i love a good scrap room.

hey ya'll, it's emily here.

one of my favorite things to do on the web is to look at other people's scrap spaces.

i'm always coveting though, so it may not be the best thing for me :)

here's a few rooms that caught my eye...
(pictures from HGTV.com)

this room is so fun and colorful....i love the shelving.

if you like a more classic look, than this is the room for you...

this is a great sewing room...

and last but certainly not least, martha stewarts craft room (or should i say, one of her craft rooms---cause i'm sure she has many).

goodness, wouldn't it be nice...

Yesterday...

I want to thank all the lovely gals who came out to create at Jeanie's house yesterday!! I really enjoyed myself and hope you all did too...
We created this Spring photo banner along with a Spring album--great fun!!
In class, I met the sweetest gal--Beth Gantz. She is the proud owner of Stitches, a cross stitch and needlepoint store in Bay Village. Jeanie spoke so highly of her and her store, she brought this out to show me her latest creation...
She does wonderful custom design work and framing too, so if you live nearby, stop in and say hello or sign up for a class!!

Have a great day, friends...

Think Spring!

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." ~Hal Borland

  Hi everyone, Tina here and while the calendar says its spring time our temperatures are not convincing. However there are some small signs of springs approach when I look around my yard, and that's a welcome sign.

Recently I started planning some crafts for Easter and since I have so many flowers I though why not decorate some egg shapes.

By taking some flowers and decorative pins I quickly decorated these styrofoam eggs.

Answers to a few questions & a reminder.

Been fielding a few questions lately, so I thought I'd take a minute to answer a few here...

1. I shoot with a Canon DSLR and have for just over 4 years now. I use my 50mm 1.4 lens about 90% of the time and I highly recommend it to anyone who is within earshot. I do enjoy playing and learning about photography and am mostly inspired by Karen Russell and Tara Whitney. (I could do a post on this subject alone--but they are my two favs.)

2. I do edit my photos and enjoy playing around with it. I would highly recommend taking classes if you were so inclined to with Lynn Weber or Pattie Knox over at Get it Scrapped. I'd also recommend Jessica Sprague as well. I own a big photoshop program and rarely use it, however. I'm an old dog and use my hp editing software along with actions a lot. Huge fan of Picnik and Scrapbookpictures.com too.

3. I can't remember the last time I used a flash. It really has been that long ago.

4. I'm the oldest of three girls (thanks for asking, Kim R.!!).

5. I do not have any local classes planned at the Waterbury Clubhouse, just upcoming crops. There are a few seats available for next Saturday, March 28th if you are interested. You can get more info here.

6. I am, however, still teaching classes at people's homes locally and am looking forward to a fun one this Sunday!! I have a feeling the Avon gals will be a fun group...

7. Karen R., your email made my week! Hope you find that perfect piece of furniture!!

8. No, I have not gone hybrid and I will post some layouts soon--I promise.

9. The first class over at Get is Scrapped was titled "Unconventional Garlands" and today's class is "Traditional Banners." Two more classes are set up for next week, and there is still plenty of time to join us. There is also a facebook group you can join for fun--be sure to say hello when you stop by!!

10. My favorite subjects to photograph are our kids, our extended family, flowers and food. In that order. Kind of crazy. My favorite photos are the imperfect ones that only a mother can love (like the one above. This photo is a new favorite because it captures their personalities perfectly right now and that is what I want to remember. Little Hooligans...) :)

And consider this post as your official yearly reminder to plant wheat grass in baskets right now so you will have the perfect arrangements for Easter. (If you plant too soon the grass tends to yellow, and if you go too late it isn't thick enough. Trust me.) You can read about my original post here. Let me know how it goes!! This is SOOOO worth the effort...

Thanks for the questions, and feel free to post more if you have any (or email me at Turay413@gmail.com). Thanks!

its been a while since...

ive shared some sketches with you all.
so here are a bunch of sketches made by yours truely ;)
hopefully they can help jumpstart a page, or help get that mojo going!













also----do you love chipboard?
i have a sketch challenge going on
over HERE. all you have to do
is use the sketch upload it to the gallery and you are
entered to win!

Happy scrappin!
-janelle♥

Unorganized is my middle name

Hey everyone, Amy here! I hope you have all recovered from a crazy St. Patrick's Day! Now that the fun is over, it's time to tackle one of my worst enemies, organization. I struggle so much with organization, it's not even funny. My scrap area, OYE! It is so messy and out of sorts, I can't even stand it. The problem is, I just don't know where or how to begin. 2 peas is having a fabulous 25% off of all their organizing tools. You can check that out here. Here are a few products that I'd love to get my hands on. I'm sure they would fix up my space in no time!


I think these two items would totally help me to get my schtuff organized, pics from 2 peas.

I scrapbook in my basement, which is where my kids play, so I can be with them while I'm working. I am hesitant to put any holes in the wall because we just refinished it and I have a thing about holes in newly painted walls, so I think these shelves from PB would be perfect.



