Managed To Squeeze Some Scrappin' In....

Hey yall! Happy Tuesday! Well, even though I am taking a break for a while, I managed to squeeze in a few very simple, very basic cards while I am in AL visiting my parents. Life has just gotten in the way and I needed a little break. But while Mom was making some altered projects, I decided to sit and make a few easy cards using some new Cricut carts. So I thought I'd snap some pix and share with yall. First up, I created these 2 cards using the Cricut 'Happy Hauntings' cartridge. I have fallen in love with this cartridge. Ever since I bought my first Cricut a little over 2 years ago...I have always hoped Cricut would make a Halloween only cartridge. Now, they have like 3!!!! I bought this one a few weeks ago and Mom just got in the 'Pumpkin Carving' cartridge...another I can't wait to play with.

For each of these 2 Halloween cards, I started out with a simple cardstock base. I cut the frame out at 4 1/2". I then cut the letter 'F' out using the Vampire Font that is on the cartridge (the first letter of my Mom's last name.) I love this font! So cool!!! I thought she could use this simple card as a thank you card during the month of October. I added Stickles glitter glue and Glossy Accents to the letter. After adhering everything down, I added some pearls to the frame.

Next, another Halloween card using Happy Hauntings. I love the witch boot on this cart! Cute Cute CUTE!!!! I used Glossy Accents on the frame....am so loving that stuff right now! The little spider is from a Halloween Confetti pack. I added some Cuttlebug embossing to this card also.

Can you see the Glossy Accents on the frame?! I love this stuff! I've known about it for years, but do not own a bottle at home. So I had to dig into Mom's stash while I was here. I love how it stiffened up my frame and gave the card a glassy look.

These next 4 cards are all very simple. I started out with a pre printed cardstock base from My Mind's Eye and embellished. I am so lovin' this Create A Critter Cartridge as well! It is just beyond adorable!!!



Hippo Card

Up close of my hippo...


Deer Card

Aren't they darlin'?!!!

Apple Card

Used Stickles and Glossy Accents on the apple...tied a bit of twine to the top too.Tree/Owl Card

Love how this tree cuts!

I hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful week! I hope to be back to my norm in a few weeks.....just need some time off. But if I do scrap with my Mom while here visiting, I'll be sure to share with ya! As always, thanks for visiting my blog! Happy Scrappin'!!!

Taking A Little Break....

Hey guys! I just wanted to take a minute to blog this morning to let you know that I'm taking a teeny tiny break. Life is just getting in the way of my scrappin' and I need some time. But I hope to get going again soon! I hope you all have a fabulous rest of the week and Happy Scrappin'!

Happy Anniversary!!!!

I'm so happy today!! Today is my anniversary! Brandon and I have been married for 8 wonderful years!!!!

Brandon,
I love you baby and I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you for all you do and for making me the happiest wife in the whole world! I look forward to a lifetime of more happiness with you!!!

Have a great day everyone! Happy Scrappin'!!!!

Just Beachy

Hey yall! Happy Friday! I wanted to hop online and blog right quick. My in laws have been here all week and we have been super busy. We went back to NYC earlier in the week and are going to try to go to DC today/tomorrow. We are having so much fun!!!

Anyways, I did a Helmar blog post this week and wanted to share my layout for that with ya. I used 2 sizes of Helmar Zap Dots, Helmar V2 Vellum Adhesive, Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, and the Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner. Our feature partners this week are My Stamp Box and Fancy Pants Designs.

