My Paper Place

Christmas Crafting

2011-01-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

It was fun to get some paper crafting done in December. I enjoyed making cards and pages. Didn't do too many other crafty projects this year - school took up so much of my time.

I had fun with my Christmas card this year. It was one that I created myself without copying! I loved the felt snowflakes from Stampin' Up and they worked perfect. After making 45 though, I was a bit tired of glitter!

I am loving the swaps I get each month at stamp club! Each lady does such a good job of making cute cards. In December our theme was "anything goes" so I made a birthday card.

Here are the pages we made at our December club:

Mary Lynn always does the cutest pages!! I loved this one. The window scene we created was adorable. The paper came already embossed with the white lines and then we white embossed the kids sledding. Then we just went over the top 3/4 with blue ink and a sponge. The ink wipes off the white embossing. Too cute!!! Here is a close up of the window:

The cute curtains were made with Stampin' Up fabric that matches the paper. The pages worked out great for our tree trimming photos.

Last but not least - here is my card for our swap this week. The theme this month is Birthday - I'm glad too, my birthday card stash is getting low.

I love this card - but I should have thought twice before starting to make a dozen - there are 12 circles on each card............that's ALOT of circles!!!

YES!!! Did something crafty :)

2010-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Man, this semester of school is pretty intense. I didn't realize how much studying I would have to do or how much memorizing. I really needed a creative break and when I saw this post over at www.eighteen25.blogspot.com, I knew I just had to give it a try. These sisters make the cutest crafts PLUS they live here in Las Vegas! They were guest bloggers on another site and when I saw what they made....................CUTE!!!!!

It's a quick, easy and cheap craft. Here is a photo of my inspiration:

I found pumpkins for $1 at Wal-Mart and already had the frame and paper. Here's how mine turned out:

And a little side view so you can see the detail. Really, the hardest part was cutting the pumpkin in half and that wasn't very hard (it's styrofoam in the middle). I used the other half to make a second frame and just used some fall leaves where the stem should be. I got 2 decorations finished for $1 and in less than 30 minutes!!! I love fall, halloween and thanksgiving and this little decoration makes me want to get busy enjoying the autumn air :)

..............now back to the books, only 8 more weeks until Winter Break!!!!

Wedding Time

2010-08-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

I worked hard last week on a wedding cake. I spent a great amount of time worrying about it. It's HOT here, I mean come on.......it's the Desert and this cake had to sit out side for over 2 hours. I was sure it would melt. Well, Saturday evening came and dark storm clouds blew in. By reception time the clouds had cooled the desert and the winds turned into a nice summer breeze. HOORAY! The bride loved the cake so the baker/decorator was happy.

The top tier was chocolate fudge cake with raspberry mousse, the 2nd tier was french vanilla cake with vanilla filling, the 3rd was for looks only (styrofoam - got to love it!) and the bottom was vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and cream. The whole cake was frosted with whipped cream icing and accented with blue satin ribbon and fresh red and white roses. (and yes we served the top tier - I tell all my brides that it is useless to try and save the top. No matter what you do it tastes icky a year later!! I give them a gift certificate for a replica of their top for their 1st Anniversary).

I loved the cute Precious Moments topper:

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs!!!

Cake Time

2010-06-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time for cards lately. The end of the school year, 3 birthdays and summer school have made things a bit busy around here. (I'm the one taking summer classes .......CRAZY I know!)

I have made a couple of cakes lately, though. We had our oldest's birthday on May 21, our youngest's on May 31 and kiddo #3 on June 8, plus a cake for one of my "regular" clients.

This one was for my client. Her niece had her First Communion and they wanted a "girly cake". It was almond poppyseed with whipped cream icing. I thought the pearls made it pretty girly (they were not edible).

This is Austin (our oldest) with his Aunt Sheilah. They share the same birthday, so we had her over for birthday dinner and cake. Not a very fancy cake (mom was BUSY). Austin loves almond poppyseed cake so I baked that one and iced it with homemade buttercream.

Our youngest has been wanting a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday for the last six months. His big day finally arrived. We went on a picnic to the park with our family and some extended family and this was his cake. Chocolate fudge cake with buttercream icing and fondant accents. The cute Mickey and Friends are made of chipboard. I just attached them to straws. I saved them to use in his scrapbook :)

Finally, #3 had his birthday on June 8. He is a baseball junkey! He loves to play, watch, read about.....you name it, so I decided to do a baseball sitting in some grass. He is another of mine that loves almond poppyseed with buttercream. (I have had enough of that flavor for awhile)

Hopefully I will get some Father's Day cards made today and get them posted in between school assignments.

2010-05-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

I made this card last week for my cute niece. She turned 8 (even though I still feel like she is 4) and was so excited to get baptized. The funky colors just remind me of her spunky personality.

While I was in the mood and using this fun color combo, I decided to make another birthday card. You can never have too many..............right?

Also had a cake order last week. My first Communion cake. I can't believe I've been doing cakes for as long as I have and never done one. It was for cute twin boys, and I was happy with how it turned out.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-04-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

It is a big month in my family. My mom will be 70 this week and my parents also celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. We are having a big family/friends reception to honor them and the amazing marriage they have this weekend.

I took some time off from party preparations to make mom a b-day card today. I used this week's sketch from Mojo Monday. If you have never visited, they post a new sketch each Monday. It is a good place to look for new card ideas!

Here is my card for this week:

It is a 5x7 card. Supplies: Cardstock: (Chocolate Chip, Whisper White), Stampin'Up
Pattern Paper: My Mind's Eye "Magnolia" collection (Starburst Beauty Floral/Red),
SEI Winnie's Walls (I think)
Stamps: Vintage Labels, Stampin'Up
Accessories: Oval punch, Scallop Punch, Stampin'Up
Eyelet Border punch, Martha Stewart
Ink Pads (Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose) Stampin'Up
Ribbon, Stampin' Up
Die, Stampin'Up/Sizzix (Top Note)

Hope mom likes it as much as I do !!!!

