A Spark of Creativity

The Ups and Downs of Sisters

2012-02-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

Let me start by staying I am an only child so I have no clue how the relationships of siblings go but I have had a glimpse of it through my daughters. Some days they love each other dearly and other days they are at each others throats. Lately there have been lots of complaints of copycatting and tattle telling. Yelling and screaming. But then there are days where everything is right in the world and they get along beautifully.

Aryanna thrives on being a big sister and helping take care of her little sister. Sometimes I do have to remind her that she is not the mommy and needs to tone it down a bit. Jaina is the follower. The one who wants to be exactly like her big sister. She looks up to Aryanna a lot but is also her own strong willed person. Some days it just cracks me up at how similar yet different they are!

Here is a layout I did documenting the sisterly love between my two girls using the new Everyday Poetry and Palm Beach from Webster's Pages.

This layout was created as a lift of the talented Leslie Ashe over at Webster's Inspire Me. Make sure to stop by and see all the gorgeous inspiration from the other design team members.

Happy creating!

One more year...down

2012-01-31T05:12:00.000-08:00

This past week I celebrated my 34th birthday. I still can't believe how fast time has gone by! Some days I still think I am 27! Craziness! That is ok though. I may be a little older but I am also a little wiser. My daughter surprised me with this before she left to go to her dad's for the weekend.

For the most part my birthday weekend was quiet and relaxing. I missed my girls but we had ourselves a mini celebration last night. They picked out what cupcake recipe we should make and they helped me make it. Afterwards they decided to sing me Happy Birthday. I love my kiddos!

Speaking of celebrations, I created another layout from Aunt Sabrina's wedding. This picture is one of my favorites. Poor Jaina was so nervous that day and so unsure as to what to do. In the end, she was the perfect little flower girl.

Here is a closeup of the little flower I put together.

Happy Creating!

CHA Sneakage Time

2012-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

I adore this time of year when you can see all the fun new collections that emerge at CHA. All the companies are starting to show sneaks of their new products and Webster's Pages is no exception. The new collections are just stunning!

First up is Palm Beach. I have had the pleasure to work with this collection. I have some cute plans for the chevron paper that I have yet to really play with. It's one of my favorites along with all the beautiful pinks, beige, teal...oh shucks! I love the whole dang collection!

Next up is a first for Webster's. A nice manly type collection called Game On. Don't let it fool you though, I can think of some fun ways to use this collection for girly type layouts. I can't wait to play with this collection!

Make sure you stop by the Webster's Pages blog all week. There are still a few more awesome sneaks to come! And speaking of sneaks, here is a layout I made with the Everyday Poetry collection. If I am not mistaken, the Webster's Pages blog will be sneaking more of this collection tomorrow.

Happy creating!

An Exciting Announcement!

2012-01-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

I finally get to share my exciting news that I have been keeping secret from everyone! I am one of the Webster’s Pages Clean and Simple girls!!! I am so thrilled to be on this team alongside all of these awesome ladies! When I saw the email from Brandin in my inbox, I happened to be on break at work. I opened the email and my heart immediately skipped a beat. I made the team! I squealed with excitement and I am sure I had a smile a mile wide. Make sure to see the announcement here to see which other ladies made the team.

I received my box of goodies with some of the new Webster's Pages collections. They are gorgeous! I can't wait for everyone to see them. I think you will love them as much as I do.

Happy Monday!

A Little Me Time

2012-01-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Every so often I need a little me time. Quiet time to relax and read a good book or get lost in a action movie or to get sucked into a game on the PC. No matter what it is, I really need the time to myself to just relax and let all the worries of the day fall off my shoulders.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to keep track of all the books I read. I go through fits and starts where I read a lot and sometimes I don't pick up a book for months. I thought it would be neat to see what books I have read over the course of a year.

Speaking of books and relaxation, here is a recent layout I created with some Lily Bee goodies.

Happy Creating!

It's Monday!

2012-01-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

The weekend is sadly over and it's Monday once again which means school, daycare, and work in my house. I have a busy week ahead but that is ok because that means the weekend will be here before I know it!

My crafting mojo is finally back after it's long Christmas break. I created this layout this weekend and have another one in the works. This was created with the January Nook kit.

Happy a Happy Monday everyone!

Into 2012...

2012-01-03T05:11:00.000-08:00

After much contemplation, I have chosen my one little word for 2012...learn. There are so many things I want to learn this year. On the top of my list is to learn how to shoot in manual mode on my camera. That is my big project for this year. I'll be purchasing a new camera this month and I am way happy about that. It will be my first camera where I can actually switch out the lenses! Yes I know. I am a bit behind the curve in the camera department but I am slowly catching up!

Next up, I want to share with you Heidi Sonboul's very first collection for GCD Studios! I am so happy for this girl! She really rocked it! Here is a sneak of her collection...

I am in love with all the chevron and in various colors to boot! If you want to see her collection in it's entirety, check out her blog post here!

I also did a little crafting this weekend after a long break from the holidays.

Happy creating!

Looking Back at 2011

2011-12-31T06:33:00.000-08:00

This year was an eventful one. I took the girls to their first ever Barnum and Bailey Circus. They absolutely loved it! Now that they are older, I hope to take them to the Transyberian Orchestra in 2012. I can't wait!

My scrappy year has been awesome this year! I was honored to be chosen to be on the GCD Studios, Creative Memories, and Noel Mignon design teams. I learned so much and met some pretty cool designers. Although my terms for Creative Memories and Noel Mignon have ended, I still will be checking in every so often to see what the inspiration from the new teams.

That brings me to reflect over my scrapping over this past year. Here are my favorites from 2011:

1. Tea Party - GCD Studios

2. Turning Six - Lily Bee

3. Two Teeth - Bella Blvd.

4. A Cold Treat - Crate Paper

5. Four Inches - Sassafras

6. A Little Bit Shy - Noel Mignon kit

7. My Girl - GCD Studios

8. Goodies - Noel Mignon kit

9. Sticky News - Noel Mignon kit

10. Bike Ride - Pink Paislee

And that is it for 2011. Happy New Year's Eve!

See you next year!

When Things Go Awry

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that toddlers are not always the most willing subjects to have their picture taken. My daughter was no exception to this rule. I was lucky enough to get a picture of her being both upset and happy during Christmas. I used these pictures to document what happened that day on my layout.

Supplies:
The World's Greatest from Funhouse
Clown Alley from Funhouse
Brave Soul from Soul Food

Christmas is a happy time in our lives but don't forget to document the not so happy or perfect times. They make nice little snapshots in time that you can go back and reminisce on.

A New Tradition

2011-11-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Henry. He is new to our household this year. The girls love finding him in the mornings. They are also mindful of making sure they behave because they don't want Henry to tell Santa to put them on the naughty list.

Henry arrived the week before Thanksgiving. Yes I know. He came a bit early but sometimes Santa just can't wait the extra week. So far Henry has been found hanging from things or just chilling somewhere. Come December, I have a feeling he will be found playing some tricks of his own.

Happy Tuesday!

Homemade Advent Calendar

2011-11-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

I loved advent calendars when I was a little girl. To be honest, I still love them as an adult. Every year I purchase an chocolate advent calender for my girls but this year I wanted to make one. I found a little box template online and then proceeded to created 24 of these cute little packages of happiness.

They take a little time to make but they are so worth it. Just find a box template you like and then go to town. You can even enlist your little helpers to punch out the circles and adhere them to the boxes. I add a few pieces of candy to each box and then place the boxes in order on my mantel piece.

Supplies:
Under the Big Top from Funhouse
Sweet Spot from Material Girl
Butterfly Harmony from Spring in Bloom

I hope that this will inspire you to create your own version of an advent calendar.

Time to Heat Up the Kitchen!

2011-11-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. I am not a big fan of being outside in the cold but I do love to spend my time in the kitchen baking all sorts of goodies. I have already started baking some of my German Christmas treats that I only make during the November and December months. After that, the recipes go back in my book until next year. First up are some of my favorite recipes that I have from my Oma. I always look forward to making these goodies first! My absolute favorite is the Christstollen. It's the German version of a fruit cake but it is nothing like the American one. It tastes heavenly with a cup of coffee or tea.

Next up are the Elisen Lebkuchen. I also discovered a new recipe last year of these that I will be making in the next week or two.

This year I plan on making a mini album with all my Christmas baking recipes so expect to see lots more tantalizing photos of sweet treats in the near future!

Happy Wednesday!

Spider Girl to the Rescue with GCD Studios

2011-10-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only is it fun to dress up but I also love all the yummy Halloween candy you can buy. Since we are on the topic of Halloween, I am going to show you a quick and easy way to add a spider web to your layout.

First you will need a sheet of cardstock. Lightly draw a spider web on your cardstock with a pencil.

Next spray a little bit of mist before tracing the pencil lines with a black pen. After everything has dried, gently erase any visible pencil marks.

