Abstracts Mixed with Extracts

Ippity Tuesday

2012-01-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

Last week the Ippity Design Team received some FABULOUS stamps from Heather.

I was blessed to receive the Sweet on You set (which includes a cupcakes stand with cupcakes stamp...LOVE!) along with two others.

My mother in law's birthday is coming up quick, so I thought I make her a cute little card to go with the gift we purchased for her.

Here's a look:

It's on the simple side, I wanted to focus on the stamps and products.

I embossed the stamp (using Versamark ink, black embossing powder) and then colored it in with some colored pencils I had on hand. I haven't invested in any Copics yet, my day is coming!

Here's the stamp set:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Four Generations Layout...

2012-01-16T01:35:00.001-05:00

Four generations....
Great Grandparents (both sides)
Grandparents
Parents
Grand kids

I've had this picture printed for quite a while, it's been in my pile of "to be scrapped" for just as long. It's an old photo, it's color quality isn't the best, and how do I do it justice on a scrapbook page?
So much this photo captures: A special time, my grandpa still alive, four generations in one room, grand kids on grandparent's laps, smiles, a family together.
Echo Park released "Times and Seasons" and it seemed to call to this photo, so I obliged. I set aside the feelings of "to special to scrap" and pulled out the glue, the ink and the mist.
I'm glad I did. I am going to love looking back on this page. The photo alone always makes me smile.

Thank you for stopping by today, I just created a facebook page for this blog, so if you'd like to stay up to date and see all the fun things going on here be sure to hit the "like" button located in the upper left corner.
Happy Monday!

Fun Friday Recipe...

2012-01-13T00:01:00.002-05:00

Many of you know I love to bake. Tonight I fired up my oven (first time since Christmas) and made a batch of carrot cake cupcakes. I'll share those next week.
This week I've got Hot Chocolate Cookies to share!
I love hot chocolate, well, I should say I love, love, love hot chocolate. If it's under 70 degrees I may be found in the Starbucks drive thru buying myself a peppermint hot chocolate with no whip cream.
I saw this recipe in Rachel Ray's Everyday Magazine (which I'm still not sure why I'm receiving...we didn't order it and actually it's addressed to my husband, just a little odd) and had to make them.
Anyways, here's a look at these amazing cookies:

Here's the recipe, just in case you want a little chocolate for the weekend :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter
7 bars (3.5 oz. each) semisweet chocolate—12 oz. chopped, 7.5 oz. cut into 1-inch squares and the rest for garnish
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
30 marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently, over medium heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla at low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture just until blended. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. (If making the dough a day ahead, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.)
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 325°. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Arrange about 16 balls 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet, flattening slightly. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, snip 8 marshmallows in half crosswise and stick 1 square of chocolate onto each of the cut sides.
Remove the cookie sheets from the oven; gently press a marshmallow half, chocolate side down, into each cookie. Bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes; grate the remaining chocolate over the hot cookies. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to the racks; let cool. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, marshmallows and chocolate. Bake each batch on a clean sheet of parchment.
Source: Rachel Ray

Wishing you a wonderful, chocolate filled weekend :)

Abundance

2012-01-11T01:03:00.000-05:00

noun

an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply:an abundance of grain.

overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.

affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.

Physics, Chemistry . the number of atoms of one isotope of anelement divided by the total number of atoms in amixture of the isotopes.

When November rolled around this past year and Christmas lists were requested from family, I struggled.

I teach junior highers who only have three outfits to wear total, and many go home to empty homes and eat quesadillas for dinner every night. I see kids each day who own one sweatshirt, have never been to Disneyland and are fortunate to get a few Christmas presents at best.

So, it was hard for me to think about wanting anything more than I already have. A good dose of gratitude brought the overwhelming feeling that in 2012 we needed to find a way to give back, to make an impact, to change another's life for the better. As a teacher, I can provide a loving classroom, encouragement, meet some clothing needs, but I still never feel like it's quite enough.

Enter Luis.

I was reading (in)courage last week and happened upon Compassion's website. I scrolled the faces of kids in need, and stopped on a small, smiling seven year old from El Salvador. He held a striking resemblance to one of my students, and he had been requesting a sponsor for more than six months. What better way to give back than to give a seven year old who lives in a dirt floor mud hut the opportunity for clean water, food, medical care, training for his parents and tutoring for him? Who knew just saying yes in response to the abundance we have could feel so good? Who knew that $48 a month could do so much for one other person on this earth.

I sure didn't.

But I do now.

Meet Luis:

I can't wait to see what the future holds for this little one!

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
Mother Teresa

Eleven Years Layout...

2012-01-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Sampler's January Kit is so much fun!
I used it to document J and my eleventh wedding anniversary. We kicked it off at Griffith Park watching the sun go down. It was beautiful! Then we went to Mastro's in Beverly Hills (where we had THE BEST warm butter cake dessert and saw Lionel Richie).

Here's my layout:

I cut the flower petals and "Hello Time" (Ali Edwards brush) on my Silhouette Cameo.
Thanks for stopping by today!

Two Card Tuesday

2012-01-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Sampler Kit Club is hosting their monthly card challenge starting today.
If you love making cards, this might be a fun one for you.
Here is the inspiration piece:

Here is the card I made:

I used The Sampler's January kit and a Fiskars heart punch to make the hearts and then stamped with Ali Edward's Studio AE stamps for the "love" and "love you images". They are embossed with clear embossing powder. I will be doing a tutorial over on the blog on Friday on how to make those hearts!
If you would like to join in the card challenge, head over to The Sampler blog and join in!

I also have another card for you today, one that I made with the Sampler's January kit and also with an Ippity Stamp. I am over on the Ippity blog today and would love for you to stop by and leave some love!

Here is the card:

I explained how to make it on the Ippity blog.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy Tuesday!

What's New?

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Twenty Twelve is here and there is so much going on!

I thought I'd take today to show you what's happening at some of my favorite places.

First up, Sally and I have a new class over at Scrapbook Daisies in Long Beach, CA.

Our class is titled Twelve Months Captured in 2012:

Twelve Months Captured in 2012 will allow you to capture, record and remember all the moments 2012 brings. This album/layout class will include a two page 12x12 spread for each month, along with a 12x6 double sided page sandwiched between the spread to hold all the journaling and fun for the month. This class will be held three times during the year. We look forward to recording 2012 with you!

Class 1: February 19, 2011 $38.00

12:30-3:30 PM

This class includes: a leather 12x12 album, page protectors, a cover page layout, layouts for January, February, and March.

Class 2: April Class Cost $25.00

This class will include: Layouts for April, May, June, July and August.

Class 3: Late Summer Class Cost: $25.00

In this class we will create layouts for September, October, November, and December, along with a closing page to finish off your album with style.

Please call or stop by Scrapbook Daisies today (562-377-0302) to sign up for our February class! This class is a steal as it includes a 12x12 leather album with all the necessary page protectors for the entire year, along with three months of layouts. We hope to see you in February. If you will be out of town or not able to attend we will have kits available for pick up at Scrapbook Daisies starting Feb. 19th.

We'll advise you of the dates of the other 2 classes as soon as they are scheduled.

Next up I have The Sampler's January 2012 kit!

I was so floored when this kit hit my doorstep as it is PACKED full! Three alphabets, tons of patterned paper, Hambly transparency, handmade embellishments, and more!

Go here to see more!

Here's a peek:

and We Scrap has a big event coming up, so mark your calendar:

I will be back to regular blogging this week, tomorrow I have two cards to share, and layouts will be shared this week as well, so come back tomorrow!

Happy Monday!!

Embossing/Watercolor Tutorial

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today I'm over at the I Heart Ippity blog, but I'm also posting my tutorial here, Enjoy!

The New Year is off to a brand new start, and it's back to school for many of us teachers here in So Cal. Time just keeps flying by.
I don't know about you, but I love sending thank you cards for gifts, nice gestures I receive.
I especially love making them, but in reality, that doesn't always happen.

Heather sent me this fabulous stamp set, Cuppy Cakes, and it's perfect for some fun thank you cards. It's also super fitting as those of you who read my blog or know me know I love to bake.

Today I'm going to show you how to emboss your stamped image and then use watercolor pastels to fill in some color on your images.
We are going to start with some supplies, you will need:
A card base (piece of cardstock, mine is white)
Embossing Ink (I use Versamark)
Embossing Powder (I used American Crafts Zing in Charcoal)
Craft Heat Gun (found at any Michaels or JoAnns)
Stamps (I used the Ippity Cuppy Cakes set)
Watercolor Pastels (I used Stampin Up's pastels)
Watercolor Pen (you can also use a small paint brush if you don't have this)
Tulle to tie on top if you want

We are going to start out with our stamp set:

Take your cupcake stamps out of the packaging and mount them (pull off backing and put them on an acrylic block) just like above.

Next, get your card base, Versamark and embossing powder ready.

