Totally Teen Girl

My daughter asked me to make a birthday card for her classmate turning 14 tomorrow. Her favorite color is red. I am trying to put a few more miles on my Cricut so I used the George and Basic Shapes to make the frame and Forever Young to make the girl. The paper line is from Imaginisce.

Let them eat Cake.

One of my favorite gift items to make is a diaper cake. Unfortunately I don't get to do it too often, I don't know that many people having babies so I was super excited to make one for my oldest stepson and his wife. This one is choc-full of goodness. The rolled flowers are baby socks and it is decorated with washcloths, teethers and undershirts. In the middle there are wipes. The outside is covered with receiving blankets and I decorated the base with some border punched paper strips. I used my nestabilities and my cricut to make the scalloped circles with his name and attached them to toothpicks to place in the cake. Even though it is not edible it is especially yummy! I can't wait to drop it off.

It's a Boy!

Saturday I attended my oldest step-son and his wife's baby shower. It was a very nice well attended event. She is due May 16th and we already know it is a boy. It was a teddy bear theme and I made each of the little favor boxes (40 in all) and filled them with packages of teddy grahams.




I also tried to make cake pops for the first time. First I tried them with the wilton bear shaped pan and that was a total disaster. When I dipped the bears in the chocolate their heads would snap off. It was not pretty so I settled on doing the round cake pops but I could not get my chocolate to coat evenly. I will try again soon. I have to revisit Bakerella's web site for another tutorial. I did find this cute cake pop stand at Michaels though that added just the right touch.

New Job

Last Thursday was a great day for me. I got a new position and although I am still an Analyst this position comes with a lot of new perks like an office, a cell phone and oh yeah a raise, lol. I was even more excited when I got home Friday and walked up the steps to see this -

And once I got inside I saw this with even more balloons that are not in the photo and to top it all off

There were these waiting for me, all done by my husband. What is even more remarkable is that he takes public transportation home and this was a lot to carry. I felt so special and loved. What more can a girl ask for?

Where to begin?

I just spent two minutes trying to think of a catchy title for today's post but alas, this is the best that I can do.

First let me give you a update on "The Wire". I have made it to season five! I feel like I have been on the streets of Baltimore right along withMcNulty and Greggs. This show is so fascinating! I would be done except some how Xfinitytv.com skipped an episode and it is throwing me off. I have to email them, maybe they just don't know.

I did complete several projects over the weekend that I can't wait to share. My last project of Sunday evening was another Unique-tini glass for one of my husband's co-workers. Her favorite color is purple and she said she wanted it to bling and here are the results.


Next my husband asked me to scrap a portofolio for one of his business partners who just had a big birthday party. It took me forever to get this completed! I hate being so slow but I just want things to be right. I used one of my favorite products from Oriental Trading, the 8x8 accordian chpboard album as my base. I cut it down to two sides and painted it black. I then took it outside and sprayed it with an acrylic sealer. (I wish I had thought about taking before pictures so that you will get the full effect, oh well next time.) I used the DCWV Le creme's paper line for a sophisticated look. Here is a total look at the front, inside and back covers in that order.

Wired

I am so hooked on The Wire! How did I miss this series?

Maybe it was during time when I refused to pay for TV and would not get cable. Now I think my family will shrivel into dust if I get it taken away. While scrapping I watch xfinitytv.com on my laptop and Friday night I discovered they have all five seasons. I started watching one episode and then had to watch the next and the next until my eyes hurt and I had to go to bed but hey there is always tomorrow right? So I got up Saturday, scrapped and watched more of The Wire. Sunday it rained all day here in Philly so after cooking dinner and getting everyone in the house ready for the work week guess what I did, YES! I watched The Wire until 1:00 a.m. and now I am at work paying for it. I hope this third cup of coffee does the trick, lol.

In scrapping news I could not control my impulses and placed a small but sweet order at Two Peas. How could I resist? It ships on Wednesday, I can't wait!

T.G.I.S. - Thank Goodness it's Saturday

My Saturdays go by so quickly but they have been full of crafting goodness. Since the beginning of the New Year I have been teaching scrapbooking classes at an Assisted Living Facility. For the first month we worked on an album. This month I have been focusing on paper folding and altered art. Tonight we are going to alter a birdhouse. (I really wanted to do a chipboard mini album but I could not find them in stock at the local hobby stores). I hope they like it. I love how mine turned out.

