blog yesterday and found out that one of my maculine challenge cards was one of three chosen to be featured on her blog!! Woohoo....here's the snippet from her blog:

She is definitely one of my personal papercrafting "Superheroes" and to be featured on her blog is an amazing achievement I will always remember. Thanks Betsy!

Masculine Color Challenge - Day 2

2010-06-21T14:26:00.000-04:00

The ultra-sweet and mega-talented Betsy Veldman is issuing another challenge on her blog, this time incorporating a specific color palette to be used with a masculine card theme. Are you up for it? I am!!

Here's the color palette I selected for my starting point:

And here's what I came up with:

When I saw the color palette I immediately thought of a clean/graphic design so I grabbed some of my favorite goodies, including Stampin' Up and Papertrey Ink cardstock, along with Papertrey's Say it with Style stamp set that I just love. The tag punch is one of my first purchases when I began scrapbooking and I paired it with the newer Fiskars bracket border punch. I thought the woodgrain embossing plate met the masculine theme along with a silver eyelet and some up-cycled clear stars which I die cut myself. Heidi Swapp chipboard letters completed the card.

I had so much fun with this color selection and challenge!

Orange Two Ways

2010-06-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

I sat down yesterday afternoon during the rain shower outside and put together these two cards to pass out to two special people.

This card uses a pad of die cut flowers and leaves I purchased a while back. I am determined to go through my stash and use what I have instead of bringing in more at the moment. These designs are from the Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse collection from K&Company. I added some black stitching and a rub-on sentiment from Making Memories.

Next up is another card I made using the other half of the orange 12x12 paper I pulled out to create two cards each measuring 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

This card came together quickly by using Kristina Werner's card sketch from her latest "Finally Friday" video. I love seeing what she puts together on Mondays and Fridays.

I used a Stampin' Up set from my stash called "For a Friend" and added patterned papers and die cut papers from my scrap pile. The baker's twine is from Martha Stewart's line at Michael's.

That's it for today...working on a few things as usual...but, before I go, I wanted to share with you a cute present I ordered a while back for my sweety hubs...I snuck this picture of him while we were getting ready for our family shot:

I found, through one of my coupon sites, a link to order a customized t-shirt through Vistaprint and all I had to pay was the shipping (which was so inexpensive I can't even remember how much it was). I hope he can keep it clean during our yummy BBQ dinner today.

Call Me Hard-Headed

2010-06-18T18:14:00.001-04:00

It's been a long time since I've done anything crafty. I've had all kinds of intentions...just not enough time to *sneak* away to produce anything. I was supposed to have a "date" with my sewing machine a few days ago, but opted to go swimming with the girls instead. Actually, a dunk in the pool sounds mighty good right now too. :)

But, this afternoon, I put my blinders on as I was bound and determined not to blog-surf (or "blurf" as I call it) and to actually disregard what all my web "friends" are doing because ---- they are so productive ALL the time....and I put together this card for my sweet hubby for his special day on Sunday:

I realized really quickly that I was feeling a little bit rusty so I reminded myself of a challenge going on over at Betsy Veldman's blog. Go here to check it out. She wanted us to find a piece of masculine inspiration (menswear) and make a card with it. Well, I didn't exactly go too far for my inspiration. I went right over to my drawer of blue patterned papers and found this piece that got me jump started:

Ultimately, I like the way it turned out. I call myself "Hard-Headed" because when I finally finished I discovered that I spent 3 hours or so by myself putting together this ONE card. I tried a few other combinations but nothing was fitting "just right."

Oh well, that's the way it works out sometimes. Thanks Betsy for the challenge!!

No More Vanilla

2010-06-15T09:10:00.000-04:00

I found this sweet print today and just had to share it.....

The sentiment made me smile and I immediately thought, "this will be my new motto," as I end my 40th year and head into the big 4-1.

I'm going to check this etsy shop out a little longer...she's got some really cute stuff.

Have a good one!

Early Birthday

2010-06-14T12:20:00.001-04:00

My birthday is this week and we are celebrating early....not my idea, but my husband's....have I mentioned lately how good he is to me? I checked his e-mail this morning and this is what I found:

We always make "family" decisions at our house when it comes to the BIG purchases. And, I've had my eye on one of these since they came out. Today we are driving to the Apple store to pick one up! I can't wait! I knew I was subbing all those long hard hours for something. :)

Another Area of Interest

2010-06-11T07:46:00.000-04:00

Many who know me know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE shopping at garage sales, thrift stores, consignment stores and basically anywhere I can get a good bargain. In fact, I have found so many wonderful things for my home by just being patient and being a good hunter for all things awesome!! But, another way that I save our family's hard-earned money is by having my own garage sale twice a year. I plan for weeks to make my sale really profitable.

Here's what part of my "gathering" pile looked like a few days ago:

I have a nice open space in my DR that I use as my "collection spot." I begin at one corner of the house and I go through every drawer, every closet, every cabinet, every bookshelf, every cubby, and every container I can get my hands on to see what we have and what we are no longer using. Those items are collected and then brought out to my garage several days before my sale.

Here's a small shot of the table set-up in my garage:

Through the years I have collected a total of six tables and one circular clothing rack that I pull out for every sale. Usually we have my car parked in the garage, but for a week we leave it outside so that I can have time to get everything ready.

Things that I do to get my items ready include organizing what kind of items I am selling: crafty stuff, home decor, children's toys, books, kitchen gadgets, tools and such. I always make sure everything is clean and in working order. I also make sure I have instructions for toys and kitchen electricals and that all the pieces are included in my games and puzzles. When all of that is done it's time to price everything. (That's what I'm doing today.)

