Happy Monday!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! I know we did, and was so sad to send the kids back to school today. It only means, it is time to settle back in our routine. I wanted to let you know I will be offline for a few days. My husband surprised me with this:
Right now it is in the hands of Apple as they transfer my data from my laptop. I am extremely grateful to him. If you follow my blog, you know my hard drive has crashed repeatedly! Julia,our technician, told us that my laptop was on the verge of crashing once again. She could see all my snapshots, but unfortunately due to corrupted files, was having difficulty moving them over. However, after sifting all 26,000 in batches of 100, she was able to move them. Did you hear that??? (Only me, sighing a huge wave of relief!!!)
So it is a happy day!! I am very happy for my new machine, and now my eyes will not hurt!!! I am in love with all 27" of this machine! So what, if this is my Birthday, Christmas, and Anniversary gift for the next ten years??? LOL I am okay with this, really.
Family,Turkey, Pecan Pie, Dallas Cowboys, and Turkey Cupcakes are all about Family Tradition! May you have a blessed Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, good food, and lots of love!
Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Yesterday, I spent the afternoon baking pumpkin bread! I also created some pretty packaging to wrap the delicious loaves. Just a very simple way to express my gratitude to friends this season. My Mother has already tried this recipe, and I knew this one would have a permanent home in our recipe file box.
For this sweet treat ensemble I used Teresa Collins Giving Thanks Collection. I loved the beautiful fall color palette. The wonderful page of expressions were a lovely addition. Of course, I am in a phase of dainty doilies, and clear buttons. I know doilies will find their home on future treat packaging, but not certain why I am in love with the buttons. (Maybe because I have a huge jar on my desk!) They are so subtle, but are the perfect embellishment, for just a bit of detail. A few details: definition of gratitude: grat·i·tude
(grt-td, -tyd)
n.
The state of being grateful; thankfulness.
I added a border of vellum on the middle of the card. I thought the vellum complimented the doilie. Finished the card with some yummy shabby ribbon. (As soon as I can find the etsy shop information, I will share with you.)
I included the recipe for the Pumpkin Bread with my gift ensemble. I decided to make a pocket to tuck in the recipe. At the top of the pocket, I lined with a strip of vellum. With Black Stazon, I stamped the sentiment on the upper right hand corner. This pocket was made with a new die, I recently purchased. It is called the Sizzix Envelope Pocket die. Love, love this die. It is a smaller version of the one I used over & over at Timeless.
Here is a peek of the recipe card, simply typed on the computer.
Detail of the bread packaging. I simply made a sleeve, and embellished with a doilie, and my favorite baking stamp from Unity Stamp Company. It is called Home Baked, and was designed by Samantha Walker. If you love baking, or cooking, this stamp is definitely a must have. It dresses the sweet treat packaging perfectly! I will be using this over, and over this Christmas season. Here is the Pumpkin Bread Recipe that was given to me by my friend Sharon:
Pumpkin Bread
3 cups of sugar 3 1/3 cups of flour
1 cup of oil 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
4 eggs 1 ½ tsp. of salt
2/3 cup of water 1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups of pumpkin 1tsp. of nutmeg
Beat sugar, eggs, and oil
Add water and beat again
Sift dry ingredients and add to egg mixture
Add pumpkin and beat well
Pour into 3 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans greased pans Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees
This is so yummy, and my new favorite pumpkin bread recipe! Perfect for a morning treat! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!
This is the first year where I am not involved in Turkey preparations. I have mixed emotions on this. However, I am grateful to be spending a lovely dinner with my brother-n-law, and his lovely wife. So I have focused my energy on baking. Today, it will be Turkey Cupcakes, (annual tradition), apple pie for Miss Gabriela, and finally chocolate cookies. I found a new recipe in Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies New Magazine. I always try a new cookie recipe right at Thanksgiving. This will help me decide which cookies the girls, and I will bake this Christmas Season.
