Thursday, December 30, 2010

Project Life - Amber

Here is the "Amber Collection" of Project Life, this is the one that I ordered. I love the bright fun colors and patterns in this collection! I'm SO excited to get this in!!!

Praticing for Project Life

I've ordered Becky Higgins Project Life. I'm so excited for it to get here that I'm practicing! Here is Reagan last night watching the Popcorn maker pop popcorn. She LOVES popcorn!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Fun times for Reagan

Reagan already loves bath time! But for Christmas she got a Crayola Bath Spout Cover that looks like a frog, plus there is a split in his "mouth" where you can drop in these color tabs and it turns the water colors!!! And it REALLY TURNS THE WATER COLORS! I was surprised! Reagan loves it! She has had a pink bath and a blue bath. I wonder what color she will choose next?!?!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Yummy Hot Drink for those cold mornings...

I don't like to drink coffee. But I do like hot drinks in the mornings when its cold outside.

Mommy's Little Helper

This year I decided that I wasn't gonna fool myself into think I was actually going to get Christmas Cards out before Christmas. So, we are doing New Year Cards instead! Here is my little helper folding the cards...

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Create a Critter Cricut Cartridge

 I LOVE THIS CARTRIDGE!!! I can't wait to play with it more! I've got SO many ideas to use it with that I can hardly stand it!





Sunday, November 14, 2010

more cards

Here are more cards that I made this weekend! The first two are standard size and the other three are mini cards.





Sunday, October 31, 2010

Vinegar Experiment Number 2

Question: Forgot that you left wet laundry in the machine and it now smells moldy?

Answer: Why, yes I did and of course it does.

Solution: Pour a few cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. Then run a normal cycle with detergent.

Thoughts: It works! I will have to write this down and post it in the laundry room!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Holiday Cards for Class at the Community Center

Here are some of the cards I have done for the Holiday Card Class I'll be teaching at the Community Center!

(front of the card)
 (inside the card)




Monday, October 25, 2010

Vinegar Experiment #1

According to the site 1001 uses for White Distilled Vinegar you can....

Get a shining finish on a no-wax vinyl or linoleum floor by cleaning it with a solution of one cup white distilled vinegar for every gallon of water.

So, I tried it on half of my kitchen floor. I'm gonna use the old standard of pine-sol water for the other half and see if the hubby notices any difference in the two.
I don't like mops, I use a bucket and scrubby sponge and "Cinderella" myself on my hands and knees to clean my floors. Crazy I know, and it freaks out my sister when they see me do it, they think I've gone off my rocker, but it gets my floors clean! So, I used hot tap water and white distilled vinegar and I noticed that I didn't have to scrub REALLY hard on the different spots, everything seemed to come up easier than with other stuff I've used. The vinegar smell didn't last long and it looks good! I rubbed down the baseboards and the painted walls as I came to them too! And it was cheap! So I think I will try this again! But first on to the bathroom floors!

trying Green/Simple ways

    With all the stress out there I find myself trying to lower stress and live more simply. My parents recently sold their big 5 bedroom house that they had for 20 years and moved into my grandparents old farm house. The farmhouse is half the size the big house was. So, mom & dad had to do some MAJOR downsizing. Looking at the process in the beginning or even in the middle seemed to be an overwhelming task. But now that they have done it (minus some extra furniture in the garage, just until they sell it, and with winter around the corner having a garage for the car is re-inspiring them to get it all sold) they are so calm and don't get stressed about stuff like they use to. So "less is more" is true and very inviting!
     So, following the path that mom & dad went down, I've been looking at our "stuff" differently. Do we REALLY need this? Why did we get this in the first place? Do we REALLY still need it? Would I rather keep this and have stress or get rid of it and live more simple? Our local consignment store just moved to a bigger buliding, and just in time! I LOVE CONSIGNMENT! Ya just go through your stuff put what you don't want to keep in a box/bag and take it up there. They assign you a number and then you just go in later and see if they have any money for you! Its that SIMPLE! You don't have to price anything! Which for me would give me a chance to change my mind and keep what I don't need! And I don't miss anything that I've taken up there! Honestly I don't remember what I've taken up there! So that's the "simple"part, getting rid of extra clutter and making some money too!
     Now for the "green" part. I've always been abit of a "Hippy Chick". I like to grow my own herbs, make bread, and that sort of things. There are some things that I desperately want to try to make... bees wax candles, soap, bath salts and scrubs just to name a few! But lately I've been thinking "green", not in a tree hugger/save the whales/throw red paint on things I disagree with, just in a "live simple and need less" way. The mom in me is careful about what cleaning chemicals I use. When our daughter was about 6-7 months old and just starting to pull up on stuff, I was mopping the kitchen floor and she was sitting in the floor in the between the kitchen and living room, I looked over just in time to see her try to pull up on the yucky mop water bucket! It tipped over and she fell and the yucky water just covered her top to toes! We ran for a bath! Being a new mom I was worried for days, "what if she swallowed some of the water". When I dust and see the cleaner in the air, i wonder what it lands on? does my little one put that item in her mouth? or just simply breathe it in? So, I'm doing some research into "green cleaning". I've found a site 1001 uses for vinegar and I'm gonna try them out! I'm very excited!!! I will post pros & cons to this experiment!
     

