HAPPY BIRTH-GIVING DAY TO ME!

I actually wanted to give a little shout out to my 1st born sweet baby girl who turns
"23"
today! I just can't believe it. She has grown into quite the lovely young woman.
If you are reading mom's blog my love- Happy Birthday- you are so special.

Mini Get Well Book Extra Pics...

Inside those pockets are a few surprises for Kate. One has a flower tag, another has strips with special messages of encouragement to her tucked inside the vellum envelope and the other pocket holds a tag with a cute button embellishment.
You cannot get the full affect of how adorable the book is unless you see it up close & personal but I think it turned out super cute for a super cute girl.
The cover paper is flocked so when she feels it- it will be super soft & velvety. The puppy dog is also textural & soft.
Check out the pics of the tag & vellum envelope tuck-ins.

A Mini Get Well Book I Created for Kate -Cards for Kate Drive

Halloween Layout

COUPLE OF CARDS FOR OPERATION WRITE HOME-LEFT BLANK FOR SOLDIER TO WRITE THEIR OWN MESSAGE

A CHANCE TO WIN SOME BLOG CANDY

Hey everyone!
Just wanted to draw your attention to the following blog for a shot at winning some super blog candy: http://kristineskort.blogspot.com

This crafter is talented & you can get a lot of inspiration from her creations.

You should also check out: http://artsyfartsyscraproom.blogspot.com

The talent in this industry is bursting at the seems.

She is doing a blog candy giveaway too in honor of almost obtaining 100 followers.
Just follow her blog, leave a comment on her blog & pass the info on about her giveaway. It's that easy. Let's push her followers over the 100 mark people.

Even if you don't win, it is always great to see what others are creating & sharing.

Enjoy.

Crafting Tip of the Week (#5) Photo Negatives-What's that?

Do you have extra negatives lying around from your photo processing days that are not in any kind of order or that you just don't save?
How about putting them to good use on your scrapbook pages or card-making projects?

Use the negatives film strip included in your stash of developed pictures as pockets for your pages by adhering it to your cardstock or patterned paper on the sides & bottom only. That way you will leave the top open to insert extra photos, journaling tags,ephemera and more. This will increase the amount of "crafting real estate" on your pages & projects by serving as a pocket.

You can cut them up and use them as frames for small photos or place rub-ons directly on them. You can use them as windows or step ladder simulations on your projects. They can serve as transparencies too. Those are just a few of my ideas to help jump start your creative juices.
The possibilities with this are only limited by your imagination.
So go ahead & give it a try.
Happy Crafting!

SUNDAY HOLY SUNDAY? Warning...Not Paper Craft Related- Just a Share Session

As many people do on Sundays in America, my daughter & I went to our first mass in our new "home" state. I am not Catholic but my honey bunny is so we decided we would baptize the little one Catholic and have her attend the kids Christian instruction classes. So we venture off to church. Initially, she was completely against this idea. I got every excuse in the book except for I am sick. In fact, she said she was sick alright but sick of her dad & I trying to force her to be Catholic. Then I proceeded to tell her that Jesus could hear everything she was saying and see everything she was doing and that her attitude was justifying why more then ever she needed Jesus. So she tells me we can find Jesus anywhere and everywhere after-all he made EVERYTHING! Well this diatribe goes on from the time we wake up til we reach the church parking lot. She settled down after seeing our neighbors/friends in the parking lot coming toward us. That is all it took to get her to settle down? My neighbors?...this is unreal. I thought Sunday was a holy day instead I found myself saying HOLY PANTS ON FIRE BATMAN! This girl was making me question the word holy all morning. She really put me to the test with some of her commentary. I actually wanted to turn around and just go to the church down the street from our house (which surprisingly she was more than willing to do) but then we would not be keeping our word to daddy. I mean really,is it me or have kids today lost all reverence for Sundays and the whole church thing? I felt so awful that she acted so negatively about this experience which is suppose to bring her peace, joy and help her build a relationship with our creator. So we go in and the mass begins everything is fine, lovely service. We stay after for registration & her first class. While the youth director was getting things ready, a music director of sorts stands before us all (approx. 55 people including parents) and proceeds to instruct the kids on singing a song he wants them to learn. He never once introduced himself, asked if they were interested or made any real formal announcement. So he's up there with his keyboard waving his hands, repeating lyrics to a hymn and all the kids were distracted, chatty and honestly not very interested. So Mr. Music decides he is going to go off in church! He begins to raise his voice & express his deep disappointment that no one is interested and his regret for the lack of participation. He continues rambling for about 2 minutes (longest of my life) about how he has been longing to start a kids choir in that church but no one is interested. Then he says ...and I quote..."WELL, if you people are not interested then just say so, I will pack up my stuff and leave! I don't have to be here where I am not wanted!" Then he takes his music sheets and storms off...stage right- diva style. Oh and get this...after a few moments of shock by the kids & parents...he walks back over to the front where it all began and he grabs his keyboard with a sour puss look on his face, careful not to make any eye contact with the masses before him and sprints out of the church.So much for holy Sunday! I mean at this point, I am shocked. My dear neighbor and new found friend looks at me and says without skipping a beat...welcome to St.Mary's ! We both laugh in disbelief. Some parents & kids walked out after that display of "raw frustration". Those of us who stayed I think were afraid to run into Mr. Music in the parking lot for fear we might get run over. I know...not a nice thing to say but
I think if you were there you might have felt the same way. Meanwhile, I am sitting in the pew mentally continuing to question the whole Sunday, Holy Sunday thing. It was a thought in the back of my mind from the get go when the little one was displaying extreme resistance. All I can say is that we are all human. I almost felt sorry for the guy. Suffice it to say- while this Sunday may not have technically been the holiest of days, it certainly was an interesting one. For those who are curious...she loved her first day of "church school" and is officially on her way.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#4) The Line Up!