I've always try to have my sale with a friend or two, it's so much more fun that way. We price our things separately and then keep the sales tracked in a notebook.

I'll be back with more details as I get ready...I'm off to get started on an early day by digging around in my attic before the sun gets too hot.

Scrappy Thanks

2010-06-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

I went to my scrap pile last night and put together this quick card to give to our crossing guard. I tucked in a small gift card and a note of thanks for helping us out this year. He does a great job with our kids and we really appreciate him!

Glad that school is out --- bring on the lazy mornings and pj days!

Inspiration by Vera

2010-06-07T19:41:00.003-04:00

I went with something different this year for my two teachers' end of the year gifts. A few weeks ago I was browsing in a small boutique near my home and saw these really pretty Vera Bradley mini coolers...and they were on sale!!! I snagged up two and made cards today to match their colors.

The first design was easy to go with...I've worked with blue, green and brown many-a-times:

I meant to take a shot of the mini-cooler by itself, but forgot....here's a shot of the cooler which served as my inspiration piece, along with the card I made using two stamp sets from Papertrey Ink.

Here's the card by itself:

I keep going back to this simple side-open card style with the rounded right-hand corner. It's pleasing to the eye I suppose. (oops- my picture seems to be a tad out of focus)

Next up, is the second mini-cooler and card combo....this pattern just kind of got busier by the minute. When I finished and took a step back to look my first response was, "I would have never chosen those colors by myself!"

And here's the card up close:

A little busy and definitely not my usual style but it was fun combining all those different images and I was pleased with the end result. I added black punched flowers along with pink Prima flowers and brads.

I wish I had the Vera pattern names, but I've already bagged them up all neat and pretty. (edited- I added links with the pattern names.) I hope they like them and have a "happy Summer!"

With Sympathy

2010-06-02T05:30:00.001-04:00

I must admit that although I haven't made too many sympathy cards in my lifetime, lately I seem to be making them quite often. It's a sad thing to do, but as I reflect back on the time that my father passed away suddenly, I remember going back to the cards I received, with their kind wishes, time and time again and felt really good having the support of loving friends around me.

My good friend's Mom passed away recently and I put together this card to send her:

I wasn't really sure in what direction I wanted to go....I knew I wanted something a little "soft" to look at. I remembered a technique that Heather Nichols demonstrated on her blog where she used a small spritz of water on to her cardstock and them stamped with pigment ink. I tried it out and this is what I came up with. I'm not sure if I did it right, and I was in a little bit of a hurry so I just went with my warped paper and glued it down as straight as I could. I also referred back to this month's CARDS issue for an inspiration from Maile Belles using the Fiskars bracket border die.

All of the stamps, inks, ribbon and cardstock are from Papertrey Ink.

Not So Conventional

2010-06-01T05:49:00.001-04:00

On my "To-Do" list were two new cards, one graduation and one engagement. I decided to go the non-traditional route and came up with these:

This fun polka dot paper just happened to be sitting on my craft desk so I thought, why not? It's fun, it's cheery and I love the colors. And, I had another reason to use my favorite twill tape.

The cupcake sentiment stamp is from JustRite. I found the wood stamp and itty bitty letter stamps at a garage sale for $5.00. It would have been perfect for my daughter's cupcake birthday party, but for now I put it to work as the focal point on my graduation card. Why have a boring ole' graduation cap when you can have a personalized cupcake?

Next is a "Congrats" engagement card using some pretty patterned paper from my stash. I'm not sure what the wedding colors are (or even if that matters) so I went with this combination:

I "borrowed" an idea from the latest CARDS magazine as my starting point - it just so happened that I had the same exact stamps that Maile Belles used on her birthday card from page 147. She used the Vintage Labels stamp set and her Spellbinders Labels One die. Her card was such a pretty design.

That's all for now...off to make more!

Spread Love and Pesto

2010-05-31T05:35:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but everytime I log on to the computer and go through my blog roll, which always leads to a few links here and there (I never know where I'm going to end up)....I always find new things to do and try.

One day last week I went to one of my favorite places, giverslog.com and found this cool post about the most delicious homemade pesto. And, better than just a recipe and amazing photos, she shared a really awesome download for your own printable labels. Well, with homegrown basil in my backyard (we finally tried basil AND tomatoes this year) I couldn't resist....I had to put some together.

I followed the recipe exactly, using my Cuisinart and it was so simple...and tasty!

And, it couldn't have come at a better time, because I needed a quick and pretty hostess gift to bring to a dinner on Saturday night. This recipe actually made three jars so I was able to keep one for myself. We are sampling it tomorrow night over some pasta and shrimp. Here's a shot of the label I used....I love the sentiment... "spread love and pesto"

See you later!

Spending a Little Time...

2010-05-30T10:35:00.000-04:00

in here today....yahoo!!

I've been a busy little beaver these past few days with school jobs and volunteering, so I've declared some time to myself with my sewing machine today and whatever else strikes my fancy...maybe even clearing a little dust (ignore the dust-topped Dell laptop in the photo - my hubby brought that one in yesterday to dissect it - one of his favorite things to do).

Trendy Twill

2010-05-22T05:33:00.000-04:00

I needed a few quick thank you cards for some gals at school so I put these together last night using the papers in my scrap stash. I think it's fun sometimes to keep your scraps in a big pile, close to your paper cutter, and then challenge yourself to use only those scraps to put something together totally different than your original project....in this case I was working on a few scrapbook pages and found enough scraps for these cards. Here's the first one:

Next I went to a pile of die cuts I used a few days ago from a K&Company paper pad. I've decided I'm not a huge fan of the paper pads because after a few uses I get bored with the same designs. These pads might find their way to my garage sale pile. The patterns are cute, but I'm ready for a change....