I hope you are enjoying a wonderful day of baking, cooking, creating or simply relaxing! Have a very sweet day,
Happy Tuesday! Today, I have a layout I created for the Monthly Top Ten Challenge on the My Mind's Eye Blog. I decided to document the relationship between Gabi, and her little Sis! Although there is a seven year difference, they are so much alike. They have so many similarities in common, which is probably why they have developed such a strong sister bond. I hope they continue to nurture their relationship, as they grow older. Today, my sister and I are the best of friends! She is such an amazing person, and she is the first person I turn to for advice, support,etc. I think Miss Macie is in loving hands.
a couple of details: I used the Tim Holtz Paper Rosette Die to create the lovely rosettes! This die rocks! It is seamless, and perforates perfectly! I embellished one of the rosettes with a circle of soft tulle. Of course, I finished with a bit of ruffled ribbon. This is my favorite technique.Tip: I always use a hot glue gun to hold in place my ruffled ribbon. Glue dots will work too, but for a very strong hold, glue gun is your best friend!
A snapshot of their Top 10 Loves, included on a journaling tag. I am absolutely in love with the pink ribbon. In fact almost all of the ribbon collections, have this lightweight, smooth ribbon included as part of the swatch. I used the blue ribbon from the Holly Jolly Collction last night, and all I can say is I want more!
Thanks for visiting today! I am off to the grocery store to purchase ingredients for the pumpkin bread I plan on baking today. I love the smell of bread baking in the oven! Have a blessed day,
I am so happy it is Monday! The children are home from school for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I am looking forward to some quiet time. We enjoyed a wonderful Saturday, watching Miss Macie's Cheer Competition! I am happy to say that her team finished third out of six competing teams! They all did so well, and I am so proud of my little girl. (She was a little upset not to see me in the audience. Due to the venue, we were seated on the sides, up high from the stage!) She looks for me to give, me the "thumbs up" sign, before she performs. She definitely reminded me of this after the performance!)
I was never able to come back and post the winner of the Fancy Pants, Love Bird Collection! The winner of the giveaway is:
SUPER CUTE I love this new line by Fancy Pants. I love all your creations and the doily stamp is really cute addition. Look forward to seeing many more inspirational projects from you. Have a Productive Day!!!
Congrats Nicole! Please email me your address, and Megan will ship your item straight from Fancy Pants!!!
I wanted to share a quick card that went up on the Pebbles Blog today. Last Friday, my BFFtreated me to a private knitting session for my birthday. I have always wanted to learn how to knit, so this was the perfect gift. Even though I am far from mastering this hobby, I had a fabulous time. I am working on knitting a scarf for Macie, and hopefully I can finish by Christmas. However, I am going to need a few more sessions! LOL "Just Because"
I created this card for the Jan, the knitting instructor. She was so patient with me, and really did a thorough job of explaining this craft to me. I used the Twitterpated Collection, because it went fabulous with the beautiful ball of pink yarn!
For details of the products used to create the card, and to see other fabulous samples from the Design Team, hop on over to {here}.
Have a fabulous day!! I have a deadline tomorrow, so I better get to work! I can finally see my floor, and my desk is clean(:
I had such a great time teaching my Christmas December Daily last night! I am happy to write that everyone completed their books!! Woohooo!!! Two of the women are going to join me for the next scheduled class on December 11, to add a few more "details." I look forward to seeing you! I have a full morning, but I wanted to let those that were interested in my class, that I have decided to kit ten more albums!
As of this morning, there is a wait list of six, so there are four kits available. If you are interested please call the store at (949)888-7151 or email me at [email protected]. I will be back later with the winner of the fabulous Fancy Pants "LoveBirds" Collection. Have a great day!
It is beginning to feel like Christmas! I have been busy working, on kitting my Christmas December Daily Class! My first class is scheduled for tomorrow, so I may be quiet on here(; Tomorrow, I will be completing the instructions, and the photographing. The fun part will begin at Timeless Treasures, as we glitter, ink. stamp, stitch, etc.