I like to call this tip the line up because it is as simple as that.
When trying to align your alpha or numeric stickers in spelling names or using numbers on layouts, card-making or just crafting in general you can use a ruler to help you with alignment.

Simply take your characters, be they numbers or letters or if it is just something you want to get on evenly to the surface of your craft project and place along the edge of your ruler. Lining it up in whatever fashion bets suits your eye. Let the ruler be your guide. Part of your character (s) will be on the ruler, the other half off. When you have your word, number configuration or image adjusted and aligned the way you want it to look on your project, it is ready to be adhered to your project. You will then place your characters sticky side down on your chosen spot, rub them on while gently lifting away the ruler from the remaining portion of the characters and guiding them the rest of the way on to the surface of your project. Then press down on all the characters to secure adhesion and you're done.

HALLOWEEN BIND-IT-ALL MINI BOOK

PRIZE ALERT...READ ON

Hello everyone-thanks for stopping by.
Just wanted to bring your attention to the following blog:
www.scrappingmommy.com
She has great crafting ideas & is giving away some nice blog candy.
Requirements are simple:
1. Leave a comment under the indicated post telling her what your favorite scrapbooking subject is or what occasion you like to create cards for the most.
2. Spread the word about her Blog Candy Giveaway on your blog (either in it's own post or on your blog's sidebar) - if you don't have a blog, EMAIL her and tell her how you will spread the word about her Blog Candy Giveaway.

***Bonus Entry***For an additional entry, follow or subsribe to her blog. For those that are already following or subscribed, let here know in your comment and she will give you the additional entry.

***YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT UNDER THE GIVEAWAY POST TO QUALIFY***

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Provocraft has done it again! They are launching the world premier of the GYPSY device.
The crafting world will never be the same.
HSN will premier this @ midnight on September 24th.
I can't wait to see what this crafting cutie can do. It might be small but from all the reviews and what I have read about it, it packs a wallop.

Go to: http://cuttingabove.blogspot.com for a chance to win the gypsy.



CUTTING ABOVE IS A NEW BLOG DEVOTED TO BRINGING YOU INDUSTRY NEWS, TUTORIALS, VIDEOS AND CRAFTING INFO AT THE TOUCH OF YOUR KEYBOARD. THEY HAVE SOME GREAT INFORMATION AND WILL MAKE AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE SO BROWSE THEIR SITE & BECOME A MEMBER. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID.

CRICUT IS CELEBRATING THEIR 100TH CARTRIDGE

Hey everybody~ Cricut is celebrating its' 100th cartridge-Winter Woodland.
To commemorate this they are giving away 100 cartridges over the next 5 weeks.