The last thing you will need to do is to cut around the outside of your spider web and adhere it to another piece of cardstock or patterned paper. Viola! A super easy and fun spider web. I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. Here is what the finished product looks like.

Supplies:
Soul Food Brave Soul
Sweet Surrender Envelope Cards
Sweet Surrender The Little Lovebirds
Elementary My Dear Paper Pack

Happy Creating!

A Halloween Preview

2011-10-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween is quickly approaching. Around here we have been working on finishing up Halloween decorations and getting the menu put together for the Halloween party. The girls are excited and can't wait for this upcoming Saturday when all their little friends come over for some ghoulish fun!

This weekend I let the girls dress up in their costumes and took a few shots of them. They were such good sports.

This year I have a little Alice in Wonderland and a little mermaid.

I did a bit of scrapping this weekend as well. Here is one I finished. The picture is from last year's Halloween.

Happy Haunting!

Noel Mignon Blog Hop!

2011-10-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Noel Mignon Spooktacular Blog Hop! This will be a two day event, so be sure to join us both Saturday and Sunday to join in on all the fun.

Each member of the design team has created a fabulous tag with a letter featured prominently on it; collect a letter from each blog and unscramble them to discover a word.

The first stop on the hop is the NoelMignon LO/Project blog. So if you are stopping here first, please head back over there and start over to be sure you collect all the letters: http://noelmignonlayouts.blogspot.com/ .

Be sure to leave comments along the way.... once you've collected all the letters and think you've unscrambled the word, email Virginia at 2blackflipflops at gmail dot com with your entry. We'll draw one random name from the correct entries for a fun My Mind's Eye Halloween prize pack!

The Hudson Valley kit goes up for sale bright and early Tuesday morning! Get your order in early, as this one has the lines that have been getting a lot of attention since they debuted at CHA, and it won't last long!

Your next stop is Gretchen!

Happy Hopping!

Come Join the Fun!

2011-10-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Fun stuff happening over at Noel Mignon! Make sure you stop by!

We are starting to get in the Halloween spirit at my house. We decorated the outside and started to decorate the inside of the house. I plan on having a kid's Halloween party this year. All the guests will have to come in costume. I am sure it will be a blast! I can't wait! I have also had some fun working on a few Halloween layouts. Here are a couple of my recent ones.

Happy Haunting!

Free Kit and Flower Girls

2011-10-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

How would you like to win this kit from Noel Mignon? It's chalked full of all sorts of goodies! Visit the Noel Mignon Blog for more information on winning this awesome kit!

Recently my girls had the honor of being the flower girls for their aunt's wedding earlier this month. They did a great job and loved being all dressed up for a day. I started working on some layouts and here is my most recent one.

Happy Creating!

Soup Love with GCD Studios

2011-10-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

I love fall time. I love how the leaves start changing into beautiful shades of orange and red. I love the cool crisp air. Best of all, I love the smell of homemade soup cooking on the stove. Nothing warms up the belly like a nice bowl of soup.

This month I was inspired to create a layout based on the traditional color scheme of Halloween. I just had to create a page with a picture of my first bowl of pumpkin soup for the year. I used pops of orange, black, cream, and gray. This is such a lovely color scheme and can work great with any type of layout.

Supplies:
Sweet Surrender The Little Lovebirds
Sweet Surrender Tying the Knot
Sweet Surrender Cabochons
Soul Food Transparent Shapes
Elementary My Dear Paper Pack

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Creating!

Simple Comforts with GCD Studios

2011-09-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

I love the fall weather. For me it means spending lots of time in the kitchen making tasty sweets. One of our favorite comfort foods are strawberry pancakes. They are so delicious! The little strawberry pieces melt as you cook the pancakes and end up tasting almost exactly like strawberry jam! After you are done cooking them, throw them on a plate, pour on the maple syrup, and dig in!

Paper:
Material Girls It's in the Bag
Material Girls Hugs and Kisses
Material Girls Girly Girl
Material Girls A Girl's Best Friend

Just looking at this layout makes me want to rush into the kitchen and whip up a batch of these scrumptious pancakes! What type of foods are considered comfort foods in your family?

A Little School Mini with GCD Studios

2011-09-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter started first grade this year. I thought it would be cute to create a little mini album about her first year of school. So far I have created the first few pages and plan on adding more as the year progresses. I plan on placing pictures of various school activities as well as keeping some of her homework papers and awards.

First I needed a cover for my album. I wanted something simple. I placed my title on the chipboard cover, adhered them, painted, and then added a splattering of mist.

For my first page, I wanted to record her actual first day of school along with a picture of her from that day.

I wanted to keep my album uniform yet simple. The right hand side is reserved for journaling while the left hand side has plenty of space for pictures.

This album is far from being complete but it's a start to documenting my daughter's first year. This would also make a great gift to someone who has school age children or even little children in daycare.

Supplies:
Chip Art Chipboard Kit 5x7
Chip Art Chipboard Shapes: Medium Alphabet Set
Funhouse The World's Greatest
Soul Food Brave Soul
Funhouse Popcorn Journal Tags
Soul Food Fancy Chipboard Stickers
Soul Food Transparent Shapes

GCD Studios Kit of the Month

2011-09-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

Did you know that GCD Studios now has a Kit of the Month? They are also hosting a contest each month where you can win a spot to be featured on the blog. How cool is that? Check out the kit for September.

Gorgeous isn't it? It's packed with school themed papers and happy bright fall embellishments. To enter into this contest, simple create a back to school project. It can be a layout, card or even a gift for a teacher. Please use 50% of GCD Studios product to enter. Then email your project to me at hsonboul@gcdstudios.com by Sept 26th 2011.

The top 3 projects will be posted on the GCD Studio blog and then voted on. The winner will have the kit of the month sent to her or him and will be featured in the next months GCD Studios newsletter. Plus there will be a blog post about them.

If you have not done so already make sure you take a few moments and sign up for the GCD newsletter. Just send and email to Inthestudio@gcdstudios.com. Lots of cool stuff in there!

Happy Creating!

Summer Fun 2011

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is quickly coming to a close. We did so many fun things this summer! I am so happy we were able to squeeze it all in! Over at Noel Mignon, we have a challenge to create a layout about your summer fun for 2011. Here is my take on the challenge.

Until later!

Study Hall is up!

2011-08-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

School is in over at Noel Mignon. The newest kit, Study Hall, is up for pre-order today! You don't want to miss this kit! Lots of fun school themed items!

Until later!

Hidden Treasures

2011-08-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I have a stack of unloved scrapbooking items. I happened to be cleaning my scraproom and came across my stash of October Afternoon's 5 & Dime. I hardly even touched it yet! Gasp! The horror! So I challenged myself to create a layout using only this collection. The only extra items I allowed myself was one sheet of cardstock and some letters. This layout came together quickly and I was able to use bits and pieces of this awesome collection! Pick up your 5 & Dime items from the Noel Mignon store today and see what fun items you can create!

Happy creating!

End of Summer Fun with GCD Studios

2011-08-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ah yes. Summer is slowly drawing to an end. The temperatures are finally cooling off and school is just around the corner for my oldest. She will be in first grade this year. My how the time flies! She is also my goofy child. Always making faces and being silly. One day I caught her playing around with a mustache and was lucky to have my camera handy to capture the moment.

To create my layout, I used several different papers from the Fun House collection. I free handed a mustache on a piece of cardstock, cut it out, and hand stitched a few lines for texture.

The white cardstock was looking kind of bland so I added a little bit of mist. There you have it. The completed layout!

Supplies:
Fun House Coney Island
Fun House The World's Greatest
Fun House Come One, Come All
Fun House Trick Pony

What are you doing to capture the last few summer days? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy creating!

Just Around the Corner

2011-08-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

In less than two weeks my oldest will be in first grade! I still can't believe it! She is super excited to meet her new teacher and classmates. We already did all our before school shopping and have everything ready to go.

As promised, here is my newest layout I have been working on. I used the Salt Water Taffy kit from Noel Mignon to create this layout.

Happy Creating!

Tasty Tuesday - Mongolian Beef

2011-08-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to share with you a new recipe we tried for dinner. The girls loved it and so did I! The only thing I would change next time is to add a little less soy sauce. It came out a bit too salty. Then again, that might just be because I reduced the sauce down a bit too much. Oops!

When I went to the store I was unable to find any flank steak. I ended up using Flat Iron Steak instead. Other than that, I had all the other ingredients on hand.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (from www.pinkbites.com):
makes 2 servings

You will need:

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

Prepare the meat:
First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch (see picture bellow).

Make the sauce:
Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

Cook the meat and assemble dish:
Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.

Tomorrow I'll be posting a couple of new layouts that I have been working on so make sure you stop by. Happy Tuesday!

