Scrappily Ever After

3 Trips Around the Block: The Rantings of a (crazy, somewhat overtired) Mom

2012-02-16T05:49:00.003-05:00

Ok, so in all honesty, what mom hasn't made an extra trip around the block so that her kid could hear their favorite song on the radio? Really? Not once. Well here, I have to admit, it's pretty common place. The crazy part about this morning was that it wasn't just one trip, it was 3 trips, and at 5:30 AM...lol. I think I mentioned the one car deal yesterday, so for the last several months me and the kids have been taking hubby to work in the morning then coming back home and going to sleep (or writing blog posts I guess...lol). This morning the kids kept begging for "one more song", which turned into a grand total of 3 more songs and one wild Zumba-like Mommy dance session (what can I say, I get a little loopy in the morning. Just to make your day more fun, here's the morning lineup.

Trip one around the block, and at top volume (Thanks to Miss Caitlyn, a wonderful dance teacher who loved to play this one to Emy's dance class during practice.)

Round #2 around the block, cause really, who can get enough Shakira at 5:30 AM?

And our final round, OH, and did I mention that Zumba-like Mommy Dance? LOL, this one was the culprit - who can NOT dance to this song? Gotta love those Disney kids...

LOL, and there you have it, the morning lineup by one crazy Mom with a dancing daughter and a music-loving Aspie. Sometimes crazy can be so much FUN!

Live well and love often!

So Much for Plans, huh?...

2012-02-15T09:57:00.004-05:00

Ok, in all honesty, I really meant to write MORE this year - really I did. But the cold hard fact about it is that this autism spectrum stuff is HARD, like really hard. You've not seen anything until you've seen a "Mom-in-a-meltdown". Noah, unfortunately, has seen that a LOT lately, and so has the rest of my family.

I think one of the biggest changes that has come about since the diagnosis is the change in schedule. We have 2 kids with 2 schedules and tons of different interests, 1 car, at the moment, and 2 parents dealing with all the chaos. Let me give you a quick rundown - we currently attend in a normal week - Ballet/Tap/Jazz, Creative Movement, Gymnastics, Soccer, and Cheerleading. So, the next time you think I'm ignoring you, just remember, I'm a taxi service of sorts...lol. But despite the rush, we're actually encouraged to keep up this pace for Noah - socialization is a wonderful thing for a child on the spectrum and a double plus for his sister who gets to pursue her interests as well. (OH, and if I didn't mention it before, Noah's soccer coach is totally HOT! LOL, and totally married to me!)

Besides the hustle and bustle of the transportation/socialization stuff, we're dealing with plenty of other things too. Trying to get an IEP put together in the midst of dealing with a child who is already educationally behind his peers. Trying to make some hefty decisions like is summer schooling him enough? What if we can't get the school to agree to extended summer programs? Am I qualified to home school (even part time) a special needs kid? Are we getting enough occupational therapy? Will we have all the supports we need in place for next school year? Oh and what about summer camps?

Being the mom of an Aspie is definatly not easy stuff, so hang in there while I figure this out and try to find my creativity...lol...it's in here somewhere, I know it is. Meanwhile I'm gonna keep plugging along with life as I know it and try to get those goals going - I'll keep ya posted....

Live happy and love much until next time!

I'm Back with a Plan

2012-01-23T09:57:00.003-05:00

Ok, so a couple weeks of miserable cold symptoms leaves you plenty of time to think things through, and thanks to my illness, I've finally put together a game plan for 2012. I think it's important to have goals, but even more important when your a blogger, is to have goals that translate into blog posts too. So, you might be asking, what will I be hearing from Melanie's clan this year? --Let me fill you in.

The 2012 goals basically cover 3 areas of my life that I would like to change a bit - lets say tweak, not change.

Home/Green Living - especially the Green Living part.
Family and Kids Activities and Learning
Crafting/Scrapboooking

And here are my goals in each area...

Home/Green Living

Get my family on a healthier diet.
Learn to plan meals.
Eat fresher and more whole foods.

Family and Kids Activities and Learning

Encourage learning in my house while having fun.
Prepare my kids for Kindergarten and 2nd Grade.

Crafting and Scrapbooking

Get through the backlog of photos.
Do more decor based crafts.
Learn to use my new camera and learn to be a better photographer.

So these are just a few of the things you can plan to see on the blog in the coming months AND I have some plans in the works for a fun event in February. Until next time - live happy and love well.

The Flu Has Struck...

2012-01-11T11:08:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Just a little, quick post to let you all know that Momma has the flu and there isn't a whole lot of ANYTHING going on around here....lol...crafting or otherwise. I'm hoping to be back on my feet by the weekend so maybe I'll have something next week.

Until next time - live happy and love well.

So here it is, a whole lotta truth about the blog...

2012-01-06T11:22:00.002-05:00

Several times during the end of 2011 I tried to think of a way to explain the absence of posts on my blog. Some of you might have noticed and then some of you not so much, but for the ones who have any interest I offer this - the reasons for my blogging blurps, the real truth of my "you-haven't-seen-even-so-much-as-a-stray-post-since-October"? It's simple - life and ego.

Uh huh, you read that right, I used the "e" word. I have one, a big one, by the way, one that's set on getting the attention that I so humbly don't think my paper crafting deserves - the one that was pushed out of Craft Shows because her customers kept commenting "it's only paper" - and ya know what? It's true, it IS only paper, but my hands do amazing things with it, things that maybe you can do, or maybe you can't. And the thought that maybe, since no one was commenting to my posts, that I might not be reaching anyone, that the lack of attention I craved somewhere deep inside, led me to believe that blogging wasn't important anymore. That sharing with you wasn't worth it.

And then the other reason that you read above, I'm sure most of you can relate to, life got in my way, and it got complicated - REALLY complicated. My 7 year old son, who is the light of my life, was diagnosed December 2011 with Aspberger's Syndrome. Not something you usually read about on the craft blogs, so I won't go and elaborate just yet. And you know, it's not the end of the world, not even close, but it did take up a lot of my time and although it always will, I've come to the realization that crafting, and life, and blogging all come together in my soul and provide some form of therapy for me.

So, now that you've heard the gist of my entire life story up there, if your interested, or if your just stopping by to see what the buzz is about, I'd like to talk a little bit about blogging in 2012. It's a new year, and a new leaf, for Scrappily Ever After. Some of you, might have noticed that my blog description, up there under the new header, has changed. It used to read "A place where memories can live Scrappily Ever After...", oh and btw, my memories still do, but now that description reads "Bits and pieces of the life and times of an everyday Mom...". Short an sweet, huh? But it's true, I am living the life and times of an everyday Mom. So from now on, if you are so inclined to come along for the ride, you won't find just crafting here. You'll find some everyday inspiration on some everyday things, learning, and living, eating, and crafting, organizing and disorganizing. One thing I can guarantee, it won't be boring around here anymore.

Until next time - live happy and love well.

A HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY? UHH...MAYBE...

2011-10-07T11:21:00.003-04:00

My bestie, Lori, always says that things look much worse through the lens of a camera, and she always fully urges me to try taking a picture of a project that I need to tackle to get the full perspective of what's ahead (Try it with your scrap area next time it needs cleaning, you will be baffled and amazed!). Anyway, long story short, I tried her method this morning with the front entry to my house! Yikes! I seriously wonder if I didn't stumble into an episode of Scooby Doo (sorry, it's on my mind since it's the ONLY thing I've watched for a week)? But, sadly, I realized that THIS is the entry to MY HOUSE!

Now obviously I knew that the lawn needed mowing and that we had some weeds that needed pulled but I had no idea that it all looked THIS BAD. Thankfully, it's the weekend and that means that I have free manual (umm, I meant masculine, really I did) labor for the weekend and together we can get this fixed - umm, I hope.

I'll see you on Monday will some pics of my fall home entryway. Hopefully it'll look much different than this haunted house in the city! Until then - happy crafting!

A LATE POST WITH A WINNER....

2011-10-04T10:22:00.001-04:00

Just wrapping up our Back to School Blog party with a winner....

of the Apron Strings All Year Cheer Card Kit...

and the winner is....

drum roll please....

CARRIE K!

Congrats, Carrie, please send me your name and mailing information so that I can pass it on to Lori and she will mail out your kit. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Welcome to October...

2011-10-03T12:41:00.003-04:00

The above photo was taken from Google Search. McConnells Mills State Park, Pennsylvania, a mere 20 minute drive from my lovely Pennsylvania home, favorite hiking spot, and fall picnic destination treat.

Welcome to fall, and especially to fall in Pennsylvania. This is my favorite season of the year, and in my opinion, it's entirely too short of a time. This month is the month of my birth, and the month of my husband's birth (just a mere 3 years and 1 week apart in age), we also share the month with my wonderful (favorite) sister-in-law who is most always likely to be my partner in crime in any Halloween decorating or party merriment.

Today I'm sitting here, the smell of pumpkin candles wafting deliciously through the house, a feel of anticipation in my heart as I clean and prepare to unpack all of my Halloween decorations (beloved each one) and prepare to start transforming my home to the spellbinding space where my family will spend their holiday. I've got a small pile of zucchini waiting to be shredded and baked into lovely loaves of steaming zucchini bread (it's not fall here without some slathered, of course, liberally with butter), pumpkin will be next, oh so much pumpkin, we love decorating with them and eating them as well.

I thought, with your approval, of course, that I would allow you to peek into our home this month and watch the transformation. We don't believe in haunted around here, we don't believe in ghosts, goblins, spectors, or any of the like, but we do welcome the merry feel and festive fun of the fall season, and if a friendly spook or two steps over our threshold we'll show them a wonderful time.

For those of you who may be following...Noah had his surgery on September 30th to remove both his tonsils and adenoids. The surgery went well and he is at home this week with Mama working on feeling better. He'll miss about a week of school and the end of the soccer season as well. We're hoping and praying for a complete turnaround to his attention and focus issues, but we'll deal with whatever may come. Right now he is happily immersed in the new train set that arrived with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday. His older sister is being a wonderful nurse.

I will have a winner of the Apron Strings card kit for you tomorrow morning, so please check back then, and until next time, happy crafting!

HOW ABOUT A PEEK AT THE PRIZE AND A CHANCE TO WIN?...

2011-09-27T11:51:00.002-04:00

Look at all that yummy kit goodness - want a chance to win? I bet you do! So here is your Tuesday Essay Question...

What is your favorite school holiday to prepare for? (Our school does Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's.) And where do you find your ideas?

Anyone who comments with an answer to today's question gets their name in the drawing to win the above kit, so don't be shy.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, READY FOR A CHALLENGE?...

2011-09-26T09:50:00.003-04:00

Alright, for this morning's post I thought I would share with you another great card made with the Apron Strings All Year Cheer Card kits. Incase you hadn't heard, my friend Lori at Apron Strings is sponsoring the blog this week and giving you a chance to WIN one of her fantastic kits.

You'll have plenty of chances to win all this week while previewing great projects made with her kits.

OK, for you weekly challenge, make a school themed card or layout and post to the blog by Midnight (EST) on Friday, September 30th.

AND THE WINNER IS...

2011-09-23T12:37:00.003-04:00

And the winner

of the $20 Gift Certificate

from Circle B Enterprises Scrapbook and More Store

is....

drumroll please....

pcrusberg!

Congrats to our winner!

Please contact me with your full name so I can pass it on to the sponsor.

I am SO sorry, Blog Partiers....

2011-09-23T09:22:00.002-04:00

And especially a big apology to Apron Strings Designs, our sponsor for this week.

My week became crazy because, despite my resolve not to volunteer at the school this year (issues with the school PTO), I have volunteered daily this past week. Today was my first day home before 1 PM all week (and my house is showing it!). I've been listening to the kids read (First Graders), helping to cut out flash cards for the Kindergarten, doing a display of educational games for Open House, and assisting with hearing screenings. All this in the midst of Ballet, Tap, and Jazz classes and a Soccer Season that is quickly ending for us due to surgery at the end of the month. It's crazy hectic, to say the least.