So join the Cricut Community on Cricut.com the link is below.

http://www.cricut.com/shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?id=361&s=1&sc=2

You got to be in it to win it!

Scrap-Star Struck

Hello all! So I am surfing the net checking out Tim Holtz's latest blog when I decide I am going to see who his blog buds are and what kinds of crafting news they might have on their blogs. There were a lot of them so I just decided to pick one out of the long list. I chose Debby Schuh's blog A.K.A. The Memory Bee. So I click on there and start reading her blog and see that she has taught in my area at a store I had yet to discover (until today-that is). Well what are the odds that Debby is not only well known in the crafting industry, teaches classes and is heavily involved in all kinds of crafting expos, conventions, cruises, etc... I was so excited to see that she taught in the area before and I began to wonder if she lived in Western New York.
So then I look further and I stumble on to a part of her site that listed where she worshiped. I was so curious so I clicked on the link and it so happens that her place of worship while not the closest to my town is in Western New York. I got excited at the prospect of a designer, artist, and teacher well known in the industry possibly living close by. So I did the next logical thing... I e-mailed her directly. And you know what? She does live in Western New York, born & raised in fact. In spite of how sought after she is and how busy crafting keeps her, she was nice enough to e-mail me back. She gave me the 4-1-1 on the area's best scrapbook store around and even hinted that she may be teaching a class there again. She knew the owner and had already taught there so her input was invaluable to me. I am glad that I found her. For a while there I was thinking that all the talent was only coming from the Mid West. The only celebrity scrapbooking/paper crafting talent I had known of on the East Coast was Anna Griffin and Donna Downey (& I think Tim Holtz is from Jersey but not so sure). I guess you could say I was scrap-star struck. I feel blessed to have her nearby and she is such a nice lady. Check out her blog at www.debbyschuh.typepad.com.
Have a great week!

IMPORTANT UPDATE RE: CARDS FOR HEROES

Hello everyone!
Just wanted to inform you all that Operation cardsforheroes.org is NOW Operation Write Home.

Go on their website: www.operationwritehome.org for details.

Please consider this worthy cause and send as many cards as you can.

A special thank you goes out to all from the bottom of my heart, from all our heroes (including mine currently deployed) and their families.

CARDS FOR HEROES

In the spirit of card drives, here is another close to my heart.
It is: Cards for Heroes.

It is a drive to send cards to soldiers for them to send home to their families.
When deployed, many of these soldiers don't have access or time to go out & get cards for those special moments in their loved ones lives. This will be so beneficial for them in so many ways.
It also lets them know they are not forgotten.
Go to their website for details before embarking on your project:www.cardsforheroes.org
SPECIAL NOTE: DO NOT USE GLITTER ON YOUR CARDS. IT MAKES OUR HEROES VISIBLE AT NIGHT & WE DON'T WANT THAT. IT INTERFERES WITH NIGHT VISION TOO.


Mail your card (s)to the Cards for Heroes folks at:

ScrapStreet
c/o Brianne Nevill
1380-A Myers Pl
Fort Sill, OK 73503

Happy Crafting!

CARDS FOR KATE

Tonight I was doing some research and came across a wonderful blog: www.jennifermcguireink.typepad.com where I was instantly captivated by a card drive she was promoting...Cards for Kate. So as I read on I found out that this card drive was so important on so many levels and for so many people, not just Kate.
Please take a moment to check out Jennifer Mcguire's blog and make a card for Kate. It is such a worthwhile cause.
Kate is a precious little 5 year old girl who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. This is devastating for the whole family and now more than ever they could use some encouragement, support and prayer.Go to www.prayforkate.com to learn more about this family and their struggle. When you read their story I just know you will want to do anything you can to help.

One thing we can definitely do as a crafting community is to create cards and send them to Kate and her family. Surely this act of kindness will help to inspire, support and encourage this family during these trying times. There is no better feeling in the world then knowing you have done something to enrich the life of another- whatever that may be, no matter how big or how small. It all matters.
Thank you Jennifer for bringing awareness of this story to the forefront.

CRAFTING TIP #3 HELP...I have lots of tiny embellishments & they have gone rogue!

