Top Ten & Additions....6 x 12 pages

Edit: The divided page protectors that I use are from We R Memory Keepers. The link does not show all of the page protectors options available though. I find mine at my local scrapbook store and Archiver's. If you can't find them, ask your local scrapbook store if they can order them for you. They are available online also, just use your search engine to look them up. I also use We R Memory Keeper's Leather albums. Ring type albums are all I use now, no more post albums for me.

I am so excited about Dawn's new set coming out this month at Papertrey Ink. Nichole is previewing this set too so be sure to check out her blog. It's a set that can be used for cards.......or SCRAPBOOKING! Yay! Although I haven't posted many of my scrapbook pages, I am very passionate about scrapbooking. The joy that I get from scrapbooking my family's memories just can't be described. I'll be carving out much more time for my scrapbooking so you'll be seeing more of my layouts on my blog.

On to Dawn's great new set. It's called Top Ten & Additions. It's a great set full of words and parenthesis (I love them!) that you can use to create lists, mixy matchy sentences, backgrounds, cards and more. Today I used the set to create a list of 10 things I love about my girls. I did two layouts, one for Josey and one for Jordan. You'll notice that the pages are little different sizes than a traditional scrapbook page. They measure 6" x 12" and are a really fun addition to the girls' albums. I'll talk more about those later.
First, let me talk about the photos and the embellishments. I printed a favorite photo in black and white of each of my girls, Jordan on the left and Jose on the right. I used the medium and large heart punches and Pine's Simple Valentine patterned paper to create a row of pretty hearts.

I stitched across the three large hearts with my sewing machine and white thread. This ties in with the stitched border I did around my 6" x 12" Kraft page. My 12 x 12 paper was from my local scrapbook store. I finished the embellishments with pink rhinestone sequins and a flower rhinestone accent. The top edge of my cream paper was edged with a Fiskars border punch with layers of pretty ribbon below.

Now for the really fun part...creating the 10 things list. Top Ten & Additions has a giant number 10 and parenthesis stamp so that you can use to create a great graphic look to pages and cards. Then you stamp the dotted lines and numbers. Then you just stamp whatever words you want all mixy matchy style. You can line the words up to the left or you can do what I've done and scatter them all over to create a more whimsical look. I mixed red and pink inks to tie in with the patterned paper colors.

Now, you'd probably never know if I didn't point it out, but I made some mistakes on my first layout. I totally smudged the word *sweet*. But it was on my main layout, what's a girl to do? You fix it, that's what! Don't sweat it and find a way to make it work. I simply stamped the word *sweet* onto a contrasting piece of paper and adhered it over my mistake with foam tape. Easy peasy, you can't even tell that I goofed. Don't worry about mistakes, there's always a fix!

One more addition to my pages was the *take note* circle embellishment. I used some scrap paper I had along with my Take Note set (the circle border, the pointing hand, take note) to create a fun focal point on my layouts. These were layered onto vintage paper doilies and then stitched with my sewing machine, messy stitch style (3 back and forth stitches). Paper clips were added to my pages as a finishing touch.

I hope you enjoyed my scrapbooking today. I'm over the top excited about doing more pages. Be sure to stop by Dawn's blog this week to see all the great creations she's been making with Top Ten & Additions.

Now about those 6 x 12 pages. They are part of a new approach I'm taking with my scrapbooking called *blended scrapbook pages*. The idea is to mix and match different page sizes within one album. You can see below how I added my 6 x 12 layouts to this year's Project Life album by Becky Higgins. These pages range from 6 x6, 8 x 8, 8.5 x 11, 12 x 12, 6 x 12 and 12 x 12 pages that have lots of various divisions with the page protector itself. (Check your local scrapbook store or on line stores for page protectors and albums, check Becky Higgins' website for the Project Life album kit). All of these pages are intermingled in one scrapbook. You just stick them in wherever you want. Pages that face each other do not have to match up with theme or color. I love this approach because there are no rules to follow. It's a good thing. I'll be talking about this blended scrapbooking method lots more as I add layouts to my blog.
Have a great day everyone!

Inside & Out: Baby

A new year brings new beginnings. I am so excited for this new year because there will be lots of new babies coming soon to the neighborhood. (not from me so don't even ask!) Nichole has a great new set coming out this month that has elements that can be used on both the exterior and interior of cards. It's a sentiment only set that can be combined with all of your other baby sets. Or you get creative like I've done today with my project.

