Under Scarlet Bird's Wing

Thank you!

2012-01-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to start by saying how all of you have blessed me with your enthusiastic response to my products. I'm super excited with them and it makes my heart happy that you are as well.

Several of you asked when my shop would open and while these things are never exact, I am shooting for sometime toward the end of March. I haven't yet settled on a platform for the shop. (if you are in the know about such things, please send me an email as I am in the dark and starting from scratch)

I'm a designer and business is not something I know a ton about so I've got lots to learn about taxes and packaging and all that fun stuff. (so like I said, if you have insider information and don't mind sharing, I'm all ears! Hint, hint!)

I can tell you that you are going to be excited for the next installment too. And Moments isn't quite finished either so there will be some tweaks to that also.

For today, I'd like to share another layout. I've been creating like a mad-woman for a few weeks and haven't been able to share so I'm really excited that I get to show you a bit more now.

First, this layout debuted on the Elle's Studio Blog yesterday and is made from the new 'A Love Story' kit in the shop. It is such a fun kit. There is an exclusive stamp set which I assure you, you DON'T want to miss. Not only that but there are some yummy journaling and embellishment tags and some amazing fabric embellishments that are exclusive to the kit as well. I could easily have continued making stuff from this kit. So much fun!

Here tis: 1, 2, 3 Reasons 4 Loving You

The filmstrip is a Silhouette image as are the doilies, and the word 'loving'.

Loved playing with the twine in this kit. To make the heart below, I glued a heart punched from the patterned paper in the kit onto the photo, then I ran a thin line of glue around that and glued the twine down. Easy peesy!

And here is another bit of fun for you. This is my last week as the Challenge Maven on the Studio Calico Challenge forum. For the month of January I've been issuing a challenge to the Layout A Week or LOAW girls. This week's is one I'm super excited about. You can see the challenge thread here. (You really want to because it'll turn you on to another amazing scrapper who's work you must not miss.

So this was my take on the challenge. You'll see a few more bits from the Moments collection in this one.

In the bit just above here, I love the little bow I tied between the thread ends. It's hard to see, but that one detail made me smile big!

So now, why don't you give mixed media a try on your pages. I have to admit that covering up my patterned paper and tape was hard, but I love the result.

Happy day!

So Much to Share today!

2012-01-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

So, things are progressing in my corner and I have something I'm very very excited to share with you today. It seems fitting that CHA is happening as I have my very own version of a CHA sneak to share with you right here.

I've been working on perfecting my process for getting my new button badges and die cuts produced. There are still some tweaks to come but I'd like to unveil what is going to be the first of my collections for this Spring. I'm calling it Moments.

Say hello to 'Moments', a collection of button badges and label die cuts by Ursula Schneider!

Colors don't always come out quite right in photos so here is a swatch of the palette so you can get a good feel for the colors.

I've created a layout to showcase what I came up with. Is it wrong to say its one of my favorites in quite some time? I'm really in love with the buttons and the color scheme.

I've got more excitement in the works so stay tuned for more news as it breaks! (Squeal!!!)

Now, do head over to Elle's Studio blog to check out a layout I made for the new kit I showed you sneaks for yesterday. I think you'll be excited to see it in use! And Rahel Mehnig is also sharing a layout today. You'd don't want to miss this!

I want to hear your thoughts on the new products coming out so make sure and share in the comments! Tell me what is your favorite so far! And feel free to put the word out!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

2012-01-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

The random number generator never lies, just so you know. And this time, it says that Gina Lideros is the winner!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:32Powered byRANDOM.ORG

So Gina, I'll be sending you an email and you'll be getting lovely new Punch! Congratulations! And, since I can hardly stand not sharing it. Here is the Sunset that I saw Sunday evening. What a beauty!

Happy Day!

Photo a Day 2012 - Week 3, Sneaks and a Layout!

2012-01-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! It's time for the Photo-a-day post. Have I mentioned that I am really enjoying this? It gives me such pleasure to look back over the months images on Shuttercal. So glad that I'm doing this and I do hope I can continue throughout the year. What a wonderful record it will be if I do manage it.

Before I share all of those I thought I'd share a little sneaky peek at a layout I did for the BRAND NEW Elle's Studio Kit A Love Story. I must tell you that you DO NOT want to miss this kit. The stamp is exclusive and it is amazing! Love love love that little thing. And the colors and patterns are sooo much fun. You can go subtle or bright with the kit depending on what you want to do. It's super versatile. And don't miss the extra goodies in the shop! The picture of the kit doesn't even begin to do it justice. You NEED this kit!

Here goes with the weeks pics!

Sunday, Jan 15

Hunter was really excited to learn some worship songs. Since he's found Christ, his whole outlook on music has changed drastically. Jeremy was giving him some guidance and feeling inspired himself to learn guitar.

Monday, Jan 16

Maddie place fetch with Bean. She's great at teaching him tricks and obedience.

Tuesday, January 17

I got to have lunch with dear Chelsea today. First time I've been away from home while the kids were home since last summer. Soooo blessed. And I gave Chelsea her Christmas gift.

Wednesday, Jan 18

Hunter goes for the bleached look. Personally, I dig it, but those darned roots are bound to be a problem for him.

Thursday, Jan 19

Jeremy and I had date night (its a new night for it since we aren't on Worship team every week now) We went while the kids were at Youth Group. We went to Buffalo Wild wings and had a very silly time together.

Friday, Jan 20

Yesterday, I picked up these Bombay Inks in order to play with them on my Scrap Pages. I have to admit to being a color junkie. sometimes I just like looking at all the pretty bottles lined up.

Saturday, Jan 21

Jeremy helped Madison with Math Matrices all day as she had chosen to not learn them during the week and so was very behind and very confused. (He did it Sunday too!) Does she know how lucky she is to have such a patient father?

Doing this project really brings home how fast the time flies by. I can hardly believe we are only a week from the end of January 2012. That idea makes me think things like, what if today were my last day on earth? How would I have left things? It really does cause you to think deeply when you do something like this.

And finally, I'll share a layout in case some of you didn't visit JBS yesterday. Here's one that is a blast from the past. I really had fun using the JBS Scalloped Banner punch on the border for this one.

Check Out Some Fun I had with Jenni Bowlin!

2012-01-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

I was so honored to be asked to work with the some of the JBS products for their blog this month. I'll showcase these in full on my blog in a few days, but for now, I'd like to send you over to the blog at Jenni Bowlin Studios. Doris sent me a lovely package of goodies to play with and there you'll find a few things I came up with.

It should be up around 8AM CST so be sure and check back then. I'll share the card I made for my sweetheart for Valentine's Day here. But don't tell him ok!

I had a lot of fun with the new JBS Punches on this particular project. I'm seeing all kinds of cool uses for that Blue Ribbon Punch in particular. And that doily, straight from my hubby's grandma's collection of goodies. She's been gone for quite a few years now but we get to remember her often as I use up some of her precious saved bits.

AND..............Elle's Studio Inspiration Gallery went live yesterday so you definitely need to head over there as well and see the pretties. All the girls did a fantastic job. I felt sooo very inspired by everyone's work. (and I was pinching myself to be among them!)

Here's one of the layouts from there for you to take a peek at. It's from my son-in-law's proposal to my daughter. I actually got to be there and was in on the secret and snapping photos under the guise of a photo shoot. What an amazing privilege that was.

This one is made using the Studio Calico kit County Fair and a few of the Elle's Studio New Bits, Collected Note Tags and One and Only Strips.

Funny story about the top of this page. I had cut some circles out of it for another layout but I wanted to use it for a background. So I figured I could make it work by backing those holes with something pretty. I think it worked quite nicely. What do you think?

I'll be back tomorrow to share some more layouts and fun.

Fun with Paint

2012-01-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today I took some time to play with paint, specifically watercolors. I added in some reinkers too, but found the the watercolors behave very differently.

I took a sheet of watercolor paper and cut it into tags and got to work playing.

I'm am in no way an artist so try not to laugh to loud at my lack of art supply knowledge. However, I'm told you can learn alot by experimentation so that is what I did today.

I worked on my non-stick surface which was really helpful. I found that when I dripped some of the paint onto the surface accidentally, I could then press my tags into the paint and end up with a really nice blotched effect.

Photos of watercolor trays make me happy. Don't they make you happy too? This one isn't messy enough yet to be completely amazing, but it's a good start.

I also tried 'inking' a stamp with paint. While it worked quite well on my wheel stamp from Studio Calico (which incidentally is being reproduced for their regular stamp line so you'll be able to own it too if you don't already!!! Woot!) It worked really well. (not so much for the other stamps I tried though!)

What I was going for initially were the 'perfect drip' technique. I didn't quite achieve that, but if you're looking for some good information on that, please check out Marcy Penner's Tutorial on the subject. Marcy is awesome and has a great tut to share besides making super fantastic layouts day in and day out!

Finally, I'd like to present that whether or not the stuff you put on tags works out, it's pretty likely that the paper towel you use for cleaning up your mess will be simply gorgeous and you can admire and oogle it to your heart's content.

And for those of you who are make-up mavens, yes, that is an acrylic lipstick storage piece that I used as a palette. I like how all the pretty colors look in it don't you.

With all of that, I'll say goodbye for now. Do link me up if you have any great videos or tutorials on the subject of fantastic dripping or watercolor techniques. I'm all ears.

Oh, and I may or may not have gone out today and bought some bombay inks. I may or may not have to find out what THOSE do!

And my giveaway is still open so check that out.

Happy Friday mates!

Sketch LO at Elle's Studio

2012-01-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. Today is a fun day to share a new layout. Elle's Studio has Sketch Thursday every week and this week I got to play along.

As soon as I saw this sketch I knew what I wanted to do. I love that it has the three photo blocks going across, but I wanted to change it up and just use one photo for this particular project. I'm also not so fabulous at working random spots into my pages so I altered that concept a bit and drew them toward the center of the page.

Here it is, but make sure you head over to the Elle's Studio Blog to see what Stephanie Baxter has come up with as well. And don't forget to enter the challenge for your chance to win!

I used the latest Studio Calico Kit, County Fair for this project. I just love that pack of Red and White striped envelopes. Will have to discipline myself not to use them on every project. Mister Huey Dewey also played an important roll. Love that little man!

Elle's Studio products were:

And here are some details for you.

Don't forget to enter yesterday's giveaway if you haven't already! And have a wonderful day!

Another sneak to share and a Giveaway

2012-01-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. First, I want to say thanks to all of you for your especially kind words yesterday. I admit I was a little nervous to share that part of my life as I've taken a fair bit of flack for it over the years. I am so glad now that I did. Thank you for your ongoing support! (and huge thanks for the prayers many of you have offered. I am convinced God is very active in our lives as a result of prayer!)

I'm excited to share a couple more sneaks with you today. I've worked on some projects for Jenni Bowlin Studios and have been dying to share them with you. They'll go live in all their glory on Friday so keep an eye out.

In the meantime, here are a couple of fun sneaks for you.

Do check out JBS as they have some really beautiful kits each month and Jenni is always coming out with fantastic new products like the Fiskars punches she's just brought to the table.

Now, for the GIVEAWAY, because somehow I managed to purchase two of these for myself, I'd like to give one of them away. I have to say sorry to you international friends as the weight of this item will keep me from shipping it overseas. However, I've got this wonderful EK Success Butterfly punch and I'd like to give it away to one lucky reader as a way to say thank you for visiting me, sharing your thoughts and being supportive!

I appreciate each and every one of you more than you know. I really truly do, so THANK YOU.

Leave me a comment with your email addy so that I can contact you. And please share my giveaway on your Facebook or blogs for additional chances to win. Leave me a comment with the link where you shared for each time and I'll draw a winner on Monday morning, January 23rd and post the winner on Tuesday.

Have a wonderful day!

Photo a Day 2012-Week 2

2012-01-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

I am sometimes surprised at how difficult it can be take a photo every day. I ask myself, how hard should it be? But sometimes, it just is. Well, I should qualify that by saying its hard in part because I am a perfectionist. I should probably get over that shouldn't I.

I'm going to start by giving a warning. There is one photo that may be difficult for you to understand. I'm going to request that you don't share parenting advice with me unless you also have a child who is Reactive Attachment Disordered and you have experienced what it means to parent such a child. I am sharing today because this IS my daily life. But I'm not looking for advice.

The fact is, I have a child who is very disturbed emotionally and she requires parenting that is very different from what many children need. While she is physically 16, emotionally, she is more like 8 or 9 and even that is being generous sometimes. Her cognition on matters of conscience is nearly non-existent. So, before you feel that I am a mean mom, either don't keep reading this post, or understand that it's very difficult to parent such a child and that her needs are VERY different from your children's needs. (yes, I am defensive about this because I answer these questions constantly and sometimes I get a little techy about it.)

So, without further ado......

Sunday Jan 8 -- Cody looks a bit skeptical as Dad Jeremy tries to convince him to pose for the camera.

Monday Jan 9 -- Chelsea(who is just over 7 months pregnant) and I tried for an impromptu belly shoot this afternoon but Olivia stole the show. Here she made us think she was going to eat that foot!

Tuesday Jan 10 -- Hunter and I had to go grocery shopping after school today. I had yet to get a photo for the day but when I saw the sky, I knew what I had to do. I was only sad I didn't have my big girl camera. I do hope my poor kids don't hate photography as a result of my antics.

Wednesday Jan 11 -- Today was a routine Dental visit for Hunter and Madison. I have to admit I felt really frustrated when Maddie had 5 new cavities and Hunter had 2. I want so much for them to have healthy teeth so they don't have to go through all I've been through with my teeth but it's not to be.

Thursday Jan 12 -- It's sometimes hard for me to accept that this is the only way Madison can/will stop long enough to consider her actions and work on willingness to change them. I know its for her best but it's hard to make this happen. She's been pretty angry since we returned from Mexico and the result has been some pretty nasty behavior. I pray every day that she'll find peace and joy.

Friday, Jan 13 -- We had to go to the Dentist in Nogales today. A little trip looking for cheese found us in front of this church.

Saturday, Jan 14 -- Coffee at Starbucks with Summer. This is week two of our mentoring relationship. What a blessing it is to share life with a godly person.

I have to admit this past week was a tough one for me. We've really been IN it with Madison. I don't believe I shared before, but Hunter accepted Christ while we were in Mexico. Since then, he has been a changed young man. I don't think I can express just how changed. But the biggest thing I see is a difference in pride vs. humility. His rebellion seems to have melted away which really has been amazing to see.

However, Madison is mad as a hornet because of it. She was much more comfortable when she could say that Hunter was the troublemaker. Now that he is changing and growing in Christ she hardly knows what to do. So, she's been mean and nasty. She's spiteful and using her words to attack both Hunter and I continually. That gets to be exhausting after a while. If you're the praying sort, please pray that my poor daughter can find peace and joy.

With any luck, I'll have a little something crafty to share tomorrow. Until then, have a great day!

Sneaky Peeky!

2012-01-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

I promised some sneaks and here they are. I've been soooo excited to be designing on the team with Elle's Studio! And I've been working hard so that I can share these projects with you.

All of these will be able to be seen in full on January 22 when the Inspiration Gallery at Elle's Studio goes live so make sure to mark your calendar. I know you'll enjoy the design teams new offerings.

Here's a look at my projects using a lot of the newest products along with some older but fabulous ones(I find that I want to reuse alot of these again and again). I used the Studio Calico Brooklyn Flea as the foundation for these projects. Some of those goodies are still available so you may want to check them out as well.

You may notice from the sneaks that my sewing machine and I have been getting along quite well lately.

Have you seen the latest Elle's Studio Product? It's pretty fantastic and I can assure you that even more Elle's Studio goodness is on it's way very soon.

For now, look forward to the Elle's Studio Inspiration gallery for January coming up. I've got three layouts that are going in it.

By the way, here is some of the newest product at Elle's. Which are your favorites?

