Easter Is On Its Way

Hey yall! Today I wanted to share my Easter table/decor' with you. As yall know, I LOVE dishes!!! I change out my dining table regularly and always like to share. I was so glad to put out this table setting because I have not had it out in over 4 years. I either was away from home or moving. So I really enjoyed decorating for Easter.

Here is my table setting: (You can click on the pix to make it bigger if you can't see.)

The centerpiece is a little, wire tree. I purchased this at Target a few years ago. It has wooden eggs, bunnies, and flowers that hang on the branches. I love the little chick at the top! Tee Hee! :)

Individual place settings. I purchased these blue dishes on clearance at Wal Mart a few years back. I got them for like $11. I sat the dishes on some silver chargers. The glasses were purchased at Stinemart. They have little dots hand painted on them. They reminded me of colored Easter eggs.

These napkins were purchased at Target. I made the Easter Egg napkin rings myself.

Each place setting has a bunny or chick egg cup. Inside each cup is a ceramic, colored Easter egg. Both were purchased at Cracker Barrel. I just love the holiday decor' they have there. It always so cute!!!

Here is the bunny egg cup:

My Mom brought me these cute little silverware holders when she came for a visit.

This one is in the shape of an Easter egg...

Chick egg cup....

The other 2 silverware holders are in the shape of chicks...

I also like to put a bit of Easter home decor' on top of our tv stand that way I can look at it while I'm sitting in the living room watching tv. All of the ceramic pieces here are also from Cracker Barrel. I think the bunny lamp is my fave. Mom brought me the picture frame when she brought the silverware holders. It has one of Carter's Easter portraits inside.

Then, on a little table next to a chair, I have sat out a few more things. I filled my apothecary jar with plastic Easter eggs. I just love all these bright colors. I also added a little pink bunny, another gift from Mom, and a few more pieces. The overlay tablecloth was something I picked up in Europe when we visited my brother in Germany. I bought two of these tablecloths and they are just so pretty. I love the hand stitched chicks and eggs. I usually put this on my table, but it is a bit small for it. So this year I decided to use it here.

I hope you have enjoyed this peek at my decor' for this Easter holiday. The pix are not the best. It is rainy and gloomy today, so I did the best I could. Well, I am off to scrapbook for a while. I'll have some more stuff to show ya soon. Yall have a fabulous day and Happy Scrappin'!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

I'm Crazy For Cri-Kits!!!!

Good Evening Yall! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing Monday night! Boy, have I got some awesome scrappy news for you!!! If you are a Cricut lover like me, there is a new, rather impressive product on the market called Cri-Kits that is absolutely FABULOUS! I mean WOW!!! I was sent a package of these to try out from the friendly staff over at Cri-Kits and I think I have found a new favorite toy!!!

If you are not familiar with Cri-Kits, let me give you a little background:
1. Cri-Kits are gelly pens that can be used with your Cricut Die Cutting machine.
2. Each pen can be inserted into the durable magnetic 'carrier', which holds a lifetime warranty, when ready to use. The pen simply slides in and clicks into place because of the magnet inside. If you would like to see a video of the pen in action, go here.
3. The quality of the pens is awesome! I played with almost every color and achieved smooth results each time. There was no skipping in ink at all! Wow!
4. The pens come in 4 different packs with each pack containing 10 pens in various colors. They have regular/neon colors, metallic, glitter, and pastels. That's 40 colors. They also offer 2 pack of 3-color swirl pens.
5. But the best thing about Cri-Kits....they are way more inexpensive than other brands on the market!!!!

Also, if you do decide to order, you have the option of ordering the pens with or without the carrier. Cri-Kits are offering a free carrier to people with competing products or previous Cricut Gelly owners.

I created a card with the pens I received. I chose to receive the 'Glitter' set of pens and I love them! I just love the shimmer these have to them when you hold them up to the light. When I saw these, I immediately wanted to create something that was a bit toned down. So I decided to 'draw' the chandelier from the Cricut 'Home Decor' cartridge with the black gelly pen. I 'drew' the image onto some patterned paper and then adhered rhinestones for some bling. Here is my card:

(note: I sat the Cri-Kits gelly pen package next to my card so you could see what these look like.)