Anyway, I owe you a week of designs from Apron Strings and a winner for last week's Gift Certificate from Circle B Enterprises. Look for the announcement of the Circle B winner today at Noon and a full lineup of projects from Apron Strings beginning on Monday. Until then, happy crafting!

ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY...

2011-09-19T10:22:00.003-04:00

Good morning, Blog Partiers!

It's been just a tad hectic here already this morning but I haven't forgotten about you. Please help me welcome this week our final sponsor - APRON STRINGS DESIGNS ! Let me just say that if your in the market for a card or scrapbooking kit club, this is the place to be, cause the kits are yummy.

Lori has agreed to sponsor me this week and bestow upon one of you a great prize from her site. I also know that we still need to announce a winner for the Gift Certificate from last week's sponsor - stay tuned, I'll be doing that a bit later - don't forget to check back! Until then, happy crafting!

OK, NO EXCUSES, YESTERDAY WAS JUST BAD...

2011-09-15T10:03:00.002-04:00

I mean one of those hide-your-head-and-don't-come-out days...

On my to-do list was...

A sick child who didn't want to be at school...

Another child that got progressivly sicker during the school day and

needed me on 2 separate occassions to come to school for changes of clothing, etc

(you can imagine, I'm sure)...

A hubby with a car that was broke down...

which he tried to fix...

resulting in a small fire...

which now leaves us sharing a car...

So, I do hope you'll forgive me...LOL...I will be back tomorrow (and this weekend too)

with some great projects to share.

Happy crafting!

ONE FOR THE TEAM...

2011-09-14T10:03:00.002-04:00

Morning, Blog Partiers,

Just wanted to share with you a quick layout using some fun goodies from the Circle B Scrapbook and More store...those adorable soccer shoes and the soccer ball embellie on the layout above can be found HERE and they are wonderful for all your soccer pages.

We just started soccer season this past Monday and I am pretty excited to have pics to scrap and share. Some of you might remember that we were once told by the doctors that our DS would never be able to play sports - guess we showed them!

Hope your having a wonderful Wednesday, happy crafting!

LATE WITH MY HOMEWORK - HOW ABOUT A TUESDAY MORNING ESSAY QUESTION?...

2011-09-13T09:16:00.002-04:00

Two dentists appointments before school this morning, a late night last night at both dance class and soccer, and I'm honestly reeling here. So, I hope you'll forgive me for the late post. Thought I'd drop by first thing this morning with an essay question, so here we go: What is the most difficult part of scrapbooking or cardmaking for you?

Leave me your answer my Midnight (EST) tonight, and I'll enter your name into a drawing for the $20 Circle B Scrapbook and More Store Gift Certificate. Happy crafting!

ARE YOU READY FOR A WINNER?....

2011-09-12T11:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, as promised....the winner.....of 3 sets of stamps fromThe Cutting Cafe....is....drumroll please....
ZOEY AND THE FURBALLS!
Congrats, Zoey!

GOOD MORNING BLOG PARTY-ERS...ARE YOU READY FOR A MONDAY MORNING CHALLENGE?...

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning...please do not adjust your screens, that big block of colors up above has a meaning, I promise. I thought that maybe a color challenge might be a fun start to this week's festivities and I cannot wait to show you what I've done with this one (I LOVE the subject I got to scrap!), but more about my layout later.

Ok, Friday sort of got out of hand around here and the weekend followed right along. So, I am going to announce last week's winner today, right here, at NOON (EST). Remember, the winner for last week will receive their choice of any 3 stamp sets from The Cutting Cafe. OH, and Regina sent me so much fun stuff to play with while sponsoring that I didn't have time to fit it all in, so you'll want to stay tuned for even more great projects using her digital stamps.

This week's sponsor will be none other than, CIRCLE B ENTERPRISES SCRAPBOOK AND MORE STORE, and I am so excited to have Veronica as a sponsor again this year. You'll want to stop by her site and check things out and make a wish list while your at it because one lucky person is going to win a $20 gift certificate to her store AND I have a ton of fun projects for you this week using Circle B supplies!

Ok, back to your challenge, you will have until Midnight (EST) on Friday, September 16th to submit your layout, card, or project using the color combo above. I'd love to see your layouts and projects, but as always, if you don't have time to scrap this week, no fear, I'll be giving you lots more ways to get yourself entered all this week.

NOTHING SAYS "BACK TO SCHOOL" LIKE A BUNCH OF SHINY NEW PENCILS...

2011-09-08T09:44:00.003-04:00

You really do have to admit that it's not back to school time until you receive that first packet of shiny new pencils. No 2, of course, all fresh and glossy...LOL...I know, I know, I have a sickness. But seriously, what could be any cuter sitting on a teacher's desk than this little pencil can (a recycled can - I might add) covered in Yummy Me and My Big Ideas papers and tied off with a wonderful white bow and a tag made from the SCHOOL DAYS set by The Cutting Cafe. What I love about the set is that it's so versatile, you'll notice that there is a blank pencil, as well as the image above that says "Everyone will need a No 2 pencil for this test", that could be customized to say anything you might need to say. The tiny paperclip embellie makes it easy to change out the sentiments too! Make a whole set of just pencils in a tiny little gift box and you've got a gift set that's totally customizable! Can't beat that.

Alright, I'll be back later with a few more chances to win some entries into this weeks drawing of 3 sets of stamps from The Cutting Cafe. And because so many of you had a hard time getting here yesterday during the daylight work hours, look for those posts after 5 PM. Until then, happy crafting!

A CUTTING CAFE PROJECT FOR YOU...

2011-09-07T12:06:00.003-04:00

I whipped up this little card using the SCHOOL DAYS set from The Cutting Cafe. You can find the set HERE. Wouldn't this make a wonderful little card to pair with a gift item? I think so, wonder what that gift could be? LOL - stay tuned for more.

Since we had no entrants on the Essay Question this morning, I'm going to go and extend the deadline until 6 PM. You can go and answer the Essay Question at THIS post.

WEDNESDAY MORNING ESSAY QUESTION (FOR AN ENTRY INTO THE PRIZE DRAWING)...

2011-09-07T08:46:00.003-04:00

Alright it's test time here at Scrappily. The rules are as follows....

You must comment on this post before NOON today.
Your comment must be at least 2 sentences long and must contain the answer to the essay question.
You must leave a way to contact you if you are the winner of the prize this week.

Ok, it's as easy as that. Here is today's essay question: Talk about your favorite cardmaking or scrapbooking technique and provide a link to an online tutorial if you have one.

Remember that this week's prize is sponsored by the lovely Regina over at The Cutting Cafe and she's offering up ANY 3 sets of stamps from her site to one lucky winner! I'll be back at Noon with a project - hope to see you then. Happy Crafting!

Are You Ready for a Tuesday Challenge?...

2011-09-06T11:45:00.003-04:00

My life just became 10 times more chaotic - if that's possible - yesterday afternoon, with the start of Soccer practice. I honestly had no idea how many days a week they started the little guys out on practicing for this stuff. But yesterday, our first official game practice, was an eye opener. There's a Monday night practice, a Skills Workshop on Thursday, and the much awaited first game on Saturday morning - whew! I am generally a Mom who likes to sleep in on Saturday, but since we play at 8:30 AM, I'm thinking that's a dream now.

Alright, on to your first challenge of the Semester - submit a sports related layout, card, project, etc. Whatever you'd like to create as long as it has a sports theme.

Ok, that should get you started, and, don't forget to stop back tomorrow for some more fun (and non-scrappy) ways to get your name into that drawing from The Cutting Cafe. Until then, happy crafting!

MAGIC TEACHER BASKET REVEAL...

2011-09-02T09:41:00.004-04:00

Some of you might remember from last year that in this house we do a little thing called the "Magic Teacher Basket" at the start of each school year. Basically, the "Magic Teacher Basket" is a basket filled with all sorts of goodies for the new teacher and the class. The basket comes with instructions (and this year also contained some gift certificates) for the teacher to return the basket whenever it becomes empty with a request for me to fill it with the items of their choice. Below is Noah's basket for his brand new First Grade Teacher, Mrs. Miller...

Usually, I don't purchase baskets this big but my Sister-In-Law was shopping at the resale store and found it and it was just perfect, so, we filled it properly. I included the following...

2 containers of Disinfectant Wipes

2 Containers of Hand Sanitizer

2 Dozen Pencils

2 Dozen Erasers (wrapped to look like taffy with a note reading "Hope you had a sweet summer!")

A Box of Kleenex in a cute holder

Noah's teacher was rather impressed. Noah, himself, not so much. He handed it over with the statement "My Mom is Crafty" (You must insert the dull, uninterested, and slightly embarrassed tone when you read that - and he's only 7 - oh my.).

And on to Miss Emy's basket. Her teachers Mrs. Molar, Miss Weible, and Miss Sigler were thrilled to be getting another basket this year. LOL, Mrs. Molar is required to visit each student prior to the start of the school year and fill out the necessary paperwork and she had already made her first basket request at that time.

Emy's Preschool program is State funded and the girls who teach in that classroom are given a lot of the supplies that they need by the program. I try not to overwhelm them with a bunch of products that they don't need. Usually the extent of my "gifts" in their basket is for things like door decoration and reading to the class. Occassionally they'll request that I pop in and spend an afternoon with them or that I help with a craft or game for their party days. This year's basket included:

Hand Soap

(The whole class of 20 washes their hands on average about 10 times a day.)

Hand Sanitizer

Kleenex with a cute, decorative cover.

So there you have it, the 2011 - 2012 Magic Teacher Basket lineup. I hope you've enjoyed. Oh, and don't forget to join me again on Monday for the kickoff of the Back-to-School challenges and a wonderful prize from THE CUTTING CAFE! Until then, happy crafting!

WELCOME BACK TO THE BLOG - AND - WELCOME TO THE BLOG PARTY!...

2011-09-01T09:35:00.002-04:00

It's back to school here at Scrappily! And, actually, yesterday really was back to school for my Kiddos - more about that later though.

I wanted to stop in today and welcome you to the BLOG PARTY - whooohoooo - we did the same lineup last year here at Scrappily and we had a blast. SO....without further delay....lets get into the details. We have 3 great sponsors this year and all have offered up a wonderful prize. I'll be posting challenges on Mondays and Tuesdays that you'll be able to complete to gain yourself an entry into the prize drawing. HOWEVER, I know that some of you can be on a pretty tight schedule and that scrapbooking during the week just might not work out for you, so you'll also find fun puzzles, pop quizzes, and flybys that'll gain you some entries too. Stay tuned for all those.

ALSO, I've made it to 268 followers and have pretty much stalled there for awhile. So, if during the month of September I reach 300 followers I will throw in my own prize that promises to be a BIG ONE. It's never a requirement to follow Scrappily but if you happen to have a friend that might like the blog, please send them over so we can get that number up.

Alright, time to meet our sponsors! Our lineup includes...

THE CUTTING CAFE

Wonderful! Awesome! Amazing digital stamps that you just have to check out! (You can find a link to the site in the left hand sidebar.)

APRON STRINGS DESIGNS

Lori has gorgeous monthly Scrapbook and Card kits! Honestly, you only have to pop by her site and check this month's sneek peek to see how great they are. (Again, the link is in the sidebar.)

And....

CIRCLE B SCRAPBOOK AND MORE STORE

You will find an array of goodies at this site. Veronica has wonderful stuff so stop by and take a look PLUS she is offering FREE SHIPPING to participants of the Blog Party!

I hope you have a great time this month scrapping along with us. You can also expect to see great projects, cards, and layouts along the way. Stop back tomorrow to take a peek inside my "Magic Teacher Basket" and I'll also share some pics of my kiddos on their first day of school - don't wanna miss that one. And check back next week too - challenges start Monday! Until then - happy crafting!

