Friday, May 29, 2009

where I've been...

...not far, actually.  Just buried in pictures and product for the last few weeks. 

Here's a peek at the pile of layouts I've completed.

 layouts_stacked

[24 layouts -- 8 are 2-pagers]

Wish I could share them all...but they are for a fun project and I'm not sure if I can share yet. :o)

 

I've spent LOTS of hours right here at my table...but there are other things I've been doing as well:

  • cleaning, decorating, and organizing my room (which I'm happy to say is complete!)
  • celebrating Memorial Day
  • lots of laundry
  • a preschool graduation
  • last day of school for the big kids
  • building a play set
  • campfires with our friends
  • walking in the mornings
  • a manicure (my very first one ever...and it's part of the project above, believe it or not)
  • lots of baseball games and practices
  • first aid/CPR training with the YW
  • and so much more! 

 

Hopefully I'll have some time toward the end of next week to catch up on everything!

I'm so glad school is out and summer can officially begin! :o) 

Monday, May 18, 2009

graduation...

It's right around the corner for many of us...graduation day!  If you have a grad in your life, wouldn't it be fun to create a little something to celebrate the occasion?  I made this fun little graduation banner for Making Memories recently. 

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It was featured on a local television program last week.  Debbie demo'd the project...and I thought it was worth sharing here too.

For some reason I can't add the video...but if you want to watch it, just click HERE to go to Studio 5.  There are also step-by-step instructions here.

It was really quick and easy to make...and might even make a fun little gift if you know someone who is graduating soon! :o)

Friday, May 15, 2009

challenge...

Did you know there's a new challenge on the American Crafts blog every Friday?  They're always fun and easy - and always the type of challenge that gets you thinking about your supplies in new and different ways.  This week, I was able to create a layout for the challenge.

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Here's a little peek at my layout:

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You can see the layout (with my oh-so-fabulous wedding photos) as well as the challenge details by clicking HERE to visit the American Crafts Blog.  Let me know if you join the challenge - I'd love to see your pages! :o)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

just for fun...

When I received the latest Creating Keepsakes Kit of the Month, I couldn't wait to mix it up with some of the products I already had here at home.   

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On this card, I used one of the transparencies, a big brad, and the rub-on stitches from the kit.

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Almost everything on this layout is from the kit - the background paper, tab, brad, and "june" die-cut.

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This little bookmark was made using the fun stamp from the kit - and my favorite new product, American Crafts ZING! embossing powder!

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Lots of kit stuff on this 9x9...mixed with lots of other stuff.  Not my "normal" style - but it's fun to play around once in a while!

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Just a little tag with a picture of my favorite little girl. :)

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And a little card (very much inspired by my friend Laura) with lot of fun kit stuff and a bit of "old" stuff too!

If you're looking for a fun mix of products to add to your collection, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up - lots of little odds and ends - WAY more than I used on these projects...you can take a peek at the contents and more ideas here.  I'm planning on creating a book with some of the elements - and I have some fun ideas in store for those envelopes too.  :o)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

one spoiled mama...

That would be me.  My family really spoiled me this year on Mother's Day. 

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Meagan has been spoiling me for a month...she gave me the two books a few weeks ago, made the wall hanging in Achievement Days and gave it to me early, and then she also made the keychain and drew a beautiful picture on a card in school for me.  Josh painted the flower pot in Scouts last week.  Josh also begged Brad to take him to Provo so he could buy me a necklace with his own money.  I told him to save his money and just make me a card...but he insisted.  Brad took him last week, and on Sunday Josh gave me two super cute necklaces that I just love - and knowing that he insisted on buying them with his own hard-earned cashola makes them even more special.  Seth decorated a cute flower pot in preschool...and the kids all made fun cards for me in Primary.  My parents gave me a nice necklace/earrings set that will be perfect for Sundays.  Brad completely spoiled me by buying me the point and shoot camera I have been wanting for a while (just like his). 

The best part of the day was just relaxing, hanging out at my parent's house, and letting the cousins all play together.  Low-stress and relaxing - the best kind of Mother's Day!

A couple of quick family pictures snapped by my sil, Karli:

 

(ignore the squinting eyes - we were laughing at my brother throwing Blake up into the air behind the camera...he was trying to get all of the kids to look toward the camera at the same time - it sure did the trick!!)

And a picture of me and my sweet mom:

Monday, May 11, 2009

stamp winner...

I decided to let the comments on that last post stay open until this morning.  I just opened up the random number generator to choose a winner, and it chose #15....

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Here's Comment #15:

Blogger Krys72599 said...

LOVE that stamp set - would love to use them as monograms! Don't have my project photo'd yet, but I'm working on an engagement/shower/wedding album for my niece - she's getting married in July and I want to have it ready for her when she comes back from her honeymoon!
Krys
krysjack@msn.com

Thursday, May 07, 2009 1:37:00 PM

Delete

 

I just sent you an e-mail Krys! :o)

 

Thanks for all of your sweet comments - and for sharing your current projects - it's so fun to hear about (and sometimes even see) what others are working on!

