A bunch of stuff...

Warning--this post is picture heavy!

I wanted to share some of the goodness that other crafty friends brought to the NSD crop this weekend. The first one was made by Marti Mihalko, and she completed this beautiful acrylic mini at a recent Archiver's class.
I love how they used the bind-it-all, and incorporated all kinds of cool stuff into it. Love those Teresa Collins giant die cuts!

The back was stamped with Staz-on...cool, huh?
The next project is from Jen Forbus. She completed a Disney album using the same technique Ali taught us a while back (you know--the same one I stole for the Halloween book!). The "nine patterned paper circles on one page and photos on the other" is a tried and true winner.
She also managed to use a bunch of Disney pre-made die cuts that she already owned, which is a total bonus!
And who knew--she is GREAT at crocheting! Holy cow--she blew me away with this masterpiece! Val, if this comes up missing, you know where to look!
The third mini was a kit that Amy Cochran put together, and the pages are made of chipboard. Most of the book is covered in paint, and I love how the label maker tabs make the index pages pop...



Amy also shared her method of organizing paper lines she had with cardstock she needed. She keeps track using a system she set up in her Franklin Planner, and keeps it with her when she shops. (Note to self--don't allow Amy in my scrapbook room--she'll see how unorganized I am.)
I'm in LOVE with these new dies from Cuttlebug. Mary Ann shared these with us, and they are the neatest thing! One cuts, and the others emboss the die. Love the look of these when they're finished...

And last but certainly not least, Deb Cordes made the sweetest layout where she featured all the houses she lived in over the years. She completely inspired me to do a layout like this! I'm not good at using a span of photos over the years, but now I'm making a goal...
Thanks so much to all you wonderful ladies for sharing with me, and allowing me to share it with all of you! You have no idea how you inspire me!

If you're like me, and are looking for cute Mother's Day cards, I found some:
Cute Mother's Day Card Ideas.

Just a quick reminder, don't forget about the RAK here from Janelle. Love you girl!

And if you're a stamper and are looking for a deal, there's a great overstock sale going on here.

Enjoy!

Molly's Mother Book

Today, I wanted to showcase Molly's amazing Mother Album. She used Pink Paislee papers from a past kit, and the paper and album from the May Project kit here. I think you'll agree--it's simply gorgeous!Molly made the book for her daughter, Caitlynn. She filled it with photos, quips and quotes...




This shot of her on the beach blows me away! How darling is that!

Thanks so much for sharing, Molly! Wonderful work, as always!

I hope you are all working hard on those kits, and enjoying every one. I'll be posting some sneaks very soon...stay tuned!

And a quick note about the Grade School Album grades 7-12 on Friday evening at my home...it is SOLD OUT and the wait list is also full. I am only making a set amount of extra kits, and if there are any leftover, I will post them as available on the blog early next week. THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments and support on these books--I really appreciate all the positive feedback!

Have a wonderful Spring day!

The National Scrapbook Day Crop

I had the MOST wonderful time yesterday with the nicest group of women!! How lucky am I to not only have spent the day with supportive scrappers, but people who are also talented and enthusiastic about this hobby? Here are some of the pictures from yesterday...


And a few of the clock projects--they turned out so well!


I personally want to thank each and every one of you for coming out and playing--Jenn, Val, Jen, Marti, Carrie, Tami, Tina, Deb, Mel, Amanda (who deserves a really big THANK YOU for driving in all the way from Michigan to spend the day with us!), Molly, Amy, Cathy, Mary Ann, Pam, Jan, Heather, Deb, Stephanie, Karen and her two daughters--I will be scheduling another crop very soon ladies, so be on the lookout for an email and a blog post! I sincerely enjoyed myself and hope you did as well.

And as for the lucky winner--my son and daughter both wanted to pick--so Susan M and Laura S., email me at Turay413@gmail.com and I'll get your prizes out to you asap!

Thanks to everyone who played along. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week--and have the opportunity to squeeze some scrap time in for yourselves!

Happy National Scrapbook Day Everyone!

I hope you all enjoy the day scrapping your hearts out, enjoying this amazing hobby!!

Leave a comment and I'll do a RAK tomorrow morning!!

Have a super day!

The May Newsletters...

...were all emailed yesterday, and if you didn't get yours, drop me an email at Turay413@gmail.com and I'll be sure to re-send it. I know sometimes they get lost in the spam filters, so be sure to check...

This is one of the projects from the May Project Kit. I saw the idea on 2Peas several years ago, and I lifted it and made it my own. I LOVE those hangers!! They were in the May Add-on, and if you were one of the lucky ones to get your hands on one, you can do this too! Simply drill a few holes and add those gator clips, and you're done!
You can easily turn it into a mini instead of a layout. For my son, I took tons of pictures of his baby clothes, his closet, his nursery and the drawers so I could look back and remember those tiny details...
And here is another version I did on my own on a layout:
I'm gearing up for a SUPER fun day tomorrow, with some really fun and amazing women! I wouldn't spend NSD with just anybody...LOL!