Vinyl!

2010-04-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

We have been updating around the house lately. For the last 2 years all the walls have been white. Boring old white. Since we know we will be here for a few more years it was time to add some color! The family room and kitchen got painted last month and have gone from boring to warm and inviting. The family room walls are chocolate brown (we call it "Nutella Brown") and the wall where the tv lives is red. The kitchen has a red wall also and the others are a nice warm brown called "Roman Brick".

This week I added a vinyl accent to the red wall in the kitchen. I ordered it from Stampin' Up because it was just what I wanted.

Here is a shot of the kitchen "before":

See - white and boring~

And here is the kitchen after the paint job:

Here is the family room (it's a huge room so I can't get the whole thing in one photo):

And finally here is the kitchen after my vinyl went up:

I love it! it adds to the wall and it's just plain cute! I did learn that Stampin' Up is right and vinyl does not love textured walls, but with a little patience it is stuck just fine. I would love to do some more vinyl accents around my house and I really want to try and cut my own with my Cricut someday.

Eventually the Living room is going to be a couple of shades lighter than the kitchen - but that is another huge project. Maybe next Spring I'll be ready :)

Playing with paper is cheaper than therapy!

2010-04-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

Really it is! When I actually get my stuff out and sit and craft it takes my mind off many things. Lately it has been my answer to snacking :)

Made a couple of baby cards this week since I was going to a shower last night and yesterday I scrapped the photos of our family snow day back in January. I am pleased with how both turned out. The baby cards were my own design and I have to give credit for the scrapbook page to my talented (should be professional and famous) friend Susan. I totally scraplifted her ideas - thanks Susan!!!

Wild Wasabi (oh how I miss that color) cardstock and ink, craft cardstock, the "I'm Here" stampset, white embossing powder and a random piece of pattern paper. Stampin'Up Ribbon too.

All Stampin' Up Cardstock except the white glitter paper which is from Target (Marcella by K). The little snowmen stickers are SEI.

One more Easter Project

2010-03-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

My son is on an airplane to the Philippines today. He is serving a 2 year mission for our church. We will not see him and will only communicate through letters and 2 phone calls per year (Mother's Day and Christmas). To keep my mind off the fact that he is on a plane for over 18 hours (and over the water) today, I decided to make some bunnies to hang up for Easter. I saw the cutest idea on a new blog I found called Eighteen25 (http://eighteen25.blogspot.com). They have some dang cute ideas so check it out.

I adapted my bunnies just a little because I didn't want to frame them.

Here's a little closeup of each one:

And here they are in their new home on my dining room wall. Cute and quick!

I used the same bunny silhouette mentioned on the blog, traced it on to black cardstock, and cut it out. The pattern paper is from an old pack I got at Costco. I think it is by Wild Asparagus??? My bunnies are 8x8 with the frames being 1 inch wide and 8 inches long on each side. I inked them with Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, added grommets and Stampin' Up stiched felt ribbon (from Christmas). I finished both in just over an hour (can you say instant gratification?). They look cute on the wall and I will definitely save them for use again next year. Thanks for looking :)

Monthly Swap and Stamp Camp goodies

2010-03-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

I have joined a monthly card swap group again. It is fun to come up with new ideas each month (and to scour the internet for ideas too). Last month I threw a quick card together. This month I am actually early getting my cards finished. I made 15 of these (12 for swap and 3 to add to my stash).

***Spoiler Alert : If you are in my swap group and want to be surprised then don't look any further :)

I found my idea on the internet here. I changed the background paper to a shimmer silver that I had on hand. It's from Marcella by K and it is the wedding pad. I also changed the texture at the bottom to swiss dots. I liked the way it mirrors the dots on the center of the medallion. It is mounted on white cardstock. This card is beautiful as a wedding or anniversary card.

Last Saturday I attended the "Got Ink Girlz" Spring Stamp Camp. What a blast! The projects were adorable and fun to create, the lunch was yummy and I even won a door prize :) Here are some pics of what we made (10 projects all together - total fun!!)

And here are a couple of close ups:

Fun, fun, fun! I can't wait until they do it again. It was well planned, organized and worth every penny. Plus I got to spend 6 hours "off" from mom duty which was a much needed break.

22 Things

2010-03-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm going to post this entry on both of my blogs. I think it is such a great idea. I love to blog hop. It's a great way for me to recharge my creative batteries. One blog that I love is Stacy Julian's. She is creative, cute and often kooky (right up my alley). I love her take on scrapbooking and also the fun ideas she shares about life in general. Her post here made me think that I needed a list like that. I have learned many things about life from my nearly 22 years as a mom! If you are a mom you should give it a try. You might even want to make your own list before you read mine :)

22 Things These Amazing Humans have taught Me

1. Where you sit in the car really does affect the quality of the ride.

2. The telephone works as a magnet. Every time your mom is on the phone you are drawn right to her.

3. Sometimes putting together a puzzle is more important than mopping a floor.

4. It doesn't matter where the toy came from. A dollar store toy is just as fascinating and fun as one from FAO Schwartz.