Here is the layout I created....'Just Beachy.' I began by pulling out the stamp set from My Stamp Box and stamping some circles onto my background paper using green craft paint. All paper, as well as the ball fringe and clear embellishments are from Fancy Pants Designs. I love these papers from Fancy Pants Designs...they are prefect for scrapping your summer vacation. This pic is of my nephew Carter enjoying the beach. The sun and flowers are clear, transparency embellishments. I sprayed the back of these with the Helmar V2 Vellum Adhesive and let them sit for 5 minutes. This allows the glue time to set up and become tacky. I then adhered them onto some white cardstock and cut them out. Next, I used Helmar Zap Dots to pop them up a tad on my page and added some rhinestones for some bling. I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere my ball fringe. The alpha's are from My Mind's Eye and Making Memories. Also, I used the Purple Cows Freestyle Mouse to cut the 'angle' in the top of my patterned paper. I was going for a 'wave' look to mimic the waves in the ocean. I just adore the Purple Cows Freestyle Mouse! It is like cutting butter! It cuts so smooth and is becoming one of my favorite scrappy tools.
To show a bit of the dimension....

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Take care of yourselves and Happy Scrappin'!!!!

P.S. Oh, and I forgot....I wanted to share my article for this month in Scrapstreet. If you would like to check that out....go HERE. It's a few pages long. Check out the rest of this month's issue while you are there....it is AWESOME!!!!

SFTIO DT Reveal #4

Hey yall! How are ya?! I hope you are enjoying a beautiful day! I wanted to hop online right quick and blog about my 4th DT layout for Scrapbooking From The Inside Out. As you know, this month's kit is themed around 'discovery.' All of us over at SFTIO are scrapping about things we've discovered in life or things that we hope to discover. For this page, I scrapped about something that I am sure almost all of us has discovered....life is not easy! It is downright miserable at times! But you know what I realized after I finished this layout....it's those bad days that get us from one happy time to the next. So I guess you gotta mix the good with the bad, right?!

For this page, I decided to use an 'exploding' technique. I have created a tutorial on this and it will debut sometime this month on SFTIO in the 'Exclusive Content' section. So if you are interested in that, keep an eye out on the SFTIO site. This page was fairly simple and fast to put together. I used the Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner for the majority of the page and Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots for the flower.Here is my page...."It's Not Easy."

Love these flowers in the kit! I stacked this flower on top of some chipboard that was in the kit. I cut the leaves myself using my Cricut. I also did a bit of stamping using a stamp in the kit. And aren't those fabric brads adorable?! Love 'em!
I also am in love with the two sets of alphas in this kit! They are so versatile!

My journaling reads: Life...it's so not easy! I've discovered that it's best not to get your hopes up...there's almost always something that's gonna get in your way, but you gotta get over it and keep going! Cry, yell, get it all out, and then move on!

I hope you have enjoyed this page! Be sure to hop on over to the gallery at SFTIO and check out my fellow DT's pages using this kit! They are all so awesome!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day and take care of yourselves! I'll be back tomorrow with the final SFTIO reveal for this month!!! Happy Scrappin'!

SFTIO DT Reveal #3

Mornin' Yall! Happy Tuesday to ya! I hope you are enjoying a fabulous day so far! Today, I wanted to share my SFTIO DT Reveal #3. As you know, this month's theme is 'discovery.' We are scrapbooking about discoveries we have made about ourselves or things we hope to discover. It is really a fun topic to work with. For this page, I wanted to scrap about things I am discovering about myself. I started with a brown sheet of Core'dinations cardstock. I sanded the edges slightly and then did a bit of tearing in a few places. I then used some twine over the places I tore. Next, I did some cutwork on a piece of patterned paper found in the kit. I adhered this to my cardstock using the Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner. I then chose some ribbon from my scrappy stash and adhered it around my circle using Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. For the circles in the lower left hand corner....they were cut from some patterned paper. I cut several sizes and used Helmar Zap Dots to pop up some of them for layers of dimension. I then added alphabet stickers and rhinestones. Finally, I added my journaling. Here is my layout...."Discovering Who I Am."

My journaling reads:

1. As I grow older, I'm discovering who I really am inside! First, I am a person and I have feelings that are hurt rather easily! Love me anyway!

2. I am who I am and I can't change that! You either love me for all that I am or you don't! Don't try to change me! I have finally learned to accept me and you should too!

3. I am a nice person! I do all I can for others around me because I would want to be treated the same! Call on me for anything!