Are you noticing a trend with the twill? A few months back I remember putting something together and wanting some twill tape to "finish" it off. I only had one color, and not enough of it, so I thought the next time I went craft shopping I would look for some. Well, that was easier said than done because I couldn't find any anywhere...I decided that the twill trend must be was dead. But, lucky for me, I found mega rolls of it this week at a going out of business sale for $2.99/each! Each roll has 72 yards...so I picked up one each of natural and white! I love it!! And now I'm thinking I should have gotten two of each one, huh?

A Couple of Snags

2010-05-20T12:55:00.003-04:00

I'm getting ready to get down to business in my craft room...working on a couple of different things right now (in between the ever-piling laundry loads) but I thought I would take a quick minute to share a couple of "snags" I got yesterday. By "snags" I mean great bargains that I "snagged" right up....makes my little life so exciting!!!

Here's the first one, totally un-craft related:

I'm assuming you've heard of Havianas? (Two people I spoke with yesterday had never heard of them.) Well, I've always admired them but never owned a pair because they can be a bit expensive....well, yesterday while peeking into my favorite clothing consignment store I found this pair at 50% off!! Technically they were $4.00 but because I had a store credit they ended up being free for me!!!

Next up is a purchase I made at a local scrapbook store that is, sadly, going out of business:

Isn't she a beatuy? I love clear acrylic organizing pieces. This one will actually be making a home in my friend's awesome craft space. She has a plentiful collection of SU markers and Copics so I thought she "needed" it.

And lastly......can I just pretend I'm in my early 20's again???? Just for a moment? I am so, so happy to hear that this cutie patootie is going to be in the finals on American Idol:

I'm not a bettin' gal, but I would put money on this one! I can't wait for next week and you can count on me to be in line when his first CD is released!! Love to listen!!

Reached My Goal

2010-05-17T13:19:00.001-04:00

One of the goals I set for myself when I turned 40 (last June) was to have a piece of my "work" published. I wasn't going to be too picky about where, but I did have a few publications in mind.

Well, last week, to my surprise...I literally fell off my chair.....I received an e-mail from Alisha Gordon, Creative Editor at CARDS magazine. She was asking for permission to publish one of my cards for the October, 2010 issue!!! Yahoo!! I am thrilled beyond belief to have one of my teeny tiny cards in a major publication such as CARDS. I just wanted to share the good news! (Isn't that the cutest badge above?...it's from the Girl Scout collection.)

Just for You - #2

2010-05-16T07:56:00.001-04:00

Hey there! I snuck in a few minutes yesterday morning to whip up this card for my great-nephew's birthday. I've got to admit, in the card making world sometimes you're in the mood and sometimes you're not....and when you are....wonderous things can happen....or at least cute cards like this one come together in flash.

I remembered that I had some really cute chipboard animals from Sassafras so that was my starting point. I saw the elephant and the balloon bouquet and married the two together. Next up was choosing the base colors and contrasting colors. After that I decided it needed some "grounding" so I added the rub-on stitching which went on a smoothly as butter from my Doodlebug sheet. Can you tell I love Doodlebug rub-ons? Once I found the teeny sticker sentiment I decided one last thing was missing....and added the small Martha Stewart butterfly. Perfect! And it was done in less than 15 minutes! Fastest time ever!

I'll try to have more up this week as my school schedule has slowed down a bit....it's so hard for me to say no.

Because I know my Mom...

2010-05-08T17:16:00.001-04:00

doesn't read my blog, I thought I would share with you the arrangement I put together as part of her Mother's Day present:

My Mom is so low-key and she said she didn't want any gifts this year, but I couldn't make myself not find something "pretty" for her [is that a double negative???]. I went to Michael's and glanced through their floral arrangement displays....nothing really grabbed me or fit the design I had in mind, so I did what I always do....I made my own.

These are not my normal "go-to" colors, but I love hydrangeas of any kind (real or artificial) and these three groups of flowers all seemed to just fall into my hands. One bunch, (the small white flowers) I found in the dollar bin and they really helped add the finishing touch. The total for this bunch of flowers + the ceramic pitcher was less than $15.

I'm busy in the bow-making department now, because I wanted it to look a little bit more like a "gift" vs. a regular arrangment and then I'll add some cellophane and a card. I can't wait to give it to her tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Few New Things

2010-04-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

So remember in this post when I mentioned that I was going to share with you my new "solar powered" clothes dryer....(a direct quote given by my sister) well here's my new $2.00 Garage Sale find:

And now I'm just loving spending a few minutes in the mornings hanging my laundry out to dry. It's a funny thing, one of my girls actually said, "What's that smell on my clothes?" And I realized they have never had their clothes hung on the line to dry (because we've always used the clothes dryer since moving into this new home 10+ years ago)....so I responded, "that's fresh air & sunshine!"

By the way, I didn't get a picture of it in the shot, but we decided that because this line is collapsible, we wouldn't mount it in the ground, but rather in a white bakery bucket filled with cement and a large PVC pipe. I wanted to be able to store the line if we needed more space on the patio.