 

I'll be back soon with a [late] Mother's Day post...until then...Happy Monday! :o)

Thursday, May 07, 2009

stamping...

I've always loved stamps - and I've collected TONS of them over the years...I use them occasionally, but I've never considered myself to be a "stamper."  To me, it seemed stamping was it's own art form - something that not just "anyone" (i.e. ME) could do...I thought only a true honest-to-goodness artist could truly do a set of stamps justice.  I guess that's why I was a bit surprised when I was asked to write an article for Creating Keepsakes Magazine...and the assigned topic was STAMPING!  Of course, I'm always up for a challenge, so I said yes...and gave it a shot.  It was really quite fun playing and experimenting and seeing what types of simple (do-able) techniques I could pull off.  I was satisfied with the final outcome, and I guess I did okay, because my article was published in the May 2009 issue.

Here's one of the layouts I created for the article:

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I used these cute circle stamps for the accents - stamped in brown on embossed cardstock:

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And I used fun alphabet stamps for the title - again, stamped on embossed cardstock and then cut out:

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What do you think? Do you like the alphabet stamps I used?

Alphasavannah  

Would you like a set?  It just so happens that I have an extra set and I'd love to send it to one of my blog readers!

Just leave a comment below.  Be sure to include your name and e-mail address (so I can let you know if you win)...and just for fun, tell me about your latest project...and link it up if you can! 

I'll draw a random winner this weekend! :o)

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

recipe book...

I was searching for a recipe yesterday because Meagan wanted to make a treat to take to her Achievement Days activity tonight.  It didn't take me too long to find it, but while I was looking for it I remembered this fun little recipe binder I made a few years ago.  It was for a Creating Keepsakes Convention class, so I didn't get to keep it...but I'm thinking I am going to add it to my list of things I NEED to do this summer - cause who wouldn't want a cute recipe binder...just for those very favorite family recipes? 

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Might be a fun idea for a Mother's Day gift too...

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

long time...

no blog.  Wow, sometimes hours turn into days and days turn into weeks...all in the blink of an eye!  I'm not sure why I've been too busy to blog...nothing super exciting going on - we've been busy, but we've been around.  Anyway...I do have a few fun things to share.

I was approached a while ago about doing some "guest blogging" on a new blog focusing on crafting and how it relates to health, Craft for Health.  It's really quite interesting - I hope you'll take a minute and browse the site.  My first post went up last week.  If you're interested, you can read it here

Here's a peek at the little card I shared in my post. :o)

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Last week on the American Crafts blog, the whole week was dedicated to inspiration...specifically finding inspiration from ads.  Kelly asked me to share my inspiration binder - which I was more than happy to do! 

Here's the post, and here's a quick peek at my binder:

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and a few of the inside pages:

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You definitely want to check out the blog for lots of great ideas and tons of inspiration!  :o)

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And a few non-scrapbook related things I want to add here...just so I remember...

  • Meagan prepared and presented FHE all by herself last week - she taught us about the Word of Wisdom and played a fun game.  She did an amazing job and even the little boys were interested and attentive the entire time.  That's something I have a hard time doing!
  • Josh shared his testimony last week in fast & testimony meeting.  It went something like this:  "I want to bury my testimony.  I know the church is true.  I know the kids in Park City will get better. [long pause] And I know George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were true presidents.  Amen."  When he sat back down next to me I asked if he was nervous.  He said that his tummy was tickly inside, but he still wanted to get up.  But then he was so nervous he forgot Joseph Smith's name.  I am proud of him and I love that he wants to share his testimony...and I know eventually he won't get as nervous and he'll remember the things he wants to say.  {Nope...we don't coach our kids and tell them exactly what to say when they stand up in front of the congregation...obviously! :o)}
  • Seth actually went to his Primary class all alone last Sunday!  Seriously - he has been going to Young Women's with me for almost a year.  He loved it!  I knew he would...he just had to give it a chance!  Now if we could just get Zach to go to nursery without Brad...Sundays would be soooo much better!
  • Meagan started softball practice last week - she's excited to play this summer!
  • Brad also joined a baseball team this year - it will be fun watching him do something he enjoys.  His job hasn't allowed him to participate in anything like this since we were married - his schedule was just too unpredictable and busy.  I guess that's one good thing about a slow economy, right?  [trying to look on the bright side of all the crapola.]
  • I'm anxious for the weather to clear up (and warm up) so I can start walking in the mornings again...I'm ready to get rid of the "winter weight" I've packed on since Valentine's day...plus there's just something awesome about starting my day with a nice long, brisk walk in the cool morning air!

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I'll be back soon with more fun things to share - and something fun to give away too! :o)