I love the subtle effect of the pens. If you want to create a bolder effect, simply 'draw' the image twice using the 'multi-cut' function on your Cricut machine.

I also wanted to try out writing a phrase/word with these pens. So I chose the word 'Adore' from the 'Home Decor' cartridge. I think it 'drew' the word beautifully. I used the red pen for it and it too has a wonderful shimmer to it. I placed my word on top of a frame shape from 'Home Accents.'

These pens were so easy and FUN to use! I can't wait to create some more projects with them!!!

Also, be sure to hop on over to the Cri-Kits website to check out these pen. While you are there, be sure to ENTER the giveaways they are hosting for the grand opening of the site!!! Whoo hoo! They are giving away a Cricut Gypsy to the winner!!!! Also, a few lucky runners up will receive gift certificates, SCAL software, free pens, etc. So check it out:

http://www.cri-kits.com/

Cri-Kits offers a forum too that's great for chattin' and ideas....www.cri-kits.com/forum

AND...I too will be giving away a FREE kit on my blog! All you have to do is leave a comment to be entered!!! If you can, please leave me some way I can get in touch with you if you are selected as the winner. You may leave your blog addy, etc. I will randomly select the winner on April 10!!! Good luck yall!!!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful rest of the week! Take care and Happy Scrappin'!!!!

Home At Last!!!!

Hey there guys!!!! Happy Monday! Brandon and I finally made it back home late last night. We had a fabulous time in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. It was so nice to get away. BUT, sad news!!! We had took some fabulous pix and I am afraid I have lost them all. My SD card went bonkers!!! I just cried in the car! It broke my heart! But, I am working today to see if they can be recovered. If not, I will be just devastated!!! But, Brandon has promised to take me back soon so we can take some more. Anyways, I am still so tired, but gotta get some stuff done today. I need to put away all of our stuff and straighten up the house. It looks like a tornado has hit! Our luggage, gifts, mail, etc. is strewn all over the apartment!!! LOL! I also want to put out my Easter stuff. I'll share some pix if I get that done today. On the Easter subject, I wanted to share Carters Easter portraits with yall. Here is the link:

http://portraitsbysharie.com/

Once there, click on ' online sessions '.
Then you will want to click on ' Caressa Fretwell ' (that's my SIL)
Then a box will pop up and you need to type ' Easter ' into it.

Then it will let you view all of the pix. You can click on the first one and it will bring it up big.

Oooh, also, wanted to share that when Brandon picked up our mail, I had received a copy of the Hobby Lobby publication (Stamping, Stationery, and Scrapbooking) that I have 3 layouts in!!! I am so excited! So, if you have a Hobby Lobby near ya, check it out if ya want. It is the 2nd Quarter Issue. I am going to try to take pix though and will share if I can. I am not sure what the procedure is on that kind of thing, but I'm gonna find out.

Anyways, I hope yall are having a fabulous day so far! It's so good to be back! I have missed yall!

Have a wonderful day! Happy Scrappin'!

Croppin' At IASC

Hey guys! Happy Friday! Whoo hoo! TGIF! I am bloggin' super early this morning. I am off to Gatlinburg today. Brandon and I decided to take a mini vacay before continuing on home to PA. I am super excited!!!

But first, I wanted to share a couple of projects with you. This weekend we are croppin' at In A Scrap Creations. I created 2 challenges for the crop.

First up, a 'Birthstone' Challenge. This is a 'birthday' crop, so I centered my challenges around that. For this challenge, all you have to do is create a layout using the color of your birthstone. For example, my birthstone is a pink color. So, I created this page with mainly pinks.

"Friends Forever"
This is me and my Mom. She truly is my very BEST friend!!!!

I did a little paper weaving on this one. I usually get so frustrated with paper weaving, but this time, it was actually fun! :) I turned up the edges on the ends of the strips for some added dimension.