4. I love with all my heart! Know that if I love you, it is with all my being! I couldn't love you more!

5. I am shy! My life is usually an open book, but know there are some things about me that I try so hard to hide!

6. I am goofy! I love to laugh and make others laugh! I'm also a bit 'blonde' at times! LOL!

7. I am a wife, a daughter, a friend, a sister, an aunt, a scrapper....

8. I am....me!!!

Here is an upclose view of the circles I stacked....

As always, thank you so much for stoppin' by! I'll see ya tomorrow with SFTIO Reveal #4!!! Have a beautiful day and Happy Scrappin'!

SFTIO DT Reveal #2

Hey guys! Today I wanted to share my second layout I completed using the August kit from Scrapbooking From The Inside Out. If you would like more info on that kit, see the post below this one. It is one awesome kit!!!

This month's theme is 'discovery.' For this page, I decided to scrap about THE greatest discovery in my life....my husband, Brandon. From the day I met him, he ignited a love in me that I had never known or have known since. I truly believe he was put on this Earth just for me and I for him. I thank God for him every single day! He is my prince and I hope he will always know how much he means to me!

Everything that you see on the layout, with the exception of the ribbon, brads, and cardboard, are from the kit. I cut the banner out using my Cricut and SCAL software. I used the Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner for the majority of the page. I used Helmar Zap Dots to pop up my circles/banner and Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to adhere my flowers. Here is my page...."Ignited"

My banner is held together with brads.

I put my journaling on a tag that came in the kit. It slides out from behind the pic....

Aren't these flowers marvelous?!!! I am in love with them! They came in the kit.

Thanks for visiting my blog! See you tomorow with my 3rd SFTIO DT reveal! Happy Scrappin'!

Come 'Discover' SFTIO With Me!!!

Hey yall! Happy Sunday! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing day! It's the first of August! Can you believe it?! This summer is just flying by! But to be honest, I'm kinda glad. I'm ready for this hot weather to be gone!!! Anyways, it is the 1st and that means a new kit reveal at 'Scrapbooking From The Inside Out' (SFTIO)!!!! As you know, each month at SFTIO a new kit is revealed with a theme. Each theme is based on an emotion. The theme for this month....Discovery!!! We are all scrapping about things we have discovered in our lives and things we hope to discover in the future. It is such an awesome topic and I had such a wonderful time working with this GORGEOUS kit!!! I wanted to show you all the pix of this kit....you will be drooling soon! Tee Hee! It really is wonderful! I just adore all of the alphabet stickers, embellies, and papers in this kit! Yum! Here it is:

SFTIO August 2010: 'Discovery'

These American Crafts Thickers are FABULOUS! You get sooo many and they look great!!

These alphas are super cute too and go a long way!

Now, on to my design team layouts that I completed using the kit. I created 5 layouts with this kit. I will share one today and the next 4 layouts over the next 4 days. So if ya can, be sure to check back. For my first layout, I wanted to scrap about one of my greatest discoveries in my adult life....my passion for scrapbooking!!!! Everything that you see below, with the exception of the ball fringe and pearls, are all from the kit. I stamped a bit on the background (behind the pic) using the stamp that is included in the kit. I love the vintage look of this stamp.

"Discovering A Passion"

For my journaling, I used a poem I found online years ago. The poem is supposed to mimic the song 'These Are A Few of My Favorite Things" from 'The Sound of Music.' Here is the poem:

'The Sound of Scrapping'

Ribbons in glass jars

And fibers in baskets

Bright pattern papers

In wire mesh boxes

Bold solid cardstock

Stored without dings

These are a few of my favorite things!

Creme colored laces

And crisp fabric flowers

Stickers and die cuts

And punches with power

Colorful inks that make pages sing

These are a few of my favorite things!

Stored so neatly

In their places

Where they can be found

I simply store all of my favorite things

And then I design just fine!