One and Only Bits One and Only Strips

One and Only Note Tags Pennants - True Love

Looks like love is in the air! Pop over to the shop and see what else is new.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Comin' down the Home Stretch

2012-01-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

Since I'm only going to December 25th I feel like I've finally made it to the home stretch. At least that is what I'm telling myself, LOL (Can I say that having had to play catch up with this project, I am convinced that it would have been easy peasy if I'd done it day by day for the remainder of the month. Maybe next year)

Day 19

This was another marathon day.

I used my Silhouette to cut out the 1234 Frame. I did some adjusting to get it to have thinner inner and outer walls. It's pretty easy to do that sort of thing when you select and ungroup the image and then move things around until you like it. I cut it from some Wood Veneer that I had picked up at my LSS. You can find it here if you are interested.

As you can see, things keep getting simpler as I go along. I am still fighting a ridiculous chest cold and so am still not feeling my best. Really hoping to be back up to speed soon.

Our time at the Migrant camp was great. We even came home with a very adorable kitten (who, as it turned out had ringworm which she shared, but we won't talk about that) It was amazing to see some of the same families there that we'd seen a couple years previous. The kids had a ball batting at the pinata and enjoying the presents of candy, dolls, balls and other fun things that we brought.

The men worked really hard, putting up the first half of the trusses on the youth center we were building. We were so blessed to have had no major injuries during the whole trip. (there were a few hammered thumbs, but nothing serious)

Day 20

I didn't end up getting a whole lot of photos on this day, but what I lacked in quantity I gained in quality. That is to say I was able to capture one completely amazing sunset.

The other ladies helped shuck shrimp (pounds and pounds of it to feed 35 people!) while I napped. Yep, I was a slacker. But I did make salsa earlier in the day so I hope that counts for something. I made a LOT of my signature Pico De Gallo salsa on this trip!

At the end of the evening, the roof workers took a load off and watched the sun set.

I found some seashells and starfish that the kids had collected from the beach earlier in the day and felt they needed to be documented too.

And finally, yet another amazing sunset. I can hardly believe how many wonderful sunsets I was able to capture on this trip. It was just one after another.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday with some sneakaroonies!

Time for inspiration

2012-01-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of projects I've been working on but they are all things you must wait to see. Coming up soon though! I can't wait to share with all of you!

So, since I can't share what I've been working on, I thought I'd share some pinterest goodness that I've been finding inspiring lately.

Beautiful Colors for a layout or card. I could see a layout with the shapes of the bottles too.

Bright happy colors and patterns

Color combo anyone?

This makes me happy and also calm.

Just because

New spin on a color wheel?

I like the simplicity here, it reminds me that I don't have to have a gillion embellishments all the time for beauty to ensue!

Fresh

Monochromatic doesn't need to be boring either.

White

Aqua

Yellow

There is so much beauty to be seen I hope you'll share some with me too! Let me know where you've been finding inspiration lately.

Loving Mexico pictures

2012-01-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

Just sayin. I'm pretty sure that the photos that I took in Mexico were considerably more interesting than the ones I took at home. LOL

Day 17 was the second leg of our infamous journey. The most notable thing about the trip itself is that it took us 9 hours instead of about 5. Once again, we don't know why.

Of course, it could have been that we stopped for Pollo Asado (and it may have been about an hour)

And then, there was the period where we started hearing that awful noise coming from under the truck. That turned out to be a worn out u-joint which did ultimately hold up until we reached our destination. But the guys had to diagnose it and be certain that leaving it wouldn't cause some type of permanent damage. (yes, my hubs is very handy, the man can fix anything. This is both a wonderful quality and at times, a curse)

Just as we reached Guasave, which is the largest city near to our destination of Las Glorias, we got a phone call from our Pastor in Tucson, AZ. It turns out that since we hadn't arrived, the Coult's had called the States asking about us. They'd tried to reach us but our phones were either off or not working.

We had tried to call them but the calls wouldn't go through. So we just prayed they would anticipate normal types of delays and wait for us. However, they called the States and everyone became very worried. Even the Mexican Consulate was called and they were going to send out a search. Luckily, I had my phone on and was able to receive Pastor Neil's call.

The whole church in the States and those in Mexico had been praying intently for our safe arrival. Poor Eric's wife, Susan had been beside herself with worry. We felt terrible to have caused such a stir but were so appreciative of those prayers. I choose to believe that God protected us from we knew not what.

When we arrived, it was 2 pm in Guasave and we happened to run into Doug and Jeff at a gas station who had gone out on the roads to try and search for us. What a blessing that we caught them. At that point we had one more hour and then we were there.

Once we arrived, it was only an hour before we had to leave for the first ministry event, a couple's dinner prepared at the Tamazula Church for the community of believers. Our team was to play music (COMPLETELY UNREHEARSED AND IN SPANISH!!!) for this event.

We got dressed and spruced up as best we could and then headed out very quickly. Once we arrived we were able to get situated with the other musicians and while it wasn't up to our normal standards, no one cared and they all really enjoyed it. (we Americans really are too picky!)

We shared a meal with folks, played games and just had a good time fellow-shipping together as believers. This particular church is pretty typical of the Christian churches down there. The construction is brick and concrete. The bathroom in the rear has no roof so your are doing your business under the stars. The eves are open ended and I'm pretty sure there was no door on the front.

Building codes are a bit different there.

Day 18 is Sunday so back to church we went. This time to the church in Alamito. Again, we were privileged to share some music and testimony of how God is working. I am always amazed at the love of the Mexican people and how openly welcoming they are.

This church is literally in a field shared with cattle and goats. Complete with cow-pies. As the pastor shared, the goats bleated, a cowboy brought up a small herd of goats along with his driving dogs. Dogs roamed through the aisles. We worshipped in God's house, truly.

After church, we visited downtown Guasave and did a little shopping and site seeing. I am always captured by the colors and textures there. Such beauty, even though it's often covered in dirt and the paint is always peeling, it's simply stunning to look at.

We finished out the evening at a prayer meeting at still another church. The Christian churches there are trying to promote unity among themselves and this event was a prayer event for that purpose.

I had to add the straight photo cause I really love it. I kinda have an obsession with ferris wheels.

Well that was a really long post. If you're still with me, thanks for hanging out. I'll see ya tomorrow!

A little more done

2012-01-09T22:36:00.001-07:00

I'm still trudging along on my December Daily. It's become much harder now as I took sooo many photos on the days when we were in Mexico. Picking just a few is not so easy.

Not only that, but while I fully intended to journal along the way, the frenetic schedule we kept while we were there kept me from doing any such thing. Given that, I am hoping that I truly can recall the emotions that I want to convey in my my project.

Day 15 was a preparation day. Every time we go on a road trip there seems to arise some last minute mechanical issue. This time it was the brakes on the truck that had to be replaced on the day before the trip. It's a job Jeremy has tackled many times, still there always seems to be a hitch and this time was no exception.

By the end of the day the poor man was driven nearly to distraction from trying to figure it all out.

I was able to create bags of coveted M&M's for our friends the Coult's while we were down there. There are lots of things that just can't be had there and this is one of them.

Day 16 turned out to be a day with a lot of 'hurry up and wait'. As I mentioned before, poor Jeremy had a lot more to do than he'd bargained for. After getting only 40 minutes (yes, minutes) of sleep before getting up to leave @ 3AM, we finished loading and headed out on the road.

We spent 6 hours at Kilometer 21(this is the spot in Mexico where you get your travel permits and visas) trying to get our papers. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that we had hoped to beat our time from our previous trip which was about 2.5 hours. Well, we beat it, just not in the direction we'd hoped.

The result was that we made a 15 hour trip into a 40 hour trip, having to stay overnight in one of the Casetas ( a toll booth rest stop) and wait for daylight when it would again be safe to travel.

I wish I'd taken a photo of our camping arrangement but we were too tired to even think about cameras. We ended up opening up the tent trailer right there in the parking lot along side the highway while the big 18 Wheelers pulled out of the toll booths all night. It was a sight to behold, but we were certainly not alone. Savvy Mexican travelers did the same. Even the toll roads are not safe for travel after dark due to banditos who may stop you along the way and mug you.

We were glad that we actually had a place to stretch out for all nine people traveling between our camper and the tent trailer.

There were some beautiful sights to be seen along our route including changing leaves and colorful Mexican architecture. Add to that all the yummy meals we enjoyed along the way and it wasn't so bad, just a bit longer than we'd anticipated.

Finally, we ended our trip for that day just outside of Guymas, but not before we beheld this amazing sunset in Hermosillo. I was feeling bad that I hadn't captured it with my big camera, but I think this shot will do nicely after all. We'd intended to take a shortcut around the downtown Hermosillo traffic but in the end we just got lost and wasted another two hours. However, if we hadn't gotten lost, I'm not so sure we'd have gotten to see this beauty.

We prayed alot as we drove. We asked for wisdom as to how to safely get to our destination despite our setbacks. I prayed ALOT that we'd stay on the roads. On either side of the road, there tends to be a drop off of a foot or two. And ZERO shoulder to speak of. I should have photographed that, but then I'd have had to focus on it too much!

Finally, here are a couple of shots of what we saw along the way. (it's hard to take good shots as you go so forgive the bad ones of the road)

You can get a little idea of how small the shoulder is, though the drop off just here isn't too bad.

Here is a roadside shrine. You see quite a few of these along the roads. I'm not entirely sure why a shrine is placed but people regularly stop to light a candle and offer a prayer.

Have a lovely Tuesday and I hope you get some wonderful creative time today.

Photo a Day 2012-Week 1

2012-01-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a project this year called Photo a Day. It's based on a class over at Studio Calico. I'm sorry to say that you can't buy this one anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't share my results.

Lots of folks are doing Project life and I had considered doing it myself. The trouble is, I'm not so good at doing any other projects while also doing that type of project. I want to have the memories and the year documented, but adding all the extra lovelies just seems out of the realm of possible for me personally.

Solution? Photo a Day! I'm taking a photo every day that represents some aspect of our daily lives. Of course, there will be plenty of days that I take more than one photo of more than one event during our day. But for this project I'm just choosing one image.

I've yet to decide how I'll use these images other than uploading them to Shuttercal each day. I'm considering doing their nifty Shoebox plan but as yet, I am undecided. At any rate, I thought I'd share my photos for this week along with the captions I'm including over at Shuttercal. It'll give you a little glimpse into our daily lives here as Casa Schneider.

Jan 1 The aftermath from New's Year Eve celebration with our family. We had the Korngiebel clan, Sr. Schneider's and Millie, Hunter, Maddie, Danielle and Jeremy all sharing a meal of Prime Rib. Lots to clean up afterwards!

Jan 2 Jeremy and I are on day 11 of a nasty chest cold we picked up while in Mexico. Lots of tissues in use here. Thank God for Puffs Plus!

Jan 3 Maddie and Hunter and I broke for lunch this afternoon. Nothing special, just drag out but we did it together.

Jan 4 Maddie got these amazing custom designed Dr. Seuss Converse for Christmas. She loves them, Mom loves them, her friends love them, it's all good!

Jan 5 Both the kids got Yo-Yo's in their stockings and they've been spending a lot of time honing their skills!

Jan 6 Today marks day 16 that I've been sick. There are knives in my head each time I breath in through my nose. It seems like the congestion is never going to end and I begin to wonder if there is a sinus infection going on. These are my 'supplies' that I am using to make it a bit more bearable.

Jan 7 Jeremy is faithful to read his bible each morning. He inspires me to follow suit.

Part of my process is to hone my 'delete' skills (that may have something to do with the ridiculous number of photos I am now storing) The other part is too reacquaint myself with Manual again. I used to always shoot manual, but in the last couple of years I switched back to Aperture Priority. I'm enjoying the switch so far.

Are you doing a similar project this year?

Recipes on Demand

2012-01-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends! If you haven't already, please check out yesterday's post here as I am really wanting your feedback.

There were a couple of requests for the recipes to the cakes I made for our Christmas celebrations so today I'd like to share both of them with you. Both are quite easy, however, I encourage you to carefully read the instructions for the Pineapple Cream cake as there is one step that may be unexpected and which took me by surprise the first time I made it. That said, here they are.

Jagermeister Cake

This is made with Jagermeister Liqueur which is an anise(black licorice) flavored liqueur. Personally, I cannot imagine drinking this stuff like a liqueur as it tastes like a very nasty version of cough medicine to me. However, it makes a very yummy spicy cake. This is one of the moistest cakes I've ever made and it's super simple to prepare. A large bottle of liqueur will yield 2 cakes while the small will make one.

1 box Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
1 package(4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 c. Jagermeister (if you want a milder cake, reduce the amount of liqueur and replace with the same amount of water)
3/4 c. vegatable oil
4 maraschino cherries cut in slivers for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour a bundt pan or a 9x13 baking dish. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake about 50 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool for 1/2 hour. Turn out onto cake place. Mix up a bit of Jagermeister and powdered sugar to create a glaze. I used about 1/4 cup liqueur and enough sugar to create a pretty runny mixture. Drizzle glaze over cake and top with cherry slivers.

Pineapple Cream Cake

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

5 eggs

8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained, reserving the liquid

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1/3 vegetable oil

1 c. water

1 1/4 tsp rum flavoring

1 cup shredded coconut

2 tbls margarine, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

For garnish: maraschino cherries or pineapple chunks

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour a tube pan.

In a small bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and 2 eggs; beat well. Stir in crushed pineapple; set aside.

In a large bowl, cobine yellow cake mix, oil, water, 1 tsp rum flavoring and 3 eggs. Blend on low speed with an electric mixer, then beat for 2 min on high. Stir in flaked coconut.

Pour 2/3 of the cake batter into greased and floured tube pan; spoon the cream cheese mixture on top. Carefully add the remaining cake batter. (I once did this without layering because I didn't read carefully and just mixed it all together. It still turned out fabulously and honestly, I don't know that you can really tell there are layers anyway!)

Bake for 55 - 65 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Meanwhile, combine 4 tbsp of the reserved pineapple juice, 1/4 tsp run flavoring and 2 tbsp softened margarine in a medium bowl. Slowly beat in powdered sure, beating until thick enough to spoon over cake as a glaze. Garnish with pineapple chunks, maraschino cherries or whatever you have on hand.

Oh, and someone asked about the recipe for the Yeast Rolls from my Christmas Dinner, they can be found here.

Enjoy!

I need your input

2012-01-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

As many of you have likely guessed, I'm contemplating opening an Etsy shoppe! But I want some feedback from all of you about what you'd like to see in such a shop.

Here are some of the items I am considering having available (these aren't all guaranteed at present, but they are under consideration)

fun little label stickers with words and phrases
button badges in the 1 inch size
German Foil pieces
Vintage flower diecuts
Vintage ephemera in general (I have a pretty extensive collection)
Vintage notions
Vintage watch parts
Vintage Ledger paper
Washi tape
Mini Envelopes
Mini album kits that will be pretty limited in number and very unique
Handmade embellishments
Ribbon trim
Handmade Paper
Die Cut shape files
Or just die cut shapes already cut from nifty paper!

Those are some initial ideas but I'd love to hear what you'd like to see in a store from me. Feel free to make lots of suggestions and we'll see what I can come up with.

Tell me which of these ideas you like, which you hate (and why if you don't mind) and share any additional ideas you may have too!

In the meantime, be patient with me. This shop opening business takes a lot of planning!

Back to Scrapping! Yay

2012-01-03T23:02:00.001-07:00

Loved hearing everyone's feedback on my tutorial yesterday and wanted to say a great big thanks for chiming in! It has felt soooo good to get back into my scrap room and make something pretty.

As you all know, I was gone for quite a while over the holiday, so while I was still taking photos, my December Daily book was not making any progress. Yesterday, I picked that back up and continued. So I'll share with you what I ended up with.

December 13th happened to be my son Hunter's birthday so of course, that was the biggest theme. I've been trying to get a photo of each child on their birthday. A birthday portrait of sorts and that is what I used for my focus on Day 13. He's a handsome one, don't you think.

I am always delighted when a cardinal puts himself in the way of my viewfinder. I honestly could take one photo after another of him. He's so very handsome!

Now that the month is over and there are so many other projects that I need to attend to, I think my pages may become more and more simple but I am ok with that as the point is to document the month and there is already a lot of wonderful detail in the base album!