Stamp your images onto your card using the Versamark clear ink.

Then pour your embossing powder over your inked images (you don't want to leave the Versamark on the card too long or it will dry, so be fast and ready to dump your embossing powder).

Once you have the powder on there, shake off the excess and then flick the back of the card to remove even more. Continue stamping and pouring the powder until the entire card is covered the way you want it. If you have stray powder, take a thin paint brush and brush it off, because if you see powder now, it will be set there once you heat it up.

Once you are happy with your card and have the stray powder removed, heat the card using your head gun. You will see it melt. Be careful not to put the heat gun too too close to the card.

Once your images are all embossed, take out your watercolor pastels and go to town coloring like you did in kindergarten. No need to sweat the stray marks, they will get filled in when you add some water to the pastels.

Above you see the bottom left with the pastels watercolored in using my watercolor pen, you can also use a fine paint brush as well.

Color in all your images, and then paint with water.

I added the "thanks" and decided it was still a bit too plain for my taste, so I added some tulle.

Final product:

I added some bling to the flowers as well.
Please forgive my flashed images, the sun escaped before I returned home today. We went to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and I loved it. I'm not ashamed to say I like Jeremy Renner much more than Tom Cruise :)

Happy Tuesday to you all.
Have tons of fun creating!!
I'll be back tomorrow with pics of my clean craft room :)

Just A Short Break....

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a bit of a blogging break, but will be back to share more inspiration with you very soon!
I am over at The Paper Bakery today, and will return here shortly.

Taken from the Griffith Observatory 11/25/2011

Life is Good Mini Album & A Card....

2011-12-21T03:06:00.000-05:00

Today I am over at The Paper Bakery sharing my mini album and I wanted to share it here as well. Also, I created a card for Heather over at I Heart Ippity, so be sure to scroll down to see the card too!
This month I had the pleasure of creating with the Paper Bakery main kit and the add on kit, and I made a mini album with the journal book by Studio Calico.

I went round and round with the cover, painting, misting, but in the end I covered it up with the lovely brown grid paper.

Today I am going to give you a look at my album from January to June. Next Wednesday I will be showing you July to December.

I wanted to create a mini to record all my "good times" for 2012, and this was the perfect kit for it!
Here is the cover:

The first page:

I traced the mask in the kit and then cut it out, I adhered it to the beige patterned paper and cut around it free hand.

And the inside front cover:

For the inside front cover I adhered the patterned paper first, and then put the tissue feeling paper on top of it. For the tissue type paper I used the part of the paper that says "Memory" and defines it since I am recording my husband and my good times and memories in this little album.
Now onto the months.
I wanted a universal feel to the album, so every month has a title page with the month cut on my Silhouette from the kraft paper and then misted with the Mr. Huey mist from the kit. On the back of these pages I will be adhering a photo. Then, each month has an embellished journaling page, along with 1-2 additional pages to write on (yes...I was a bad girl and pulled apart that entire notebook so it's not adhered together and then used jump rings to hold my album together). There is stamping throughout the album, both the set from the kit and Ali Edward's Technique Tuesday stamps (I can't make a project without them :)

Here's a look at January:

Here is February:

March:

April:

May:

and June:

I'm really excited to start filling this up with fun "good times" from 2012!

I also made this card for Heather over at I Heart Ippity using the new December Stamp set:

I love that Teresa Collins line and the stamps are so fun! The font on the title reminds me of the Chick-fil-a font from their advertisements!
Wishing you open parking spaces, easy gift wrapping, packages arriving on time, trees that keep drinking their water and lovely times with those you love this week!

My December Daily still needs some attention, hoping to get to that soon :)
Happy Wednesday!

December Color Combo Blog Hop

2011-12-17T06:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the December installment of the Color Combo Blog Hop!
This month we are working with this color combo from Design Seeds:

I love these colors, bur added some green to make the cover of my December Daily (which I am putting together this week!).

Here is the cover:

I cut the lace background on my Silhouette....so fun! The tag is Elle's studio, the trees are Echo Park.
I'm hoping to pair my photos + stories together in my album this week, along with working on my advent tags that have gone unfinished.

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!
I'm off to cross a few more things off my list and enjoy some much needed time off!
Hop on over to these lovely ladies blogs and see what they did with the color combo:

http://www.suealthouse.blogspot.com/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://www.michelleroycroft.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com

http://www.scrapworthylives.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

Happy Saturday!!!

December Daily Drop Out & Mr. Big Brown Eyes....

2011-12-15T01:20:00.000-05:00

Insert Music "December Daily Drop out".....go right ahead, sing it with me, right off the soundtrack of Grease. I had good intentions this year, I have my pictures, I have journaling, but I have zero energy and motivation to get to it. By the time I am done wrapping, card writing, baking, etc. for the night I can't fathom stirring up the creative juices to create. I have the cover, I will show you tomorrow. I hope I can put it together this weekend when I know school is out, wrapping is basically done and things are calming down.

Until then, here is another layout made from The Paper Bakery's December kit, it's just released and full of Studio Calico goodness!
I used my Silhouette to cut the word "Big" and misted it with some Mr. Huey (love that stuff!). I also cut the chevron background with my Silhouette.....so much fun!!
Tag is Bananafish Studio on Etsy :)
Photos are of my nephew, such a cutie!

I also made a mini album with the main December kit, so I will be showing that to you soon!
I hope to scrapbook some more this weekend!!
Have a wonderful Thursday.....getting so close to Winter Break for all those teachers out there!! Yay!

Sweet James on a Wonderful Wednesday!

2011-12-14T00:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!
The week is half over, almost time for winter break! I'm so excited!
I'm also over at The Paper Bakery today sharing the layout that I made using this sketch:

The December kit is full of fun goodies, and I used it and the sketch to make this layout:

A fun layout of my sweet nephew James. He's much bigger than this now, but still super cute!
I love working with sketches and this one was really easy to implement. Grace is super talented at creating sketches!

Sarah is releasing the Paper Bakery December kit tomorrow, and it's going to go fast.
Here's a sneak peek for you of her project using the main kit:

I worked with the main kit as well, so I will be posting my mini album soon!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Rogers Gardens at Christmas & A Fun Announcement

2011-12-13T01:10:00.000-05:00

So first my fun announcement, I was asked to join The Sampler Kit Club Design Team for 2012!
They are having a great giveaway on the blog, so head on over and leave a comment to be entered to win! I am really excited to play with their kits each month, you will be seeing lots of creative inspiration here all year long! I have lots of fun design opportunities for 2012 and I'm really looking forward to it.

Rogers Gardens in Corona Del Mar, CA is known for it's beautiful plants and holiday decor. It is a sight to be seen all throughout the year. All the plants I have bought from them have been healthy and easy to care for due to their great "how to's" in all of their plants.

I had to privilege of visiting a couple weekends ago and took some photos.
Rogers Gardens definitely has the ability of putting you in the holiday spirit in no time!

How pretty are these ruffled poinsettias?

Is there a magical place that just screams Christmas where you live??

It rained all day today in So Cal so there was no chance of getting shots of December Daily today! I'll post them when the sun comes out again!
I'll be back tomorrow with a new layout!

Happy Tuesday!!

New Layout: Enjoy Life....

2011-12-12T00:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not usually one for simple layouts, but after going round and round and letting this layout sit on my worktable for a couple weeks, I've decided I'm done.
The photos are of my husband and my nephew. While I'm more of the planner and stressor, my husband is way more laid back. He is always one to remind me that everything is going to be alright and to enjoy the journey each day. He loves playing with our nephew, and I'm happy to have it captured on film.
While I will definitely be making a halloween layout later, I wanted to create an enjoy life layout.
I cut the titles on my Silhouette and layered them so they were nice and thick (technique learned from Nichol). The titles took up a majority of the right side of the page, and while I really wanted to add more embellishments, I settled on a few stickers.

Here's the layout:

Layered Title:

As the holidays approach, I hope you are savoring the moments and enjoying this time of year!
I hope you'll come back and visit the blog this week....lots going on here!

This week on this blog:
Tuesday- A look at all the Christmas decor at Rogers Gardens + December Daily
Wednesday-Layout + Card + December Daily to share
Thursday-December Daily + Mini Album for Paper Bakery
Friday-December Daily plus yummy Christmas cookie recipe

Christmas is All Around...

2011-12-07T01:11:00.000-05:00

Does the calendar really say December 7th? Wow! Time is just flying by and my to do list is growing by the day! I have been so busy shopping for the perfect presents, wrapping them, searching for the perfect tree, and seeing family and friends! I just can't believe Christmas is right around the corner.

I also have some fun design news, it's at the bottom of this post :)

But first....

I have several gifts that include gift cards and I like to include a homemade card with them.

So, I took the November Add On kit from The Paper Bakery and my Season of Joy stamp from Ippity Stamps and made a couple cards and a tag for a special gift.

I hope they inspire you!

