KNK January kit reveal #1

I am sooo in love with the papers in this kit! What's crazy about that is I would never have picked these papers out for myself. They look intimidating. The patterns are big and really bright. But *wow* did I have fun with them! Gerrianne really did an amazing job putting this kit together!

On this first layout I used several of the die-cuts from the die-cut sheet in the embellishment add-on, including some of the negative pieces. Because of the bright and bold patterns in the paper I chose simple photos that didn't have a lot of background clutter, and only one complimentary color. On the second layout, I again chose photos with uncluttered backgrounds; the solid blues of the ocean really pop against the bright papers and black background. I limited myself with embellishments here, since I wanted the different sized photos to stand out and be the focus, so instead I used a little glitter (Diamond Stickles) to add some emphasis.
I am looking forward to doing my next layout, because I have barely tapped the embellishment options in this kit. So much fun!

First Kit of 2010!!!

..... and is a beauty!! Full of rich, bold, vibrant colors and lots of swirly blingy fun stuff!!! Head on over to KNK and check it out!!

Cropping away!!

Come on over to FH2S for the last day of the crop! There are some great challenges and lots of inspiration..... this is my BINGO challenge: My color challenge:

And my Sketch challenge (thanks for the sketch, Deb!):

I hope to get a little more done today in between our tree-decorating and cookie-baking. Getting a bit of a late start this year, but better late than never right? Have a happy day :)

KNK December Kit Reveal #2

First, a double layout with what else? Snow pictures of course! All that beautiful BoBunny snowflaky paper most definitely calls for one layout with snow pics. The trees were simple enough, just punched strips of paper with a border punch (this is a Martha Stewart "Lattice" punch), layered them over tree-shaped cardboard, then trimmed the excess. A little Diamond Stickles finished them up. Next is a photo wreath. I apologize for the pic, I couldn't for the life of me figure out where to hang it where the lighting would be right, so on the piano it went. Step-by-step instructions for the wreath can be found on the Message Board.

Thanks for looking :)

"Floating" Letter Altered Frames

Welcome to the first stop on Kreative Kaboodles Holiday Hop! If you've come to my blog first, be sure to head back to Kreative Kaboodles and read the instructions.

My easy holiday gift idea is for the home. This incredibly versatile project can be made for any season, with any word, to match anyone's home decor! I chose a winter theme, as you can see here. Here's what you need to make this particular set:

3 4x6 wooden frames with metal tabs, no backs

1 sheet patterened paper

clear liquid adhesive such as Diamond Glaze

foam paintbrush

course-grit sandpaper (I used 60-grit)

embellishments, chalks, loose glitter

1. Distress your frames a bit with the sandpaper. Wipe the frames free of dust & debris with a lightly dampened cloth. Embellish your frames as desired. I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Chips altered with Diamond Glaze, chalks, and loose glitter. Set your frames aside to dry.

2. Using your die-cut machine, cut your letters from the patterned paper. Depending on your font, you may need to play with the height of your letters. I used my Cricut "Storybook" cartridge at 5".

3. Clean your glass, making sure the side you're adhering your letters to is free of any debris or fingerprints. A microfiber optical cloth works great for this. Don't worry about the other side for now, you can clean it later.

4. With your foam paintbrush, spread a THIN layer of Diamond Glaze (you don't want there to be any seepage) to the back of the first letter. Quickly place the letter in the center of a pane of glass. Brayer over the glass to make sure there are no air bubbles under the letter. I don't have a brayer, so I used a rolling pin. Repeat with the remaining letters & glass.

5. Clean both sides of each glass pane. If your frames are dry, add the glass to the frames, using the metal tabs in the frames to hold the glass in place.

This project cost me $6! I found the frames at Joann's for $2 a piece, everything else I already had in my stash. A fun project you can easily customize to suit the taste of your lucky recipient!

Next in the hop is Chris! Go HERE to see the beautiful project she has in store for you!

Click HERE for a free subscription to Scrapbooking.com Magazine! Here also is the link to my article in the December issue. Hope you like it!

Scrapbooking.com Magazine

Today I am excited and honored to be the featured blog of the week in Scrapbooking.com Magazine's weekly newsletter! If you don't already subscribe to this newsletter, you can sign up for it HERE.

A happy boy!!!

About a month ago my son's guitar got broken..... it was a mystery, noone really knows how it happened he just found it in a couple pieces on the floor, the neck snapped. We finally took it in to get it fixed and the cost of the fix was more than half the worth of the guitar. So on Black Friday we took him to get a new one and I'm so excited for him! Not to mention Nate, he is absolutely giddy.

Isn't it gorgeous? He totally deserves it too... he got a 3.85 gpa for last semester, he been working like crazy to get on track to graduate and he has done it, we are so proud of him!

I wish you could hear him play, he's so incredibly talented. Musical ability sort of runs in the family and he has definitely got it. Big HUGE thank you so much to Mom & Dad, for helping us make that happen for him!

There's just nothing cuter....