And then, I did ANOTHER one! I am so proud of myself today!

I kept it pretty simple, a stamp and some letter stickers and journaling!

I really really wanted to go and visit the snow on this day. Like REALLY!

Have a beautiful day friends!

Paper Bag Album Tutorial

2012-01-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Hope you're having a wonderful day as you get into the swing of this new year.

I've gotten a few requests for a paper bag album tutorial so that is the focus of today's post. I want you to know that I always read every single comment and take note of the requests. I try to respond to what you're asking for, it just may take me a bit, but I'll always try to share what you're looking for! So keep those requests coming.

Now, for the tutorial:

I started with some simple flat style paper bags. I requested them from a retailer I frequent and recommend you might try the same. Always offer to pay for them as they cost the retailer. In my case, I was blessed and they were 'donated' to my cause, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

The bags I chose were 8.25 inches by 5 inches and had the serrated edges on them. I wanted to retain that look, so rather than cut the serrated edge, I cut the closed edge to aquire the size I wanted. Just cut off how ever much you want to get the size you need. In my case, I cut it down to 6.25 inches.

That leaves me with an open ended bag on both ends which is fine if you are just using it to be a page. However, if you want to be able to create a pocket, then you need to close that end off.

I chose to cut a bit of patterned paper to help me accomplish this purpose. Cut a strip 3 inches by 5 inches. Score it down the middle. Add adhesive to each side. Adhere to to the end of the bag with the cut, folding over and adhering to the other side as well. Use a bone folder to get a sharp crease.

Next, I cut strips of pattern paper 12 x 5, scored down the middle and folded them over for the remaining pages. I cut the holes in the edge after it was folded over and simply stacked the pages and inserted binder rings.

Next, I used my 7 Gypsies Binderie to make holds for binding rings. I centered the page on the Binderie and simple punched the two holds. Limiting the number of holes eliminates there being a lot of issue with avoiding the punched holes in the rest of the design process.

After I did that it looked like this.

Then you just need to decorate to your hearts content! If you make one, please share a link with me so I can check it out!

Our Christmas on New Year's Eve

2012-01-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

Since half of our family was in Mexico on Christmas, we decided to celebrate our Christmas together as a family on New Year's Eve.

We went so far as to decorate the Christmas tree, make a full on Christmas dinner, exchange gifts and the whole nine yards. It was fun! I thought I'd just share a few pictures of our day together.

I baked two cakes! Jagermeister cake and Pinapple Cream cake.

Maddie and Hunter decorated this little tree for us. I had initially thought I wouldn't have time to get the big tree up but in the end, I was able to.

Kaitlin sent packages to the whole family that were all hand made and hand decorated the packages as well. They are all beautiful! And I am so proud of her for doing this for everyone.

Maddie was my right hand woman yesterday, along with cousin Jennifer. Maddie decorated our beautiful table and even found a fancy way of folding the napkins. Kudos to Maddie, a modern day homemaker in the making!

George the cat felt that he deserved a place at the head of the table and should be served his own portion of Prime Rib.

Just before dinner, we got the whole family together for a group photo. (these don't happen often for some reason so this is a really good thing!) Love having a remote trigger!

This was our meal of Prime Rib Au Jus, Mom's Baked Potato casserole, Green Bean Casserole and Homemade yeast rolls. Delicious!

After dinner, we all shared packages and then the kids opened their stockings!

While we all unwrapped packages, Kaitlin and Jon joined on via Skype online which was a real treat to be able to do. Thanks for all the hard work and beautiful ornaments Kitty! It was very well recieved!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I'm hoping to get a tutorial up for making a paper bag journal tomorrow so keep an eye out for that!

All the Pretties from AC Chap

2011-12-28T23:46:00.001-07:00

I am soooo delighted to make an announcement. You may have already heard, but if you haven't......

I have been invited to join the Elle's Studio Design team for the 2012 January through June! I could not be happier. (If you'd seen what I did when I got this news......well, it could be considered embarrassing!)

I hope you'll come on over to Elle's Studio and keep up with the blog to see what me and all the other absolutely fantastic designers are cooking up for you. I know you'll be inspired.

And now that you've had a chance to see a little of my American Crafts projects, I thought it'd be fun to show you all of the details and pages of my journal.

I'll start with the layouts. The theme was 'New Year'. As I thought about it I realized just how much there is to anticipate in a new year. My first layout embraces the idea of looking forward.

I did a lot of stitching and cutting with my Silhouette on this page. I am amazed at how that machine can create small letter stickers so beautifully!

This next project was a two page with a bucket list of sorts. A different activity I hope to accomplish during that month. I'll let you know next year if I managed them or not.

Again, a lot of stitching is what really characterizes this project. I was thinking in terms of a grid but wanted the lines to have a bit more fluidity.

Here's a happy little card to send just to say 'hello'.

I created this journal from a base of small brown paper bags. (thanks Lorie!) I intend to use my gratitude journal in the coming year to make note of what I'm thankful for each month. The bags will allow me to tuck some treasures inside if I want to.

I'm sure you can tell I had a ton of fun on these projects. I don't very often work with a single manufacturer or line so this was a challenge but i couldn't be more pleased with the end result.

Have a great day!

Guesting for American Craft

2011-12-28T00:00:00.004-07:00

Can you say WOOT?! What a great time I had using all the American Crafts goodies. Do pop over to American Crafts Blog and see their post featuring my work today. They've got a little bio and my projects as well! I'll be posting all the rest of the project tomorrow so be sure and check it out for the details!

While I'm at it, I must rave about the Chap Line which is what they sent me to play with (along with some Holly Day also).

If you haven't gotten your hands on it you need to. It is such an easy line to work with. The patterns and colors are simply classic.

My personal favorite products from the line are:

Dave Paper Mark Paper

The back side of Mark Scott Paper

Jared stamps Alex Delights

Chap Frames and Journaling Cards

I could keep going, but I'll stop there. Suffice it to say that I really enjoyed this collection. I need some more of that paper, I used up almost every scrap of it!

I'm just getting back from Mexico at almost 12AM Tuesday night so I'll be back tomorrow with more detail shots of my work for American Crafts!

I missed you all and hope you had a very blessed Christmas holiday!

Heading Out for Christmas

2011-12-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends. I wanted to take a moment and share what we are doing for the Christmas holiday.

A few years ago, a family full of red-heads visited our church. As it turned out, there were 8 of them and they were a homeschooling missionary family from Mexico, the Coults. The story could be long, but the short version is that we brought them home with us from church that day and since then, our lives have been a whole lot richer.

This is they. They let me take their photo every so often and this is one of those in my yard.

Beautiful Hermana Rebecca has become one of my closest friends. She's my soul sister really. I think we may have been separated at birth. (but she got the great hair instead of me!)

So, in the last 4 years since we all met, we've spent a fair bit of time living with one another and really getting to know each other....and we love each other more than ever.

As I mentioned, they are missionaries in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. They live in a small village called Las Gloria and minister in the surrounding communities. They are a wonderful, caring and dynamic group of people. Every member of that family considers himself or herself a missionary. The children all minister just as well as their parents do.

You'd love them if you met them, they are a fun loving, hard working and hard praying God loving group. We sure love them a ton.

This Christmas, our family, my husbands parents, and 3 other members of our church are heading down into Mexico to help them put the roof on a Youth Center they are building behind their home. They intend to use the building to draw local youth in for all sorts of ministry as well as other larger groups that can't be accommodated in their home.

We also plan to put on a couples dinner for the community there. We'll visit the migrant camp and put on a Christmas party for the people there including gifts, shoes and a pinata for the children. We'll sing some music in Spanish and fellowship there. Also, during the week, we intend to visit the prison and share with the prisoners some music and hopefully, words of hope and encouragement.

In the past they've put on parenting classes, worship conferences and whatever else seems fitting to meet the needs of the people.

In December 2009 we took our family down there for the first time at Christmastime and shared in fellowship with them. We didn't feel especially useful, but they said we were. While there, we participated in putting on a couples dinner for the community (a special even to be sure since poor fishing villages rarely get to eat a yummy meal including beef). We also got to share Christmas gifts with a camp of migrant workers.

This is the home of a migrant camp worker and her family of 6.

It's pretty much a shed, nothing is sealed from the elements.

Migrant camp workers are so generous that they want to share their food with us (we are terribly embarrassed at this, not wanting to take what little they have, but they won't take no for an answer)

While there we had good times, including arm wrestling contests, making friends with the locals

Cleaning local shrimp for a shrimp fry

Building building building

We visited the local markets which are a feast of colors, textures and......smells.

Meat is just sort of out in the open which is rather unsanitary to the American sensibility.

This is the condition of a great many vehicles down there. This is a 'good' one.

It is a beautiful place with a great deal of need.

I can't tell you how much we enjoyed it and how much it broke our hearts at the same time. At any rate, we'd love it if you'd pray for us while we are away. It'll be an adventure.

I'll be showing up again on December 28th with some fun projects I created for American Crafts so make sure and check that out.

I want to wish each of you the Merriest of Christmases. I am so thankful that we celebrate each year and remember God's tremendous gift, the baby Jesus who came to die so that we could live. Such a gift is too awesome to describe and surely deserves a regular celebration.

May God bless each of you this Christmas. Thank you for being a part of my life!

December Daily 12

2011-12-15T00:11:00.000-07:00

This will be the last one I complete before leaving for Mexico. I had hoped to keep up these last two days, but alas packing and planning is overtaking my life.

Look for me tomorrow when I'll be sharing a bit about where we are going and why and some pictures from our last trip!

I have to admit that it hasn't seemed terribly Christmasy around here lately. Since I didn't manage to get my Christmas tree up before we left that was a big part of it. I have had to enjoy other people's decorations and feel warm and fuzzy with them instead.

On this day, I decided that even though I haven't decorated, I can really spend time thinking about what Christmas is about. The advent tradition really does help with that. In Church, we've been lighting the advent candles for the last three Sundays. Since I didn't grow up with this tradition I haven't been terribly educated about it.

This year, I did a little research and learned that there is much too it that we don't even celebrate anymore. I feel like there is a lot more to learn.

I kept the focus on the photos and the story for day twelve.

We had two days of rain, which is pretty unusual around here so that is why the photo out my rainy window. I would have liked to journal about that but couldn't fit it in today. Maybe I'll add that to the story for the 13th.

I am really enjoying finding new ways to use photography to tell my stories. I would have never thought to take this photo before and certainly not to print it. But I love how it looks.

I am enjoying popping up some of my stickers with pop dots from American Crafts.

I set this photo up to illustrate what I was thinking about. I figure it's ok to improvise right. And since I forgot to photograph the real thing at church on Sunday I just used what I had at home.

Do you celebrate advent in the traditional way? I'd love to hear how you've incorporated this tradition into your Christmas seasons if you do.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

December Daily -- Day 11

2011-12-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

I sure hope you aren't tired of these! Here is yet another day!

December is pretty well kickin' my tail lately with business so it's been getting tougher and tougher to keep up. I do have day 12 done, but I'm saving it for tomorrow. Can you forgive me?

I could hardly believe that rose blooming in my yard. It took me completely by surprise. We just had a hard freeze a week or so ago. Given that, I have no clue how this rose managed to bloom. But bloom it did. Isn't it gorgeous!

More fun stuff from my stash. Those stencil letters are pretty old, but I love them. And that woodgrain paper is from several years ago. I bought a lot of it and I am so glad I did. Love it!

Since my eclipse photos didn't turn out as I'd hoped, I went for it again on Sunday night when the moon came up over the mountains. I need to brush up on my moon at dusk photo taking skills. But it worked out well enough, except for that weird flare that looks like a whole other moon.

Sorry for the less than stellar photos. We've had rain for two days straight which means not much light I'm afraid. I'm not complaining though. The desert is drinking it all up joyfully!

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful Wednesday.

December Daily --Day 10

2011-12-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

My two youngest kiddos love to be in the middle of some action. They are both all about being outdoors. Such a contrast to my two older girls who sometimes need to be reminded that there IS an outdoors. LOL

Last Saturday, the church 'Air Soft' Group had a scheduled 'shoot em up' out in the desert. I dropped Hunter and Maddie off early in the morning so they could enjoy the 'action'.

I had gotten up at 5:30 AM to photograph the Lunar Eclipse. Unfortunately, we ended up with a fog bank that kept me from photographing the really stunning part. Did get a few shots before that but honestly, it pretty much looked like a half moon. I admit, I was disappointed. I was pretty stoked at the idea of capturing a giant red moon right on the horizon. But alas, it was not meant to be.

While the kids shot each other, I did some Christmas shopping and even captured some beautiful fall foliage in the Target Parking Lot. I am so in love with the photo below that I'm considering having it printed on a canvas to hang in my home.

See how that number 10 is colored in. I painted it using my Mister Huey Dewey color. That color is my new favorite I think. The Mister Huey's are great to paint with!

Now, I really need to work on today and yesterday's pages! Have a great day!

December Daily 8 and 9

2011-12-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies! Got some more from the last few days to show you. I'm still working on Day 10 so haven't got that one to show yet.

Day 8 --- Got my Studio Calico December kit. Can you tell??? See that amazing stamp (the grey image!?) I am in love with it. I forsee it getting lots of use.

I actually used a lot of SC stamps on day 8 and 9. Below is the one from Jetsetter.(that's the blue outline around the pic of my DS) I got some use out of the Ali E December daily set at the top of the left page. More Elle's Studio love too. Oh, and I Zinged using AC Wave!

Um....can you tell I'm excited about this page? (sheepish grin...)

Please also note the use of Mister Huey Dewey. <3

I also recently discovered a reason why I didn't like my handwriting. I needed a finer point pen. Now, I am feeling like making friends with my particular brand of messy writing. My favorite writing implement so far in this new experiment is the AC Precision Pen in Black. But I'm intending to go and see if I can find something comparable in colors. Love me some color!

Day 9 ---- Date Night with the hubs! It had been tooo long. Oldest daughter Kaitlin sent a gift card for The Outback Steakhouse for my hubs birthday so off we went. Had a lovely meal including the tenderest steak I think I've ever had. Yum. It didn't look too pretty (I did take a picture) but it sure did taste good!

I broke into the new Studio Calico You are the Best stamp set. I have been eagerly waiting for that one and I am glad I finally got it. Love it! Found some fun red and white stripe ribbon at Joann's so I incorporated that, cutting it so it was thin enough for the spot I wanted it. You're also gonna see a lot of this graph vellum on my project coming up. I'm really liking using it in my December Daily.

Did you see I got out some of the October Afternoon Miscellany? Such a fun collection of vintage feeling goodness! I also ran out of t's in my Thickers so I improvised with a bracket and cut the cross members of an x. Worked well enough for me and gave my word character don't you think.

Did you notice those fun little label stickers with the words in them??? Well, I'm curious to know whether you like them. I'll tell you more about that soon!

Have a great day!

December Daily -- Day 7

2011-12-08T23:27:00.002-07:00

This day was interesting for me. I have to admit that leading up to making it I was really stressing because I wasn't sure I had a story to tell.

My day was pretty darn ordinary. However, in the end, even ordinary has a story.

I ended up taking a few more pics of my pages today cause I just liked how they turned out graphically and I wanted to show that.

I ended up really enjoying those coasters, which I totally didn't expect to like. I ought to know better. Always trust Studio Calico. They are wise!

Since copying Ali E has been the name of my game, I picked up the Hero Arts lowercase letter stamps . I used those for the word 'day'. Love the clean look of these. (well except for that fact that I can't stamp cleanly to save my life, LOL)

That little red oval label is a vintage bit I've been holding onto from my grandparents belongings. I've got a few and I'm always loathe to 'use them up' but if I don't they'll never get loved properly.

I also picked up Ali E's November Studio AE stamp set and used that for the border. I actually finally decided to subscribe to her stamp club as I always seem to love them and they are hard to find elsewhere. As I go along I'll add other sets from the past that I like as well.

I've been trying to use up those sparkly silver thickers just so I can get them out of my hair. They have the absolute worst glue of any thickers I've ever used. The whole package is full of them fallen off of the backing.

