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Monday, October 31, 2011

Monday Muse - Do Something Amazing

Today's Muse is simple...and encouraging...and rightly colored...with a really fun font. I found it HERE.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Two for Tuesday

Make that TEN for Tuesday...

Sadly, they are not scrapbooking pages I'm going to share...

but GLADLY, they are some potential DIY Christmas ideas for you:


These ideas call all be seen on HERE on Babble.

I just LOVE them!

What are YOU making by hand these days?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Monday Muse - The One with the Back Pocket

I have a new love...

Its name is Older and Wisor...er...her name is Rebecca...er...well...she's got a brilliant blog that has just about every idea I've ever seen for wrapping on it.

THIS is the muse for today and its from Older and Wisor:


Is that not the most brilliant package idea?

I'm totally copying.

I could see it on a scrapbook page...

Or an art piece...

Or a shirt...

Where could you put a pocket?

Peace and Blessings, ya'll!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Pumpkin Patch 2011 Sneak

This is mostly a post for those who like cute kid posts...and of course for my mom:

These are some of the shots from this year's Pumpkin Patch adventure that included Noah for the first time.





Notice how few pumpkins there actually are?

That is because, #1 there was too much else to keep two little boys running around and #2 all the pumpkins had been PICKED and were on a stand for the kids to choose from.

It was totally different than years before, so my normal sittin' in the patch photo op was not even available. I think it had something to do with the oceans of rain we got earlier this year...i've heard it caused issues with the pumpkin farmers...

Anyway...it was a GREAT day in the sun and fresh air...

Peace, ya'll!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

One for the Pumpkin Patch

Here's another layout from my October Counterfeit Kit.

I love to do photo collages this way...its fun to cut the photos down and then arrange and rearrange them until I get what I want.

Its not my usual way of doing a layout - I love a good sketch as a starting place - but it is great freedom to do a layout this way once in awhile.


Printed Paper:
For the Record Newsprint from Bella Road
Harlequin from 7gypsies
Avignon Decoration from 7 gypsies
Blue grasscloth paper from My Minds Eye
Ambrosia Orange Smoothie from Basic Grey

Cardstock:
Bazzill Powder Blue

Embellishments:
Mini Market alphas in Blue and Cream from October Afternoon
Ink: Stampin' Up in Pumpkin Pie, Ancient Ink in Chocolate

The cute pumpkins were inspired by Jill Cornell's Great Pumpkin Adventure layout seen in the October 2011 issue of Scrapbooks Etc.


Now, to process THIS year's pumpkin patch photos. It was a TOTALLY different experience with two kiddos this year.

Peace, ya'll!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Embellies with Punches and Bits and Pieces

I promised I'd post this little tutorial for you today. Enjoy!

I’ve noticed a lot of embellishments that are stacked layers of bits and pieces. They seem to be everywhere. Even Creating Keepsakes magazine had a little section on building layered “medals” from various types of materials.

Since I have tons of scraps (I find it hard to throw the beautiful bits away!) and a punch or two, I thought this might be a good way to get rid of some of my scraps and build custom embellishments that are “my” style.

You will need to gather:

punches (or your slice or Cricut or any other die cutting tool you want to use) Mine are all around the 1 inch mark, but you could create these any size you choose

glue dots – If you are doing small embellies

flowers, buttons, stickers, brads, jewels and any other bit or bauble you think you might want to try

scraps (I usually use 2-3 colors plus black and white pieces)

Note: The majority of the supplies in this set came from the September 2010 Enlightenment Kit from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out.


If you are going to use the one inch punches and make small embellies like I did, you can leave the glue dots as is on their sheet (or strip) However, if you are going to make larger embellishments, you’ll want to separate your glue dots into individual pieces.


Step 1: Punch a series of shapes randomly from your scraps. These will be the base layer. Experiment with which shapes fit inside others, but mix it up a bit. You can punch as you go, but I generally punch a number of shapes from a single scrap all at one time so that I have a variety to choose from.


Step 2: Lay your base layer out on your glue dots. You’ll notice I used a button as one base layer and a small chipboard flower that was floating around in my bits and pieces. This is really about variety.


Step 3: Layer a second layer of punches over the first layer, using glue dots. In this shot the top center, second row far right, third row far left, and last row far left have all received a second layer of punches. Not all of the pieces need to have this layer. Generally, I layer only over the largest punched shapes.


Step 6: Begin adding the dimensional pieces to each piece. In this layer, you can see that a butterfly has been folded to give it dimension and that this little piece will only have two layers. This is also the time to add paper flowers and other smaller buttons:



Step 7: Continue adding layers, building the dimension and the texture of each piece.


Step 8: Finalize your pieces with BLING. As a last step, finish off the centers of flowers, butterflies, buttons and other shapes with pearls, brads, and jewels:


These can be built using different shapes for all different variations. You could use balloons, hats and cupcakes for a birthday theme; pumpkins, bats and witch hats for Halloween; Ladybugs, bumble bees and dragonflies for a bug theme; different shaped leaves for a fall theme; different shaped snowflakes for a winter theme. Whatever punches you have (or Cricut and Slice cartridges) you can use to create custom layered embellies.