Then I wrote my own journaling which reads...."Scrapbooking...it is truly my one major passion in this life! It is my way to escape and to be truly at bliss!"

The black and white letter flowers are from the kit. I created the rolled flower myself using leftover cardstock. The leaves were cut using my Cricut die cutting machine. I adhered all of these using Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots. I adhered the pom pom trim using Helmar 450 Quick Fix Adhesive Runner. I used the Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner for the rest of the page.

If you can, be sure to hop on over to the gallery at SFTIO and check out my fellow DT's fabulous layouts using this kit!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I'll see ya tomorrow! Have a fabulous rest of the weekend!

Happy Scrappin'!

This Week At The Cuttlebug Spot: Mini Albums!!!

Hey guys! What's up?!!! Happy Monday! Can you believe another new week is here! This summer is flying by so fast! Before we know it, it will be Christmas!!! Why is it the older you get, the fast time goes by! LOL. I hope you are having a fabulous day so far though! I have a dr's appt. today that I am SOOO dreading, but I have to go. I'll be glad when it's over!

Anyways, it's Monday and that means there is a new challenge over at one of my favorite blogs...The Cuttlebug Spot!!!! This week we are creating mini albums. For my project, I made a rainbow mini album. I think I will send this to my cousin. She has a little girl who is just about at the age where they start learning colors. I think she would enjoy this. I used my Cricut and SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) software to cut this mini album out. The file was purchased from My Scrap Chick. I used 7 different embossing folders on this one. All cardstock is 'Gemstones' cardstock from Core'dinations. I just adore this cardstock. It has such a pretty shimmer to it and embosses beautifully! My album is held together with 2 rings. I tied some tulle to the rings. This was super simple to make!

Can you see how the cardstock shimmers? Love it! I used the following folders: Victoria, Tiny Bubbles, D'Vine Swirl, Swiss Dots, Mosaic Texture, Houndstooth, and Floral Fantasy.

Be sure to hop on over to The Cuttlebug Spot to check out all of my fellow DT's mini albums!!!! They will be up sometime today!

As always, I thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog! I hope you have a marvelous day! Happy Scrappin'!

Wipe Out

Hey yall! Happy Sunday! I wanted to hop online right quick to blog. As you may know, I visited NYC last week and didn't have time to post, so it's good to be blogging again. I had such a wonderful time with my company and hated to see them go. I think I had more fun hanging out with them than anything. But, I won't be lonely for long because I have more company (my in-laws) coming in a week!!! As for NYC....it was pretty good. I know some are going to think I'm crazy for saying this....but I wasn't just flabbergasted by NYC. Yeah, it's big and it's nice to see once, but unless I'm going to a broadway play or to a museum exhibit, I have no desire to go back. I got so tired of being shoved and pushed. There were several times I just couldn't stand the smell of sewage and funky food mixed together...yuck. Of course, the obvious too, everything is overpriced. But I did have fun and I am so thankful to of seen what we did see. But I don't think it is a place I will routinely visit. I simply adored the broadway play we went to see...'Memphis.' It was so awesome! The sightseeing was nice, but it was SOOOO HOT! I got sunburned! The Empire State building and the view was nice, but people were so rude up there. Both my Mom and I were pushed, shoved, and nearly knocked down several times. So maybe I just had a bad experience, but I wasn't just 'whoo hoo' over the place. Is that bad?! LOL. And you know what else...I have to go back next week with my in laws! If we weren't going to the King Tut exhibit, this scrappy chick would be staying at home! LOL. I will share some pix with yall this week...promise!

Now, on to scrappy stuff. I am the feature designer this week over at 'My Little Sketch Blook'. I am just so excited! I just adore Liz and her sketches! She is one awesome source of inspiration! Here is a peek at what the sketch looks like this week....

