I'm a Guest Designer!!!

For the whole month of September come and check me out every Tuesday over on the MemoryWorks Blog.

I am super excited about this!!! I best get to scrapping! Next week is a tour of my scrap space....yikes! I have some cleaning and organizing to do. Please stop by the MW blog and say hi!! If you have never heard of Memory-Works...let me tell you..it is a fantastic company...see what they are all about here.

A Chance to Win Some Simple Stories

It is Simple Stories owner Kevin Crowell's 40th birthday tomorrow. Help Simple Stories reach 4,000 Facebook fans by tomorrow night (August 9th)... and they will do a huge Simple Stories giveaway!! Go become a fan and share it on your Facebook Wall to refer your friends! Then remember to check back on their Facebook Page for the giveaway on Wednesday, August 10th.

Simple Stories Facebook Fan Page... become a fan today!!

It's all ele.ment.ary

I have mentioned Simple Stories before. And I am going to mention it again. I LOVE this system.
They have new collections coming out. In fact, I just purchased Baby Steps...can't wait to get it. I am going to get Josh's baby album done just like that {snapping fingers}.
In the meantime, I have been working on a school album for Joey. I plan on doing the same for Jake and Josh too. The ele.ment.ary collection is perfect for this!! Just perfect.
The Kinder Year....


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From 2011-07-27

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I had so much fun doing this. I am absolutely obsessed with sewing on my layouts. It gives me something to do while watching tivo'd shows (I am also obsessed with multi-tasking).

Project Ingredients:

Simple Stories Ele.ment.ary Collection

WRMK Page Protectors

WRMK Sew Easy and Floss (I have the whole kit n kaboodle and absolutely love it!)

AC Coordinating Cardstock Pack

Color Box: Fluid Chalk Cats Eye - Dark Brown

WRMK Heart Attack Distressing Tool


All of the Simple Stories collections and tools used are available through me. Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing anything or have questions! You can view everything by clicking on my Memory-Works consultant badge at the top right of the page.

Thanks for looking!

New Menu Planner

We are headed to a new Farmer's Market this weekend. I am so hoping it will be a good one...we have very few in the Las Vegas area, and they usually stink. But this upcoming adventure has inspired me to make a new board for our weekly menu planning.
I used a large empy frame that my Dad gave me (from his very cluttered garage). It involved a lot of measuring (yuck). But, I love the way it turned out though.

From Drop Box

Because it is behind glass, it works as a dry erase board.

From Drop Box

My previous menu planner board involved magnets. Magnet that I usually dropped behind the bookcase. While I really did like it...I was up for a color and style change. Something a little more cheery.

I still need to re-alter the clipboards I hang on either side for lists and important coupons. But that is for another day. This was challenging enough to do while the baby was asleep and the older two were crammed in my scrap cave with me.

Project Ingredients:
-large frame
-Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety Mini Deck
-Thickers Jewelry Box
-Glue Dots
-Brown Ink

Password Keeper Mini Book

We have a little black book to hold all our internet passwords. It is filled with crossed out and old information. After seeing this one made by Lacey over at Lacey Bug Creations, I was inspired to make a new one for us.

From Drop Box

I put a pocket on the inside to hold our stamps. Not sure why we keep stamps in the password book, but we do.

From Drop Box

Project Ingredients:
-chipboard for front and back covers
-Collage Press Camden Crafting Press
-Collage Press Camden Journaling Cards
-Collage Press Camden Cuts
-Pink Paislee Cardstock Alphabets Expressions: Chocolate
-Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro High Tac
-binder rings
-ribbon

Now all I have to do is transfer the important and current information.

Creative Procrastination

I have a To Do List a mile long. Seriously, have so much laundry and cleaning to do. Need to go grocery shopping which will involve a trip to WalMart as well. All I have managed to accomplish this week after traveling the last THREE weekends is one load of laundry. I did clean my scrap cave. It was destroyed. That made me want to make something. So,I figured, why not make a book for my to do lists, and shopping list and whatnot's.
Here is what I came up with:

I used some heavy book boards by 7gypsies and the MME Life Stories Collection. I had a chunk of already bound graph paper from an old journal that was taken apart. That is what I built the cover around.
It was a quick project...but procrastination none the less. Oh well........guess I better work on that grocery list now.

Last Minute Tooth Fairy Pillow

My oldest just lost his first tooth. It was wiggly for a few weeks, but I waited until the day it fell out to worry about what to put it in for the Tooth Fairy.

