Lots of fun stuff going on to celebrate NSD (which is technically Saturday) around here. First up... This kit is available today right here. The specialty kit costs $25, and is loaded with the brand new Crate Paper Lillian collection!! The contents of the kit will be listed on the site, and they are ready to ship!
I will also be listing discontinued kits up for sale at rock bottom prices, so be sure to check it out!! I thought it was time for some "spring cleaning." Look for those around noon today...and yes, I can combine shipping!!
I still have 4 openings for next weekend's NSD crop (May 9th from 10am-midnight) at the Waterbury Community Center before it is sold out. I have had several requests to hold more crops over the summer, and I do have plans on holding at least 3, so stay tuned for more information!! I also have plans to do a kids camp and a mother/daughter crop...whee!! Details will follow...
My husband got me this necklace from Julian & Co. for Christmas. I can't tell you how much I love it!! The fact that he thought I'd enjoy it is what really made it special. It is a mom necklace--with the name of each of our children on one charm, and their birth date on the opposite side. You can check out all their beautiful creations on their website, along with the variations. And if you enter this code, STML-MOTHERSDAY you can get a $10 discount for Mother's Day!!
My family recently went on a cruise and between the 11 of us, we managed to take over 500 photos! I knew it would be virtually impossible to scrapbook all of those photos. I decided to make my task more manageable and create a "photo" album instead.
I found this great special issue from Simple Scrapbooks to get me started. The issue is filled with lots of different approaches to creative photo albums. It is probably one of my favorite issues.
I narrowed down my photos to about 200 of my favorites. Next, I purchased a simple photo album from Joanns. The faux leather cover is perfect knowing that my little guys will look at this often.
I simply slipped my photos in the sleeves. I left some sleeves empty to journal and make "mini" pages. To keep things simple, I used one paper line from Anna Griffin and matching embellishments.
I finished the entire album in less than 2 weeks by working on it a little each evening. I actually made 2 of them at the same time so that I could give one as a gift. I highly recommend trying this when you have a large volume to photos from a trip or an event.
I'd like to show you more from my album but for some reason, my PC is very upset with Photoshop and shuts down in the middle of my work. I think it's on strike. A good reminder to us all to back up your work! We have everything on an external hard drive just in case.
Yesterday, my sister showed up at my house unexpectedly and treated me to a much needed day off. Suffice it to say, it was about the nicest thing anyone could have done for me.
I spent the gorgeous day attending to things that were long over-due, and then treated myself to some shopping...
Of course, I had to go to Perfectly Charming. If any of you are local, you should treat yourself to a little road trip out to the Medina Square. So many beautiful shops, so little time!! Here is what I picked up yesterday.
Love the red chair for my son's room. The green picnic basket will adorn my daughter's bedroom. The cement birds have a new home in my dining room. And the green caddy has a new home in my scrapbook room.
Oh, and that awesome library case? That is the new home to a bunch of pictures that need organizing. I love the glass fronts--I can't wait to embellish it and make it mine.
I wish all of you a day like that from time to time. It was food to my soul. Thanks, Chrissy.
can you believe it's almost time for mothers day?! being a mommy, i do always look forward to this day with the exception of having to figure out what to get my mom.
here are a few outstanding ideas i found on my favorite website, martha stewart!
decorating your gift box with photos...super cute.
making some handmade soap...what mom couldn't use soap?! all those grubby hands and faces we clean all day :)
this is my favorite...a jewelry box, all dolled up...with little boxes inside it. so charming and vintage.
you can never go wrong with a coupon book...
and what mom doesn't like flowers? add their favorite candy to that vase, and you have an instant hit! (well, you would with me anyways :) )
all these ideas were taken from marthastewart.com under the "mothers day" gift section.
We had so much fun last year, we're doing it again this year...