I am addicted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just tried working with vinyl for the first time and I just can't believe how easy it is. Iffy and I were talking about giving it a shot a little while ago and she place an order for some vinyl sheets. I tried waiting patiently to see how she liked it before I placed my order but she wans't able to use it. So inspired once again by the wonderful work of Nubian Crafter I decided to take the plunge. So after a few more video tutorials and a modest investment into the vinyl I have created my first vinyl project. This is a birthday present for my husband's boss. I love everything about it. I used my i-rock to hot-glue the bling onto the glass, what a nice touch.I have a million ideas running through my head right now, I think I am really addicted!

Calgon take me away!

Oh how I wish I were home right now, taking a bubble bath and living in a world of rest and relaxation. I don't know who coined the term"Oh how time flies" but boy were they right. I sat up in the middle of the night realizing that next week is the last week of February and as the temperatures warm up I have so many things I want to accomplish. The porch and shutters need to be painted, the car needs to be re-reigstered and needs new brakes, I need to plan our family vacation, I have to start planning one daughter's graduation party and the other's junior prom sendoff and then there is our annual huge block party. In the midst of all of this I am applying for a new job (interoffice) and I am teaching scrapbooking classes on the weekend. So just to preserve what sanity I have left and to try to keep my grey hairs to a minimum I am taking time out to go here, check it out maybe I will see you there! -

Creative Expressions Escape

Date: March 11-13, 2011 ( I am only going for the day on Saturday from 9 a.m. - 12 midnight)
Time: 9am (or) 6pm Friday to 4pm Sunday
(or)
9am Saturday to 4pm Sunday
(or)
9am Saturday to Midnight Sunday
Place: ACE Conference Center, Lafayette Hill, PA -
http://www.aceconferencecenter.com

Escape Includes:
* Deluxe guest room with FREE WiFi!
* Your OWN 5 ft table, rolling leather chair AND real trash can!
* Meals Galore -- Friday evening: Welcome Reception w/ hot & cold hors d'eourves, dessert & beverages. Saturday & Sunday: Deluxe continental breakfast, lunch buffet, continuous snacks & beverages. Saturday evening: Dinner buffet and late night snacks!
(Depending on your package.) The food here is Awesome! I am so excited!
* Around the clock cropping room!
* Inspiration Center: Idea Books, Title Books, Page Maps, etc.
* Tool Center: 2 Cricut Machines, Library of Cricut Cartridges, Punches, Paper Trimmers, etc.
* Thank you gift :)
* Door Prizes
* Layout contests with prizes!
* On-site vendors & classes
* Massage therapist
* Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate!

Event Pricing: All rates are per person.
2 Night Stay:
* Single guest room: $445
* Double guest room: $355
* Triple guest room: $325
* Quad guest room; $290
Add $85 and arrive at 9am on Friday! This gives you 9 more hours of cropping time, deluxe continental breakfast, lunch buffet, continuous snacks & beverages.

1 Night Stay:
* Single guest room: $345
* Double guest room: $258
* Triple guest room: $228
* Quad guest room: $215

This is my package - Local Day Cropper: $130 (Saturday only. Includes deluxe continental breakfast, lunch buffet, continuous snacks & beverages. Does NOT include dinner buffet. You may crop from 9am-Midnight.)

Taxes & gratuities are included. Please see the registrations form for additional information on payment& cancellation policies. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Sheller at kimberlysheller@gmail.com.

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Mail! Scrapbooks Etc. April 2011 Review

I was very excited to see my newest issue of Scrapbooks etc. sitting on my coffee table when I came home yesterday and I was even happier that my family gave me a chance to look through it. so without further ado, here are some highlights -

1. They are keeping the Craft it forward project going,that is nice to see. This month it is a banner, nicely done.

In the fond memories section the question is "What is your favorite movie"? Mine is "Sparkle" starring Lonette McKee and Irene Cara.

There are ads for Fancy Pants new "It's the Little Things" collection and Basic Grey's "Hello Luscious" collection - two must haves for me.

Some sweet party ideas start on page 48, including a tutorial on tissue paper pom-poms on page 53

There is a featured article on DIY Flowers starting on page 64, including a tutorial on making pleated rosette, looped, and edgy flowers.

Another featured article on using spray inks starts on page 74.

There is a nice guide on which adhesives to use when starting on page 88.

Don't miss the pet picture-taking guide starting on page 96.

and the Show and Tell section is full of hot must-have products.

Of course there is much more including sketches, paper piecing ideas and a lot of fun layouts for inspiration.

Happy Scrapping!

Eat. Pray. Love. and eat some more!