Card #1: Merry December

I took the red patterned paper and stamped it with white ink and embossed clear embossing powder over the white ink to give it shine.

I then added the ribbon, frame (light teal paper), rosette (sprayed red), and the December circle (isn't it so cute? I wanted to keep it in my stash forever!). I then added the present and gingerbread man sticker and some bling.

Materials used:

Paper Bakery November Add on Kit

Ippity Stamps Merry Stamp Set--Season of Joy

Red Maya Mist

Kaiser Craft Bling

Season of Joy Set:

This set can be purchased HERE

Card #2: Holly Jolly Christmas

For this card I stamped the snowflakes in red and embossed them with clear embossing powder.

I then added the tree, stars, holly jolly title, and presents!

Very simple card but oh so fun!

Tag: Rustic Tree on Fabric Rosette

I used the same stamp set, but instead of the snowflakes I used the words!

I then added the fabric rosette and the rustic tree. I added some Calico White to the tree to make it look more festive.

Last, I added "Happy Holidays" and some fabric at the top of the tag and it was complete!

Be sure to check out The Paper Bakery's blog today, I'm up over there with these projects and a sneak of my mini album I made with the December kit.

Also, check out I Heart Ippity for more creative projects with stamping and paper crafting.

Heather is also having a giveaway each day leading up to her birthday this month, you might want to check it out!

Now for fun design news.....

I am joining a manufacturer design team for a UK company soon launching in the USA. Suzy West will be releasing products through this company and it is one amazing design team already! This company makes embossing powders and stamps. I'm really excited to be designing for them for all of 2012!

They will be debuting at CHA and the U.S. name has not been released yet, but I will keep you posted :)

I am also joining the We Scrap design team for January 2012-June 2012. I am really excited to join this fun group of girls to inspire and share their fun kits! Their forum is full of really nice people and I am really happy to be designing for them.

My design stint with The Paper Bakery is coming to an end at the end of this month. I have really enjoyed designing for Sarah, she has an amazing eye for unique products and is very organized and kind. I'm really excited for what she has in store for the new team!

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Is it really almost December???

2011-11-30T00:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!
I don't know what the weather is like in your area, but here in So Cal we have had summer weather for three days now, and I'm really struggling to feel the Christmas spirit with 80 degrees on the thermometer!

However, I do have presents to wrap, tags to make, more presents to buy, baking to do and so much more before the calendar registers December 25th!

This week I am sharing a fun tag and a favorite Christmas recipe!

In the Paper Bakery November Add On there are some fabulous rustic shapes.
I took the snowman and stamped him with a snowflake stamp and Colorbox Frost White ink.
I used this stamp set from I (heart) Ippity Stamps:

The ink will hold embossing powder, so I poured clear embossing powder over the snowflakes and then heated up the shape with my heat gun. Be sure to be careful to let the snowman cool because the metal heats up!
I then stamped the tag with a Hero Arts woodgrain background stamp and Jenni Bowlin Chili Powder Ink.
Last, I added the sticker embellishment and some twine.
Simple and fun!

Here's a look:

I love to bake, so I will leave you with a yummy Christmas recipe!
It can be found here
Snickerdoodles.....
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and
beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and
cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the
topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a
ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies
may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are
removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be
soft and chewy in the middle.

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

Doesn't it look good?

photo from loveintheoven.com

Don't forget about the design team call for the next Paper Bakery design team! Sarah is a fabulous person to design for and she has great plans in store for this team!
Also, be sure to check out I (heart) Ippity today to see what all the other creative gals created!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

One Sweet Face.....

2011-11-29T00:46:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a week since I updated! Time flew by so fast!
I've been super busy, and will share with you some of my adventures later this week.
I did manage to create a new layout....how do you not scrap this cute face?
I am loving Teresa Collin's new line! Yellow + Grey = LOVE!
I have the Jenni Bowlin label stamps so I stamped them in black to be frames for my Ali Edwards stamps, and then pop dotted the cut out labels to add some dimension!

My journaling is tucked behind the photos.
I hope you are having a fantastic week!
I'll be back tomorrow with some Christmas fun to share!
Happy Tuesday!

Sticky Back Canvas Card Tutorial....

2011-11-23T00:01:00.002-05:00

I'm sharing this tutorial over at The Paper Bakery today, but thought I'd share it here as well!

Today I am going to share a tutorial on making a card using sticky back canvas. If you've never used it, you must get yourself some soon, it is so fun to play with.

Here is the card:

To make this card you will need:

Your November Add on Kit from Paper Bakery (if you aren't a subscriber we used the Echo Park sticker and pink patterned paper along with the wooden asterisk by Studio Calico)

Sticky Back Canvas

1/2 sheet of Kraft Cardstock

A Stamp Set (snowflakes from Ippity Stamps)

Red Ink (I used Jenni Bowlin Chili Powder)

Clear Embossing Powder

Versamark or embossing ink

A Heat Gun

Red/White Bakers Twine

Scissors

Trimmer

You will start with cutting an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cardstock in half and folding if for the base of your card. Then, trim a piece of sticky back canvas to 5 1/4 x 4. I pulled the strings that tend to hang off to get a jagged type edge. You can just trim them with scissors if you don't want a jagged type edge.

Take out your stamp set and have it ready to stamp on the canvas, here is one of my stamps:

Plug in your heat gun and have it ready.

Place your sticky back canvas on a sheet of scrap paper. Place your snowflake stamp in the embossing ink and then stamp it on the canvas. You can do this several times and then quickly sprinkle a good amount of clear embossing powder over the images. Pick the canvas up and tap to remove excess powder. If you have several different snowflake stamps, take turns using them and sprinkling the embossing powder. NOTE: You don't want to leave the embossing ink on the canvas long before sprinkling the embossing powder or it will dry.

Here is what it will look like with one stamp:

Here is what it looks like once you have stamped the entire canvas and sprinkled the powder on:

Once you have the canvas covered with stamps and embossing powder, heat up the images. You will see the powder raise and melt. The snowflakes become less apparent:

Now take your ink and either a make up applicator wedge or Tim Holtz Distress Tool and apply ink starting with the edges of the canvas and working your way in:

Once you have ink covering the entire canvas, take a paper towel and rub the snowflakes to remove the ink from them. They will become more defined.

Heat the canvas with your heat tool to dry it.

Once cooled, remove the adhesive off the back and place it on your card base:

You now have a card base ready to embellish.

I took my stamp set and stamped a frame on the sticky back canvas.

Next, I stamped JOY inside the frame.

I cut it out and trimmed off the right edge and added it to my card.

I then added the sticker banner, a cut out heart, an asterisk wooden piece and bling.

Tie bakers twine around the spine of the card.

To finish I gave it a light spray of Calico Shine and now it's ready to give this Christmas!

Products used:

Kraft Cardstock: Bazzil

Sticky Back Canvas: Ranger

Stamp Set: Ippity Stamps (division of Unity)

This is the set:

Ink: Jenni Bowlin Chili Pepper

Sticker Banner: Echo Park (included in Nov. add on kit)

Patterned Paper cut into a heart: Echo Park (included in Nov. add on kit)

Asterisk wooden piece: Studio Calico (included in Nov. add on kit)

Bling: unknown

Red/White Bakers Twine: The Twinery

Shine Spray: Studio Calico Calico Shine Spray

If you've never tried working with Sticky Back Canvas, I hope I've encouraged you to give it a try!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Blackberries + Lemon =

2011-11-22T02:42:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we celebrated my sister's 28th birthday. I needed to find a new, yummy birthday cake recipe for her special cake, and I found the perfect one!

Source: tastykitchen.com via Amy on Pinterest

This fresh blackberry cake was the perfect cake for Kate. It has a hint of lemon, and a nice rich flavor without being too sweet. Trader Joes vanilla icecream on top and you have a piece of heaven on your plate!

I chose not to make it a three layer cake as I only had two round pans and didn't want to be up all night baking. I actually used by square stoneware pans from King Arthur Flour and it baked perfectly. If you make it a two tier, it will need to bake quite a bit longer.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

2-½ cups Fresh Blackberries
2-¼ cups Sugar, Divided
1 pinch Ground Cinnamon
3 cups Self-Rising Flour
2 teaspoons Lemon Instant Pudding Mix
½ teaspoons Salt
1 cup Butter, Softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4 whole Eggs At Room Temperature
1 cup Milk

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour three round 8-inch cake pans and set aside. (I use baking spray with flour.)

2. Mix 1/4 cup of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and blackberries in a bowl and set aside.

3. Combine flour, pudding mix and salt in a small mixing bowl.

4. Beat butter or margarine with a mixer at medium speed until it’s whipped and fluffy.

5. Add the remaining sugar (2 cups) and vanilla, beat well.

6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

7. Add dry flour mixture and milk alternately, beating on low speed after each addition.

8. Place berries in cake pan.

9. Pour batter over the berries and lightly swirl with a spoon.

10. Lightly tap the cake pan on the counter until the batter has spread in the entire pan.

11. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

12. Cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from pans.

When cake is completely cool, stack layers and ice the cake with buttercream icing.