I really dislike my handwriting, as seen above. Would love to have one of those hip kinds of stylized handwriting that so many designers have, but alas, I do not. I actually have tried stylizing it a bit and, well......I think I may have finally given up. At least I can write eh!

Oh, and if you know a good source for red label stickers, let me know, cause I don't think I can ever have enough in enough sizes to suit me.

Have a great day!

December Daily - Day 6

2011-12-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends. It is late and I am tired, so another quick post today. I hope you'll forgive me the poor photography and lack of detail.

I somehow didn't feel extraordinarily creative the last couple of days. But, as you know, the days go by whether or not you have the mojo. Alas, even that can be recorded eh.

Today's 1st page has a bouquet which I bought on Friday and by Sunday it was already starting to look wilty. I was disappointed to say the least. How, in such cool and lovely weather did these flowers droop so quickly?

If you have some kind of inside knowledge can you let me in on it???

I decided to forgo the office page on the floral side and opted for a full page photo instead with the journaling right on it. If you hang out over at SC then you know that I've been jonesin for a button machine. But, not having one at present, I decided to create my own wannabe version.

One of the nice girls over there suggested punching a circle of chipboard, then gluing a punched circle of paper on that in the design I wanted. I did that, then added a small typed phrase and covered the whole with Diamond Glaze. The finished result is not to shabby I think.

And page two may be the reason I wasn't feeling quite so happy on that day. My daughter got her permit. You might think that would make me happy but for reasons I'll not go into, it didn't. But it did make her happy and I'm glad for her progress and the fact that she did apply herself to learn the material and pass her test.

Have a blessed day!

December Daily Day 5

2011-12-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update today. I have Day 5 to share with you.

I was trying to be a super model and demonstrate the glamorous sunglasses offered by my Ophthalmologist. I felt pretty spiffy. (I didn't snap those, but later, I put on some Red Lipstick so I could get the proper look. You know that when I wear such trendy shades I won't be able to be seen without a chic red lipstain!)

I even got the hubs to purchase some hip and trendy glasses. (I really didn't think he'd even try them but he didn't balk at all! Woot!) Now he'll look like a hot nerd! ;)

We had frost on the 5th as the temps dipped below freezing and there was some humidity. It sure didn't last more than literally a few minutes once the sun came out, but it was beautiful to behold for those few moments.

I'm off to enjoy December 7th. I hope you do as well!

December Daily - Day 3 and 4

2011-12-05T23:31:00.000-07:00

Does documenting it somehow make it better? Cause I swear that I am enjoying this December far more than any other I can think of for a while. It has just seemed magical so far.

I am just wondering if the process of looking for the joy really does end up creating the joy somehow. I guess I'll have to try it again next year and see if the same thing happens.

Below is my favorite page so far! Such a fun story this image was. I stuck my hat on little Olivia's head, and she, being a shy girl, buried her head in her mama's shoulder. But I was quick and ran around the other side and when she looked up, I snatched this shot! LOVE!

While it didn't make it all the way to the desert floor, the mountain tops surrounding our little valley are all beautifully covered in snow. I had to do a telephoto shot to capture it, but you get the idea. It'll all be gone in a day or so, at least to our view down here.

With the cold temps, George kitty likes to cuddle in his dad's discarded coat (left on the couch! egads!!) Do you like that cute frame? Silhouette baby! This is one of my favorite die cut shapes.

And then we got FOG! This almost never happens, especially this early in the winter (well, winter isn't even here yet technically!). Love how things look in the fog.

It's coming together. Keep it simple. Keep it simple. Keep it simple. (If I keep telling myself that do you think it'll stick?)

One thing I think I need to do is start making myself a document with words that I can cut out. I love the little sticker words but they rarely seem to have the ones that I want. Need to come up with a solution for that.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

December Daily - Day 1 and Day 2

2011-12-04T22:35:00.001-07:00

Good morning ladies! First off, I just wanted to say that I got some of the happiest of happy mail this past weekend and I cannot wait to share it with you! Unfortunately, I have to be patient, and so do you. But I am telling you, I had to pick myself up off the floor after it came! I can hardly wait to spill the beans.

Oy! I am starting to wonder how I am ever going to keep up with all the goings on! The first few days of December have been super super busy. And some of it even got cancelled. (for which I may be quite grateful)

As I work on the actual daily pages for my DD, I am trying to keep at the forefront of my mind the idea of story and simplicity. This creative cat is usually super into the details, but if I try to accomplish that on this project I know I'll never have a complete album. Soooo, I'm trying to be very straight-forward and focus on the photos and the story.

Take a peek and let me know if you think I have managed it.

The Intro page is all about my purpose. I think I'd like to read it daily in order to keep myself focused in the right direction. That would have to help wouldn't it? This pages uses stash along with the Jenni Bowlin November Paper Crafting kit, Close To My Heart Letter stamps and some goodies from my stash. And of course, my typewriter.

Day 1 -- note the wood veneer on the bottom of this page. I love working with this stuff, you can punch it because it is so thin. Misted with Studio Calico Classic Calico Mister Huey. I'm thinking I may try to make some Silhouette cut letters with it along the way.

More wood veneer and some items from the SC Ali Edwards DD kit.

Day 2 here is the full spread as it looks together. I think I'll photograph it this way from now on and then include shots of the individual pages.

Tomorrow I'll be working on Day 3 and 4! I'm loving the Ali Edwards overlays for the large photo. And did you see the Elle's Studio tags? Dug those out of my journaling drawer with glee! I'll be using more of those for certain.

Once again, I'm finding so many fun things in my stash!

Hope your day is a good one. I have a trip to the eye doctor, pulling out my Christmas decor and completing some DD pages on my agenda today, among other things.

Finally Done with the Foundation!

2011-12-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

And, I got my overlay pages completed too! Yay me!

I had to mess around a fair bit on page 24's divider to get that string of rhinestones sewn down. Finally ended up using my piping foot which allowed for the width to go through my machine. Love how that page turned out in the end.

This is some fun 7Gypsies tape that I sort of gathered along the edge of the trim.

This one may be my favorite. I love the subtlety of the muted colors. And I have to admit that while I wasn't so hot about the coasters, I LOVE how they worked out. You can always leave it to April and Co. at Studio Calico to make the very best kits full of such great stuff to stretch our creativity! (and no, they don't pay me!)

I really like this one t0o. Probably because of all of that wood-grain. Be still my heart.

Here are those rhinestones I mentioned.

'

And finally, a very fat book. Still needs a few overlays as I ran out of paper. Oh, and maybe some photos. LOL Yikes. I'll be having to tie this thing shut for sure!

Have a lovely weekend!

Pocket Pages 4-6 and dividers through 11---gettin' there

2011-11-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

As I write this post I have just finished my foundation! Nothing like the last minute right! LOL

I'll be sharing the remaining dividers later on but for now, I'd like to share my remaining pocket pages and the dividers I had completed before the sun went down and the light was no longer good for photography.

Once again, I dug into my stash and found some little treasures to include from my stash. There is some vintage glitter from my hubby's grandma sewn in with a paper star. I had a small glassine bag from a purchase that I had saved. I slipped some punched stars into it and stapled it shut with a little label sticker. My Silhouette has been hard at work cutting snowflakes and words. Oh, and that collection of buttons is also from Grandma (she removed buttons from every garment and had a fantastic collection at her death which I inherited. Love using those!

I included a vintage paste pin on one of the pages. There are also some mini mirrors behind that snowflake. See them?! More of grandma's buttons. And I'm liking the look of the thread behind the Christmas tree. It is feeling so good to dig into my stash and use some of the things I've had for 10 years and more.

This last page is backed with RED for Christmas day. I also included a vintage slide to demonstrate the need to use photos to remember all the fun we have together. The white diamond background is from some packing material I saved years ago because I liked how it looked. Finally used some! Those stocking charms are Making Memories from eons ago. Oh, and the button came from Helzberg Diamonds from our visit a couple of weeks ago. (I means 'I am Loved' in Spanish)

And here are all of my dividers. These took me forever! But again, I used lots of vintage and new trims I had in my stash. Fun times!

May need to remake 4. I tried to use Stazon to stamp the 4 and it smeared. Then I used Stazon Cleaner to clean the smudge. Unfortunately, it also removed some of the Hambly design. Oops!

Well, that is all for today. But the good news is that I am ready for December! Woot! Can't believe I got it all done. I really did work all day long today on this particular project. Now I am excited that tomorrow morning I should be getting an email from Maggie Holmes for her December Daily photo prompts class.

That, combined with Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas and Ali Edward's tips should produce something wonderful right?

Let me know what you think and if I can answer any questions for you. Happy December!!!

December Daily -- Clear Pocket Pages 1-3

2011-11-29T23:21:00.001-07:00

Man, I take forever to do everything.

I am ashamed. And kicking myself for not starting on this sooner. What was I thinking anyway???? (not really ashamed, please don't throw me a pity party, but you would think I'd know better!)

Well, here we are with one more day to go before December starts and I have 1 cover and 3 interior divider pages done. My hope is that tomorrow I'll complete 3 more pocket pages and at least get started on the remaining transparency dividers.

I did get all the paper cut for the pages so that is golden. I still haven't decided if I'll just buy Ali E's digital overlays and print those up on white cardstock or create my own. I'm leaning toward purchasing since I'd have to make the others and it would take me a while....and her's look so great!

Here are the three pages I completed today. Really had fun doing these. This could easily be addicting!

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And this little detail my be one of my very favorites! So happy I did these! Photo doesn't really do them justice. But I love the texture and shape on the beads.

Process details: I used the Pink Paislee page protectors for these. Had to cut off the tops but it gave me a nifty smaller pocket so that was kinda cool. Unfortunately, they don't make these anymore.

You'll notice that there are some pockets that use stickers but you can't tell what they are stuck too. I cut out some packaging that was clear, cut it to the size of my pockets (2x3) and then stuck the stickers and stamped right on top of that acetate using Stazon ink. Also did that with some 7 gypsies tapes.

On the page for day 5, I stamped the sentiment, punched it with a CM square punch and then used old style photo corners to give the framed look. I then punched another square and stuck it to the back so it wouldn't look hokey when you turn the page.

Thanks for all your sweet words yesterday and always. You always encourage me, I just want you to know! It means so much to have friends on my paper journey. I do hope you're all feeling encouraged today and inspired to create something that is wholly you!

Be blessed!

December Daily 2011--Cover

2011-11-28T23:03:00.001-07:00

Hello chickadees! Well, I don't know how likely it is that I'll get my foundations all done in time for the new month, but I'll do my best. At least I have the cover completed now. Here it is.

I started with white gesso (took about 4 coats to fully cover it and almost an entire container of gesso)

Next, using this design from Silhouette, I cut a mask and painted the design in grey. But that turned out too bold for my tastes so I added two more coats of gesso over the top of that to make it very light.

Next, I made a mask of triangles and misted a border of those along the opening edge. Again, it was darker than I preferred, so this time I misted using Studio Calico Mister Huey Calico White mist.

Then I cut out this frame from the Silhouette store using some Crate paper from the Random collection.

Layer and play to end up with the final result you see below.

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There you have it! Wish me luck on the foundation pages.

Anticipating Olivia

2011-11-27T22:59:00.001-07:00

Do you know that feeling when you find out that someone you love very dearly is expecting a child? It's something like elation, and excitement and shock and wonder all at the same time.

It's a terrific feeling!

My dear friend Chelsea's first pregnancy was one of those moments. I can recall that she and I had prayed together on more than one occasion as to whether God would grant her and her hubs children. Not long before, God had given a clear answer, but no proof had as yet been seen.

And then.......it was. Olivia was. One moment she wasn't. And then the next moment she was. That little teeny tiny bean grew for 36 long weeks inside of her mama's tummy.

She made her appearance a tad early, but we were glad to have her. What a treasure she is today. Bright, happy and always always a funny smug little thing. She's is the most mature baby I've ever known, if that makes any sense. But then, why should I be at all surprised. She is just like her mother. So like her mama.

She'll be a sophisticated lady one day, beautiful and confident, intelligent and gifted. Love that girl.

This is a little page about that anticipation of sweet Olivia.

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The photo is the result of a maternity shoot I had the honor of doing for David and Chelsea and their beautiful baby bump. This particular shot is one of my favorites.

Hope you're having a fantastic day.

Food.......again.....delicious Mashed Potatoes

2011-11-22T23:52:00.001-07:00

I know, I shared a recipe yesterday. But given that this is Thanksgiving week and many of you will be making mashed potatoes on Thursday I thought I'd share my recipe as I have gained a bit of fame for it's deliciousness.

The title, given to these particular spuds by my family is

Mom's Famous Mashed Potatoes

1 5lb bag russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and quartered (make the pieces even sizes, may need more than quartering if they are big ones)
2.5 cups cheddar
1 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
1 onion, diced and carmelized
1/2 cup crumbled bacon
2 sticks butter, melted and warm
1 cup warmed milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, place potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 mins at a good strong simmer or until potatoes are tender.

Drain and return to pot. Mash potatoes and the butter well with a potato masher. Once they are fully mashed, add cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar and milk with an electric hand-mixer. Finally, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

These potatoes have no need of gravy. You can add more or less of the various ingredients as per your taste. They have a horrendous number of calories, but I can tell you that everyone will want to come to your house for dinner any time you make them. You will then be famous too!

Someone has asked if this is baked, it is not baked (although it does look like it is in the photo)

Bon Appetit. Oh, and so I'm honest, that picture is not of my actual potatoes as I don't have one handy. But it looks about right. Hope you'll forgive me that one. If you wish to know, it came from this fine cook. Her recipe looks pretty close actually.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-11-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Enter Zuppa Toscana and April's mom's rolls known as Gigi's Yeast Rolls

I've been making this soup for quite a few years now. It's been made popular by Olive Garden, but who can spend $4.95 every time they want a good bowl of soup???

Besides, I think mine is better because it has more chunky yumminess.

1 lb mild Italian Sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
2 medium potatoes cut into half inch chunks
3/4 large onion diced
2/3 cup crumbled bacon
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups chopped kale
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups half and half (evaporated milk works too, or regular milk in a pinch)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in a soup pot with onions over Medium High heat. Add garlic when almost done. Drain. Reduce heat to medium. Add broth, potatoes and bacon and bring to a light simmer. Cook until potatoes are cooked through. Add half and half and heat until very lightly simmering. Finally, add Parmesan and kale and turn off heat. Kale should wilt pretty quickly. Serve with hot rolls.

To add Italian flair to the rolls, brush with melted butter after cooking and light salt with garlic salt. Yum!

Must Try

2011-11-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, my sister Kim, who was 6 years older than me used to always say to me when I was ready to give up on something 'Can't never can, can't never will, must try!'

It has stuck with me all these years when I've been tempted to give up. It can be hard when you've tried and tried and it hasn't quite worked out the way you'd imagined. I suppose if she were still living, Kim would tell me something along the lines of her previous words augmented with 'if that didn't work out it is because God has something even better in store for you'.

I am choosing to believe that.

If you're here than you've likely been in my shoes a time or two. I've been putting my name in for design teams quite a bit lately, but so far no one has said a resounding yes.

Most recently, I was disappointed when Hambly announced their new team. Hambly is a company that stuck out in my mind as one of my very favorites from almost the beginning of my scrapbooking experience. I was so excited to try out for their team. But alas, the time is not right.

However, I did make this layout for their call and I am so glad that I did. One of the things I love best about trying out for DT's is that doing so often challenges me to go beyond what I already know. I reach way down deep and try to pull out my very very best. And the result is often pretty darn cool. Like this time.

My daughter and her Navy husband visited recently and we did a 'Sailor Suit' photoshoot. A girl loves to see her man in his dress blues. What a joy and honor to capture the two of them at this time in their lives! They are a beautiful couple and so very in love.

Did I lose? Well, maybe I didn't gain that particular position. But I won some new skills. My pastor would say that I grew in character since disappointment often brings about greater perseverance. And I have a layout that I am super happy with. I hope you enjoy it too!