A QUICK MESSAGE TO MY FOLLOWERS...

2011-08-14T21:34:00.003-04:00

I hate so much to do this in the middle of an event, but honestly, I really don't think that I was giving the blog or the event the attention needed. Due to some minor water damage in our home we've gotten ourselves into a little more remodeling (nothing major, just some minor stuff). I'm also completely overwhelmed with getting the kiddos squared away and back to school. I think it's only fair to the blog and to my followers to take a short break.

I'm still crafting away and loving every minute though and I'm tentatively planning to be back on Sept. 1 with some awesome new content that I hope you won't want to miss. Oh, and the "All Boy Event" will be back at a later date and will be even bigger and better than I first planned, so please drop back in for details to come.

Thanks so much for your understanding, I hope that this decision will make Scrappily an even better blog in the near future. Until I see you again - happy crafting.

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY CHALLENGE...

2011-08-08T11:27:00.002-04:00

I'm guessing it's pretty hard to get motivated without a blog post, huh? LOL, here goes, take the Motivational Monday Challenge (if you dare) and post the results for all of us to see (you have until Aug 31 st to share your creations)...

Use a pin or forum post as the basis of your boy page -- here's your chance to scraplift some of those layouts you love!

WELCOME TO FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY...

2011-08-05T10:15:00.002-04:00

So when I started planning this blog post I had thought to share with you an older layout that I had done of DS back in my Basic Grey craziness. But with the new school year starting, for many of us, right around the corner I thought that sharing the photo shoot we had yesterday might be a little more helpful.

The kiddos in my home are 4 and 7. My 7 year old is a year behind most of the kids out there because he started school a year late. Therefore reading in hour house isn't always up to par and pictures help a lot. If you find you have the same problem in your house, you may want to try this trick. I took a picture of each child doing each step of their morning routine yesterday morning. I converted them all to black and white for ease of use and printing (I find it looks cleaner to me if I don't have a bunch of conflicting colors going on - I know, I'm OCD.).

Using my standard Word Processing program I created a document with 2 columns and inserted each picture in order, re-sizing it to a size that worked for me (1.5 x 1.5 inches worked), beside each picture I printed the words for the actions the kids needed to do (make you bed, wash your face, brush your teeth). Now we have a tool where they can both see the action and read the words.

I am completely committed to being more organized before school starts this year and I'm actually hoping to get the whole family involved. I hope to share more projects like this one with you next month during our Back to School Blog Party. But for today, I hope you enjoyed my "organized photo shoot". Until Monday - happy crafting!

And a quick note about next week's lineup...I just wanted to let you know that this week has been a very disorganized one for me (as if you couldn't tell). I have great hope that next week will run much more smoothly - and I do appreciate your patience. Next week's posts are set to go live at about 9 AM (EST) so you can check in then to see what's up for the day.

THURSDAY COLOR COMBO (AND A SKETCH)...

2011-08-04T08:44:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone,

I am so sorry about the post yesterday, I completely spaced out on it and it was far to late to fix by the time it sunk in. We have a definate diagnosis of sleep apnea for my DS which means that we will be having surgery soon to remove his tonsils and adenoids. Yesterday was a day of scheduling and such. We'll be having the surgery in late September and Little Man (who is so quickly becoming just a man...lol) will be out of commission for about 2 weeks.

Anyway, enough excuses, on to the challenge. The first reveal of the day is your colors. Courtesy of Colors on the Web. I think they look a bit like team colors myself, you may use these colors as a guide for your layout today. And when you've finished go ahead and link up with us so we can all see what you've done (There may be a prize at the end of the month - don't know yet, but it'll be a good one.)

And if your a sketch lover, go ahead and give this one a try...it's from the lovely, Becky Fleck over at PageMaps and it's a wonderful and very versitile sketch, can't wait to see how you use it!

Leave us a link on this post to your creation and we'll all stop by to visit. Have fun, and until next time, happy crafting!

TUESDAY TECHNIQUES AND TUTORIALS: KEEPING IT SIMPLE...

2011-08-02T09:39:00.002-04:00

Supplies Used:

Cardstock is Bazzill Basics and Wasau Cardstock

Inks used are Maya Mist in Espresso Brown and Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain

Chipboard Letters are Eve from Studio G

Twine is bulk from local discount store

When I say that I'm "keeping it simple" today, I really do mean it. This layout was done, in its entirety, with 2 sheets of cardstock, some simple chipboard letters, and ink - all in the same color group. It also contains a mistake - did you see it? Do you know what and where it is? This was also my very FIRST time, yes I did say first time, using the wonderful sprays on the market.

One of my absolute favorite things about boy pages is that mistakes are generally very blendable. An extra glob, drop, or drip can be an even greater highlight to a page. Sometimes even highlighting pictures that weren't so great when you took them becomes so much easier in the midst of "boy grunge".

The "back story" in boy photos always seems to be more fun too. For example, the pictures I've scrapped here tell the bittersweet story of my own childhood friend and how he came into the life of my son. This big, yellow, brute of a dog, who was so dearly beloved by me, is my own dog, Diogi (spell dog - you've got it!). On this particular spring morning we had left my son in my Uncle's care (a total and complete troublemaker himself, I might add) and when we returned we found my son and Diogi happily playing in the mud. LOL, it didn't surprise me much at all, Diogi hadn't earned the name "Dozer Dog" for nothing. For me this picture represents how someone so dear to me could immediately learn to love another.

So today's technique and tutorial is this...don't let the "boy pics" rule you. Let the back story speak for itself and plan accordingly. If you've got mud, scrap in browns, splash on some inks, tie it up with some twine, and tell the amazing stories behind the not so great pics. Have fun with your boy pages and they'll seem like much less of a chore - oh - and more important that all that - when the situation calls for it, keep it simple and just have fun.

I hope you enjoyed today's installment and that you'll join me again tomorrow for two alike but very different layouts. Until then - happy crafting.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SCRAPBOOKING FOR BOYS...

2011-08-01T09:29:00.005-04:00

Recently, Shimelle Laine posted a video on Ali Edwards blog that, for a few days, was all the rage on the forums that I read. It was a wonderful, very insightful, very thought provoking video and it had a lot of readers over on the Two Peas in a Bucket site praising Shimelle, and I honestly have to say, that even though I didn't know Shimelle's work very well before the day that post was written, I really loved the message that she brings to scrapbooking and I took the time that day to add my own two cents to the praise she was getting. I think she's lovely, and insightful, and vibrant, and fun, and I think that she and I are a lot alike (plus she attended college right here in PA!).

The message that I got from Shimelle's video, (and if you haven't seen it, you really should, you can watch it HERE) is that sometimes you need to think outside of the box. You need to follow "the rules" a little less and follow your story a little more. And that thought brings a really good point to this whole month of "All Boy" scrapbooking here at Scrappily.

We find tons of excuses to make the "boy prints" hard to scrapbook. I hear things like "there aren't any good boy lines on the market" or "I'm tired of scrapping with blues/greens/browns, etc" -- Ok, so why do it? Are we trying to say that because we're scrapbooking for boys that our son's/husband's/nephew's lives aren't just as colorful as the female counterparts in out scrapbooks? No, we aren't. Boys live a colorful and adventurous lifestyle, really they do, so we should embrace color and scrapbook for our boys lives with a rainbow of possibilities.

Now, having made that statement, I will NOT take responsibility when your son/husband/nephew opens their scrapbook to find flowers, and ribbons, and Pepto Bismal pink on every page. You can use common sense as to what fits. I'm simply saying that because a paper or embellishment isn't specifically stated to be for "boys only" doesn't mean that it can't make a statement on a masculine page. I mean, nowhere (that I've read personally anyway) does it state that you can't use yellow, or pink, or even a touch of floral print (within reason of course) on a boy page. And, OMGosh, don't forget pastel shades, they work too, it's all in how you perceive them.

So, the first thing that I need you to do, on the course of this journey, is to open your mind and think outside the "boy" tag. Think outside the blue/green/brown/gray spectrum and use a rainbow of colors to tell the story of your boy's life -- and most of all -- follow the stories and not the trends.

I hope that you have fun this month, I have a lot of things planned, and as always, if there is something you really enjoy, drop me an e-mail or leave me a comment and let me know about it. You never know, it just might become a feature to this site. Oh, and if your totally committed to scrapping in pink, don't forget to check out the Scrappily Ever After Facebook page for more general (non boy related) content. Until tomorrow - happy scrapping!

Christmas (OR Anytime) Gift Ideas for Teachers...

2011-07-19T10:55:00.004-04:00

I think that when a crafter gets to Motherhood an awesome thing happens, you go and find a whole new world of craft necessities. And honestly, for me, thanking my kids' teachers is a necessity, and I have done it in many, many ways and forms (as you can see above). Any of the above ideas are completely do-able for a teacher's gift - either Christmas, Teacher Appreciation, Back to School or simply just because.

But I had to show you one of my all time favorite Teacher's Gifts (this one was done for back to school)...

Meet the "Teacher's Magic Basket" (as you can see, I haven't done one since last fall). I came up with this idea at the beginning of school last year and I am planning on repeating it this year with Noah's 1st Grade teacher, as well, but with a few tweeks...lol...stay tuned for that. This basket was intended for Parent's Night and it included some very cute, school house shaped writing cards (for student handwriting samples), some tissues and hand sanitzer (for the teachers), and some incentive rosettes that read "I'm kind of a big deal. Really I am". The idea of the basket as a whole was, whenever the basket became empty the teacher was instructed to return it to me with a request for a filler or just a wildcard. If I didn't receive a specific request I simply filled the basket with something of my choosing. If it was close to a holiday, I might include a treat for the teacher to hand to her students or a craft for the students to complete themselves, if it was close to report card time I might include some pens and some pretty note cards so she could write her requests to parents for conferences, etc. Sometimes the basket got filled with a book or two for the class to enjoy and some fun bookmarks, sometimes it was just filled with school supplies that I thought she might be running low on.

The "Magic Teacher Basket" ended up becoming SO much fun for me, the teacher, and the kids, that I feel I HAVE to do it again - and again and again...lol. The possibilities for this one are truly endless. Hope you try creating your own basket and if you do plan on it, stop by and let us know. Until next time - happy crafting!

Gift Closet Additions: A Few of My Favorite Things...

2011-07-13T09:36:00.002-04:00

Bouquets happen to be one of my favorite gift closet additions. I love the fact that they are totally customizable and they can hold so many little treasures. For example the one below was a wildflower mix and I tucked in some sugar free Werthers candy. It was an anniversary gift for my Mother and Father-in-Law and they ended up using it as a centerpiece on the head table. Double duty - can't beat that!

But when you create these little gems, don't forget to think outside the box either. The one shown below was made for a Belated 22nd Birthday and had little BonBon nail polishes tucked in among the flowers. In the back, behind the lid, the matching manicure set was tucked into a little tulle pouch.

You can add almost anything small to these little bouquets, think about teas, coffee, art supplies, SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES (Wouldn't I love one of these with a bunch of adhesives tucked inside!), gift cards, tickets for movies or dinner, jewelry, if your feeling racy (for an anniversary) you could put lotions and other intimate things in here, what about perfume samples, or the mini body mists? The list is endless and the possibilities are many and that is why I LOVE my bouquets for the gift closet. Just for fun, leave me a comment and let me know what you'd like to find tucked inside one of these, and if you like, tell me the colors you'd like to see and what occasion you'd love to receive one for. Until tomorrow, happy crafting!

Welcome to Gift Closet Goldmine Week - Do You Have a Gift Closet?...