Something Fun with GCD Studios

2011-08-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter has been learning to read and has finally progressed to the harder books. Now that she can't finish a book in one night, she is in desperate need of a bookmark. Never fear! Mommy is here to save the day! I decided to make a special bookmark for her.

First I chose three papers from the Animal Crackers for Girls collection. I cut out three 2" x 2" squares and glued them on a piece of scrap paper. Here is my favorite part! Sew the three pieces together!

After the items were sewn together, the bookmark still needed a little something. I cute out a couple of flowers, added a saying, and tied a ribbon on top.

Supplies:
Animal Crackers for Girls Little Leopard
Animal Crackers for Girls Large Droplets
Animal Crackers for Girls Jungle
Material Girls Girly Girl
Soul Food Chipboard Plaque Stickers

If you are looking to create a little something special for your child, create a bookmark. Not only will it help promote your child to read, it's also a great way to use up your scraps!

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, I absolutely LOVE to bake! So I decided to start sharing some of my baking adventures with you. I will also share some of my cooking adventures as well. So without further ado, welcome to Tasty Tuesday!

I had the biggest craving for chocolate chip cookies yesturday but I did not want to venture back out in the 100+ degree weather to buy some. Then I remembered that I have a couple of chocolate chip recipes I saved that I have been wanting to try out. This recipe calls for you to brown the butter which I have never done for a cookie before but it really does change up the flavor.

After I mixed up all the ingredients, the cookies were ready to go in the oven. Don't they look oh so yummy?

After about 10 minutes of baking, they were done. The cookies turned out a bit larger than I am used to so next time I will have to make them a big smaller. I blame my eagerness to get my chocolate chip cookie fix! The girls and I waited just long enough to were they would not burn out fingers and finally, the desired gooeyness met our lips....swoon! Yes, the cookies were that good! They are almost as good as store bought but without all those pesky preservatives!

Curious about what recipe I used, here you go. Enjoy!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients
1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 ¾ ounces)
½ tsp. baking soda
14 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1 ¾ sticks)
½ cup granulated sugar (3 ½ ounces)
¾ cups packed dark brown sugar (5 ¼ ounces)
1 tsp. table salt
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle position. Line 2 large (18×12 inch) baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl and set aside.

3. Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in 10-inch skillet (if possible, do not use nonstick) over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

5. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.

6. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

7. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.

8. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

9. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Change is in the Air!

2011-07-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

In case you have been wondering what I have been up to lately...well I have been sucked into Pinterest. So many awesome ideas there! I have already been using them as a starting point for some of my upcoming layouts so stay tuned for those. When I am not scrapping, I have been losing myself in Mockingjay, the third Hunger Games book. I am about 1/3 of the way through and I am having a hard time putting it down!

I have some fun news to share with you. I am going to start up a couple of series on my blog so you will be seeing many more posts from me in the future! I am excited and can't wait to share them with everyone!

Time for me to skedaddle and finish up some back to school shopping. I will leave you with my newest layout I created with the Salt Water Taffy kit from Noel Mignon.

Happy creating!

Echo Park Love

2011-07-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have been spending as much time outside as I can stand with this crazy heat! I have also been crafting with my girls. They love scrapbooking as much as their mama. :) Today I want to share with you a few layouts I made using Echo Park papers. I just love how each line looks good alone or mixed together. Take this layout for example. I mixed a few papers from Country Drive with For the Record. Both collections work well together.

Supplies: Paper & Stickers: Echo Park, Pen: Creative Memories.

Recently I took the girls to Coldstone Creamery for their first taste of this yummy ice cream. They loved it! I used the Country Drive papers found in the Noel Mignon Salt Water Taffy kit along with a few stickers from For the Record for this layout.

Supplies: Papers & Stickers: Echo Park, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Mist: Maya Road, Letters: Sassafras Lass, Pen: Creative Memories.

This layout documents some of my feelings after the first year of being divorced. My little form of scrap therapy. It really does do the body good! You should try it sometime! The picture I scrapped is not the perfect shot but it did capture some of the rawness of how things are at times.

Supplies: Papers & Stickers: Echo Park, Butterflies & Mist: Maya Road, Pen: Creative Memories.

Happy Creating!

Guess what?

2011-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

You can now find the G.C.D Studios Chipart Products at Joann's Stores. Too cool! Let me tell you. This tool is soooo much fun. It's a great stress reliever too.

I hope to have some new items to share with you soon. Right now I have two little ones ready to head on the road. We are taking a mini road trip up to the city for some school clothes shopping and fun.

Have a great Saturday!

Playing with Pictures

2011-07-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

It always amazes me how much you can change an ordinary picture into something amazing. My pictures are in no way amazing, but I thought it would be neat to show you a glimpse of what some of my before and after pictures look like.

Before....

After...

Before...

After...

As you can see from the before shots, my pictures are never perfect the first go around. These pictures were actually taken with my iPhone. With some help from a few Totally Rad Photo Actions and some tweeking in Photoshop, my pictures are just the way I want them to be. How do you edit your pictures? I'd love to hear about it. I am always looking for new ways and ideas to improve mine.

Happy Thursday everyone!

CHA Goodies

2011-07-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have been drooling all the new CHA goodies that are coming out. There are so many favorites this time around. I am loving Crate Paper, American Crafts, Pink Paislee, Authentique, Bo Bunny, and lots more! I'll need to post the collection I am in love with over the next few days.

Today is the day which the new Noel Mignon "Salt Water Taffy" kit goes up for sale! You won't want to miss this one! It's packed full of fun goodies! Here is a layout I made with a few items from this kit.

Happy crafting!

Set to Recharge

2011-07-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Every so often we get burnt out on life. I have hit that point so it was time for a little vacation. I sent the girls to daycare for two days this week so I could just relax and work on the things I wanted to get done without having them underfoot. It has been pretty quiet and I have to admit, I look forward to getting them back in the afternoon.

For the rest of the week, I have a few fun things planned with the girls. Tomorrow we are going to head to a museum and then to Coldstone afterwards for a snack. Maybe we will even take a trip to Krispy Kreme. I have actually never stepped foot in one before! If all goes well, I should have lots of fun pictures and stories to share!

Here is a layout I about one of our lazy evenings before bed. Gotta love being silly at times!

Happy Wednesday!

Sew Fun with G.C.D Studios

2011-07-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Diana here. When I was a teenager, I would sew my own baggy pants. They were the most comfortable pants ever! Over time, I stopped sewing and my sewing machine started collecting dust. Not anymore! I dugged it out of the closet and decided it was time to crank that baby up!

Today I am going to show you a fun technique on how to create a dresden plate quilting pattern on your layout. It super easy and fun! I am sure you will love it as much as I do!

First you will need to cut out two circles of the same size out of two different patterned papers. I used the Soul Food and Material Girl papers. After you cut out your circles, cut the circle in half and in half again. Keep cutting little pie shapes until you have at least 16 pieces. Now alternate the two patterned papers to create a new circle as in this example.

I wanted more interest to the circle so I created a triangle on the tips of each piece. Next I used my sewing machine to stitch the sections together.

Here is a close up of the completed dresden plate pattern. Easy peasy! I just love how quilting patterns provide a great source of inspiration!

Have you ever created a layout using a quilting pattern for inspiration? If not, what are you waiting for? Do a search on quilting patterns and see what inspires your creativity!

Supplies: Papers: Soul Food, Material Girls, Fun House, Butterflies: Soul Food Chipboard Butterfly Stickers.

Documenting Milestones

2011-06-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I hit the one year mark of my divorce. I was a little bummed out that day, then again, who wouldn't be? So I decided to document how things were going for us as our own new little family. It felt great to look back at all that I have accomplished and all the friends that I have made in such a short time. I am a much happier person nowadays which is how everyone should be. I live life to the fullest and make every day as fun as I can for my girls and myself.

Happy Wednesday!

Go Bold with GCD Studios

2011-06-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to share my take on our "Go Bold with Patterned Paper" theme this month. If you are like me, some patterned papers may scare you just a little bit. I conquer my fear of bold patterned paper buy using small amounts of it on my layouts. Today I am going to over how I did exactly this with my "Beautiful Soul" layout.

Supplies: Paper: Funhouse, Antiquities, Border Sticker: Funhouse Candy Lace, Transparency: Soul Food Transparent Shapes,Word Sticker: Soul Food Word Stickers.

The striped background is actually the inner portion of the Main Attraction paper from Funhouse. By removing the "curtains" from this paper, it allowed me to create a unique shape for my background as well as add a nice bold pattern. To create the wings behind the picture, I cut out the wings from the One Sheet Wonderful paper from Antiquities. Then I added some Chipart stars that I painted with white crackle paint, some hand-stitching, and one of the border stickers to finish off my layout. There you have it. A simple use for bold patterened paper. Have an awesome day everyone!