Next, I wanted to show you the new shelf we bought on a recent trip to Ikea....it's a CD shelf and was a steal at $5.99:

I was looking for a way to store all of my Papertrey Ink CD cases together, but without taking up room on my countertop. My countertop space is saved for top priority items that I use every time I put something together and I didn't want to move anything....here's a closer shot:

I believe this shelf will hold a total of 76 cases, so that should hold me over for at least a little while. :) (Sorry about not getting the full-length shot, I was being a little bit lazy and didn't want to remove my zoom lens.)

Working on some spring cleaning, so I'll see you later!

What's New?

2010-04-26T16:59:00.000-04:00

What's new? Yeah....what's new with you? Not much new with me....I've just been enjoying some time at home getting all those daily "chores" done...and a few other things.

I just finished reading this nifty book:

This little doozy had lots of little tips and information on different things from sewing, homemaking, saving money, and much more. I found it on the "new" shelf at my library and really enjoyed it.

Next up, is this one:

I prefer reading non-fiction and saw Nick Schuyler on Oprah a while back, so I thought this might be a good read. So far so good. It's a sad story and I couldn't imagine being in their particular predicament.

That's it for me....I'll be back tomorrow.

The Last of Six

2010-04-20T05:24:00.001-04:00

Here's the last of the six cards I submitted to Papercrafts magazine. This was my original card for the "love" category, but I made two because my sister didn't like this one:

Here's another look:

This one shows a different mix of colors, although I always love working with kraft cardstock even tho it doesn't photograph well. These patterned designs are from Memory Box papers.

This last one has to be my favorite of the bunch. I love the two-tone stamping of PTI's leafy branch. I used two colors of grey ink on top of SU's Very Vanilla cardstock:

I added another row of the large scallops along with two butterflies from Stampin' Up and a few fancy embellishments including a Making Memories stick pin and a few gems to finish it off.

That concludes the "showing" of this group of cards. I thought I might have better news, but I enjoyed the experience of putting them together. I think I might move on to a few sewing projects lingering in my head. I don't know about you, but those kinds of things keep me awake at night...that and anything else creative I might be thinking of.

More "Let Downs"

2010-04-19T05:06:00.001-04:00

Here we go with a few more pictures of the cards I submitted in the Papercrafts Stamping Royalty contest...these were not winners, but I thought I would share them anyways.

First up is a card I put together because my sister didn't like the original card I made for the "Love" category....so, I decided to go out of my "comfort zone" and put this one together using a few of my favorite supplies:

I used my new I {heart} Hearts stamp set from Stampin' Up (love the woodgrain) along with PTI's Polka Dot Basics II.

A little bit of distressing ink along with a few rub-ons completed the card.

Next, is a little Christmas cheer in April:

I combined a few sets for this card including three from Papertrey Ink and one from Stampin' Up. The patterned paper had curved designs, so it was an easy way to dictate that part of the card design. The red "scallops" were made using my small circle punch and a pair of trusty scissors.

I love the color combo of aqua, red, white and light green. I'll have to try that one out again!

Thanks for letting me share these with you!

A "Royal" Let Down

2010-04-18T08:57:00.002-04:00

Well, I'll admit, I'm new to the "submission" process of sending in your cards to magazines for future publication....submitting some cards to Papercrafts' Stamping Royalty contest was the first time I'd ever seriously committed to a contest and followed through. The "we will contact you" deadline has come and gone, so I thought I would share with you a few of the cards that, obviously, didn't make it. I had fun putting them together and using my supplies, some of which were a little dusty. It's a funny thing because you never know what they are looking for, or what will tickle their fancy....so we all just keep plugging away...oh well....here goes:

Most of the cards I made used a lot of Papertrey Ink products because, well,....they're my favorite and you can always count on their "work" performance being superior!!! Here's one I put together with some fun colors and a cute felt emellishment from Basic Grey:

The loopy border punch is from Martha Stewart, the large scallops are from Quickutz and the label die is from Spellbinders.

Next up is a little card that honestly looks better in person than my photo shows....

I thought the colors on this card were really fun and cheerful....I love the Dot Spot stamp set and combined it with two other sets to get the sentiment. The round tab punch is from Stampin' Up. Here's the close up:

Lots of little touches...the butterflies and the multi-dot border punch. I loved the colors on this one.

Well, I'll be back with more.

Any Given Saturday

2010-04-17T18:02:00.000-04:00

On any given Saturday in Spring you can find me at one of these....

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am huge, huge Garage Sale fan! I love the hunt and thrill of finding random major bargains. Why pay retail? Heck, with Garage Sale prices, my philosophy is why even pay clearance? I was on a roll this afternoon, ready to take an arm load of photos to show you guys the good deals I've snagged these past couple of weeks, but then, poop ---- my camera battery died. I did get this shot first:

I scooped up all of these serger spools (and two extras that wouldn't fit in the shot) for only $5.00!! I don't have a serger yet, but it is something on my *wish* list. (The retail price stickers on these spools were $2.99 & $3.99/each.)

I also found one of these:

but sadly, I decided to pass it up. (Can you tell I'm regretting that decision now?) It was one of those times I talked myself out of something because I decided I really didn't need a second bundt pan....but how often do you find one like this....at a garage sale...for $3.00!!! Argh!

Next up, is something that hubby decided to try out this afternoon:

And because I'm loving the food photography (in manual mode) right now, I decided to take a second shot...

He cooked up some homemade sweet potato chips...and boy were they delicious! I think I could have eaten the whole bowl.

Well, I promise to be back with another series of pictures, including my new "solar" powered clothes dryer, my new "Coach" and my storage solution for all of those Papertrey Ink CDs cases I've been "collecting."

Have a good one!