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

This Crazy Life - Pinwheel card

So this is the first pinwheel I've ever made! It was really easy to do, I think I will have to make some more. Just have to remember to keep them out of reach of Reagan because she REALLY wanted to blow on this one to make it spin! lol! This is also part of a challenge I am doing, trying to use only little stamps that I got from Michael's $1 bin. The sentiment "This Crazy life" had a box around it, but I needed it on another card, so I cut it out and now have two stamps. Thats the great thing about the clear stamps, you can cut them! Also, the "abc's" on the side are part of a set I got for $1. The paper is all from the My Mind's Eye - Love Me Do collection. 

Monday, October 18, 2010

I think you are....

You Make Me Smile - Card

This card was made with a variety of papers, the stamp is from Ali Edwards. The real reason I made this card was so I could get to use my i-top to make my own brads!!! so they MATCH the other elements! I love it!

Bella's Birthday Card

This card was made using my Cricut and the Sweet Treat cartridge. 

Cheer Up

Here is a card that I made this morning using a stamp set I picked up at Michael's in the $1 bin!!! There are 3 images and 4 sentiments in this little mini set. When I make a card, I like to make 2 at a time, of the same card of course. Since you've got all the stuff out why not make two! So, the first one I made I had the front all done and was about to stamp my "Handmade" stamp on the back. The card was unfolded and laying flat on my desk so I could get a good stamp on the back. I had my Stazon ink pad in my hand and DROPPED it on the front of the card!!! GGGRRR!!!! Oh well, that was a practice card.:D I gave it to Reagan, she was THRILLED to get it!!! The papers I used were scraps from different packs. To color in the Rainbow I used Stampin' Up! Watercolor pencils and a Blender Pen also from Stampin' Up!



Monday, October 11, 2010

Halloween Treat - Nugget Box

 Here is a little project I've been working on today.... Nugget Boxes!!! I figured out how to cut this whole project out with my cricut!!! In other words.... I LOVE NUGGET BOXES! Before cutting them out by hand was a pain! But now they are SO MUCH FUN AND SUPER EASY!!! I'm working on making this project into kits, so anyone can make them. This box holds 3 Hersey nuggets or a fun size Kit Kat/Twix.
 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

New Item at Etsy


I've uploaded a Halloween Mini Album at my Etsy store, its too cute! It holds wallets, go check it out!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Truths about Scrapbooking

I have alot of people that come up to me and ask questions and talk about scrapbooking. Most of the time they say something like, "I'd love to start scrapbooking but it seems too expensive/time consuming/takes up so much space at home." Well, those are valid points. Scrapbooking can be expensive, time consuming and slowly take over every room in your house, but it doesn't have to be that way. I've been crafting since I was a teenager so I have alot of supplies. You don't have to (and you shouldn't) buy everything all at once. You don't have to spend a ton of money, if you know how and where to shop and what to get. "Too time consuming" - well I have scrapped for hours at a time, and I've sat down and scrapped for only 30min. The best thing I think to do is get together with friends on one day a month to scrapbook. It is amazing how much you can get done and you get to visit with your friends! "Takes up too much space" - have a box/shelf/bookcase that holds your supplies. Tell yourself this is all the space it gets, when it starts getting full, go through and donate old products you don't use, trade with friends, challenge yourself to use the products before you buy more. There are some basic tools & products you need to get started. Here is what I use and recommend :)

• Album - This is something that you need to put all your masterpieces in as you get them done. This will protect them from getting bent, scratched, or damaged. There is nothing worst than completing a page and setting to the side then going back to it and it ruined! So, protect your pages by putting them in an album. Now whats a good album? I use Creative Memories 12x12 Albums, doesn't matter if you use Traditional pages or Digital pages. You can add a TON of pages (believe me! hehe).
When you get an album you need page protectors, I LOVE CM's Side Loading Page Protectors. I work on my pictures as I feel inspired, it drives my mom nuts, but it works for me. With the side loading page protectors you can move the pages around if you need to.
What you don't want is albums with magnetic pages or page protectors! Over time the protector sticks to the page! Don't get a flimsy poorly made album, you want something thats gonna hold up to years of people looking through it. There are places were you can cut back to help save money, but the album isn't were you want to do that at. You can host a party with Creative Memories and earn free products, so you could get your album for free! My mom is a consultant with Creative Memories here is how to contact her!

