Tuesday, March 31, 2009

lots of great links...

Several of you asked about the clear tubes I used for the little "thank you" gift on my peachy project post below.   I bought them from Emma's Paperie.  Click HERE to find them. (they are available in 4" or 6" lengths and are priced very reasonably - wouldn't they be cute little Easter gifts, all filled up with jelly bellies??)

Some of you were also asking about the free collage software I used for yesterday's post.  You can download it HERE.  I just used the basic rectangle shape...but there are TONS of possibilities.  I can't wait to play with it some more.

I've been working hard to clean up my scrapbook room again...only this time it has to look super great - and every little nook and cranny has to be organized...can't wait to tell you all why...but for now it's a secret.  Because of my need to really organize, I need to downsize my "inventory" (lol) and get rid of some things I love, but just honestly don't have room for, I think I'll be having a little sale at my house in a month or so...so if you're local and you're interested in buying some fun product at GREAT prices, keep checking in.  If you're not local, and you're interested in buying some fun product at GREAT prices, please shoot me an e-mail and we'll work something out! :)

And speaking of cleaning up my scraproom, do you think you have the messiest scraproom ever?  If you do, it just might be your lucky day!  You all know how much I love my ScrapBoxes, right?  Well, the company that manufactures them is going to host a contest...and they are looking for the messiest craftroom out there!  Seriously...don't clean up yet.  They'll be posting the information on their blog very soon...I think it will be tomorrow.  You won't want to miss this one!

Okay, you know how hard it is for me to do a post without photos or projects.  Nearly impossible.  So here's a little card I made with some fun new American Crafts product...mostly scraps from a layout I was working on.  I love the new Craft Fair line so much, I just can't throw any of it away...not even the tiniest scrap!

ac_hello_card

Have a great Tuesday!

 

 

Monday, March 30, 2009

vacation photos...

So I finally sat down last Friday to start uploading our vacation photos from a few weeks ago.  Little did I know that I'd be spending the next two days sitting here working on them...and then waiting a full night for them to upload so I could get them printed at Costco.  Ah, a huge task...but I'm glad it's done.  Over 750 photos (is that insane?)...and that's after I deleted a bunch of blurry/cruddy ones.  They are ready for me to pick up this morning...but I doubt I'll be making the trek to Provo to get them - this snowstorm will keep me inside my house today...definitely  not in Provo Canyon! 

So I came across a link to download this fun collage-making software.  It has a lot of fun capabilities, but I'm sticking to the basics this morning...and making a very basic collage.  I broke it down into three days - and included random photos from each day.

Day 1, Disneyland:

day1collage

Day 2, California Adventures:

day2collage copy

Day 3, Disneyland, Newport Beach:

day3collage copy

I've actually been asked to work on a fun project which will include many of these photos, which is why I'm only posting these little peeks...with more fun ideas to come in the future. :o)

 

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

just peachy...

We made Meagan's favorite salad to go with our dinner tonight...Peach Salad. 

So now I'm in a bit of a peachy mood. 

That explains all of the peachiness ahead: 

slice_alphasandshapes_project2_transparency

[flower and swirl created with the Slice]

slice_animalcrackers_headband

[Butterflies are Sliced - headband is covered with paper]

clear_stamp_project_treat_tube1 clear_stamp_project_treat_tube2

[And a sweet treat...a tube of yummy jelly bellies - stamped and embellished with my favorite orange gingham ribbon]

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

making memories birthday party...

I bet you didn't know that the Making Memories Blog was celebrating it's THIRD birthday this week, did you?  They're celebrating all week with lots of fun giveaways, ideas, and even some how-to videos!  Yesterday was all about invitations and today is all about decorations! 

Today is the day I was asked to participate - and even create a video to share.  Don't laugh.  :)  

Here's a peek at the project I made and demo'd. 

mm_bday_banner2

I used the Just Chillin' Boy's line (so fun to work with) and the Slice.  And I must publicly thank my little videographers - Meagan and Josh...without whom my video never would have come to fruition.  ;)

Be sure to keep checking in all week for lots of great ideas and chances to win some great prizes!  Happy B-day, MM Blog! :o)

Monday, March 23, 2009

how i spent my monday morning...

Wow, you guys had some fun guesses (meeting with a publisher (and thanks a TON for thinking that was a possibility, by the way), picking up a friend from the airport, spending the kid's day off school doing something fun)...and some not so fun guesses (um, obgyn, taxes, doctor, etc.).