New Kitchen Toy

2010-04-11T20:24:00.000-04:00

We did some shopping over Spring Break and I got my hands on this lovely new "toy" for my kitchen:

We have a couple of waffle lovers in our house so making belgian waffles from this lovely was really a treat. Today was the first morning we had a chance to try it out since purchasing it on Tuesday. Let me just say...."They were great!"

No, that wasn't my plate....but I could have certainly eaten that many....actually, that is a picture of what was left once everyone was done. And, another good thing we found out, they are the perfect size for our T-fal toaster. We will be popping these babies in the toaster tomorrow before school for a quick and delicious breakfast treat.

I also heard that you can use it to bake brownies and quick breads, so you know I'll be trying out that feature as well.

Money Well Spent

2010-04-05T04:56:00.002-04:00

We visited the Riverside Arts Market again this weekend and I found a local farmer selling these gorgeous blueberries freshly picked and straight out of a freezer.

When we got them home, I dumped them out and started picking out stems and re-bagging them into smaller bags. At the Market I bought a gallon-sized freezer bag, approximately 4 1/2 pounds of berries for $8.00. I thought it was a great deal. By the time I re-bagged them I ended up having 15 cups of berries!

I can't wait to make a new blueberry coffee cake recipe along with some fresh smoothies and maybe blueberry scones. As my good friend Debbi used to say, "De-lish!"

Scenes of the Day

2010-04-04T16:49:00.000-04:00

Hello and Happy Easter! We are celebrating as a family today...no big plans, except being together and taking it easy for a little while...not to mention we are also enjoying our Spring Break holiday this week.

We made some really delicious Easter cookies using a simple recipe from Southern Living. It's a 5-ingredient recipe that makes a delicious shortbread/sugar dough. I've always loved rolled out cookies and imagine all kinds of possibilities when it comes to decorating with piped frosting, sprinkles and such. Sometimes the process can be a little intimidating, but with a little patience it can be a really fun experience. We plan on making more with this easy dough.

Next up is a picture from this morning:

The girls had a fun morning tearing into their Easter baskets. These baskets are a little on the small side, but they still seem to hold lots of goodies. Their loot included a little bit of candy along with a cute t-shirt, Littlest Pet Shop toys, a paintable craft, fun erasers and a golden egg which included a little bit of spending money.

Millinery Cards & Cute Felt Bags

2010-04-02T05:58:00.001-04:00

I recently found these Easter cards in my "Correspondence" box. I made these several years ago. The basic card is so simple, just a folded piece of purplish paper. No embossing, no rounded corners, no stamping. The envelope was made using a tiny template of some kind. And, I'm almost sure, the teeny tiny tag was made on the computer and then hand cut.

I think the fanciest thing about the card is the little brad I attached to the tag. I guess that was a big technique back in the day. I thought the carrots were a sweet addition, but a little hard to mail in a flat envelope. I picked them up at the craft store in the millinery section.

These are two little gift bags I put together with some Easter treats, including the bunny notepad, some chocolate and a little pillow box filled with jellybeans. These bags are from Michael's. At $1.00/each they were just too cute to pass up and much cheaper when you count supplies + time on my budget than homemade. Sometimes homemade doesn't win.

Bunny Notepad

2010-04-01T05:50:00.001-04:00

I found these sweet notepads at Target's Dollar Spot. As soon as I saw them I thought of Papertrey's famous skinny notepads with covers.

After I grabbed a little cardstock, some paper scraps and a little bit of ribbon and sticky tape here's what I came up with:

The felt chick is an embellishment from Michael's. When I'm in a time crunch I always fall back on embellishments vs. stamping or coming up with a paper-piecing, etc.....they save so much time and always look cute. I also used my Martha Stewart fringe scissors and my reliable baker's twine. The patterned paper is an old design from American Crafts. You can't go wrong with pastel polka dots at Easter.

These will be a special tuck-in for some Easter bags I am giving away.

Non-Sweet Easter Treat

2010-03-31T05:18:00.001-04:00

I spent a little bit of time this afternoon putting together these Easter treats for our 2nd grade class:

I've seen several sites with the same idea, using piping bags made by Wilton, along with a carrot "stuffing" of Cheetos, Goldfish crackers or jellybeans. I decided to go with a non-sweet version and simple carrot top using grosgrain ribbon and green ric rac (leftover from World Market's Christmas clearance).

Adding that Finishing Touch

2010-03-30T05:15:00.001-04:00

I made this quick card to go with a birthday package for a sweet little one-year old. Her party had a cupcake theme, so I knew I wanted to use this great cupcake die from Quickutz. I didn't want to go too over the top with stamping, etc., so I kept things simple. The finishing touch made me smile:

I went to my stash of flat sequins and glued these pretty gems to the cupcake, acting as "sprinkles" and it was "just enough" to make it personal and special for her.

The base of the card was made using a pre-formed matchbox card from DCWV. I picked these up on clearance a while back from Hobby Lobby. They are a neat concept, but in the end I decided I wasn't impressed. They may find their way to a crafting garage sale. The picture is not so pretty, but here is it in full view:

My ribbon proved too heavy for the matchbox flap making it difficult to photograph standing up....oh well, the cellophane envelopes that come with the set make up for it.

Thanks to You All!

2010-03-29T04:30:00.002-04:00

Here's a personal "THANKS" to everyone visiting my blog!! Some days I struggle with finding time to "be creative" or the personal decisions of whether or not the time is worth it...."Should I finish the laundry or should I make something for the blog?" I do enjoy everything I do (or else I wouldn't do it) and seeing all the sweet comments lately lets me know that other people enjoy what I do too.