Bee's Knees

2011-06-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is a big day over at Noel Mignon. The new kit, "Bee's Knees" is up for sale! It is gorgeous! It's packed with items from American Crafts, G.C.D. Studios, Sassafras, BasicGrey, My Mind's Eye, and many more! What is even more awesome is that you can a free gift if you order the kit today, June 15th! So what are you waiting for? Run over to Noel Mignon and purchase you kit today!

Just My Style with GCD Studios

2011-06-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

First off, let me profess my undying love for the Funhouse collection. It is one of my favorite collections from this season! I used papers from this collection to create my own spin on a "Circus" theme depicting the craziness of my girls' lives.

Supplies: Papers: Funhouse, Soul Food, Letters: Great Outdoors.

Do you ever wonder just what your scrapbooking style is? I often do. If I have to choose what to call my style, I would have to say it lies along the simplistic side with a little bit of shabby chic mixed in for good measure. Most of my layouts usually include a bit of fussy cutting, misting, muted colors, however I did not mist on this layout. Take a moment to look at your layouts, what style would you categorize yourself?

Cut Loose

2011-06-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just have to ignore all the worries in life and have a little fun. One night the girls were constantly fighting and bickering back and forth. One had a toy the other wanted. One was not sharing and hitting the other. Yelling and screaming echoed in the house and that was the last straw for me. It was time to remedy this situation.

I filled up the tub and gave the girls a bath. We did crazy shampoo hairstyles and splashed water all over the bathroom. After bath time, they put their pjs on and we danced to some music in the living room. We made silly faces, rolled around the floor, and was just plain carefree for a couple of hours. Sometimes that is all that is needed to turn an ugly situation into a happy one.

Happy creating!

Little Miss Baker

2011-05-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ok. I am not actually little but if you know me, you know how much I LOVE to bake! I admit I am not the best cook in the world but I can make some kick ass desserts! The past few days I have been in a baking mood so I decided to dig through my "need to try" collection of recipes and picked out Irish Car Bomb cupcakes! I love Irish Car Bombs so what could go wrong with it in a cupcake right? After I did all the baking and assembling of said cupcake, I took a little bite. And then an even bigger one after that. Holy smokes was it moist and just the perfect amount of sweet! This recipe is going into my favorites stack!

I adapted the original recipe that can be found at www.browneyedbaker.com

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Yields 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 15 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Toll House cocoa)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips)
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons Irish whiskey (I used Jameson whiskey)

For the Baileys Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. (I placed mine in the fridge to speed up the process.)

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

I highly recommend you try these cupcakes! Look for future baking posts from me. I have lots more goodies I want to try!

Until later!

And it's Monday

2011-05-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was great! We played with paint and ran outside before the weather went crappy again yesterday. I think Mother Nature is confused or mad. The weather goes from winter temps to summer temps and then back again. So weird!

I had time this weekend to scrap my little heart out. I finished up a few assignments that I can't wait to show you! I can, however, leave you with my take on the newest Noel Mignon challenge. The challenge is to scrap the things you love and here is what I did...

Meet Shadow

2011-04-26T04:59:00.001-07:00

One of the things Aryanna wished for on her birthday was for a new pet. After talking about it, we decided on a new kitty. Our other cat, Felix, really needed a buddy so this was a great time to get another cat. We ventured to the OKC Humane Society were all of us immediately fell in love with this little 6 month old kitty, so we adopted him that day and took him home. As I was driving home, I asked Aryanna what we should name him. After a few failed attempts, she settled on the name Shadow.

This little guy is a ball of energy and keeps Felix pretty entertained. The first day we brought Shadow home was a little rocking but thankfully the boys got along just fine after that. Aryanna loves her new little guy and carries him all over the house. Welcome to the family Shadow!

Time flies when you are having fun...

2011-04-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

The girls and I had a nice weekend. It was pretty much perfect except for the few temper tantrums. We played outside, BBQed, colored with chalk, planted flowers, and I even scrapped a little.

I played a little with the Noel Mignon Jump and Jive kit...

I even played along with the Crate Paper Color Challenge...

and the Crate Paper Sketch Challenge...

I also have a couple more layouts in the works that are not quite finished yet. I will share those with you soon!

Happy Monday everyone!

A Happy Week

2011-04-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just have to share the good news! My take on the Lily Bee sketch in my previous post was chosen as the winner! Yay! I am so stinking excited! I'll be diving into the prize box as soon as it arrives!

Have you checked out the G.C.D. Studios blog lately? Well you should check it out! Right now we have posts on what the previous and returning DT members experiences were with G.C.D. Studios. These are definitely some fun reads and as well as some eye candy from the DT. My post went up yesterday. I am in love with the new collections! I will leave you with one of my recent G.C.D creations.

Happy creating!

Weekend Play Time

2011-04-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend was dedicated to play time for the kids and myself. We went to the zoo on Saturday. It was insane there! I have never seen so many people at the zoo before! As much as I like taking my kids to the zoo, I was so happy to be out of there!

Today we crafted and went to my parents for a BBQ. The girls even got some splash time in the kiddie pool. They just loved that!

I played along with the newest Lily Bee sketch challenge. The was surprised at how fast this layout came together.

Here is the sketch...

Here is my take on this sketch...

I hope your weekend was an awesome one! Until later!

So Happy!

2011-03-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an unexpected email from a very sweet lady. I have been dying to share the news and now I finally can!

I woke up today and was surfing my favorite blogs, when I saw that my guest design spot at one of my favorite manufacturers was posted today! I am so stinking happy! I LOVE their products! If you would like to see the post, hop on over to the Sassafras blog here.

Happy Monday everyone!

One Awesome Contest!

2011-03-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

In case you have not heard, check out this awesome contest! You can win a trip to the Brave Girls Camp! How awesome is that?

For more information on this contest, please visit the G.C.D. Blog.

Happy Creating!

I Can Finally Breathe!

2011-03-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

Before I started talking about the goings on at my home, make sure you check out the newest kit from Noel Mignon. It is packed full of goodies! I just got mine in the mail yesterday and already had to dive into it!

The past couple of weeks have been chaotic around here. Two birthday parties back to back and home improvement stuff going on at the same time equals one stressed out mama! Thankfully the parties are all over and most of the big home improvement stuff is complete. Now I can focus on the minor details and get back to scrapping. It's been awhile since I have shared a page!

Before I leave you today. Here is my oldest. She turned 6 this past week and had an ice cream birthday party. It was a big hit!

Happy creating!

Noel Mignon Blog Hop!

2011-03-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the April Kit Sneak peek Blog hop! This will be a two day event, so be sure to join us both Saturday and Sunday to join in on all the fun.

This is more than just a fun way to get a bunch of sneaks all in one weekend, we have also turned it into a fun game! For April, we are revealing the name of the kit through jumbled letters (this is a 3 word name, with 11 total letters). The first stop on the hop is the NoelMignon LO/Project blog. So if you are stopping here first, please head back over there and start over to be sure you collect all the letters. http://noelmignonlayouts.blogspot.com/ . Also, be sure to leave comments along the blog route, as there will be one lucky winner of a $10 discount pulled from all the comments left along the way. We are going to pull the winner from ONE blog, but that blog is a "mystery", so be thorough, and leave comments on every blog so you don't miss out!

The kit goes up for sale bright and early Monday morning! There will be a full reveal and kits will start shipping that very day! Get your order in early, as this one has the lines that have been getting a lot of attention since they debuted at CHA, and it won't last long!

Next on the hop is Virginia Tillery!

Have a great Saturday!

Gearing up for the next one!

2011-03-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Tomorrow is St. Patty's Day! The girls and I are going to do something special tomorrow but I am not sure just what yet. Maybe something crafty along with various green foods. I need to figure it out tonight since it's tomorrow. LOL!

I have some good news to share! I made it for another term with the GCD Studios Design Team! Yay! Last term I was on the Facebook Team but this term I am on the blog team. I am so stinking excited about it! I am going to miss the other girls though. All of them are so talented and inspiring! I look forward to getting to know the new ladies and see what talents they bring to the team. :)

Happy Creating!

Catching Up...

2011-03-10T04:56:00.001-08:00

I don't think I mentioned earlier, but I was the guest artist for Pink Paislee a couple of weeks ago. It was one of my dreams come true! Love that company! You can see my work for it here.

Jaina's birthday party was Saturday. After stressing out the day before, trying to get everything done, everything turned out perfect! Her theme was a tea party complete with mini cheesecakes, mini cupcakes, mini brownies, mini eclairs, and cake balls.

Of course, we can't forget the birthday cake! I had my mom make it this year. I normally bake their cakes but I was overwhelmed with all the other baking stuffs. My mom did an awesome job with the German Black Forest Cake! Jaina ended up being super shy when everyone sang her happy birthday. Poor thing didn't know what to do with herself.