The recipe is from here: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/fresh-blackberry-cake/

I chose to use this icing recipe, from here:

http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog/2011/05/vernells-frosting-recipe-for-cupcakes.html

You will need to double the recipe to have enough icing, it's worth it, I love this icing!

Vernell's Frosting Recipe for Cupcakes

1 cup butter
2 cups icing sugar
1 cup marshmallow fluff (marshmallow creme in the states)
vanilla essence
milk (optional - add a little milk if the frosting is too thick)
Whisk butter until light and fluffy. Mix in icing sugar, then add the essence and marshmallow fluff and whisk until light and fluffy. This is my base recipe and I usually just add different extracts or spices to this for variety. For example I have added cinnamon and nutmeg to make a spice frosting, a couple tablespoons of Baileys Irish to make frosting for Irish cupcakes and say you wanted to make peanut butter frosting you would use 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff and 1/2 cup peanut butter. I should also note that I usually just wing it when it comes to frosting so adjust as needed.

Unfortunately, we forgot to take a photo of the cake, but it's all gone so no chance of catching even a quick shot of the leftovers. This is definitely a cake I will make again.

I have a few new recipes I am going to try for our Thanksgiving desserts, I'll be sure to blog them later in the week.
Happy Tuesday!

15 Comments | Be the first to comment!

Comments

Angie Arthuron 7.1.2009

You are killing me Amy…I could gain five pounds just looking at this one! Yum!!

Bakerellaon 7.1.2009

I can’t stop looking at this. So pretty.

Trish in MOon 7.17.2009

I showed this to my husband and he immediately said I had to make it! The only thing is, he’s very picky about icings, and I’m still fairly new at this baking thang. Any icing alternative suggestions? Thanks!

Amy Locurtoon 7.17.2009

I tried this cake with cream cheese icing also, but butter cream was the best.
When I don’t have a lot of time to make icing from scratch, I like to use Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream Icing.

Sookieon 7.17.2009

That looks so good. Yum.

erinjon 7.17.2009

I’ve been making lots of blackberry crumble, blackberry smoothies, and adding blackberries to spinach salad and to plain and vanilla yogurt because we have an abundance of blackberries in our yard this time of summer. I’m excited to try this new recipe – I’m sure it will be a new favorite!

jennamagisteron 7.19.2009

This cake turned out perfectly! Bake for the full 35 minutes at 350 degrees to get it just right. Didn’t have the ingredients for a buttercream frosting so I ate it without and it was still wonderful. Will certainly be making this again for the family and boyfriend.. hopefully they will like it just as much as I did. Next I’ll try to change it up with another berry on the bottom. ENJOY

babskitchenon 7.23.2009

This makes one tall cake!! I’m not sure how I’m going to store it! It turned out really well and I did use sodarnhappy’s buttercream frosting, which was really good.

cecjgivens23on 7.31.2009

This cake was perfect as is. Next time I will experiment by trying a whipped cream frosting.

CottageGirlon 8.2.2009

Baked it for a family get-together yesterday!! It was a hit!
My daughters-in- laws LOVED it!
Just one thing …
For me, next time, I might line my pans with parchment paper. I had a bit of a hard time getting the cakes out of the pans in one piece even after greasing and flouring them.
Thanks for a “keeper”!

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November Color Combo Blog Hop....

2011-11-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the November installment of the color combo blog hop.
I can't believe it! Thursday is Thanksgiving? Where does the time go??

This month's hop has a fun neutral palette and I had a wonderful time making some tags for upcoming Christmas gifts!

The color palette we worked with this month comes from Design Seeds.

I love the neutrals and the bit of red!

I used my I (Heart) Ippity stamp set from this month to create these fun tags:

To make this tag I used a large kraft tag and Colorbok white frost ink. I stamped the snowflakes with white ink and then poured clear embossing powder over them and heated it up. The heating process gave the snowflakes a bit of a burned edge look, popping the white. To finish I used the Tim Holtz blending tool and Jenni Bowlin ink to place some red around the edges. Fun technique! I will definitely use it again!

I did the same with this tag, only used red and white ink!

I used this stamp set: for the tags:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Now continue on the hop by visiting these blogs:

http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://www.michelleroycroft.blogspot.com/

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

http://scrapworthylives.com/

Happy Hopping!

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

2011-11-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

Last week I shared this layout on The Paper Bakery blog, but wanted to share it here just in case you missed it. I haven't ever been one to make too many Christmas layouts since I always make a Christmas mini album, but I am finding that I enjoy making the layouts these days! If you hop on over to the Paper Blog, I have a tutorial on the stockings HERE
Here's a look at the layout:

With the time change, my photography of projects is off too!
I am finding that I am going to have to go stand on my porch at 6:15 AM, wet hair and all to get my good shots since I used to photo at 7:10 AM right before walking out the door to work!
Hope you are having a fabulous week!

Double edged Rosette Tutorial

2011-11-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I don't know about you, but I love creating things with paper, but I also making yummy treats from my oven....so today I'm serving up a tutorial to teach you how to make cute little bags that you could fill with your favorite treat and give away as gifts.
Here's what we are making:

To make this you will need:
1 1 1/2 inch x 12 strip of white cardstock
1 1 inch x 12 inch strip of colored cardstock or patterned paper
Mist if you want to make your paper sparkle (I used Cherry Metallic by Maya Road and then sprayed Calico Shine over it).
Either your Scor board, or a paper cutter and stylus
Hot Glue Gun
Wet Adhesive (I used Helmar's Craft Glue...don't get it on your fingernails if they are painted)
1 2 inch circle punched or cut out
A border punch
A 1 1/2 inch circle or scallop circle punch
A circular embellishment
Red/white bakers twine
Embroirdery needle
Paper Bag
Striped stamp (mine is by Hero Arts)

To begin, you are going to take your 1 1/2" white cardstock strip and mist it with red mist (if you want it to be misted like mine is)

Next, trim a 1 inch strip of your favorite Christmas patterned paper and then punch it with your favorite border punch.

Now you are going to adhere the two strips together, allowing your border punch edge to peek out behind your cardstock edge, like this:

Now, if you don't have a Scor Board, you are going to use a stylus and paper trimmer to make your fold lines. You will take the stylus and press down in the groove on the paper trimmer and pull back, making a score line in your paper. You want to scor it every 1/4".

Here's a photo to help you:

If you have a Scor Board (mine is made by Martha Stewart and available at Michaels), you can use it to make your scor lines. Again, make a scor line every 1/4 of an inch:

Once you have it scored all the way across it should look like this:

Now you will pick it up and start folding it back and forth, making mountains and valleys, like so:

Your finished product will look like this:

Next, you are going to take the ends and place one end folded over the other and glue it together. This way it will be more secure. So take a mountain, and place it over and edge and glue it together.

Add a binder clip to give it a good, secure hold.

While it's drying, take out the hot glue gun and plug it in. Also, you are now going to need that cut out or punched out circle. I used my scallop punch because it was handy, but it can even be a hand cut circle as it just serves at the base for the flower.

Once the glue is dry on the seam, pull off the binder clip and get your hot glue gun ready.

You will put glue all around the edge of the circle cardstock, but I don't put much in the middle as it tends to move towards the middle anyways.

Now, take your glued together flower and place the flat edge down in the glue and press down towards the middle so a circular flower forms, you can wiggle it around a bit while the glue is wet.

Your flower should now look like this:

At this point I take a wooden skewer or you could use an embroirdery needle and poke a hole in the middle so I can use it to sew through. You don't want rock hard solid hot glue dry in the middle or it will be impossible to sew through.

Once dry, take your needle and thread it with a long piece of red and white bakers twine.

Keep sewing in and out, placing the twine in the valleys of the flower as you go.
This is your finished product when you are done sewing:

I used tape to secure my loose end for the final stitch.
Now, I took red cardstock and punched it with my small scallop punch.
I misted it with Calico Shine and added a Elle's Studio Christmas embellishment in the middle.
I then glued it to the center of the flower using hot glue:

You can use this to make flowers for a table centerpiece,
for gift tags, or gift bags!
I decided to take mine and add it to a treat bag:

I also shared this tutorial on The Paper Bakery's blog today, if you haven't been over there lately, you should check it out!
Happy Wednesday!

Holiday Gift Wrap...

2011-11-15T05:00:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is upon us and I am trying to get ahead.
This past weekend I ordered our Christmas cards, and now I'm working on tags and bags!
The November Paper Bakery kit is full of gift wrap options.
I used the red and brown gift bags in the kit along with the Echo Park sticker sheet to create these:

I cut out the word phrases on my Silhouette and then mounted them on the white cardstock.

The ruffle ribbon comes in the kit and I sprayed it with a little red mist to give it some color.