Have a great day!

It's May Day!

Isn't the year just flying by?

Here is one of the layouts I did with the May kit. The newsletter will be out this afternoon for that one, and the project kit newsletter you should expect to see in your inbox this evening!! Have a super day!!

ready for a peek and some sketches?

i have a couple 12x12 sketches for ya! with some examples using the May main kit. are ya ready?
i thought you might be! ;)
here is the first one:

and here is my page using the sketch, this is me and molly's lil one :)



and here is your next sketch:

and here is my layout :


now i am going to give you guys a little incentive ;)

play along with us and do one or both of the sketches, link your layouts to the comments, and i will randomly pick a winner-- for a RAK from me! if you do both sketches, your name will go in 2 times! you have until May 9th, 2008 @ midnight EST to enter! now-- ready set SCRAP!

Happy Mail and my MIL.

...like this card I got from Jamie this past weekend. Isn't it beautiful? Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness and creativity, Jamie! You are such a sweetheart! She is also a saint for being so patient... She, along with a few others have been asking about the WIP flickr account and the WIP logo. Please bear with me...I have two newsletters that are due and a huge NSD crop this weekend, but I swear it will all be spelled out here on the blog early next week. So any and all of you working on kits this upcoming weekend, you will be able to post them on a group gallery finally---yeah!

And here is a layout I did using the April WIP kit. Man, I love Scenic Route.
I also truly love the layout. It is a photo of my MIL and my husband, Chris. Neither one of them pose well for the camera. They appear awkward and unnatural, so catching them in a candid is better than posed shots. They're also blinkers, which has brought about many bloopers in my files. But this shot--it captures their spirits, they're relaxed, and I love it.

I will be the first to say that my relationship with my MIL has not always been good. For many years, I felt like she thought I wasn't good enough for her son. After the birth of our third child, we all sat down and had a long talk. It wasn't easy for any of us at the time.

Our relationship has changed so dramatically in the past 2 years. She has been there for me and for my family. She showed up when my mom was in the hospital and I was at my lowest. I accepted help. I let her in. She and I were both cautious, but present. Slowly, we have worked on appreciating the other for who we are, and it is truly wonderful to see that things have reached this stage now.

I don't really share a lot of my personal life on this blog--it is generally work/creative/inspiration related. But I wanted to share this with so many of you who also have relationships that you want to repair. When you think it will never happen--it can. If you both want it--it really can.

The journaling on the layout reads: "I hope we do as good a job raising our two sons as she did raising him." And as a single parent, she really did an amazing job raising him. As Mother's Day approaches, I enjoy reflecting on these things. Love you, Marcia!

Enjoy your day people!

The "I Hope" Carousel...

...turned out better than I had hoped...At my daughter's First Communion party, I set this sign out, along with a bunch of cards for people to write their own statements for her...
The carousel, the sign and the blank stack of I Hope cards along with writing utensils were next to her cake on display...

And to my delight, many people filled out cards and left them for her.
I also passed these cards out to her grandparents, her godparents, and close relatives. Some included them in their cards to her, and a few even elaborated and elected to write full letters. It really was something, and I was thrilled.

I took the liberty of adding more "formal" statements to give people ideas (the original "I Hope" statements--about a dozen of them). I added over 100 photos, 10 plastic sleeves (which will house the letters and such) and it turned out like this:




I'd highly recommend getting photos printed out in matte rather than glossy if you attempt this project. Since the photos are handled a lot, matte holds up better and you can't see the fingerprints from handling. Also, I used several 5x7 photos as well as 4x6--it worked well! I like the staggered look to it.




It belongs to her now. I plan on adding a few photos from the party this weekend, and it will be in a special place on the desk in her bedroom. I love that she looks at it all the time, and keeps re-reading the sentiments that were written specifically for her. Total sap, just like her mama...

Have a wonderful evening!

Flowers.

My house has been filled with these all week. Beautiful, amazing and handmade. Every single one. Hundreds and hundreds--no kidding. The various shades of pink and orange are even more beautiful in person. Here they are on the kitchen counter and island...Aren't they something? Thank God for crafty friends who share. Margaret and Jen are amazing, and I really can't express my gratitude. These were used for a big event at the Art Museum last week, and they were kind enough to lend these to me for my daughter's party this weekend. The concept came directly from the one and only--Martha. The original tissue paper kit was purchased, and they took that concept and ran with it. You can't really tell in the photos, but the larger flowers are a foot in diameter.
And they're filling my dining room too...

They took heavy glass vases and wrapped them in vellum. And the coolest trick--they purchased the battery powered tea lights and put them in the vases, so they all shimmer and glow!! Totally breathtaking...

You gals rock. Thank you, thank you!

And since we're on the topic, check this out for a cute flower tutorial too. She does really crafty and creative things with flowers...

Have a super weekend!