Next week is Aryanna's birthday party. Yes. Both of my girls are March babies which means we get to have back to back parties. I kind of like it. Makes for a fun month!

Happy Thursday everyone!

2 Years Ago Today...

2011-03-03T04:44:00.000-08:00

Little Jaina was born. She was 3 weeks early and ready to be born. She was a feisty eater and very timid. She smiled and laughed a lot when her sister played with her.

2009

At 1, she was a cautious walker. She always had to hold onto your hand whenever she had to take a step up or step down from anything. She loved to watch her sister and looked up to her.

2010

Now that she is 2, her own little personality is starting to emerge. She pretty much mimics everything Aryanna does and sometimes it drives her big sister crazy. She is starting to talk and can already form a few simple sentences. Her favorite word is cupcakes. I love it when she holds a conversation with you because her facial expressions are so cute they are to die for! Her favorite foods are strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate.

2011

Happy Birthday Jaina! I love you with all my heart all the way to the moon and back!

One Crazy Week

2011-03-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

This past week has been crazy! I feel like I've been running around like a mad woman! Saturday I went on a trip to IKEA and bought Aryanna's first big girl bed. She has outgrown her toddler bed. Besides that, Jaina has outgrown her crib and needs a bed, hence the furniture trip. I also got them a new dresser since the other dresser is way too small for the both of them. The new one is a LOT bigger. Here are the two new additions...

I mainly chose this bed since it has two large drawers underneath. Perfect to store toys and blankets. I am also painting the girls' room pink. It's been white all these years and it's time for a change. I hope I like it. I've never lived in a house with colored walls! I am trying to get all this done before Saturday. Why do you ask? Well it's because....

On Thursday my little baby turns 2! I can't believe it! Time flies WAY too fast! Along side getting the girls room finished, I am working on birthday decorations. Later this week I'll be baking like crazy. I love baking so that's ok. The theme this year is a Hello Kitty Tea Party. I hope it turns out the way I am picturing it. I'll post pictures of the party later next week.

I am off to work. I'll leave you with one of my most recent layouts.

Happy creating!

A Tasty Weekend

2011-02-22T05:07:00.001-08:00

I had a three day weekend this go around thanks to President's Day. Guess how I spent it? Well I did lots of baking, worked on fixing my ceiling (had a water pipe break), and crafted with my girls.

Every so often I get an itch to bake and try out new recipes. I tried out 3 new recipes, two were a flop but one was successful. I have found another new favorite to add to my recipe book, Bakerella's Pound Cake. Let me tell you, it is to die for delicious!

The girls and I scrapbooked a little bit this weekend in between running errands and just being lazy. I created this with the February kit from Noel Mignon of my favorite pie.

In other news, Jaina turns two next week! Ack! Where does the time go? Right now I am trying to finalize what I'll be baking/cooking for the party. I think I pretty much have it narrowed down except for a few items. I have not even started making the invites yet! I know, bad mommy!

Time to get ready for work. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Play More

2011-02-16T07:50:00.001-08:00

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to play more. I want my kids to have fond memories of their childhood. I want to be remembered as the mom that did fun things with her kids not the mom who is mean and yells all the time. I’ve been playing a bit too much of the mean mom role lately and I don’t like it. Of course it doesn’t help when the munchkins don’t want to listen but as mothers, we all go through periods like this.

Yesterday, when I came home from work and picked up the girls, I decided the girls could have dessert before dinner tonight. Life is just too short not to eat dessert first, every once in awhile. I had the girls grab their lip lollipops that I gave them for Valentine’s Day and we ventured outside. I snapped a few shots before the lollipops were devoured. It was a big sticky mess but fun never the less.

Happy Wednesday!

GCD Studios DT Call!

2011-02-08T04:57:00.001-08:00

GCD Studios is having a DT call right now. You should try it out! It is a great company to work for and Heidi is a blast! She can make you laugh so hard your side hurts. :) So what are you waiting for! Send in your application now! You can find all the details here.

I was able to attend the CHA Winter show in Los Angeles. I helped out at the GCD Studios Booth and met some pretty cool people. I can't wait to do it all over again!

Happy Creating!

Crop Time at Noel Mignon!

2011-02-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Have you heard? There is a week long crop going on at Noel Mignon! Come check it out and play with us! I made a cute little heart mobile for the crop. You can find out how to make the hearts here.

Happy creating!

Behind

2011-01-24T05:21:00.000-08:00

I am behind on one of my scrappy projects. For some reason my mojo was sucked from me and I can't for the life of me finish this project. So what did I do this weekend? I put my project aside and decided to scrap something new. Sometimes it works and mojo returns or sometimes I sit there waiting for an idea to spark. Luckily mojo was not hiding too far away. He came back and I am so happy about that! Here is the layout I did this weekend for the Sassafras Challenge over at 2 Peas.

Now I am just crossing my fingers that mojo sticks around do I can finish my project I am behind on!

Happy Monday everyone!

Truly Scrumptious

2011-01-21T04:56:00.001-08:00

The Noel Mignon February kit is up for sale today! Let me tell you, these kits are LOADED! I mean just look at all the goodies you get in just one kit! There is some of the new Sassafras "Paper Crush" in there as well as trinkets from Pink Paislee's "Sweetness"! Can you say LOVE! Head on over and purchase your kit today! I can't wait to start playing with this one. I have all sorts of fun ideas swimming in my head!

Happy creating!

Noel Mignon Sneakage Blog Hop

2011-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today is a special day! The DT for Noel Mignon are continuing the fun sneak peek blog hop. I hope everyone is loving all the sneak peeks. I know I am drooling over here! So without further ado... Welcome to the blog hop for the NoelMignon February kit, "Truly Scrumptious"!

Let's play a little word scramble game, shall we? As you can see, there is a letter showing in my sneak, and there will be letters in everyone's sneak peek.

Here are the rules:

1)Follow the hop in order(go back and start at Kim's blog if you are starting here).

2)Leave a comment on each blog showing that you have picked up your letter from their sneak.

3)Collect all the letters and unscramble the word.

4)Leave a comment on the last blog of the hop on Thursday, revealing the secret word, and you may be one of 3 lucky winners to win $10 off their kit purchase!

This kit goes up for sale this Friday, January 21st! Trust me. You don't want to miss this kit!

Next up is Leah's blog : http://amusing-to-create.blogspot.com/

Make sure you mark your calendars for the Noel Mignon February crop. Loads of fun and inspiration will be had! See you there!

Happy Creating!

My Mind's Eye Sketch Challenge

2011-01-13T04:57:00.001-08:00

For months now I have been eyeing the sketches over at the My Mind's Eye blog and just never really had the time to participate in the challenges. This time around I actually was able to play along! Here is the sketch and my take on it.

When it comes to sketches, I never tend to follow them to a "t" but that's ok. Everyone interprets things differently and that is what makes this so much fun!

Happy Thursday everyone!

In 2011, I want to...

2011-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Blog more. Ive been such a sporadic blogger. I want to change that and try to blog at least 3 times per week, maybe more.

Stop getting so frustrated when the girls are misbehaving. They are kids after all. I'll just have to remember to breathe and take it one day at a time.

Start exercising again. I've slacked off and it's time to jump back on the horse again.

Do more arts and crafts with the girls. I want to not only create fun things with them, but also build happy childhood memories for them to cherish.

Learn how to shoot in manual mode. I have been using the AV mode. It's time to let go of the safety net and explore!

Until later!

One Little Word

2011-01-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Before I start talking about my word for the year, I just have to toot my own horn for a second. My "Birdie Feeders" layout, which was created for the current Noel Mignon challenge, is featured on the Crate Paper blog today! I am so stinkin' excited!!!

When Ali Edwards mentioned on her blog that it was time once again to chose a word for the year, I did not have to think long. The word LIVE just popped in my head. This word is perfect for some of the goals I want to achieve for 2011.

I want to live more. I want to experience things I have not had time for or have been too chicken to try. First up is CHA Winter in Los Angeles.

I want to live for the moment. I want to be free to have fun with my girls. To show them that life can be fun, educational, and above all, full of love.

I want to stop living in the past and discover me. Last year was a year of change. This year will be a year of discovery. To live my life to it's fullest potential!

Until later!

My Top 10 of 2010

2010-12-29T04:53:00.001-08:00

Another year has come and gone. This year has been a good one for me. I was honored to be chosen as a designer for the G.C.D. Studios Facebook. I received the opportunity to be a feature writer for another year on the Scrapstreet team. I was chosen as a designer for the Noel Mignon kit club for two terms. I was also chosen as a designer for Creative Memories. I had several layouts published in Scrapbook Trends and my first publication with Creating Keepsakes and Making Memories.