...than little ballerinas. This one's mine :)

Today's Post

Can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

KNK December Kit Reveal #1

This is without a doubt my favorite kit to date! There's just something about pouring glitter all over everything... maybe it brings out the kid in me, who knows, but it sure is fun!!

This first layout is full of distressing, I can't get enough of Tim Holtz distress Stickles!! I used a couple of BoBunny papers and incorporated a few SEI embellishments along with it. Using only two photos is always a challenge for me, but this layout just fell together. The products in the kit are so complimentary to each other. Next is a little holiday card, don't you love the glittery "snowflakes"! The double-sided sticky stickers (by Harmonie) are really fun to play with (more glitter dumping), and the perfect partner to the wintery woodland die-cuts from SEI.

Finally, a heritage layout..... I try to remember to do one heritage with each kit. I don't always, but I do try! As cute and adorable as my children are, even I can appreciate the fact that a little diversity is always a good thing. The center photo is the actual Christmas card my mother's family sent out that year, signed by my grandmother. I love when I can use the real thing (don't worry I scanned it first!). I had to darken this image a bit because the flash on my camera made the metallic silver cardstock (background piece) really bright. The blues on this are a bit lighter than they appear here.
I have many more plans for this kit, and I'm looking forward to sharing! Scrapping is so easy when I truly love the product I'm working with. Thanks for peeking :)

Introducing KNK's December kit

Just look at all the sparkly snowy beauty!! This kit is just too gorgeous. SEI Winter Song and BoBunny Snowy Serenade papers, some Core'dinations cardstock, and plenty of glittery extras! A little wooden cardinal from Harmonie completes the package (you know me and birds). I can't wait to get into it. And wait til you see the add-ons. Just as delish as the rest. Trust me ;)

These are a few of my favorite..... bloggers!

This award is bestowed onto blogs that are exceedingly charming. These bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

So Jules, Chris, Tammy, and Christina, this one's for you and your charming, inspiring, friend-seeking blogs!!!

Today's Post

Can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

KNK November kit reveal #2

My second reveal with KNK's November kit! This first layout is of my son when he was just two years old.... oh my when I think about it, that was 15 years ago! This has always been one of my favorite portraits of him...
Wasn't he such a little cutie!!! To make the fence semi-mimic the fence in the portrait, I trimmed and painted the Nikki Sivils Bread(less) Tabs. I had to use two of them for each fencepost to make them a little taller, but the twine covers the seam pretty well. I also used one of the bigger Maya Road envelopes on this for my hidden journaling, but tucked everything but the flap behind the photo. Of course you can open the flap and remove the journal card inside.
With the few tiny little scraps I had left I made a card! The paper leaf doilie was very thin and fragile so instead of trying to use a traditional adhesive I covered the whole front of the card with Mod Podge, stuck the doilie down, then covered it with Mod Podge as well. This gave the card some great stability and I was able to embellish any way I wanted. As you are all well aware, cards aren't really my thing, so when I finish one and it actually looks the way I want it to I feel like I really accomplished something!

Thankfully, I ordered a bunch more add-ons and extra paper from this kit and it came just in time for the crop at Kit 'n Kaboodles last Saturday, so I have more fun stuff from this kit to share!! Coming soon....

Scrapbooking.com Magazine

Check out my first article!
http://scrapbooking.com/article/73855

Look who's FOUR

My littlest girls birthday was the 26th, she's not a baby anymore! We kept it simple this year and had a small little get-together with some family, with just cake and punch. Last year's birthday party for her was insanely crazy -- all the neighborhood kids, all the family, ponies, pinatas, and everything in between -- and I love to be able to do that for the kids every couple years or so. Not this year! But she loved it just as much. I think at this age it's still magical just knowing it's her birthday -- not because of what she gets to do on her birthday or the gifts she receives.

Knowing they would be gone, her Grandma and Papa West left a couple of gifts for her at their house before they left for Tombov. She was tickled as can be with her elephant bank, which has become a birthday tradition from them. It's amazing they can even find elephant banks on a regular basis! They don't come easy, I've looked. But thanks to them, she's got quite a little collection going.

Naturally, sister had to help with all of the gift opening. Most of her help was welcome, some..... not so much. But they worked it out. :)
I kept the cake nice and simple this year too. I used some little wafery-type roses and daisies that my mom and dad brought back from the Ukraine for me several years ago when I was still really into cake decorating. They added a festive touch to the otherwise plain cake (for whatever reason I didn't make a double batch of frosting, leaving me with nothing for decorating or writing on her cake). Luckily the only instructions from the birthday girl were white cake with chocolate pudding filling, so the flowers were just fine and she thought it was great! Nate was there just the right amount, even allowed me to take a few pictures of him! Grace really adores him and he is so good to the girls. He is such a good big brother.

I love this picture of me with my baby girl. Billy is really getting good behind the camera!!
Grace really got into her cake this year too. I think she ate all the pudding out of the middle before she even ate the cake part. I must have done something right with that cake because she made a point to say "Mommy this is GOOD CAKE!" (emphasis hers) :)

Her gift from us this year was a Baby Alive doll, which was a specific birthday wish, so you can correctly assume that this went over very well. She was so excited about it, she fed it right away, and changed it's diaper just as soon as she was done feeding her (this all took about five minutes LOL), and today she named her Abby. Grace has always loved to play with and care for dolls, this was really perfect for her. Kids are so funny, and they grow up so fast.... yesterday she had her birthday with so many fun things to remember about it, and today she asked me, "Mommy, is it my birthday yet?"