I paired my sentiments up with images from Pine's All Star Team and the additions sets to create an adorable card and tag ensemble for a special baby boy. Our friend and his wife are expecting a baby boy this spring and they are really into sports.
My card features a Dark Chocolate pennant stamped with *baby boy!* from the Inside & Out: Baby set coming out this month on the 15th. I stamped the images on White Shimmer cardstock and the results are stunning. The subtle softness is perfect for a baby card. The *twinkle* sentiment is from Star Prints. I paired it up with the sentiment *All Star* from All Star Team to create a clever, sports themed sentiment. The stars from All Star Team were stamped in Spring Rain, punched and glittered. The Spring Rain twill makes a nice coordinating accent piece and has a silver brad attached. Background papers from Papertrey have polka dots and stars.

The inside of this card is a real hit too. I combined 3 separate sentiments from Inside & Out: Baby to create my inside verse, along with images from All Star Team and the additions sets. Again, I played up the sports theme in a totally cute way.

My matching gift tag is made from the same elements as my card, with the addition of Spring Rain grosgrain ribbon, Dark Chocolate grosgrain ribbon and a large silver eyelet. I haven't purchased the baby gift yet but I'm thinking a pair of teensie Nike tennis shoes will be perfect!

I hope you enjoy my projects today. If you have babies coming soon, this month at Papertrey is going to be extra special. This set combined with the Baby Button Bits are sure to be a homerun!

If you'd like to see even more baby inspired projects, please visit the other Papertrey designers' blogs:

Nichole Heady
Heather Nichols
Lisa Johnson
Becky Oehlers
Betsy Veldman
Debbie Olson
Dawn McVey
Kim Hughes
Geny Cassady
Melissa Phillips
Niki Estes

2010 Valentine Inspiration Station

Edit: The acrylic unit that my rolls of ribbon are in was given to me by a friend who made jewelry. Sorry I don't have a source.

Hello friends. Here's what you've been waiting for...my Valentine Inspiration Station. Each holiday season, I try to have a color theme or special little items I want to use on my projects. This year, my Valentine Inspiration Station was inspired by the card below that you've seen in a previous blog post. The pinky purple tone of the button used on the doo dad sparked it all. I decided to add some purple ribbon to my card then the purple stamped hearts at the bottom. I liked the addition of purple so much that I pulled out a few items to use for my inspiration station. This year, I nestled all my goodies into an old baking sheet pan that I found at a junk shop. I put felt glides on the bottom so it can slide around on my wood table without scratching it up. All of my embellishments are nestled inside and I can easily see them and access them due to the narrow depth of the baking pan. Kinda reminds of when you go to the dentist or doctor for a procedure.....all of the tools are lined up in a little pan. Maybe I should sterilize all my little jars. :)

All of my embellishments are in light tones of pinks and purples. Nothing to dark, I plan to use a lot of tea dye inks to create a vintage look on my Valentine cards and treats this year. I love these little sticky rhinestones. They add such a nice finishing touch to projects.

Pretty pastel ribbons, trims, velvets and ric rac from my vast stash. I like to keep loose ribbon wrapped on clothes pins and secured with a stick pin. You can find these old style clothespins at The Dollar Tree...last time I looked. Notice the beat up heart tin that my ribbons are in. It was a gem of a find at the junk shop.

Old fashioned Valentines always had glitter on them. I love glitter. You love glitter. We all love glitter. It always reminds me of a story of my mom. Years ago she worked at a Hallmark factory. She recalls her favorite job was to add glitter to Valentines and then stick on a fuzzy feather. Who knew??! My glitters are from Martha Stewart, available at Michael's or Walmart, etc. I dug out a few bottles of Stickles too.

I also found some Stampin' Up! eyelets in Valentine colors. Do we use eyelets anymore? Ohhh, the beautiful buttons. I like to dress mine up with Papertrey's Rustic Twine or good old fashioned embroidery thread.

And look at this adorable little salt shaker? My friend Pine (Heather Nichols) turned me onto these. They're perfect for storing a small collection of trinkets. When out junking, look for unique salt and pepper shakers that are clear and have unique shapes or lids.

Of course I'll be using other coordinating projects in pinks and purples too. Instead of getting out too much stuff though, I left a lot of items in their regular storage spots. Like my Copics, gotta love the Copics. These are stored in a Pottery Barn Kids lazy spinner organizer.

My Papertrey ribbons will get a work out too. There are so many colors and varieties to choose from.

My favorite Valentine paper this year is from Papertrey. This collection called Simple Valentine was designed by Pine. She's getting very good at designing these patterned papers!