5. Life is better when you have a blankie.

6. Peanut Butter and Jelly/Honey sandwiches are a universal meal. They work for breakfast, lunch OR dinner

7. Going to the park can be even more fun than Disneyland

8. Unconditional love is amazing. Love your family and friends just because you love them, no strings attached!

9. A toddler who is moving with a purpose is FASTER than Superman

10. A clean room is not the most important thing in life - just ask a teenager

11. If your teenager believes in #10 - don't take it too personally

12. Someday, if you are lucky, your teenagers turn into young adults and still love you - heck, they may even like you!!

13. Eating food off the floor is ok

14. Never, ever, ever say "Never". (You'll be sorry)

15. A hug really does help

16. Put your anger aside and look at the situation.

17. A soft voice really does turn away wrath (see #16)

18. A band-aid heals everything, oh, and the ones with characters on them heal it faster!

19. Always, always lick the beater (or taste the cookie dough)

20. Sing no matter where you are and no matter who is listening or looking

21. With boys (and I have 5), anything can be used as a weapon: spatulas, rulers, socks (even the spare tampon in mom's purse)

22. There is nothing better than little pudgy fingers on your cheeks,sweet slobbery kisses and three little words: "I love you mama"

Being a mom for the past 22 years has been the best of time (and sometimes the worst), and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I think I'm going to turn this list into a scrapbook page....

Easter Cards

2010-03-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

Had a totally fun time making Easter Cards today! It felt really good to get crafty again :). Here is what I made:

Love this little rabbit stamp. It's in a set that belongs to my mom. She liked the all the stamps in set except this little guy, so now he lives with me........LOVE HIM!!!

Both of these cards were made with stuff I bought from Pebbles in My Pocket Las Vegas before they closed. I think I paid $8 for the whole kit. Some of the stickers were used and a few sheets of the paper had been cut, but I have made cards and pages and still have stuff left.............Hooray for using up some of my stash!!

This last set I made with some cute stickers that Austin gave me for my birthday (love that boy - he knows just what his mom loves). The flowers and dragonflies were from him. I used those and then I was having so much fun I used some double sided stickers and flocking and some hearts. That way I can use some for Easter and some for other occasions.

Wow!! I got 8 cards finished today. I also made 10 yesterday for a swap. Forgot to take a photo of mine, so I will do that once I get my cards. I'm excited to be in a swap group again. It forces me to get creative at least once a month. I really need to work on some scrapbook pages also. It has been awhile since I felt like taking my stuff out, so now that I'm feeling crafty again, I'll have to get busy on that :)

Christmas cards.........the other one

2010-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Finally, it feels like I am getting back to some sort of "normalcy". My son has been gone for 2 weeks tomorrow and it has taken me this long to catch up with everything I put on hold before he left on his mission.

I found one of the Christmas cards I mentioned in the last post. Here it is (it was my "whimsical" design this year):

I found the elf stamp in the $1 bin at michael's at could NOT resist his cute ears and shoes! The letters for "merry" were cut with my Cricut and place on the card. Then I misted ink over them and took them off (reverse masking?). The elf and "Christmas" are embossed with white. This one was so much fun to make and it was really easy to do it assembly line style. I think I made about 30.

I made Valentine's yesterday too - photos coming soon. I promise they won't take as long to show up as the Christmas cards :)

Christmas crafts............NOT!

2010-01-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

I did not manage to get much Christmas crafting done this year. Being in school full-time took a huge chunk of my fall! Final exams were only 1 week before Christmas, so that really hampered my creative time. I did manage to make my Christmas cards though. Here is one:

I made another one also, but somehow did not get a photo of it! I'll have to see if my sweet sister saved hers so I can take a photo.

Even though I didn't do much crafting, the holidays were fabulous. Having all of my kids home was the best present ever, especially since son #2 leaves in just 20 days for his mission in the Philippines!

Scrap Whispers Reveal

2009-11-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

I took part in a Scrap Whispers challenge in October. The reveals are happening, so I can now share what I did. It was a fun challenge for me and it pushed me to really think about what I was doing. You are sent a photo of a layout and then you "scraplift" it in your own style and then pass your photo on to the next person. Fun!! I was on Team 1 (don't know who won yet).

Here is what I did:

I don't think I will do this next round since December is a busy month, but I will definitely try it again sometime.

Today I made my first Christmas card!!! Look for photos soon :)

Finally - some crafting time!

2009-10-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with a son returning from a mission, school, 5 other kids, etc., etc., that I haven't had much time for playing with paper. Yesterday I got the chance to go and work on projects that I missed at the "Got Ink Girlz" Stamp Camp and they are so stinkin' cute I had to share:

There were 12 projects and each one was so cute. The girls were so nice to those of us who just purchased kits - they cut out and stamped EVERYTHING - all we had to do was put them together. It was fun to go to Mary Lynn's house and visit, assemble and enjoy!

Here are some individual photos:

I love them all! The little bird card makes me giggle, the spider full of m&m's is adorable and the Build-a-Bear tin with the magnet dress ups inside is so dang cute! As you can see, they are a talented bunch of stampers! It was nice to be able to refill my stash a bit.

Thanks Mary Lynn and all of the "girls" for such cute projects!!!!

Crafting Crossover

2009-08-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

I love my hobby! I have been in love with paper and stickers for, well, FOREVER! When I stumbled upon the scrapbooking/paper crafting hobby, my life became perfect (well - from a hobby standpoint anyway).

As I have acquired more and more "stuff", I have found that when I can use it for more than just a card or scrapbook page I'm very happy.

Case in point: My Cricut. At first I said I would never want one (too expensive, too bulky, etc. etc.). When I finally caved in and got one I thought I would use it occasionally. Now that I have had it for awhile I find I use it for many things. It's great for crafting scrapbook pages and cards, but I have also made home decor, gifts, helped my nephew with a school project and helped my own kiddos with projects too. It really helps justify the cost (are you listening Stan? tee hee)

This month my Cricut "project" was some posters for Marcus. We are having "mom and Marcus school" three days a week. He really wanted to go to school like the big kids.