This sweet little card came together in a flash using some scraps, a few of my favorite dies from Spellbinders and Quickutz along with a new Tim Holtz Vintage Market alphabet die. I love the graphic look of it mixed with the bright colors.

Fringe Flowers

2010-03-28T16:27:00.000-04:00

I saw this tutorial a while back and fell in love with the thought of making these pretty tissue paper flowers. This afternoon I finally got around to playing with my new Martha Stewart scissors. Martha's new "Fringe Scissors" are really fun! I found mine at Michael's and with a 50% off coupon they were less than $6.

I had a pretty package to prepare today so I got out my tissue paper, scissors and a stapler and came up with this:

This picture actually shows three small flowers clustered together to make a grouping on top of the package. They were actually very easy to make following the maya*made tutorial.

I can't wait to make more in all kinds of colors!

My 50's Girl

2010-03-27T17:01:00.002-04:00

One of the many things keeping me busy these days was working on this poodle skirt for a 50's "best dressed" contest at our school last Thursday night. Here's what my Mom and I came up with:

Working without a pattern proved a little tricky, but with my hubby's help (and engineer brain) he told us what we were doing wrong after we cut into the first half-yard of fabric (and ended up wasting it). Part of the improved design included cutting out the waist measurement FIRST and then cutting the circumfrence length.

We made it using pink felt for the skirt, white felt for the poodle, and black rope piping for the leash.

With a borrowed white cardigan, our own black shirt, pearls and pink skarf, the only thing we needed to complete the outfit were the saddle shoes. No problem there....we simply used white sneakers from Wal-Mart and a little black felt.

Abby looked so cute and won $10 free dollars to spend at the school's Book Fair.

Wrapped & Ready

2010-03-19T04:23:00.000-04:00

What's this, you say? It's what I've been busy doing for the past week or so....on and off when I get a free couple of minutes. It's a stack of stamped cards I'm submitting for Paper Crafts Magazine's contest called, "Stamping Royalty." I'm not thinking I have much of a chance, but I figured I had all of the supplies, so why not? There is so much gorgeous talent out there....I feel as tho my creations don't compare, but who knows? We'll see in a few weeks or so. Keep your fingers crossed!

I've never submitted to a contest like this so I wasn't even sure how to get the cards in the mail without them getting entirely bashed up and disfigured, so I went to my chipboard stash and layered them up like this before wrapping in tissue paper. Hopefully they will arrive in Utah safe and sound.

I've got a lifetime supply...

2010-03-18T16:07:00.001-04:00

of foam tape!! I went scrapbook shopping this past Saturday and found this great deal at one of my local stores. It's a huge round "wheel" of foamie dimensional tape and best of all, it's the same width as the kind I always buy from Stampin' Up.
I thought it was a pretty good deal for $9.99. Today, I thought I would try it out on my "Congratulations" card - as you can see below.

It worked like a charm...now I'm off to make something else.

Congratulations - Tiffany Blue Style

2010-03-18T15:50:00.007-04:00

Hey there! I had a few extra minutes this afternoon, so I whipped up this pretty but subtle card today for a bridal shower I am attending this weekend.
When I found out the wedding colors were ivory and Tiffany blue I wasn't sure what design-scheme I was going to go with for a card....of course, I have to "make" one because I can't justify "buying" cards anymore....:)

After a quick visit to Michael's (I swear I only go there once a week.) I spotted these really sweet Prima flowers. Don't they look like they've just been dusted with a sprinkling of coarse sugar? I picked up a package and this is what I came up with:

Nothing too fancy...I just pulled out my oval Spellbinders dies, a little bit of printed vellum, ivory ribbon and a stick pin to balance it out. I like it....I hope you do too!

One of my Favorite Things...

2010-03-08T14:16:00.004-05:00

to do is to surprise friends with special "little" gifts, usually something homemade, to brighten their day, or in this case to say "Thank You." I love taking something simple and adding a simple little touch to make it more special, something bigger than it really is.

Here is what I did to fancy-up a loaf of Zucchini Bread I made yesterday afternoon:
Quick breads like Zucchini, Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Banana are my favorite things to bake. You can make multiple batches, bake two loaves at one time, and everyone usually gobbles them right up. Sometimes I package my quick breads in bread bags that I've sewn together with a quick straight stitch, but for this one, I first used a layer of foil and over that a layer of freezer wrap. That way, if my friend wants to eat it later all she has to do is remove the ribbon and pop it right in the freezer.

I used my Spellbinders tag dies, Memory Box patterned paper and cardstock in blue and orange that were at my fingertips in the scrap pile. Next up I stamped the "friend" heart using my new Stampin' Up clear stamp set and embellished it with a simple flower and brad. Couldn't be any easier....now the fun part, I get to give it away!

Playin' Around

2010-03-06T14:24:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite Stampin' Up sets is called "Great Friend." I love the butterfly image, the frame image and the sentiment stamps. Here are two cards I put together while playing around the other day, just using the colors of cardstock on my desk along with a few scraps from Cosmo Cricket:
This card is nothing too fancy, just some simple pieces along with a scallop border punch and a snippet of Tempting Turquoise ribbon.

On the next card, I decided to go with a few more details, including a few punches from Martha Stewart's butterfly trio punch along with some grassy hills using her new shredding scissors.

The pink scrap was pulled out of my scrap holder and I also went with a larger scallop on the Cosmo Cricket patterned paper. I bought a set of Quickutz scallop border dies a while back and have just taken to using them on every other project lately.