I created these flowers with a freebie pattern from one of my favorite blogs, My Scrap Chick.
I absolutely love their patterns over there! Always so fabulous! They give away a Freebie each week, so be sure to sign up while you are over there.

Second, I am hosting a altered project crop challenge. I found the instructions on making these paper cones at Splitcoast Stampers and thought they would make fabulous party favors! They are so easy and fun to make! This one is for my nephew, Carter. His bday is next month. He chose the paper he wanted me to use. I filled the cone with his favorite candies.

I used a 'make a wish' stamp and hand cut out one of the little 'monsters' for the front.

If you would like to join us for the crop, here is the direct link to the challenges for ya! We'd love to see you there! :)

http://inascrapcreations.ning.com/forum/categories/birthday-crop-challenges-and/listForCategory

Well, that is all for me today! I'm off for vacay! I'll be back Sunday night/Monday and will check in asap! I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend! Take care!

Happy Scrappin'!

Boardbooks for Kelly and Melissa~Part Two

Hey guys! Happy Thursday! It's a rough Thursday so far for me. I am afraid I have a ear infection!!! Ugh! I also have a lot of congestion, so I am feeling rough. I am taking some meds though and hope to feel better asap! I hate being sick! I am one of those people that never ever gets sick and it just messes up everything when I do! LOL. But, the show must go on!!! So, last night, Mom and I sat down to complete the boardbook order I had told you about yesterday.

I finished up the book for a little girl named Olivia. The theme consisted of: purple/pink, flowers, peace signs/groovy, ballet, dance, and friends. Mom created the majority of the paper dolls for this book so all I had to do was add them in where I needed them. I cut the rest that you see and added embellishment.

Again, you will have to excuse these pix too. I got the best I could, but these pictures do not do the books near the justice they deserve! They are so much more colorful than what is coming through in the pictures. It has been raining and just plain blah here for weeks and I cannot get outside in the sun to snap pix. So I tried my best to take pix in the sunroom today. So I hope you can tell some about these.

Note: I got this as big as I could, but if you would like to see it bigger, you can follow this link. I would recommend that you do follow the link because not only can you see the pix bigger, but it will start at the beginning for ya. :)

Now, you must go on over and check out the boardbooks that Mom did. They are just super cute!!! Here is the link to her blog for ya:

http://southernbellesmom.blogspot.com/2010/03/custom-boardbooks-for-melissa-and-kelly.html

As always, thanks for stoppin' in today! I am off to Gatlinburg tomorrow for a little 2 day vacay with the hubby. It's about half of the way home for us. So I'll be headed back up to PA on Sunday. Then all should return to normal and I will resume posting on a regular basis. I sure do miss scrappin' and bloggin' with all of you guys! :)

Have a wonderful day and a fabulous weekend! God Bless and Happy Scrappin'!

Boardbooks for Kelly and Melissa~Part One

Hey guys! Happy Thursday to ya! I wanted to share some boardbooks with you. Mom and I currently have 7 boardbook orders in for some fellow teachers that she works with. We have been working soooo hard and have some finished up. So I thought I would go ahead and share with you what I have finished up so far. I have finished 4 of the boardbooks. Mom is working on 2 as we speak and I will share those with ya as soon as she gets them finished. I am going to start on the 7th book tonite and hope to have it for ya by tomorrow. So if you can, be sure to check back in a day or so to see the rest of the books.

To make things easier on me, I put all of these in a slideshow. You will have to excuse these pix too. I got the best I could, but these pictures do not do the books near the justice they deserve! They are so much more colorful than what is coming through in the pictures. It has been raining and just plain blah here for weeks and I cannot get outside in the sun to snap pix. So I tried my best to take pix in the sunroom today. So I hope you can tell some about these.

I put so much time into these and I hope you will enjoy them. I designed these in SCAL and Mom helped me cut them out. Mom also designed several of the paper dolls that are in the books and she did a fabulous job! They are so cute! Thanks Mom!

