For the Love of...

By now, blog-hoppers....

2012-02-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

...you should totally be feelin' the love! You've reached the last stop on the Birds of a Feather "Lovebirds" Blog Hop and hopefully you made your way here via Linda's blog. If you didn't know about the hop (gasp!) and you stumbled here first, head on back to the BOAF Blog to find out how to play along. Here's the blog list in order, to give you an idea....

Birds of a Feather Kit Co. Blog
Elizabeth
Marielle
Audrey
Lisa
Linda
Amy (you are here now)
then back to
Birds of a Feather Kit Co. Blog to tell us you've finished!

Here's the Grand Prize that one lucky hopper will win:

This gorgeous little mini-album kit by Maya Road in conjunction with Bella Blvd. is available only to retailers, but you can win it here! It's a $35 retail value and here's what's included:

~ Maya Road "Home" Mini-Album
~ 2 Full Blister-packs of Maya Road Mini Chipboards
~ Full Pack of Maya Road Kraft Tags
~ Pot of Maya Road Glitter
~ Maya Road Ink Pad
~ Full Tin of Ribbon Slides
~ Exclusive Maya Road "Home Is" Stamp
~ All papers needed to create this project
~ Step-by-step Instructions

And now for my crop-challenge for you, a recipe challenge! Sounds easy enough, right? Here it is:

1 piece of chipboard
2 photos
3 different colors of cardstock
4 different patterned papers
5 different types of embellishments (not counting your piece of chipboard)

Is that the easiest recipe or what? Oh wait.... yes, one tiny little qualifier :) You must have some form of the word "Kiss" on your layout OR your photos must somehow involve a kiss. It doesn't matter who or what, it can be baby kisses, puppy kisses, wedding kisses, little girl with her favorite baby-doll kisses, Grandma & Grandpa kisses.... whatever you have. Just show me the kisses!!
Here's my example with, coincidentally enough, the Birds of a Feather February Kit featuring Basic Grey "Kissing Booth":

1 - chipboard bracket frame
2 - photos
3 - red, yellow, & Brown cardstock
4 - four different "Kissing Booth" papers
5 - cardstock stickers, diecuts, ribbon, and 2 different types of flowers

If you complete this challenge, upload it to my challenge forum on the message board. Each challenge will have a prize winner! If you are not yet registered on the board, you can do that here. It only takes a minute and we'll be watching closely for new registrants to activate.

The crop and blog-hop officially close on Sunday, but you will have until Wednesday night (the 15th) to get your challenges loaded into the forums and gallery.

Be sure to leave a comment here on my blog so I can see that you've been here, then head on back to the BOAF blog to leave a comment on the initial blog post that says you have finished it all! And then go get to scrappin' :) Have fun!

Save the Date

2012-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

That's right, get ready to crop 'n hop with us, February 10th-11th-12th for our 2nd Annual Lovebirds Crop & Blog-hop! The new ScrapChicks are busy preparing some fantastic challenges for you, and there'll be lots of inspiration to be had and prizes to be won! And what could be more perfect than the Birds of a Feather February Kit to crop your weekend away with? Check it out......

....with manufacturers such Basic Grey, FabScraps, Prima, Kaisercraft, May Arts, Bazzill, and more, you'll have everything you need at your fingertips to create for Valentine's Day and beyond! See full kit description and product images here.
See you at the Lovebirds Crop!

A new KIT and a big SALE

2011-11-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Thanksgiving! Today is supposed to be the biggest shopping day of the year... do you get out there and join the crowds or are you a chicken like me? I prefer to just watch the news coverage at the end of the day LOL.

This morning I want to share with you the Birds of a Feather Kit Co. December Kit. It includes Fancy Pants "Saint Nick" and Lily Bee "Jingle"; whimsical patterns coupled with classic ones and perfectly match embellishments to make your Christmas crafting a delight!

The Tim Holtz Grungebook along with Authentique Diction Stickers and Lily Bee ABC's are absolutely perfect for your December Daily! Check out this one by ScrapChick Lisa Wilkinson...

Isn't it beautiful! You can still get your kit in time to start your December daily on time, but don't delay. Only a few more shipping days left in November!

And continuing through the weekend is our BLACK FRIDAY SALE... many kits like this one....

and this one.....

marked down to $15!

Lots more product reduced as well... sale through Monday. Don't miss out on all the great scrappy deals!!

Have a great weekend :)

Birds of a Feather NOVEMBER kit!

2011-10-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

I have to share November's kit with you! It's one of my very favorites so far.... a delicious blend of Simple Stories "Generations" and BoBunny "Timepiece" with lots of beautiful embellishments and extras! Here's a peek at the kit...

There are only FOUR of these gorgeous kits left. For full description and individual product images, visit the Boutique!

Happy happy birthday to......ME!

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, I turn the big Four-O today! But, that means Birds of a Feather Kit Co. turns ONE, as I signed for my business license right on my birthday last year... So if you are here, that means you're joining the party! If you happened here first, be sure to head back to the Birds of a Feather Kit Co BLOG, for the full scoop.

You could be the lucky winner of a

$50 Bella Blvd. prize package!

I am going to go back in time a bit and share with you a couple of my favorite layouts using the December 2010 Kit...

and

There are a few of these kits left in stock! And speaking of the Boutique, all weekend long we'll be have a sale like no other, with discounts of up to 60% OFF RETAIL so now is the time to stock up!

And finally, here's the word you've been waiting for....

Good luck to you!

I absolutely LOVE having this kit club. I love putting the kits together, and my dear husband Bill will testify to that, as I spend hours obsessing over images and websites and colors, trying to pick products you all will totally love, making sure everything is just right :) So I want to thank each and every one of you, for your loyalty and support. I wouldn't have made it withoutcha!

Next up in the hop is our super-amazing-fantastic ScrapChick Heather!! Have fun Hopping!

August Kit and the new Chicks

2011-10-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

If you've been looking for a kit featuring Basic Grey's "Out of Print", look no further! The Birds of a Feather August Kit has this fantastic new line by Basic Grey, plus Pink Paislee "Soiree", Prima, Thickers, Distress Stickles, Petaloo Flowers, and much more. Here's a peek at it.....

These photos don't at all do these beautiful products justice so be sure to check out the full kit description with individual product images here.

Other noteworthy news is we have a new DT! We welcome new ScrapChicks Heather Leopard, Lisa Wilkinson, Krissy Clark-McKee, and Liz Chidester to the Hen-house for the next six months! You must stop by the gallery and see what they've been up to.

I have actually gotten a little work done with the August kit, I will share two layouts with you of the four I've finished....

The August kit is so versatile! The four layouts I've done all look so completely different from one another. I love that in a kit.

Drop by the 'house and say hi! We'd love to see you :). Have a wonderful weekend!

Birds of a Feather Kit Co. DESIGN TEAM call

2011-06-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

In addition to having a guest designer each month, we are looking for a permanent Design Team comprised of three creative, energetic, innovative, positive, encouraging, committed, reliable papercrafters. :) No pressure though.

You can find all the details of the call here.

Deadline for submissions is July 10th, good luck to all applicants!

Birds of a Feather July Kit

2011-06-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

This kit is so full of bright summer colors and scenes that I just want to go to the beach right now and take pics. As if I don't have any beach pics that aren't scrapped... LOL ... Kit includes products from such manufacturers as Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Girl's Paperie, K & Co, Webster's Pages, and Kaisercraft!

See full kit description and individual product images here.

Birds of A Feather June Kit

2011-06-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

The June Kit at Birds of a Feather is loaded with Prima "Reflections" paired with some My Mind's Eye "Stella & Rose"..... the colors are stunning and.... well, I'll let the images speak for themselves :)

And here's a few beautiful examples from the Guest Design Team, Deb Harter & Angela Gutshall...