I made some rosettes and then glued them to the bag. I then added extra adhesive to the house stickers and glued them onto the rosettes. I finished with the Merry Christmas sticker.

I hope this inspires you to make a few homemade gift bags this year.

I certainly don't give all my gifts in decorated bags like these, but I do try to give some,

especially when giving homemade baked goods!

I'll be sharing a tutorial on the rosettes this week and a few of my favorite recipes as well.

Oak Glen 2011

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

I just realized I never shared our Oak Glen pics on my blog!
In the middle of October, in 85 degree weather we all headed up to Oak Glen, CA to check out the apple picking and take some fun fall photos.
Upon arriving, and realizing we were going to get sweaty fast, we were informed that due to the snow in April they didn't have many apples and they were currently out. I could not believe it! A few years ago we went around the same time and it was pouring rain and freezing so we didn't go pick many apples that day either! I guess we just aren't meant to get apples from a tree. Oh well, my organic Trader Joes apples are yummy anyway.
Here are some pics and a layout from the day:

Mr. E enjoying the day

The whole family

Just the girls and Mr. E

I shared these pics over on The Paper Bakery a few weeks back, but just in case you missed the layout, here it is:

I used the EK Success punch and then punched small circles of pattern paper to fit behind the punched strip

Studio AE by Technique Tuesday made for great stamping

A little Elle's Studio tag

I used the EK leaf punch to add some festiveness

The whole layout. I made this using one of the bi-weekly sketches over on The Paper Bakery.

If you love sketches you should hop on over there and check them out.

Grace is super talented at serving up a super fun sketch for you to use!

Creating Away...

2011-11-09T01:25:00.000-05:00

I have been creating away over here!
Today I'm the design team blogger over at The Paper Bakery sharing my take on Grace's wonderful sketch for this week!

I'm also over at I Heart Ippity with a new card!

This was a fun one to make, I used Perfect Medium ink by Ranger to stamp the snowflakes and then applied Perfect Pearls in turquoise and gold! SO fun. The card itself is so glittery! Happy Wednesday!
Tomorrow is my Friday...yipppeee!

It's All in the Details.....

2011-11-03T01:35:00.000-04:00

I have my Merry Memories 2011 album all completed!
Here's a look:

This album is full of fun details!
Here are some views:

A hand cut banner across the bottom of the page...oh the fun!

A stamped canvas flower!

Glossy Accented Holly! Yum!

Die Cut ornaments stamped and embellished!

A fun half rosette to showcase the title!

I am really excited for this class!
Sally and I will be teaching this at Scrapbook Daisies in Long Beach, CA on November 20, 2011 from 12:30-3:30 PM and we hope many of you will be joining us for a fun day of creating, eating goodies and getting in the holiday spirit!
I love this time of year!
I'm also over at the Outstanding Mini Albums blog today announcing the winner of my giveaway and showing some more fun details from the album. I hope you will go check it out!

Your Time to Shine, Shine, Shine....

2011-11-02T03:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!
I am up over at The Paper Bakery today talking all about making half rosettes, like this:

I finished this album last night and it was super fun! So many little details! I hope you check out my post over there :)

Sally and I met at Starbucks and they had the red cups waiting for us! I LOVE the red cups! We got our Peppermint Hot Chocolates and had a nice chat over our red cups.
I guess we basically skip Thanksgiving as a decorative holiday now...sorta sad.

Today I have a fun card to share.

Tone on tone with the white stars, and then I used the Ippity Stamp set (shine, shine, shine) to stamp on the October Afternoon label. It is straight in real life, but seems crooked on the scan.
Head over to I Heart Ippity to see what the rest of the design team did with their stamp sets this week!

Hope Your Halloween Was....

2011-11-01T01:25:00.000-04:00

Tiggerific.....

and full of pumpking carving fun!

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of crafty fun to share!

Happy Tuesday!

Boo!!!

2011-10-27T00:30:00.000-04:00

The Paper Bakery October kit was full of fun fall papers and embellishments.

I have a friend who loves Halloween so I make her this fun card.

I enjoy making the cute rosettes that have been everywhere, but I had never tried making the bigger ones.

For this card, I used two strips of paper 3x12 and scored them by the 1/4 inch.

I accordian folded them and glued the ends together forming the circle.

I then used Quick Dry Helmar to mount it onto a circle of scrap paper to hold it all together.

I then mounted the flower onto the cardstock and patterned paper and added the BOO! epoxy circle in the center and the tear drops using more quick dry Helmar.

Finally, I added stickles to the rosette and then tied the fabric around the middle of the card. I added the pins to hold the fabric in place.

It was a fun card to make and one I will definitely make again!

Happy Thursday!!

Sketch Challenge #1

2011-10-26T03:01:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging over at The Paper Bakery today!
Go over and see my take on this week's sketch challenge:

Here's a little peek!

See you over there :)

Happy Wednesday!

Merry Memories 2011

2011-10-25T01:20:00.000-04:00

Note: I still have a giveaway up over at Outstanding Mini Albums Blog!

It's beginning to look like Christmas at my house! (which is a bit of a problem because I'm married to a guy who doesn't want to see any Christmas until after Thanksgiving). My livingroom is filled up with all kinds of fun Christmas paper, ribbon, embellishments, brads and buttons. Sally and I are gearing up for a new class titled "Merry Memories 2011". We will be teaching at Scrapbook Daisies in Long Beach, CA and if you are not local we will gladly sell you a kit!
Class is in sesson on November 20, 2011 from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM

Note: Eiffel Tower not included (Pier One Imports)

All kits come pre-cut and in order for easy, quick assembly. Sally is a kitting rock star (I hate kitting!).

Kit includes:

Full Teresa Collins Christmas Line (papers, brads, stickers, cut outs, album)

My Minds Eye Lush Red & Black papers, brads

Buttons, Bling, die cuts, Bazzil Borders, felt elements, sticky back canvas flowers, two American Crafts Alphas, tags

Techniques: Making rosette flowers, working with sticky back canvas, creating your own embellishments, stamping, embossing, layering and more!

Come join us for a merry time of crafting, give aways and treats!

Also, Sally just discounted our past kits over on her website Dare You Say It --the prices are a total bargain for all the product packed into those kits!
Happy Tuesday!

Halloween Treats.....

2011-10-23T23:52:00.000-04:00

Note: Giveaway at Outstanding Mini Albums blog is still open (all week!)

Halloween is just around the corner!
The Paper Bakery's October kit was full of fun halloween/fall paper and embellishments.
I saw a recipe for yummy carmel corn and decided to make a jar full for a friend!

For the carmel corn:

Caramel Corn
Printer-Friendly Version

Ingredients:
1 cup popcorn kernels, unpopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Pop popcorn using your preferred method. (I swear by my Whirley Pop!) Place the popped popcorn in a very large bowl (or two large bowls). Make sure there is enough room in your bowls for tossing the popcorn.

Preheat the oven to 250° F. Meanwhile, to make the caramel, melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, mix in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture reaches a boil, let the mixture continue to boil for 5 more minutes without stirring. Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble up and become frothy. Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn in the bowl(s) and toss to coat thoroughly. (I found my salad spoons very useful for this step.)

Spread the popcorn evenly onto two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (It is okay if there are some clumps of caramel throughout. It will melt and become better spread out while baking.) Bake for 40-50 minutes, removing from the oven to toss/stir every 10 minutes. After 40 minutes, test a cooled piece of popcorn. If it is not completely crispy (i.e. still slightly mushy when you bite it), bake for 10 minutes more.

Remove the baking sheets to a wire rack and allow popcorn to cool completely before breaking apart for serving or packaging.

Source: Annie Eats

For the Jar:

I bought a jar at Target (one of my favorite places...I know I'm not alone in that one!).

I traced the lid onto the orange/white paper and cut out the circle.

I added the doily, sticker and embellishment from the kit on the top of the lid.

I filled the jar with the carmel corn and then added the lid on top.

I then tied the ribbons/tag/pumpkin embellishments around the jar.

I tied ribbon, fabric and tulle around the jar. The tag was super simple to make, round the edges of the tag, stamp the BOO! and color in with orange. Write a little note on the back.

It was really simple to make and my friend loved it! You could fill it with candy, baked goods, anything yummy!!

Have a Happy Monday!

Outstanding Mini Albums

2011-10-22T12:43:00.000-04:00

I have a post up over at Outstanding Mini Albums today, and it includes a giveaway!!
Hope to see you over there, and remember to leave a comment there as well to be eligible to win :)
Happy Saturday!

Shine....

2011-10-21T09:53:00.000-04:00

This has been one busy week!

I feel like I say that every week lately.

There's an intro post over at Outstanding Mini Albums,

I'm going to be writing for Jess on the blog over there, so please go check it out!

Also, Heather over at I (Heart) Ippity sent me a new stamp set to work with,

and it presented quite the challenge.

The set is titled Shine, Shine, Shine:

Now, I love the light bulb and all the sayings, but the lamps had me stumped, so I will save those for next week's creation (need some time to think on that one).

