My Laughing Magpie

Please be patient with me!

2011-10-02T08:31:00.000-06:00

If you have stumbled upon my blog from somewhere out in the wonderful wide web, I appreciate you stopping by, but you should know that...

I am in the process of combining my personal blog with my business blog (maybe!!)!

So, feel free to browse around here for a while, but anything new (October 2011) will be posted on the Scrap-a-Teeny blog.

Thanks for your patience!!

Click HERE to go to Teeny Scraps of Us!

A Photo-venture in St. Paul, MN {{Heavy Photos}}

2011-09-21T18:34:00.000-06:00

Wabasha Street Bridge entrance decoration & search lights

Most of you know that I spent the past weekend in St. Paul, MN attending The Creative Connection Event. While I was there, I had a little time to wander with my camera. Something I used to love to do & I thoroughly enjoyed my little camera-adventure!! Here are a few of the results...

Wabasha Street Bridge over the Mississippi River

Another entrance to the Wabasha Street Bridge

A Barge on the Mississippi

Barge going under the Wabasha Street Bridge

Minnesota Boat Club Building built in 1910

Charlie Brown & Snoopy in Landmark Park {Charles Schultz was from Minneapolis}

Heimie's Haberdashery est. 1917

Landmark Center, was the PO, Court House & Custom House in 1902

Another view of the Landmark Center. It now houses various art organizations.

The St. Paul Hotel built in 1910

The Mighty Mississippi from the Wabasha Bridge

Under the Wabasha Bridge

Stairway leading back up to the Wabasha Bridge

St. Paul Women's City Club back in 1931

The Art Deco Architecture of the City Hall Annex

Dark alley in Downtown {on way back from dinner with friends}

Bar doorway in downtown {what can I say, I love dark, seedy areas & doors!}


The Gopher Bar Coney Islands, {on the sign: George, Cheri & sons and Andy & Phyliss too!}

Twin Cities Magic & Costume in an 1880's Victorian Bldg.

I really loved wandering around & looking at all the old buildings. St. Paul is a really beautiful city with lots of history among the new! I hope to visit again some day!

And what would a visit to St. Paul be without a little venture to The Mall of America?

This place is CRAZ-Y! 3 stories of shops, food & entertainment, including an amusement park!! They even host the Annual ScrapFest every year - right smack dab in the middle of the mall & all throughout you will find scrapbookers taking classes & making things from various vendors! It's just nuts!

The Rotunda area with a giant classroom in the foreground & the Archiver's "store" behind the curtain!

Rotunda "classroom"


Tim Holtz's Class

Tim teaching

ScrapFest Vendor booths in front of Bloomies!

Make-n-Takes lined the walkways between the stores!

Women lined up for the MnT's!!

Don't get me wrong, you know I'm a diehard scrapper, but I don't know if I could handle this kind of chaos & take classes in the middle of the mall!!!

The top of the Graphic 45 booth, one of my faves!!

Above the LEGO Store! All Made of LEGOs!

The LEGO Dragon

GIANT wall of LEGOs!

I loved that wall!!!

I couldn't pass up taking a picture of this great retro-style shop that I've never seen before:

Then, I had to wander through Nick Universe to take picts for Maggie! There were at least 4 roller coasters, a train, a log ride & various other moving, twirling, bobbing rides with Nickelodeon themes!

I decided to play around with the settings on my camera with the Carousel since I didn't know any of the riders. Kinda fun, huh?

Lastly, what would a visit to Nick Universe be without a stop in the gift shop for Maggie?!

Did you say "Spongebob?"

Just had to bring one of these home for her!!

That's it! The last of my stuff from the St. Paul/TCC Event!

There's a series of posts going up every day at

The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls'

blog that goes into more detail about The Creative Connection & what I did there.

This very well could be the last post over here as I decide if & how to incorporate this blog into the Teeny blog.

Hopefully you'll stick around for the ride!

TTFN!

The TCC Event Posts

2011-09-15T21:31:00.000-06:00

Because I am supposed to be networking with all these amazing women (& one very FABULOUS boy...) here at The Creative Connection, I realized that blogging on my personal blog was kinda silly since all my business cards are for the Teeny's!

So, hop on over to Teeny Scraps of Us for the latest...

The Creative Connection T-10 hrs, give or take...

2011-09-14T22:02:00.001-06:00

First of all, I have to say AAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!!! I seem to have forgotten my camera cord! I am so disappointed because tonight's post was written in the hotel bar based on my roaming around taking pix when I arrived today!!

But, I am going to post it anyway. Sorry there are no pictures to accompany my rant, but I hope to find a cord tomorrow!

{Written at 7:30pm MN Time, US}

I arrived shortly after 4 pm at the MSP airport, which by the way seems larger than Denver's!

On the taxi ride over to the hotel, we passed an old building that had "ART HERE" written on the side of it & I cursed myself for not having my camera ready, but vowed to find it later! (I never did find it - must have been on a different road than I thought! Soooo bummed because it was so appropriate for this weekend! I even walked all the way from the hotel to the River Centre; where the Foo Fighter's were playing tonight! About 9 blocks & no luck!)

But, the city-area around the hotel was really very pretty & right along the Mighty Mississippi! There are some beautiful older buildings right up against the new, as with any old city. But what struck me is that several of the building seem to have an Art Deco feel of the 1920's. For instance, (& I have a photo to post tomorrow, I suppose!) the City Hall building had these beautiful caged sconces along the outside of their building that I fell in love with! {HA! Insert photo here!} And, the bridge right across from the hotel screams Art Deco to me with some great iron-work. I took tons of photos of this mighty bridge expanding the Miss! It may have just been constructed to look that way because a plaque I found stated that some of the lights installed in the 1990's were "special occasion spot lights." But it's a beautiful bridge that I hope to share with you tomorrow!