2011-07-11T10:39:00.003-04:00

Should you have one? Do you need one? -- Only you can decide on your own personal needs but gift closets seem like a live saver to me at times. And don't think their only for the holidays, you can cover a wide variety of gifts in a gift closet. If you do decide you need one, read on for some great links to how to get the ball rolling. And if you decide you don't need one, don't forget to stop back this week for some great gift ideas anyway...

10 Ways to Build a Gift Closet

The Gift Closet Guide: Get Organized for Frugal Gifts and Giving

Gift Closet How To

Alright, just a small request? If you already have a gift closet, please take a moment to leave a comment and tell us all about it (so we can snag some ideas, of course) and if you don't have one but put one together as a result of this blog post, stop in and tell us all about that too. Until tomorrow, happy crafting!

A Ghost From Christmas Past...

2011-07-07T09:43:00.003-04:00

Ok, I thought for today's card we'd take a trip into Christmas past for a little inspiration. These are my 2010 Christmas cards. I think they turned out very elegant and simple. It's amazing to me how you can add an unexpected pop of color to a traditional card and come up with something lovely.

Hope you've found some inspiration. Until next time, happy crafting!

CHRISTMAS CARD CHALLENGE DAY #1: COUNTRY CHIC...

2011-07-05T10:50:00.004-04:00

Ok, first off I apologize, I completely forgot about blogging yesterday and just kind of vegged out with the family. So lets make today the official Day #1 of our Christmas Card Challenge. I am a country girl and I think today's card sort of show's that off. I love the look of the papers because they tend to be just a little "vintagy" to me. I used lots and lots of MM patterned papers here and lots and lots of Tim Holtz distress ink. The card above is the one that I would mass produce to mail out if I had a lot of people to mail to. But because I rarely need more than 30 Christmas cards, I tend to sort of pump things up a bit. So below you can see a more detailed version of this card.

And that is today's card.

If you happen to be a Follower of my Facebook page (which is often much neglected, but not this month) and your not the Christmas type (or if you have your Christmas cards done like a lot of my OWH friends) and your looking for more traditional July fare. Please feel free to stop on by. I won't be posting every single day but I will be posting some non-Christmas projects over on the Facebook page, so check it out. Thanks for stopping by and until tomorrow - happy crafting!

OWH VIRTUAL CARDMAKING PARTY PHOTO CHALLENGE: AMERICANA...

2011-07-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party, I am so glad that you stopped by. They say that "a picture is worth a thousand words" and I believe that's true, but a picture is also worth it's weight in inspiration. So my challenge to you is to let the above picture inspire your card. You can use the colors, the flowers, the flag, that gorgeous front porch, whatever you see. Or, if you'd rather, you can do like I did in my sample card below and use the entire photo if you wish. Once your photo is completed link it up to this post using the linky below.

Have fun with your cardmaking this weekend, thank you for stopping in. If you'd like to come back and stay awhile, please feel free to become a follower, over in the left hand sidebar you'll see information on all my upcoming events. We're currently in our Christmas in July segment right now, challenges are to start Monday. And if your not a Christmas person (or if you're already through with your Christmas cards) consider joining my Facebook Page for more traditional July content. Until we meet again - happy crafting!

Are You Ready For the Challenge?...

2011-07-01T09:13:00.002-04:00

Monday Morning, 9 AM, starts the "Complete Your Cards Challenge" here at Scrappily - are you ready to play along?

Each day next week, I will be posting some inspiration cards in different "styles" that way you can see a wide range of inspiration. You do not have to make any of the card designs that are displayed, however, you are more than welcome to scraplift as much as you like.

To play along, simply leave a comment on this thread telling us (1) how many cards you'll need to complete (2) your deadline for getting them done.

To answer those questions above, I need only about 40 cards and I'd like to have them completed no later than October 31st. That's it, I'm signed in, and you should too, the next mont is going to be a fun one!

On a side note, don't forget the OWH Cardmaking Party coming up this weekend - Scrappily will be a challenge host and their are great prizes involved.

Until next time - happy crafting!

2011-06-30T10:06:00.002-04:00

I have to admit, that lucky little me is privy to some great scrapbooking deals at times. SO, in the spirit of Christmas, I'm going to let you in on one of my big time and money savers - my friend Lori and her wonderful site Apron Strings Designs. Now, some of you may or may not know that Lori runs an awesome and unbeatable kit club that features an All Year Cheer Card Kit that is awe-some. But she's also got some other deals up her sleeve that are completely unbeatable. I'll be referring to things next week with my card designs using product from her site, so you'll want to keep notice.

So okay, now, on to the real gift...Lori has graciously offered you 20% off your entire order thru July 31st if you use Coupon Code: CJ20 at the checkout. Can't beat that. So until tomorrow Ho-Ho-Happy Crafting!

We Interrupt Your Christmas Craftyness to Bring You a 4th of July Blowout Like No Other...

2011-06-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, ok, I know, we're gearing up for CHRISTMAS this month. But....OWH is having a HUGE virtual cardmaking event this weekend that you will NOT want to miss and I may (or may not) be on the roster to host a challenge.

If you haven't already heard the news, head on over to the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog to find out more about the party. There is a hush hush exclusive prize being awarded to one lucky party participant (that sounds kinda fun, huh?) AND also one of the host bloggers will be winning a prize as well. So sounds like lots of fun to be had for all. I'm sure you won't wanna miss it!

Hope to see you there! Until tomorrow, happy crafting!

OK, Lets Take a Day to Get Into the Christmas Spirit...

2011-06-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit when its 95 degrees (or more) outside and I'm wearing shorts and a tank top and still melting. I mean honestly, how's a crafter to make this thing work? So I thought I would share a few ideas for making Christmas in July into your own little crafty crop.

Turn up the air conditioning/central air/etc. and slip into a sweater and some slipper socks.
Sip some hot cocoa (or iced hot cocoa if you'd like) OR try having some herbal or spiced iced tea instead.
Light a Christmassy scented candle near your work area. Think of something traditional yet woodsy so your spouse doesn't think your totally nuts...LOL...pine or even berry would work, and don't forget the old standbys of spice or vanilla.
Put on some Christmas carols (I actually have several mixed CDs that Scraphubby has made for me to listen to when I'm doing different things - like a patriotic CD to make OWH cards to.)
Set a small Christmas decoration on your workspace. A small house or village on the corner of your desk can do wonders.
Change your screensaver to a winter scene if you have a laptop on your scrap desk.
Make up a batch of your favorite Christmas treats, whether it be cookies or candy.
If you have a laptop or TV in your scrap area watch some seasonal movies. Nothing puts you in the spirit like Miracle on 34th Street or Elf and don't forget Frosty or Rudolph either.
RAK someone. What else can put you in the Christmas spirit like a little bit of good-will giving. So make someone's day and RAK them some scrappy goodies.
Treat yourself to a little gift. Maybe a scrappy purchase that you know you'll be needing for your cards?

However you choose to do it, get yourself into the Christmas spirit and gather your supplies for next month's Christmas event. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Welcome to Christmas Prep Week...

2011-06-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, Ok, in all honesty I know I didn't specify that you'd have to do any prep for this whole Christmas in July thing, BUT, when I got into the whole event planning mode, it dawned on me, there are gonna have to be a few things decided in advance. So, just like Santa makes his list, I'm going to work with you on some things, so that we have a list (or at least a clear picture) of what we have to accomplish to be ready for this Christmas.

How many Christmas cards do I need for mailing?
Who is on my Christmas gift list this year?
Who on my list will appreciate a handcrafted gift? Who on my list must I buy a gift for?
Do I have a gift closet? Do I need one? Do I have space for that? (A little more on this later.)
Who do I need gifts for in my child's classroom/school?

You don't have to post your list or anything like that, just sort of go through the questions to get a clear picture of what you have ahead. If you need more help with your list making or general planning a wonderful site to check out is Organized Christmas if your not familiar with this site, it's got loads of resources for planning your holidays, planner pages, printable, and lots more.

Alright, meet you back here tomorrow for some more prep work and then next week we start tackling those cards! Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Can Ya'All Help a Girl Out?...

2011-06-22T12:16:00.002-04:00

Some of you may or may not know that my family has taken up hiking, and we're having a blast. My state and the Chevy vehicle makers are sponsoring a contest where we can name our own roadtrip and have friends and family vote for us. If our trip gets selected VisitPA and Chevy will send us on our way with a brand new (loaner) Chevy Silverado pickup.

If you'd be willing to help up out, just go to this link VOTE FOR US and cast your vote. If you post back here and tell me you've voted for us, I'll put your name in for a little blog candy.

Thanks for helping me out! Until next time, happy crafting!

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas (in July, that is)...

2011-06-14T09:40:00.002-04:00

Good Morning...

Just wanted to remind you that Santa has been busy making his July Christmas list (and checking it twice too), and that he and the elves have a sleigh full of great Christmas ideas to get you motivated and ready to enjoy your holiday EARLY this year. Yep, you read that right, you'll be sipping cocoa and warming your toes by the fire this December knowing that your cards are mailed and your gift closet is brimming full of thoughtfully handmade goodies.

But, Santa needs a little help from you...He asked me to ask you what suggestions you have? What kind of things would motivate you? Challenges? A Card Making Boot Camp? Prizes or Awards? Santa would like to know.

Remember, the Christmas in July Event will be divided into 3 segments and each one will run for one week. It's my hope to provide tutorials for everything that can be downloaded and stored away for future reference incase you don't finish everything you'd like by the end of the month of July.

So, let me (ummm, I mean Santa) know your thoughts on each segment...

Week #1 -- Complete Your Cards Challenge

Week #2 -- Gift Closet Goldmine

Week #3 -- School Daze Holiday Craze (Gifts for Students and Teachers)

Oh, and Santa is also wondering if any of the great bloggers out there would be interested in joining in a Christmas in July Blog Hop? Let me (umm, Santa) know if your interested.

Until next time, happy crafting!

Sick Day - Nope, It's Not Me....Yet Anyway!

2011-06-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

So, last week was the first full week of summer vacation - wondering what we've been up to? Hmmm...well, we've been nursing -of all things- pneumonia. Yep, my darling son started out the summer vacation with a hefty cough and spent the last 5 days on antibiotics. Now his little sister is following in his footsteps - again - and she's been coughing too. I'm not feeling ill at all yet, but as all of you Mom's out there know, it's probably only a matter of time, or maybe not, lets hope.

Hoping your having a better week wherever you are. Until next time, happy crafting!

OK Blog Readers Here's the Scoop...

2011-06-08T10:59:00.002-04:00

I've been getting a lot of inquiries as to where I've been and I wanted to first say a sincere thank you to all of those who have been worried. I am, to put it as simply as possible, swamped with a lot of things right now.

Some of you may or may not know that we've been having some behavioral issues with my 7 year old and we've been thinking lately that it might be ADHD. We were prepared for a diagnosis and ready to begin whatever treatment was necessary, as long as, it didn't contain us giving him drugs for his condition. THAT was to be the last resort. Anyway, recently we found out (after a VERY scary night) that his problems may not be related to ADHD at all. He has (a suspected case - we see a specialist soon) Sleep Apnea. We've been working with a therapist to see if we can get some of the behavioral stuff cleared up BEFORE he tears (the rest of) my house down. The therapist pointed out that some of his problems are simply a high curiosity about how things work, and because she feels he is very intelligent (great, one of us is gifted...lol) she's suggested we learn and explore through science, cooking, etc. through the summer months.

Another, more fun development is that we've taken on the task of remodeling our first room in our home - my daughter's room, that is, we'll follow up next year with my son's. It's been quite a bit bigger (and more expensive) undertaking than we thought. My DH and his wonderful sister both took a week off to complete the room and even though they've been back to work now for 2 weeks each, we haven't got it finished. Although we are nearing the end.

So even though I have wonderful, wonderful discoveries to share with you, I've been so swamped that getting into my scrap room has been more of a chore than a pleasure. Therefore...I have sat down and done some extreme planning and I am excited to announce a really great lineup of summer fun on Scrappily starting this July. Read more below...