I have some ideas floating in my head, so hopefully one of them comes together for me

over the weekend.

For this week's card I decided to use up some scraps and make banner strips.

I then grabbed one of the Becky Higgins Project Life journaling cards and

stamped the light bulbs going across, varying the heights of the bulbs.

To light the bulbs I pulled out my metallic pots (I bought them a long time

ago and have rarely used them, it's like the consistency of eyeshadows you

buy in the pots and rub on your eyes).

I rubbed the metallic gold onto the light bulbs.

The scan of the card does not show the metallic, but it really shines on the bulbs.

I used a blue chalk ink to highlight the edge of the journaling card.

Finally, I wrapped Doodlebug black/white twine around the card and adhered the

journaling card down with my ATG gun.

Please visit the I (Heart) Ippity blog to see what the

rest of the Creative Team designed, there

are some really fun cards over there this week!

Happy Friday!

Snaps and Snippets...

2011-10-16T12:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the October Color Combo Blog Hop. Each month a group of ladies create a project from using the guide of a color combo. It started out of Shimelle's Beyond Blogging Class and has been going strong ever since. For the October hop I somehow left this fabulous blog off the list. When Suzanne contacted me I felt HORRIBLE so I wanted to feature her blog here.

This is Suzanne's project for the month:

You can find her blog here

It's called Snaps and Snippets (cute name!)

and I will be finding a new way to keep track of who is in or out of the hop for

next month!!

Happy Sunday!!

Paper Bakery Reveal and October Color Combo Blog Hop

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today is a busy day here!
First up, it's reveal day for The Paper Bakery's October Kit!
I worked with the add on kit this month and it is packed full of fun! I made 2 layouts, a card and a decorated candy jar and I still have a pile to use up!
Here's a look at the kits:
First is the full kit:

AUTUMN DAYS, The Paper Bakery's fabulous October Project Kit, is the perfect project for the fall season! Make sure you have your own handmade banner hanging in the doorway for your friends and family to admire until December. When the fall season is over, simply pack the banner away to use again next year! The Autumn Days kits are extremely limited, so now is the time to try out The Paper Bakery kit club!

and the add on kit:

If you are interested in ordering these kits, head over to The Paper Bakery blog for more details!

Today is also the October Color Combo Blog Hop!
The hop starts here!
This month it is "Choose Your Own Adventure", meaning there were three choices this month to choose from:

These color combos and more can be found HERE at Design Seeds. I love that website!

I chose to use the first color combo "Fallen Hues"for my project.

Here is my layout:

I used my Selphy Canon printer to print the calendar with the photo.

The "Fall is Here" was cut on the Silhouette.

The banner was simple and easy to make with the kraft doilies and buttons!

I am really enjoying making banners lately.

Thank you for stopping by, please continue on to Sue Althouse's blog, Life and Memories.

I'm sure she has something fabulous for you and make sure to return to her blog on Fridays for her "Friday Picks" feature...she picks the best stuff!

Here is a full list of the hop:

www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com

http://suealthouse.blogspot.com

http://xnomads.typepad.com

http://michelleroycroft.blogspot.com

http://throughthecameralens.typepad.com/

http://scrapyourlife.net

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com

http://handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://adriennefalzon.blogspot.com/

http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

Happy Saturday!

Ippity Stamp Day Wednesday!

2011-10-12T01:20:00.000-04:00

These weeks just fly by! Wednesday is one of my favorite week days because the overall school day flies by due to early out day to allow teacher collaboration. Wednesday also brings a stamp project for the I Heart Ippity Creative Team!

I ended up with a pretty bad headache so I will go back later and add some stitches to the top of the banner and the buttons (I have to have some thread in those holes!)...after a couple Excedrin Tension Headache pills I called it quits to let my eyes rest.

Here's the card in it's current state :)

I'll post the after later this week after I add a bit of detail.
I am loving the aqua Zing (by American Crafts) embossing powder and used it on the stamp and frame on this card. I also used the Ippity Stamp set "All Things Are Possible" (set is in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month).
Here is a look at the stamp set:

Ippity Stamps are a division of Unity Stamps sold by individual consultants.

To see more Ippity Creations or to look at the Ippity stamp sets please head over to Heather's blog!

Happy Wednesday!

10 Holiday Crafts/Recipes I Hope to Make....

2011-10-10T01:59:00.000-04:00

I love this time of year (even if it is suppose to be over 100 degrees this week!)
I've had my eye out for fun projects to make and I have to start early or nothing will be done!
There is so much holiday inspiration on the internet!
I'm hoping to make some of these project this year.....

Click on the photos to go to the websites for how to's, etc.

Source: stampinat6213.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: finecooking.com via Teresa on Pinterest

Source: candacetodd.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

(but make this in fall colors)

Source: gardenmama.typepad.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: sunset.com via Amy on Pinterest

and these too...

Source: None via Natali on Pinterest

Source: products.berries.com via Maria on Pinterest

Source: vanessachristenson.com via Noelle on Pinterest

(if I can find enough mini pine cones!)

Source: allrecipes.com via Kara on Pinterest

(Christmas morning...yum!)

Source: None via Alix on Pinterest

I'm linked up to Shimelle's 10 on the 10th post today, go check out all the other 10 on the 10th posts, they are sure to be great!!
Later this week: new layouts, I'll be posting over on Outstanding Mini Albums and more!
Happy Monday!

Fall Wreath....

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back I stumbled upon the directions for making this fall wreath:

The blogger at Every Creative Endeavor provided amazing step by step photos and how to's and I knew I had to make the wreath ASAP!

My sister and I love to craft together so I asked her if she was up for a night of crafting.

She grabbed the wreaths, I grabbed the fabric and we were set for a night of crafting.

A few hours, 3 bandaids, one severely burned left index finger later and we had this:

We opted to leave off the banner and I hung mine on the front door!

It's a fairly simple wreath, you just better watch that hot glue, otherwise you can count on having a large bubble blister on your finger for over a week with hot glue stuck on top of it. Yep...that's my finger!

My sister managed to get out of it with only a couple minor burns....no blisters...lucky her!

Check out the directions on Every Creative Endeavor if you'd like to make the wreath!

I've got some sneak peeks at a layout I made with The Paper Bakery's October Add On kit to share as well....

I'll reveal the layout on the 15th!

Happy Friday!!!

Easy Canvas Prints Turns Your Photos to Canvas

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Last month Brandon from Easy Canvas Prints emailed me and asked if I would like to review one of their canvases. In exchange, they would send me out a canvas of my choice. What a generous offer!

J and I went round and round with which photo we should use for the canvas, and in the end we decided on a photo of the Notre Dame in Paris.
We both loved the architecture in Paris, and we had the perfect place to hang the canvas in our home!
I ordered it and paid a bit extra to have a larger canvas made and then about a week later this GIGANTIC box was delivered to my doorstep!
I could not believe my eyes at the size of the box!
Look at their amazing shipping of the canvas:

I pulled it out of the box and held it up...so excited!
It is fabulous!
The mirrored sides and high quality texture are better than most I have seen in the past.
Here are some photos of my canvas:

It's new home is at the beginning of our hallway and we love it.
If you are in the market for a canvas, check out Easy Canvas Prints, they turn your photos to canvas!
We will definitely be printing more canvases in the future when our home remodel is finally completed!
If you have a facebook account and "like" Easy Canvas Prints you will receive 50% off your order and free shipping!

Please note: This is not a blog that does product reviews on a regular basis.
I was provided a standard sized canvas and free shipping of the canvas but chose to pay additional money to receive a larger canvas. While the canvas I reviewed did come to me at a significant discount, the review is all my own. If the quality was not up to par, I would have disclosed this. The thoughts on the quality and shipping of the product are all my own.

Lots of Love Tag & a Sneak Peek!

2011-10-05T01:25:00.000-04:00

It's I Heart Ippity Wednesday already!
Before I share my tag I want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments the last couple days!
I am digging my way out of a big pile of paperwork and will visit all of your blogs and comment back tonight!
Thanks again!!

This week I made a fun tag to attach to a gift!
I have this wonderful new EK Success Layered Butterfly Punch and I had to try it out!
I know it's fall, but I wanted a versatile tag so I opted for a bit of a spring look.

I decided to pull out my Sew Easy tool from We R Memory Keepers and make holes to sew the butterflies down.

It was pretty easy!

I used a thick ruler to guide the Sew Easy tool and that seemed to help.

The great thing about sewing the butterflies down is that you can fluff up their wings and show the layers!

I took a quick photo tonight (not the greatest without natural light but it shows the dimension!)

I used the All Things Are Possible stamp set by Ippity Stamps (manufactured by Unity and sold by private consultants for a great value)

Be sure to check out Heather's blog for more creations by the I Heart Ippity Creative Team!

She has all the Ippity stamps for sale for the lowest MSRP available!