Unfortunately, my monday morning excitement came in the form of the "not-so-fun" type of thing. WYNNETTE, you were right! I had to go to the dentist. The endodontist to be exact. For a root canal. Yes, another root canal. If you recall...I just had one last September...apparently, that wasn't enough...or I had a jealous tooth. Dang, not only are they PAINFUL and inconvenient, they are EXPENSIVE. Oh well. At least that tooth shouldn't hurt anymore...once it heals from it's trauma this morning...

I know, you are SO jealous, aren't you?!? Well, once again, ibuprofen is my friend. (And so is my endodontist...I'm making him a rich man, lol.) Seriously, though, if you're in the market, drop me a line...I'll give you his name and number - if you have to have a root canal, you might as well go to a good endo.!

And, WYNNETTE, please let me know which idea book you prefer out of these:

Paper Crafts 101

Stamp It! Cards 2009

Paper Crafting with Kids

CARDS, March 2009

Now let me leave you with something a little more fun (I hope) than root canal talk:

spring_break_layout spring_break_details

This spread is in the current issue of Creating Keepsakes...all about Spring Break last year...something I'm looking forward to again this year - especially since the SNOW has returned today...

bright and early...

I'm trying not to grumble too much about being "up and at 'em" so dang early on a Monday morning.  The truth is, I have somewhere to be this morning...wanna guess where?  I have an extra copy of an idea book (I'll give you your choice between a few I have on hand) that I'd love to send away to the first person who can guess what I'll be doing this morning.  No hints...cause I have about 20 seconds to be out the door.  I'll check in when I get home later today.  Good luck guessing! :o)

Sunday, March 22, 2009

what heaven sees...

Today was our ward conference; the theme for our conference was temples.  Lucky for us, the Stake Young Women's Presidency wanted to teach the lesson in our YW meeting.  They did an amazing job of teaching the girls about temples.  This is the video that started their presentation:

I thought it was a sweet reminder to all of the girls (and the leaders) about our divine heritage, individual worth and ultimate potential.

Friday, March 20, 2009

another fun challenge...

first_bottle_layout_detail2

I was so excited when Laura and Mary asked me to join them for another of their super fun challenges - thanks, girls!  This time the challenge was to include these items:

  1. Green and Teal (I used my all-time favorite polka dot paper from Lasting Impressions for paper and a newer favorite from Making Memories, teal SLICE paper...the dots are glittered, so fun.)
  2. embossed cardstock (I used my favorite embossing plate, swiss dots, of course, on the green paper)
  3. String (I used simple white crochet thread to tie on my buttons and accents)
  4. Paint (I painted the chipboard piece, from a CK KOTM, with white spray paint)

first_bottle_layout

first_bottle_layout_detail1 first_bottle_layout_detail3

It was fun digging through my stash of oldies but goodies - the turquoise buttons, baby bottle button, baby bottle clip, and the scallop trim are all older Doodlebug products - but I still love them and I'm so happy to have them on this layout. 

Be sure to check out Laura's fabulous layout here and Mary's super cute page here.  And if you feel so inclined, break into your stash and whip up a fun layout so you can play along!  :o)

Thursday, March 19, 2009

a quick peek...

...thanks to the official Disney photographers, here are a few little peeks at our adventures in Disneyland. 

disney1disney2 

[churros with Mickey and Minnie in front of the Disneyland castle]

disney4 disney5

[spying Stitch at the entrance of California Adventures]

disney6

[and posing with our all-time favorite vehicle friends]

I borrowed these from the PhotoPass website...thinking about ordering one of our family all together - just so we have ONE with everyone in it for our scrapbook.

And speaking of scrapbook, Seth has asked me every single day since we got home if I am finished with the Disneyland scrapbook.  I guess I really should get those photos uploaded and printed...so I can at least START it soon!  :o)

a quick one...

We are cramming so much "stuff" into this week.  I still need to do the photos, but wanted to add a quick little project share this morning.  If you watch QVC when Creating Keepsakes is on, you've likely seen this little page.  I made it with the Slice for it's QVC presentations.  The "smile" is cut directly out of the photo, then the photo has foam squares underneath to give it some dimension.  The stars are also cut with the Slice. 

[FYI, CK will be on QVC next Wednesday, March 25th, from 11am-1pm mst]

DSC_0727 

I used the Animal Crackers collection by Making Memories for the page...and one of my all-time favorite pictures of little Zach.  It seems like I took that photo yesterday...but it was a lot of yesterdays ago - time goes by soooo fast! :o)

We're off to get Seth's eye screening and his Kindergarten check-up (and immunizations) in a few minutes.  Not looking forward to the shots (neither of us).  I bought him some puzzles this morning though, as a reward for being such a big boy at the doctor.  And I bought a diet coke for me...you know, for being such a good girl. :o)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

not a vacation post...