Yes. It has been a great year and I look forward to all the fun opportunities that lie in the future. To close out the year, I wanted to reflect back on 10 of my favorite layouts I created this year. Man it was hard to chose just 10 but these are definitely ones I will not soon forget! Good bye 2010. Hello 2011!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Over the Moon

2010-12-28T05:05:00.000-08:00

I am over the moon happy! I was chosen as one of the guest designers for Pink Paislee, one of my favorite scrapping companies! I am so stoked to be on the list with such talented ladies!

Until later!

It's Almost Time!

2010-12-17T05:02:00.000-08:00

It's almost time for the pre-order of the January kit of Noel Mignon called "Sweet Virgina." This kit is WAY cool looking! Our sweet Virginia Tillery is even offering a mini book class showing off her awesome techiques! I can't wait to go to this class myself!

Here are a few of my favorite sneaks of the Sweet Virginia kit that will be up for pre-order this Sunday!!!

Happy Crafting!

Bedford Falls

2010-12-07T04:52:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I am already behind on my December Daily but the good news is that last night I printed out the pictures for the last few days and plan on working on my pages tonight!

Today I wanted to introduce you to the Noel Mignon Bedford Falls kit. I have been using this kit for my December Daily. Isn't this kit beautiful?

Guess what! Today is your lucky day! Over at Noel Mignon you could win not just one but 2 of this lovely kit!!! How? Well all you need to do is participate in this weeks challenge and you'll be entered for a chance to win! Check out the details here.

Happy Creating!

December Daily - Day 1&2

2010-12-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

In the past, I have tried to do Ali Edward's December Daily, but either never started it or forgot to take pictures. Not this year! I already started creating the base of my pages, completed the cover and days 1 and 2.

Are you creating a December Daily album this year? I highly recommend it! It doesn't have to be about the holidays. It can be about anything you want it to be. Think of it as your own personal journal.

Happy creating!

Still In Shock!

2010-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I tried out for the Creative Memories Design Team. I made it to round 2 with a whole slew of awesome designers. Each of us received the Very Merry Collections to design with. We were asked to created a layout, a card, and an altered item. Here is what I created...

After I turned in my round 2 items, I received an email from Melissa asking if I'd like to be on the team. I was beyond excited and thrilled to be asked to join such a great team! A few of my Scrapstreet girls and G.C.D. gals made it as well! A special congrats to them as well as the other fabulous ladies who made it to the 2011 Creative Memories DT!!!

Make sure you check out the Creative Memories Project Center. There are some cute ideas over there!

Until later,

Starbucks...I love you

2010-11-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Yes. I admit it. I love Starbucks. Especially this time of year. The Caramel Brulee Latte just melts my heart it's so yummy!

I created this layout using the Noel Mignon Bedford Falls kit along with a few items from my stash. Man just looking at this layout makes me want a coffee. Looks like the kids and I are going on a Starbucks run!

Happy creating!

Little Present Ornaments

2010-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I love Christmas time. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. Everyone seems so happy and the world feels peaceful for a change. I think it’s just the magic of Christmas that everyone carries in their hearts.

Every year I like to make homemade Christmas gifts to give out to my friends and family. This year is no exception. After much searching and deliberating, I settled on creating these cute little present ornaments. What a great way to spice up someone’s (and my) Christmas tree. They would also look cute on a Christmas mobile or even hanging off of a banner. All you need to make these is a simple origami box pattern and your choice of GCD papers. Once you have folded and put together your box, choose a ribbon, and finish "wrapping" your present. You can use your present as is for decoration or attach a thin strand of thread to allow you to hang your present from any location.

Happy creating!

G.C.D. Christmas Goodies

2010-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

I will have to admit. I am a baking addict. I absolutely LOVE to bake all sorts of goodies during the winter months. Not only does it warm up my kitchen, but it also makes the house smell oh so yummy! Around the holidays, I have a habit of sharing my love for baking with my friends and family. This year I am going to be handing out brownies and Christmas cookies to everyone. I wanted something cute to package them in so I created several simple origami boxes in different sizes with the G.C.D. Joyful Peace collection. The paper is nice and sturdy and has a lovely texture to it. It was just the right paper for these cute little boxes. Even though the box by itself is cute, I wanted to add just a little something more to it, hence the folded flower. Without further ado, here is my gift box!

Supplies:
Paper: Joyful Peace collection
Button: Artsy Urban collection

Have fun creating your own little gift boxes to share with your friends and family.

Happy creating!

One Color Says It All

2010-10-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Noel Mignon's new challenge is up! The challenge is to create a monochromatic layout. You can choose to use any color you want but you have to try and stick with just that one color. I had a hard time choosing which color I wanted to use, but once I settled on yellow, it kind of all fell into place. Yellow is such a happy color and it reflected the mood of my daughter perfectly in this layout. She loves to go outside and nothing could make her happier. Ok, well maybe some candy, but that is besides the point. Without further ado, here is my take on the challenge.

I hope you come and play along with us. The rest of the design team did an awesome job portraying their chosen color.

Until later!

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-25T05:12:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I took the girls to their very first pumpkin patch. They were so thrilled to go on a tractor ride, see some farm animals, and, of course, pick out their own pumpkins. When I got home and looked at the pictures, I knew I had to create a 2 page layout. It has been some time since I made one and I am happy with the way it turned out. I used items from two of my Noel Mignon kits - Sweet Sue and Sleepy Hallow.

In other news, I decided to dress up for Halloween after all. I will be Nurse Mercy from Ghost Stories. In case you are wondering who she is...

Trick or treating is going to be so much fun this year!

Until later,

Almost Time

2010-10-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a week away and I couldn't be more excited! I purchased the girls' Halloween costumes this past weekend. My oldest chose to be Supergirl and my youngest will be Little Red Riding Hood. I am still debating on whether or not to dress up. We shall see.

Here is a layout I created with the Noel Mignon Sleepy Hallow kit. I thought it would be a cute idea to document my oldest daughter's Halloween costumes throught the years.

Don't forget to submit to the current Scrapstreet.com Magazine Calls! You have until the end of the month to submit your projects.

January 2011 Article Calls - Features
Call 1: Show us the Snow! Let's see your creative snowflakes! Do you stamp them, piece them, or make them from ribbon? There are so many ways to make snowflakes on our pages and projects...and we want to see them all!

Call 2: Baby New Year - Bring on the Babies! Share your favorite baby layouts with us. Make us coo!

Call 3: Suits Me To A 'Tea'-Did you know that January is recognized as 'Hot Tea' month? When I think of tea, I think of tea parties, bridal showers, or anything that is just floral and frilly. With that in mind, share with us your dainty layouts, cards, and altered projects that feature tea parties, bridal showers, or designs that exude what a tea party should look like to you.

Call 4: All a flutter. Show us how you used butterflies in a fun and unique way on your layouts.

Call 5: Pack in the photos! Share your layouts with at least 3 photos per page.

January 2011 Article Calls - Fixtures
Chic Street: Soft, delicate colors are hot right now!!! Show us layouts using pastels.

U-Turn: New Year, New Beginnings, New...Uses? Show us how you repurpose something old and make it new!

Open Road: Put the focus on your journaling! Raise your voice! Create a layout and tell a story in your strongest voice. Are you typically sarcastic, funny, serious, mushy? Be sure your journaling reflects who you are!

Easy Street: Ringing in the new year! Share with me your simple layouts about your plans for 2011 or perhaps your resolutions!

Card Corner: Little known holidays are a great source of inspiration for cards. Did you know that January boasts both Amelia Earhart Day and Christa McAuliffe Day? Celebrate the spirit of these great women by creating a card featuring a form of air travel (airplanes, space shuttles, hot air balloons, etc.)

Deadline is midnight on October 31 ... for all calls.

Please send your work to submissions@scrapstreet.com.

Please send a separate email for each submission you would like to be considered for publication. Please keep the image size around 600 x 600 pixels. Thank you!

Happy creating everyone!

A Little Halloween Treat with GCD Studios

2010-10-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

This month's theme at GCD Studios is Halloween. I just loved our inspiration piece this month.

We were asked to only use on dominant color along with black and cream. I thought yellow was a great compliment to my photos of my two girls. I just loved this bear costume that I saved it for my other daughter. I lucked out and they both were able to wear it, thankfully.

I played with the GCD Chipart tool a bit to deboss the chipboard stars. I think sprayed some lemon mist from Maya Road and let them dry before added some twine.

Here is what the completed layout looks like. I just love how it turned out!

Happy Creating!

Halloween in a Frame with GCD Studios

2010-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ah Halloween. How do I love thee?

Halloween is one of my absolutely favorite times of the year. The one time of year where you can pretend to be anyone or anything and not have anyone judge you or make fun of you. I just love it!

Around my house, we decorate for Halloween. I have to admit that I have slacked off the past couple of years and have only had time to carve my pumpkins. Not this year! I am already in the works on creating my decorations. Speaking of decorations, I created a framed picture to hang over my fireplace. It turned out exactly like I hoped. The border on top extends across the whole frame. Unfortunately when I took the picture, the lighting came all wonky across the glass.