We love to cook so my husband, the girls and I had a decadent meal full of love for Valentine's day-
Shrimp and Crab Cakes
Asparagus
Lobster Tails
Steak & Potatoes
and Mojitos (not for the girls, lol)

Latte Bliss

I don't know why but making a card can really get the creative juices flowing, now I am ready to scrap but I have to run some errands and get Sunday dinner done. I was so happy to finally use my mft stamps that my bestie gave me for christmas, I can't wait to do more with them. The pattern paper is Crate Paper's Bliss.

A little love struck...................

Mika and I were talking today about all of the the projects we would love to complete as soon as possible and that is when I realized I haven't started working on any Valentine's day cards, so last night I stole a few moments to do a little sumthin'.

I used a white cardstock as a base and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss dot folder. A card is just not a card for me without a little embossing. My pattern paper is from Bo Bunny's Love Bandit Line and I embossed that too. I cut the felt heart from the brush stroke sizzlits die using a piece of pretty pink felt. The pin is Jenni Bowlin and I used some bakers twine on the pink button. The curvy white cardstock piece is embossed with the script folder and I stamped the sentiment on the card. I used my apron bunch on the border strip. and though you can't tell in this picture each little heart is accented with stickles for a little added glitz!

Making Progress

Although I think I am the slowest scrapper on the planet I feel really good about my pace so far this year. I have been getting at least one layout done a week which for me is a good thing.
This weekend I started a new layout and finished up this one. I saw the super talented Keisha use vellum butterflies on her layout and I decied to give it a try. They are so pretty in person. Inspired by the bright color of my daughter's shirt I used my American Crafts City Park collection and put my Slice to work for my row of butterfliies. I am not happy with the way the journaling turned out because it is not spaced exactly right but I didn't want to labor over it so I just took a deep breathe and left it as is.

Top 5 of 2010

My scrapbooking friends and I challenged each other to pick out our favorite layouts from 2010 and here are mine.

This layout is my number one pick, just because it really shows the silly side my family. We laugh all of the time. My husband is the ultimate jokester. And although he drives my daughters crazy they have so much fun with him.



My second pick is this layout of my baby niece. I love the pictures and the colors of the Crate paper Pink Plum are just yummy.



My third fave is this layout of me and the hubby getting it on at our wedding, lol. I love being able to immortalize this moment for life.



My fourth pick is a layout of my bestie and her children. I love the bright and fresh feel of this layout.


And lastly this is a layout of me. I picked this one because when I first saw this paper collection I could not imagine what I was going to do with it. But once I sat down and let the creative juices flow this layout came together very easily.

Can you believe..............

That I am just discovering how convenient digital paper can be!

As you can see in my previous post I am in the beginning stages of doing my daughter-in-law's baby shower favors. So far my list of "to-dos" include the mini mailbox favor boxes, teddy bear cake pops, and teddy bear shaped cookies. I also want to do a diaper cake as her gift from me and my husband.

The color scheme for the shower is mint green, yellow and brown (with a teddy bear theme) so this weekend I hit the internet hard looking for a paper that was "just right" I went to every store i could think of and flipped through pages of baby themed search results until I finally decided to check out Esty. There I found so many digital paper sites including this one - Sherry K Designs. I purchased a few of the kits and I settled on this pack to work with. The green is not really a mint green but I think it will work.


Stay tuned - I will post a picture of the final results.

My Sunshine

There is still a lot of snow outside but the sun is shining brightly today warming my spirit. I have been scrapping, doing projects and teaching classes at an assisted living facility over the past several weeks but this seems like the first chance I have had to share, so from Sunny Philly, "Look what I can do!" **Warning this is a pretty long post, make sure you turn that pot off first, lol!

This is a layout of my stepson when he was a baby. I used the My Mind's Eye "Lil Robots" collection. Can I tell you the colors just pop right off of the page and the accesories are just super cute. Trust me you will see this collection again and again until I use it up. The only things that are not a part of the collection is the "K" monogram, which is actually a Cosmo Cricket black chipboard letter that I painted white and then used frosted lace stickles on and the other is the Heidi Swapp outline letter rub-ons that I was trying to use to spell the word boy but I didn't have an "o", so I used a brad to take its place. The word big was cut using my Slice.

Here is another fun layout of my niece, my youngest daughter, my niece's bff, and my sister from Christmas 2005. I think it was the first year our dollar store began carrying those antler headbands and everyone had fun with them. I used the Imaginisce collection for this layout. The numbers do not really have any relevance to the layout, I just thought it looked cute. I punched the snowflakes with my Martha Stewart punch and added some bling to the center.