There is also the option of adding sewing, inking and other techniques to make the look uniquely yours.

Link me up with your handmade embellies! I'd like to see what you create!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Two for Tuesday

I've been having fun with my October Counterfeit Kit.

Its been a great kit to clean up all my Halloween and pumpkin patch photos from last year...

I started by doing "costume" photos for each of the boys. I've been in the habit of scrapping the same event in similar ways for each of them.

It isn't often that I do a layout without journaling, but these layouts didn't really need it.

The first layout done was for Spiderman:



Supply List:

Printed Paper:
Avignon Decoration from 7 gypsies
Blue grasscloth paper from My Minds Eye

Cardstock:
Paperbilities Black

Embellishments:
Borders from K & Co Cut and Paste
Mini Market alphas in Blue and Cream from October Afternoon
Stickles in Rusty Hinge
Mister Huey’s color mists from Studio Calico in Calico White, Bonny Blue and Lunch Tray
Chipboard letters from American Crafts in Gift Box

Tools:
Circle Punch from EK Success
Pumpkin Punch from Martha Stewart
Frog Punch from Martha Stewart

The second was for Daddy's Little Monster:



Supply List:

Printed Paper:
Mischievous “Candy Dots” from My Minds Eye
Blue grasscloth paper from My Minds Eye

Cardstock:
Bazzill Orange Juice

Embellishments:
Borders from K & Co Cut and Paste
Mini Market alphas in Blue and Cream from October Afternoon
Mister Huey’s color mists from Studio Calico in Warm Calico
Stickles in Rusty Hinge
Chipboard letters from American Crafts in Gift Box

Tools:
Circle Punch from EK Success
Pumpkin Punch from Martha Stewart
Frog Punch from Martha Stewart

I'm really liking that straight across the page with the photos layout....but I think I might need to bring a different sketch into play...

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!

Peace, ya'll!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Monday Muse - The One with the Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

This is courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens.

I'm in love with the colors and the pumpkin...


We don't usually do Halloween in the typical fashion in our home.

but we DO love a good pumpkin...they decorate our front porch with some hay bales and mums...got any creative use for pumpkins? I'd love to hear them!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Embellies

My October Counterfeit Kit seemed a little lean on baubles when i put it together.

I searched through my stash but couldn't find anything I thought was a right fit for my kit.

So, I decided to make some little embellies for this kit.

I'll be posting a tutorial on how these can be made in the next few days...



Fun, right?

Peace, ya'll!!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!

Today, is the anniversary of the day the world got a little sweeter - because on this day, in...well...a long time ago, this guy was born:


Life with him is always a little funny and silly and crazy...and there always seems to be hysterical laughter.


AS you can see, the nuts in this family didn't fall far from the tree...both boys take a lot of their zany sense of humor and fun from their daddy:


I was very lucky to find shots of him by himself for this post...usually he's covered in children like this:


And now you know what separates him from the rest of the pack and why I love him so much - he makes me laugh (sometimes even when I'm not in the mood to laugh!) and he's one amazing daddy - truly one in a million!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Happy Birthday, Jayden

Hard to believe that this:


Has become this:


Five years ago today, I gave birth to the "sweetest" little boy...even the nurses wanted to come and see him because he would actually look into their eyes, like he was getting to know them.

He's been a hammy, happy crazy cool kid all his life.

We just dig him.

Happy Birthday, My Bug!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Monday Muse - The One with the Pretty Dishtowels

Ok...I actually have TWO muses for you today...they are the same, but different...both from Anthropologie.

They are these gorgeous dishtowels...





Would you be willing to put such a stunning dishtowel out for use in your kitchen?

I just love them. I want them.

I'm thinking they would make the BEST handtowels for a little powder room.

Or maybe great pillow cases?

How about lining them up a number of them and using them as a valence or window treatment?

And lets not forget the scrapbooking and card making inspiration!

I just want to get them and hang them on my inspiration board.

What about you? What would you do with this muse?

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Counterfeit Kit - October

Time for another Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

This month there were two options for kits...the September 2010 Little Red Scrapbooking monthly kit (a little too springy for me) and a Halloween kit. You can see both kits HERE..

While we don't really celebrate Halloween, we do let the kids get dressed up and trick-or-treat and we also head to a pumpkin patch to enjoy the sights and sounds of a harvest and fall. I certainly have some Halloween costume pictures plus pumpkin patch and other fall and harvest things I could be scrapping...So, I chose the Halloween themed kit as my inspiration:


I chose to counterfeit the general theme rather than anything specific.