And here is my take on the sketch. These pix are of Carter at the beach this past week. He wanted to try out boogie boarding. Tyler, that's my bro and Carters Daddy, said he did really well. He stayed up for almost 30 seconds one time, but sadly, wiped out head first. But he got right back up and tried again. The small pic just cracks me up. All you see is legs sticking out of the ocean! Ha ha! Poor thing! But he was ok. All paper is from Echo Park Paper Co. I used Helmar Zap Dots to pop up my butterflies and Helmar Quick-Fix Adhesive Runner for the rest of the page.

These alphas are some older American Crafts Thickers I pulled from my scrappy stash. Can you see those legs sticking up?!!! LOL!

The pearls in the center of the butterflies are from Queen & Co.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! If you can, be sure to hop on over to 'My Little Sketch Blook' and check out all of the designers pages! You'll love it!

Have a fabulous day and Happy Scrappin'!

Headed to NYC!!!!

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday!!!! I am headed to NYC today for a short vacay with my Mom and 2 of her friends! I'll be sure to share pix and stories when I get back, on Friday! Also, I hope to get to scrappin' this weekend and have some stuff to share! I miss bloggin'!!! I hope all of you have a fabulous rest of the week!!! Happy Scrappin'!

Hooked On Reading!!!

Hey yall! Happy Saturday! I hope you are enjoying a marvelous weekend! Today, I wanted to share a quick project I created for my Helmar DT blog post yesterday. As you know, I'm hooked on Helmar Adhesives! They are amazing!!! But I also have found myself hooked on something else....reading! As a child, I always enjoyed reading, but as I have grown, I have discovered that I have not had as much time to enjoy this passion. So the last few months, I have started reading again. I am loving every thrilling minute as I turn the pages of my novels!!! So, the other night I was laying in bed finishing up a chapter, and I realized that I did not have a bookmark. Well, as a scrapper, I had to fix that asap! So I sat down and created a bookmark using products from the preferred partners of the week over at Helmar: Hambly Screen Prints, Maya Road, and Purple Cows. I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive and Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner on this project. Now, I have to tell you, I have yet another love...Purple Cows products! Oh my!!! They are amazing! I used the fabulous 2 In 1 Combo Trimmer to cut all of my paper. The guillotine on this is my favorite! Then, to cut my 'grass' I used the Freestyle Mouse. This is just the neatest tool. It glides across the paper like a knife cuts through butter. Then, to make the bookmark more durable, I used the Purple Cows Hot Laminator. After I had the bookmark laminated, I added some pearls to the eyes of the owl and to the tree for a bit of added dimension. Then, I took some Maya Road chipboard alphas, spritzed them with 'Bubblegum Pink' Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, and adhered them down using the 450. Last, I inserted an eyelet and added some funky fiber to the top. Here is my bookmark....

To show the dimension the pearls give....

Also, check out the Helmar CHA Make & Take!!! It's so cool! There is also info on the Helmar Booth at CHA!!! Go HERE.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for droppin' by and Happy Scrappin'!!!

Happy Friday!

Hey yall! TGIF!!! I hope you have had a fabulous week! I apologize for going MIA. After driving for 14 hours on Monday, it took me almost all week to get over it and get my house back in order. To be honest, my house still isn't in order....LOL. I've got company coming next week and I need to do a major deep clean. I am so picky when people come to my house. I want it to look nice and smell good! LOL. So my Mom, her friend, Kathy, and Kathy's husband, Ray, will all be here next Tuesday. Then on Wednesday and Thursday, we are all going to visit NYC!!! I am so excited! I've never been and can't wait to see everything. After they leave, I hope to have time to sit down and do some major scrappin' because the end of July, first of August, Brandon's family is coming up for a visit. We all will go back to NYC and to Washington D.C. So over the next few weeks, I have a lot of travel with family coming up. Not to mention, a trip to Chicago for CHA to see all my Helmar girls. Brandon and I are driving up for one night and I will meet all of the girls at dinner. I am sooo excited about that too! So, if I go quiet for days on end, know that I am out of town. But I hope to scrap at any chance I get and will be sure to share with ya.