I'm also big into punches lately. They make quick and easy work of fun shapes, like these hearts. All of these punches are available at Papertrey Ink.

There ya go, folks. I hope you enjoy having a glimpse into my crafty world. I also hope you are inspired to create your own Valentine Inspiration Station this year. It's a great way to dig into your supplies and find goodies you probably forgot you had. Have fun and if you create your own Inspiration Station, please leave a link in the comments section. I'd love to see what you've done.

Introducing Baby Button Bits

Good morning friends. Today Nichole is introducing a new set for Papertrey Ink called Baby Button Bits. While working on the set, she asked the Design Team for any additional ideas. I just so happened to have a sheet full of messy sketches with the exact some concept.....baby themed images using buttons! Do great minds think alike or what? ;)


If you visit Nichole's blog today you can see some tidbits of my messy sketches and all of Nichole's wonderful projects using Baby Button Bits. Betsy Veldman is also showcasing Baby Button Bits today so be sure to stop by her blog.


Unfortunately, I have a virus on my main computer where I do my photo editing and uploads. My dear husband is trying to salvage it but it's not lookin' good. So I have no sneak peek projects to show you. :( I'm going to fiddle around and see what I can do on my little notebook computer today. In the meantime, enjoy Nichole's and Betsy's adorably cute samples!!

Heart Lollipop Envelope

Edit: The envelope that I used for my project is a 4" x 4" Papertrey Kraft envy. My computer with all my photo software is messed up with possibly a virus. DH is working on it now. So I probably won't be uploading my Inspiration Station today. Regarding the next round of The 12 Days of Me Kit.......I need to be able to access my other computer so there will be a slight delay on the kits. Thanks for your patience!

Happy weekend everyone! We were finally able to make out way to the highway yesterday, through all the drifted snow that was plowed. We were all so cooped up. Who knew a trip to Walmart could be such a nice get away. Don't ask me to ever say that again. Because I won't. ;)

Anyway, while in Wally World, I was looking for the Valentine aisle. No Valentine aisle. Boo. So until I can get my crafty hands on some Valentine goodies, I settled for a paper crafted lollipop. If you ordered one of my latest Valentine kits, you got a heart doo dad like the one below along with a lollipop stick. The girls have been saving their slobbered on sucker sticks just so I could use them in your kits. Snort! Not really.....callllllllm down now. :) Your sticks are brand new!
Since these paper lollipops can get a little bulky, I used mine to embellish the outside of a Papertrey square envelope. I'll probably tuck a little Valentine inside or maybe a gift certificate to our local chocolate/candy shop. That would be a sweet treat indeed.

For the envelope, I stamped Fresh Snow hearts from Background Basics: Hearts for the overall background. Then I used Dawn's Say it With Style sentiment *You are so sweet* in Pure Poppy ink. The lollipop was created by punching the large heart and then sewing on a Vintage Pure Poppy Button. The ribbon is Sweet Blush Swiss Dot. To adhere the lollipop to the envelope, I used two layers of pop dots on each side of the sucker sticks. To adhere the sucker stick to the heart doo dad, I simply used a piece of clear office tape.

Oh my gosh, can you image an entire basket filled with these sweet little envelopes? I think I must make some more. I hope you have a SWEET day! I think Eric's invited some of the girls' friends over to go tubing. Jordan is working on some new crafty projects that are soooooooo stinkin' sweet....I might even put some in my Etsy shop, they're that cute! And I am working in my craft room today. I lost my mind a while back and took on a 5 day subbing job next week. Right during Papertrey release week. Right during our basketball tournament. Eeek, I must get all my stamping done this weekend so that I can remain somewhat sane next week.

P.S.......I'm taking photos of my Valentine Inspiration Station and will post them very soon. I know you're all patiently waiting. :)

Pickle Pinwheels

Hey folks! We are stuck at home today..again! Our roads are totally drifted shut, although the road maintainer guy just plowed through. It barely makes a dent though in the 4'-5' of snow in the roads though. Could someone drop ship us some milk, bread and eggs please? Eric and the girls are home for the second day from work and school. This Kansas winter is crazy!

And I'm kinda wishing we had some of these too. These are the Pickle Pinwheels we made for New Year's Eve. This plate of goodies was devoured in minutes after I shot the photo!
All you do is take dried beef slices.....slather them with a layer of cream cheese......wrap around a whole dill pickle.......slice.......and eat! Yummo, the perfect party appetizer. They are always a big hit!! And the kids can make these easy peasy too.