Here he is on our first day of school with his posters (he loves them and so do I). They were quick and easy.................thanks to papercrafting.

I love crafting crossovers!!! (and I love that cute kid in the photos too)

UGGS!!

2009-08-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

This post has nothing to do with cards or cakes. It's all about Boots!

I love boots! It really is too bad that I live in the desert and only have a short window of time to wear them. While school shopping at the mall this week, I made my kids stop and look at every boot display I saw. Short ones, tall ones, leather and suede! I also think UGGs are totally cute. If you love them too head over here for a chance to win a pair. (and you can even get that cute little button I have added to the sidebar).

Cupcakes!

2009-08-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

I had my first "jumbo" cupcake experience this month. I was asked to make 3 dozen for a bridal shower. The cute bride (who was one of my Mia Maids from church - 13 years ago!) loves cupcakes. She is getting married in a tropical paradise so they wanted hot colors.

I decided to try and fill the cupcakes since they are so huge. It worked! I made Chocolate with Chocolate mousse filling, iced with chocolate butter cream *YUM*, Vanilla with strawberries and cream filling, iced with whipped cream icing, and Pina Colada cupcakes (a family recipe that has coconut, pineapple and pecans in it), no filling in this one, iced with coconut cream whipped icing.

I spent a couple of days making accents for each one too. I used fondant to make flowers, leaves and strawberries. The funnest part was embossing the fondant. I decided to try and use my Cuttlebug embossing folders (one craft spilling over into another), and it worked. I put the fondant in the folder and just rolled over it with my rolling pin. Too cute!!

All in all, I was pleased with the way they turned out.

At the shower, we displayed them on my 3 tier stand.

And here is the cute bride to be - totally thrilled that she had cupcakes at her shower.

The only thing that didn't go as I thought it would was which cupcake was most popular. I really thought the chocolate would go first, but actually everyone went ga-ga for the Pina Colada - go figure!

It was a fun project and now I feel confident doing them again.

Get the creative juices flowing.......

2009-07-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

I love to blog hop! It's fun to look at other crafter's work and admire their creativity, plus, it often gets my ideas flowing (especially when I'm stuck in a creative rut). While I was looking around the internet the other day I came across a Design Team call for Die Cuts R Us. They sell the things I love.........paper and cutting tools! I love my Cricut and Cuttlebug and love how they help me "scrap on a budget" - who doesn't need some extra pennies these days.

Anyway, I decided that it would be fun to submit my projects and see what happens. Here is what I sent:

Just Because Card: Cardstock (Stampin' Up), Pattern Paper (Making Memories), Ribbon (Club Wed - Target), Cricut Cartridge (Don Juan), Gem (source unknown).

Christmas Joy Card: Cardstock and Ribbon(Stampin' Up), Pattern Paper (SEI), Cuttlebug Embossing Folders (Swirl and Swiss Dot), Star Template (Coluzzle), Ink (Stampin' Up) Button and Twine (source unknown).

Birthday Celebration 12x12 page: Pattern Paper (Cosmo Cricket - Cogsmo line), Cardstock and Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Cricut Cartridge (Celebrations)

Thanks for looking!

Learning to Love Photoshop

2009-07-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have had a love/hate relationship with Photoshop. I know most people LOVE it, but I felt like an idiot when I couldn't learn how to use it.

Well, my opinion is starting to change. I am taking a free online class at JessicaSprague.com called "Photo Editing: Frame-ups and Special Effects". What a fun class! It is covering what I always wanted to learn in Photoshop and I think I'm actually "getting it". Today we learned how to put type on the photo..................something I think is so much fun. Here is what I did:

This was Elder Jennings' first major snow storm in Iowa. Love the photo and now I love it more with the added texture, frame and text! I can't wait to print this one out! Thanks for looking :)

God Bless America!

2009-07-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

I usually post all of our family pictures on our family blog, but this one was too cute to resist!
Happy 4th of July!!

One more post today :)

2009-06-23T11:24:00.001-07:00

Just finished this baby cake for a shower tonight. It's a double shower for two cute ladies in our ward. One is having a boy and the other just had a girl. I got to do the girl cake (hope that's obvious).

Here is a close up view of the top. My daughter (I guess I should say my apprentice - she has decided she wants to learn how to decorate cakes) helped make the fondant bow and she punched out all of the cute fondant flowers. Hope the new mom likes it!

June Fun

2009-06-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have actually found a few minutes since school got out to sit at my desk and play with paper! Here's what I've been up to:

Still working on my oldest son's scrapbook. This photo was from July 4, 2002. All the kids put red, white, and blue gel in their hair (well, all but the oldest - he was too mature for that - ha ha). I had fun making a little backdrop and shooting photos.

I totally cased this layout from my talented friend Susan. She did a great 12x12 of her son and I adapted it for 8 1/2 x 11.

Supplies: Cricut cartridges (Accents & Elements and Don Juan), Cardstock (Stampin'Up), Ink (Stampin' Up), Ribbon (Michael's), Pattern Paper (old scraps)

Also made Father's Day Cards:

Supplies: Cards (DCWV), Stamps, Ink and Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Cricut Cartridge (Opposites Attract)

This project was my favorite so far this month. I had a friend having a birthday and made this little goodie bag for her:

It was so fun to make and embellish and was just the right size for some girly things: lotion, lip gloss, a room diffuser and some chocolate!
Supplies: Pattern Paper, Ink, Die Cuts & Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Stamp (Autumn Leaves), Fiber (source unknown)

Last but not least, I had fun making this Masquerade Birthday cake for a client last week. We went to High School together and recently got back in touch (got to love FaceBook). Her daughter was turning 13 and wanted a masquerade theme. She told me the colors her daughter wanted and let me have fun! I think it turned out pretty cute :)

Birthdays and Chores (summer must be here!)