"Dad's Girl"

by Deb Harter

"Almost 4"

by Deb Harter

"Always Be You"

by Angela Gutshall

"Blessings"

by Angela Gutshall

Lovely, right? The June kit is also an incredible value, packed with $40 in product, but can be purchased for as low as $28! You can see the full kit description and individual product images HERE. Happy scrappin' :)

National Scrapbook Day is May 7th!

2011-04-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

Do you plan on scrapping? I do! Birds of a Feather Kit Co. is planning a day-long event complete with challenges, prizes, and the biggest sale of the year!

Starting at 9:00 a.m. eastern time, a new challenge will be revealed every hour, brought to you by our awesome Guest Design Team and GDT Alumni (challenges aren't due 'til Sunday at midnight). Along with hourly challenges, there will be a new sale each and every hour at the top of the hour and once the hour is up, so is the sale and we'll be on to the next one!

I'll be posting updates on Facebook as to what's currently discounted so if you aren't a fan yet, head on over there and like us so you don't miss out. Shipping will be combined if you place more than one order that day, and it's always a flat rate, $6 (United States), $10 (Canada), $20 (Australia).

I hope you will join us! We have a ton of fun at our crops, this is your official invitation to come be a part of it :)

Birds of a Feather May Kit

2011-04-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

The May kit and all the fabulous extras are available now!

Here's the kit...

Little Yellow Bicycle "Twig" and Jillibean Soup "Dutch Mustard Soup" make up the main part of the kit, I love the blues, green, and browns, with that pop of orange!

And a few of the extras you simply gotta have!

And look at this, I actually managed to scrap a couple pages! It feels like forever since I've gotten any real one-on-one time with my paper and scissors LOL.....

I absolutely adore the LYB "Twig" Corrugated Shapes. Not only are they inkable, sandable, and paintable, you can trim them to suit your needs. I cut the two leaves on the center flower out of one of the bigger leaves from the package....

Here's a couple detail angles...

I am having a ton of fun with this kit so far! And just wait til you see what my May Designers have been up to with it! There are only a few available at the non-subscription rate, so get yours before they're gone :) www.birdsofafeatherkitco.com

May Kit Sneak Peeks

2011-04-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to share the May kit with you! BUT, I have to wait a couple more days so here's a few teasers...

You are going to love this kit and our Guest Designers are doing some amazing stuff with it! The entire kit including extras will be revealed and available for ordering on April 20th at Birds of a Feather Kit Co.

Birds of a Feather April Kit and a CROP

2011-03-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

I know I know.... long time no blog post! LOL I am so excited to share the Birds of a Feather April Kit with you! We've paired brand-spankin'-new BoBunny "AdLib" and Bella Blvd "Family Dynamix" for a bright, fun change of pace that we know you're going to love. Add some super-cute embellishments and you've got a recipe for some fabulous pages!

This kit is on sale now.

Visit us here: http://www.birdsofafeatherkitco.com/

Also, the "It's a Spring Thing" Crop is this weekend, April 1st - 3rd. You won't want to miss it!

Birds of a Feather February Kit Sneek Peek

2011-01-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Just a little one.....

Have you seen it?

2010-12-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

It's the December Kit at Birds of a Feather Kit Co..... and it's full of Christmas cheer! There are a few left, get yours now so you can preserve all of your wonderful holiday moments as they happen. The Echo Park and Little Yellow Bicycle papers in this kit are perfect for your photos of snow-play, caroling, Christmas morning and everything in between! There are lots of extras in the boutique too if you like to theme your annual holiday album.... check them out here.

Here's a few projects made with the December kit:

"Days Until Santa" Countdown Calendar
by Deb Harter, December Guest Designer

"Love"
by Deb Harter, December Guest Designer

"Noel" 2004 Holiday Portrait
by Amy (based on a Sketchabilities sketch)

"Santa Baby"
by Amy (based on a Sketchalicious sketch)

"Merry Christmas 2009"
by Deb Harter, December Guest Designer

"Holiday Wreath"
by Deb Harter, December Guest Designer

And did you know..... shipping is only $6 for your entire order, always! Unless you make an order of $50 or more.... then shipping is FREE. What could be better than that?

Merry Christmas!

Sketchalicious #EIGHT

2010-11-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

What a fun sketch this was! I used some Cosmo Cricket "Garden Variety" and some pics of my girls feeding the calf at my aunt & uncle's place in Idaho. This was a very memorable part of our vacation for them, and they still talk about it!

I had some Petaloo tie-died flowers and some Jillibean Soup canvas flowers in my stash, along with some little chipboard leaves and Doodlebug sugar-coated brads I've had for goodness knows how long... it felt good to use some stuff I've been hanging onto!

How will you interpret this sketch? Link us up over at http://www.sketchalicious.blogspot.com/ and while you're there, check out what the rest of the design team did with it. Fantastic!

Want to win???

2010-11-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

Birds of a Feather Kit Co. is awarding one of these gorgeous kits to a new Facebook Fan TODAY.... head on over there and "like"!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Birds-of-a-Feather-Kit-Co/129975560387827?v=wall&filter=1

Make sure you also post on the wall so I know who the newbies are :) Good luck!

Sketchalicious #7

2010-11-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

This sketch is so me!!! Layers, layers, layers.....

Here's my interpretation... I used the November kit from Birds of a Feather Kit Co. for these cute holiday portraits of my first two sweethearts.... lots of distressing on the layers, added some Distress Ink and Stickles over that... then added some gorgeous Prima flowers and a Blossoming Vine...

Here's a couple close-ups... I couldn't use the flash for any of my photos since the portraits themselves are on matte paper... there's lots of sparkle in this page that you can't see here.

I hope you enjoy this sketch as much as I did! Go have a look at the rest of the Design Team's beautiful pages at http://www.sketchalicious.blogspot.com/

Sketchalicious #6

2010-10-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Gotta love that blogger post-scheduler..... I tried to schedule this twice in the last two days but it kept posting right away! I finally gave up and decided to wait until I could actually just post it live.

At any rate, Sketchalicious reveals today, sketch #6!! This was such a fun sketch! I changed it up a little to accommodate my photos, but that's the beauty of sketches..... no rules :)
Here's what I ended up with.... I turned the sketch on it's side, and used BoBunny "Block Party" (I *heart* BoBunny!) which was totally perfect for these photos of my oldest daughter from July 4th.

I'm think I'm still going to add a little glitter to my title, it just seems to need it. Can one ever really have too much glitter?? I think not ;) These alpha-stickers are Prima's "Whispered Words" alphas; they have a velvety texture and I like the size of them. Not too big, not too tiny... I don't always like a big stand-out title.

Check out the Sketchalicious blog to see what the rest of the DT did with this sketch, you'll be glad you did! There's some uber-talented girls on the DT and you're sure to be inspired.

What will you do with it? Upload your layout based on this sketch to the Sketchalicious blog and you could be the next Guest Designer!

Happy Scrappin' :)

Birds of a Feather November Kit & CROP!

2010-10-20T10:09:00.001-07:00

Today's the big Grand Opening day!! The November kit has been revealed, and the crop forums are OPEN :) Come on over (www.birdsofafeatherkitco.com ) and register (free to do so) on the message boards to crop and celebrate with us! There are lots of fun prizes to be had, the crop will run from today through the 23rd so you have tons of time to get stuff done. BINGO is tonight at 8 p.m. eastern time and the winner gets an Echo Park "Winter Time" Collection kit, PLUS some of their gorgeous new double-sided coordinating cardstock. Look forward to seeing you there :)

Birds of a Feather Kit Co.

