favorite scrapbookers blog tour…

I feel so honored to have been tagged by one of my own favorite designers, Jen Gallacher in a fun "favorite scrapbooker/blogger" tour that has been going around blog land recently.  I’ve been a big fan of Jen’s for a very long time and have been honored to work with her in several different capacities over the years.  Right now we’re working together for Echo Park/Carta Bella Paper…and it’s awesome!! 
First, the Q&A:
1. What am I working on right now?
A better question might be…”what am I not working on right now?”  Seriously, I have so many projects that are “in the works.”  I usually don’t multi-task with my design work – I’m normally a “start one project, finish it, and clean up before I start the next project” kind of girl.  But right now – it’s chaos around here.  Don’t believe me?  Well, just take quick look at my work area:

I won’t say it’s not organized…because, believe it or not, I know exactly which pile contains what I need – I just haven’t taken the time to put the piles away yet.  This is unusual for me – but this is real life…and a glimpse at what I’m working on right now. ;)
2. How long does it take me to create a project?
I am a slooooooooooooow designer.  I feel like Speedy Gonzolas when I’ve completed a project in 3 hours or less.  I tend to overthink things and take longer to get started than I should…but I don’t know how to change that.  So that’s that. 
3. What are my favorite things to create with at the moment?
Oh goodness, that’s almost like asking me to choose my favorite child!  It’s too hard to choose one or two – so here are several things I’m loving right now (some old, some new):
My Cuttlebug.  I’ve had this thing for years and hardly ever used it, but we’ve been doing a lot of bonding over the last several months and now I can safely say that I LOVE it. :)

My Silhouette Cameo.  Seriously, I LOVE it!  I use it mostly to create bags and boxes and things like that…but I also love cutting shapes and letters with it.

I recently made a pillow at the Doodlebug Design Team Retreat, we used a Silhouette to cut iron-on transfers…and now I want to make more fun pillows..you can never have too many, right?

And all of the fun AUTUMN and CHRISTMAS collections I get to work with right now!




4. How does my writing/creating process work?
This is a hard one to answer.  Since this is my “job” and a lot of my designing is based on assignments, it’s most likely that I will start with product.  Then I will chose photos based on the collection I am working with or the theme that I am assigned.  However, when I am creating something JUST FOR ME, I start with a photo or a story…something special that I want to remember…and work forward by choosing products that support my photo or story.  The second way is my favorite way, but I am flexible. :)
5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired?
I find inspiration everywhere!  Magazines, books, food packaging, the talented women I work with and so many other talented crafters that I admire from afar.  I love perusing Pinterest and other online galleries.  I find that more often than not, if I just sit down with either a story I want to tell, or a product I am really excited about using, the inspiration will just come.  I guess that is why I love this hobby so much – it’s not a “stretch” for me and I truly enjoy it so much!
6. What is my signature style?
I don’t really know what my “signature” style is…but I will definitely say that I fall in the “cute & simple” spectrum.  I’m not technique-driven…and don’t do a lot of complicated things on my projects.  I like bright colors, clean lines, and straight-forward designs.  I admire ALL styles of scrapbooking and paper crafting, and I’ve tried my hand at many different things, but I always come back to my clean, cute, and simple ways.


I have decided to play by the “three strikes” rule for this blog hop.  I tried to tag some of my favorite scrapbookers to be next on the tour – and they had all been asked already.  SO, here’s the deal…I am tagging ANYONE who is reading this right now. If you would like to hop on board and share a bit about you, please consider  yourself tagged!  If you want to leave a comment, I’ll edit my post to add a link to your blog right here:

Taunya Butler!

Thanks again, Jen, for tagging me to take part in this fun blog hop.  And thanks to everyone else for reading my blog and following along on my scrappy/crafty adventures!