2009-06-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Since today is the last day of school and since there are 4 birthdays and a wedding in the next two weeks, AND since I am a wonderful mother (tee hee), I let the kids come home and just do nothing today. I spent a few hours in my craft space making cards and a special present for the kids.

These two are for my Sis in law and my brother who share the same birthday:

Supplies: Wild Asparagus paper, Cardstock (stampin up), jewels and Fiber(unknown), embossing strip (Cuttlebug), Stamp (Autumn Leaves), Ink (Stampin Up)

Supplies: Cardstock (stampin up), P Paper (Wild Asparagus), Cricut (Celebrations and All Mixed Up), Ink (Stampin Up)

A the special gift for my adorable children:

A brand new shiny chore chart! I'm trying to avoid confusion, whining and losing my sanity this summer. Everyone has 2 daily chores and 1 weekly chore and they will rotate weekly. I even included my toddler. Once their daily circles are moved to the complete row then they can go play, use the Wii etc.

Just a close up of the side:

Supplies: Simply Scrappin Kit (Creative License, Stampin Up) Ribbon (stampin Up) Cricut(Opposites Attract and All Mixed Up Cartridges).

Happy Summer - let the work begin :) Hopefully I can get the other birthday card and Wedding card finished tomorrow.

Fun week!

2009-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

This week I got to enjoy some creative time, finally! I figured I'd better enjoy it while I can since school is almost out and everyone will be home all day................................I think I feel a new chore chart coming on :)

Anyway, my son will be 16 in a week and is going to have some friends over for a party. That gave me the perfect excuse to pull out the Cricut and make some invites:

This paper from DCWV was the perfect "teen" look I was going for. The back side could be cut into four equal pieces. After cutting them apart I folded and glued them shut to make a little "envelope". The details for the party are on the inside slider piece. The words on the front were cut with the Cricut. It sure made putting together easy.

Supplies: DCWV Rucksack paper, circle punch, cardstock (Stampin Up), Brown ribbon (Stampin Up), Cricut cartridge (Celebrations)

Our youngest turned 3 today so I also made this:

He loves yellow and Curious George!!
Also did an Anniversary cake for a client:

I used a new brand of fondant called Satin Ice............LOVE IT!!! It worked like a dream.

The Scrap Review

2009-05-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

There is a great new site that I have really started loving. It's called The Scrap Review (TSR). They review scrapbook produects - without bias! It's great to be able to read the pros and cons of new products and get information that really helps.

Check it out - you'll love it too. (Plus they are having a huge prize raffle coming up so it's worth a look)

New collections

2009-05-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Pebbles Inc. has some new papers coming out soon (not soon enough for me though!).

Here is a little sneak peek:

I can see that I will "need" this one for my toddler's album - it looks very cute and toddler-ish!

And this one:

The possibilities are endless!!!! Guess I'd better start searching for change in the couch cushions :)

Color Inspiration...............

2009-04-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

I had fun making my niece's birthday card this week - thanks to Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration. The colors were so playful, which was a perfect match for my cute little niece's personality. Here are the colors:

Here is my card:

I started with a long card that was white. I added the brown cardstock and then made my own "background" paper to match the colors. I used a set from Stampin' Up that has been retired for quite a while but I still love its playful nature. It just seemed to go with the feeling I wanted to create. I cut the letters with my Cricut. I'm going to post my efforts on her blog too. I usually don't do that part but I'm pretty happy with my card. She is giving away prizes this time and after looking at some of the submissions I don't expect to win - but I am thankful for the creative "boost" from the challenge!

Supplies: Brown cardstock (source unknown - came with a kit from Wal-Mart), White, red, yellow and turquoise cardstock and matching inks (Stampin'Up), Stamps: Simply Circles (Stampin'Up), Cricut "Don Juan" cartridge.

April Card Class

2009-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made two cards from one of the sketches in my online card class. They were quick and easy and turned out cute!

Supplies: Pattern paper - American Crafts; Cardstock - Stampin up (Kraft and Always Artichoke); Ink - Stampin Up (Chocolate Chip and Ruby Red); Stamps - Hampton Arts (from the $1 bin at Michaels)

Re-stocking the "stash"

2009-04-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

My card supply is so pathetically low! My mom came over last week to "play" and after I stamped 50 lunch sacks for the Primary Activity - I decided to make a few cards.

I made two of each of these. Same sketch - different supplies.

Happy New Baby

Swiss dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Stamps (Stampin'Up), ribbon and button brads(Making Memories). The card base is from a
box of textured cards from DCWV.

Here is the same card sketch - just different colors etc.

Embossing folder - sorry forgot the name (Cuttlebug), Stamps (Stampin' Up), ribbon (American Crafts), brads (unknown source - they came in a kit).

It was fun to make cards and rebuild the supply. I have been so focused on Austin's scrapbook that making cards has taken a back seat. I think I'll go make some more!!

Easter is here (already??)

2009-04-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

It finally dawned on me (today), that Easter is THIS Sunday. I thought I'd better get some cards in the mail to the out of town relatives, so I hit the craft room. How is it that I have been scrapping/card making for 10 + years and do not have an Easter stamp set? I did see a really cute one online that I am totally wanting (it's called Jelly Beans by My Cute Stamps and the bunny is so adorable), but there is no way it would be here in time, so I took out my Cuttlebug and Cricut and made some eggs and grass. It's a simple card, but it was made with love.