2010-10-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

The October 20th Grand Opening Crop is less than a week away! Wednesday the 20th we'll be kicking off the crop at 8 p.m. eastern (5 p.m. pacific) with a game of Bingo in the forum (if you want to see the awesome prize that's up for grabs for the lucky Bingo winner, check out our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Birds-of-a-Feather-Kit-Co/129975560387827 ), and then we'll be cropping through Saturday! You'll need to register on the message board to participate, but it only takes a minute and the board is free and open to everyone. You can find out how to do this on our website http://www.birdsofafeatherkitco.com/ .

Come help us celebrate! There'll be something for everyone :) Don't forget, the first kit will be revealed on the 20th as well, you won't want to miss it!

Moving on.....

2010-10-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

Many of you may know by now that Kit 'n Kaboodles, an amazing kit-club site that I've been a member of since 2007 as well as a design team member since 2009, is closing her doors. I am so sad!! I pretty well learned how to scrap there, and made many friends along the way. Lots of good memories, I will miss you KnK.

But, with this transition comes good things also, as I have decided that this is the time to open my own doors! I've started a new month-to-month kit club and online scrap-boutique, including message boards and a very cool NING gallery! I am so excited about this new venture, I hope you will come over and have a look-see :) The site is fully functional at this time and we're already registering new members to the forums and gallery.

The boutique is a work in progress, I am slowly getting my inventory established so you'll need to be a little patient with me there ;) What is it they say... Rome wasn't built in a day?? LOL

My first kit is set to debut at our grand opening on October 20th! We'll have some fun stuff going on in the forums too, so be sure to stop by.

See you soon :)

Sunday Snapshot

2010-10-03T18:39:00.001-07:00

I have a Super-Chicken!

Flowers, flowers, who gets the flowers?

2010-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

JEAN, that's who!!!

I used random.org to generate a random number from 1 to 40, and lucky number was 14! I wish I could copy the image of the generator.... but I can't seem to figure it out! If anyone knows how to do that would you please enlighten me? The right click does not have a copy option but I've seen it done so I know there's a way.

Jean said...
I am a new follower. Wow - don't think I have ever seen so many flowers! I could put them to good use.Thank you for a chance to win.

Soooooo.... Jean, send your snail mail address to me at amywilhelms107@msn.com and I will get your flowers on their way :) Congrats!

Sketch #4 reveal @ Sketchalicious

2010-09-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful and inspiring sketch from Lara at Sketchalicious! Sketch #4 does not disappoint :)
And here's my interpretation: I've been waiting for an opportunity to use Fancy Pants "Rusted Sun", the colors are so rich and lovely! The rustic feel seemed right for a photo I took this past summer during our vacation, actually one of the many photos LOL, of buffalo in Yellowstone National Park. Those big beastly animals are rather majestic in their own way, and their little orange calves are almost cute! Overall, the buffalo make quite an impression. Who knows if I'll ever see one again outside a zoo, so I definitely had to make room for them in our vacation scrapbook.

I used lots of Petaloo flowers (Embossed Velvet, Candies, and Dazzlers), distressed with T.H. Inks and Distress Stickles, added few rub-ons, and cut apart a transparency frame to use as a little extra matting. The border punch is a lattice, and was perfect for some lacing. I used a lighter colored fiber for a subtle effect.

Head on over to the Sketchalicious blog to see what the rest of the Design Team did with this sketch! And if you are so inclined, create your own interpretation and upload it there. You could be our next guest designer :)

Have a great weekend, happy scrapping!

Fall Offerings

2010-09-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

Did anyone besides me miss out on Basic Grey's gorgeous Fall 2009 line, "Ambrosia"? Well, here's your chance to get it, at well below the manufacturer's suggested retail price. This will include the collection pack (1-each of 18 papers, 1 alpha stickers, 1 sticker elements), a package of Chip Sticker Shapes, a package of Brads, and one sheet of Sticker Mini-Monograms. I have 5 sets left. Send me an email (amywilhelms107@msn.com) and I will get an invoice to you via PayPal ASAP! (Extra shipping will apply for international purchasers.)

I have a couple of extras available from this line:

Extra sheet Sticker Mini-Monogram -- $1.95 ea (still 35% off MSRP)

Striped Paper "Tangy" -- $.45 ea (35% off MSRP)

I also have, from Basic Grey's new line of "Basics", some Micro-Mini-Monogram stickers in black that will compliment "Ambrosia" very nicely. I'd be happy to add it to your shipment for an extra $2.

Just let me know in your initial email to me if you want anything extra.

I can't wait to start crafting with these beautiful fall papers. Even though they aren't "new" this year, they are new to me!! Happy scrapping!

Sunday Snapshot

2010-09-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

CROP starts today!!

2010-09-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

....at FH2S, a faith-based scrapbooking website. It's free to join and free to crop! Just register for the message board and you're in! The challenges are always original and fun, and there are some awesome prizes up for grabs, check out the details at http://pamelamann-creativityunleashed.blogspot.com/2010/09/fh2s-back-to-school-crop-sept-10-11-12.html

Happy Scrapping!

Sketchalicious Sketch #3

2010-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sketch #3 has been revealed today at Sketchalicious! Here's the sketch:
And here's my take on it: I've been dying to use these Echo Park papers for nearly a month! I added some Prima flowers, hand-cut leaves, and cut flourishes and part of the title with my Cricut.

The journaling...... which wasn't in the sketch but I absolutely had to tell a little of the story behind these photos!
I usually add a little hand-stitching to my layouts... this time I used stitching to accent the clouds that I cut from a piece of patterned paper. Then I adhered the clouds with dimensional adhesive for some extra definition.

Go check out what the rest of the Design Team has done with this sketch at the Sketchalicious blog. Can you say WOW? What will your interpretation of this sketch be? We want to see! Link it to this post and you will have a chance to be a guest designer for Sketchalicious!

Thanks for stopping by!

Amy's Bits & Pieces: Flowers Flowers Flowers!!

2010-09-08T12:27:00.001-07:00

Many of you know by now that I have been purging my stash, in a big way. My feeling with flowers has always been that there's no way I can have too many.... well I was wrong, as evidenced by drawers in my scrap-space overflowing with them. I can and DO have too many, so many in fact that half the time I can't find what I'm looking for. Plus there's always cool new ways to make your own, as well as all the beautiful new designs they keep bringing into the stores! What's a girl to do to make room for the new? Something that I think us scrappers do best, and that is share the wealth :) Pictured below are all the flowers I've decided that I can do without... and let me tell you, this was not easy. I kept taking some out thinking "surely I'll use these... and these.... and definitely these..." Finally I just threw them all back on the pile, took the photo and got this posted before I could change my mind! Manufacturers include Petaloo, Prima, Bella Blvd., American Crafts, Kaisercraft, Bazzil, and so many more. I didn't count them, but I know there's well over a hundred flowers shown here! I'm even going to throw in a few of my own handmade flowers. If you'd like a chance to welcome these to your own stash, simply leave a comment on this post and follow my blog if you don't already. This giveaway will end with a random winner drawn on October 1st. Good luck :)

BetterScrap Challenge #5

2010-09-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

Have you been to BetterScrap yet? It's actually Better Living Through Scrapbooking, a great new challenge site that really gets your creativity going!

From the options given for this challenge, I chose my inspirational quote, used a 5x7 photo, and put my title on a curve:

I LOVE the Petaloo flowers! They are actually made from felt, so pretty! And all the papers are My Mind's Eye, Penny Lane.

I've had these Thickers forever and I thought I'd never use them!! Love when I use up some old stash :)
Thanks for looking! If you haven't been over to BetterScrap yet, you should go check it out!!

Winner Winner Winner!!

2010-09-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

I am so excited!! Using http://www.random.org/ I generated a number between 2 and 22 and the lucky number is 10! You'll be the lucky recipient of twenty packages of rub-ons :)

Angie said...
Holy cow! awesome giveaway! They look so much fun, thanks for the chance to win!
August 11, 2010 10:27 AM

Angie, send me an email (amywilhelms107@msn.com) with your mailing address and then start watching your mailbox! Congrats!

