Working on projects for my 25 Days of {homemade} Christmas gifts.

I can't believe that it's almost time to start making some homemade Christmas gifts! Last year's projects were so much fun to make and I have started planning for this year. There will be some new projects this year, and some returning from last year. If there is anything that you would like to see made this year, or any tutorials for certain projects, please let me know! I would love to work on some stuff that my readers are interested in!!

I hope to also post 13 Days of Halloween projects. I have the some new DCWV halloween paper that I am looking forward to using!

That's what is on my to-do list right now. Maybe I should go get started!! Happy crafting!

Halloween Blocks

Here is another project that I finished up for a birthday gift. Halloween blocks! I loved how these turned out and I think that I need to make a set for myself!! I started with some blocks that my husband cut for me. Some of the craft stores carry wooden blocks, but you may not find the exact size that you want. Then I sanded and painted them black. After the paint dried, I sanded the edges a little to distress it. I used Modge Podge to glue some paper on the front of the blocks. The paper was from a Halloween kit that I bought from Target a couple of years ago! I sprayed some Glimmer Mist on the paper before I added the embellishments. The rub-ons are part of the Target kit. Most of the die cuts and letters are cut from the Happy Hauntings Cricut cartridge. For the skull, I used Indie Art. To protect the rub-ons and the die cuts, I covered the front in a couple of coats of Modge Podge. These blocks are cute and easy to make. You can make them for any holiday or even your last name. I think that they would look cute on the mantle!

Altered Can

I altered this can for a swap on the Cricut Messageboard. I had signed up for it because I made one during my 25 Days of {homemade} Christmas Gifts. I had a lot of fun making it, and filling it with all kinds of little goodies. I used some scraps of Making Memories spring line. And that gave me a lot of color choices for the flowers. For the flower centers, I used some bling and a clear epoxy circle. The punch is from Martha Stewart. I added ribbon the pull tab on the top. If you would like to see the instructions on how I made this, click here! I hope that my swap partner enjoyed it! And this fun little project may show up again on this year's 25 Days of Christmas! Happy crafting!

My Layout was featured on the Scrapbooks, Etc Facebook page!!

So this morning, I get home and check out Facebook. I was just scrolling down, and catching up on, and then something catches my eye. I look at a picture and I think to myself "that looks like my layout." I look a little closer and I realize that it IS my layout!!! One that I had posted in the Scapbooks, ETC gallery a while back. But there is my 22 Days layout as their Monday Morning Scrapper Spotlight! You can check out their Facebook page here. I originally did this layout for a Scrap Our Stash Challenge. It was to do "THAT" layout. One that you had been putting off or couldn't finish. When these pictures of my twins were taken, it was a tough time. We knew they would be in the NICU, but you always worry how they will do. And for 22 days, we did. These pictures always reminded me of that. So I decided to scrap these pictures. I loved how it turned out, and it has become one of my favorites from this year. I am so very excited that Scrapbooks Etc. featured it and said such nice things about my layout! I knew there was a reason that they were my favorite scrapbook magazine!!! Happy crafting!

Back to school!

Hi all! I just wanted to write a quick note to let you all know that I am still here and still creating! I have been busy over the summer, well, a little busy and a little lazy!! The boys and I had a fun filled summer and we tried to just enjoy it and go with the flow! Now that school is back in session for us, I am hoping to get back to the craft room and make up for lost time! I just finished up a can swap, (those pictures still need to be uploaded!) And two more projects are on my work desk right now!

I have recently started pinning on Pinterest and I have a ton of projects that I want to do!! If you haven't been on Pinterest, be careful, it's very addictive! It's very good for my creativity, no so good for my productivity!!

I also just got a new MacBook Pro. I am still learning how to get everything loaded onto my computer and use it! Everyone says that Photoshop on a Mac is wonderful. I haven't gotten that far yet!

I also am now a licensed Zumba instructor!! Besides crafting, it's my other passion in life!

So that's some of the stuff that has been going on here! I hope your summer was as fun as ours! Happy crafting!

Cubs- Layout-17

Since my oldest son played for the Cubs this spring, this month's challenge at Scrap Our Stash was perfect for scrapping his baseball photos!


I cut the strips of paper from scraps from his last baseball layout that I did, plus an old scrap of paper that was from a 4th of July collection. I machine stiched around the edges with some red thread. I used some Cuttlebug embossing folders to make the stars and then just fussy cut around the embossing. The title is cut from the Cricut cartridge, Sans Serif. I added some red staples, and some red and blue brads to finish the page.

This summer has been crazy busy for us, so I hope to catch up on some layouts My boys will be going back to school soon, so maybe I can get back to posting on a regular basis! I have alot of projects that I need to get started on! Happy crafting!

Birthday calendar/book.

Here is a project that I made for my friend Crystal. I made her a perpetual birthday calendar/book. I used some of my favorite paper, the BoBunny Petal Pushers line. I love this paper with all the wonderful colors. And since Crystal loves polka dots, I was able to use lots of the BoBunny dotted papers too. I also was able to use alot of my favorite embellishments on the pages too. Lots of beads, and an altered bottle cap, paperclip, and scrabble tile!

























This book measures 4x9, so I could get three pages from each 12 x 12 sheet of paper. I used most of the scraps for the title pages. And what I had left over, I am using to make a badge holder album. Look for that post soon! Happy crafting!

Artists- Layout 16

When I first saw that the June Challenge at Scrap Our Stash, was to use something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, I thought "I've got this!" But boy was I wrong! I had the hardest time finishing this challenge. I changed pictures two or three times, pulled apart a layout, and then redid it all! I decided to just go with what I have finished, but I may mess with it some more later!
My something old is the Lime Rickey papers by Basic Grey. Something new is the baker's twine that I received as a RAK. Something borrowed is the layout. I found a sketch in an older CK magazine to follow. Something blue is my background, Glimmer Mist, and ink.

Next month's challenge is to use the colors red, white, and blue. Hopefully that will be a little easier! Happy crafting!