Remember the post here about scrap rooms? This one was one of my favs EVER!!! I was so happy when I had an actual space to scrap in, but now I am wishing I had a room so I could really organze it like the pic above. One of these days....

Do you have a fave organizing tip? Believe me, I could soooo use it! Have a great day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Saint Patrick's Day Toast
Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.
'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!'
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And to you, my friends...
May you have warm words on a cold evening,
a full moon on a dark night,
and a smooth road all the way to your door.

I have known many,
and liked not a few,
but loved only one
and this toast is to you.

May the lilt of Irish laughter
lighten every load.
May the mist of Irish magic
shorten every road...
And may all your friends remember
all the favours you are owed!

Here's to the land of the shamrock so green,
Here's to each lad and his darlin colleen,
Here's to the ones we love dearest and most.
May God bless old Ireland, that's this Irishman's toast!
I'll raise a glass and toast you all tonight...you can count on it!!

Peace to you and Ireland...

We're goin' GREEN!!

I'm gearing up for one of my favorite days of the year...St. Patrick's Day!! The weather looks wonderful for the big parade downtown tomorrow, and I'll be there with bells on...

Are you ready? Here are a few ideas to get you motivated...

I bagged green m&m's and used a mini clothespin to keep them shut at the top, and then I adhered a die cut (cut with the Cricut cart Paper Dolls) to the clothespin. These are going to one of my kid's schools...
We made green sugar cookies and then boxed them up like this. We used pop dots to make the shamrock stand out a little more (and kids love playing with pop dots...)
Got these wooden shamrock containers from Pat Catan's and we filled them with Rolos. I love how the gold foil makes it look festive!!
HAD to make these--an absolute favorite in this house...

Chocolate Mint Cookies
1 Package Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 Cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 box of Andes Mints

Combine first 4 ingredients. Batter will be a bit lumpy. Place on ungreased cookie sheet by the spoonful. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven, place the mint on top of the cookie and let them cool. Swirl with a knife for a finishing touch, and enjoy!

Super Easy Corned Beef

3-4 lb Corned Beef Roast
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 8 oz. can of beer (I use Guinness--St. Patty's Day and all...)

Take your roast out of the package, rinse and pat dry. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. In a dutch oven, place roast fat side up. Rub brown sugar over the top and bottom. Carefully pour beer over the top of the beef to moisten the sugar. It will bubble up. Place the lid on the dutch oven and bake for 2-3 hours. Let the meat stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Slice across the grain for thin slices. Delish!!

Did you know that corned beef and brisket are the same cut of meat? Corned beef simply means it has soaked in a brine (salt water bath.) No wonder I love it! Also, be sure to to get a flat cut instead of a point--it will bake evenly.

Don't forget to dye all your food green. Oatmeal, yogurt, eggs, milkshakes, drinks--you name it!! I plan on placing dye into the toilet bowl this year to see if anyone notices...

My son who is in kindergarten had a task of creating a leprechaun catcher as a class project. You know, I hear that if you catch those buggers, they have to share their gold!! The teacher asked us to help explain how they always "get away" and parents have willingly provided miniature clothing, potatoes, coin candy, gold dust or notes. He's going to love it...

More ideas here and here...

Feel free to comment and share any you may have as well!!

Feeling Lucky...

First off, thanks to all who participated in yesterday's little give away contest!! The winner of the April kit is borcherding AND Haberdawoman!! Please email me at Turay413@gmail.com and I'll get your April Kits out to you ASAP!! Congrats!! And if you're up for another give away, keep reading...

My sweet friend Jeanie Radcliffe made this at the crop last weekend using the Paper Dolls Cricut Cartridge and I thought it turned out adorable. She's into banners like I am, and we bonded even more discussing our heritage. Isn't it cute??
I thought this tutorial for creating St. Patty's Day shirts was too fun...

I love this recipe (especially because I'm not a fan of raisins, and most soda bread recipes call for them)...
Irish Soda Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

And if you're feeling lucky, be sure to head on over to Emily Falconbridge's blog for a chance to win a spot in my class that starts next week!! Be sure to post a comment before Tuesday.

... More Green Goodness tomorrow...enjoy your Saturday!!

Follow Us...

I'm so tickled to announce that today is the 500th WIP blog post!! Hard to believe, huh???So I feel like celebrating!! How would you like a chance to win a free APRIL Work in Progress Kit? This would be a picture of the lovely kit above--and it is filled with a bunch of brand new CHA stuff that is just heavenly!! All you have to do is sign up to be a follower of the WIP blog on the bottom right hand side of the side bar. If you are already signed up, you're good to go. If not, be sure to add us and you could win!! Pretty easy, huh? You have until midnight EST tonight to join.

And if you're a subscriber, be on the lookout for your email notification today!!

Have a great day everyone!!