That's it for today! Take care!

Thanks Lulu!

2010-03-05T09:13:00.000-05:00

This morning, as I was going through my blog roll call, one of which is Laura Craigie's, I found out that I won a gift certificate to YourScrapbookStash....yahoo!!
It's always so exciting checking back and seeing your name as a winner! I can't wait to pick out something fun to play with! Thanks Laura and thanks YourScrapbookStash!

Dandelion Trend

2010-03-04T03:44:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed all of the dandelion images out there? Maybe my head's been in a hole for quite a while, but I've just this week picked up on this trend. That's o.k....we were the last on our block to get a microwave oven....and as far as I know I don't have any permanent scars on my psyche.

Anyways, I put together this simple card using a dandelion stamp from Memory Box:
It's such a pretty image, I just fell in love with it when I saw the store's display sample. This image, unlike other company's dandelion images, including Hero Arts, does not include a stem, so I sliced and diced to reveal the green cardstock underneath. (I wish I could say this was my original idea, but I borrowed it.)

I also used some Memory Box patterned paper, along with a sentiment and cardstock from Papertrey Ink...can't get enough of them! The itty bitty gem is also from Memory Box - they are the smallest ones out there.

Keeper of the Cards

2010-03-03T15:24:00.004-05:00

Until recently, I hadn't found a really good way to organize the cards I've made other than using a square-shaped basket and stacking them on top of each other. It's a quick doable method, but sometimes they get warped and dusty.

But now, Iris has come out with a "Card Keeper" and I found one at Michael's. Here's what it looks like minus the label on the front:
Open it up and all of your lovelies fit nicely inside. You can also separate your cards using the plastic dividers that come with it, but I found that they took up too much space.

I think this a good buy for $4.99 (using a 50% off coupon) and I still have room for a few more to fit inside. Check one out next time you're out!

A Cool Concept - Learn at Home

2010-03-01T18:57:00.003-05:00

I signed up for my first on-line class and I can't wait to see what's in store. Today is the first day and I'm excited to view my very first .pdf file from the amazing Kelly Purkey. I love her design work and what an amazing talent and opportunity to work for American Crafts. Dream job!!

Paper Roses Don't Taste this Good

2010-02-13T18:18:00.006-05:00

I signed up in December for a cake decorating class at my local library. The original date [in January] had to be rescheduled to this past Wednesday. One of the local decorators at our Publix grocery store volunteered her time and Publix graciously donated lots of supplies for this free class.

I've dabbled in icing techniques here and there for the annual birthday cakes we produce, but nothing ever really fancy, so I was up for a challenge.

This is what we saw when we entered the meeting room:
After we piped on some icing swags and a top and bottom border, we were ready to tackle the prettiest of all....roses:

Now, don't be fooled.....that giant beauty in the back was the decorator's example...see how perfect it is! My first attempt is the rose in the front with the slightly wavy petals. More like an artificial rose if you asked me. And, the icing was beginning to get warm, so I tried to work quickly.

Next up, I moved to a red icing to try my hand at more roses, and then we learned a technique for rose buds, which you can see are a reddish-whitish because the decorator added fresh icing and didn't mix it in completely. I decided to make mine look as if they were "falling" over the edge.

I also made leaves (my first time) which I thought resembled ivy and came up with a small sentiment with a simple tip. I was thinking at the time that "Valentines" was too long to pipe. I guess it was a pretty good idea because the lady behind me asked if she could use the same wording on her cake.

Here's the final result: And here's me in all my glory with Loretta, the decorator. [I needed this picture for my 40th scrapbook album.] I had a fun time and it sure is good to eat!

Hugs & kisses to you....Happy Valentine's Day!

Using Coupons at a Young Age

2010-02-11T02:22:00.001-05:00

My girls know how much of a coupon-fan I am, in fact, on several holidays, I've been presented with homemade coupon books for such things like, "Free foot rubs" or "Free cleaning my room without complaining" or my favorite, "Free time in the craft room without interruptions." So, a few days ago while at my local scrapbook store I knew I had to do something with a pre-made 12x12 sheet of Valentine's coupons I found from Pinecone Press. They are called, "Honey Bunny Coupons." They are so cute and include things like, "Breakfast in bed" and "Read me a story" along with "One big kiss."

I cut apart the coupons yesterday (w/o taking a picture...sorry) and then said out loud, "Now what am I going to do with them?" I thought about punching a hole in the corner and using a notebook ring and ribbon, and then I thought...."What about making a coupon wallet?" I had some leftover holiday fabric, interfacing and velcro....and this is what I came up with.... ...here's a shot of the inside pocket where the coupons are stashed. I also topped each coupon with a small ribbon loop just for decoration. I absolutely love Tim Holtz's Tiny Attacher for things like that. It works like a dream.

And here's a shot of the cover. I jazzed them up a bit with some felt and embroidery floss. I also had some chipboard pieces and heart buttons to personalize each one.

I thought I would steer clear of the plastic toys and junk candy this year and I'm happy with what I came up with. I hope you have a good day!

Valentine's Day Bubble Treats

2010-02-10T02:20:00.002-05:00

I decided to go with something non-traditional for my 2nd grade classroom treats this Valentine's Day. I found these really cute heart bubbles at Michael's for only $4.00. I designed a card to incorporate the bubbles, keeping the workload to a minimum. (We still need to finish the inside of each card.)

Here's what the outside of each card looks like:

I used the three-heart punch from Stampin' Up, along with their word window punch. The red ribbon is leftover from a Christmas project. My corner chomper also came in handy for rounding the corners...it's a great tool to have.