For everyone else, never fear.... another giveaway will be up by next week and this month's theme is Flowers :)

Sunday Snapshot

2010-08-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Trying to think of a good caption for this photo.... ??

Sketchalicious Sketch #2 reveal

2010-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today we're revealing Layout sketch #2 from the very talented sketch designer Lara, at Sketchalicious!...and here's my interpretation... For this layout I used Basic Grey "Green at Heart" and a photo of my girls standing on the dock at my Aunt & Uncle's house, which I anchored with a bit of white paint. Also, because the sun was setting to the right in the photo, I flipped the sketch. The banners aren't supposed to be a sun, necessarily, but they give that kind of feel so it just seemed to flow better this way. I used some hand-stitching to further that theme as well.How will you interpret this sketch? Head on over to Sketchalicious and check out what the rest of the Design Team did with it! And when you've finished your own, be sure to link us up with your creation!

KnK September kit reveal #1

2010-08-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post today, but wanted to share my first reveal with the September kit! Lots of spritzing, inking, and getting my hands dirty in general! I've posted this reveal on the Kreative Kaboodles blog, if you'd like to read any of the detail on how I created each of these layouts, click HERE.

Enjoy your week!

Sunday Snapshot

2010-08-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Probably my most favorite photo from Yellowstone N.P.

June 2010. So inspiring.

....drumroll please....

2010-08-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kit 'n Kaboodles September kit has been revealed... check it out! You're not going to want to miss this one!

Here's the details....

This month's kit features The Krafty Collection by Paper Trunk (11 pattern papers), 96 diecuts from the On Holiday collection from by Margie at The Girls' Paperie, Vintage Postcards by American Tag Co., Canvas Tote by Mark Richards, 4 sheets of Bazzill, and The Crafty Chronicle by Donna Salazar. (One of Donna’s favorite techniques is making paper flowers from vintage books. But finding vintage books that are acid free (not yellowed), the right paper thickness and with fun content can be a problem. The “Crafty Chronicle” is the solution. This periodical was designed to be die cut into scallop and flower shapes so that you can make your own paper flowers and it is also ideal for altered art projects. The paper it is printed on was chosen for the way that it reacts with paint and can be formed into flowers. You can create your own unique embellishments with dictionary definitions, classified ads, horoscopes and even the articles on the front page. Before you start cutting up the paper browse through it...there are tips, techniques and loads of fun content!) Make sure you check out our Design Team gallery to see how versatile this kit is! And don't forget to check out our blog at http://www.kreativekaboodles.blogspot.com/ for some more creative inspiration!

The end of August

2010-08-18T08:53:00.001-07:00

Well it isn't quite the end of August, but I've officially finished up my work with the August kit from Kit 'n Kaboodles....

You and Little Lena

This was really fun to put together, once I figured out what I wanted to do! My uncle has a beautiful old tree in his yard which don't show in the photos, and I really wanted it to be in the page somehow. So instead of knocking myself out trying to make visible the little bit of the actual tree that 's showing in the photos, I cut a tree and leaves from cardstock, inked them up and put them together on the page right where his tree would have been in relation to the photos.
These flowers were also fun to make, with some of the lace in the kit. There will be a tutorial going up on the on the Kreative Kaboodles blog soon if anyone is interested in learning to make them! I'll post the link once it's up :)
And finally, my double page for this kit...

Two Peas in a Pod

Ok so I know the title isn't all that original but what else could I do?? LOL It was too perfect for these pics of my girls raiding my Aunts beautiful garden.

And that's it for August! I've begun working with the September kit from KNK already, and let me tell ya, if this one doesn't unleash your creativity I don't know what will!! I've really been getting my fingers dirty and lovin' it.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a scrappy day :)

It's A PageMaps thing

2010-08-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I hadn't done a PageMaps contest in a while but when I saw this one I thought "oh yeah I'm doing this!!!" Check out this amazing prize from ScrapAttack scrapbooking......

Echo Park happens to be my new favorite paper product right now so I had to give this a go :) Here's my take on the sketch:

These papers are from American Crafts "Blue Skies", and so pretty and bright! Perfect for these pics of my silly little girl. The ribbons are also American Crafts. I found it interesting, the pink one is made the exact same way that Webster's Bloomers are done.... I wonder which one came first?? Either way... LOVE them!!

You know me, always with the fussy-cutting and Stickles. Hey, I know what I like :)

I wasn't the only one with the same idea to enter this contest, there's close to 150 entrants in this one already! Best of luck to all!

I am sooooo excited to announce....

2010-08-12T16:04:00.001-07:00

.....I am now a proud member of the Sketchalicious Design Team! Sketchalicious is an amazing **NEW** Italian sketch blog and I am so honored to have been chosen as a layout DT member for their debut! And I am in some excellent company, the rest of the girls are soooo extremely talented! The blog is in Italian of course, but sketches are universal, right? The sketches are gorgeous and new ones are introduced on a weekly basis, so if you love scrapping with sketches you will *love* this blog. I hope you will head on over Sketchalicious now and check out all the introductions, as well as our very first reveal!

Today's post...

2010-08-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

...can be found HERE.

Have a great day :)

Amy's Bits & Pieces: Rub-ons

2010-08-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

We all have them... some of us more than others... don't we? In my own effort to become a little more organized I picked a drawer to sort through, which happened to be my drawer full of rub-ons. I was reminded of how many different styles & colors of these things I have! Most of the packages are opened and half-used, waiting for a further purpose. I actually came across many -- twenty, to be exact -- packages of them that are unopened or unused. Sometimes I will open something before I have actually committed to using it on a page and it ends up right back in the plastic it came in. This is good news for you ;-) I'm giving away the entire lot of them, no strings attached. Manufacturers include BoBunny, SEI, Creative Imaginations, Lil Davis Designs, Crate Paper, Imaginisce and more. Who doesn't love a great bargain? I'll even pay the postage. Just become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already) and make a comment to this post. At the end of the month I'll randomly generate a recipient. What could be easier?

Next month I'll sort through a different drawer LOL good luck!

August Kit Reveal #1

2010-07-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

My first reveal with the August kit finally went up at KnK today! I've created two layouts that are very different from each other which I am really excited to share with you. For the first, I used the more muted colors in the kit, and added lot of distressing, ink, and stitching to further soften the feel of the page. I altered some Petaloo "Color Me Crazy" leaves with a Tsukeniko "Bamboo Leaves" Dew Drop, TH "Vintage Photo" distress ink, and Cinnamon Stickles. I love how the ink brings out the texture and pattern in the leaves...
The Jillibean Soup canvas flowers are nice and flat, so I could add my own centers to match my page. I used a Petaloo "Candies" flower (I LOVE those flowers!) for the center of the biggest canvas one, and drew a dot of Stickles for the centers on the rest, to match the leaves.

I didn't want to overwhelm this photo with a lot of patterns, so for one of the layers I turned a piece of the striped paper over. I didn't want it to be white either, so I gave it a good treatment of distress ink and Rock Candy crackle paint (which I discovered is surprisingly flexible when it's dry) and let it dry overnight. The corners curled easily to show a hint of the striped paper on the reverse.

In my second layout I wanted to really showcase the vibrant colors in the kit, so I started with three different colors of cardstock (green, yellow, and purple) for the base. The photos I had chosen were full of color also, so in order for them to stand out I decided to give the cardstock a good brushing of white paint. Hmmmm.... a good start, but not enough. I had also already cut out the string of lanterns -- and let me tell you that was no quick task so I was determined to use them! In my quest for a darker contrasting color (which in any other instance I would have reached for brown or black cardstock), I ended up punching all of the letters and numbers out of the 12x12 sheet of corrugated alphas and adhered the negative directly over the top of my tri-colored base. I brushed a little mango-colored paint around the edges for a little interest, and from that point just laid out my photos, title and embellishments the way I wanted them! I think it worked out well, and even though the result is way out of my norm, it was something colorful and fun, exactly what I wanted.

