Hello

I made this card a few weeks ago but just got around to taking a photo of it.  I got the idea from a scrapbook page that I saw somewhere recently (of course I don't remember where, though).  I love the new Jewelry Tag Punch!

 

 I also recently discovered how incredibly easy it is to make square envelopes, so I used some extra DSP to make an envelope for this card.

Daddy & Daughter

Here is another page I made of our trip to Gatlinburg.  I am really trying to scrapbook more moments than just events.  My biggest problem (in my mind anyway) is finding my voice to say what I really want to convey in my journaling.  I'm just going to keep doing it knowing that it will get better over time.

Vacation Page

Wow, life seems to travel at lightning speed these days.  Since I last posted, we went on a week long vacation to Gatlinburg, TN; I celebrated another birthday; homeschooling continued; children keep growing; many meals were cooked; lots of laundry was done; more snow than I can imagine fell; I made some super cute purses with some fabric, the Big Shot, and the Scallop Square die (but no photos).

Here is a 2-page layout spread I just did today of the boys sliding at the indoor waterpark on our trip.  They had so much fun on that slide!

 

 

Have I mentioned how much I love My Digital Studio?  These pages were so easy to put together using it.  I made the film strip look with punches.  I hope to have more done to share tomorrow.  If you have any questions on how I make any of the elements to my pages, please let me know because I'm happy to share that here.

Baby Monkey

The hardest part of this card was cutting out the monkey, and that wasn't all that difficult.  I did use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the stripes perfectly straight.  Other than that, this card is super cute, super quick, and super easy!!
I am so lovin' all the new things I've gotten from the Occasions Mini and Sale A Bration catalogs!!  

Supplies

• Stamps:  Fox and Friends, Solid Stripes, Tiny Tags 
• Ink:  Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip 
• Paper:  Whisper White 
• Accessories:  linen thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig
  

The Hat

My mother-in-law taught me how to crochet and Kala how to knit over Christmas.  Kala was a champ at knitting immediately.  I have tried it in the past, but couldn't ever really get into it.  I think crocheting is more my thing.  I'm not very coordinated, so only having one needle - or hook - is easier for me.  I finished my first hat in just over a week.  It turned out super cute, and Kala absolutely loves it.  
I'm really trying to get more things in scrapbook pages, since My Digital Studio makes it soooo super easy.  I made this page from idea to completion in 35 minutes.  Not bad in my book.  Have questions about My Digital Studio??  Email or call me to find out more.

Kindness

I am really working on perfecting that Clean and Simple style that so many people seem to do so well.  This card took about 10 minutes from idea to completion - gotta love that!!

 

What have I gotten myself into?

Man, do I ever think those words often these days!!  But this time it has nothing to do with me.  Back in November, we took a drive down to Natural Bridge, VA.  It was a beautiful fall day, so we decided to go on the hike (or nature walk) that is on the grounds there.  Our children all do a great job of hiking, for the most part.  It could be that we started them all very young.
Anyway, on to the scrapbook page.  I am having a lot of fun using My Digital Studio to do scrapbook pages.  They seem to come together quite easily.  I have been looking at old layouts from a Simple Scrapbooks book to gather ideas.  I hope these inspire you to put together some simple, but meaningful pages soon.

Life Happens

Stampin' Up! has some fabulous new products coming out next week in the Occasions Mini Catalog and the Sale-A-Bration Brochure.  As a demonstrator, I was able to pre-order a few of these things.  
I was working on an idea for a card the other night, and it just wouldn't turn out the way I wanted.  Does that ever happen to you?  I think I tried 4 versions of a card before a new, simpler idea came to me.  I absolutely adore this card.  I know, it seems so simple, but that's what I love about it!!

Happy New Year

Here is a quick page I put together using My Digital Studio tonight.  We had a great Christmas.  

It's been a long while since I've spent time in my craft room.  

Here's to a New Year filled with love and happiness!!

My Baby

Here is the last of my children's portraits that I have been working on.  I've really been trying to step up my photography skills and be more intentional about taking photos of the children.  I hate the thought of them growing up so quickly, and I really want to make our everyday memories last.  Isaac is our baby.  His name means laughter and he lives up to that everyday!!

My Little Boy

I just made this 12x12 page using My Digital Studio.  I am finding it very easy to use and am getting 100% more scrapbooking done than I was without it.  I think this page took me about 35 minutes to complete, start to finish.  Much of that time was figuring out what I wanted to say in the journaling - that's always my hardest part.

MDS birthday layout

My DD turned 10 last week, and my MIL and I took her on a surprise trip to the American Girl store in Chicago.  It was a great trip, and she was super surprised and excited.  I took these photos while at our hotel in downtown Chicago.
This page was very easy to create.  I used a page template that was included with MDS.  I used a black cardstock background, filled in the photos, and added the journaling.  Easy peasy!!  I really like the way this simple, yet stunning, page turned out.  And I can't believe that my little girl in 10.

CAS Gobble

Here is a super quick and easy Thanksgiving card.  It is also very affordable because it uses the under $10 stamp Gobble, Gobble from the Holiday Mini.
Supplies

• Stamps:  Gobble, Gobble 
• Ink:  Markers in Soft Suede, Taken with Teal, Really Rust, and Crushed Curry 
• Paper:  Soft Suede, Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla, Autumn Meadows DSP 
• Accessories:  Modern Label punch

As always, if you are interested in purchasing any of the supplies to make this card, please use the link on the left to my online store.  Thanks for looking!!

Coloring Pretties Tutorial

Here's a quick tutorial on coloring flowers from your Pretties Kit with a marker and Stampin' Mist.

Begin by outlining your flower in a Stampin' Write Marker of your choice, I've chosen Dusty Durango here.

Put the flower on a paper towel and spray the Stampin' Mist generously on the flower.

You will see the color begin to pull from the edges of the flower. I love to watch "magic" at work. This may take some time, so be patient.

This will be your end result. If the color doesn't make it all the way to the middle of the flower, go ahead and use a little more marker and mist to get it there. Now you can have pretty flowers in any color you want!!

Pull Treat Tutorial

I had to make a few treats for DH to give to some people at work (Well, actually, almost 20 of them. I guess that's more than a few.) I decided on these super cute, and EASY, pull treats. Here's a quick little how-to on them. These would be perfect for any holiday. I've shown a Fall one and a Halloween one here.

Because I wanted to make several of these, I started with my paper a little on the small side. By cutting the DSP at 6x6, I was able to get from one sheet. Score that 6x6 paper at 2-3/4" and 5-1/2".
Add Sticky Strip to the botton and the 1/2" strip, as shown. Note: You can use Tombow Multi for these, and it will hold just fine. I needed the red liner of the Sticky Strip to show up for the photos. Fold the wrapper and adhere together.
Punch a 1/2" circle from the top. Thread a 20" piece of ribbon through both holes, making cut edges even. Note: The size circle you need to punch will vary depending on the width of ribbon you use. If the hole is too small, the ribbon will not pull easily.
Stick the candy in between the ribbons and into the pouch. Push the candy and ribbon down to the bottom of the wrapper. Note: I've used a full-size pack of M&Ms here and just folded the edges a little to make it fit.
Tie the ribbon together at the top and trim ends. You can now pull the ribbon, and the candy will pull up. Note: There's no need to untie the ribbon for the candy to pull out.
The belly band I added is 6-1/2" x 2-1/2" and scored 2-3/4" and 5-3/4". You adhere the pieces together on the back and slip onto the wrapper. Note: I layered my belly band pieces together before scoring them to ensure the scores for both layers were in the exact same spot.