Also, this week, I made a thank you for my daughter's science teacher. She did an amazing act of kindness for 4 kids at the school and I thought this quote summed it all up quite well. I used my Summer Picnic paper from SU and the Tart and tangy stamp set. I hope she likes it.

Just one more happy thought for today. There's nothing better than seeing a boy and his dog!!

Some of my "stuff"

2009-04-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Since I'm going to concentrate on cards and layouts on this blog now, I thought I would post a collage of some of my recent "stuff".
There are a couple of Valentines, Some Thank yous and, of course, an Easter card. The back to school layout is one I did for Austin's scrapbook. I'm trying to get it all caught up before he gets home from his mission in October. I think I'm almost to his High School years! (I think I can, I think I can!!!)

Thanks for stopping by to look ;)

Project 365............not so much

2009-04-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it through the first week of March with my "project" and then life got in the way. I am going to concentrate on cards and pages on this blog once again.

Project 365 is such a great idea - maybe I will try again next year...........

For now, on with the cut and paste!!!

Card Class

2009-04-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a free online "card class" at Two Peas in a Bucket. Each month there are 3 new card ideas using a different technique. This month it was fun ways to use ribbon. It has been fun to recharge my creative juices and actually make some cards for my stash. Here are two I made so far for the ribbon class:

This one is a 3x3 card:

I love how my stamp-a-majig makes the words all nice and staight!

This one is a regular sized card and I cut the words with my Cricut:

One other fun thing - I promised myself I would only use stuff I already have to make cards this year - and so far so good. I made cards in January and February and now March with "stuff" that was already in my craft room. Yay me!

Week of March 8, 2009

2009-03-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

With all the illness around here, I have been falling short of a photo a day - I'll try harder once I feel better :)

Monday 3/9/09

Made chicken noodle soup and rolls today. The house smelled so good! Took some to mom and dad since mom is sick.

Tuesday 3/10/09

Last Deacon basketball game tonight. They won - AND had fun!

Wednesday & Thursday 3/11-12/09

We are "sharing" a throat infection around here. Amanda had it last week, Kyle came home on Monday with it. So a trip to the pediatrician last week and another one today for Kyle.
Thursday: Yep, back to the pediatrician with Preston and Marcus. They got sick during the night. It's official - we are a germ infested house.

If there is anything sweeter than a sleeping baby I don't know what it is. Marcus fell asleep on the couch after his turn to the pediatrician. He NEVER falls asleep anywhere but his bed so I know he doesn't feel good. I'll be glad when everyone feels better!

Friday 3/13/09

Having lots of fun with my new Cricut machine and borrowed cartridges from my friend Susan. Who thought paper and glue could make me happy????

Week of March 1, 2009

2009-03-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday March 1, 2009

Preston's big day. It was great to have Stan's parents and my parents with us today. Especially since Stan's parents drove down from Utah just for church. Preston is now a Deacon. Where did 12 years go?

Monday March 2, 2009

My attempt to get Marcus to eat eggs.....make a monster face. Did it work......NO! He used to love scrambled eggs, lately not so much. He ate the bagel and oranges but would not touch the eggs. Go figure.

Thursday March 4, 2009

ROCK BAND! Marcus loves it when Hayden lets him "play" with him. He is a rock star at heart.

Friday March 5, 2009

I'm trying to give this up............today I just needed one :)

Week of February 22, 2009

2009-03-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

Sunday 2/22/09

Preston was supposed to receive the Priesthood today. The stomach flu had other ideas! He came home from his 1st overnight campout SICK!!

Monday 2/23/09

What a fun letter to get in the mail! I can't wait to go shopping. I entered the contest on a whim and it paid off - I was the Grand Prize Winner. ($100 to spend at Michael's)

Tuesday 2/24/09

Shopping with free money - what could be better?

Wednesday 2/25/09

Hayden and Derek started our backyard awning project. It's nice to have big kids and their friends around for the heavy lifting!

Thursday 2/26/09

Amanda made $5 for picking up nails in the yard after the awning was finished. She found 100!

Friday 2/27/09

Our new love - Curious George on tv. Marcus gets in the "zone" and does not like to be disturbed while watching.

Saturday 2/28/09

3rd Ward Volleyball 2009
The girls played their hearts out and came in 2nd this year. They did a great job - it was SO close - and were excellent sports. Love that they were such good losers!

Week of February 15, 2009

2009-02-23T14:30:00.001-08:00

I did not get anything posted for a week - because there were no photos.............the stomach flu hit the Jennings House. (ick)

Anyway.........

Sunday 2/15/09

Stan and the kids before church. Notice Marcus' new suit!

Monday 2/16/09

No school today. Surprised Preston with a little birthday party. Cathrine and the kids came over for Wii games, pizza and lots of laughs. Preston was very surprised!!

Tuesday 2/17/09

Happy Birthday Preston! Stan and I took him out for Crab Legs (his one birthday request)

Wednesday 2/18/09

Haircut day! Lookin' "spiffy" and much older with the shagginess cut off.

Thursday 2/19/09

Courtney and Scarlett (my niece and her baby) stopped by for a visit. Marcus didn't quite know what to do with a little one trying to play with "his" toys.

Friday 2/20/09

A toddler lives here. Enough said!

Saturday 2/21/09

Teenagers can sleep anywhere!

Week of February 1, 2009

2009-02-09T15:50:00.001-08:00

Sunday 2/1/09

Go Steelers!!! Marcus even enjoyed the big game.

Monday 2/2/09

Monday means clean the house day in my dictionary. How can we make such a mess between Saturday night and Monday morning????

Tuesday 2/3/09

Clean and shiny!! I love clean kids and especially the smell of baby shampooed hair and Baby Magic lotion on sweet baby feet :)

Thursday 2/5/09

We took the plunge and bought a potty chair. Now if we could just get Marcus to use it!