This layout also gave me the perfect opportunity to use the handmade pinwheels in the kit! They look really cute layered over a Petaloo flower which I left white instead of altering.

Look for more from me in a couple weeks, I am nowhere near finished with this amazing kit! Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment or just wave so I know you were here :) Happy crafting!

Check out the AUGUST KIT at KnK....

2010-07-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

The August kit from Kit 'n Kaboodles has papers from Jillibean Soup "Summer Squash" and "Basics" (see that green grid paper? the other side is dots!) collections, paired with Core'dinations cardstock, some cute Jillibean Soup embellishments (just look at those corrugated alphas!!), white lace, and a KnK exclusive, some handmade pinwheels! I just received the kit yesterday and started scrapping away last night, the papers are adorable and full of summer. And *lucky me* I have about 500 new pics from my vacation to choose from LOL. I can hardly wait to get back to it today! Visit Kit 'n Kaboodles to check out the embellishment add-on kit (yes, you need it)... the canvas flowers are perfect! I'm headed to the scrap-room... well, ok... it's the kitchen table.... but it works for me :)

a little more Peacock Lane

2010-07-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Since I was gone on vacation I barely had a reveal this month! I created a couple more layouts with the July kit anyway, I am loving how surprisingly versatile this paper is. I've created four layouts with it and not a peacock to be seen LOL.

I can't take all the credit for this first layout (though I would love to because I absolutely adore this design!). It's actually a scraplift from a very talented someone over at FH2S (thank you Linda!) The next is a much more simple design but I prefer something a little less complicated for a double-spread. The blues in the kit worked really well with water-themed pictures....
I think this is it for me with this kit, I have a lot left over though so I am sure pieces of it will be making their way into some other projects! Thanks for stopping by, have a good week :)

CROP starts today!!

2010-07-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

.... at FH2S! If you've never been to a FH2S crop, you are missing out :) Creative challenges, games, and fun in a supportive and positive environment, the site is free and registering only takes a minute. Crop forums open at 1 p.m. est. Come check it out!

KNK July Kit Reveal

2010-07-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have been a terrible blogger, I know, but I have a good excuse, I've been on vacation! A road trip in fact, for nearly three weeks. I took a few things to work on, but scrapping in a moving RV was not as easy as I had hoped LOL and when we were stopped we were busy being tourists and visiting family. At any rate, my kit was waiting for me when I got home and I was really ready to get some serious scrapping done! These papers are so beautiful..... lots of fussy-cutting in this first layout....
A simple card from scraps.....

I'll give you a little background on the photos in this next layout, the driveway at my parents' home is a pretty steep gravel hill going down toward their house. Getting the nerve to ride down that hill was tough for the girls at first (I think I would even have some butterflies -- that hill is steep to me, it must seem like a mountain to them!) but once they did it they must have spent an hour hauling their 3-wheelers back up the hill, over and over. It was so fun to watch them overcome the fear. Makes me realize how fast they are growing up!

That's all for now, thanks for stopping by! I hope to squeeze in one more reveal from this lovely kit, which you can see in its entirety at www.knkclub.com .

Have a fabulous week :)

Today's post....

2010-06-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

...can be found HERE.

Have a great day :)

Kit 'n Kaboodles July kit

2010-06-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to start playing with these luscious papers..... BoBunny, We R Memory Keepers, and some Webster's Bloomers will make for some beautiful pages!

My mother actually owned peacocks for a while, how amazing would that be to find those photos?! Unfortunately, they are on a cd somewhere, who knows where. I would love to do a page of my mother's love for her birds. We'll see.....

Keep an eye out, the Design Team will start revealing with this kit very soon! Check out the kit and all the add-ons as well, at www.knkclub.com . Happy scrapping!

KNK June Kit reveal #1

2010-06-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

Burnt reds and cool blues make for some beautiful summer-themed pages! I love the colors in these Quick Quotes "My Michelle" papers, and the vintage-style Core'dinations cardstock are a perfect compliment. I hadn't intended to make a double layout with these photos, I just couldn't seem to pick out one or two no matter how hard I tried! Grace had so much fun playing with our dog Cassie, making bubbles for her to chase and catch, and the photos told the story so well (Cassie is actually airborne in a couple of those pics)! The color-core cardstock flowers are meant to mimic the bubbles in the the photos, and I cut the centers from a piece of patterned paper in the kit. A simple button cross-stitch holds the layers together.
I don't often use only one photo on a layout, but sometimes one is all you need. I love this picture of my girls looking at the ocean.... I wish I could have read their little minds at that moment!

The word "thoughts" in the title is from the Stampendous Summer Words sticker sheet in the kit, I love how it looks hand-written on the paper. The stickers blend beautifully! A few Prima flowers and some rub-ons from my stash (which I thought I would never use!!) balanced everything without looking overdone.

That is all for now! I still have tons of this kit left so I'm going to get to work :) Be sure to stop by www.knkclub.com to see what the rest of the design team has done with this beautiful summer kit!

Today's post....

2010-06-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

....can be found HERE.

Have a great week!

as promised...

2010-05-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

This was so fun. I decided to create a double, since all the scrappable pics I had were from the same performance, and of course I needed to use all of them. :)
I went completely overboard with all the girly details, but I feel it's fitting. Gracie is the ultimate girly-girl! The text along the curve is as many of the lyrics that would fit from the music the girls danced to. I used tiny rub-on alphas (Heidi Grace), it took forever but I love how it turned out. The flowers are all from Prima's winter release, and the papers and die-cuts are Fancy Pants "Dancing Girl". The ruffle was a bit of a challenge, but once I figured it out it went on pretty easily. Lots of glue dots LOL. In hind-site I wish I would not have double-spaced my jounaling because I had so much more I would have liked to say to her, but I figure I can write more on the back.

Thanks for stopping by! I have a challenge in progress, having to do with this layout, HERE, if you'd like to play along! Go check it out!

"Spring Tour"

2010-05-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Gracie has had her first couple of shows with the Ballet Rogue Youth program Spring tour, these are a few of my favorite photos! I have a nice stash of Fancy Pants "Dancing Girl" in reserve just for these and I can't wait to scrap them! Her costume was ordered months ago so I knew it would be white with blue, but when it came in (which really, at this age, is almost the best part for the moms, apart from actually seeing our little girls dancing in these adorable little outfits) I just fell in love with it! They danced to "A Few of My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. As in "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes"... are you seeing it? :) It was the cutest ever! And of course Gracie just shined. She looks like me when I was that age, but that's where the similarity ends. She is so outgoing, confident, and unreserved; I am so proud of her. And she truly loves it. Layouts to follow!! :D

KNK May kit reveal #2

2010-05-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting some more of my reveals with KNK's May kit!! This kit is gorgeous, with Pink Paislee, Prima, Jenni Bowlin, and much more.

This is the second double layout I did with the kit, and you can see that I didn't use hardly any paper at all! I have the two base pieces of cardstock (sprayed with a bit of Smooch Spritz along the bottom half for some added interest), a little cardstock trim (the green), and the rest is made from the Pink Paislee flip notes that are in the add-on kit. Ordinarily double layouts deplete my kit paper so much that I don't do them too much anymore, but that was definitely not the case here! I simply cut each flip-note in half and placed them on the top and bottom of each photo. The result turned out really fun and I even had some built in journal-space :)

The Pink Paislee pleated ribbons (which I LOVE and I ordered more in other colors!!) were perfect for making flowers. All I needed were a few glue dots for them to hold their shape.