Happy Monday! :)

how to thank teenage boys…

I recently asked some of the teenage boys in our ward (church congregation) to help me with a presentation for the younger boys in our ward (the priesthood preview).  They were all so willing to help and did such a great job!  We are so lucky to have such great kids as peers and examples for my kiddos.  They were eager to help me, without promise of reward, but I think any teenager who is so willing to sacrifice his time to help out the primary deserves a little reward, don’t you? 

I used this tie die (from Top Dog Dies) to make a bunch of colorful little ties – aren’t they fun?

And then I pulled out this little notepad – It’s from the “Love You More” collection by Pebbles – and I think it’s absolutely perfect for a note to a teenage boy…

 

And as much as I’m sure these boys would love these cute little notes from me – I figured they would appreciate them even more if they were accompanied by some of these:

mmmm….

So I packaged some up and added the notes to the top:

Hope they enjoyed the cookies as much as I appreciated their help! :)

 

 

two fun projects to share today…

Happy Tuesday, friends!  The sun is shining this morning and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue. I’ve already baked muffins AND banana bread, the house is clean AND I have two fun projects to share with you – it’s a great day already! :)

First up, I am guest posting on Shimelle’s lovely blog today.  I was so thrilled to receive an invitation to create a tutorial to share with her readers – and mine! – and I am excited to share a little peek with you today. 

My tutorial is all about washi tape – yay!  I created two separate frames (completely different styles) and layered them together on one layout for a fun look.

Then I went crazy with lots of fun elements.  Can you believe I created an entire layout without one speck of patterned paper?!?  Of course, there are plenty of other patterned elements – but not a trace of patterned paper – small miracle! ;)

I was happy with the result – I hope you take a minute to check out the tutorial (here)  - and please let me know if you try it out – I’d love to see your take!

And speaking of “your take” I’d love to see your take on today’s sketch over on the Lily Bee blog!

I created a layout about Easter last year…but it’s not what you’d expect for an Easter Morning layout. 

The colors are really non-traditional…but it was a non-traditional Easter since we were all super sick all weekend.

You can see my layout – along with my fellow design-team member’s layouts HERE!

And I’d love to see your take on Patricia’s fun sketch…and if you take the challenge, be sure to share your layout for a chance to win a fun prize (details are here)!

Happy Tuesday! :)

it’s not a love note…

…ok, it really is a love note – but I think I disguised it pretty well, didn’t I?!?

They are just little joke cards I like to make to put in Seth & Zach’s lunches…to them, they are just jokes, but to me, they are love notes! 

It’s my little way of letting them know I love them and I’m thinking about them while they are at school.

…without any of the “mushy” stuff that might embarrass them in front of their friends!

These cards were featured on the Doodlebug Blog earlier this week – along with a little tutorial for creating your own.  You can see it HERE. :)

I used lots of Doodle-Pops on these cards – you can see them (and purchase them, if you wish) HERE or HERE. 

I love Doodle-Pops because they are SO cute!  They are all dimensional (you can see that a little bit in the photo above).  Many of them have fun little additions like googly eyes or glitter.  They are fun additions to scrapbook pages, cards, party/gift items, and I’ve even used them on home décor items.  These are a few of my favorites (you can click on the image for more info.):

halloween treat jars…

**I shared this little treat project on the Pebbles blog last week and wanted to share it here too**

I love putting yummy treats in a cute container to share with neighbors and friends. Halloween is the perfect opportunity to share some sweet goodies in these cute little milk jars.

Dressing them up with some fun patterned papers and stickers from the newest Pebbles Halloween collection, Tricks & Treats,  is the perfect way to add a handmade touch a store-bought treat. :) These stickers just happened to be the perfect size to place on the lids too, I love it when things like that happen!

 

I cut the little labels for my jars from the label sheet in the 6x6 pad - they are the perfect mini-size for these little jars.

All of our goodies have been delivered.  Now we’re ready with a big bowl of sugary goodness to hand out to all of the neighborhood kiddos tonight – can’t wait!

Happy Halloween!!

InLinkz.com