I have a jumpstart on my foundation, and can add detailed embellishing, as I adhere our snapshots, beginning December 1st! I love, love mini albums! A chunky treasure mixed with fabulous Christmas goodies, makes me very happy!
Here is a peek at some of the details of the class: (This is just a snippet of some of the items in my book.)
I know some of you have expressed interest in my album, and I truly appreciate this!! Unfortunately, I did not order enough product for extra kits. However, if you would like to be put on the waiting list, in case someone cancels, please call (949)888-7151 or feel free to email me.
Okay, this weekend I hope to find time to begin on my next Christmas Project: This snapshot simply makes me smile!
I hope you have a wonderful day!!! A big thank you to all those who left comments on yesterday's post! You are all so kind, and your comments made my day!
Good morning! When I received the Love Birds Collection, I knew this would be the first collection that I would pick first! The colors are definitely ones I enjoy scrapbooking. The cute, whimsical patterns are absolutely darling! It also has the color pink, now who does not love pink?
Today, I am the featured designer on the Fancy Pants Blog. Did you know the designers are now called "Pocket Chicks?" How fun is that? Here are a couple of sneak peeks of my pages: This page is "an all about me", page. I really struggle with scrapbooking myself! However, I am glad I did create this page, documenting all the "things" I love. & one more: This page is of Roman, and Miss Macie. This snapshot has a home in a mini album. However, I am so in love with this snapshot, I knew it needed a bigger canvas. (more enabling, the punch I used to create the border is the Vintage Doily Border Punch by Martha Stewart! Definitely, a wonderful addition to your punch inventory! You can find it {here}
Okay, you are going to have to visit the Fancy Pants Blog for the full reveal(; While you are there, check out the oodles of inspiration on the blog! There will be more fabulous Pocket Chicks featured this week, so definitely stop by the blog.
We had a list of questions to answer,too. Here are a couple of the questions: Share something quirky about yourself. If someone was to walk into your scrap room/area right now, what would they find?
So hop onto the Fancy Pants Blog, and before you go, Fancy Pants is doing a giveaway on my blog! All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog, and your name will be entered to win your own Love BirdsScrapbooking Kit! The kit has one sheet of all the papers, and includes three sticker sheets! I will keep this giveaway open until Friday morning!
Hello, everyone! Today, on the My Mind's Eye Blog, I created the following Thanksgiving ensemble. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite celebrations. I love spending this time with my family and truly reflect on the blessings around us. I enjoy making handmade creations that reflect this season.
I chose the Brown Lush Collection to create a bit of home decor, sweet treat cones, gift card enclosures, and an elegant card. The perfect color palette for creating elegant gifts, to show my gratitude to my family, and friends.
"{Thanksgiving {Gifts of Gratitude}" a few details: The Brown Lush Large Damask Paper is so gorgeous to stand alone. However, with a few added touches it turned this inexpensive frame, into a piece of art that will find a permanent place in the home. The dainty doilie was the perfect finishing detail. I had so much fun creating these sweet treat cones! It did remind me of my children's favorite ice cream! I added bits of crepe, and a small wisp of some festive garland. Of course, the final detail was a sprinkling of glitter! detail of cones: The sentiments are all from the Lost & Found Collection. I used this paper to create my Scallop flowers. I loved making these, and have rediscovered how much, with this project! The beautiful floral paper paired with paper roses, and a simple white doilie, is the perfect card to share my gratitude with my friends. detail of roses:
Okay, I am going to enable you here for a minute. The paper roses were created by using this Sizzix die.