By YOUR asking...I will be doing a Christmas in July Segment this year. I will be running the segment in 3 parts.

Week #1 - July 4-8 - will be Scrappily's very own "Complete Your Cards Challenge". We'll get you in the groove to finish off those Christmas cards early this year. In fact, you'll have them done or nearly completed by the end of July. Just follow along with the posted Challenges (think of the Organization Boot Camp) and your cards will be easy peasy. LOTS of inspiration this week too.

Week #2 - July 11 - 15 - will be our Gift Closet Goldmine segment. Designed specifically to get those gift closets filled with lots of crafty treasures for gifting this year. Don't miss this one - your closet will thank you for stopping by.

Week #3 - July 18 - 22 - will be our School Daze Holiday Craze, where you can find TONS of gift ideas for teachers, classmates, bus drivers, therapists, and lots more. Plus, I will cover lots of do-able ideas for the new "no candy" and "special diet" policies that lots and lots of schools are adopting.

You'll find several Bonus Projects this month on July 1 and July 25-27 to inspire you even further. Scrappily will be hitting the road for Vacation July 28 - August 1, so no telling what might pop up those days - stay tuned for scheduled posts and fun facts about where we're on the road at. Lots and lots of fun challenges too, we'll help you get those summer photos scrapped.

For those of you waiting so patiently for the All Boy Event - thank you for hanging in there! You can find that coming up August 1 - 31. I will make sure all the designers (great talent is joining me for this event) have a full itinerary by Friday, July 8.

AND, last but certainly not least, I'll be running the Back to School Blog Party again this year! YEAH! If you weren't with us last year, we had a fun month of school themed challenges, projects, brainteasers, and more. So I hope you will join us again this year.

Things may be spotty until July 1st but I promise you after that the summer will be heating up.

Happy Crafting!

Happiness Always...

2011-05-23T08:47:00.006-04:00

Good Morning!

It's (for now) a bright and sunny morning here in Western PA (that could change on a dime though with the weather we've been having here) and we are gearing up to start Day 2 of my DD's room renovation - lots of work and lots and lots of excitement here.

I thought this week I would share with you some cards that I made using the May 2011 All Year Cheer Card Kit from Apron Strings Designs (you can see the kit below). I honestly have to say that if your in the market for a monthly card kit, this is the way to go! Lori packs her kits full of great cardmaking goodness and she provides a full color newsletter with step by step instructions to make 6 cards of your own. It really cannot be beat, so if your "hungry" for some inspiration go ahead and stop by and see what Lori is "cooking up" at APRON STRINGS DESIGNS.
And make sure to stay tuned this week for lots and lots of details on the All Boy Scrapbook Event coming up June 1st here at Scrappily. I have got TONS of brand new inspiration! Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

I am Here...I Think I am....Sort Of....

2011-05-18T12:26:00.002-04:00

I am here, well, not right here, not so much on Scrappily, but I am alive and well.

I've been working on some things for the All Boy Event, coming up very, very soon. And working on some things for the end of the year at school, coming up very, VERY soon (I'm gonna have a Kindergarten graduate in a couple of weeks - yikes!). We've also been dealing with some medical stuff with DS. AND, amongst it all, the school called and asking if I could help with an ASAP (read: need by Friday) project.

So, I am here, I am crafting, I am fully intending to bring you all some great stuff. I just need the world to stop spinning or the ride to stop spinning and let me off for a sec.

Hope your having a wonderful, crafty day!

Teacher Appreciation: Day 2

2011-05-03T13:37:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry I'm late with today's post, but I knew I would be going into the school today to do this door and I wanted you to be the first to see it. So, without delay, here is the Pre-K Teacher Door. We've got a group of little ones moving on to Kindergarten next year so I thought I would honor them with little graduation caps. The teachers love it.

Thanks for looking and until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week...

2011-05-02T10:18:00.003-04:00

Good Morning.

Today is the official start of Teacher Appreciation Week and I am honored to have the chance to thank the teacher's at my childrens' schools through my crafting. This morning I delivered the bouquet above (JustAPackRat....you get an extra entry into the drawing for requesting more of my bouquets - congrats.) along with a few bags of Lifesavers. Just a simple gesture to let our teachers know that we're thinking about them and we think that they are "lifesavers" to our kids. Each day the candy and little sentiment card will change out and by the end of the week, they can take the extra candies back to their classes for their own enjoyment or a quick class treat.

Also, I didn't get a picture for you but, the teachers found a pencil holder and two No2 pencils in their mailboxes this morning. Just another fun and inexpensive little thank you to make them feel special.

Stay tuned the rest of this week for lots of Teacher Appreciation ideas (which would be great for the end of the year too). Until then - happy crafting!

More Multi Photo Layouts...

2011-04-28T10:17:00.003-04:00

I had such a nice response yesterday to the multi-photo layouts that I thought you might enjoy seeing a few more today, so I've delved back into the stacks of layouts that still need put into the pretty new albums that I recently purchased, and found you some more inspiration. Just a quick mention that if your wondering why your seeing oldies but goodies instead of shiny new layouts it's because I am in full Teacher Appreciation mode at my house this week. You'll hear much more about this next week so stay tuned.

The first layout here is of our annual visit to the Pumpkin Patch, this was actually our first year of visiting. As many of you have said, when you get pics of activities like these you simply have to take advantage and put a lot of photos on the page.

My Gram, who you will undoubtedly hear a lot about on this blog (Goodness, how I miss her!), was Irish, and with that she always taught us to "spread about our Irish", so in this family we spread our Irish each year on St. Patty's Day in the form of cupcakes. I caught these adorable pics of Noah as we were making and decorating them for his preschool class several years ago.

Not too many pictures on this layout of Thomas, I mean Noah, lol, but I LOVE these Sandy Lion papers. I honestly did not think I'd enjoy working with them because they are such bold patterns and I don't normally do that, but after seeing this layout in a magazine spread, it was so easy to put together one of my own.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post, I'll have another layout for you tomorrow and then I'm taking the weekend off to finish up teacher gifts. I'll be back Monday to kick off a week long celebration of all things teacher and teaching related, so if you need some good ideas for Teacher Appreciation or even end of the year gifts, stop back and see. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Scrapbooking With Many Photos...

2011-04-27T09:53:00.005-04:00

Ok, I just received a comment from the lovely, jengd, asking for some multiple photo layouts. I have to admit that I'm with, Jen, I scrap lots and lots of day trips and things like that so mostly the majority of my layouts are double page and have many photos, however, with the one 4x6 photo craze sweeping the scrapbook industry, I tend not to show them on the blog here quite as much. So I've pulled a few, not new, but never before seen layouts to share with you.

This first one incorporated only 4 photos, but you could easily decrease the size of photos and fit quite a few more on here. It's a classic example of how sometimes the design makes the layout and how sometimes it's the journaling that brings it all together. I think in this case the layout is so/so and the journaling is what pulls a person in and makes them love it all (Let me know if you can't see or read the journaling and I'll be happy to re-post this with the journaling typed out.)

The "Sunbathing Diva Exposed" layout has been seen here on Scrappily a few times at least. It's one of my absolute favorite layouts of Emy. We were sitting in full sun that day and every time poor baby here looked up she got an eyeful of sun. I, of course, scrapbooking Mommy that I am, kept right on snapping and this cute layout was born. It uses only 5 photos, but again, it's very easy to reduce you photo size and fit more than that on the page. Here, to make things fun, I set my journaling up as a newspaper article and typed it right on the page (the black ribbon hides the cut mark on the paper so I could fit it through the printer).

Alright, this next one looks bare, I know it, when I did this one I was planning on using it as an introduction page about our trip for my scrapbook. So I just titled it and used a ton of pictures of our day and left it at that. Later on I'll pick out some of our favorite memories from the day and do some layouts with them and I will journal our day then. There are actually 15 photos on this page, and it all just really depends on how comfortable you are with cropping as to whether you can get a similar look.

Finally, for any of you that might scrap in single page only, you CAN fit lots of photos on one page. Here I have 6 photos on a 12x12 page - isn't that unbelievable?! LOL, no, it's really not unbelievable, it's just not something you see a whole lot anymore.

I hope you enjoyed going through some of my older layouts (I think you can definatly see the progression in scrapbooking style here...LOL.). I also hope that you've gotten some great ideas, and Miss Jen, you've got 2 entries into the drawing on May 15th. Keep the ideas coming and I will try to accommodate as many as possible before the date of the drawing. Until tomorrow, happy crafting!

My Second Day Back is a "Whirl"wind....

2011-04-26T11:16:00.002-04:00

I know, I know, I just said yesterday that this week was going to be devoted to layouts, but, I had these cute little pinwheel pencils to show you and I just couldn't wait. I made these for Miss Emy's Spring Party at Preschool last week and they were a hit with all the kids. The only downside is that I wasn't able to use strait pins to really make them spin, so the pinwheels are just hot glued to the pencils for decoration. I always make a few extras when I do things like this incase a sibling would show up and I'd need one. This year the teachers in Em's class snapped up the extras.

So until tomorrow - happy crafting!

I'm Back! And I Am SO Excited to Be Blogging Again...

2011-04-25T09:40:00.003-04:00

FOUR YEARS...

Paper: Sweet Pea DSP (retired), Stampin Up, Stampin Up

Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, and So Saffron Cardstocks

Ink: Chocolate Chip Ink (Stampin UP)

Accessories: half round pearls, silver dewdrops,

Cricut Carts: Storybook and George and Basic Shapes

Photo edges were edited using Picnik

I have had an awesome and amazing hiatus and I positively cannot wait to tell you all about the fun over the next couple of months. Just logging into my account today knowing that I had a post to share with all of you was an awesome anticipation. It feels wonderful to crawl back out from under a mountain of fun scrappy stuff to finally share. So without further delay....

Alright, we have a contest going on here at Scrappily (if you need more info check out THIS post), I haven't forgotten that. I've decided that I'm going to extend it for a tiny little while so that everyone can see what I've been up to. My friend Lori from APRON STRINGS DESIGNS has generously donated an Embellishment Mystery Box as the prize, which she will mail out to one lucky winner, which I will announce on May 15th, giving you plenty of time to see if you've got an extra entry into the contest.

And speaking of extra entries to the contest, you might have noticed my layout at the beginning of this post entitled "Four Years...", that is the lovely little girl who graces us with her presence each day, and I'm beginning to think she's growing up WAY to fast...lol. This week's focus here at Scrappily will be documenting memories in layouts as requested by two of my readers psrusberg who asked for "great layouts that use fun color combos" and Miss Lisa who requested "more scrapbook pages/ideas". You've both gotten an extra entry into the prize drawing on May 15th, good luck and enjoy the layouts this week. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Poking My Head Up to Peek Around....

2011-04-15T09:51:00.002-04:00

LOL, Hello Everyone,

Thank you all so much for the comments, I've been reading them faithfully and who knows what I might be up to in regards to those (but I'll update you soon, I promise). I am really having one of those to-do list kinda days so I decided to heed the advise of my friend, Becky, and stop by her blog. Each month Becky rewards one lucky person with a little RAK for listing and finishing up their scrapbooking tasks. You can check out her signup post with last month's winner HERE.

So you might be wondering, with my week off, what I still need to accomplish - let me assure you its a TON of stuff! So here goes....

I need 20 small treats for my daughter's Spring Party next week.
I need to complete Emy's teacher's bachelorette album for her bachelorette trip at the end of this month.
I have at least one (but possibly two) Teacher doors to design and prepare for.
I have 2 mini Teacher Appreciation Albums for Noah's teachers.
I have Teacher Appreciation gestures to prepare for all 60 of our school staff (One small thing each day of Teacher Appreciation week.)
I have LOTS of fun projects to prepare for all of you!