Friday 2/6/09

Happy Birthday Maria! Flowers from Carolyn Sue and dinner out with Stan YAY!!!!

Week of January 25, 2009

2009-02-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

I found this quote this week:

LOVE IT!!

Anyway........
Sunday 1/25/09

While I was at "Great to be 8!" at the church, Kyle and Amanda worked TOGETHER to make cookies for the family. :)

Monday 1/26/09

Preston prepared and presented a great Family Home Evening about Joseph Smith. He even made a "treat". Baby carrots with dip (we had a choice of Thousand Island or Creamy Italian). Love that kid and his devotion to FHE.

Tuesday 1/27/09

Was in a baking mood. Tried from scratch chocolate cupcakes (pretty good) with Peanut Butter Buttercream icing (totally Yummy!)

Wednesday 1/28/09

Whenever the camera comes out lately, this is what Marcus does. Maybe I have taken too many pictures of him!

Thursday 1/29/09

Amanda loves her new Converse "chucks". I even made a scrapbook page about them today!

Friday 1/30/09

Met Cathrine at Wal-Mart for a "walk around". Don't know what I would do without her. She gave me my birthday present early. Who wouldn't love beautiful truffles (and a gift card for later)? This girl just gets me!!! I can "verbally vomit" to her anytime and she never seems to mind. LOVE YOU SIS!!

Saturday 1/31/09

Totally busy Saturday with basketball and volleyball. A tender day too, as we said goodbye to our dear friend Ina. She was my visiting teacher when Amanda was born and became a dear friend. I was her Visiting Teacher for a time too and she always made me feel important and we had many laughs together. I will miss her, but am so glad she is out of pain and at peace.

Week of January 18, 2009

2009-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Another week has flown by, it's hard to believe that January is nearing an end.

Sunday

DESSERT! On Sunday I try to make a yummy treat for us. We don't have dessert everyday around here. Tonight I made Mint Brownies...........YUM!!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Stan was home and he and Marcus enjoyed a story before naptime. Marcus loved it!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Big day for our country! I watched the inaguration and President Obama's speech. Even though I wasn't on his "team" during the election process, I hope our country can come together and work on the problems we are facing. It was a historic day for sure.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

February is almost here - time to start making Valentines - YAY!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

I'm trying hard to get Austin's scrapbook up to date before he comes home. This is his 11th birthday. Why does time have to fly be SO dang fast!!!!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Marcus made himself a bed on the kitchen floor and Kyle joined him for a nap. Guess I should have taken the hint that he was tired! (It was almost 10 pm!!!)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Saturdays mean: Video games (for Preston), haircuts, new shoes, volleyball practice (for Amanda), basketball practice (for Preston and Kyle), plus all the fix it jobs, laundry etc. Plus, today, 4 dozen frosted sugar cookies for "It's great to be 8" tomorrow, and oatmeal raisin cookies for Hayden's sunday school class................WOW!!!

Week of January 11, 2009

2009-01-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start posting a week at a time - it's easier to keep track of for my old brain!

I took a picture on Sunday, of the family watching Grease and singing along to all the songs - it got deleted!!

Monday

Marcus learned how to make Goldfish confetti!! Love those toddlers. (Note the "confetti" in his hair!)

Tuesday

One of my favorite blogs. I have to visit everyday. Great cooking inspiration and lots of good humor. Up at the top you can see some of my other daily wanderings around the internet. I sit and do my morning "blogging" while Marcus eats breakfast.

Wednesday

Kyle loves to mug it up for the camera. It looks like there is an orange in his mouth - nope, it's his tongue!

Thursday

Spent the afternoon making the It's Great to be 8 invitations for Primary. I love how they turned out!

Friday

Marcus loves the computer. He spent an hour playing Little Einsteins and Elmo games!
It's amazing to us that he already knows how to use the mouse and get where he wants to go. I think kids are born with a technology gene now!

Saturday

Just keepin' it real. Kitchen counter on a Saturday morning............

Just words............

2009-01-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

No photo today. I just wasn't feeling "it". I did get out of the house with Marcus and if I would have taken my camera with me I would have a cute photo of him enjoying McNuggets INSIDE the McDonalds. He love it!
Note to self: Keep camera in purse!!!

January 8, 2009

2009-01-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

January 8, 2009

Preston brought home his cell project today. It was a hard, stressful project for both of us :)
He was happy to report that he received a grade of 5/5!!! Yay Preston!

January 7, 2009

2009-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Two photos today:

New Year - time to stock up on necessities. Smart and Final had a great deal on frozen chicken breasts - and we were out of the 3 things that Marcus can't seem to live without lately: cookies, cheese cookies (aka goldfish) and cocoa (his morning request nearly everyday).

Marcus loves his Little People. He had them set up all over the family room today. Wish I could understand what he was telling them :)

Project 365

2009-01-06T20:35:00.001-08:00

I'm trying a new project this year. I read about it last year, but just didn't have the time, energy, motivation.......etc. Now a whole year has passed and I wish I would have done it. Anyway, the idea is to take one photo a day. Something that just catches your eye, no matter how trivial. Then you write a few words about it. Eventually I would like to turn the whole year into a scrapbook, but for now I'm going to use this blog. (less effort on my part) I'm getting a slow start, so here is January 1st through 6th. I want to try to enter one a day from here on out.

January 1, 2009

This photo (taken by Amanda), reminds me of how much Marcus is loved around here. His brothers and sisters worship the ground he walks on most of the time. Even when he gets into their stuff, which happens more frequently now, they still love him and treat him with kindness.

January 2, 2009

Goofball!!! He loves to cheese it up for the camera now!!