This die is a must have! It made rolling these lovely flowers so easy! It was fantastic on felt! (flowers on the frame were created with this die) I love it when I find tools that make the creating process, just a tad bit faster! So you can concentrate on the tiny details! Finally, I created a few of these pretty gift enclosures to tuck a gift certificate inside. Also, here is a quick technique, how about trying Stampin' Mix? (Okay, I just made that up) LOL We all own so many stamps, so why used them alone, when stamps can be paired beautifully with another? On the "thank u" sentiment I used a Stampin' Up stamp, and the Portobello Road Boy Stamp, from the Lost & Found Collection to combine one sentiment with a bit more character.
Here the mixing begins: First, I stamped the "thank u", twice. Cut the second image to create your mask. Then with repositionable adhesive adhere to the top of the first stamped image. Second, using an alternative stamp, ink, and stamp underneath the first stamped image. Do not be afraid to stamp on top. (remember you have created a mask) This is what it will look like when you are done inking. Now with the magic of a paper trimmer, you will now have created this: How easy is that??? A technique I will be trying again, and again.
detail of inside of card:
I hope you have enjoyed my Thanksgiving gifts of gratitude. I had so much fun creating them, and cannot wait to hand them out to those special people in our lives. Just a reminder of how grateful we are for them.
Thank you for visiting today. Tomorrow, I will share two new layouts using the Fabulous Fancy Pants! And I think, there might just be a giveaway from Fancy Pants right here on my blog!
Good morning! The winds are blowing fiercely on this Veteran's Day. I woke up to the gate door slamming against the wall. With the time change, now I find myself awake around 5:30 am. A rarity for me, but it does help to get a jumpstart on children's lunches. However, on this chilly morning, the winds were too loud, that I was awake at 4am. It is going to be a long day!
Today, I thought I would share a sneak peek of my upcoming class at Timeless Treasures. It is my 2010 Christmas December Daily. If you are familiar with the talented Ali Edwards, she is the inspiration behind my album. She also has a Question & Answer post on the concept of the December Daily you can read,by {clicking here}. I created an album last year, pretty late into the season. However, I am ready to fill the pages with our daily happenings of Christmastime. I love the magic of Christmas! Of course, I love the glitter, the snowflakes, Starbucks, baking cookies, visiting Santa, revisiting special ornaments, and decking the halls! However, the true meaning is to commemorate the birth of Jesus. My children are old enough to understand, and during the month of December this plays a huge role in our everyday.
Here are a few sneak peeks of my book documenting December 1-25:
What is Christmas without a little bling? I think this page is one of my favorites. I love the image of St. Nick. As you can kind of see from this image, my album is filled with lots of holiday goodies. I used Canvas sheets, glitter, tucked in sweet tags & envelopes, transparencies, lots of embossing, and of course, a whole lot of Stamping!
There are four kits remaining for my class. Here are the details:
"Christmas 2010" December Daily 2010
If you have heard of Ali Edwards, then you are probably familiar with the December Daily Album! The December Daily is an album documenting all of your special moments through the holiday season. Join me as we document December 1-25 all tucked inside a 6x9 chipboard album. I packed many techniques in this book, and we will be creating with the Girl's Paperie, Tinsel & Twig. We will be playing with inking, stamping, canvas, transparencies, and felt as we lay out the foundation of your album. This album will be filled with your family's traditions, and one you reach for at the Christmas season.
Time:
November 11 6-11
&
December 18 10-2
Supplies: Basic Scrapbooking Kit, paper piercer with mat, favorite black ink, brayer, paper trimmer, glitter glue, pop dots, glue dots, exacto knife, or sanding block, cropadile, wet wipes, needle
Price: $55.00
If you cannot make the class, kits are available. Please call the store at (949)888-7151, or feel free to email me. All kits will come with snapshots of the project, and filled with lots of different textures!
I will share my completed album after my classes. Thanks for taking a peek of my project, and hope you are staying warm! Grab a Starbucks if you can! I plan too, around 10am(:
t
-t
d
, -ty
SUPER CUTE I love this new line by Fancy Pants. I love all your creations and the doily stamp is really cute addition. Look forward to seeing many more inspirational projects from you.
Have a Productive Day!!!