Hello Crafters!
Today's tip has to do with organization. For those who have small embellishment packages scattered about and those wondering what you can do to get a handle on grouping smaller packed items this may be helpful.
I discovered a while back that metal round rings which are often used as a binding for mini albums can be used for storing small packages.
Just make sure your packages have a punched hole or opening at the top and thread them through the metal ring. When it feels snug clip it shut and just hang it off a surface
in your craft space- wherever that may be. If your packages don't have a hole to thread the ring through, punch one with a hole punch, a crop-a-dile or even just use a basic pair of scissors.
These rings can be found at most big box craft stores like Michael's, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby & JoAnn Fabrics.
Heidi Swapp offers a 10 pack of small ones for just $2.99 retail, 7 Gypsies offers several size varieties and colors which run from $3.99-$6.99 retail. You can also just find plain silver ones at the stores indicated above where the sewing products are found.
It is an inexpensive way to get those small packages of embellishments corralled in one spot and tame the clutter.
This idea is great for those with limited space to scrap or when taking supplies with you to a crop.
Check out the TIP PICS to the right of this post.
Happy crafting everyone!

False Alarm

Hello & Happy Tuesday Everyone before sharing a recent crafting discovery I must share a story about my false alarm on Sunday night.
So my daughter & I are in bed snoozing and all is quiet in the ol' homestead. Dog's asleep, we're asleep, I mean deep sleep- when all of a sudden I hear this piercing, annoying, mega -loud alarm going off. I shot out of bed like somebody had launched a rocket under my tuckus... I don't think I have ever woken up or moved that fast
in my life! I mean this thing was so loud that even my little one woke up which is quite the feat if you know her. She is the deepest sleeper on the planet. Our dog awoke too and followed me along w/ my short one to the living room. All huddled together we put every light on in the house and began hunting down the sound. So at this point I have no idea what it could be. I searched the basement, then the kitchen, I was dragging myself and the "kids" around like ragdolls.Then I think God just decided to have mercy on me and directed me to the carbon monoxide detector in our living room which was indeed the source of the impenetrable sound. I immediately unplugged it and waited a few seconds. At this point, my little one was just so dog tired she followed me everywhere with her eyes barely open asking if it was over. The dog was shaking like a leaf. Ugh...I thought, now we are in a heap of steaming poo because this thing was apparently reading carbon monoxide. I begin to analyze my situation and thought I would play CSI @ 1000pm. Of coarse, with Carbon Monoxide being odorless, tasteless and almost undetectable by human senses alone -I begin to ponder calling Poison Control. BUT guess what! I didn't call because I decided to pull the alarm out of the socket, replug and reset it. I confess that I also was afraid of them sending out someone to my home while I was in my pajamas, I just did not want to have to worry about changing my clothes and dealing w/ firefighters running around my home. I just wanted for everything to stop so I could go back to bed. (Now, since the detector did not sound again and the red light was off and the green light came on I thought for sure it was a sign that everything was okay.) I did run around opening windows, doors and quite frankly anything that allowed air flow. I also took my crew to our enclosed patio where there was definite airflow as our house appeared to be hosting the biggest light party known to man. I suppose I figured if the alarm did not start its' whaling siren again that perhaps it was a FALSE ALARM. I was deliriously tired but once I checked it and it stopped whaling, I put the kids back to bed and I stayed up for another 3 hours just to hold a Carbon Monoxide vigil. None of us were experiencing any symptoms or feeling sick so by 2am my eyeballs which were being held open by toothpicks at this point just completely shut. Not to reopen again until 630am. I then called Poison Control later that morning after my oldest daughter urged me to call once I revealed my story to her. She was shocked I had not called that night. I suppose it is a good thing she pushed me to call because while we all had survived and everything seemed fine I just could not take a chance that something might be lingering. So I called & they referred me to the local firemen in my town, I call them and out come 5 Adorable, young firefighters in their little engine that could, all their gear and get up. We got the VIP, carbon monoxide reading special. I am happy to report that all is well and we have NO signs of Carbon Monoxide but the boys did make the place smolder a bit :)-haha. I know what you're thinking...shame on you! Those boys were young enough to be my sons or better yet my oldest daughter's boyfriend- (wink, wink). You better believe I told her the story. All she could do was question my sanity. Meanwhile, all I could think of was: A) how much I wanted to fling that carbon monoxide detector from here to the Gobi Desert, B) how much I really just wanted to bash that dang detector to pieces and c)do we really need that dog-gone detector? But for now, I will replace the battery as the head firefighter said and continue my sighs of relief that it was just a false alarm.