Fall Retreat at the Bertram Inn
Work in Progress Scrapbooking November 13-15, 2009
Join us for a wonderful scrapbooking retreat at the lovely Bertram Inn, located in Aurora, Ohio. You’ll enjoy a whole weekend at a beautiful hotel eating the most delicious food. All you need to do is bring your scrap supplies, and the rest will be left up to us!Check in time is 3:00pm on Friday, November 13th. You will also be permitted to set up at your table in the ballroom at that time as well, where you’ll have an entire 6 foot table all to yourself. There will be a welcome reception served that evening, and the ballroom will be available day and night for however long you wish to stay. When you decide to retire to your room, you simply leave your table and return to it the next morning!On Saturday, you return to where your table for a full day of more fun! There will be a breakfast buffet served to us right outside our ballroom, a boxed lunch (added this year) and later on we will also be served an early dinner. I elected to set it up this way so we all have room to enjoy a fondue bar on Saturday evening without feeling the least bit guilty!! You know we need that chocolate to keep the creativity flowing.And just like the previous night, you retire at your leisure and return to the same spot the next day.
On Sunday, you’ll be served breakfast, and check-out time is noon. You are free to continue scrapping until 2:00pm in the ballroom. And believe me when I tell you--you won’t want to leave.
Now, if that wasn’t enough--I will be offering a very limited amount of break-out classes on Saturday. Once registration is complete, I will reveal a list of classes and you can decide to partake in these or not--it is simply an option. Most of the break-out classes will be short and sweet, and project related (since Christmas will be on all of our minds by then for sure!). Pre-registration won’t begin until July 1st, and since class size is limited, it will be on a first-come basis. More information will follow.I can’t say enough about the facilities at the Bertram Inn. The food there is what sold me on doing this entire event, and I hope you take a chance and decide to join me for a weekend you won’t soon forget! The hotels also offers a restaurant and a variety of other amenities, and if you’d like to see more of what is available, please visit the website at www.thebertraminn.com.
Accommodations and Pricing: Prices listed are for the entire weekend package, including meals, a water station and scrapbook space with proper lighting.Availability is on a first come basis, and deposits are NOT refundable. The first deposit (half of the fee) along with the registration form is due by Sunday, May 10th (Mother's Day), with the remainder due by Sunday, October 11th, 2009. When registering, please list all roommates, as seating will be assigned. Pricing for 2 nights and above meals listed are:
Hi everyone Tina here, and I don’t know about you, but I sure am tired of winter and cold dreary weather.
Last fall when Trish reminded us to plant bulbs I made sure to get some, and sure enough after the last snow melted away and I could see the greens starting to come up. And since winter this year doesn’t seem to want to let go, it’s nice to see some of the reminders of spring arriving.
I also enjoy bringing silk flowers out throughout the house to decorate during the spring and summer months.So many of the pieces look so real, and I think they add that splash of color indoors after all the winter decorations get put away.
Hopefully, you too are starting to see some signs of spring outdoors and indoors.
don't you just love it when a layout just FALLS together, everything just falls into place, the papers, the photos, the embellishments, the journaling. And then before you know it you have this amazing layout that you completed in NO time. we would love to see some of YOUR favorites. show us those layouts, cards or projects that are your very favorites. inspire us! :) here are some of mine:
Gearing up for a full but fun week over at Get it Scrapped. I'm teaching another online class on one of my favorite topics--Mothers. So often we scrapbook our children and families, and forget to document the women around us who help us become good mothers. Circle of Moms is based on one of my favorite mini books ever--my Motherhood album. The class includes three printable pdf's that include surveys and questions for your own circle of moms, along with instructions and photos of two of my albums about the women who help educate me and share their wisdom so that I can be a better mother. There are also sketches for those of you who prefer doing your own thing--you know I love those! Hope to see you over there!!
And speaking of moms, I'd like to also direct your attention to this wonderful fundraiser called Mother May I? to benefit the Scleroderma Foundation. Tami Taylor is running this amazing challenge in honor of her own mother, who lost her battle with the disease. There are TONS of awesome prizes and benefits, so be sure you check it out and join us!! It is a wonderful, worthy cause and I applaude her efforts! (She also happens to be the sweetest, kindest girl you'd ever want to meet--seriously.)
And be sure to check out the First Birthday Celebration over at Get it Scrapped this week, too! Lots of challenges, an online crop, layout ideas and PRIZES!! I'm happy to be a sponsor, and look forward to the upcoming weekend of fun over there! I hope you can join us...