From Drop Box

I have vivid memories of my Mother playing the Tooth Fairy when I was little. Of course at the time...I had no idea it was her. She would dress in a black leotard and put on a wig and sneak in to our room as the Tooth Fairy.
So I thought it would be very appropriate to use an old denim jacket I had that was my Mom's to make a tooth fairy pillow for the boys. I could have gone super fru fru with this if only I had girls. I decided to keep it simple (maybe add to it later when I am not pressed for time).
I took a piece of the demin I cut from my Mom's jacket (about 16 inches x 8 inches) and made it into a pillow. I am not in the least bit a sewer...so this was hand stitched.

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From Drop Box

I then cut out a tooth shape using my Silhoutte and Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing. Of course I had already sewn the last side almost completely shut when I decided to sew on the tooth (it was only ironed on) and had to unstitch it.

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I then added a little pocket for the tooth using some of the fabric scraps I had. Then I spelled out TOOTH with an arrow using my imaginisce i-rock and some Glam Rocks - Pearl.
Love how it came out. And it is now holding a tiny tooth....for the Tooth Fairy.

From Drop Box

Child's Desk ReDo

Once upon a time, I was a little kid with a yellow and black desk that had fruit on it. I am so thankful that my Mom never got rid of this. And super thankful she did the grunt work of sanding it where it needed sanding! A few years ago, my father brought it out to me in Nevada from New Mexico. Joey was probably barely four at the time. It didn't stay in our house very long. At the time, Joey would not allow the "kick stand" to be open so the desktop would be level. He insisted on it being slanted. And after several slams of the lid and several heart attacks thinking that he or Jake lost a finger, it went back in the garage.
Don't you just love the fruit design on the front! LOL

We have had several versions of desks in and out of this house. Most took up way too much room and did not last very long. So I figured this may be the perfect solution. I made both boys promise that they would keep the "kick stand" up so it would be somewhat safer (I am still working on a solution to make it stop slamming). It was time for a trip to Home Depot to pick out paint. As my husband has recently pointed out to me, Joey has my crafty creativeness. We are also both the type that like things a certain way. We had different visions for how this desk would turn out. First we had to settle on a paint color. Thankfully we were both happy with it being blue. I love lighter blues and black together. The color we both finally agreed on is Glidden's Blue Marina. Ironically it ended up being pretty much the same blue that was in some scrapbook paper I was hoping to use to decorate it.
Here is the desk after a few coats of blue and a few sprays of black spray paint. Thanks to my neighbor, Heidi, for helping me get all the tiny spots (she donated some not being used make up brushes!!).

I spent last night watching the Red Sox vs Angels game cutting up some Bo Bunny Blast Off paper. Then this morning I mapped out how I wanted to place it on the top of the desk. To be fair, I asked Joey for his opinion. Oh BOY! After a few minor placement arguments....we agreed on what you see here. The pieces have been stuck on with Mod Podge. And I am in the process of polyurethaning the crap out of it. It came out pretty good if I do say so myself...almost afraid to let the boys use it.....

Been There, Done That...Map LO

This is my Travel/Vacation Layout for the March CropChocolate Chocolatier's Monthly Challenge.

From Been There

It incorporates both travel and vacation. I wanted to document where we (as a family) have gone together in the USA. I have started with trips my husband and I have taken and added trips that have included our boys. I really love how it turned out. I have been wanting to do something like this for a while. I even started cutting a map out by hand using a template...uh...yeah...got 4 states done. Then I got a Silhouette! One of the first images I bought with my newly acquired download card was the puzzle map.
Supplies used:
BasicGrey Wander CollectionBrown Ink
TONS of White Thread
Two Pieces of Kraft Cardstock
i-rock by Imaginisce and crystals
Arrow Photo Turn (pretty sure it is 7gypsies)
Thickers Remarks Shoebox Chipboard Letters
How to:
Cut out the puzzle map several times using different pieces of Wander cardstock. Piece it back together on a sheet of kraft cardstock alternating the patterns.
Stitch a border(hand stitched thanks to a lost bobbin).
Cover plain chipboard letters with an additional piece of patterned cardstock.
Adhere letters to kraft cardstock.
Stitch arrows to point the "there" and "that".
Marked places visited with crystals.
Using an additional sheet of kraft cardstock construct a little book to use as a key.
Decorate with Wander chipboard stickers.
Use photo turn to keep it closed.
Ta Da....you have a map that you can use to track all your adventures!!
Additional Photos:

From Been There

From Been There

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Love Our Boys.

Got a chance to scrap over the long weekend. I absolutely love how this came out.
I used Basic Grey's Wander Collection that I got on CropChocolate (LOVE this site!!).

From love our boys

How I made it:
Firstly....it is scraplifted (view original layout here).