And of course I had to make a recipe card. Card size is 4" x 6". I used PTI Ripe Avocado for the base and then Rustic Cream to print my recipe. Patterned paper is from October Afternoon, one of my favorite designs ever. Twill is Ripe Avocado from PTI. I stitched around the cream layer with my sewing machine.

For my colored image, I used Karen Lockhart's Pickle Jar stamp. Who knew a stamp with a pickle theme would come in so handy! I colored my image with the Copic Sketch markers shown in the next photo down. I cut out my image with fine tip scissors and then added some Ranger Glossy Accents to the jar. The swirly stamp is also an image from Karen Lockhart.

In the photo below, the greens are for the pickles, the gray is for the wire handle, the tan is for the wood handle and the BG colors are for the glass jar. Ohhhhh how I still love to color in images. Makes me feel like a kid again!

Okay, I gotta run now. Lots of design team work to do, more kits to prepare, gotta help Jordan with some adorable projects she's working on.....then I'll probably have to crack the whip and delegate some chores......hollar at Josey to get off whichever electronic device she's connected to......and who knows what else. Have a warm and wonderful day wherever you are, my friends!

sweet & a little hot...

Edit: The jelly in my jar is Cranberry Jalapeno Jelly. If you do a google search you'll get tons of recipes. I keep my jelly recipes under cover so that they remain a well sought after gift around here. :)

Today I have another sample project that uses doo dads and a tag from my Mish-Matched Valentine Kit that I recently had for sale in my Etsy shop. To get started with my project, I did a little prep work first. Have you ever noticed Melissa Phillips' signature tea stained twill that she uses on so many of her projects? It's so sweet and vintage looking. A really simple way to achieve that look is to stain Papertrey twill with the Vintage Tea Dye inks. Simply choose the white or cream twill...I'm using cream today.......and run the ink cube down the length of the twill. Voila, that's it. Instant vintage twill. You can even stamp words on the twill if you like, I love that look. Note: the ink cubes that I used are pretty dry so be sure to test out a little snippet of the twill with your ink cubes first. Next up, I used a $1 alphabet that I purchased at my local scrapbook store to spell out some words on my tag. When using the individual letter stamps, I like to spell out my words as much as possible, leaving blank spaces where the letters repeat. Using these types of stamps takes just a little bit more time but the results are so homemade and sweet looking.

Next up, I wanted a wax paper looking wrapping for my project. I reached for a Papertrey large glassine sack, wadded it all up so it was crinkly looking and then cut a square piece for my project using pinking shears.

I tied this square of glassine paper to my jelly jar that I'm using for a Valentine gift this year. Doesn't it look all crafty kitchen-y and cool? I'll be using that idea lots more for foodie gifts. I then tied my newly vintage twill around the jar, tying in a little sprig of glittery goodness that was leftover from some Christmas projects. Next up, I wanted to tie on my completed tag using red and white striped baker's twine from Martha Stewart (from Michael's). An easy way to attach tags using baker's twine is to thread the twine through a large needle...then work the needle under the layer of twill. It makes easy work of it.

And here's my darling little jelly jar, complete with embellished tag.

The tag and heart doo dad pieces were part of the kit. You can really fancy up plain white shipping tags with stamping, glitter and embellishments. For my tag, I stamped it using the Vintage Tea Dye inks and hearts from Background Basics: Hearts. I love using the little cubes for actual stamped images, not just distressing the edges of projects. To the edges of my tag, I used a glue pen and added some Martha Stewart vintage gold glitter. Yummo! The stamped words on my tag tie in with my jelly....sweet & a little hot.....perfect sentiment for Valentine's Day, don't you think? I used two doo dads from the kit contents to make a layered heart that I distressed with the Vintage Tea Dye ink cubes.

Such a sweet little gift. It reminds me of something you'd pick up in a quaint little boutique on the corner. And there's no reason at all that you can't create the same look for your projects. It just takes a little creativity and some great crafting supplies.......and maybe a few hours in the kitchen. I think I need to make some more of these little sweetie pie gifts.......jelly jars, a block of cream cheese and a favorite box of crackers. Ohhhhh yes!

The 12 Days of Me

MORE KITS COMING SOON: Ladies, thanks for your responses. I will be making another batch of kits soon. Josey is helping me package up the current kits that sold....however I am snowed in and won't make it to the post office until our road gets cleared out. Please send chocolate. :)

KIT UPDATE: The kits will be sold out very soon. Thank you for your orders!! If you missed out on a kit but would still like one, please leave a comment at the end of this post to let me know. It doesn't reserve a kit for you, but it will give me a better idea of how many, if any, additional kits I need to make. I think my kits will be a fantastic tool to carve out a little time for yourself so I want to be able to fulfill as many requests as possible. Thanks again, everyone!