A little background for ya, these books are for 7 little girls who are all around the same age and all best friends. I believe they are going to be having one big party soon and the girls will receive these books as gifts. We got a bit of background from each girl including there name and what they wanted their boardbook to look like. We followed their requests very closely and I am extremely pleased with the way these books are turning out!!! They are just so darlin' and I wish yall could see them in person. If I can get a pic out in the sunlight of the books before Mom sends them, I will do so.

The books I have done are as follows:
1. Lauren (Theme Requested: zebra print/hot pink, dance, gymnastics, ballet, voice, pageant, friends)
2. Kyra (Theme Requested: zebra print/hot pink, dance, voice, gymnastics, ballet, friends)
3. BFF for Alayna (Theme Requested: purple, polka dots, peace sign, groovy, dance, gymnastics, flowers)
4. Ava (Theme Requested: Polka Dots, Pink, Dance, Gymnastics, Girl Scouts)

So here we go...here are the books:
Note: I got this as big as I could, but if you would like to see it bigger, you can follow this link. I would recommend that you do follow the link because not only can you see the pix bigger, but it will start at the beginning for ya. :)

I hope you have enjoyed these! I had so much fun making them! I will have my Moms books up to show you asap!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by and Happy Scrappin'!

Hey guys!

Hey yall! Checkin' in this morning to let you know I am kinda on a mini vacay. I am still in AL visiting my parents. Brandon came in from PA this past Friday and I have been so busy, I haven't hopped online much at all. But, Mom and I are currently working on fulfilling 7 board book orders. I finished 3 this weekend and am on the 4th now. As soon as I can snap some pix, I will share with you guys!

I wanted to wish all of you a happy week as well! Brandon and I will be leaving AL this Friday and heading to Gatlinburg for a 2 day vacay. Then on Sunday, we will drive back up to PA. So I should be home late Sunday night and back to scrappin'/normal life by Monday or Tuesday! Thanks for bearing with me! I miss scrappin' so much, but I have to take this opportunity to spend with family. I may not see most of them again until next Christmas, so I want to see them all I can!

Thanks for stoppin' by and have a wonderful day! Happy Scrappin'!

The Cuttlebug Spot Goes Vintage & Scrapbook Circle Reveals

Hey guys! Happy Monday to ya! It is just absolutely beautiful here in Alabama today. The sun is shining, there is a light breeze, and it is just about perfect! I opened all the blinds and doors while I scrapped. The natural light was great for scrappin'!!

First up, we have another new challenge for ya at The Cuttlebug Spot. This week, we are creating vintage themed projects. You must hop on over to the blog and see all of my fellow DT sisters creations! Love 'em! Here is the link for ya:

http://thecuttlebugspot.blogspot.com/

For me, when I think of vintage, I always think of creams, burgundy's, blues, and golds. So that is the colors I tried to pull when I made this card. I decided to make another easel card. I used the Mosaic Texture embossing folder for the burgundy cardstock. All of the patterned paper is Die Cuts With A View. I also pulled in some red tulle, gold bling, and a gold button. Here is my vintage project:

"Thanks"

Mom has a whole tin full of these gold buttons in all sorts of patterns/sizes. I need to purchase some. They are so unique.

I used the Cricut Home Decor' cartridge for the medallion shaped. The alphas are Making Memories.

While you are at The Cuttlebug Spot, be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win a fabulous prize!!! Whoo hoo!

Next up, I have been working with the MARVELOUS March kit from Scrapbook Circle today. I have to say this kit is one of my favorite kits I have ever worked with. I just love everything that is in there. I have created 4 layouts and 1 altered project with the kit so far and still have a ton of stuff left. I hope to work on some cards with the kit either tonite or tomorrow. Anyways, today I finished up 2 layouts.

"Grin"
I cut the shaped paper that you see in the back ground out using my Cricut and SCAL software. I turned it on a diagonal, glued it down, and cut off the tips. If you are interested in this shaped paper, drop me an email at aymee810@yahoo.com and I will email ya the svg for it. I also cut the title lettering with SCAL. This font is Mr. and Mrs. Popsicle....my fave at the moment. All of these papers, except the solid cardstock are from the kit. Aren't they so yummy?!!! I pulled in some ribbon, bling, and twine. The "You're Sweet" sticker is Cosmo Cricket and also from the kit.