Hey there...it's Jamie...sewing up a storm these days. I have found myself in a nitch of sewing as of late. Skirts, mostly. Girls tier skirts. Girls denim yoke skirts. Fun pink prints in floral and plaids. And it has been contagious too. My girlfriend came for a visit recently from California. For most of the time she was here, we were sewing skirts! Tag teaming on the sewing machine. You know you have a true friend when you find comfort in the simple sound of a sewing machine and just being together in that creative way. But I digress...
My inspiration of late came from a couple of new blog site discoveries. Don't you just love it when you find a little cyber treasure. Espcially when it spurs you on to creative goodness that serves...well, it serves others, but for sure it serves yourself to delight in the find and inspiration.
One of the most productive finds was here. You will find some cool tutorials, patterns and just free stuff, plus plenty of inspiration. It's well worth a bookmark on your browser. I tried my hand at the twirly skirt, because what five year old can live without a twirly skirt. I tweaked the pattern a bit and made it my own, but it is for sure a keeper. I will be making that one again.
This one is a good one too. She is great for using what you have kind of creativity. We all need a little more of that in our lives.
And the one here is one I am still investigating, but I keep going back for more. It's one of those sites that makes me say "ahhhh". She just made her daughter a dress to die for, I mean really adorable!!! I will have to work my way up to that one.
Oh...and have you looked here at her fabric links? Fun stuff you know you wanna try. Just scroll down about a third of the way to 'fabrics' on the right hand side.
And don't forget there are some adorable finds on etsy for fabric...
Good morning everyone! C'est moi, Colleen. A little late...sorry.
I am the queen of late. Late for my classes, late for appointments, late for everything. I blame being a Miami girl...Miami is on a time of it's own. We call it Miami-time or Mañana. You know, I was actually 3 weeks late to my own birth, and I've often pondered having being late to my own funeral written into my will. My mom says I'll be late, so why not make it official?
One thing that I am actually staying on schedule with is my 365. How are you guys doing with that? Are you still taking your pictures? I've taken a picture every single day this year and I load them into my flickr. I'll admit, some days it has been hard to get a pic, but so far so good. Here's some favorites over the past month...
We lost power for two days, so I read with the pup for a while Saturday morning at the Starbucks with my hubby My Irish Soda Bread on St. Paddy's Day (Trish's Recipe by the way) Enjoying a glass of wine after a long day Just capturing the little things...
What really amazes me is that I'm actually keeping track of my monthly albums! Yeppers! Granted, I'm not doing a page a day most days like I was at the beginning, but I catch up on the weekends or at crops. The important thing is that I have albums for the past 3 months that celebrate my everyday life. A diary of sorts! All made from scraps...
Scrapbooking. Preserving memories. Being green and using scraps... Gotta love it.
I am often asked about favors for showers or parties. I get a big kick out of entertaining, and I wanted to share a favorite site of mine with you today. All of the favors below can be found there--along with tons of inspiration (for those of you who want to lift ideas and make them your own). Edible favors are a long standing favorite. You know they're mine! Check these out--DIVINE. One of the things I love about the site is that they have a Deal-of-the-Day. They have adorable non-edible items, too. These are my favorite (looks good enough to eat, huh?) Their custom Rice Krispie Treats would be perfect for a First Communion or Engagement Party too... Beau-coup.com, you rock.
Contents of this kit include: 16 Patterned Papers (6 Cosmo Cricket Snorkel, 7 Jillibean Soup and 3 Imaginesce), Sassafrass Lass Journaling Stickers—full sheet, Sassafrass Lass Cardstock Stickers—full sheet, Pink Paislee red letter alphas, Jenni Bowlin Studios label stickers—full sheet, full pack of blue Imaginesce flowers 18 ct., XL Stick Pin, 15” felt ric rac from Creative Café, 25 red and pink glass embellishments, 24” red paper lace, full sheet of Basic Grey Marrakesh cardstock stickers.
May Add-On Kit--$15
Contents of this kit include: 8 Patterned papers (1 Jillibean Soup, 3 Imaginesce Twitterpated, 1 Little Yellow Bicycle, 3 Making Memories), Two alphabet sheets from Little Yellow Bicycle in blue and green, two journaling sheets—My Week and To Do, 12” Creative Café journaling strip, Little Yellow Bicycle Mini Book white chipboard, 4 floral pictures for cards, 24” red ric rac, blue felt bird, 12 ice cream cone chipboard pieces.