****Now on to some good crafting news****
For those who have recently purchased CRICUT CARTRIDGES there is a Cricut Rewards Program going on. Go to www.cricut.com/rewards to redeem your cricut rewards. What you want to do is register all the cartridges you have purchased. Those eligible will be assigned points which can then be redeemed for Cricut Merchandise. They have some tee shirts and even some never before seen cartridges. For details please visit the site I share above.
Okay all, I hope your week goes well and I look forward to more followers, comments and posting the next crafting tip of the week soon. They may not always be posted on the same day but I will do my best to post one a week.
All the best.
Happy Crafting!

CRAFTING TIP #2 FREE BUTTONS/TAGS W/ THE PURCHASE OF YOUR CLOTHES?

It's that time again! I think I totally have a good one here.

Okay all, you know the clothing tags & buttons, school supply tags and shoe/sneaker tags that almost always accompany your child's clothing?

Why not take full advantage of these items and use them on your scrapbooking pages?
They are not only dimensional, cool and unique but they are FREE.
In addition to the free factor, there is the whole element of brands that will be indicative of the generation in which your child grew up. These items will be wonderful to add to the history and experience of when your child was young. To look at the scrap pages and say hey, I remember those converse or that cute Abercrombie shirt! You know exactly what I mean! So before you pitch those extra tags, attachments & buttons- think twice. They might inspire a wonderful layout but will definitely make their mark on your next creation.

By the way, if you are concerned about the acid-free, lignin-free component place them in memorabilia keeper pouches/sleeves or just remember not to place them where they touch the photos and all will be fine.
Happy Crafting!

TWO THINGS...

First thing- congrats to Marilyn who posted comments on the site. I feel encouraged and deeply touched to have the support- thanks. You're the winner of my post a comment segment. Look for your goodie bag in the mail.

Second thing- today was my shorty's first day of school. That is going to be fun to scrap. I actually did not have to deal with resistance from her this year to take photos. I wanted to preserve all the feelings of anxiousness and excitement that accompany "all firsts" so I conducted a little interview with her while she ate her breakfast.
Just a word to the wise be careful what you ask it may totally backfire on you!

This is the first year that I have had the privilege to be home with one of my children (for a little while anyway). The other is already in college so I can appreciate how quickly the time passes & how important these moments truly are in life.

Little Lucky lexy had her mom walk her to the bus stop all the while taking candid shots along the way. My only saving grace and the one thing that kept her from totally losing it was that other parents were out in full force with their cameras & video cams too. Thank goodness!

Hope all your firsts are filled with fun, family, friends, faith & fond memories.

CRAFTING TIP #1 OF THE WEEK- Just MINI Size it!

Hello all!
I was looking through some of my previously completed school scrap pages in anticipation of my youngest starting school next week. In looking at all the many completed pages I noticed something very important. I was able to take a lot of her assignments, artwork, tests and report cards and include them as part of most of her scrapbooks. What I did was and is the tip of the week.
I had access to a copy machine so I miniaturized many of her school tests, assignments with teacher commentary, artwork and report cards. On some of the layouts I was able to make mini albums right on the pages which included adorable mini versions of her work. It is so great to look back and see her writing, the teachers comments and her overall growth. It is a great way to preserve those special pieces of memorabilia without taking up too much room in your scrapbooks. If you still want to keep the originals you can definitely do that just remember to store them in a safe, cool, dry place as flat as possible.
I hope this tip was helpful.
Happy Crafting!

Black & White Accordian Mini Album

The size of these allows for us to carry them in our purses or easily display them just about anywhere.

More Submission Pics

Here is the other mini album.

Scrapbook Contest Call Submissions Complete

Remember a couple of blogs ago when I said I was going to enter some contest calls?
Well, tonight I did it!
Scrapbook Trends Magazine currently has contest calls for several categories.
Check out their website @ http://northridgemedia.net/blogs/scrapbooktrends

I am posting pics of my projects here.

Enjoy!

By the way, if you post a comment about my submission you may be eligible for a little prize. I will draw a random winner on Tuesday, September 8th. I will post the winner's name on my blog. Stay tuned & keep following my blog.