Not so much of a list, is it? No, not really. LOL, well, now that I have straight in my head what needs completed, I'd better go get to work. And thank you, Becky, for getting me motivated.

Until next time - happy crafting!

Ok, Just Gonna Admit It, No Mojo, and Bogged Down With Projects (Read On to See How You Can Help and Win Some Candy Too!)...

2011-04-05T09:39:00.002-04:00

I have a wonderful new crafting space, I have lots and lots of yummy scrapbook goodies to play with, and I have tons of inspiration, what I don't have is mojo. It has apparently flown the coop this spring. Now those of you who are regular readers probably already noticed the drop in content and I really don't want it to be that way, so I've been thinking of a way we can all win (Yeah, I watched WAY too much Fairly Legal on USA this past season.)

Alright, here's the plan...I'm going to take a short break and I'll be returning to active blogging on April 25, 2011, but in the meantime, I'd like you to post a comment to this thread telling me what you'd like to see (I'll check the threads regularly and use your ideas to give you the blog content that you want.). What's in it for you? Well....anyone who comments and leaves me a suggestion during my vacation gets their name put into a blog candy drawing. Now, during the break, I'll be updating periodically about what I've been up to, and if I use your idea, I'll tell you so and give you an extra chance at the blog candy. It's as easy as that and we both win, I get to find out what you want to see and you get a chance at some fun candy in the process.

So, leave me a comment, I'll be watching, and look for the return on April 25th (There might even be a few suprise changes then too!) to see some great new projects inspired by you. Oh, and don't forget, coming in June we are having a HUGE Boys Only Scrapbook Event. Until next time - happy scrapping!

Commencing Operation Dining Room Decor...

2011-04-01T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, yes, the title is a fancy way of luring you into my dining room makeover...lol...but, it does have a crafty purpose, somehow, I think.

If you love those decorating shows on TV where they go around the house and find things from other rooms to steal and put together a whole new room, then you are gonna love this. You see, my dining room is one room in our house that has remained untouched since we've moved in. So today, sitting here in all the whiteness, I decided, well, it has to go. So when Scraphubby and the kids got home, we did some brainstorming and came up with the pallet that you see above, where's the crafty part in this? Well, the whole pallet comes from a package of Bazzill Basics paper that I picked up at Big Lots. I'm going to use those tones and colors and whatever patterned paper I can find to spruce up my dining room with fun paper crafted touches and lots of stuff that's stored away in my basement. I thought you might enjoy seeing what I come up with and how things evolve so, starting on Monday, I'll be showing you some great decor items you can make with paper and a little imagionation - stay tuned and enjoy. Until Monday, happy crafting!

Wishing You Thoughts of Spring...

2011-03-31T10:05:00.008-04:00

I'm sure that somewhere out there the meadows are blooming, the robins are singing, and all around, well, spring must be springing (sorry, couldn't help it)...but it isn't here in PA - we have a dusting of snow this morning and it's COLD. Yet still, as I sit here sipping my Earl Grey (Which I didn't think I'd have to buy another box of but I guess I will!) , I have a very cute springtime project to share with you. Now, I know, you were thinking more pastels and less bold colors, but these colors match my living room walls perfectly. This banner was made using the retired Sweet Pea papers from Stampin Up and because they were essentially a Spring release, I'm going with it.

Below, I wanted to give you a quick close up of the design - check out that striped butterfly - isn't it wonderful. I cut it with the help of my Cricut and the Indie Art cartridge that I use about once every 3 years...

Where ever you are in the world today, I wish you springtime thoughts and days. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

My Intentions Were the Best...

2011-03-28T09:07:00.002-04:00

I wanted to have a wonderful project for you all this morning, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead my family tempted me into a wonderful lazy weekend of movie watching on the couch (all of us on the couch - what a treat!). So instead of a project for today, how about a reveal of my new craft space. I just love it! The colors are so perfect for Scraphubby and I and it looks sleek and fresh. Ikea is the best place to shop - ever!

So that's it for today, I'm sorry there was no scrappy eye candy. Please join me tomorrow though for a lovely project. Until then - happy crafting!

Summer Camp Gift Set: It's a Wrap!

2011-03-25T10:33:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to show you a quick picture of the wrapping on this gift, isn't it so simple, but so yummy at the same time. I used one of my large, double cheater bows, topped off with a Campfire button. Just stacked the notecards and album together and tied it all off with a bit of twine. Simple and natural. Hope you enjoyed this week's project. I'll be back next week with more - until then - happy crafting!

Summer Camp Gift Set: Part 4...

2011-03-24T11:06:00.005-04:00

Hello there again, thanks for stopping by, this will be the last of the pages of the Summer Camp journal. These are pocket pages that provide her with a place to document some useful facts.

Thanks for stopping by, tomorrow we'll "wrap" this project up and next week I'll have some more fun and exciting things to show you. Until tomorrow - happy crafting.

Summer Camp Gift Set: Part 3...

2011-03-23T11:52:00.004-04:00

For today's segment I wanted to show you the "Autographs" section of the Summer Camp Journal. This is a place where she can have her campers write special messages that she can read over later to remember the summer, or she can simply use these pages to doodle or add her own thoughts if she'd rather.

I kept this part simple for versatility. Simply using some kraft cardstock and slipping it inside the ring binding.

Hope you enjoyed! Tomorrow I'll be showing you the final section of my journal, then on Friday you could say I'll be "wrapping it all up" when I show you how I wrapped this up for a pretty (and simple) presentation. Until then, happy crafting!

Summer Camp Gift Set: Part 2...

2011-03-22T11:55:00.006-04:00

Linda, of course you got your wish granted first...LOL...I am thrilled that my project fit into the request so nicely. Read on for more about the gift - your gonna love this part!

Below is the Summer Camp Journal that I created for her to share all her thoughts. There are several sections so I'm going to show you in a few segments so that the post doesn't become too pic heavy. Here's the front cover "My Summer Adventure". (Again, I kept the theme running using some yummy October Afternoon papers and chipboard stickers from the same line.)

I titled the first section "My Journal" and simply filled it with lined notebook paper, this is the spot where she can record her thoughts, feelings, quotes, or whatever she chooses.

Hope you enjoyed! Join me tomorrow for the next section of the journal. Until then, happy crafting!

Summer Camp Gift Set: Part 1

2011-03-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

During my plea for suggestions for the All Boy Scrapbook event, someone mentioned camping pages the other day. Well, I don't have any pages for you but I do have a pretty cool Summer Camp project that I made for a birthday gift for one of Emy's preschool teachers (I try to spoil each of them individually when I can.). This particular teacher is just the sweetest lady and we love her to death. She spends each summer at a Christian Summer Camp so I wanted to make her a little something that she could use at camp.

The first part of the project that I'd like to show you is this little set of gift cards that I made for her to write home on. All of these (6 different designs) were made with the yummy October Afternoon Campfire papers (you can find them on my friend Lori's website HERE). I added some ribbon from Stampin Up and some nature quotes I found online and viola a very cute camp theme gift.

Hope you enjoy! Join me tomorrow for some sneaks of the matching Summer Camp Journal and later this week for some presentation ideas. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

A Little Thursday Input, If You Please...

2011-03-17T12:04:00.001-04:00

I've been hearing A LOT lately that those of you who scrap for boys are looking for a little inspiration. Apparently lots of layouts and inspiration blogs only scrapbook the girls. So I was wondering if you could please enlighten me and tell me "what kind of boy things would you like to see?"

It's my intention to do a month long - BOYS ONLY - feature here at Scrappily and I'd like to know just what you'd like to see featured. So leave me a comment and let me know what you want.

Until next time - happy crafting!

Big Beautiful (Cheater) Bow Tutorial...

2011-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

You were all so wonderful and spoiled me with compliments this weekend that I just had to fess up and tell you - that, well - I'm a cheater! The bow that you saw in the rooster card in THIS post want even tied. It's very simple to do with a few supplies and some glue dots. Read on, I'll show you...

That's all there is too it. So go and find some wide ribbon and try this trick next time you want a little added "wow" on your cards or projects. Couldn't be any easier. Until next time, happy crafting!

Welcome to the Spring Forward Blog Hop!...

2011-03-11T05:48:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the Spring Forward Blog Hop, jointly hosted by Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly and Lora atNotes from the Scrapbooklady - Thanks for stopping in to see the great spring themed projects designed by all the talented participants.

This blog hop will offer one lucky blog hopper a TWO PART blog candy. Celeste and Lora have both put together prize packages and will each mail their prize package to the ONE LUCKY WINNER! The rules are pretty simple - visit each participating blog and leave a comment - a winner will be chosen from among all posts left at Notes from the Scrapbooklady blog and then we will verify that the winner has visited and commented on each blog. The winner will be posted at both Notes from the Scrapbookladyand Touched by a Butterfly and will have one week to contact Lora or Celeste with a mailing address for their prize packages.

Below you can see my project, I know, spring is usually all about the pastels, but this PA farm girl (well, once upon a time anyway), loves bolder colors (don't ya love that bow!). This card was made using the (long time) retired Stampin Up set "Roosting", and reminds me of looking out the window on a spring morning and seeing the chickens scratching the fresh growing grass in search of their morning meal, hope you enjoy (sorry about the dark pic, it is actually SNOWING here and getting good lighting was out of the question)!

Ok, on to the rest of the hop, below is a list of all of the participating blogs to help you along and thanks for stopping by!...

1. Lora at http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/
2. Celeste L. at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
3.Brandi at http://joyfullycreative.blogspot.com/
4.Carrie at http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
5.Celeste B. at http://ccscards.blogspot.com/
6.Karel at http://karelj.blogspot.com/
7. Kacee at www.youhadmeatscrap.blogspot.com
8. ***YOU ARE HERE *** Melanie at www.arkmom-scrappilyeverafter.blogspot.com
9. Michelle at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com
10. Patti at http://lilbitcreations.blogspot.com
11. Sue at http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
12. Tina at http://scrappingwithtina.blogspot.com/
13.Amy Jo at http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com/
14. Yolie At http://www.justyolie.com/

Making Progress -- SLOWLY!...

2011-03-08T10:32:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to get VERY excited about showing you all my new scrap space and all the new and updated touches in the Master Bedroom Re-do but I'm holding off until everything is just right. I want it all to be just perfect before I give you a real tour (maybe even a video tour, huh?) .

So, I thought I would pull an idea from the decorating shows and show you a project in progress as sort of a teaser. Here you go. These corkboards were bought very cheaply at a furniture and office accessory sell out sale from a local business who is closing. The frames were the wrong color, so I'm spending the morning giving them a quick coat of paint.

Hope you enjoyed this peek, look for more of them in the near future as well as another exciting blog hop this weekend! You simply won't want to miss it. Until next time - happy crafting!

Winner! Winner! Winner!

2011-03-07T09:07:00.001-05:00

I know I gave myself till Noon to post but I just couldn't contain the excitement any longer. So without further delay the winner of the blog hop drawing is #41....Tammy....Tammy said....

Such a super sweet layout...remembering those precious moments is the best.

smiles...Tammy

Congratualtions, Tammy, please e-mail me with your mailing information so I can send your prize.

IT'S BLOG HOP TIME!...

2011-03-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hello and welcome to the blog hop! If you've arrived here from Lisa's blog SCRAPPIN IN NJ then your in the right spot, if you haven't why not head back over there and start from the beginning. There are lots of wonderful projects to see and great blog candy to be won as well.

I don't know about you, but spring makes me think of the smell of freshly cut grass, the new buds sprouting from the trees, the little flowers popping up their heads to say hello, and the happy sound of kids playing in the yard after being cooped up in the house all winter long. These are old pictures and old papers that came together to tell the story of Noah and his skateboard adventure. Thankfully, after these pictures were taken, the skateboarding phase was soon over (for now, at least!).