In other news, Sarah sent me the sneak peeks for the Paper Bakery October kits and these kits are FABULOUS this month! I cannot believe how much is packed into the add on kit, not to mention the fun project she has to share with you for the regular monthly kit!

Here's a little sneak peek of the October kit:

You are are more than welcome to pre-order this banner kit with the following pricing:
Single purchase kit: $36, 3 Month sub $34, 6 Month sub $32, 12 Month sub, $30 (you just have to email Sarah at sarah.hill528@gmail.com to reserve the it). The project kits are very limited as well as the add-on kits.
Quick Tip: Customers who are on the Paper Bakery's Newsletter list get a full reveal early each month. So, if you want to get reveals early please sign up for the newsletter on the blog.

Also, Sarah is looking for a sketch artist!
Here are the details:
The Paper Bakery is in search of a sketch artist!!

I know there are plenty of talented sketch artists out there and I am looking for you. In the coming weeks and once our sketch artist is secured, The Paper Bakery will start offering bi-weekly sketch challenges!! I'm so excited about this. And, when we get a lot of players we will start doing weekly challenges! There are lots of things in the works here at The Paper Bakery and sketch challenges is one of them!! And of course, prize packages or gift certificates will be awarded from The Paper Bakery for all sketch challenge winners.
Requirements for Sketch Artist:

*6 Month Term: Oct 2011-April 2011

*One original (Paper Bakery exclusive), digital sketch every two weeks

*Sketch Artist must be responsible for blog posts (1-2 per week)

*Must provide 1 layout per sketch with The Paper Bakery montly add-on kit

*Must post sketches and monthly kits on personal blog

*Must post sketch challenges on The Paper Bakery blog when appropriate

*Responsible for choosing sketch winners along with Paper Bakery design team

*Must be active in commenting on sketch entries as well as other Paper Bakery posts

*Must be active on The Paper Bakery facebook page

*Must be able to meet deadlines

As The Paper Bakery Sketch Artist, you will receive:

*One FREE monthly add-on kit shipped directly to you

*2-3 weeks to work on sketch and provide layouts with sketches

*Link to your personal blog on The Paper Bakery blog

*Other goodies to come! Just can't tell you now :)

To apply:

*Send 2 sketches and 1 coordinating layout to go with each sketch that shows your personal style

*Send 1 Original sketch (and 1 layout) designed specifically to use for The Paper Bakery

*Include Name, Email, and Blog Link

*Tell me a little bit about yourself

*List any current or past DTs you have been on

*Send a link to any galleries you would like to show

*Most importantly: Why do you want to join The Paper Bakery??

*Due date for submission~10/9/11 and sketch artist will be announced shortly after that!

Now that you know the "fine print" you can send your submission to sarah.hill528@gmail.com. Please put SKETCH ARTIST DT CALL in the subject line.

AND....I just want to say that the add on kit is PACKED with product!

Happy Wednesday!!

Big Huge Labs....

2011-10-04T09:39:00.000-04:00

When I moved my blog from blogger to my own URL I had some things I wanted to change on the blog.
One thing was the Scrapbook Projects/Layouts page on this blog.
You can find it here or at the top, under my banner, on the right side.
Previously I had photos placed on this page but they never lined up quite right and I was never truly happy with the way they looked.
Then, I discovered Big Huge Labs.
They have a Mosaic Maker that allows you to take your photos and put them into a nice, organized form,
like this:

So, I took all my mini albums and made a mosaic for them, and then put all my recent layouts into mosaic formats and added them to my page.

I'm happy with how nice and organized they look and the ability to scroll down and see everything at once.

If you are looking for a way to display layouts on your blog under a gallery page, etc. then this just may be the answer for you as well.

Go check it out!

Note: Big Huge Labs did not ask me to review their mosaic maker, to blog about it, etc. It's just a product I found and genuinely liked!!

You Win Some...You Lose Some....and Life Goes On.....

2011-10-03T01:05:00.000-04:00

I had this post scheduled for Wednesday but somehow it didn't post!
This is my I heart Ippity Wednesday card quite a few days late!

Before I get to my I Heart Ippity Card....I have a WINNER from the Orange Blog Hop this weekend!
and the winner is.......

Victoria's Place said...

I really like your layout, I need to try to mix up more different shapes and stuff when I do my projects.

Victoria!! Congrats Victoria!

So....I had this idea..... a card, stamped with stazon ink, colored in with watercolor crayons, then watercolored and layered a bit....add some stitching and buttons....a heart....
Well...
I tried it....

and it just doesn't photograph well!

I love this stamp set, so fun to stamp "believe" all over a card, because that's just where I am on the road called life these days. No well lit path in front of me, plans and dreams but just putting one foot in front of the other and believing.....and some days it's just easier than others......

just like you win some and lose some when you sit down to create or photograph a project!

Heather has all kinds of fun creations up on her blog today that the rest of the I Heart Ippity Creative Team has designed!

Hop on over there and check them out!

And......

I got my Google Connect friends back! But....I had 13 people join on my other one in the last couple days! I just can't win! I guess I had 2 accounts for Google Connect and they got muddled in the transfer of the URL....but at least I got my 90+ back! I emailed Google Superwoman and she doesn't know how I can merge the two...so I'll just leave them for the moment until I can research this some more!

Again.....you win some and you lose some!

Happy Monday!!

My Very Own URL

2011-10-02T02:57:00.000-04:00

I took the plunge and bought my very own domain name, www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com. I was so excited until my Google Connect with 90+ followers dumped off and only retrieved 14 back! AAAAHHHH!!
If you were a follower using Google Connect, I apologize, please join again if you enjoy this content! Also, if you read this in google reader, please update the feed.
My blogspot URL will still point you to the new URL for a little while.
Thanks so so much :)
If you are here for the Fiskars Orange Blog Hop, please see my previous post below.
Happy Sunday!

Orange Fiskars Blog Hop

2011-10-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Orange Fiskars Blog Hop!

If you have come from Angela Daniels fabulous blog you are in the right place!

If you didn't arrive here from Angela's blog, that's ok. I am listing the full hop order at the end of my post.

Today we are all sharing fun ways to use or incorporate Fiskars tools in our artwork!

I chose to use these products:

Fiskars Scissors	Circle Squeeze Tool	Notebook Border Punch
Postage Border Edge	Threading Water Border Punch

InLinkz.com

Last weekend we headed out for a day trip to San Diego.

We stopped at Phil's BBQ for lunch and the restaurant had a line 30+ people deep and it only took 20-30 minutes to get a table. The Yelp reviews on this restaurant are really good, so we figured we were in for a treat. We will definitely return to this restaurant. It was wonderful and the people were really nice. It's an order and seat yourself type place. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Next stop, Paper Tales, a fabulous scrapbook store filled to the BRIM with goodness. A nice bag of goodies came home with me!

Last stop.....Dodgers vs. Padres for a final night of baseball before the season is over. We love going to baseball games, especially when our Dodgers are playing!

15 rows back from the Dodger dugout was heaven. It was a great night of baseball and fun!

I decided to make a layout with some of the photos we took:

The banner was really fun to put together! I circle punched the circles using my Fiskars circle punch and then stamped on them with background stamps using Jenni Bowlin inks.

I had too many photos so I made an insert and tucked it under my right panel allowing for a full page of journaling and three more photos to be included.

I added some fun little stitches for a little "homemade" touch.

I threaded the yellow and white bakers twine around the glazed brads (Crate Paper and Basic Grey brads)

This layout was fun to put together! I love border punches and used 3 different border punches on this layout! The banner was really fun to put together and really easy with the folding of the stamped circles!

I am offering up a fun giveaway, I have a set of the stamped circles, some bakers twine (so you can make your own banner on a layout or card), some Basic Grey office tabs and a set Jenni Bowlin Bingo card letters (full alpha).

I will draw a winner on Sunday evening (Pacific Standard Time, before Dexter comes on :)

Please leave your email in your comment so if you are the winner I can email you!

I'd love for you to follow my blog, but it isn't necessary to enter.

Now hop on over to Emily's blog, Simply Kincke and see what she has to share with you!

Here is the full list of blogs participating:

		http://debbysdares.blogspot.com
		http://venividiscrappy.blogspot.com/
		http://number1aunt.blogspot.com/
		http://www.stampindymonz.com/
		www.marebearscraps.blogspot.com
		http://scraplady324.blogspot.com/
		http://lisascrapsite.blogspot.com/
		http://www.craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/
		www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com
		http://craftygoodies.blogspot.com/
		http://ohsnaplizzie.blogspot.com/
		http://victoria0611.blogspot.com/
		http://angeladaniels.squarespace.com/
		http://amysoto.blogspot.com
		http://emily.kincke.com
		http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/
		http://www.lynd.typepad.com/
		http://sueinct.blogspot.com
		http://inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com/
		hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com
		www.patternsbysher.blogspot.com
		http://mypinkmexico.blogspot.com/
		mayadahan.blogspot.com
		http://www.kateblue.blogspot.com/
		http://www.pattibehan.blogspot.com
		http://missusgmoments.com/
		www.snippitysnap.blogspot.com http://www.cindyderosier.com/
		http://danieladobson.blogspot.com/
		http://scrapbooknstampingfun.blogspot.com/
		http://aimhappy.blogspot.com
		http://www.berylmorgan.typepad.com/
		sheenasadventuresinscrapbooking.blogspot.com
		http://jeaniesdesigns.blogspot.com

What one photo can tell.....