I used several different GCD papers(Ella Blue's Georgia and Ashley, Lydia's Sunny Brocade, and Homespun Chic's Vintage Audrey. The orange paper (B side of Sunny Brocade) looked too plain for my project so I splattered a bit of black paint on it. The bat, letters, and chandelier were created with my Silhouette Die Cutting machine.

What Halloween decorations do you plan on making? I am thinking of making a bat garland next.

Happy creating!

It's Coming!

2010-10-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just around the corner and I can't be more thrilled! It is one of my favorite times of the year! This year I plan on creating some ghoulish decorations and maybe even hosting a small Halloween party. Keep posted throughout the month. I'll be sharing my Halloween creations as I complete them. Today I will leave you with a layout I created with the Noel Mignon "Sleepy Hallow" kit. In case you want to know how I put together this layout, check out my post here.

Until later!

School Time with GCD!

2010-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

School started here towards the end of August. My oldest daughter is going to Kindergarten this year. Where does the time go? On that note, can you guess what the theme for GCD this month is...you guessed it...SCHOOL!

I was inspired by the picture in the top right corner. The apple and books made me think of school right away. I mimiced the apple and created a textbook feel on my layout by using a negative sheet of sticker letters and applying several layers of mists.

GCD Supplies: Paper: Vintage Audrey (Homespun Chic), Homespun Mod (Homespun Chic), Collection Pack (Homespun Chic) Die-cut: Journaling Tags (Paris Nights), Borders (Homespun Chic).

How was your child's first day of school? A nice thing to document are your child's favorite things they enjoyed on their first day. My daughter enjoyed the bus ride and recess time.

Until later!

A Little Toot

2010-09-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, I had a layout picked up for one of Scrapbook Trends idea books. This one to be exact.

I completely forgot that this issue was supposed to come out last month! I finally downloaded myself a copy the other day and saw my "Peek-a-Boo" layout on page 102.

I just love these pictures of my girls playing together. Now that I look at these pictures, I realize how much they have grown in just a few short months! Kids sure grow up way too fast huh? Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to capture many more happy play time moments between these two because once they hit teenagers, all that will disappear as they go their seperate ways. Then again, maybe I'll get lucky and they will always stick together. Yeah right! Who am I kidding? But for now, I am going to enjoy these happy moments.

Until later,

A Dressed Up Doily with GCD

2010-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Today I want to show you a quick and easy way to dress up a plain old doily. First you will need a negative sticker letter sheet. Make sure the sheet is not too sticky otherwise it will tear your doily when you remove it. Make sure to lightly dust your letter sticker sheet with some baby powder then gently press it onto your doily. Once in place, liberally spray several colors of mists. Once you remove your sticker sheet, your doily should now look something like this.

You can either use the doily as is or add a little something else to it. I decided to back my doily with a darker sheet of paper and add another sheet of patterned paper to the front.

To add some texture, handstitch or sew a circle around the inside. Your doily will look something like this when it is completed.

Here is how I used my dressed up doily on my layout.

GCD Supplies: Paper: Vintage Audrey (Homespun Chic), Book Page (Artsy Urban), Flutter (Ava), Collection Pack (Homespun Chic), Die-cut: Homespun Chic, Recipe Card: Homespun Chic

Until later!

GCD Necklace Blog Hop

2010-09-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the GCD Studios Necklace Blog Hop! I created my necklace by using the Round Metal Pendant.

Here is what my finished necklace looks like...

I used both the A and B sides of the Petit Garden paper from the Ava collection to create my necklace. I traced my round piece of chipboard on the A side of the paper. Then cut it out, glued it to the chipboard and sanded off the edges. I did the same thing for the heart chipboard except, this go around, I used the B side of the paper and stamped it with a script stamp. For the finishing touches, I applied a layer of diamond glaze to the round and heart pieces. I let them dry overnight and then carefully glued the heart onto my circle. And viola! I now have a super cute simple necklace that I can wear! Just think of all the possible combinations of necklaces you can make with the gorgeous papers from GCD! Love it!

To make things a bit more interesting, how about a prize? GCD Studios is generously holding 10 giveaways! In order to qualify, you will need to go through the blog hop and visit everyone's blogs. Make sure to leave a comment on each blog you visit for a chance to win!

And that is all she wrote! Head on over to Juliana Michaels for the next stop on the GCD Necklace Blog Hop. In case you landed on my blog first and would like to join in on the fun, make sure you start at the GCD Studios Blog and then follow along with the DTs blogs.

Until later!

The Not So Nice Things

2010-09-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

So often when we take pictures to scrap, we tend to forget to take pictures of the not so good times. One day my oldest daughter was having a bad day and had a meltdown just as we were leaving the house. I took out my phone and snappped a couple of pictures knowing that I wanted to capture this moment and scrap about it someday. I want to remember not only the happy times of my children, but also the times when things are not so great.

This layout was created with the Sweet Sue kit (hurry only 12 left!)

What not so nice times have you experienced? You can even create a layout without a picture or take one the next time it happens. Make sure to leave me a link here. I'd love to see what you create!

Have a Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

Coming Soon...

2010-09-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

The GCD Design Team and Facebook girls will be hosting a blog hop on Labor Day. Check back on Monday, September 6th to see what everyone has created. You won't want to miss this!

Until later!

Noel Mignon's Sweet Sue Kit

2010-08-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Guess what arrived at my doorstep the other day? Yep you guessed it. The newest kit by Noel Mignon, Sweet Sue. I think this would have to be my favorite kit so far! I love all of Noel's kit but this one...oh so yummy! Check out all the goodies you get!

And here is a layout I made with the kit. I just couldn't wait to play with it! I have many more layouts planned with this kit too.

There are only 13 kits left so hurry and buy yours before they are all sold out! You can purchase the kit here.

Until later!

10,000 Reasons To Celebrate!

2010-08-20T13:11:00.001-07:00

Holy smokes! Scrapstreet now has 10,000 subscribers who peruse the Scrapstreet.com magazine on a monthly basis! Awesome! I am so proud (and a bit nervous) that I have the privilege to be one of the feature writers of this very magazine! To celebrate, Scrapstreet is giving away a gorgeous prize pack chalked full of yummy goodies! The prize includes some American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket, Teresa Collins, BasicGrey, and much much more. Check it out!

To learn how you can win these goodies, check out the Scrapstreet blog
here. Good luck!

Until later!

GCD Sprinkles and Polka Dots

2010-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

This month's inspiration piece was all about polka dots! Leave it to me to inspired by sweet treats all thanks to that big sweet tooth of mine! The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the inspiration photo was one of my favorite desserts called Tuxedo Brownies. I just had to whip up a batch, take a picture of it and scrap about it. Any excuse to make sweets is just fine by me. Without further ado, here is my tasty layout.

Until later!

Fun In the Sun

2010-08-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of being out in the heat? How about taking a little break indoors and come and join us over at Noel Mignon. We are having a week long crop with fun challenges and awesome prizes! Head on over to the Message Boards and join in on the fun!

See you there!

GCD Altered Journal Tags

2010-08-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I create a layout, I forget to leave a space for my journaling. This is usually the time when I will reach for a journaling tag and use it to write a few words to retell the story of my pictures. For my layout, I used a combination of the Melody Ross Homespun Recipe Cards and the Melody Ross Homespun Inspiration Cards. You can see the two I chose in the picture below.

The pink border around the recipe card clashed with my layout so I cut off the pink portion and then placed the recipe card over the inspiration card. Here is a preview of the finished product before I placed it on my layout.

There are many combinations of the recipe and inspiration cards you can use to create your own unique journaling tags.

Happy creating everyone!

Back from CHA and a GCD Giveaway!

2010-08-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

What a crazy, fun past few weeks I have had! I had the opportunity to attend the CHA Summer show in Chicago and hang out with the Scrapstreet girls. It was absolutely the best time evah! We toured all the different booths and did a few make and takes. I can't express how much I loved every minute of CHA! We even took an afternoon to explore Navy Pier and a little bit of downtown Chicago. I wish we would of spent more time down there. Would of loved to have seen more. Maybe next time.

On to some fun news for my fellow blog readers. GCD Studios is having a layout contest with an AWESOME prize! Who would not want to win this?

You could win The Chipart Tool, metal stamps, cute chipboard, paint brushes and much more! This prize is worth more than $150.00!!! How do you enter this contest you ask? Well here are the details...

1. Make a layout about your home/town (this theme is inspired by our DT's theme this month)
2. Send it to HSonboul@gcdstudios.com by Aug 29th no later then 12PM PST
3. You must use at least 20% GCD Studios, Which means 1 or two papers or a few embellies

For more information on this contest, visit the blog post here.

I don't know about where you live but here it's crazy hot! It's been over 100 degrees every day! We are melting here! So guess what we did while dinner was cooking in the oven!