KNK November kit reveal #1

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love the KnK November kit! Here are my first two layouts :)

The photo of the turkey was taken in my parents' backyard last April. This particular bird had three hens he was courting. Of course they completely ignored him and his advances, but because he was so determined to impress them he gave me plenty of opportunity to get a good shot.My second layout is with some photos taken in 2004 of my son and my first daughter, along with their cousin on a pumpkin patch excursion. There's some really fun memories here which I managed to document in super-tiny text (sorry -- I had to make it fit!) as well as quite a few photos of the afternoon. I always worry a little when I'm using lots of photos, the balance between the embellishments and the photos can be tricky!

Looking forward to getting started on my next couple of projects as I have ordered extra of this kit and it should be on the way soon. I can't wait!

Maybe tradition is overrated....

Have I mentioned that I'm a pretty traditional gal? When I think Christmas, I think red and green. Maybe some white. So when I chose these Nikki Sivils papers from her "North Pole Nights" collection, I knew what I was getting myself into. The papers are adorable, with all the right Christmas elements, you know, candy canes, Christmas trees, elves, etc. But the colors. I knew I wanted to challenge myself to really step outside of my little Christmas comfort zone I've had going my whole entire life and do these papers justice!! Hot pink, navy blue, and yellow for Christmas pics were definitely going to challenge me. Then I remembered..... last year the girls wore bright pink and white on their trip to visit Santa (and, amazingly enough, my husband had on a navy blue pullover). Why I had not scrapped them yet, I have no idea...... probably because they were pink and white lol....... but they ended up being absolutely perfect for these papers. I love when I am up against a pretty big mental block with something and then am able to overcome it (remember the purple incident??). Hmmm... I'm seeing a color trend here..... well at any rate, I was very happy with the final result. Another color fear conquered. :) Thanks for having a peek.

My little dancing girl

I have to share this photo. Gracie, my three-year-old, started ballet classes with Ballet Rogue a month or so ago, just in time to start learning the holiday performances. The costumes came in last week, and of course with it being her very first one -- and with her being sooo excited about it -- I had to have her try it on and pose for me a little (please try not to notice the dinner she still had on her face, or her bangs that desperately need a trim) and isn't she the cutest!! The bodice is actually a very dark green, with sparkles of course. I can't wait for the performances, as parents are not allowed to observe classes in progress, which means I haven't seen the dance yet. Seriously, the suspense is almost more than I can handle. One of the performances is going to be at the Providence Festival of Trees , which is an annual local benefit event. Oh, the photo-ops that await :)

KNK November kit -- WOW!!

All I can say is GORGEOUS. I can hardly wait for some quiet time so I can really get to work!! Little Yellow Bicycle, Maya Road, Webster's Pages, and Core'dinations are just a few of the fabulous products found in this kit. And, as always, they coordinate beautifully together. Go to www.knkclub.com for even more coordinating cardstock and embellishment add-ons. Hurry -- these kits are going to sell out quick!

It's never too early....

Thinking about Christmas yet? It's not all that far away and I am getting the bug to get my Christmas crafting started. The perfect opportunity came when I got Nikki Sivils' "North Pole Nights" papers. These cookie cutter ornaments are quite easy to make. All you need are some plastic cookie cutters, paper and your choice of embellishments. Just trace the cookie cutters, cut the paper to fit and adhere it to the rim. I used ZipDry because it dries so quickly. I used coordinating ribbons to wrap around the outside (ScrappyTape made it a snap) and some Stickles on the outside rim. I found that the Stickles chipped off the plastic very easily once it dried (note to self -- don't use Stickles on plastic) so I sealed it with Glossy Accents. A little embellishing inside and I was done! I finished them all (set of six) in a couple of hours. These will make a great gift or serve well in an ornament exchange. Of course, my six-year-old has already laid claim to this particular set... we'd already have our tree in the living room if she had her way! I told her we have to at least get Halloween out of the way first. She was ok with that. Barely. ;)

KNK October kit Reveal #2

I have just two more creations with the October kit. I like to try and do at least one double with every kit to maintain diversity and this was a fun one. I matted the pictures onto tags and used the Core'dinations cardstock as pockets so that you can remove the tags if you want. I was able to use a lot of pictures that way, which was a good thing because I had quite a few I wanted to use commemorating the day we got our new puppy.

For this I used one of the 7 Gypsies Book Boards. I have done so many mini-books lately that I tried to think of something a little different I could do with the book boards which come four to a package. So I took one board and created a mini layout on it for a little tabletop easel I had. This is perfect for my husband's desk at work or here on a side table in the living room.
You can see the rest of the design teams' gorgeous layouts and projects created with the October kit in the Hall of Fame at www.knkclub.com !