January 3, 2009

Today was our Primary "Meet and Greet". A fun way for the kids to meet their new teachers. Afterwards we cleaned out the Primary closets in preparation for the new year...............Not fun!!! The results were great though :) I love to open an organized closet.

January 4, 2009

A typical Sunday afternoon. Resting, relaxing and napping. Amanda loves sharing the couch with her dad and I love that they have such a fun, teasing, loving relationship.

January 5, 2009

This one is to remind me to be thankful for what I have instead of whining about what I don't. Enough said.

January 6, 2009

Our usual morning routine. After we take Amanda and Preston to school, I sit at my desk with my toast and tea and Marcus has breakfast in his chair (while watching Little Einsteins). Hey, it works for us!

Thanksgiving Card

2008-11-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to show the Thanksgiving card I sent to our family. I thought I would use "fall" colors so I chose:

Purely Pomegranate, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron and Always Artichoke - with a little Close to Cocoa in there too. Sounds like the colors and flavors of fall huh?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Color Inspiration Challenge - almost

2008-11-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

I loved the colors for Kristina Werner's color challenge this week. They made me think of Thanksgiving and fall. I figured I would give it a go. I also figured out that I should NOT do these challenges after 11 pm. Here's why: I love how my card came out, but this morning, in the light of day, I realized I used Burgundy instead of Eggplant! Oh well - Here's the card anyway.

Thanks for looking! Happy Fall :)

Christmas Cards

2008-11-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't post these on my other blog. I wanted to wait until they were mailed so no one would get a "sneak peek". Well, I can't stand it!! I had to post them somewhere. I am pretty happy with how they turned out this year.

I ended up making 3 different cards this year. Usually I just make one, but I was having too much fun this year. This is the first one:

The bow turned out to make putting this card in an envelope impossible, so this is my card that will go on hand delivered gifts and to the neighbors.

Here is a close up of the star. As you can see I had a BLAST with my cuttlebug on this card!

Here is the second card I made. It is much more USPS friendly :) I loved how the paper had just a little pink. Kind of a fun holiday twist.

And finally, card #3. A little origami tree and some fun paper from my Stampin' Up "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit. This one looks like alot of work, but it actually went together pretty quick.

If you peek before Christmas, at least you'll be surprised at which one of the three you receive!! Let the holiday fun begin!!!

K Werner Color Challenge 15

2008-07-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

One blog that I love to visit is Kristina Werner's. She has a simple style that I love and she makes
the cutest cards. Every week she posts a color challenge. Here is this weeks:

Since my husband is out of town and the kids are in bed, I decided to give it a try. Here is the first card I came
up with. I used my BoHo Background set and some of my sell-a-bration rub ons. I heart Stampin' Up rub-ons!
They are so easy to apply. I am a rub-on addict and these are some of the best.

I was having so much fun I decided to make another card. We are getting a new niece or nephew tomorrow
and that inspired the second card. I'm so excited to meet this new little miracle!!!

I got to use some of the yummy ribbon I found on clearance at Target. There were 5 rolls in a package with 4 feet on each roll. It's American Crafts ribbon and they were marked down to $2.48 each (so I HAD to buy 3 different ones). I think my ribbon addiction is catching up to my pattern paper one. I wish it was easier to see that I also used the alphabet background stamp from the I'm Here set too. It's stamped on the Choc. Chip with Cho. Chip ink. It looks cute in real life.

Thanks for looking!

Yay! Pages!!

2008-07-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

***Disclaimer - I cannot take credit for creating these layouts. They are from the stamp club that I belong to. I don't get to attend (it's usually during the day while I'm at work),
so I went to "catch up" night and made some of the layouts from the year. I added
pictures to two of them today and even adapted one to an 8 1/2 x 11. It felt good to be
creative. Thanks Mary Lynn for cute pages that inspire creativity!!

Need to add journaling to this page still, but I just love how the 4th of July photos came out :)

This was the valentine spread. I didn't have any valentine photos this year, so I adapted it to be for
Hayden's Senior Prom.

I think I will add journaling to this page, but I'm not sure. Maybe with a nice script font?
What do you think? I like the white space too, so I'm not sure. I feel like it's important to tell the story........hmmmmmm, just don't know yet.

This is the Splish Splash page in 8 1/2 x ll. I made one for Amanda's book and another one with different photos but the same layout for Marcus' book.
Thanks for looking!!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

I found a few minutes this last week to make a couple of cards.
My son went to a "Patriotic Pool Party" for a friend's birthday so he wanted me to make
a red, white and blue birthday card. This is what we came up with.

I just love the Stampin' Up "Bugs and Kisses" set.
It was fun making it in patriotic colors. It didn't show up in the
photo too well, but the little potato bug ("rolly Polly" to us)
is in red on the bottom row.

While I was playing around I decided to make a simple
4th of July card too.

Totally quick and easy, and I was so happy I had those little
gold star buttons. It was nice to make a quick card that
didn't require too much brain power!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Graduation cards

2008-06-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

This was the card I made for my son's graudation. The wings are glittered and I cut and layered an extra pair so they would look 3-d.
The other is a card I made for my graudation niece.

I thought I would just put up some photos of projects I have finished recently. Just to get the blog started. Please let me know what you think!

Even more recent projects

2008-06-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Some recent projects

2008-06-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to paper heaven!

2008-06-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

I wanted a place where I can share my cards with everyone. I don't want just anyone coming to my family blog so...................Cards N Stuff is born!

I don't claim to be a professional or even a perfectionist, just someone who loves playing with paper, glue and embellishments. This hobby helps me relax and be creative. I even profess to my husband that it saves us money on greeting cards (I know he doesn't really buy that either!).