Ok, so how boring would a sping bloghop be without some spring blog candy? I think pretty boring so here goes, hmmm, lets say jump three times, turn three circles, and send me your first born child...lol...I'm kidding...seriously, how about if you drop in and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite part of spring is. You can see a picture of the blog candy below. It's a nice little assortment of Studio112 product from JoAnn Fabrics. Ok, it's on to the next blog with you and please don't forget to leave a comment. I'll be a winner by random drawing on Monday morning and post back here no later than Noon (EST), good luck, and on to Melissa's blog, DISNEY DREAMER DESIGNS, happy crafting!

Wedding Album Project : Part 2...

2011-03-02T09:51:00.006-05:00

I'm sorry, I meant to post these yesterday, I had really good intentions...really I did. But here they are today, the second installment of wedding album pages. I did end up showing the book to the Bride, btw, it just seemed to personal of a thing not to let her in on it. She LOVED it. I won't let her have it just yet because I'm working on a companion album for her and I'll give them both to her at once. Anyway, below you can see the pages.

If your wondering about the bedroom remodeling and craft area re-do, we're in the home stretch, I think. We have one more wall to paint, some patch work to do, and we need to assemble hubby's hobby area and get his new supplies loaded in. There's new bedding to unwrap and wash and put out. And we're working on reconfiguring our bedroom furniture, OH, and a new TV to hang as well. So really just loose ends.

Alright, until tomorrow happy crafting! Oh and one last thing, my good friend (and wonderful "boss lady"...lol...I'm on her DT) is having a big Birthday Bash over at her blog, if you have a minute go on over and check her out at APRON STRINGS DESIGNS. AND, as if that isn't enough excitement, Scrappily will be part of a Spring/Easter Blog Hop this weekend, so please come and hop along if you like.

I'm Back with A Book and a Project!...

2011-02-28T08:19:00.007-05:00

Top of the morning! Happy Monday! I am SO excited to finally be back to blogging with you! I hope that you've stuck around with me even through my absence. Am I back in my new scraproom? Ummm, no. Am I close to being back in my scraproom? Ummm, no. Am I ok with scrapping at the dining room table? Well, it has a few perks...lol...we're still working on the bedroom and the scrap/hobby areas but we're hoping to be back up and running sooner or later.

Anyway, if you are wondering about the picture up above, it is in honor of the Great and Wonderful Dr. Suess whose birthday is tomorrow. I'll be reading the book above to Noah's class this afternoon as I am a scheduled "Dr. Suess Day Volunteer". Likewise I'll be reading tomorrow also and if the Librarian happens to need me, I'll be filling in there too - what awesome fun!

But I also promised you a project, so without any further delay, check out the following pages...

My daughter's preschool teacher is getting married in a few months and, of course, I thought that a gift album might be in order. The last time I vowed to do one of these albums was years ago and I swore after that one that I'd never do another - you know - you shouldn't really swear you won't do something, LOL, because it simply means you usually do. I appologize that the pictures are not the greatest. Most were taken at midnight by the light of the dining room, on the dining table, by a half sleep ridden crazed woman. But at any rate, enjoy.

And until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Just Thought I'd Share...

2011-02-23T10:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to my new, temporary (I hope!) scrap area. This is where I have been retired to until the great bedroom re-do is accomplished. We had planned Monday evening to go to Ikea and grab the new "hobby area" furniture, but, well, dear, sweet PA winter had other ideas and decided to dump a blizzard right on us. So hopefully, next week will be a better week. I'm am looking forward to getting something accomplished to share with you. I'm working right now on a mini journal, so please, stay tuned for pics of that and lots of fun St. Paddy's Day stuff to come.

Until next time - happy crafting!

Hi Everyone, I'm sorry for the LONG absence...

2011-02-21T09:55:00.002-05:00

I hope that all of you out there in the blog world do not think that I've forgotten about you - I certainly have not. I'm experiencing a bit of, well, technical chaos...lol...otherwise known as remodeling. We have decided after 4 years of living with white walls to paint and spruce up our Master Bedroom. Many of you know that this also involves my scrap area. We're also adding a second "hobby" area for hubby, he doesn't scrapbook (much), sorry ladies, but perhaps he'll let us take a peek into his world at times.

Anyway, I wanted you to know that as soon as I'm back "up and running" I'll be bringing you some wonderful projects. Thanks for hanging in there. Until next time happy crafting!

PS, next time I promise some pics to back up my statements.

2011-02-10T08:59:00.002-05:00

I figured before I even got started with my list this morning that I would just declare that I am out to lunch...LOL...seems logical right? Anyway, just to prove to you what I am up against, I thought I would post my to-do list today and let you see what I'm trying to tackle (well, tomorrow you can see what I'm trying to tackle, hopefully it'll be done and I can post it for you).

Anyway, here is today's to-do:

Finish 20 Valentine's for Emy's class + 5 for her "after school friends" (These are the brother's and sisters of Noah's Kindergarten friends, we try to make sure to have enough for them too.) I'm also including candy treats with her Valentine's modeled to look like dog bones.
4 Teacher Valentine's for Emy's class (I usually try to make these cards a little bigger than the rest and sometimes I'll do teacher cards with something "extra" the teacher can use or just without candy, etc.)
Finish 20 Valentine's for Noah's calss + 5 for his "after school friends" (Likewise, the brothers and sisters of his and Emy's school friends.) He wants something with Monster Trucks on them. I think I know just the stamp set to use, pretty sure I have colors and paper pinned down, but not sure on design, we'll see what that ends up. I'm also including 20 candy treats with his modeled to look like Monster Truck tires.
2 Teacher Valentine's for Noah's class (I actually think I know what I want to do for these teachers, so we'll see how that turns out.)
The rest of the Valentine props for my Valentine Dinner on Monday.

Whew! Is it just me or does even that small chunk seem like a lot. I will trudge on and until tomorrow I hope you all have a great day! Happy Crafting!

PS, to my Boot Camp members, look for a post around NOON (EST) today to upload your links.

I'm Buried in Red and Pink....

2011-02-09T10:06:00.004-05:00

The end of last week was a pretty busy one. I spent Friday afternoon door decorating for the preschool. And below is a small picture of the outcome. Gotta love that Cricut! I cut each child an individual envelope using the Doodlecharms cart (one of my all time favorites) then cut each of the teachers (4 total) a mailbox of their own. The swirls were cut from my Storybook cart and glittered with Stickles to make them look like snowy winds blowing the envelopes around. I then added 2 sizes of pink and red hearts to finish out the look. You can't see the bottom of the door in my picture but it says "Sending Happy Hearts Your Way...From All of Us at Pre-K!". I had so much fun doing it and that was thanks enough, but I've been told lately that the door has been getting lots of compliments from school staff. What a thrill!

Then after all that door decorating I rushed home on Friday for a celebration. OMGosh! Those of you who haven't known me long may not know this, but this young man in the picture below is my Noah. And 7 years ago, on a really cold and dreary Feb (4th) morning, he came into the world at 30 weeks gestation. He wasn't due until April 10 so you can imagine our suprise. He was here and then gone by lifeflight in a heartbeat with nearly no sound at all. A miraculous 108 days later we came home from the NICU to be a family. And here he is now! He's an active and healthy 7 year old who is loving Kindergarten, talks avidly (and very informed) about trains of all shapes and sizes, loves Toy Story and Monster Trucks and is absolutely perfect (in our mind anyway). Ok, ok, enough "Mama Gushing", Happy Birthday, Little Man, you've come a LONG way!

So on with your day, I hope you've enjoyed the peek into our world today and until we meet tomorrow, happy crafting!

Hey It's Tuesday, Isn't It?...

2011-02-08T13:22:00.003-05:00

I told you all to be on the lookout for a challenge today, AND THEN, I totally forgot it was Tuesday. So here's a late Tuesday challenge for you. Ok, so, my sweet friend, Lori, has an awesome blog and my favorite feature over there is her 5 on Friday post, you can check out Lori's blog HERE and if you happen to love it enough to follow, let me know, there could be an extra prize in it for you. Anyway, I thought I'd do my own little spin on it, so lets have a little 2 on Tuesday. You can play it whichever way you want, use 2 colors only or use 2 pattern papers only. You can make a card, a layout, or anything your little heart desires using those 2 colors or 2 patterns.

Paperwork! Paperwork! Paperwork!...

2011-02-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

Winners, winners, winners, CASSIE K and JUST A PAC RAT are winners this week! Cassie you won the Week #5 challenge prize and Veronica you've won the birthday challenge. Please e-mail me with your mailing information at mnjholzwar@zoominternet.net. Thanks, Ladies.

Ok, Cadets, I have been reconciling my challenges and prize posts this morning. I still have ALL of the Boot Camp packages in my possession. I appologize to those of you waiting for your prize but I assure you that I have been adding to these boxes and you should all (I hope) be very happy with your prizes.

Below is a list of winners clear back from the beginning...

Week #1 - No Blog Candy this week - we did general cleaning and organizing.
Week #2 - Jen
BONUS SEASONAL BASKET CHALLENGE WINNER - Cheryl P
Week #3 - Christel
BONUS BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE WINNER - Just A Pac Rat
Week #4 - Maggie Y
Week #5 - Cassie K
Week #6 - We're wrapping it up this week so no big prizes, HOWEVER, be on the lookout for some special challenges on Tuesday and Thursday to get us using those clean spaces (these challenges will have smaller prizes)!

I hope you will all play along with the challenges, anyone can play, whether you've been Boot Camping with us or not. I'm also taking into consideration running another boot camp right before the holidays so that we can get organized before the big crafting begins. I may elect to run this Boot Camp by e-mail but we'll see what happens. I'm also thinking there may be some other fun stuff coming up. I'm thinking of re-running the Back to School Blog Party this year and also thinking of setting up a Christmas in July workshop to get us all working on those cards and gifts EARLY this year. Let me know if there is something you want to see or something you want to try and I will attempt to get it worked in.

Have a great day and happy crafting!

Week #5 AFTER pics...

2011-02-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Just Overwhelmed...

2011-02-03T10:55:00.002-05:00

I am simply overwhelmed today. I have so many little piddly projects that need done and I'm just not even sure where to get started. So please excuse me the next few days, I'm heading off to make a to-do list and get caught up. See you all on Monday! (oh, and Cadets, you'll find your next couple assignments here as usual, I'll set them up to auto post).

Happy crafting!

Kids Can Crop Too, Mom!...

2011-02-02T10:35:00.006-05:00

My crazy kiddos decided that they wanted to whip up a batch of "balentines" on Sunday. Just thought I'd share a few pics of their "crop". Hope you enjoy, until tomorrow, happy crafting!

ORGANIZATIONAL BOOT CAMP WEEK #5 BEFORE PICS

2011-02-01T09:53:00.001-05:00

BOOT CAMP WINNER AND A BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE...

2011-01-31T09:15:00.004-05:00

Ok the winner of this weeks Organization Boot Camp booty is.....MAGGIE Y! Maggie, if you would please send me your mailing details, I will be happy to get your package on it's way.

AND, some of you might remember that I mentioned last week, today is my Mom's birthday. My mom is the family baker. I can remember her staying up long nights making homemade sugar cookies and frosting them and then having my dad (who has impecable handwriting that I did NOT inherit) write my classmates names on them. She'd bake bread, cookies, cakes, pies, you name it. So in my mom's honor I am issuing a photo challenge - take the above cupcake photo and use it to inspire you any way you like. Link up your project on this thread by Friday morning at 9 AM EST for your chance at a little birthday "candy" (the calorie free kind). Hope you have fun and happy crafting!

BOOT CAMP FRIDAY CHECK IN

2011-01-28T10:49:00.001-05:00

Be My Valentine (with the help of Apron Strings Designs)...