This is one of my fave pix of Carter. I love that 'toothy grin', as we say. :)

I put the lettering on with pop dots to pop up the title. I also turned up the edges of the patterned paper that I used a border punch on (Martha Stewart border punch) to add some dimension.

"Indulge"

This is the second layout I did today with the SBC March Kit. I made some lollipop flowers with leftover scraps of paper. I added buttons and rhinestones to the center. I stamped the 'leaves' of the lollipop flowers with a Autumn Leaves clear stamp. I also brought in some yellow embroidery floss and added a few stitches. Everything else, including the burlap, is from the kit.

Another pic that just cracks me up each time I see it!

Well, that's all for me today. I am off to clean up my scrappy mess and get ready for dinner. I hope all of you have a fabulous evening! Thanks for stoppin' by and Happy Scrappin'!!!!

PS...if you would like to see some more fabulous projects created with the kit used above, check out the March Idea Gallery at SBC. Here is the link for ya:

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/gallery.php

Take A 'Peep'.....

Hey guys! Happy Thursday! I have 2 new projects to share with you today.

First up, I created this shaped card using my Cricut Expression and SCAL2 software. I found the svg for this peep online and knew I wanted to make a shaped card with it. Yall know how much I am hooked on shaped cards!!! :)

I have had sooooo many people ask me how I make these shaped cards in SCAL, so I decided to make a tutorial for you guys!!!! Here is a link to it on my SVG blog. Enjoy!

http://southernbellesvg.blogspot.com/2010/03/tutorial-creating-shaped-cards-in-scal2.html

I cut the 'take a peep inside' (instead of take a 'peek'...LOL), out using SCAL. The font is called Mr. & Mrs. Popsicle. I used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder on the peep to add some dimension. I then cut some Easter eggs out using the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge. I embossed these with a combination of Cuttlebug folders. I also brought in some Stickles glitter glue, ribbon, and bling. Here is my card:

The card up close:

The eggs help the card to stand up on it's own....

Second, Thursday is my day to post on the Scrapbook Circle blog. So I decided to use the fabulous March kit to create this burlap gift baggie. Here is a link to the instructions I listed on the Scrapbook Circle blog if you are interested:

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/blog/2010/03/more-fun-with-burlap.php

This was so fun to make! I am so diggin' this burlap!

I slid some Airheads candy down into my baggie.

Up close....

That's all for me today. I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Thursday! Thanks for stoppin' by and Happy Scrappin'!

Birthday Blessings

Hey guys! Happy Tuesday to ya! We are celebrating birthday's this month at 'In A Scrap Creations.' The March kit is filled with birthday goodies. I created this layout using the March kit.

"Birthday Blessings"
The inchies, title, ticket, and flowers are all pulled from the kit. I used the Circut Home Decor' cartridge for the medallion shaped that I placed the title on. This paper is from Die Cuts With A View. I also added in some bling, brads, and ribbon.







Also, anyone up for a challenge??!!! Sarabeth has a great challenge for us this week at In A Scrap Creations. Check it out here:


http://inascrapcreations.ning.com/forum/topics/sarabeths-card-challenge-1

We will have a new challenge for ya each week, so be sure to check back.

One more thing....the debut issue of In A Scrap magazine is out. If you are interested in that, here is the link for ya. It is $4 a issue and is filled with all sorts of scrappy inspiration.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41888827

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I am off to work on a card and a tutorial. Have a fabulous day!

Happy Monday!

Hey guys! Happy Monday! I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful Monday so far! I have been a busy scrappin' bee and have lots of new stuff to share with you today.