Forgive my eensy-weensy collage up top, I'm in the process of learning a new photo-editing program and it's like baby steps each day.

Some birdy loves you

2010-02-09T05:04:00.001-05:00

I noticed over at the Cards blog that Paige is issuing a new challenge every week to get our creative juices flowing....well, this week's challenge was to create a Valentine's Day card using fabric. I pulled out a scrap of a favorite patterned fabric in my stash and decided to make a ruffle for this card:
Once I started designing the card, several ideas just "came" to me....I love it when that happens. I used two different embossing folders from Quikutz and Cuttlebug, along with a chipboard bird, cardstock in my scrap stash, a cute piece of BoBunny ribbon, flowers from my flower jar and my Stampin' Up heart punch.

As I was trying to decide what sentiment to add, I remembered this really cute stamp set I snagged at a make n' take during this summer's CHA trip to Orlando. This cute stamp is from Taylored Expressions. It fit perfectly on my Spellbinders tag die.

Warning: Cute Overload

2010-02-08T05:15:00.000-05:00

Aren't these the cutest things you've seen???? My friend, Katie, made these treats for her 2nd grade classes....the frogs are for her son's class to enjoy and the bags with the cute toppers are for Katie's own class to enjoy (she also teaches 2nd grade). I told her I was going to "borrow" this photo so that I could post it on my blog....I had to brag, they are just so darn cute!
What are you planning? From the looks of these, I need to get busy...

Be Mine x2

2010-02-07T06:06:00.000-05:00

I recently picked up this fun stamp called "The Love Tree" made by Memory Box and decided to make a batch of Valentine's Day cards. I made two different versions and can't decide which one I like better.....here's the pink version using Stampin' Up's "Melon Mambo" cardstock and ink:
And then there's the kraft version using my favorite kraft cardstock which I picked up from Hobby Lobby:

Other supplies I used include "Very Vanilla" cardstock, SU's word window punch and scallop edge punch along with Papertrey Ink's "Daily Designs" sentiment stamp. These were fun to put together and I'm excited to send them out. (There has to be a secret to photographing kraft cardstock, because my pictures always turn out much darker than the real version.)

Moxie Fab - Patchwork Hearts

2010-02-06T20:47:00.003-05:00

Here's this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger: ....aren't they gorgeous?
These are called Vintage Heart Boxes from The Red Thread and here's a close-up of my take using them as a trigger for my inspiration:

I went to my scrap paper stash and pulled out some paint chip cards I gathered on a shopping trip a long time ago....so long ago, I forgot I had them. Next up, I found this pretty piece of aqua colored ribbon and decided to go with a clear card which reminded me of the glass front on the trigger piece.

I also used a stamp sentiment from Papertrey Ink, along with a heart punch from Stampin' Up. I grounded my heart punches with a Spellbinders scallop die and added a few pretty pink gems. To finish the card, I used my corner chomper to round the corners.

Thanks for stopping by....I had fun with this one!

Blog Winner

2010-02-06T08:23:00.004-05:00

Hi guys! I'm still here....I've been busy and working on "home things" for a while.....I have sent some "creative" things out....but didn't take any pictures....sorry. :(

Anyways, I hope to be back to posting today [and tomorrow, and the next day.....] with some Valentine projects that are in the works. Oh - and we've also had some computer problems, which we temporarily solved this morning. I'm eyeing the new HP all-in-one touch computer, but we have some comparison shopping to do.

I've been enjoying the anniversary celebration going on all this week at Papertrey Ink and you know that I've entered every contest for the chance to win some amazing stuff....so far, no luck, but....I did find out this morning that I won a cute little mini-album from Creative Cafe.
I love the Creative Cafe products and can't wait to see this baby up close! I'll share pictures when it comes in. I made a similar album at the CHA show in Orlando and it turned out really cute!

Take care and I promise to be back soon!

Moxie Fab - Turquoise & Gold

2010-01-20T12:22:00.004-05:00

I'm back with another submission for the current Moxie Fab challenge....I keep plugging away, but so far, I've never won. We'll see....at least it's fun to participate and share with other card lovers.

This week's challenge was triggered from this photo via the House of Turquoise:
I went to my stash and came out with this:

I have to admit, I'm not a real b-i-g fan of glitter or bling (just a little bit for me please) but I decided to go out of my "element" and use some Doodlebug glitter that I won on another blog giveaway (and I had the colors to match). I also used some neat tools in my stash including a Martha Stewart border punch, a Quickutz embossing folder, my Spellbinders Labels One dies along with a tag die, along with some pretty K&Co ribbon. Supplies from Papertrey Ink include their rustic twine, Vintage Cream Ink, and the Mega Mixed Messages stamp set.

The chipboard butterfly and hearts are from Fancy Pants. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today, I hope you enjoyed it!

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger - Cabbage King

2010-01-16T18:31:00.005-05:00

I decided to participate in this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger Challenge....I could resist with a picture of a gorgeous January King cabbage [click here for the trigger image]. I was also able to incorporate several of my new tools and some new pieces in my stash. Here's what I came up with:
I also needed a birthday card for this week, so that makes it all worth while!

For this card I used some Papertrey Ink patterned paper, a new border punch from EK Success, a heart made from Quickutz cork paper using my SU "Hearts & Brackets" die, along with a Quickutz tag die and matching rub-on.

The twine is also from PTI, along with some of my favorite 20/cent twill. I can't make anything without it!

I decided not to "over-think" this card, but instead I kept it simple. Until next time...