These little gift cards were fun to do, I used a couple of the die-cuts and some cardstock scraps. They will be handy to have, since birthday season in our family is rapidly approaching!I focused on the Prima papers for this last layout. It might be a little under-embellished, but the papers are so lovely I didn't want to cover them up!! I may add a couple of the Jenni Bowlin buttons later... I haven't decided.

Thanks for stopping by!! To see the Kit 'n Kaboodles May kit in it's entirety, visit www.knkclub.com

KNK May Reveal #1

2010-04-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my first reveal with KNK's May kit. I LOVE this kit.... all the elements are so different but still coordinate so well! This enables one to create several projects that all look very different from each other, from the same kit. I love that. :)This layout was difficult to photograph, and I wish I could have gotten some decent detail shots to share with you! The pictures are Gracie, swinging in a rainshower in our backyard. The way the sun was shining through the rain, the water looked like diamonds falling from the sky. She grabbed the closest pair of shoes she could find (her big sisters') and ran out to play in it. I love these kinds of photos the best.... impromptu, unrehearsed, unposed. Perfect. I kept the layout simple, to let the photos shine.Thanks for stopping by! More from this kit to come, check back with me in a week or so. Happy scrapping!

Extra stuff

2010-04-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I am able to get some extra scrap-time in that's just for me, so I wanted to share a couple layouts with you :)

I did this one for a call for the Memory Makers Gallery book, it didn't get selected so I can show it here! I actually submitted three layouts to that call, and one did get chosen and I am very excited about that! The book is tentatively available by May 2011.
This I did for a sketch contest!

Thanks for looking! I'll have a reveal in a couple days with the spectacular May kit from Kit 'n Kaboodles. Wait til you see this kit, it's really gorgeous, the best from KNK so far this year. Of course I think I say that with every new kit. :)

'Til next time, happy scrappin'!

Today's post...

2010-04-15T11:09:00.001-07:00

... can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

New Additions

2010-04-05T15:14:00.001-07:00

So instead of mountains of candy this year we decided to get the girls some chicks! Of course they got a little candy, and what we didn't give, Grandma & Grandpa were glad to fill in :) These are guaranteed little girls, so we won't have any rooster problems later on. Aren't they cute!So far, the new babies are all the girls can think about and they want to hold them all the time! I am confident the new will wear off a bit once they get a little bigger grow a few more feathers, but for now those tiny fluff-covered chicks are too hard to resist. This picture cracks me up.....
So sweet!

By the end of the first day with us, the chicks were totally exhausted from all the holding and playing and trying to escape the grip of little fingers. But they are much calmer already and I think they will be really tame when they're full- grown.

They'll be inside for about 6 weeks or so, which will hopefully be enough time for my husband to get the coop built behind the shed in our side-yard. Since my greenhouse bit the dust, we have a perfect place for it! We're all looking forward to fresh eggs, too, but we'll have to wait a while for that. Having chickens should be an adventure (especially with a curious cat and an over-active puppy). Wish me luck :)

Separation Anxiety

2010-03-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

My husband says I have too much scrappy stuff. It's taking over. It's everywhere, all the time. Can't really say as I blame him... I do have a lot of stuff. In going through a few of my drawers the other day I came across tons of stuff that I have never even opened!! Brand new product, just waiting to be used. The problem is, every month I get new (the latest and greatest) product from Kit 'n Kaboodles. Additionally, in these trying economic times it's becoming harder and harder to justify hoarding all of it. You can see my dilemma. So, hard as it is, I have decided to part with some of it. My loss can be your gain, if you are interested at all in some extra product for a great price I have four listings (so far) on eBay. So the product may not be the newest to hit the scene, but it's new! Go take a look :)

KnK April kit....

2010-03-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

...and isn't it lovely?! All kinds of fun things in here.... Prima, Little Yellow Bicycle, BoBunny, and Webster's are the core elements of this kit and I just love all the beautiful springtime colors! Jules did a beautiful job putting this together. Today happens to also be my first reveal with this kit, I've created two very different layouts to share with you. The first I used the LYB papers with a coordinating reverse-side of one of the Prima papers. I cut the butterflies from one of the lace-cut cardstock pieces in the embellishment add-on, and the Petalooo vines are from the March kit add-ons (I couldn't help myself, they just matched too perfectly!). Add some lovely photos of my daughter watering the flowers and there you have it, a sweet and simple springtime layout. :)

I focused on the BoBunny die-cut sheet for my next layout though you'd almost not even notice it. I wanted to do something different with it, so instead of using the whole sheet as a backdrop for the layout, I cut out the entire middle of it and just used the edge. I layered it over a different piece of cardstock and did a little trimming, then stitching for some dimension. I was then free to cut out a few of the cute elements from the leftover paper (the birds and birdhouse) to use as embellishments. I kind of struggled with the rest of the layout... I initially had three pictures to use but every way I arranged them just seemed to overpower the page. The end result was way out of my comfort zone but overall I am happy with it.

Make sure you head over to Kit 'n Kaboodles to check out what the rest of the designers are doing with this beautiful kit! Thanks for stopping by. :)

Today's post....

2010-03-14T19:07:00.001-07:00

...can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

KnK March kit reveal #2..... part 2

2010-03-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

The rest of my reveal with the March kit. I have really enjoyed working with the heritage photos! This one is my dad, I love that I was able to scrap photos of both my mom and my dad at about the same age, with the same kit. The colors just worked out that way!

I was going for sort of a patchwork baby blanket type of look on this, whether or not I succeeded is up to interpretation, but I am happy with the way it turned out. Thanks for stopping by, and check back often 'cause the April kit at Kit 'n Kaboodles should be revealed soon!

Happy Crop Day!

2010-03-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the last stop of the Kit 'n Kaboodles/Creativity Boutique Bunny Hop Crop BLOG HOP!! If you've happened upon my blog first and would like to participate in the blog hop for a chance to win a scrappy-cool prize, you need to start here to find the full instructions.

Today also happens to be my second reveal with the Kit 'n Kaboodles March kit so I'm going to share some of it here, with you! This is my second layout with the kit and could not be happier with the way it turned out. You know how you have photos that you really want to scrap, but they are so special to you that you wait... and wait.... and WAIT for the perfect line of paper to come along? Such was the case for me with this photo of my mother. This is her portrait taken at six months old, and I don't think the colors could match any more perfectly. I scanned the original 8x10, downsized it, and printed it onto the self-adhesive canvas paper from the kit. The texture the canvas paper lends to the photo is just stunning!
I used a PiggyTales barn-door (I love this double-door!) for a tiny bit of journaling specifics, and used elements from the Shabby Green Door canvas Stitch-its (the tiny tickets) as well as from the SGD patterened papers (postcard and journal-spot). FYI -- the "1875" was already printed on the paper....this photo was taken in 1945 which I have written on the left-hand side of the journaling. I figured I better say something about that or my mom might wonder why I was trying to make her 50 years older than she really is LOL!!! Some sheer ribbon from the kit holds the doors closed.

Altering the Petaloo flowers was really fun! Keep in mind, these flowers are stark-white to begin with. I stamped on these first (with the gorgeous vintage background stamp -- also in this collection by Shabby Green Door -- found in the embellishment add-on kit), then "dirtied" them up a little with some VersaMagic chalk ink in Wheat. Then I painted some Pearl medium over the top of the flowers, this gave them a beautiful shimmery coat while still allowing the stamp to show through.

I used TH Tattered Rose Crackle Paint and TH Antique Bronze Distress Stickles all over the place too.... you can see the paint but a lot of the Stickles get lost in the photos. Trust me when I say it adds a really nice touch, the butterfly in the upper-left as well as several other elements are all pretty and sparkly :) Both of these mediums really add to the overall vintage feel of the layout.