First, as always, Monday means a new challenge over at The Cuttlebug Spot. If you can, you must go over and check out my fellow DT Sista's creations this week! Wow! I am blown away by their cute projects! Also, while you are there, leave a comment for a chance to win a gift certificate!!!! Whoo hoo! Here is the link for ya:

http://thecuttlebugspot.blogspot.com/

This week we are celebrating the Irish with green projects. For my project this week, I chose to create a shaped card. Yall know how much I adore shaped cards!!! I found the SVG file for this Irish Hat on one of my fave SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) scrappy sites. She gives away lots of cute freebies. Here is the link for that:

http://lshdesigns.blogspot.com/

I pulled up this hat file in my SCAL, did a little tinkering, and created this shaped card. I embossed with the Distressed Stripes and Swiss Dots embossing folders. I also added a gold button, green rhinestones, and Stickles. Here is the card:

Next, I created this card this past week. I have been wanting to do a submarine shaped card for quite some time. I found a clipart picture of a submarine I liked online, edited a bit, made my own SVG for it, and opened it up into SCAL. Once there, I tinkered to make this card. I am so happy with the way it turned out. I giggle each time I see it. I added some rhinestones, alphabet, and a handmade flower. I cut the 'sublime' with SCAL also and this font is called Mr. and Mrs. Popsicle.

"You Are Simply Sublime"

Next up, it's the beginning of another new month (can you believe it??!! I can't! LOL) and I have some reveals for Scrapbook Circle to share with you. This March kit is AWESOME!!! It is filled with so many goodies!!! If you would like to purchase this kit or see the other DT's fab creations, go here:

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/

The kit really has a country feel to it and I love that. All of the added embellishments and paper are divine. I knew when I saw this kit that I had to scrap a picture of my Daddy from when he was a little boy. I grew up hearing this story about him from my whole family and I knew I had to one day scrap this memory for him. I am so glad I finally got to. First, let me tell you about the picture and the story. The picture is the original photo taken in the early 1950's. I wanted to use the original to keep that vintage, country feel to the layout. As a young child, my Daddy lived on a farm with all sorts of animals. Well, one day he was able to catch a chicken. This next part is not so pleasant, but it is the story and must be told. LOL. After he caught the chicken, he proceeded to try to poke it's eyes out and literally squeezed the chicken to death. Now, he was just a young boy and by no means meant to kill the poor little chicken. But he is a boy and we all know how boys can be! LOL. So through this story, and I guess mind going a bit south (Bad Aymee! Bad Bad Aymee! ROFL) I came up with this title. You will have to excuse, but I promise it is all in good fun.

As for the layout itself, I used some of the burlap from the kit and frayed out a few of the edges for a country feel. I also used a few border punches and added ribbon, but everything else you see (patterned paper, mini black clothespins, stickers, alphabet, and tag) is all from the kit. So here is this page....

"Choking Chickens"
Note: No chickens were harmed in the making of this layout....tee hee! :)

Love, Love, LOVE these banner stickers from Jenni Bowlin. The sheet comes with the pennant stickers as well as the alphabet you see on top of them. I added the little black clothespins (also included with the kit) to the center of my bows. Also, to adhere the burlap, I added brads.

The alphas shown here are from a Jenni Bowlin Bingo Cut and Paste card from the kit.

Isn't this photo hilarious! Poor chicken!!!! If you look close, you can see my Daddy's index finger poking away. I fell over laughing when I saw this picture! Also, stay tuned for part 2 of his animal escapades. I learned of a goat he had a child and let's say it met its demise as well.....

Next up, I created this layout using the March kit from Scrapbook Circle as well. This layout is of one of the very best friends I have ever had in my life, my grandfather, Leon. He was my very best friend and sadly, passed away a few months after Brandon and I married. It's been seven years and there is still not a day that goes by that he is not in my mind. I miss him very much!!! This is one of my favorite pictures of him!!!

I love this shaped paper from the kit too! It is from My Mind's Eye. I added in the ribbon and the buttons, but everything else you see is from the kit.

"My Best Friend"

So handsome!

I staggered the buttons. They give some great dimension.

Well, I think that is all from me today. I hope to scrap again today and will share with you as soon as I can!!!

Also, update on my Daddy. He is doing great with his recovery! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!!!

Have a wonderful day! Happy Scrappin'!