And I hope it inspires you to get your hands on some Hambly because they truly do have some pretty fantastic products! And besides, Can't never can, can't never will, must try!

December Daily 2011 --Installment 2

2011-11-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back to bring you a few more pages of last years December Daily. (well, who am I kidding, the only remaining pages) (and did that sound like a radio announcer to anyone besides the inside of my brain?)

This is the rest of my rather shortened December Daily from last year.

Perhaps I should start with the December 9th this year???

If I recall correctly, I scored these pages down the center and simply folded them in half to create the 6x12 pages. It made it easier than cutting them down. Well, I am not sure now why I thought so, but it is what I did. It certainly kept things from sliding around.

In hindsight, what was hardest for me was the fact that we didn't do very much out of the ordinary. We homeschool so there were no school events or pageants to go to. Life was pretty much status quo. I am learning from some of the other girls that it doesn't have to be 'Christmasy' to fit. Perhaps it's more like 'Month in the Life' but with less photos.

How do you approach this? Is your December drastically different from the rest of the year? How? Love to hear your thoughts.

My little bit of DD --- and a winner!

2011-11-17T00:36:00.001-07:00

Last year was the first year that I attempted to do a December Daily album. I say attempted because I only completed 8 days. But I guess when you figure it's a 25 day project I completed almost 33%. That sounds a little better.

Now, I'm left with trying to decide whether I should actually finish last years using last years photos and trying to remember what to journal from that long ago. Or, should I just put a neat divider and start this year fresh and figure that my DD can have what it has and not worry so much about getting an entire month.

I am leaning toward the second option as I just am not good at doing previous projects.

At any rate, I thought I'd take a couple of days and show you what I did get accomplished for last year. I do have to say that I really love what I did now that I'm looking back at it. FYI, it is 6 x 12 for those who care to know.

Here's a little look-see at the first few days.

The first page is basically just a transparency. I folded some paper to create a margin to punch holes in so I didn't have to use more of my transparency. This way, I could get two dividers out of each transparency and still have the width I needed.

The first couple of days I was extra zealous and did two pages each. (that did not continue, LOL)

You'll notice a fair bit of white space. I liked leaving that. It just felt like it left room and was comfortable. I think this year, I may not want to feel like I have to print all the journaling as that ends up taking a lot more time and planning and really slowed me down last year.

I'll show you the rest tomorrow! Hope it was fun.

And now for the winner of my little contest. After all those answers, I really couldn't choose anything else but 'Chicken Dance'! So our winner is mandyb! Send me your mailing address Mandy and I'll get this Washi Pop in the mail to you. Thanks to everyone for playing along!

Quick--Easy--Delicious

2011-11-14T23:12:00.002-07:00

What more could you want in a meal?!

I thought I'd share my go-to lunch for when I have a friend over. It's super easy and always gets raves!

But it doesn't have a name. What should I call it???? I know!! Why don't you come up with a name!? Send me a fun name for this little ditty and I'll pick the one I like best. I'll send the creator of the best name a little washi tape sampler I call a Washi Pop! It's straight from my very own collection and includes over 6 ft of tape!

Here is the recipe.

1 store-bought roasted chicken
1 package English muffins (I like Thomas's)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 large thinly sliced tomato
12 slices of Havarti cheese

Remove meat from the chicken. Discard bones and skin. Dice chicken finely.

Using 2 cups of chicken, mix together chicken, 3/4 cup mayo(I admit, I didn't measure so if your mixture looks a little dry, add more. I like it to be very moist!), salt and pepper. Mix well. (reserve the remaining chicken for another use)

Split English muffins in half and toast. I put them face up under the broiler on a large cookie sheet for about 1.5 minutes per side but you can do this in a toaster if you prefer.

Put about two tablespoons of chicken mixture on each half of the English muffins. Top with a tomato slice, then the cheese. Place on cookie sheet and under broiler for about 2 minutes. Cheese should be melted and slightly golden.

I like to serve these with a favorite potato chip and some sliced fresh fruit or grapes. Enjoy!

Now don't forget to name my dish for a chance to win the washi tape sampler!

I'll pick a winner on Wednesday, November 16 after noon! Be sure and leave me your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Happy Birthday to Mama!

2011-11-14T17:00:00.008-07:00

Yesterday was my beautiful mother's birthday, so of course, there needed to be a card. If you know me, you know that I don't often make cards. Somehow I have a tough time getting inspired for them. I can't quite figure out why that is.

At any rate, I DID get inspired this time around and here is the result.

I recently picked up the box full of happiness that Sassafras Lass has been offering on their blog. I am sorry to report that they are all sold out now, but I did get my hands on one of each. So, since I have such a collection of Sass goodness, what better products to use then they.

I have been collecting Sass papers for.....well....a very long time and I pulled out one from the earlier collections because it was so darn pretty all by itself. I cut out a bit with a journaling spot and folded it over my card base.

After that, I simply layered some of their flowers, stuck a bird pin into the flower, cut a couple of borders with a border punch, a heart with my new layered heart punch and added some words. Oh, and don't forget that adorable Elle's Studio Birthday banner tag. Love that.

Always good to use the stash!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Oh, and don't forget that there is still a little time left on my fun little giveaway.

Week in the Life Day 5 DONE!

2011-11-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

I have one more day worth of Week in the Life to show you. I'm plugging along and this is day 5!

I made two layouts for this but one of them I did a while back. You've seen it before but I'll run it by you again quickly.

I was so stoked to get my typewriter going that I had to make a layout!

This is the second layout. I love this picture so much. I don't know how to explain why, but I do.

And here are all the pages together. Intro Page

Spread 1

Spread 2

Spread 3

And up close and personal...

There you have it, 5 down, 2 to go!

And just because I know you love to see things about washi tape. You must check out this link which is full of pictures of the MT Expo going on in Tokyo.

Bringin' Out the Old Stuff

2011-11-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Your request has been heard. I am throwing it all out there. Be kind!

LOL, yesterday I shared my first '2nd Start' layout. Today, I'll share with you my very first paper layout. And a few others from that genre so you can see the progression as it happened.

While I'm at it, I'll tell you how I got into scrapping in the first place.

I'd had several friends over the course of a few years invite me to a Creative Memories event. I was a quilter at that time and didn't want to get myself involved in yet another craft. (I was already spending too much on fabric, LOL)

However, one friend finally conned me into coming to her event. She was a CM demonstrator and the party was at her house. One session and I was hooked.

It was like quilting! Only much much faster and more satisfying! And so, the saga begins. Here is my very first page, done at a CM party in just a wee bit of time.

I was given very little to work with as you can see, a corner rounder, an oval cutter (she told me I could CUT my photos!!! Revolutionary!), 2 already cut paper shapes and a couple of stickers.

I was hooked.

I did a number of other pages like this and made two page spreads to fit inside my CM binder. I documented our trip the North East.

I even used ephemera from our trip (and I'm so glad that I did)

I went on and started documenting some of our home-school field trips.

Two things happened next. I went to my local Joann's and found a magazine on Scrapbooking. I discovered that lots of other people did this and that they did it with a lot more freedom than I was experiencing on my pages.

I went to my CD rep and asked about the varieties of paper and various embellishments I'd seen elsewhere and could I get them from Creative Memories. In no uncertain terms she told me that I could NOT even begin to trust those products as they could not be guaranteed to be acid free. She told me I really had better not risk my precious memories with the use of such inferior materials.

I'm afraid she didn't know me very well. Telling me that was the surest way to get me to go out and forget all about Creative Memories and their acid free products. I couldn't be boxed in and I would have my way with lovely patterned paper thank you very much!

Off I went to the Local Scrapbook Store and Joann's and Michael's from which I stocked my craft room with all kinds of scrappy goodness. Phase 2 had begun.

This is the first Phase 2 layout.

And here is the second. I bet some of you will recall the page templates that created these wonderful blocks. I can't recall the name anymore, but they were plastic and gave you a grid design to work off of. That is where this next layout came from. (by the way, I NEVER use purple anymore, how funny!)

I'd quickly joined ranks with the 'altered materials' people and began using metals and fibers and fonts and whatever else I could get my hands on. There is a bit more where these came from but this will give you the idea of where I started.

There was a second part of Phase 2. That was photography. You'll notice that in my first pages, the photos were pretty typical of what we were all taking at that time. Photos filled with 'place' and teeny tiny people somewhere in amongst the scenery. I realized rather quickly that my photos were lacking and you'll see from these first two layouts from phase 2 that I'd already done a whole of learning in the area of photography.

The truth is, I am so very grateful to that Creative Memories representative. It was she that started me down this road. I would have never discovered my love of paper crafting or my love of photography if it hadn't been for her. Thanks Betsy!

I love looking back at these beginnings. And I'm proud of where I started and how far I've come. I hope you enjoyed taking this little trip down memory lane as well!

Have a happy day!

A Second Start

2011-11-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

In March of 2010 I ordered my very first Studio Calico kit. It was called Quilting Bee and I don't know that I could have been any more excited.

I also picked up two add-ons called Wedding Ring and Honeycomb.

I'd recently done a massive overhaul of my scrap room with the help of a wonderful (and super organized) friend, Rose. The clean up had allowed me to actually get at my supplies and I was inspired to start creating.

It also inspired me to start shopping, hence, the new SC kits. Below is the first layout I made with those kits and the first paper layout I'd made in about 5 years.

I'd been collecting paper and embellishments throughout that time, but I'd neglected to use much of it. I'd been bitten by the digital scrapbook bug and had created almost exclusively via digital products. But now, my inner paper maven had been released. This was the second start to my paper scrapping career!

I thought all of you might enjoy seeing what got me going. And my first layout. Here tis!

I was so happy with my start and I couldn't wait to continue. I haven't counted but I'm pretty sure I've made at least 100 pages since this one!

Maybe I'll get brave and show you my actual first one day. That would have been almost 10 years ago with a very definite Creative Memories feel!

Have a fabulous day!

Jaerik --- A Very Handsome High School Senior

2011-11-07T23:38:00.004-07:00

I had the privilege of photographing a young man named Jaerik (that's like Erik but with a J in front) a few weeks ago. He was a lot of fun to work with.

I always have such a great time photographing High School Seniors. It's such an important photo shoot for them. For many, it's the first time they've had a 'real' photography session.

They are sometimes jittery and nervous but are almost always game for just about anything and they are still young and uninhibited.

Jaerik is a fun loving and relaxed kind of guy so working with him was pretty 'chillax' as my teenaged son would say. He's a musician, particularly fond of guitar and so it was important to him to include his instrument in a number of the shots.

As it turned out, I think the interaction of him and his 'baby' was what ended up giving us the very best shots.

At any rate, I thought I'd share a few of them with you. Enjoy!

And Jaerik's favorite....??? Yeah, that was the first one, the rock star pose!

Oh, and my tip for doing Senior portrait's well. Be silly, laugh, be yourself. They will love you for being real. And be sure and ask them to let their goofy out!

It was fun Jaerik, call me when you're a Senior in College!

Famous Tucson Sonoran Style Hot Dogs

2011-11-06T23:16:00.000-07:00

Alright folks, a request has been made that I post this recipe in particular on my blog.

I have to admit that I did not actually get a 'recipe' from a source, but tasted the real McCoy and developed it myself. My version is pretty much the same as what you'd get from a good street vendor in Mexico.

Sonoran Style Hot Dogs are not something you'll find just anywhere. In fact, they are a local thing and particularly popular in Tucson, where I live. I've read comments from folks around the country who seem to be of the opinion that you can't get a real Sonoran Style Hot Dog anywhere else this side of the border.

Perhaps that is because here, you can get a real Mexican coke made with cane sugar or a Mexican Sangria here but they are hard to come by any place else.

Either way, it is a special treat to stop at a roadside vendor and purchase one of these yummy and inexpensive little pockets of deliciousness. However, you may not have that opportunity anytime soon and so that is the occasion for my sharing how to make this deliciousness in your own home.

8 bolillo buns (or hot dog buns)warmed
1 package beef franks
8 strips of bacon(the cheaper version that is thinner is more authentic and easier to work with)
1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese (this will depend a bit on what you have available. You can use Queso Fresco, Asadero or, for a sharper taste, Cotija. In a pinch or can't find these, substitute Monterey Jack)
1 large diced tomato
1 large onion, sliced
1 can pinto beans
Tomatillo Salsa, or any type of Salsa Verde will work
Mayonnaise
Mustard

First, caramelize the onions in a saute pan.

Place pinto beans in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Meanwhile, wrap each hot dog from one end to the other in a strip of bacon. Heat a large skillet (don't add oil!) and add the hot dogs. Allow to cook until the bacon is crisp enough on the first side not to move. Once it gets to that point, turn and cook till all sides are cooked through and a little crispy. (this can vary depending on how you like your bacon cooked)

For the mayonnaise, you need to thin it to get a somewhat watery consistency. I tend to do about 1 tsp water to 3 tsp mayo. You can use lemon juice for a tangier flavor. Put this into a baggie which you'll snip the end off of and then squeeze like a ketchup bottle. (an old mustard squeeze bottle works great for this too!)

To make the completed dog. Cut open the bolillo roll so there is a pocket inside of which the dog will fit. I sometimes remove the bread in the middle to add more room for the filling. Place about 2 tbsp of pinto beans in the bottom, add the hot dog. Top with salsa, grated cheese, diced tomato, and finally the mustard and mayo.

OMB! Soooo delicious! Give it a try and let me know what you think. I promise, you'll be making these again and again!

Can you make Washi Tape pieces all the same size?

2011-11-04T00:05:00.001-06:00

The answer is yes! And it is brilliantly simple to do.

I've got a new layout to show you that incorporates this technique as well as a little tutorial video to show exactly how I achieved it.

I have to share that I was inspired to create this layout by the fabulous Manda M who created the layout below.

I loved what she did with this layout and wanted to get a similar feel in my own project. However, this time I didn't want the torn edges but crisp, straight ones. So, I came up with a way to do that and I'm going to share it with you in the video below.

(Trivia: I made a video as I created the original project, however, when I played them back, I sounded like Satan or something. Not sure how that happened but it WAS NOT good. So, I remade it in tutorial version. Which means shorter and sweeter I hope!)

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If you try this technique, please share a link so I can oogle your work! Have a great day!

The Rest of the Story--WITL Day 4

2011-11-02T23:45:00.002-06:00

So I have a big ole' honkin' announcement to make. Just the other day I got that happiest email in my inbox! American Crafts Blog has invited me to be their guest designer for the week of December 28th. I have to admit that I nearly lost control of all bodily functions. As it was, I couldn't even talk to tell my family what I was hyperventilating over. Soooo very excited to be a part of American Crafts awesome products! Can't wait to play! I hope you'll check them out if you haven't already.

I can hardly get over the fact that I will be in the company of the likes of Jenni Hufford, Stephanie Howell and Marcy Penner and so many more amazing scrap artists. This is a scrap girl's dream come true!

Alright, on to everyday life (its certainly not everyday that I get such an email, I can assure you!)

Yay, I got Day 4 photographed in total! Here is the whole enchilada.

By the way, if you want to see all of my WITL posts, there is a button at the top so you can see all the posts together if you so desire.

I make a calendar page which lists what happened as it happened that day, decorate that with washi tape and fabrips and punch it to slip it in my binder. I've found that you can't decorate the side you intend to punch with fabrips as they are too thick to even slip into the punch.

For this day I had less photos than for some other days. Or at least less that I thought were worthy of printing large.

Layout 1 is pretty much an embellished photo.

Here is the spread together

I've been using the 9 slot page protectors meant for baseball cards from The Container Store. You get a pack of 10 for $1.99 which is a gonga deal. I get my 8.5x11 page protectors there as they come in every configuration you can think of and they are all only $1.99 for a pack of 10!

I print out my cards on kraft cardstock. This is quite a chore as I have two printers and it's hit or miss which of them will choose to print on cardstock on any given day. Makes me crazy. I need a new printer, I really do. (strongly considering ditching my wish for new pots and pans and just putting up that fund for a printer. But then I worry that it won't be any better. Thoughts???)