Be sure to check out the Kreative Kaboodles blog often for really great ideas from the rest of the design team at Kit 'n Kaboodles and Creativity Boutique! We have a great group of diversely-talented ladies who are just waiting to share some inspiration with you.

I hope you had fun on the hop! If you've got your sentence completed, sent me a private message via the KNK/CB message board or send me an email. Your name will be thrown into the hat, and we'll announce the winner of the blog hop in a few days. Happy hopping!

latest PageMaps sketch contest

2010-02-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

Here's the sketch..... And here's my take! I converted the sketch to a 12x12 format and and in doing so I ended up with enough room to add another photo. I love these pictures of Gracie, taken on July 4th last year. She is such a free spirit!

Thanks for looking!

KNK March Kit reveal #1

2010-02-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned how much I love the paper in this kit? I have? Well, in case you missed it before I really REALLY love these new papers from Shabby Green Door (In fact I think I have a new favorite manufacturer). I've barely begun working with these papers and I already can't wait to see what SGD will release next!

These photos of my daughter have always spoken to me. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of what's to come in your baby's eyes... someone else might not see it, but being her Momma these pics speak volumes to me! I've been saving them for the right paper, and this paper is definitely it! I used elements from three different papers and just a little bit of pale blue cardstock.

For each flower, I traced a Petaloo "Color Me" flower onto the sheet music vellum and set the vellum aside. Then I added some pink acrylic paint to the center of each Petaloo flower, and "pulled" the paint with a small brush toward the end of each petal as I didn't want to cover the flower completely but just add a little color. Then I took a white pearl medium and painted that over each petal to soften the pink a bit. Once the flowers were dry, I cut the traced flowers from the vellum and layered them over the painted flowers. For a little added interest I used a tiny white Prima flower and a brad for a center. A little Frosted Lace Distress Stickles tipped all of the petals, and they are really pretty close-up!

The pearls were initially pink, and that would have been fine if the primary color in the layout had been pink. However, the pink pearls looked too shocking against that pale blue, so I took the pearl medium I used on the flowers and painted the pearls with it. As you might imagine, this is easier said than done LOL.... I ended up having to clip them to the pull chain on my ceiling fan just to get enough leverage to make them hold still for the paint brush! It was worth it though, the pearls ended up a gorgeous color with just the slightest hint of pink -- exactly what I had hoped! Once dry, I shaped them into a flourish around the flowers and held them in place with a few simple stitches.

The chipboard Barndoors are so incredibly versatile, I only did the basics with one and covered it with paper, sanded and inked. There are so many possiblities for altering these!!
I threw this card together very quickly with some scraps I had left over from creating the layout. I used the paper as-is.... just used the music background stamp on the notepaper to make it look like sheet music and I love that stamp! I am not ordinarily a stamp-user for the most part but I see myself using this one over and over on vintage layouts.

After stamping, I just added the sentiment "Just A Note To Say..." and a couple of flowers. I already know who I am sending this to :)

I've already got some things in progress for my next reveal, so stay tuned if you are interested! And thanks for stopping by!

KNK March Kit

2010-02-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

I am especially excited about KnK's March kit, because I was asked to pick out the papers for it! With CHA just behind us, the amount of new product to choose from was a little daunting (but oh so fun to search through!), and I finally landed on Shabby Green Door's "Wings of a Dream" line. It's so soft and pretty and vintage. Some wonderful products were added to it, such as self-adhesive canvas paper, Petaloo "Color Me" flowers (which I can't wait to do some stamping and painting on), pretty sheer ribbon from May Arts, and gorgeous sheet music vellum, to name a few. And as if that weren't enough, the embellishment add-on kit has a gorgeous vintage-style background stamp (from Shabby Green Door) and some Barndoors by PiggyTales. I am so inspired!! Go check it out! www.knkclub.com

KNK February Kit Reveal #2

2010-02-11T13:27:00.001-08:00

These photos of my daughter were taken before we had a digital camera. I had lots of cute shots, but none were able to be enlarged without sacrificing clarity. So I chose to use them all! Since the focus of the layout is my baby discovering and enjoying the beach, I had no problem at all cropping out the scenery from the photos (if you've ever been to the Oregon coast, you know how beautiful it is). Besides, I have plenty of other photos featuring the landscape. This grid design made it very easy to use multiple photos. Did you notice the little blue flowers? Those were cut from one of the Lily Bee papers (shown in the upper-right block in the grid) and as you can see, were initially white. I used Nautical Blue Smooch Ink to color them, and really love the effect. This ink gave them a pearly finish and up close almost look like fabric! Then, for the centers, I cut three little ball-links from the metal chain included in the kit and adhered them with half of a mini glue-dot. This took a little patience, but the results were worth it. I think the little details are so important.

I made a card with some of the scraps I was left with after three layouts. The flower "stems" are what was left of the Prima flourish after I had cut it all to pieces (for multiple accents on my double layout in my first reveal). When I realized that I had basically straight pieces left, this seemed like a good way to use them!Thanks for having a look. I have really enjoyed working with this kit! For a closer look at everything included, visit www.knkclub.com .

Today's Post....

2010-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

...can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

KNK February Kit Reveal #1

2010-02-01T09:44:00.001-08:00

I can always tell when I am really feeling the need to go see my grandmother, who lives in Minnesota (I am on the West coast -- not exactly a day trip). I've done three layouts of her in the last two weeks! This photo of her with my grandpa (technically my step-Grandpa, but the only one I ever knew) was their wedding portrait and went so well with the Lily Bee papers that I just had to use it for a page.And, after a little digging through some boxes of old photos, I found their wedding invitation and even the newspaper clipping containing their marriage announcement.For me, this is what scrapbooking is all about. Preserving the memories, telling the stories. Of course I have tons of pages that showcase one or two fantastic photos with a clever title and one or two lines of journaling that say how cute I think my kids are (and don't get me wrong, I love doing those pages too!), but these old photographs and other bits of history are much of why I started scrapbooking in the first place. Getting my heritage preserved in books for future generations; it really means something to me. I want my children to know where they came from.

But as I said before, I love doing the current pages as well! This double layout shows some really cute interaction between my two daughters on a school field trip back in November '09. So in 10 years when they are fighting over boyfriends and whose clothes are whose, I'll just pull out the scrapbooks and remind them of how much they used to love being together! Do you think it'll work....?
I am still having lots of fun with this kit, I have another reveal coming up in a little over a week as well as a bonus layout with a challenge that I'll be sharing with you in a day or two! Thanks for stopping by!

Today's post...

2010-01-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

...can be found HERE.

Have a great week!

KNK February Kit....

2010-01-19T14:01:00.001-08:00

.... and I am in LOVE. KNK's own designer Deb Harter designed the kit and I have to say she really outdid herself! Lily Bee, Jillibean Soup, Tim Holtz, and much more. The embellishment add-on has Smooch Ink and I have been dying to try it! I can't wait for this to be in my mailbox! I have photos ready and waiting.....

You can subscribe & purchase this kit HERE.

KNK January kit reveal #2

2010-01-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

I had such a good time with this kit, the papers (from Papertrunk) were beautiful and creative and surprisingly easy to work with! And with so many different embellishments to choose from, it was easy to make each layout look very different from the next.