• Tools - You only need tools if you are doing Traditional Scrapbooking. So, you can skip this part if you are Digital! There are alot of tools out there, so don't get overwhelmed just yet. Some tools are helpful and I wouldn't scrap without them, some are nice to have, and some just seem to be a waste of money to me. But everybody scraps differently and a tool that I love might not be one for you. Here are the basics....
1. Paper Cutter - I have a several paper trimmers from different company's. I've used the cheap ones at Wal-Mart and as long as your blades are sharp and you learn how to use it, they have worked nicely for me over the years, but I've noticed that the amount that I use them I need a heavier duty style. Right now I use a self healing mat, ruler and an Exacto Blade. CM has a Personal Trimmer that is awesome for trimming photos or small paper down.
2. Adhesive - Hobby Lobby has TomBow tape runners that works well, and they have 50% off sales often on adhesives, so stock up! lol! CM also has tape runners that I use.

• Paper - Paper is the fun stuff to shop for! You can get paper almost anywhere these days! As you get different brands and start looking at paper more you will find the brand or style you like. CM has alot of really pretty papers, Hobby Lobby has lots to choose from and they have the 50% off sale on paper too! Michael's Craft Store in Branson has good paper too. I like to get supplies from Two Peas in a Bucket. Since I scrapbook digital, I don't use alot of paper to scrapbook, I use it when I make cards and other paper craft projects. I would get a pack of neutrals (black, white, gray, kraft, brown) then a couple patterned. If you are working on Christmas, get some Christmas paper. Baby photos? Get some Pink or Blues. They have ALL kinds of paper out there, just find what you like!

• Pens - Just get a pen for Scrapbooking. If you use a normal pen they can bleed or discolor the paper/photos over time.

That's the basics you need to get started. Other products to check out would be....

• Stickers
• Rubber Stamps & inks
• Punches

The great thing about getting together with people to scrapbook is seeing what they use and like. Everybody that scraps is always excited to share info with new people! I hope I didnt overwhelm you this info, please leave a comment if you have any questions!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Found a New Blog!

Check out this blog! http://www.craftastical.com/ she has a tab "FREEBIES" that has SEVERAL free Digital Scrapbooking kits that are TOO cute!!! Check it out! Now back to downloading them! hehe! :D


Ok so here is a little more in about the files you download. They are little different than normal free digital kits. Normal kits are .zip files, you download them click on 'em and hit "extract" and bingo ya got 'em. Well, these kits are .rar files. To be honest I had no idea what kind of file that was, so I googled it! It is basically the same as a zip file, only thing is you need to download a free program called "WinRAR" to "extract" the files. Google "winRAR" and download and install it. Then just download the kits and drag the icon to the "WinRAR" icon and BINGO! Ya got these CUTE kits!!! Comment it you have any questions, I'll try to check in often!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Digital Scrapbooking Class!

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that I will be teaching a class ,"Go Green Go Digital Scrapbooking", at NorthArk Community College this fall!
In September the classes will be in Harrison on Mondays, September 13-27 from 6:00-9:00PM the fee is only $49! I will show you how to use Storybook Creator Plus 2.0 from Creative Memories to upload images, add pictures to pre-made templates, edit pre-made templates, design your own custom pages and find out where to download and install free kits. By the end of the class, you will have two 8x8 scrapbook pages. Please bring a flash drive loaded with 12 digital images. And for a more hands-on experience, bring your laptop to class.
For local people I will also be teaching the same class in town on Thursdays,October 7-21
6:00-9:00PM, and the fee is the same, $49.

Here is a link to register, you can register in a number of ways: by phone, fax, walk in, by mail

or to Register online: Online Registration Form


Here is a link to all the non-credited classes


Sunday, August 8, 2010

Update

So, I've not posted anything in a couple months, boy this summer has been busy! I don't think I've ever had this busy of a summer before! And the funny thing is we didn't do anything or go anywhere, to quote Jane Austen "Life seems nothing more than a quick succession of busy nothings". Anyway, I've been making some envelopes lately, and as soon as I get a battery in my camera I will post some pix! (note: when buying a new camera.....get one with RECHARGEABLE batteries! - trust me!) Hopefully I will be a battery soon and I can get some new pictures on here. So, until then, enjoy the rest of the summer!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

My first Digital Cards!




These cards were made using Creative Memories Storybook 3.0 program. I was able to use the same supplies I use on my scrapbook pages. Although I really like the look and feel of a traditional card, I can see myself doing some hybrid cards in the future! Also if I'm in a hurry and need a card, I can just print one of these out on my home printer and call it good!