Here is my take:


This is content list for this kit:

Printed Paper:

Mischievous “Candy Dots” from My Minds Eye
Mischievous “Darkest Dot” from My Minds Eye
Mischievous “Creepy Celebration” from My Minds Eye
For the Record Newsprint from Bella Road
Harlequin from 7gypsies
Afignon Decoration from 7 gypsies
Blue grasscloth paper from My Minds Eye
Ambrosia Quince from Basic Grey
Ambrosia Orange Smoothie from Basic Grey
Blue Skies Here Comes the Sun from American Crafts

Cardstock:

Bazzill Orange Juice
Bazzill Cream Puff
Bazzill Powder Blue
Paperbilities Black

Embellishments:

Out of Print Letter stickers from Basic Grey
Hopscotch Black Pop Culture die cut paper from KI Memories
Gems from Want 2 Scrap
Die cuts from Pink Paislee Amber Road, My Minds Eye So Sophie collection
Journal cards from kmckaydesigns.com,
Transparencies from My Minds Eye Penny Lane and Magnolia Collections
Buttons from My Minds Eye Lost and Found
Brads from My Minds Eye Lost and Found
Borders from K & Co Cut and Paste
Just the Edge cardstock boarders in Blackbird
Mini Market alphas in Blue and Cream from October Afternoon
Paper tape from 7 gypsies Avignon collection
Orange Artisan Tape from Pink Paislee
Maya Road Transparency Doilies
Stickles in Waterfall, Rusty Hinge, and Black Diamond
Mister Huey’s color mists from Studio Calico in Calico White and Bonny Blue
Pompom trim in orange
Basting tape in Black

What do you think? Could you use a kit to get your fall photos scrapped!?!??!

Peace, ya'll!

Friday, October 07, 2011

Do you Pumpkin?

We have not done pumpkin carving in my house for a very long time...like decades...

But I'm always completely blown away by the creative ways that pumpkins are used to decorate...

Now all of the ideas I'm about to share with you are "nice" ideas as my kiddo would say...they are non-scary and really so clever...

All of these images are from the Better Homes and Garden's site:

The bird's nest on his little head is TOO CUTE!


I love the whole all-natural accessories on these...and the expressions...they are like nerd parent pumpkins...


Cute and friendly monsters...CUTE CUTE CUTE


I really like these cuz they take the Mister Potato Head approach to pumpkin decorating...


And these come from the ever amazing Martha Stewart team:

Nervous albino pumpkins...awesome...


HEDGIES!!! oh, so adorable...


This one reminds me of some fairy tale forest:


I REALLY want to try this one...


And a pumpkin family...GET OUT!!!


What kind of pumpkin decor do you love?

Link me up with some good ideas you have!!!

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Struggling

I've been trying to find and/or do creative things to post for you this week.

Really, I have....

But I'm kind of in a funk.

September was a very hard month for our household...there were three cases of virus, one of which landed us in the emergency room.

There was a second trip to the emergency room in an ambulance (everyone is fine, but it was a little scary at the time).

There were some significant work challenges and there were some significant home challenges.

There were a lot of late nights...

I've had a lot on my mind.

On Friday, as we closed out September, I was nursing the edges of a migraine. It was playing around my eyes...not quite coming and not quite leaving...an exhausting way to push through a day.

On Saturday for reasons I won't actually enumerate here, me and my not-quite-a-migraine were up at 4:30 am...and while I was doing what I needed to do at that unGodly hour, I could hear my little Hunny girl on her pillow tossing and occasionally wimpering.

At 7:30, when I was finished with my "have to's" and went to check on her...she was in bad shape.

So off to the vet we went...and I came home alone. My sweet little old (very old) Pomeranian went to get her angel wings.


Its odd to me that the death of my little companion is the straw that broke the camels back for me. But that is how it is.

I think its because for so long she was my only companion, my constant furry little shadow.


She was a total princess...and an alpha at that...not so unlike her mama, I guess.


She had a way of coming to me right when I needed her to and she would always just hang out with me without really requiring much more than the opportunity to sit in my lap (or the laundry basket)


I'm gong to miss her...

And since that moment of good-bye, I've been fighting a battle with inertia...if I HAVE to move, I do...If I don't have to move, I don't....thus, my family is being loved and cared for, my work is getting done, but my creative soul is hiding and if I could, I would park my butt on the couch and watch marathons of NCIS or Bones or something like that.

I feel blessed to have a solid relationship with God...I know that this too shall be used for my good, because He promises it in His Word. (Romans 8:28) I know that He will walk with me through my struggles and uphold me in His righteousness. Where I am broken, He will be sufficient. I'm so thankful that I have Christ Jesus to rely upon...it is truly salvation to know.

I'll be back next week (or maybe later this week) with something FAR more inspiring!

Peace, ya'll.

Monday, October 03, 2011

Monday Muse - Autumn Outfit

LOVE looking at the Ruche site...

They have an aesthetic that I get...which is something I cannot say for a number of the more well known chain stores out there.

THIS is the gorgeous muse for today, directly from the Ruche The Industry catalog:


I love pretty much everything about it...

The glorious color, the lines, the steampunk-ish background...

What does this muse inspire for YOU!?!?!

Peace, ya'll!