May Project Kit--$25Contents of this album include: 8x8 bound album with 15 cardstock pages inside, bound with black bind-it-all binding as shown, 12 rhinestone crystals, 15” pink pom pom ribbon, 2 My Mind’s Eye die cut cards, two sheets of Teresa Collins label pages, 1 metal key, Laundry Line acrylic stamp, Heidi Swapp cardstock stickers—full pack, 1 yard white fringe ribbon, 7 pieces of patterned paper (Making Memories Wedding—2 sheets, KI Memories—1 sheet, Doodlbug—1 sheet, 7 Gypsies—1 sheet, and Teresa Collins—2 sheets.)
They're all available for purchase here. Have a great day!
I might be a tad biased, but I think our DT just does some amazing work! I am never more inspired than when our stuff goes up each month. I find myself looking at what the others have created with the same stuff I used, and it never ceases to amaze me. I always manage to say, "Wow, I wish I had thought of that!" Take a closer look at a few that I just love from this month. You will find yourself beyond inspired.
of the May Project kit. Hot pink and black--YUM. I love those new Making Memories Wedding papers along with the new Heidi Swapp stickers. Can't wait to make a Mother's Day album with it...
Now that I'm only working three days a week I have a little more time for myself and my hobbies. I have a huge list of things I would like to try or accomplish. First on my list? Use my Cricut.
For the past year my poor little Cricut has sat and collected dust in my scrap room. I rarely plug it in unless one of the boys has a school project. My mother received the bigger Expression for Christmas and hasn't even used the thing yet despite purchasing A LOT of cartridges. Feeling guilty about hers and mine, I vowed to start to use the machine regularly.
I jumped on the internet and researched what other scrappers were doing with their machines. I had heard of SCAL but wasn't really sure what it did. SCAL stands for Sure Cuts A Lot a software program that works with your Cricut. It allows you to cut any font loaded on your PC plus clip art imported as a .svg file. You can see a comparison of SCAL versus Circut Design Studio here.
After doing my research, I went ahead and purchased the program (at 10% off after reading a message board post!). I took me about 15 minuets to load the software and update drivers. After about 5 minutes - and I'm not kidding - I was able to cut this title using a font off of my computer!
The software is really easy to use. I promise. Being able to use any font or dingbat I want is incredible. The software allows you to see what size you are getting before you cut. I always had a hard time knowing what the final width would be. I love the fact that I can "weld" the letters together. Although it is a little bit harder to learn, the software will allow you to import .svgclipart and use that as well. There are lots of ways to create .svg files. Many people use Inkscape. I use Adobe Illustrator so creating .svg files was a snap. The Bouncers title is the font "Howser" with a basketball clip art welded in the middle.
Since purchasing this last week, all I have been doing is making cuts with it. I even called my neighbor over and made her let me cut titles for her for her next crop.
If you want to learn more about SCAL, there are many user groups like this one you can join to learn. Watching videos on youtube is also a great way to learn about cutting vinyl, etching glass, or cutting fabric with your cutter.
Now that the Cricut has been dusted off, I really hope to start using it's great potential in my scrapbooking and other crafting. If you ever need any help getting started, please feel free to contact me!
Laina
Friday, April 10, 2009
Looking forward to a WONDERFUL day with friends, cropping into the wee hours of the night. A great way to start off Spring Break, if you ask me!! I plan on having a ton of fun making pretty photo cards (as seen above) for Teacher Appreciation gifts all day long...
Among other things, we will be attending our first MLB game of the year this weekend, making these, hosting the family for Easter, and dog sitting this coming week. I'm looking forward to my mom staying with us and to a mini getaway at a local waterpark for a couple of nights too. My fingers are crossed that the week will be relaxing and enjoyable with the kiddos home.
This kit is available today right here. The specialty kit costs $25, and is loaded with the brand new Crate Paper Lillian collection!! The contents of the kit will be listed on the site, and they are ready to ship!