After I get everything printed out and cut up I slip them in the page protectors. I try to get them in as much of an 'as it happened' kind of order as possible. I like to intersperse the pictures and the documentation cards. I've also been decorating with washi tape and stickers and friends (friends of stickers that is, not parts of my friends).

Looking at how full this is already I think it's gonna be quite full by the time I am done. Good thing I didn't do even more!

Have a great day! And thanks so much for stopping by. I love reading your comments and really appreciate that you take the time to visit me.

Week in the Life, Day 4 LO

2011-11-01T23:45:00.003-06:00

Um..............is it too late to share more?

I hope not because this girl is sort of slow on these kinds of projects. And that would be why I didn't get Project life done too, BTW.

However, I am glad to say that I am still marching through this project bit by bit. Well....day by day would be more correct I suppose.

You may recall that I was trying to capture the sunset daily. This was the first day that I wasn't at home during the sunset and so I took this photo with my little Point and shoot from my church Park. I wasn't thrilled with that option as I am somewhat addicted to my 'big girl' camera.

However, I had practice on this night and knew I'd have to RUN out and grab a Very Quick shot of the sunset, so this is the result. It didn't turn out bad.

All products from Studio Calico retail lines and kit exclusives with the exception of some words stickers by Authentique.

Here is one of the layouts.

I used my new layered butterfly punch for this little guy. Love this punch. I found mine at my local Joann's so I got it on sale. Yippee!

I am hoping to get the rest of this day photographed so I can show it to you tomorrow. It really is done, I promise.

Minimalist???

2011-10-31T23:55:00.002-06:00

I am pretty sure that I do not qualify as a minimalist. However, I can see lots of reasons why being one would be useful.

For example:

Less stuff to store
Less stuff to buy
Less stuff to dust
Less stuff to lose
Less stuff

For the scrapbooker, this applies as well and the reason's are as follows:

Less stuff to store
Less stuff to buy
Less stuff to dust
Less stuff to lose
Less stuff

Hmmm, pretty similar list isn't it.

Well, the fact is that I am not a minimalist. In the layout below I will show you my attempt at being a minimalist. (It is sad indeed, at least in terms of achieving the minimalist ideal).

In my mind, this layout was going to be quite minimalist ala Laura Kurz. I had something planned in my mind's eye that looked like this, but with much less stuff. Then I started working and this is what happened.

I think you'll agree that for me, this is somewhat minimalist, but in the truest sense of the word I don't think I quite made it. However, let me tell you what I did do and that I love the end result.

This was made to meet a challenge to use up scraps. So the following items are scraps: inside lining of the file folder (scraps from the giant chevron LO), the negative butterfly cutout book page, the gold, silver and white piece (came from a gift my aunt brought me from Japan), the Blue punched butterfly, the red and white chevron.

The rest of the items were all laying out on my desk. I am so happy that I came up with a layout from leftovers and incidentals. Oh, and the background paper was from what was left after I cut what I needed for a different layout.

Hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!

Seriously Delicious!......SERIOUSLY

2011-10-30T23:23:00.001-06:00

I am NOT kidding! You need to make this dish. Your family will adore you, they will beg you to make it again. And again. And again. It is that good.

I started with this recipe and mainly followed it, but added a couple twists.

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

9 boneless pork loin tenderloin sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
2 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup dried minced onion (or fresh, but I'd use a whole cup fresh)
4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
1 stick real butter

2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 head roasted garlic (directions are below)

Garlic salt
1 ½ Cups warm half and half

1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Layer pork chops, 1/3 Ranch seasoning, about 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 1/3 of the soup and onion into a medium sized crock pot. Continue until all the pork is layered in 3 layers over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. (I added about 3/4 can of water to my soup to make it spread more readily)

About 1 hour before dinner, peel and cube potatoes.

Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Melt butter and warm half and half in the microwave. Mash potatoes, add remaining ingredients and mix on low until potatoes are mashed and creamy. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. I put a little parsley on top to serve.

Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.

The Beautiful Mother

2011-10-28T00:14:00.002-06:00

Today is a tribute to the beautiful mother. In our house, we've had a saying for many years that one should always refer to one's mother as......The Beautiful Mother. It doesn't matter really why, just that you do.

The reason is that a mother is beautiful simply by the fact that she is a mother. Her job makes her a great beauty. Her love makes her a great beauty and her constant support......well, you get the idea. It is just a way of saying that your mama is a pretty terrific lady and you ought to proclaim it as so.

Trust me, I realize that not all mothers seem so fabulous. My own mother was paranoid schizophrenic and that was not fun to experience. However, looking back, I know that my mother did the best she could with what she had available. She mothered me and my siblings out of a very broken heart with as much care as she knew how to give.

Yes, she was abusive at times, neglectful at times, self-centered at times, angry at times. But at other times she told us each how much she loved us and of her hopes and dreams for our future. She loved even out of her own hurt and that is worthy of honor.

This particular tribute is for my mother-in-law who has many times over been the mother to me that my own mother couldn't have been. Dorothy has been a supporter and encourager when all I could say about myself were harsh words. She has held me up during the times when I didn't think that I could be a mother any longer. She's prayed for me and hugged me and stroked my hair and nursed me when I was ill. She was there to help me breath when I birthed my daughter. Did I mention that she's prayed for me? She's taught me about God and life and family. She taught me to cook my own way and to try arts and crafts. She was that cliche, 'the wind beneath my wings'. And I wanted to say thanks!

Thanks to The Beautiful Mother!

And isn't she truly a beauty!?

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My Path

2011-10-26T23:55:00.000-06:00

Good morning friends. How's everyone's life moving along?

I have to be honest, as I type this I am feeling a bit drained. Couldn't really say why or that anything is bothering me in particular. Just in one of those blah places. I hate those!

It seems like when I feel this way it's harder to create something that is deeply me. But I'm not letting it get the best of me. I'm continuing to work on my projects and push through. I find that creating brings me so much joy. It also allows me to really think about the subjects of my project.

I find myself praying often for whomever is in the layout that I am creating. I guess the lesson there is, if you want me to pray for you, you better send me some photos to scrap. LOL

So today I'm sharing another layout from the projects going on over at JBS. This one is a combination of an ad challenge and home decor challenge. Here are the two images that I used to come up with this layout.

And here is my project. I borrowed the square and the zig zag from the first photo and the large corner photo and vertical journaling spot from the second one. After that, I added a ton of stitching and called it good.

Make today a great day!

On the Grid

2011-10-25T23:53:00.000-06:00

I think I may start to be liking grids these days. I guess I likely scrap with a grid more often then I realize. But this one definately has that feel in a very obvious sort of way.

It's based on this sketch

By Celeste Smith

But it's also based on this Home Dec Photo

And all of these are from the challenges going on over at JBS. Be sure and check it out.

Ok, on to the layout! I used my Silhouette to cut out the dark grey frames. I had a little trouble as it didn't cut through the paper all the way for some reason. I decided that I liked the rough edges though and just used it anyway.

I really enjoyed using the frames, but also not allowing them to completely box me in. I'm not a huge fan of chipboard but I really love these little house shapes and was happy to find a way to incorporate them.

I'm also not terribly happy with the printing. My printer is on the fritz and I had these done at Walgreens and they just came out dark and yuck. Hoping to get my printer situation solved soon.

Oh, and there is one bit of washi. Can you find it?

Have a supercalafragalisticexbealidocious fantastic day!

Remember

2011-10-25T00:04:00.002-06:00

And the winner is...........drumroll please!

Kimber-Leigh, she said

"I'm catching up on your washi posts (as i've been on vacation) but i love the process you showed on the "window" page with washi...love the idea of mixing my tapes as a background rather than only using pp. this was a great idea ursula...keep up the washi inspiration!"

There's some Washi tape coming your way Kimber-Leigh. Thanks for being a part of my blog! Please send me your address via email and I'll get your package out right away!

I wanted to thank all of you for your support and comments! I can't wait to do another giveaway! This was such fun! We laughed, we cried, it moved me Bob. (you totally will not get that unless you are a die hard Veggie Tales fan.)

I've collected a LOT of scrappy supplies over the years, many of which I've been 'saving' for just the right project.

However, as those of you who've done the same thing know, the right project never seems to come around. Not only that but those darned manufacturers keep coming up with new amazing product for me to hoard.

Well, recently, I've decided I will hoard no more. This project is a good example of that. This Jenni Bowlin Studios diecut paper has been sitting in my paper collection for......well I honestly don't know how long. But's its been a number of years I'm pretty certain.

See that nifty white JBS button with the lovely little gem in the center? Same story.

How about that lovely vintage ledger paper that is peeking from under the stack? You guess it....hoarded.

I'm proud of myself for getting these treasured items on the page.

Here is my layout, the product of a white space and journaling challenge over at JBS.

Using some more of my eyelet snap stash!

If you care to read the journaling I've pasted it below.

I have very few photos from my childhood. The reasons for that are disturbing. Every time I look at a photo from my childhood all those memories that are painful come up They sort of call to me in a way.

I’ve learned that life’s experiences have a profound influence on who we become.

That may sound like a ‘duh’ statement but its taken me until now to really come to understand this concept. This is one of my photos. From the period of birth through age 17 I have about 25 photos total, including some school pictures which my dad had collected.

When I was a child, my mother took tons of photos of us kids but when my father left us my mother stopped all normal functioning. When I was twelve, I went outside one day to see my mother burning all of

our precious family photos.

I didn’t say a word to her. In fact, I’ve never spoken to her about it. But I’ve certainly wondered what would cause her to do that. It was as if she wanted to erase our history. It still makes me sad 27 years later.

Here is to putting down the hard stuff. It certainly is a huge part of what makes us who we are and is worthy of being noted down. I don't like to dwell on it but it remains an important part of my story.

Blessings for a great day to all!

Bean the Dog and a Whole New Love Affair

2011-10-24T00:09:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who have been visiting me lately and helping me to build my readership. I hope you know that I really appreciate every single comment you make and get so excited to read your thoughts.

Today is the last day for my giveaway on this post so make sure you are entered to win! Good luck to each of you.

Today, I have for you a fun little layout that represents my doggy (whose name is Bean, complete with all the variations of nickname that you might imagine!)

It also represents my foray into the world of the Silhouette SD (please don't mention to me the fact that they JUST came out with the Cameo, I will stick my fingers in my ears if you do!!!)

I've had my Silhouette sitting on my desk for a good six months. Quietly collecting dust while I sat staring at it in fear. Yes.....FEAR. I was afraid of setting it up.

Good electronics are fearful things. Add to them computerness and you have sheer terror. At least that is how I tend to feel.

But the other day, I faced my fear, and the result was nothing short of AMAZING.

Did I tell you that I used to do graphic design for Scrap Girls, LLC? Well, I did. I created my own digital collections and so forth. But then I just kind of lost steam. Life got in the way, other things took precedence and eventually that chapter in my life ended and a new one began.

But.....it prepared me to be able to create my very own shapes with the Silhouette. I've done two so far and I am in heaven. See that butterfly down there? I did it. I created it.

No offence to the folks at Silhouette but quite a lot of their designs are created a little less professionally than I'd like. Enter ME! Who knows where this will go. But for now, I'm just dizzy with the glee of creating and cutting!

So here is my first layout using the Silhouette. It's also inspired by the challenges over at JBS Mercantile. (I may have found another happy place over there) And yes, there is washi tape! Can you spot it?

The original inspiration for this layout came from a card by Danielle Flanders.

Hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!

Givin' it Away--The End of Washi Week!

2011-10-21T01:06:00.000-06:00

I have had soooo much fun this past week sharing with all of you about my love of Washi tape.

I'm hoping you're feeling inspired and have some ideas for how you'll use it.

I had hoped that I'd create one more project to share with you this week, but alas, my body isn't cooperating with me and I'm feeling a bit ick!

Therefore, I decided it is high time I do a giveaway! I have a few rolls of washi tape that could use a new home and I thought that maybe one of you lucky readers would be willing to 'adopt' them from me???

What do you think? Could you manage a place for this little stack of Hambly tapes??

Perhaps you need a different point of view?

Or maybe from this angle??

Yes, I feel certain that one of you will be able to house these little friends of mine.

With that in mind, I need your help! Here are three chances for you:

To qualify, you need to follow me on the button in the right side bar then leave a comment. You must do this to enter the giveaway! (if you're already following, please let me know that in the comments section)
Post a link on your blog or facebook to this page for up to 2 more entries and let me know that you did by leaving another comment and link me to where you posted.
Leave a comment telling what you've learned and enjoyed most from the last weeks offerings. (please be sure to leave me a contact email so I can find you when you win!)

That's it, three separate comments will get you three entries!

I'll be choosing a winner on Monday and posting it on Tuesday. Be sure to get your entries in by Midnight PST on Monday, October 24, 2011.

For the Love of Chevron

2011-10-19T23:33:00.001-06:00

Yep, it's true. I am completely smitten with Chevron. It doesn't seem to matter what form it comes in. The fact is, I LOVE IT.

And so, it seems to mean that I must keep on making layouts that incorporate Chevron. In this particular case, I really love the juxtaposition of patterns and colors as well as the varying widths of the various patterns.

I've been visionating on this particular layout for a month or two since I saw some artwork by Catherine Dudley. Below is the piece that she created that inspired me to create the page you'll find a little farther down.

Isn't that the coolest piece?! If you click on her link, you'll see that she has a very unique collage style that includes linear design and color. I wouldn't mind having something like that on my wall and you know what, I may just work on creating something like it. (is that wrong??)

I have visions of glossy medium slathered over the tops of some favorite patterned papers and tapes.

My layout uses a lot of my washi tapes, including one of my favorites. (see that Red and white diagonal stripe? It has a second layer which is mostly covered up on this particular project which says 'No.' with a line where you can write something. Love that roll. You can get it here if you love it too. (I'm almost tempted to buy another roll because I really don't want to run out!)

In addition, I used the Glee Club kit from Studio Calico. Finally, the base is created using some vintage ledger paper from a French Pharmaceutical Firm in the late 1800's. Love using my vintage collection papers.

Thanks for stopping by today. Your visits and comments and choice to follow mean so much to me. I appreciate and read every single comment you leave, just so ya know!

Have a wonderful day!

The Who, What and Where of Washi Tape

2011-10-18T23:36:00.003-06:00

Since alot of folks aren't familiar with Washi tape goodness I am going to share some information about it with you today as well as some sources for it. I'll also share photos of my personal stash. It's rather extensive and gets some people quite into a tizzy. But I think you'll enjoy it. It makes me happy I can tell you.

Washi tape originates in Japan and is often called Japanese masking tape. It does share some similarities but I'm not certain they are enough to equate the two items as the same thing. Washi has some very interesting characteristics which I think I'll share in list form below. After I show you a picture of JUST my RED Washi (this was several months ago so my collection may or may not have grown)

Washi Characteristics:

Semi transparent
Low tack adhesive (you can stick it down and pull it back up again and most of the time it will not damage or tear the paper.
Comes in many many patterns and colors
Cannot generally be found in craft or scrapbook stores in the US
Is now being widely copied by other companies, though it is still unique
Has a slightly rubbery quality which allows for it to be stretched a bit
Usually has a slightly shiny surface
Can be written on with permanent pens such as Sharpie Markers
Can cause addictive collecting behaviors in most who encounter its wonders

Now, for the next color PINK (this may be the reason I am starting to like pink!)

And one more, ORANGE (orange is hard to find in tapes but Amy Tan just came out with a beautiful Chevron mixtape that is orange so I am happy with that.)

And one more for good measure, YELLOW (another very hard to find color! makes me sad)

The question you may have is 'what can I use it for?' The answer is; LOTS of fun things. You can click on the button just under my blog header that says Washi tape and find a variety of examples of ways that I have used it.

I plan to add more and more to this section of my blog as time passes so stay tuned.

Are you GREEN with envy yet? Let me help you with that by envisioning some of the green washi patterns you could accessorize with.

Perhaps you are BLUE because you don't have any washi tape?

I have no cleverness for PURPLE, sorry. For that matter, I don't have much tape for Purple either.