To make the black lines, I used crafting thread. Then I cut out a 1 1/4 inch square out of some clear packaging to use as a template for selecting photos. If the face fit in the square...I used it.

From love our boys

I then placed them on my completed grid...along with square I cut out from the cover sheet of the collection pack (no need to waste a 12 x 12 piece of paper for a little square).

From love our boys

From love our boys

The cardstock sticker sheet had tons of small images to use.

From love our boys

Next, I light wrote in where I wanted the words to go.

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Had originally intended on using some black Thickers for the words, but I really like the font of the letters that came with the collection (plus they ended up matching the solid paper I used for matting).

From love our boys

I cut out mats using the solid side of the GPS paper. Then I inked all those edges as well as the patterned papers from the collection cover sheet.

From love our boys

I think this will be a layout for one of those 12 x 12 scrapbook frames.
Thanks for looking!!!

Blogoversary Winner!!

The winner has been chosen....and the kit has been assembled.

And the winner is...............

From winner

Here are a few pics of your kit. Hope you like it!

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(just realized that the bling in there is the one I have used...not the one you are getting!! LOL)

I'll get this out to you on Friday!

Scraplifting, Scrapping and Scrap Happy!

Since getting my Scrap Cave cleaned and reorganized, I have been able to get four layouts done. Wow, amazing what a clean space can do for your mojo! The first three layouts are for a Scraplift Me Challenge I am hosting on facebook.

This layout was scraplifted from one I saw on Technique Tuesday. I used Fancy Pants Designs It's Your Day Collection. Love these pictures of Josh ever so daintily eating his birthday cake. I was really expecting a mess. Nope.

From 2011-01-08

The next two, I scraplifted from layouts I found on scrapbook.com (which I can not find again to give proper credit).

From 2011-01-08

I used Echo Park Little Boy Collection for this layout. And a stamp by Unity.

From 2011-01-08

I used a variety of papers by Making Memories.

This last one was inspired by a layout created by Ingvild Bolme (because I could never hope to actually have the talent to scraplift her amazing work). You can view her layout here. She does truly stunning work.
My humble version.
I can never make that cluttered embellishment look work for me...I tend to lean towards the simpler look. I did stitch around the dotted page. Most edges have been distressed and inked. I absolutely love this photo of Josh. I used Basic Grey Basics for this layout.

From 2011-01-08

Thanks for looking. And there is still time to leave a comment over HERE for a chance to win a scrap kit.

If only....

...I could make it stay clean and organized.
Remember this picture from a few days ago?

Well, after several hours and a few "helpers", my scrap cave is clean and organized!!! Yippee. Let the scrapping (and inevitable messing up of the room) begin!

As much as I would love one of those spaces where everything has a cute little storage container, I am a visual person. I need to see what I have.

The only thing I really have in a storage container is all my paper. But that I have separated by brand.
Anyway....so glad to be done with this. Can I tell you how much fun it is to clean (anything for that matter) with the help of 3 little boys. Joey wanted all my stuff, "Mommy, can I have this? Do mens scrapbook too?". Jake only want to dump out all the buttons. And Josh was in to everything he could reach!

Now if I can find the time in the next few days....I am hoping to use the space. ALONE! :)

btw...there are still a few more days to leave me a comment over on THIS post (if you haven't already) to be entered to win a scrap kit!

Missed my Blogoversary AGAIN!!

Man! I am never going to remember my blogoversary with it being so close to my son's birthday and Christmas. We were actually out of town this year on the 17th. Anyway...in celebration...I have a present for one lucky reader.
One person, chosen at random, will get a scrap kit from me in the color scheme of their choice.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what color you like and want projects you are working on or should be working on.

For two more additional entries repost this on your Facebook and/or Twitter account (let me know if you do the additional two entries!).

Winner will also get an additional surprise if my followers reach 100 before the drawing!! So, be sure to let people know to follow me too!!!

winner will be chosen at random on January 8th...and announced on January 9th.

Happy New Year!!!

I am not a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions...but I am going to set a goal for myself. In this New Year, I am going to:

• post a blog at least once a week
• create something new at least once a month
• keep my Scrap Cave under control

I guess I have the first of those goals accomplished for this week anyway. In order to get on the second one, I am going to have to do the third.

YIKES!!! (how did this happen?)


I will say that I have started re-organizing. I know, it is very hard to tell. I actually have accumulated a box of things I am going to post on www.craigslist.com.

Once I do get this space under control...I would like to get to work on my 2010 Family album. So far I have the title page done:




(using Fancy Pants Designs My Family Collection)
But since I am using the Simple Stories approach it should not take that long to do the whole year....yeah right! Well, not as long as it would normally take.