We enjoyed some much needed cool down time with the sprinklers in the backyard. Ah heaven!

Until later!

Almost Time!

2010-07-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

Why is it that the weekends fly by and the week days drag? Well here we are again, five more days until the weekend. I am hoping this week is different and flys by. I am all sorts of excited to flying to Chicago next Monday and meeting up with all my Scrapstreet sisters! This will be my first trip to CHA too! I look forward to meeting all my scrappy friends and checking out all the fun new scrapping goodies!

I have been busy playing with the "Sunkissed" and the new "Office Party" kit from Noel Mignon. Here are some of my recent creations.

Until later!

Vroom! Vroom! G.C.D Style!

2010-07-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

This month’s theme piece revolves around our nation’s big birthday, the 4th of July, with lots of red, white, and blue. I was inspired by the star shaped cookies and thought it would fun to incorporate a large star on my layout. We recently were at a friend’s house for a BBQ and my youngest daughter fell in love with her daughter’s little toy motorcycle. She even made the cutest face while she was playing! She is definatly a little biker chick. Boy am I going to be in trouble when she grows up!

GCD papers used: Homespun Chic by Melody Ross Blue Redwork, Artsy Urban by Melody Ross Red Floral, Artsy Urban by Melody Ross Postcard 2, Artsy Urban by Melody Ross Petit Floral.

Other supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Butterflies: G.C.D. Studios, Paint: Making Memories, Mist: Maya Road, Label Sticker: BasicGrey, Letters: K&Company, Twine: Studio Calico.

Until next time!

Party Time!

2010-07-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Right now I am eagerly awaiting the newest kit from Noel Mignon. The August's kit is called Office Party and is filled with goodies from Maya Road, BasicGrey, My Mind's Eye, Jillibean Soup, 7 Gypsies, and much much more. Noel really knows how to jam pack her kits full of all sorts of yummy goodies. It will be up for sale on July 15th and you are not going to want to miss this one! So make sure you stop by Noel Mignon and purchase your kit on the 15th. Then have fun creating and don't forget to post it in the gallery. I'd love to see what you create with this kit.

Until later!

Grunge Time with G.C.D. Studios

2010-07-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

July is the month of fireworks, BBQs, family, and much more. When I think of July, one of the first things that comes to my mind are the outdoor concerts that are held for the military at various bases around the country. I have only had the opportunity to attend one such concert but that was a long time ago when I was a teenager. However, I did recently get the chance to attend a concert in the city with some friends. I had a blast and even remembered to take pictures! Camera phones sure do come in handy at times like these!

Today I am going to show you how to grunge up your title a bit. You can actually do this technique with any chipboard that you have previously painted. In this case, the letters I chose were just too bright for my layout. First I placed my letters on a piece of wax paper. This keeps them from sticking while I work on them.

Grab a nail file or a piece of sandpaper and lightly sand off some of the paint.

Chose a corresponding mist color and spray one or two light coats. Once the mist dries, peel off your letters from the wax paper and put it on your layout.

That’s pretty much it. A very quick and simple technique that I am sure you will enjoy.

Here is a closeup of the little flower I made with the Artsy Urban by Melody Ross Red Floral paper and a little bit of charcoal colored ink.

Supplies: Paper: Homespun Chic by Melody Ross Vintage Audrey, Artsy Urban by Melody Ross Red Floral, Artsy Urban by Melody Ross Black Floral, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, brad: G.C.D. Studios, Letters: American Crafts, October Afternoon, Mist: Maya Road, Ink: S.E.I.

Until next time!

GCD Newsletter

2010-07-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

This week, we have one BIG give aways for our FUN News Letter!

Heidi and Heather in house just finished our July issue and it's ready to mail! We are so excited about it, because it's our best issue yet!

Here's how it works:

1)Sign up for the news letter here.... Inthestudio@gcdstudois.com

2)Then Leave a comment here over at GCD Studios Blog. (look for the post that says GIVE AWAY+ HAPPY 4th)

In the News letter you'll see the prize :)

Then on July 12th... Heidi will pick the winner!

Hello Monday!

2010-06-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Now that the fun filled weekend is over, it's time to go back to work. I wanted to take a quick moment this morning to share a little something with you. Have you checked out the Noel Mignon blog lately? The new team is posting inspirational items every day. You can check out my post here. Just to give you a little teaser, I talk a little about this layout below...

In other news, the Scrapstreet.com Magazine has it's current calls up. I hope you take a few minutes to submit.

September 2010 Article Calls - Features

Call 1: Time To Get Our 'Rule' On: It's time to see how you can measure up...send us those layouts that include rulers, measurement, etc.

Call 2: School Days: It's that time again, the kids are headed back to school. Send us pages documenting the first day of school or dare to show us what you do while the kids are in school--work, volunteering, chores, fun? Really want to go wild? Scrap your own school pages--big hair and all!

Call 3: Patchwork Perfect: We want to see creations with blocks reminiscent of a quilt. Show us that it is hip to be square!

Call 4: Flying High! Let's see those layouts that feature hot air balloons, kites or planes! If it flies in the air and is not alive (i.e. no birds), we want to see it!

Call 5: Picture Perfect. Camera phones such as iPhones, have the coolest apps you can use to take pictures. Show us how you incorporate pictures taken with your phone on your next layout.

September 2010 Article Calls - Fixtures

Chic Street: Put your shine on with sequins! Share your layouts, cards, and creations featuring sequins with us.

U-Turn: So Thankful: With the coming of Fall and the season of giving, send us projects that show your gratitude for the ones you love.

Open Road: Put the focus on your journaling! This month, let a color word inspire you! Turquoise might remind you of your favorite piece of jewelry or a great sweater you have. What does tangerine make you think of? Be sure add journaling to explain the significance!

Easy Street: You can tie it in a knot, you can tie it in a bow! Let's see your favorite layouts using ribbon!

Card Corner: Be a good neighbor and create a card in honor of National Good Neighbor Day (September 28.) Whether you're welcoming a new family to the neighborhood or celebrating a friendship that has grown over the years, we want to see how you show your appreciation for your neighbors!

Crossroads Cafe: Are you a hybrid scrapper? Submit your layouts that use any hybrid technique and tell us what you love about this style of scrapbooking!

Deadline is midnight June 29th for all calls.

Please send your work to submissions@scrapstreet.com.

Please send a separate email for each submission you would like to be considered for publication. Please keep the image size around 600 x 600 pixels. Thank you!

That's all she wrote for today. Untl later!

Blue on Blue

2010-06-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! This month the G.C.D. Facebook gals where inspired by ties. What inspired me about this theme were the tone on tone colors on the guy's shirt versus his tie. The first thing that came to mind was to create a monotonous layout featuring the beautiful color blue. I love this color! It makes me think of blue skies and happy days.

Not only did I want to concentrate on the color blue, but I wanted to add a lot of texture to the layout since ties come in all different fabric types. I add handstitching, layered paper, punched paper, pearl swirls, and a crocheted flower.

Here are a couple of detailed shots.

Supplies: Paper, frame, flower: G.C.D Studios, Envelope: Maya Road, Stamp: Studio Calico, Lace, Swirl: Prima Marketing, Punch: EK Success, Mist: Maya Road, Pen: Martha Stewart Crafts.

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions on how I created this layout, write it in the comment section. I'd be more than happy to answer it!

Until later!

Roll With It G.C.D Style!

2010-06-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Good morning fellow scrappers! Since this month is Father's Day, how about we create a flower with a little bit of a rough and tough look. Perfect for those manly pages of yours! Or if you'd like, you can even use them on a girlie layout. So many possibilities! Ok. let's get started!

First up, gather up all your supplies. Use your scalloped punch and punch out a scallop from the Homespun Chic Vintage Audrey paper.

Spray about 2 squirts of your lemon and lime mist on your punched scallop. Once the mist has dried, lightly ink the edges, crumpled up the scallop, and then smooth it out again.

Cut about a one inch strip from your Artsy Urban Big Butterfly paper, wrap it around a pencil to create a coil. Remove it from the pencil and then begin to coil the paper unto itself.

Now you should have a nice little flower center.

Take your newly made flower center and use a few glue dots to adhere it to the Homespun Chic Textile Gift Tag. Then adhere the textile gift tag to your scalloped circle. Easy peazy right? Now if you want, you can add a button or some gems in the center to add a bit more texture to your flower or you can leave it just the way it is. Here is how I used my manly flower on a layout.

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Paper: G.C.D. Studios, Flowers: G.C.D. Studios, Pearls: Kaisercraft, Lace: Prima Marketing, Alphas: BasicGrey, Brads: American Crafts, Pen: Martha Stewart Crafts.

And a close-up shot of some of the detailing.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. If you make a flower of your own, make sure to link it. I'd love to see what you create!

Until later!