You can use washi tape on scrap layouts as borders, you can place it on paper and then punch it. You can use it hold down items on your page. You can wrap packages with it. You can use it to create embellishments as I did in the tutorial I shared yesterday. You can embellish a hand written letter or card with it. You can decorate the envelope you'll send the card in. You can write on it. You can cover a mason jar with it and store pencils inside. You can use it to add items to your bulletin board or refrigerator. You can sit and stare at it's loveliness and just be happy. The list really is endless. One Studio Calico gal even shared that she used some as a band-aid for her child when she ran out of printed band-aids. Ingenious!

You may have guessed that I am not NEUTRAL on this topic.

Now, you are asking 'where can I find all of this wonderful washiness?' Below, I've shared some sources with you. These are my personal favorite sources for Washi. I like to support the little guy as often as I can so I do hope you'll join me in that effort.

True Washi tape can be found at:

Other types of tape including printed packing tape types, fabric tapes and washi wannabes

It Items many types available including fabric tape, linen tape, glass tape and more

Ecceprints-- Kawaii tape (thin printed packing type tape)

California Craft -thin solid tissue tapes

Hambly -washi tape

Two Peas In a Bucket

Cavallini Tapes the tape pictured below is from a Cavallini set that comes with a all five of the designs pictured.

Something to know about some of the American developed washi tapes is that they will have a much more paper like texture as opposed to the more rubbery and stretchy texture of the Japanese washi tapes.

Oh, and if you're interested in how I store mine. Here is how I used to store it.

And you can see my current storage here.

I hope this was helpful to you. If you have additional questions, feel free to ask but leave me your email addy so I can answer you and I will be happy to answer as best I can.

New Video Tutorial--Polaroid Style Washi Tape Frame

2011-10-18T00:10:00.000-06:00

Hello ladies. I've created another video tutorial. Once again, I'm really looking for feedback.

I have some hope that the light was better. This one is slightly shorter. (I'm windy!)

Anyway, take a peek and let me know what you think. Is this useful information to you? Is it enjoyable to watch? Can you hear? (I do know that the videography leaves something to be desired. I think that is just gonna take practice to get right so I appreciate your bearing with me on that.)

Hope you had a great weekend! Blessings! And if you enjoy what I've been doing, I would sure appreciate if you would consider directing others to come and have a look. I know some of you have already done that and I sincerely appreciate it.

Have a happy scrappy day and I'll see ya tomorrow with more washiness! (hope you aren't tired of it yet!)

Washi Feature--Layout Process

2011-10-16T23:50:00.000-06:00

Good morning friends. Today, I want to share another layout process with you. This one was in response to a challenge over on Studio Calico by KathyB. Kathy suggested that we feature Washi tape as the main ingredient on a project.

Well of course, I HAD to play along. Really, I had no choice in the matter at all. It was only a matter of time!

I recently snapped some photos of my son dinkin' around on the keyboard so I chose to use them. A bit of editing and I got them looking like I wanted them.

I had a basic idea for this layout. I knew that I wanted to create a window in a piece of card-stock and cover the rest of the paper in washi tape. So I got started with that. I applied the tape in no particular order. If I did it again, I'd apply it to the top most and bottom most edges of the window first, wrap is around the edge and then continue layering the rest. I made it work but that would be the easiest way.

I recommend working on a non-stick surface as peeling it off my cutting mat did prove to be a bit challenging.

I had to choose some type of background so I used this paper from Hambly. However, it is a very thin paper and needed some card-stock to make it strong enough to hold up. I chose a bright orange piece of card-stock, leaving a thin margin on one side and trimming the Hambly so it would all be 12x12. I then added a little more Washi over the orange to tone it down a bit.

Next, I created the journaling using my typewriter and a piece of backing from a Studio Calico stamp set. I love how the ends and beginnings are all uneven. I snipped the edges with my Pinking Sheers for a bit of texture.

What happened next was a happy accident. I happened to turn the frame over and discovered that I preferred the back to the front so I went with that. I also added some droplets of Spray mist to the cardstock. This particular spray mist was October Afternoon Sprinklers which has a different texture. It's more like paint and takes a little longer to dry so be aware of that.

Next I messed around with the placement for where I'd have this giant piece along with a few beginning accents.

Add some mist to the journaling (wipe it away because it's actually opaque, oops. Decide I like that look and go with it.) Place a few more odds and ends such as Elle's studio label, hand cute pennant from SC stamp backing, Basic Grey Basic label sticker, KaiserKraft report card, Amy Tangerine Sticker.

Realize that hands are full of paint/mist! Like that too, take their portrait. :)

Then I had to think about the title. Up to that point I'd made no plan or given thought to my title. I decided I'd like to use the words 'Musically Inclined'. Musically in larger letters would have been a lot of letters and space so I decided to utilize the Basic Grey label sticker as the foundation for that word.

I wanted to hand color those letters and chose my Basic Grey Micro Mono stickers in white which I then inked with JBS Speckled Egg stamping ink.

I then overstamped that in JBS Weathervane with a music patterned stamp to coordinate with my theme.

It worked. Finally, add inked wood letters from Pink Paislee with JBS Lemon Drop and adhere to LO using KI Gloo and include a few brads for dimenion. And here is the final product.

I'd love to count you as a follower. Feel free to click the follow button in the right margin.

Some bits about a lady

2011-10-13T23:48:00.000-06:00

I am starting to think that perhaps a little more about me and my daily life could be good to add here. I hope that is ok with all of you. With that in mind, I'm going to try and share a bit about daily life and what is important to me at least once a week.

Let me know if this is at all interesting to you. I'll do my best to mix and mingle some inspiration in there as well but please know that I want your feedback. If it ain't working then we'll get it fixed.

Today, I spent some time (trying not to think about just how much time) organizing some things on my computer. First up was my mass of Pinboards on Pinterest. They needed to be classified so the goodies would show up in the right sections. I don't think Pinterest was at its best today so that process was a bit slow. It did feel good to get it all organized. Here are a few of the pins I've added recently that made me smile a bit.

Love the colors illustrated in this shot. L O V E

Such a cute design for a card

Cozy and Happy all at the same time

I want this just because

Classy and Beautiful

Love that place!

Next, I figured out how to add 'Pin It' buttons to images on my blog so you'll be seeing that popping up from time to time. If you don't have a Pinterest account, trust me, you want one!

Then, I moved on to organizing my bookmarks list. This may not seem like much of a task but I've been procrastinating doing it for years! Yes, I literally mean years. It was one of those things that I didn't know how to do and figuring it out somehow felt overly challenging. So I didn't. Boy was that silly, it was the easiest thing ever! And now I can find everything lickity-split! How's that for an accomplishment!?

Last night, we went to our bi-weekly prayer meeting. I've been coordinating this as a new endeavor at our church for the last couple of months. It has been so exciting to see how God is bringing people in and getting them involved. We've seen more miraculous answered prayer in the last few months than I've ever seen in my life. At least 4 people have been dramatically healed that I know about. It's been really amazing! Praise God!

Today, I'm reading this book. Rees Howells, Intercessor

So far, it's very challenging. A friend at church gave it to me to read and told me I'd be really inspired. A little while later her husband passed me a note on a napkin which said (DON'T READ THE BOOK!). You can bet I was intrigued now. I've been reading and I now understand why George suggested that I abstain. It's VERY challenging. But it's a good kind of challenging. I'll let you know more once I get a bit more read.

Well, that's about all for now. I hope you are all having an inspired week. I'm going to go and work on a Washi tape layout! I'll get to share that with you soon!

A Lovely Little Lassie

2011-10-13T00:05:00.006-06:00

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Life has been pretty non-stop around here lately. I'm sure no one else can relate.........yeah, right.

I know you'll understand when I say that it seems like we've been going constantly. Our most recent busyness came from having lots of visitors for a couple of weeks.

I truly love having guests in my home. It's only recently that I can put them up in something a bit more like comfort since a couple of my older girls have flown the coop. I miss those girls but being able to invite friends and family in to stay a while is one nice bonus.

Our missionary friends, the Coult's came from Mexico to stay with us for 6 days at the end of September and what a joy it was to have them. They are amazing people who've given up everything to serve in a community where the needs are at the most basic level. They don't get to experience a whole lot of typical American life and so when they come up, I love to spoil them.

This time, I got to play with young Evie in front of my camera and I thought you might like to see some of the results we ended up with.

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Isn't she just beautiful!? I can't even tell you how much fun it was to shoot with her as my model. She's a natural! Everything was edited in Photoshop CS3 using Radlab and Florabella Actions.

A few photography tips from this shoot in particular:

Choose clothing carefully to suit your subject. This very slender young woman carried off a flowy sleeveless dress beautifully but a more developed woman might not.
Shoot during the 'golden hour'. This is usually an hour to hour and a half before sunset or after sunrise.
Find a location that offers both sun and shade options
Use a reflector to bounce light into the subjects face in shaded areas.
Don't be afraid to shoot into the sun for a sun flare effect.

Thanks for stopping in.

Clearly Beautiful

2011-10-11T23:42:00.000-06:00

I've wanted to create something (layout or card or whatever) with a completely transparent background for a while and I finally got up the gumption to go ahead and do it!

I just used one of the Hambly Clearly Heavy Overlays as my base. I have to admit that it had gotten scratched somewhere along the way which was a real bummer but I decided to go with it anyway.

Because of the scratching, I chose to place the elements of my layout carefully in order to cover up the scratching. It worked pretty well, if not perfectly.

I love the Hambly tree rub-ons, was wishing I had those in ALL the colors. Unfortunately, I don't think they are even making them anymore, but they are a super cute product!

I also created a black frame for my photostrip in photoshop to lend the look of a film strip. It's not quite the same as it might have been had I added the holes but I enhanced that by adding some of the Tim Holtz Film Strip Ribbon which is one of my favorite items he's ever made.

My layout was inspired by miss Susan Beth who lives in a glorious location in Montana. It's not too likely I'll ever get to live in such a place, but I do occasionally get to take trips and so these photos are from the Silverton area of Colorado. Loved that place. Need to go back again.

Here is the finished product. I will tell you that photographing a page on a transparency is no easy task. I searched all over my house for a place with ample light and minimal reflection. I finally found a decent spot but it was tricksey! Not thrilled with the background of my tile stairway, but I avoided the glare so you take what you can get.

Do you like what see? Then follow me! (hee hee, cheesy rhyme) Yep, there's a button on the right and I'd love to see your beautiful mug over there when I'm here!

Make Your Own Patterned Washi Tape video tutorial!

2011-10-10T23:53:00.002-06:00

Hey friends!

I have made my very first video tutorial. I hope you'll take a look at it. I will be needing some honest critiquing on this one. It's my first time so let me know any ideas for how to improve.

I sure don't want to bore anyone to tears! You will be hearing my cat (her name is Mouse and she wanted to say hello. I think she was annoyed that SHE wasn't the center of attention)

A few questions I have are:

Is this too long?
Do I talk too much?
Can you see the images well enough?
Is there more info you would have liked to hear about?

I mentioned that I'd link the tapes here so that you can pick them up if you'd like to. The thin tape is Linen White Crepe Masking Tape and the other is Japanese White Tape-Solid White. I also mentioned the Ranger Ink non-stick matt which you can find here.

And be sure to show me your completed projects. I can't wait to see how everyone uses this technique.

Mouthwatering Monday -- Green Chili Grilled Cheese on Sourdough

2011-10-10T01:05:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure, do I need to tell you any more besides that title???

If you're like me, your mouth is already watering. There is not much that tickles the taste-buds like right out of the oven roasted Anaheim Green Chilis!

Start by cutting the chilis long ways and removing the stem and seeds. WEAR GLOVES!

I roasted mine in the oven till the skins fairly slid right off the chilis. Do it right under the broiler but keep a close watch on them do they don't turn into charcoal!

When they are cool enough to handle, put on a pair of gloves(trust me, you do NOT want to do this without gloves. You DO NOT!) Remove the peel. It will be blistered and should peel off pretty easily. You should be left with a nice sheet of roast chili. If your chili ends up in shreds that is ok too. I just dice them and add them to the sandwich in pieces.

Pick up some Monterrey Jack cheese from the local grocer, a nice fresh loaf of sourdough and make sure you have some butter on hand (margarine works just fine) You'll want about 1 1/2 chilis per sandwich. I like to heat my non-stick skillet on med-high and get it nice and hot before I place the first sandwich in it.

Butter the outsides of your bread, lay seeded and peeled roasted chili across the center and top with a slice of cheese. Add a touch of garlic salt to taste. Finish with the other piece of bread and sear on both side in the hot skillet till nicely browned and cheese is melted.

I am warning you, if you are cooking for a group you'd better have lots of chili on hand because the eaters will COME BACK for more! In my case, they fairly hovered over me like giant vultures waiting for the next sandwich to come off of the griddle.

You can also do this with Jalapeno's, but I'm too big of a chicken. However, if you like a bit more heat, that would work beautifully. Or, if you are even tamer of tongue than I, try roast red peppers in lieu of the Anaheims.

As always, thanks for stopping in and joining more for a bit. If you try these, I'd love to hear how they turn out for you......and don't forget to follow! ;)

Wanna Know what I put in my Vitamix the other day???

2011-10-06T02:41:00.000-06:00

I know you do!.........................................................

Ok, I'll tell you. Delicious, refreshing and soooo so tasty.

Mango Lover's Dream (well, at least it's this mango lover's dream ;)

1 cup frozen mango chunks (Costco Baby!)
2 tbsp Turbinado Sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup Vanilla flavored creamer

Blend and enjoy. It is absolutely delicious! And pretty too. Now where is my mint sprig to really dress it up???

I thought I'd share another family favorite recipe. This is perhaps the most requested dish I make for my family.

It's called Southwest Chicken bake and came from a cookbook I've had for quite a few years.

Preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked, diced chicken
3 cups rice cooked in chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup cottage cheese (I use small curd)
3 cups shredded cheese
1 large can black olives, sliced
1 small jar pimentos (roast red peppers diced fine also works nicely)
1 large tomato diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Tortilla chips served on the side

(you'll see that this time, I sauteed up some red and yellow bell peppers since I was out of roast peppers and pimentos and used those instead)

Mix soup, sour cream, cottage cheese and cream cheese together(there are zero calories, really!) in a mixing bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Add remaining ingredients (except for the tortilla chips) and mix well. Place in 13x9 casserole, top with crushed tortilla chips and back for about 30 minutes at 350° Serve with warmed Tortilla chips as scoops!

And finally, may I brag?! I recently defrosted my freezer. Please pretend you didn't notice the distinctive rust pattern (this freezer spent a good many years on a back porch and.....well.....rust happened. But the freezer has functioned terrifically for about 18 years now so I try to tell myself that the rust matters not!)

At any rate, LOOK at the amazing, organized interior of my freezer. I can actually find the food! How awesome is that. AND, there are not three inches of ice hanging from each shelf thereby diminishing the functional space of said freezer by 35%. LOL I am very happy with this. Now, I must remember in the future that defrosting does not have to be a terrible experience.

(It really was a terrible experience this last time, but I'll save you the details of why. Trust me, you don't want to know!)

So, without further ado.......TADA

Ok, I'm done now, thank you for humoring me. If you made it this far, you are truly my friend.

Have a great day. I'll save the requests for followers for a day when I have something a bit less mundane to share. LOL

A day in my space

2011-10-04T23:54:00.000-06:00

So I thought I'd share a couple things from my scrap cave. Just in case you're curious about what my particular brand of mess looks like.

So here is a picture of my cave yesterday, before any cleaning could be done.

Let me explain what has happened. I've had 9 extra people in my house, 7 of them for an entire week and so, as you can imagine, things became a bit willy-nilly in terms of.....placement.

Then, I got three orders of schtuff to add to my collection. Of course, I had to open them, but I have yet to put them in their homes. And so, they are in stacks on my tables.

It is also the case that I don't actually have space for a single other thing in my space, and yet, I continue to purchase. (what does that tell you about me??? Well........nevermind)

So this is what my desk looks like when it's playing catch all. Which is really quite often. (and when my DD has taken up residence!)