Here is the hubster getting his employee of the year award that he worked very hard for. He is a job developer and his job is to get people jobs. Even in the midst of the recession he got over 250 people in sustainable jobs that year. Here I used the Teresa Collins Celebrate line. The "09" are AC thickers, and the mini tickets are Maya Road and I added a little bling to the centers. The rest of the title incorporates a variety of stickers from my stash including some imagination project Gin-x coaster board letters (that's going way back). The stars are the wood veneer stars from my November scrap-room kit that I painted and added stickles.

When I saw the Bo Bunny Olivia collection I could not figure out what I was going to do with it. But I am really happy with the results. I used my Martha Stewart loopy border punch . The flower is by Prima and I cut the title "everyday" using my Slice Machines.

And one of my favorite projects from this weekend is my practice version teddy bear favor box for my oldest Stepson and his wife's upcoming baby shower. The colors for the shower are yellow, mint green and brown and there is a teddy bear theme. When I am doing favors I like to practice a few times before I settle on a design. I think I got this one right on the first try. I used the My time Made Easy Happy mail template.

thanks for taking the time out to look, happy scrapping!

I do solemnly resolve

to try to stick to my resolutions. I really consider them to be personals goals that I strive for during the year instead of empty resolutions. The older I get the more realistic I am with them so here I go for 2011.

1. I would like to increase my heart rate - I can do this by taking the stairs more, exercising, taking the dogs on longer walks, and just being more active overall. (and yes I would love to lose some weight in the process).

2. Take better care of myself - I do not really care to visit the doctor's office but I really need to get a full check-up and be more mindful of my preventive care.

3. Stay in touch with family and friends better - enough said.

4. Read more - I use to love to escape life with a good book but I don't make the time for it like I should.

5. Work on my financial health and save more.

6. Create more - I would like to complete 100 layouts, 30 cards, 5 mini albums, 10 other paper projects, keep my website current and blog more.

Here is wishing everyone much success as we work towards our goals /resolutions in 2011!

Look What Tricia Gave Me!

Tricia I apologize for being a day late and a dollar short but for some reason I could not copy and paste on my laptop at home so I am doing it on my lunch break today at work since Fridays are a little slow. So first let me say thanks to Tricia a sister who is definitely doing it for herself! I have been a long time blog lurker and finally started leaving comments so she would know I stopped by and now I get so excited when she stops by to visit me too. Tricia is super talented and she keeps it real so if you ever need some layout inspiration, entertainment news or just a laugh pop on over and pay her a visit.

This is a pay-it-forward style award. Here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered (or not so recently)
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards.

Here it goes -

1. I am the youngest of five girls

2. I attended the only all girls public high school in Philly

3. I had both my children naturally - no medication at all
4. I like to read the directions to everything!
5. I love to cook
6. I hate switching pocketbooks, I carry one bag to work until it is time to buy a new one
7. I have only been to a Starbucks once
8. I am obssessed with mail, I feel so unloved on no-mail days

Here are the 8 bloggers I would like to share this award with:
Tamika
Iffy
Princess
Tiffany
Cynta
La'Diva
Nae
Von

Latest Magazine Review - spoiler alert!

So after having subscriptions to virtually every magazine out there (reminds me of this post by Tricia) I have discountinued all of my subscriptions except for one - Scrapbooks, etc. (previous issue photo)

One of the biggest drawbacks so far it that it seems like forever between issues but after just browsing through this February 2011 issue, I can say it is worth the wait.

• The magazine starts out with a new Craft it Forward project, read for more details but like the heading states it is an oppportunity for you to "Use your crafting skills for good."
  
• The advertisments feauture previews of CHA products (is it that time again already?), inlcuding new lines by Basic Grey, Fancy Pants, DCWV, Bo Bunny, and tools by WRMK, Xyron and Epiphany crafts just to name a few - there are many more!
  
• There are of course great layouts and tutorials
  
• Some cool organzational tips, including an idea on how to store your cricut expression mat
  
• A neat article on how to pack for a crop
  
• A downloadable treat bag template and a lollipop flower tutorial that I am so excited about, I think they will be great for birthday parties (the downaload does not seem to be available just yet)
  
• Some ideas on how to use the creatopia, I have been interested in this tool but have been a little confused as to how it works so I realy appreciate this article
  
• And of course I love the sketch layouts and paper piecing ideas

So if you have a subscription and haven't gotten your issue yet, look forward to some good stuff and if you don't have a subscription, this issue just might be worth picking up.