2011-09-29T01:42:00.000-04:00

I love photos.
I love the stories behind the photos.
I love how one photo can tell multiple stories.
Recently, my father in law took a bunch of photos of my nephew. He was kind enough to share his photos and I had a large stack developed.
Upon going through the photos I was struck by one...my nephew head on my shoulder, my hair wrapped firmly in his hand and his thumb in in mouth. He's my cuddle bug. I love it.
I knew I wanted to make a layout, and so I set out to do just that....

I often struggle with titles, but this one came pretty easy.

I love the song and always think about what makes life wonderful.

Lately, it's been spending more time with family and watching little ones grow way too fast.

It's weekday dinners with sisters and fall crafting,

it's weekend day getaways to catch a game before the baseball season is over

and it's dinner with a friend who always has your back at the new

burger joint in Fullerton.

About the layout:
I loved making the fabric banner in my mini and had some left over fabric, so I figured why not use it here? I layered the Studio Calico tags to hold the title, and stamped on the scalloped border to complete the embellished square.
Supplies used:
My Mind's Eye Lost and Found 2 papers
Studio Calico tags
Sassafrass letters (going to need to stock up on A LOT of these)
Ali Edwards Technique Tuesday stamps
Fabric from The Paper Bakery's September add on kit

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Thursday!

Mini Album Tutorial Day 3: Inside Page Inspiration

2011-09-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

For the last day of this three day tutorial (if you missed day one and two you can find them here and here)
I wanted to show you some techniques you can do for inside pages.

For my journaling in this mini I chose to do a listing type of journaling day by day:

I pieced paper underneath my journaling blocks.
On the opposite side I used different techniques on the pages. On the one above I circle punched circles and glued them down around the edges of the page. Then I added my photo to the middle.

For the page above (on the left) I scallop punched the border, glued it behind the journaling list and then glued the entire block onto the page. For the right side of the pages above, I misted turquoise Maya Mist and then a bit of Studio Calico white on the page. Next I added some of the extra circles, a border and a heart. I used a journaling page and journaled and put my movie ticked on the page.

This is one of my favorite pages in the album, mainly because J tells me this on a regular basis and I love the fabric banner.

I spritzed the page with a bit of white Studio Calico white mist and then let it dry. I added the Studio Calico "Every little thing is gonna be alright" stamp to the top of the page.

Next, I took the Studio Calico banner stamps and stamped them onto the fabric that came in the kit.

I then cut them out with pinking sheers and sewed them together with embroidery floss.

For this page I circle punched the circles and cut them in half. I placed the journaling card on the left and cut off the excess that hung over the edge. Add the scalloped edge down the middle, the half circle banner across the top and stamped "perfect" across the top of the banner.

The fun of filling in the middle of mini's is that you can cut small pieces of papers and use punches, stamps, etc. to create anything you want!

Have a wonderful weekend!

It's Wednesday!

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-04:00

Taking a break today from the mini book tutorials!
If you missed them, you can find them here and here.

Today it's I Heart Ippity Wednesday!

On Tuesday I received this amazing stamp set in the mail:

I absolutely love this, because I love supporting cancer awareness

and October brings Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

We all know people affected by Breast Cancer.

November brings Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and my school lost a wonderful teacher over the summer in a matter of weeks to Pancreatic Cancer.

So...this stamp set is near and dear to my hear.

For this week I decided to use the pink Echo Park Dots and Stripes paper and create a card!

The background pink was a little bright so I toned it down with some vellum on top.

For the butterfly, I stamped the butterfly on white cardstock, I then stamped it on the light pink and cut out the wings. I glued the wings down on top of the white cardstock lining it up perfectly.

Next, I stamped the butterfly on vellum and cut it out the wings from the vellum.

I also stamped it on the light pink and just cut out the inside oval shapes. I glued those shapes onto the vellum.

I then added the vellum to the card, adhering it just at the center so the wing could stick up a bit.

I then stitched the ribbon with pink embroidery floss and then added it to the card.

It was fairly simple to make and I love the result.

Here are some other views (I will re-photo tomorrow, the sun is going down way to fast lately! Please excuse the less than stellar photos :)

For the hearts I used the previous stamp set I worked with. Loads of Love.

Head over to Heather's blog and see what the rest of the creative team made this week!

Happy Wednesday!

I'll be back tomorrow with the inside pages of my mini album!

Happy Summer Tutorial Day 2

2011-09-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

This week I'm featuring tutorials on putting together this album:

Yesterday I gave step by step instructions for the cover

Today we tackle the inside front cover and first page.

Later in the week I will show the day by day pages and give step by steps and tips on those pages as well.

For the inside front cover:

To begin, take this page:

and trace the cover onto the top left corner. Cut out and adhere to the inside front cover as the base.

Ink around the edges.

For the page elements:

Take the remaining paper and punch three butterflies from it (I used the Martha Stewart punch).

Take the beautiful turquoise ribbon that comes in the Paper Bakery kit and fold it in half from top to bottom. Using adhesive (I used glossy accents but you could also use fabric glue) glue the ribbon together.

Take your gingham strip you have left over from the front cover and scallop punch it like you did for the front cover.

For the hearts, take that same paper from above and punch or cut small hearts out, I have 5.

Last, take this page:

and cut out the "summer" banner letters.

Assemble:

1. Adhere the summer banner title across the bottom of the page.

2. Adhere the turquoise ribbon across the top of the banner.

3. Add the hearts and stick pin to the ribbon.

4. Use yellow letters from the kit to spell out "final days" above the ribbon.

5. Add the scalloped red/white/pink paper strip across the top of the letters.

6. Add the butterflies across the top and you are finished.

For the first page:

You start this page the exact same way you did the inside cover. Same paper, trace and trim. Adhere.

Add the red and cream card from this sheet to the top left side.:

It's the card on the bottom row second from the left.

Add a month scalloped circle on top of the card.

Add the three buttons next to the scalloped calendar.

Across the bottom add the borders from this page:

I cut out the red strip with the brackets and laid it across the bottom for texture.

Tomorrow I will show you some of the day pages in the album and give you some ideas I used!

Happy Tuesday!

Abstracts Mixed with Extracts

Ippity Tuesday

Four Generations Layout...

Fun Friday Recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

Abundance

a·bun·dance

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

Eleven Years Layout...

Two Card Tuesday

What's New?

Embossing/Watercolor Tutorial

Just A Short Break....

Life is Good Mini Album & A Card....

December Color Combo Blog Hop

December Daily Drop Out & Mr. Big Brown Eyes....

Sweet James on a Wonderful Wednesday!

Rogers Gardens at Christmas & A Fun Announcement

New Layout: Enjoy Life....

Christmas is All Around...

Is it really almost December???

One Sweet Face.....

Sticky Back Canvas Card Tutorial....

Blackberries + Lemon =

Ingredients

Vernell's Frosting Recipe for Cupcakes

Comments

Angie Arthuron 7.1.2009

Bakerellaon 7.1.2009

Trish in MOon 7.17.2009

Amy Locurtoon 7.17.2009

Sookieon 7.17.2009

erinjon 7.17.2009

jennamagisteron 7.19.2009

babskitchenon 7.23.2009

cecjgivens23on 7.31.2009

CottageGirlon 8.2.2009

Reviews

jbfanguyon 5.17.2010

gotnutellaon 5.24.2010

pukingpastilleson 8.29.2010

November Color Combo Blog Hop....

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

Double edged Rosette Tutorial

Holiday Gift Wrap...

Oak Glen 2011

Creating Away...

It's All in the Details.....

Your Time to Shine, Shine, Shine....

Hope Your Halloween Was....

Boo!!!

Sketch Challenge #1

Merry Memories 2011

Halloween Treats.....

Outstanding Mini Albums

Shine....

Snaps and Snippets...

Paper Bakery Reveal and October Color Combo Blog Hop

Ippity Stamp Day Wednesday!

10 Holiday Crafts/Recipes I Hope to Make....

Fall Wreath....

Easy Canvas Prints Turns Your Photos to Canvas

Lots of Love Tag & a Sneak Peek!

Big Huge Labs....

You Win Some...You Lose Some....and Life Goes On.....

My Very Own URL

Orange Fiskars Blog Hop

What one photo can tell.....

Mini Album Tutorial Day 3: Inside Page Inspiration

It's Wednesday!

Happy Summer Tutorial Day 2