I actually clean my desk off after I finish every project because I can't stand to work in a terribly cluttered space. I make it terribly cluttered while I'm working, but I clean it up again and then I can think!

So, since we are talking about why it's a mess, let me share my haul with you cause it's sometimes fun to see what is catching someone's eye.

There is the overview. Below are the details

Amy Tan stickers, Studio Calico pads and wood asterisks, KI pockets and cards, Papertry Ink felt, Pebbles stamps, Technique Tuesday Stamps, Lawn Fawn stamps,

Pebbles paper, Glitz letter stickers, Studio Calico mists, MME brads

MME label stickers, Studio Calico Journal kit and border stickers in kraft, Papertrey ink white paper and label sticker sheets

Papertrey ink stamps, Lawn Fawn Stamps, Technique Tuesday stamps(Ali E)

So that's it. I've already created with some of these products and I'm really excited about the letter stamps from Papertrey Ink. Can't wait to try those!

Have a great day and let me know if this was at all interesting because I'd dearly hate to bore you. Be brutal, I can take it!

In love with Blue???

2011-10-04T01:04:00.000-06:00

You may think I'm silly but I have never cared much for blue as a color. I've been quite prejudiced against it actually! In fact, one might think I was somewhat proud of my distaste for blue. Given this fact, you may be surprised at what's been showing up in MANY of my pins on Pinterest of late.

And it doesn't stop there! Oh no, there are lots more lovely pretties in shades of aqua. Such as

I think I may be unable to keep up the ruse any longer. But aren't you a bit more inspired now by this outstanding color. If you care to see where all these luscious goodies came from you can take a peek at my pinboard and find them out!

So I have to show you the beginnings of the layout you are about to see. I LOVE how this chevron turned out. I used a tutorial by Marcy Penner for October Afternoon to make this background.

Does that make you as happy as it makes me???

And finally, here is what I created as a result of all that lovely inspiration.

As always, thanks for stopping by and visiting and if you care to follow, there's a happy button in your right margin just for that purpose. I'd love to see you around more often!

Mouthwatering Monday -- Chicken Chasseur

2011-10-02T23:58:00.000-06:00

I've been experimenting again. This time in my brand new RED Dutch oven (from Costco it was the Kirkland version for only $70 instead of the Le Creuset version for $295!)

I am in LOVE. Truly. It is the best pot I've ever used in my life. Cooks evenly, allows me to cook down liquids in a divine manner leaving the ever so tasty and flavorful syrups behind.

What was my first recipe you ask? I found a good one from Bobby Flay called Chicken Chasseur (aka Hunter Style Chicken, seemed perfect given my son's name!).

Now I must admit that I didn't carefully follow the recipe as I am a rebel (and I didn't have a whole chicken!)

But it is mainly the same stuff and I'll be sure and tell you where I made substitutions.

Ingredients:

1 (4-pound) chicken, quartered (I used an equivalent amount of boneless tenderloins and thighs)
Salt and pepper
Clarified butter
5 ounces cremini mushrooms, emincer (thinly sliced) (I used baby Bellas)
1 large shallot, ciseler (fine dice)
2 ounces Cognac (I used E & J Brandy as the guy at Bev Mo assured me I didn't need to pay for fine Cognac for cooking. Thanks guy!)
2 ounces dry white wine
1 1/2 cups enriched chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato concasse (peeled, seeded, and diced tomato) ( just used a standard can of petite diced tomatoes)
1-ounce cold butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chervil leaves or flat-leaf parsley (I used the parsley)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Season chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of clarified butter in a Dutch oven over high heat. Place chicken in skin side down and cook until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side. Remove chicken to a baking sheet and bake in the oven until just cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute until golden brown. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Cognac and cook until completely reduced. Add the wine and cook until completely reduced. Add the stock and tomato and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon ("nappe") and then swirl in the butter ("monter au beurre"). Once the butter is added, the sauce can not be further reduced because it will break. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the tarragon and chervil.

I served it with a family favorite, Mom's famous mashed potatoes. I'll have to share that recipe sometime soon.

For now, Bon Appetit! And thanks for stopping in. Please feel quite free to click the follow button on the right margin. ;)

ABC's of Me (thanks Mandy!)

2011-09-30T00:36:00.001-06:00

I thought this would be fun since a lot of you are relatively new to reading my blog. So here's a bit about me.

A. Age: 39

B. Bed size: Standard King

C. Chore that you hate: cleaning the litter box

D. Dogs: Bean, a 70 lb Boxer Lab mix and the cutest puppy known to man (I couldn't resist sharing a photo of his cute self)

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee with Vanilla creamer and Email

F. Favorite color: RED

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'7 (which is usually taller than most but seems not that tall to me, LOL)

I. Instruments you play: my vocal chords

J. Job title: Freelance photographer and SAHM

K. Kids: 6, but it's a rather confusing story and only 2 are left at home now.

L. Live: Vail, ARIZONA

M. Mother’s name: Hope Caroline (she went by both at different times in my life, growing up it was Caroline but now she goes by Hope)

N. Nicknames: Urs (eeeew, this may be the reason I stopped using Ursula for a loonnng time) and Dani, which is short for my middle name Danielle, oh, and 'Hurricane Ursula' was my nickname as a child as I was apparently quite the whirlwind.

O. Overnight hospital stays: when I birthed Kaitlin and the accident when I was 3 years old

P. Pet peeves: dishonesty (including the kind where people won't admit their shortcomings)

Q. Quote from a movie: "oh yeah, you blend" (from My Cousin Vinny) and "Have you SEEN what's behind you lately??" (can't recall what movies that was from)

R. Right or left handed: left (but only for writing, all other things are done right handed, wierd eh.)

S.Siblings: one half brother, 2 half-sisters

T. Time you wake up: 8:30ish

U. Underwear: Yes please (I have never, and shall never go commando)

V. Vegetable you hate: Eggplant!

W. What makes you run late: the people I live with and trying to do 'one last thing'

X. X-Rays you’ve had: teeth, ultrasounds for baby, spine, CAT scan

Y. Yummy food that you make: Carnitas, but my family and friends report that all my food is yummy, oh and prizewinning chili!

Z. Zoo animal: It will always be Tigers

So there is a bit about me. Hope that was fun for all of you! Have a great day, and feel free to copy this format. I borrowed it from my friend Mandy!

Inky Fun

2011-09-29T01:21:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that I'm not so much good at just getting out my stuff and getting messy.

Well, I do like getting messy, but as you may be aware, there are such a huge number of terrific techniques out there that I actually forget some of them from time to time.

That is definitely what happened this time around. I've known about embossing and resist techniques for at least 8 years but somehow it had slipped to the back of my mind. And THIS is why taking classes is such a great idea!

Boot Camp brought all that to the forefront once again and I was able to play with color and texture once again through embossing and resist. The result is that amazing rainbow hued paper you see in the layout below. Does anyone else get as much of a charge out of that as I do???

We were supposed to cut shapes from our embossed resisted piece, but I could not do it. It was too lovely as is.

Not only that, but I learned about making titles using stamps so you get to see an example of that as well.

Loving the inspiration this week. And look, I got another LO for my poor neglected son!

Still looking for followers, you know the drill.....take a lovely walk over to the right margin and click that button. And a huge thank you for stopping by and sharing my life!

Make a list, check it twice

2011-09-28T00:05:00.001-06:00

Without giving too much away, I'd like to share a little about a recent class I took. You may have heard of it. It's called Ella's Boot Camp and really is a wonderful class. There are a total of twelve modules covering design principles, journaling ideas and photo editing tips. Plus, there are an additional 6 modules that offer extra tips.

I highly recommend you check it out. It was live last week so I'm not sure if it will continue to be offered after this week or not but I really think you ought to check it out.

I have been inspired to create 3 layouts already and I have about 10 more in mind just from this class.

The layout I'd like to share with you today is a list of Guiding Principles. Without the prompts I would have had a tough time doing this but I am sooo glad that I did. I can't wait to do this again in a few years and see whether I've changed or stayed the same.

I used the Glee Club kit from Studio Calico again. (been on a role with that kit!)

I am hoping to increase my list of trusty followers so if you haven't already, I sure would appreciate it if you'd click the little 'Will you Follow Me?' button please.

As always, thanks for taking the time to visit with me today and I hope your day is filled with beauty!

Typing on Stickers

2011-09-27T00:33:00.000-06:00

I know that alot of us love the look of typing or printing on stickers. But if you're like me, you've found that often, it's tedious.

If it's printing you are trying to do, then removing the sticker from the paper you stuck it to before running it through the printer can be challenging.

If it's typing, sometimes putting a whole sheet of stickers through the plenum means you end up with some of your stickers being ruined in the mechanism.

Today, I'd like to share a little tip I recently discovered which I think will have you typing on every sticker you can get your hands on.

Do you own a Ranger Non-Stick Craft sheet? Well if you don't you NEED to! This little sweetie is one of the most useful tools in the scrap room that I know of. I have both the large, which is 15x18 and the small which is 9x12. For this purpose, you need the smaller one.

All you have to do is choose the label sticker of your choice. Stick it right to the middle of your non-stick craft sheet and insert it into your typewriter. You can adjust it to get it exactly where you want it and type away. (hint, you can do more than one at a time too!)

I suspect that this can also be done with a printer, but seeing as my printer is persnickety and scarcely even wants to feed copy paper I can't verify that information.

Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you. Oh, and you can very likely find one of these sheets at the local Michael's. Get that 40% coupon ready to go!

I've photographed a bit of my process to show you below. In this case, it wasn't a sticker but a card that was printed on very heavy cardstock. I simply added some adhesive to the back of the card at the top side and fed it into my typewriter.

This is the piece stuck to the non-stick Kraft sheet.

Here you can see that I've got it fed into my typewriter and have begun typing. Because a typewriter is accustomed to a pretty thin sheet of typing paper, I must make the adjustment for placing each line manually on every return. It's not a big deal to do, and if you have it right in the middle of a big kraft sheet it is soooo much easier!

Here is the finished typing.

And the layout it was created for. Some more interesting facts about this LO in particular are that it is the product of the Ella Boot Camp Class I took last week. You can still take this class and it will really be worth it, I learned sooo much in Boot Camp and had tons of fun. Very inspiring!

You may also find it interesting to note that I did this layout with only stuff that was out on my desk! My friend Margrethe had recently sent me a little package of goodies all the way from Stavenger, Norway. I decided to see what I could do with some of those products on a single layout.

and some details.

There's a quick survey on the left if you wouldn't mind answering a single question. Check all that apply!

Happy day blogland friends!

Score 100 points on Tonight's dinner!

2011-09-26T00:23:00.000-06:00

I'll help you out with this one. I know you'll score cause I got RAVE reviews! RAVE!

Disclaimer: These are not my personal recipes. Anyone can do this, really. Anyone!

So the menu was:
Grilled Chicken Tenderloins (without the grill!)

Honey Roasted Pototoes

Butter Dips Biscuits

and some buttered frozen veggies.

Let me say that this meal was simple and completely delicious and everyone absolutely loved it.

Here's how it looked altogether on my plate. (didn't look that way for long though cause it went in my mouth! Yum!)

About a boy

2011-09-23T00:27:00.000-06:00

Recently, a thread was shared on Studio calico asking whether or not we make sure to include equal numbers of layouts for all of our kids, or if we find that we tend to scrap one family member more than another. You can check it out here if you like.

I have to admit that I really do have a tendency to scrap the girls more often than my sons and husband. There are a whole host of reasons for that, but some of them include:

I relate better to the girls (after all, I am one)
I enjoy using 'pretty' products and those don't fit terribly well with boy layouts
My oldest son and I butt heads a LOT and so our relationship is rocky at times (it's hard to make a kind layout about someone you're angry at!)
My oldest son does the same three things again and again, eat, school and play guitar and eventually you run out of things to say
I only see my younger two sons once a month and it's always on a day that I am utterly exhausted so I don't get many pics taken.
I don't have as many pictures of the oldest since up until the last couple of years he was uncooperative in front of the camera

All of those things are true. However, I love my boys and I want them to know it. I want them to feel special and know that they're important to me because of course, THEY ARE!

I also know that the feeling of competition and someone being the 'favorite' in the family is always a difficulty and I certainly don't want to feed that feeling.

With that in mind, I am on a mission to do my boys more often. That includes the hubs too as he gets ignored. Again, he does the same three things on a regular basis, work, play drums and tinker in the garage. But that doesn't mean that he's not a complex person.

I've got my homework cut out for me, don't ya think.

I began with the Layout below. This one is unique because it is built on the background ruler paper which I created using stamps. I dug into my stash for this page and I am really pleased with the results.

Oh, and there is a little survey in the sidebar on the left, if you haven't already, please leave your thoughts. Click all that apply! Happy Friday!

Documenting without a Photo

2011-09-21T23:39:00.000-06:00

Can I start by directing your attention to a little poll I have on the left-hand sidebar? I'd love it if you'd take it, it's just the one question and you can check all that apply. Thanks for your help.

Documenting without a photo has been coming into popularity recently. There are all kinds of reasons why we might have no photo to share about a given situation.

we had no camera at an event.
we're documenting a person we didn't know personally or who has passed on.
its something like the topic of my layout today that just doesn't go with a photo, it's more of a thought.

Whatever the reasons, it can be somewhat daunting to imagine a scrapbooked page without photos. However, it really doesn't need to be difficult and today I'd like to give you an example of a 'no-photo' page that turned out to make a strong showing.

The idea for the subject of this layout came to me while I was watching a movie called 'Shadows in the Sun' about a famous author who'd put down his pen after the untimely death of his wife 20 years before. During a particular scene I felt the urge to write a bit about what I saw on the screen. It's not exactly what ended up happening, but I stopped the movie right then and went over and typed up my little narration. It was fun and I wanted to remember it because it was a moment of clarity in regards to writing for me.

That night, as I was in bed, the full design for this Layout came to me and the next morning I drew up a sketch so I wouldn't forget.

Here is what I came up with

You can see that it lacks any photos, but it's still telling a story of what writing means to me. Here are the pages individually so you can read them if you care to.

Not many embellishments were necessary to complete the story, but those that are there were carefully chosen. The tags in the middle illustrate how writing flows from ideas into the written words on the page. The typewriter sticker illustrates the method by which words are gotten down on paper and the hearts illustrate that Writing is really a matter of a passion and of love.

I hope that you'll consider trying one of these out yourself.

Oh, and I'm still hoping for followers so if you are inclined, you know what to do....

From old to new again

2011-09-21T00:42:00.002-06:00

First, I wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU to all of you amazing people who've been so kind as to read my blog of late. I trust you are enjoying it and getting something out of it or you wouldn't be here. All the same, I want you to know that I REALLY appreciate your time and comments. So blessings on all of you and thanks again.

Second, I've added a little poll today as I'm trying to learn about you and why you visited. Would you take a moment to answer. It's just to your left.

Third, today, I thought I'd just show a little something I did last week. My father-in-law has a favorite photo of my lovely mother-in-law. She was 19 and that was quite a while ago. They've been married 44 years so you can guess on the math.

At any rate, some fading had occurred and the original now looked like this

That was the scan of the original. Lots of damage to the photo as you can see, but its dad's favorite so we must dooooo something. I took it into Photoshop Camera Raw and messed with it a fair bit, including reducing the exposure, adding the blacks back in, and using the recovery feature in Camera Raw.

And this was the result:

Next, you see all those icky brown splotches and funny spots. Those are dust artifacts that the scanner sees, even though I don't see it with my own silly eyes. You have to remove those with the healing brush. I did that on each individual dot on the skin, hair, and blouse. However, for the rest of the photo, I cut the body out with the drawing tool, feathered my selection, copied it and layered the body back over the top. Then, I blurred the image beneath so those icky spots that remained blended into the background.

And this is the result:

Finally, I took it to color adjustment and messed with the color and then into RADlab to bring back some definition and smooth the remaining flaws.

And this is the result:

I have to tell you that I think it's the best thing I ever did for my Father-in-law. You should have seen him beam with pleasure. It was about an hours worth of work but what a beautiful result!

Oh, and mom says the colors are just right. Pretty cool eh!