Now, I wanted to share a card I just finished up. This card features papers from Pink Paislee. I used the Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner, Helmar Zap Dots, Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, and Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots on this card. This card is rather simple, but it was so nice to sit back at my desk and work. After I get this posted, I plan on sitting down some more between cooking and baking. I have to tell yall, I am really getting into cooking. I have been making a new recipe almost every other day when the hubby is home. Now, Brandon and I are both huge cheesecake lovers. So today I am attempting my very first cheesecake from scratch. I borrowed a spring form pan from my Mom while I was home and am so glad to use it. It belonged to my late grandmother and I just know she would be proud that I am using it. So I pulled it out of the oven a bit ago and it is cooling. I promise to share a pic (even if it's hideous)....LOL...and the recipe for ya. I hope it is good. I was so intimidated when I started baking this morning. Cheesecake is scary to make. The mixing wasn't so bad, but the top is a bit browner than I expected. I followed the directions closely and am not sure if my oven is too hot. I hope it will be ok. It's not burnt, just lightly browned. If any of you have any cheesecake advice for this newbie, I'd love to hear it! :) Ok, I'll hush up...on to the card....

Just a little close up. This stamp is from Stampin' Up!

And....I wanted to share a few pix from this past weekend's trip to AL. As you know, Brandon and I drove home to see our families in AL. On Sunday, we all gathered at my bro and SIL's house for a get together. My nephew, Carter, has this huge blow up water slide thing. He was crackin' me up in this thing! It made me wish I was a kid again!

Playin' chase with Uncle Brandon....

Yall know how I love flowers, right?! As a matter of fact, Brandon has started letting me keep fresh flowers from the store in a vase on my scrappy desk all the time. Well, Tyler and Caressa's roses are gorgeous!!! I just adore the pink!!!!

Ok, that is all from me today. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!! Brandon and I do not have much planned, just staying inside. We do have a new bedroom suite coming tomorrow though!!! I am so excited! We have been sleeping on a basic frame for over a year and it will be so nice to have a wooden bed. I'll share that with yall too. I'm going to move all of my 'Gone With The Wind' stuff in there.

As always, thanks for stopping by! Yall have a great day! Happy Scrappin'!

Sketch Week at The Cuttlebug Spot

Hey yall! Happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous weekend! Brandon and I drove down to see our families last Thursday and spent the whole weekend in AL. Today, we are making the grueling drive back up to PA...12 hour drive at the least. Ugh! I hate it, but it's worth it to spend time with family. We all had such a wonderful weekend!!! It went by way too fast though! But those trips always do. But we did have a amazing time and I guess I am ready to get back to my little life up in PA. I miss my scrappy space and am eager to get back to work. I know it's silly too, but I can't wait to play in my scrappy closet that is in my scrappy studio. Brandon had been listening to me complain for weeks that I could not see when I went in there to dig for what I needed, so you know what he did? He brought home some of those push L.E.D. lights and hung them up under the overhead shelf. So now, I can open the door, push the lights on, and the light pours in! Tee Hee! Gotta love him!

Today is Monday, so you know what that means....another new challenge at The Cuttlebug Spot. Every second week of the month we have a sketch challenge and the sketch is provided by yours truly. So if ya can, do come on over to CBS and play with us! I'd love to see what you can do with the sketch I created. The challenge will be up sometime today, so if you want to check that out, go HERE. Now, here is the card I created using the sketch. I went with a zebra print and hot pink theme. I made this card at Mom's so I was able to use some of her adorable stamps from Pink Cat Studio. I just love this stamped image! So girly!!! I used the Swiss Dots and Distressed Stripes embossing folders on this card.

Just a little close up....I made a boo boo on the dress when I was stamping with Versamark ink and using embossing powder. The center portion of the dress did not stamp as well as I would of liked, so I covered it up with some rhinestones from Queen & Co.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I hope you all have a fabulous week! And remember to hop on over to CBS and play along if ya can! We'd love to have you!

Happy Scrappin'!!!