Edit: The punch I used on the numbers strip is Fiskars' Upper Crest punch. If you don't have that punch, you can easily substitute any other border punch....or use decorative scissors...or leave it as a straight edge. I'll have instructions for you later this week. :) Thanks for the question, Sharon.

Hello friends. Another winter storm is on it's way so my job today is to get lots of errands done before the snow settles in. But first I want to wish you all a Happy New Year!! 2009 was a hard year for a lot of people, I know. The economic hardships really hit home to a lot of us. We'll most likely be losing the girls' grade school due to consolidation and the girls will face lots of changes in next school year. I hope we can all hang in there and that this year will bring prosperous changes for all.

During these times, I still think it's a great idea to embrace each new day with a positive attitude and make the best of what we have. One of the ways we can do that is by taking some time for ourselves. Today I have new kit for you that will help you do just that. The theme is called The 12 Days of Me.

Let me share with you my ideas on The 12 Days of Me kit. With the kit, you will be able to complete an embellished notebook and clothespin clip that will help you organize 12 days that are just for you! The idea came to me when I was thinking of my word of the year. You pick a word that you want to focus on for an entire year. This year my word is commit. Instead of making goals of what I should do, I am going to pick specific projects that I want to commit to and actually complete this year. I've made enough New Year's goals over the years that fizzle out about February or sooner. This year, I want to see results!My concept behind The 12 Days of Me kit is that you pick one day a month for an entire year that is your personal day. This day can be a day to do whatever you want. You can make it a day for professional development, a day for crafty fun, a day of pampering, a day of getting together with friends.......whatever you want to do.

The goal is to plan your day and be specific with what you want to achieve for that day. To help you do this, I'm including 12 inserts with the kit. The inserts are lists that help you plan your personal day. You write down the date of your personal day......plan your activities...plan ahead.....and also arrange for a few special treats for that day, just because you are a nice person. You'll also make a clothespin clip to help you organize your day.
If you don't already, I highly suggest that you use a calendar to organize your life. I still prefer the traditional paper calendar but you can also use one on your phone or computer too. The 12 Days of Me will work hand in hand with your calendar.

After I assembled my notebook I sat down with my calendar and picked out my 12 personal days, one for each month. I chose the 19th of each month because my birthday number is the 19th. I had to change a few days that fell on a weekend day or days that were already full of activities. You might have to do some creative planning also. Perhaps you will choose the third Saturday of each month...or maybe a few hours on a Friday night is all the time you can afford....it's up to you how you pick your personal day. For those of you that work a full time job outside the home, perhaps you can be naughty and call in crafty a few days. ;) Be a rebel! Whatever you do, get the 12 dates on your calendar now. Plan ahead and do not feel guilty. You work hard. You deserve this time for yourself.

I thought you might like to see a glimpse into my first personal day in January. I set my date and chose my activities. I am going to scrapbook our Thanksgiving and Christmas photos of 2009. I was specific and listed exactly what I want to accomplish. I also jotted down a few *plan ahead* activities such as developing the photos, organizing my supplies, cleaning up my scrapbook area, etc. I even planned my *special treats* of Diet Dr. Pepper and my favorite Turkey Bacon Rollups. Your special treat might be a new book, a new fingernail polish color, an online class, new crafting supplies, etc. By planning ahead, I will be ready to get work on my special day. The idea is to hit the floor running by being organized BEFORE your personal day arrives.

I spent a little time yesterday organizing my supplies. I purchased an entire line of Making Memories supplies that I'm so excited to crack into. I used my embellished clothespin to clip together some smaller goodies.

I organized all my supplies in a wood box, keeping everything neat and tidy until my fun day gets here.

And there you have it, folks. I hope you will join me in my 12 Days of Me adventure this year. Below are the contents that you will receive in The 12 Days of Me kit. Later this week, I will show you how to assemble your notebook and clothespin clip so stay tuned. While waiting for your kit to arrive, I would suggest that you plan out your 12 days. Write them on your calendar now....in pen.

The kits will be listed in my Etsy shop in just a bit. I made a lot of kits for this first round. If the kits sell out and there are those of you who would still like a kit, I'm prepared to offer up a second round of kits. Items sell quickly in my shop though, so purchase quickly and be sure to complete the payment portion of your PayPal transaction so that your kit can be mailed out in a timely manner. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day. Have a GREAT year everyone!!