I often use multiple photos on a layout, and this one is no exception. It's too hard to pick just one! Two or three always seem to capture the moment much better for me. My littlest girl was the subject of everything I created with this kit, for some reason it just worked out that way. Here she is washing all of her dishes from her little kitchen -- I love how she just gets right up there and does her domestic thing!! I am pretty sure I wasn't washing dishes at the age of just-turned-four. These are the things -- things that are so unique to her -- that I love to get down on a page . When in doubt, make a flower! I was stumped at what to do with the Teresa Collins pendant that's in the embellishment-add-on (there's eight teardrops in the pendant), so I took it apart and created one 5-petaled flower and a 3-petaled flower. I added Goldenrod Stickles to cover up the holes from where they hung on the pendant and a little in the middle to simulate the flower center. They are kind of hard to see in the photo, so here's a closeup:

My final layout from the kit is again featuring Gracie, in a "Mommy take our picture!" moment rather than candid which I normally prefer. But she's just so cute and these pics really captured just how much she and her puppy love each other!
Here's a little close-up of some detail... I used a LaundryLine stamp on one of the die-cut tags from the kit and added the date and a little velvet ribbon. The flowers were not in this kit, but all of them were either from a previous kit or from the KNK Shopping Mall.

And finally, I had to make one of the cards that came in the kit! The envelopes and cards came as a set, I just had to put them together. I added a little color and Diamond Stickles to the envelope, and a Papertrunk die-cut with Diamond Stickles to one of the cards. Follow that with a sentiment and a little ribbon embellishment -- done! A thank you card that will be put to good use, especially right after the holidays!

I hope you have enjoyed looking at what I created with the KNK January kit. What have you done with yours? Leave me a link, I'd love to check it out!

Today's Post

2010-01-12T10:44:00.001-08:00

....can be found HERE.

Have a great day :)

My FH2S Guest Designer reveal

2010-01-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

I so enjoyed being the Guest Designer for the Month of December at FH2S! It's a faith-based online community with a bunch of amazing ladies and I am so glad to now be a part of it. Pam sent me some beautiful MME papers to work with and here's my reveal!

I dug into some older photos for this one, I have so many pics of my son when he was little that are unscrapped as they were taken way before the digital age... ....and these photos of my first daughter are also non-digital. I want to try to get them scrapped before I forget the details, you know?
A big thank-you to Pam, Linda, and all the ladies over at FH2S, I had a wonderful time as Guest Designer for December 2009 and look forward to hanging out with you in 2010!

I'm passing the hat now to Anneliese, who will do an amazing job as Guest Designer for January. Congrats Anneliese!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

How about a little challenge? Here's the January "Ad" challenge over at KNK. This simple, clean ad (no, I am not getting a perk from Disney-- I wish!!) leaves lots to the imagination! And here's my take:
I used the current holiday line from Webster's Pages, some Prima "Say It In Pearls", Petaloo flowers, and a MM font (last year's Fa La La line). These products make a layout come together pretty easily! What can you do with this ad? Post a link to your interpretation (or, for KNK members, post your layouts in the AD challenge thread on the message board), I'd love to see! You never know when I might throw a RAK into the mix.... (WINK WINK)...... subtle, I know..... LOL.....

KNK January kit reveal #1

2009-12-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-12-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

..... 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!!

2009-12-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-11-27T21:30:00.001-08:00

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....

2009-11-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

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

Today's Post

2009-11-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

KNK December Kit Reveal #1

2009-11-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T21:56:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-11-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

Can be found HERE.

Have a great day!

KNK November kit reveal #2

2009-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

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

Look who's FOUR

2009-10-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:24:00.001-07:00

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....

2009-10-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-10-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-10-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

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 !

I got PINK

2009-10-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our very creative and ever-generous Gerrianne decided to have a "color-kit" challenge, free (yes, free... shipping and everything!) to those of us who were present at kaboodling (a member's chatty get-together online) one evening at Kit 'n Kaboodles. We all picked our favorite color and she sent everyone product based on that color. I received a Kaisercraft mini "Beyond the Page" book, Kaisercraft acrylic paint in Dusty Pink, Kaisercraft wooden butterflies, Imaginisce bling, a chipboard oval and an acrylic tag. There were no rules, "just create!", she said. So I did. I added a little paper and some leather flowers from my own stash, and here's what I ended up with:

The book itself is only 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 .... I really had to think about what I wanted to do with it. As soon as I gave up the idea of thinking I had to put photos in it, it came together pretty easily! My oldest daughter, who is six, has exactly the right number of letters in her name to make each page representative of one letter (not counting front and back covers, of course), so I wanted to make something for her showing all the traits I believe she possesses. I added lots of Stickles -- but what's new -- and had fun with my new Tim Holtz Rock Candy Crackle Paint. I still have a couple final touches to add -- for example the "N" page is supposed to be "Natural Beauty", just haven't decided how to add the extra word. Overall I love how it turned out!

And you should see some of the other projects!! I was totally amazed at the creativity of the others that are posted so far. They should all be added by the 10th, you should stop by Knk and see some beautiful work by some talented crafters.

The Last Lazy Days of Summer

2009-10-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well I guess this settles it, summer is officially done in our backyard. On one of the last warm days in September the girls were allowed to let the water out of the pool. They were having so much fun out there I had to grab my camera and snap a few pictures.

Even Cassie had to get in with them and play! She plays like a little kid in the water, hopping around and splashing as much as she can.

I've never seen a dog love water the way she does. We knew labs were water dogs, but we didn't really get just how much until she jumped into the bathtub with the girls one night! Bathing her will never be a problem.

So goodbye warm weather, goodbye swimming pool, goodbye hammock and park and shorts and flip-flops. Autumn is now officially here, jackets are necessary in the morning and there's a chill in the air that wasn't there even last week. But I have to say, Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year and I am soooo ready!

For the Love of...

By now, blog-hoppers....

Save the Date

A new KIT and a big SALE

Birds of a Feather NOVEMBER kit!

Happy happy birthday to......ME!

August Kit and the new Chicks

Birds of a Feather Kit Co. DESIGN TEAM call

Birds of a Feather July Kit

Birds of A Feather June Kit

National Scrapbook Day is May 7th!

Birds of a Feather May Kit

May Kit Sneak Peeks

Birds of a Feather April Kit and a CROP

Birds of a Feather February Kit Sneek Peek

Have you seen it?

Sketchalicious #EIGHT

Want to win???

Sketchalicious #7

Sketchalicious #6

Birds of a Feather November Kit & CROP!

Birds of a Feather Kit Co.

Moving on.....

Sunday Snapshot

Flowers, flowers, who gets the flowers?

Sketch #4 reveal @ Sketchalicious

Fall Offerings

Sunday Snapshot

CROP starts today!!

Sketchalicious Sketch #3

Amy's Bits & Pieces: Flowers Flowers Flowers!!

BetterScrap Challenge #5

Winner Winner Winner!!

Sunday Snapshot

**Sketchalicious** Sketch #2 reveal

KnK September kit reveal #1

Sunday Snapshot

....drumroll please....

The end of August

It's A PageMaps thing

I am sooooo excited to announce....

Today's post...

Amy's Bits & Pieces: Rub-ons

August Kit Reveal #1

Check out the AUGUST KIT at KnK....

a little more Peacock Lane

CROP starts today!!

KNK July Kit Reveal

Today's post....

Kit 'n Kaboodles July kit

KNK June Kit reveal #1

Today's post....

as promised...

"Spring Tour"

KNK May kit reveal #2

KNK May Reveal #1

Extra stuff

Today's post...

New Additions

Separation Anxiety

KnK April kit....

Today's post....

KnK March kit reveal #2..... part 2

Happy Crop Day!

latest PageMaps sketch contest

KNK March Kit reveal #1

KNK March Kit

KNK February Kit Reveal #2

Today's Post....

KNK February Kit Reveal #1

Today's post...

KNK February Kit....

KNK January kit reveal #2

Today's Post

My FH2S Guest Designer reveal

Happy New Year!

KNK January kit reveal #1

First Kit of 2010!!!

Cropping away!!

KNK December Kit Reveal #2

Sketchalicious Sketch #2 reveal