2011-01-26T10:33:00.005-05:00

I wanted to share a few cards with you today made using the Apron Strings January 2011 All Year Cheer Card kit. Many of you know that I had the extreme honor of being asked to design with the Apron Strings team, and I honestly could not be happier. Apron Strings was my first ever card kit company that I tried and I have to say, I love the menu. Both cards are appropriate for both Valentine's Day or simply to say I love you.

Oh, and if you didn't see my post the other day, Lori, over at Apron Strings is giving away a free kit to anyone who "likes" her Facebook page. You still have until January 31, 2011 to get in on the giveaway. Just pop by Lori's page HERE and "Like" her for your chance to win! Can't be that deal.

I hope you enjoyed the cards, until tomorrow, happy crafting!

More Holzwarth Valentine Madness - Introducing A New Tradition: The Valentine Tree...

2011-01-25T12:51:00.005-05:00

When I went to take down the small Christmas tree in the dining room this year, Emy just took a hissy fit and cried and didn't want it to come down. So I asked her what I should do and she told me "make it a Valentine tree". Well, isn't that a novel idea?

So, at Emy's request, was the birth of the Valentine tree. As you can see, tucked amoung the branches are 4 of the little Valentine mailboxes from the Target $1 spot. The higher of the 4 are for the adults, so that not all the Valentine's slipped in those have to be for viewing by the family only. Below you can see a closer view of the mailboxes...

I'm currently in the process, in my spare time (yeah right - spare time?) of making a basket of little 2x2 Valentines so that the family can just pick one up, address it, and stick it in the appropriate mailbox, I guess you could call it, passing the love...LOL. Anyway, hope you enjoyed - until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Hey, Facebook Fans!...

2011-01-24T17:09:00.003-05:00

I just got an e-mail in my inbox from the Lovely Lori over at Apron Strings Designs and she is looking for some Facebook followers. You can visit here page HERE. And here is what she had to say...

Are you "Bookin'?" If so, come over to Apron Strings' Facebook Page and "Like" us to get the word out about all the great things at Apron Strings; kits being first and foremost, obviously, but the warm, inspirational, family-like community, the Blog and ideas galore to keep you scrappin' all year long. Not a "Booker" yet, now's as good a reason as any to join.

The goal for Apron Strings' first month is to get 100 "Likers." To help grow to that number, a name will be drawn from those followers on January 31st and the winner will get a FREE kit.

Come, Like, Win!

Now, I have had the chance to play with Lori's kits first hand and I have GOT to say that they are a generous helping of yummy goodness. She has a Bigger Than A Breadbox kit, a Smaller Than A Breadbox kit, and a yummy All Year Cheer Card kit, so there is literally something for everyone! Even those OWHers out there (you wouldn't believe how many cards one kit will make).

So, please, if you are a Facebook/Scrapping/Cardmaking Fan please head on over and "like" Apron Strings today (Oh, and win yourself a FREE kit too!)- until next time - happy crafting!

WEEK # 4 BOOT CAMP CHECK IN THREAD...

2011-01-24T13:28:00.001-05:00

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!...

2011-01-24T09:11:00.002-05:00

Ok, I have a winner for this week's Boot Camp post....ready...Christel, you are the winner of this week's RAK package. I already have your address and I will get that out in the mail to you.

To all of my prize winners - Jen, Cheryl, and Christel...to save myself a couple of hundred trip (and because I am still cramming goodies into the boxes)...I decided to mail all 3 of your packages out on Saturday Morning - Jan 29th. You can expect them in the mail sometime next week - thanks for you understanding.

By Elegant Invitation Only with The Cutting Cafe and a Winner, Too...

2011-01-22T09:39:00.003-05:00

First up, CHERYL P. you are the winner of the seasonal basket challenge, so if you would please e-mail me with your mailing information I will get a prize out to you ASAP. Congratulations, Cheryl.

And secondly, just please let me say, that NO ONE I know does Valentine cuteness like Regina E. over at The Cutting Cafe. Just check out (above) the creation I made with her wonderfully fabulous HEART CARD SHAPED SET (more info on how to get yourself one below)

Ok, there is a little known story in the Holzwarth household about Valentine's Day, and the reason why, on February 14th each year, 4 people come together to enjoy a tacky, funny, silly, or sophisticated spaghetti dinner. When Joe and I were first married I tried to make everything we did an "adventure" so for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, I diligently set up the folding table and chairs in our tiny kitchen, put pink napkins into the tackiest swan candy holders I could find at the dollar store, set out our everyday plates and added the champagne flutes that Joe's mom had got us for the wedding. Then I served a feast of Italian Wedding Soup, Green Salad, Spaghetti, and fresh baked bread. In those champagne flutes went the best of the best from our kitchen - peach wine cooler...LOL. Things have gone awry and totally different every year since then. There's the year where my 18 month old was caught on the table eating the centerpiece, the year I only had 1 hour to prepare dinner, the year we couldn't get the cupcakes out of the cupcake tins, etc, etc. Each has been totally different and totally memorable in it's own way.

This year, after seeing this wonderful file from The Cutting Cafe (you can purchase your own HERE), I thought why not have an elegant dinner this year. Our "event" will be "black tie" as my dear daughter just adores dressing up. And with the pretty red and black theme I have going on with these invites I'm thinking of a little Vegas casino flair to it. Maybe some "games of chance" or a "musical show" after dinner. One never knows what the Holzwarth Valentine Spaghetti Dinner might turn into. The only thing that is ever guaranteed is the spaghetti.

I hope you've enjoyed the story as well as the project. Be sure to check back for more elements created for my special dinner and more details about the events of the night. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

BOOT CAMP FRIDAY AFTER PICS...

2011-01-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly - Wednesday Post #2...

2011-01-19T12:10:00.004-05:00

I know that some of you have been worried about "falling off the wagon" or being behind in the challenges and I wanted you especially to know that I'm not all that different. The nice part about blogging is it gives the author the ability to see only what they want you to see (think of the wonderful lives that some of the better known bloggers live and how they never seem to have a shred of trouble or strife). I figured to get us all in shape, it's time to tell the truth and actually let you see into my own scraproom. This picture was taken last night BEFORE I tackled my paper organization, and honestly, this is what my scrap space looks like about 98% of the time...

Before I started on the paper organization challenge (which mind you was LAST week - I'm behind the times) I went ahead and did a little cleaning up. About 45 minutes to an hour later, this is the picture that I have for you (the other 2% of the time, my space looks like this)...

I wanted to reassure some of you who are having time keeping up that you are welcome to access these "assignments" as long as your heart desires. Of course, the prizes will be gone when we wrap up in February, but the organizational page with the assignments will remain and you can always go back, at your leisure, when life permits, and complete these tasks again. Actually, what an honor it would be for you to use them whenever your space needs a quick organization boost. So use them as you will. I hope they help you out now and in the future. And I hope that you now realize - no one is perfect - not even in pictures...lol. Until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Apron Strings is Sponsoring Sketch Inspirations This Week...

2011-01-19T08:49:00.003-05:00

The Apron Strings Sous Chefs were asked to submit a layout for the Sketch Inspirations sketch this week and I participated. I just thought you might like to see this layout of "my little Muse" at age 3. Hope you enjoy and until tomorrow - happy crafting!

Ok, Passing on Some Questions to You...

2011-01-18T10:16:00.002-05:00

In my inbox this morning I found an e-mail from one of my blog readers. She was wondering about the uses of the different kinds of ink on the market. Now, I'm not well versed in ink usage because, quite personally, I only use the Stampin Up ink pads, a few assorted Tim Holtz distress inks, Versa Mark, and StazOn. So I thought I would post this question here for you and see if anyone out there could help a girl out. She writes...

There are so many types of stamping ink out there and I was curious to know….or maybe it might be a good post for your blog…..what stamps pads you use for what???

For instance, I just saw something about how pigment ink is for glossy paper….and I have some of those….also some dye based inks*, Jim Holtz’ distress inks, etc. ……but I have no idea what I should use for what????

If you have any advice for my blog reader and friend, please leave a comment on this post and let her know (This might be a great venue for some of you card makers out there.). Thanks for helping out and happy crafting!

A Little Tuesday Morning Bonus Challenge for YOU!...

2011-01-18T09:05:00.003-05:00

Ok, here is my "seasonal basket", as you can see, I've pulled together stamps, ribbon, and embellishments for both St. Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day so I can be prepared for both holidays (plus it'll help streamline my cardmaking for OWH).

WEEK #3 ORGANIZATIONAL BOOT CAMP CHECK IN THREAD

2011-01-17T10:06:00.000-05:00

ORGANIZATIONAL BOOT CAMP WEEK #2 AFTER PICTURES...

2011-01-14T08:38:00.002-05:00

Ok, after a good many hours of organization (and a quick trip to Target for some magazine holders), here is the finished product. Still in 3 places, but better organized and now within arms reach.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!...

2011-01-13T10:13:00.004-05:00

*Click on the collage for a larger view.

It's not really as if we have any choice, it's been snowing pretty much steady here for about 2 days now. These pics were taken on Saturday before the REALLY big snow hit, as you can see, the family really got into the white stuff, ummm, yes, Mom went down the hill a few times too, but that was WAY before the camera came out...lol...guess you'll have to be happy with pics of Dad and the kiddos, mom is kinda shy.

We're on two hour delay this morning, so my schedule is completely thrown off. I did receive a darling file from Regina the other day and I cannot wait to add the finishing touches to my project and share it with you, however, you'll have to wait until tomorrow's post because it's impossible to get upstairs and craft with my kiddos at home. My daughter has sound issues with pretty much everything including the toaster and the Cricut. *Sighs* I'm guess she might not be the avid crafter I had hoped for until she grows out of that one (grins).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the snow pictures and I will be back tomorrow with a dazzling little project to make someone's (or maybe a lot of someone's) day. Until then - happy crafting!

Blog Hop Challenge #3 - Another Layout For You...

2011-01-12T10:15:00.003-05:00

Thank you for all your sweet comments yesterday. I have to admit that after doing cards for so long, I was a little bit worried you all wouldn't like seeing layouts. You've put my fears to rest so here's another one from the lovely Lori at Apron Strings Designs, this is her Blog Hop Challenge #3 to use an orange, pink, and lime green color set. I've had this paper in my stash for quite a while and honestly it's one of those prints that I'm not sure how to use (this is Kalidescope which is retired Stampin Up). I used one of my new Cricut cards (A Child's Year) to cut the title. And just added a hint of bling.

Hope you've enjoyed - until tomorrow Happy Crafting!

More Layouts in 2011 - Blog Hop and Sassy Lil Sketches Challenge...

2011-01-11T10:39:00.002-05:00

So, didn't I promise more layouts in 2011, I think I did. Since this weekend was so much fun and our lovely Lori over at Apron Strings Designs laid out so many nice challenges for us, I made this layout to comply with her Challenge #5 to create a layout using only scraps. I did use scraps of yummy American Crafts paper from one of Lori's kits. Of course you can't have a great layout without a great sketch (or at least, I can't) so I played along, although I missed the deadline on this one, with the Sassy Lil Sketches blog and used their December 28th sketch challenge. The pictures show here are Christmas 2007, Noah was 3 and wanted a guitar desperately. You can imagine the suprise when he got one! The thing I love most about these pictures is how he looks so "into" it. Journaling reads: Christmas 2007, All you really wanted was a guitar. You were Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Little Man!

I hope you enjoy. I have more layouts coming throughout this week. So until tomorrow - happy crafting!

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

2011-01-10T18:32:00.002-05:00

Ok, I completely forgot that I had a winner to announce from the Apron Strings Blog Hop that started on Friday....soooo, without further wait....MAGGIE CRAWFORD...you are the winner of the Cookie Jar treat (and Lori's Cookie Jar treats are always yummy!).

Maggie, please send me an e-mail at mnjholzwar@zoominternet.net so I can get you hooked up with your prize.