I still haven't uploaded our vacation photos, but wanted to do a quick post anyway.  I started sharing the layouts I created for The Joy of Scrapbooking (revised edition) a while back, but I didn't share all of them.  Here are two more that were published in the book.wendyCH6.06 wendyCH10.18

I did get the van cleaned up yesterday...always a good feeling, but especially after that long road trip!  Tonight we're taking the Young Women to the gym to climb the rock walls...should be fun!

ETA: a couple of people asked how we attached the buttons to Meagan's hair/head.  I sewed them on.  Just kidding.  We used tacky glue (Aleene's).  Yep, glued them right on.  She took a shower after school and the warm water & shampoo took the glue right out.  The buttons on the page are the actual buttons that were in her hair! :o)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

we're hoping...

...to catch a leprechaun today.

leprechaun_trap

Leprechaun Trap: designed, engineered, constructed, and decorated by Josh.

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

[On another note...California was awesome.  We were having so much fun, we ended up staying an extra day.  The kids endured the 11+ hour drive (each way) much better than I ever thought they would.  Disney was magical.  The beach was amazing.  Lots of good memories and fun times.  I'll share more, with photos, soon.  Right now, I need to get a week's worth of laundry washed and a messy van cleaned up...]

Monday, March 09, 2009

i'm an american girl...

...an AMERICAN CRAFTS girl, that is! :o) 

Rewind to about 18 months ago...I received an e-mail from American Crafts inviting me to be a part of their "local design team," of course I accepted the invitation and I've been able to create various projects for QVC and HSN using fun AC products.  A few weeks ago, we were informed that AC's contract with QVC is up and they would no longer be needing the services of a local team.

Of course, I was disappointed, but totally understood why they would no longer need this additional team.

Fast forward to last Friday afternoon...I received another invitation from American Crafts, inviting me to be a member of their REAL design team!  What an honor!  I am so excited for this opportunity.  I love American Crafts products and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the other amazing members of their existing design team (both in-house and contributing)!

So, that's my fun news today - I'm excited to get my first assignment and get busy creating.

Not that I need an assignment to get busy creating...here's a layout I made with some of the new AC stuff last week:

ac_underthere_layout

But wait, there's more...

We decided last week to take a spontaneous (kind of) trip this week...so we're heading out to Disneyland tomorrow! 

OldDisneylandLogo

The kids are so dang excited they haven't been able to sleep since we told them last Thursday.  We haven't been since Josh was 3 or 4, so he can't really remember it and the little boys have never been.  We have a billion DVDs ready to go, along with books, notebooks, toys, games, and snacks.  It'll be a long drive (one we've never made before - we've always flown in the past) - but hopefully it'll go by quickly (and quietly for the most part).  I can't wait to hit the road ...sunshine awaits! :o)

Sunday, March 08, 2009

good things...

I just wanted to share a few things that are making me happy this weekend:

My mother-in-law came up for the weekend.  My favorite thing about her visits is that she almost always brings homemade bread and jam.  This time she brought my favorite, red peach jam.  YUMMY!  I didn't get a picture of the homemade bread before we ate it all...

red_peach_jam

Meagan got this pretty rose in Primary today as part of her lesson.  She gave it to me after I got home from BYC...so sweet.

primary_rose

We're on our 2nd bag of these Robin Eggs...mmmm...

robin_eggs

I made this little poster for our Young Women's room to display for March. 

individual_worth_poster

Love the reminder on the tag - not just for Young Women...for ALL of us!

individual_worth_poster_tag

And the kids have been looking at this mini album non-stop all weekend. 

Wanna guess why??

disney_album_2003

Also, I know this has been shared on several blogs in the last week or so,

but it touched me and validated so much of what I spend my time doing,

so I wanted to share it here as well:

And I have some fun news that I can't wait to share with you...

hopefully tomorrow...until then, enjoy your Sunday! :o)

Friday, March 06, 2009

the power of thoughts...

Do you suppose if I THINK about spring hard enough, I might force it to come?  I so wish it worked that way!  We woke up to whiteness everywhere again yesterday morning.  Most of yesterday's snow is gone, but there's still plenty of the old [ugly] snow left on the ground at my house.  Oh well.  It's not stopping me from WISHING spring were here. 

Here's a little project I worked on this morning...wishing, wishing, wishing... 

spring_frame

spring_framea

I pulled out this shadowbox frame thing I've had hanging around forever.  It's a cute little size (about 4" x 4") and I thought it would be the perfect size to box up a little SPRING!  Everything I used is from American Crafts...fun, bright SPRINGY stuff!!

Monday, March 02, 2009

green...

I'm longing for green.  Green grass.  Green trees.  Green buds.  Green shrubs.

Good old all-around green-ness...It's going to be a while...

 

green_layout