One thing I realized as I wandered around this part of the city, is how much I miss random photo ops! I really enjoyed wandering around & just snapping pix here & there, especially of architecture. If I have any more time this week, I hope to find a historical area or maybe more of a main street to snap a few more pictures!

Outside of that, I am kind-of lonely & feel rather lost tonight as I write this down in the hotel bar, with a glass of wine & a buffet plate on the table. It seems to me that those around me {that I can discern as conference goers}, are all in groups of 2-6 or more! And here I am, my wee little self wishing that mom & Kim were with me right now to laugh & have fun with! I know that I will meet others like me that I can hang with throughout the rest of the week, but for tonight, it kinda sucks to be alone!

see you tomorrow!

Art, Life & Missing Teeth

2011-09-13T21:20:00.000-06:00

It's almost 9 o'clock here.

Maggie's in bed {finally!}; 

Nick was asleep on the couch last I looked & I am going over the list in my head for tomorrow!

{photo credit}

I am super excited to attend this years' Creative Connection & I hope to come home with new ideas & a better understanding of where I want my creative-self to go. I have been toying with the idea of going back to school for some sort of art degree & hope that this trip helps me make that decision once & for all. 

I know that I will meet some amazing people who have made their craft, their career & I hope to learn how they did it ALL & still remain sane!! I hope to learn a new skill or two & to make some new life-long friends from all over!

I hope to bring back some ideas & goodies to share with my ever-supportive mom & sister! I wish desperately that they were coming with me, but I am also proud of myself for taking this step alone. Although I know that we would all learn a ton together, I know that by being by myself, I can focus on my self & what I want out of this journey. Then I can take what I learn from this & share it with them. Hopefully, we will still be headed down the same path.

{photo credit}

I wanted to share a couple life things with you all as well.

I recently received an email from a friend (from Jr. High!) asking me to join her for the Susan G Komen Race for a Cure this Fall with a little note in the side-bar stating how much she appreciated everyone's support over the past 15 months. My first thoughts were, HUH?!!! You see, I had not really heard from her in a while & had no idea that she was battling breast cancer! I was dumbfounded & wished I had known sooner. She's had quite the battle of it all, but is recovering as best she can & I hope to see her soon. It made me so aware of how busy we get with life & how easy it is to let things & people we care about slip by. I hope that I can be better at staying in touch with those I hold dear to my heart.

{photo credit}

Enough of that...My wonderful Magpie is doing fabulous in Kindergarten this year & has just lost another tooth - just in time for school photos! {I couldn't be happier - I love those toothless pictures of my youth!}

And even though I haven't had a minute to sit down & craft over the last week or so, I will show you the beginnings of a Halloween tin I am working on...

I think that's it for tonight. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can sleep tonight - never easy before a trip. I don't leave until after lunch tomorrow, but I will still be going through the List as I finish packing tomorrow! I am so afraid my bag is too heavy with my art supplies inside, but I am purposely taking my largest case so I can bring stuff home too! HA!

{photo credit}

Celebrate Life!!

2011-09-11T21:33:00.000-06:00

I know that many of you spent the day remembering the terrible events that rocked our nation 10 years ago & even though the images of 9/11 flashed through my mind throughout the day, I chose to celebrate the birthday of a good friend of mine this morning who has had a rather crappy year (to put it mildly)!

She is a very talented, kind & generous lady (some of you guys may know her...Rachel Carlson) & she never ceases to amaze me on this journey we call LIFE! She will persevere & I know that her next venture will be THE BEST ONE YET!! She is destined to do great things in the crafting world & I hope she glides over any more speed bumps in the road!

This is a cute cupcake girl card my sister made for her

We had the "traditional Rachel B-day Breakfast at Snooze" (present opening pix will be on my FB profile soon) & it was great to see old friends. I hope that the morning reminded Rachel that she we will always rally around her whenever she needs us! I hope that she had a wonderful day & that her year only continues to get better from here on out!!

Because she has had such a challenging year, I made her a little tin (my latest craze, as you know!) with a play on the "When Life Gives You Lemons" saying. (Thanks to Kelly Miller for the PERFECT picture of Rachel!) I completely forgot to take pictures before I gave it to her, so sorry the images aren't that great!

This was my first real attempt at playing around in PSE to create the cover digitally & I am pretty damn proud of myself!

I "cut" Rachel out of her original background & plopped her on some fun splotchy polka-dots with the title & lemons. Then I added the lemon slices to her eyes & a "fashionable" lemon clip in her hair for the finishing touches!

After all, Rachel IS the Cupcake Girl!

Inside are some lemons made from clay, a 12-Bingo piece for the actual date of her birth, a wire dollhouse wisk on top of another digital image of a lemon cupcake. On the right is a recipe for lemon cupcakes that pulls out...

The right side is like a little shaker-box with clay lemons behind acetate under the recipe!!

I had a blast making this little box for her & I hope that it brings a smile to her face every time she glances at it!

Happy Birthday Rachel!! Here's to many more!!

XOXO

-Beck

Happy Monday!

2011-08-29T20:58:00.000-06:00

I don't think most of us think of Monday as "Happy" days.

After all, it's the day that most head back to work or school. But today was an exceptionally nice & happy Monday for me, especially after a busy weekend with in-laws in town!!

Nothing too out of the ordinary today, except that I (should say we, because mom & Kim were there too) made a new friend today. Her name is Nancy Glass & she is a fellow crafter (you can visit her website HERE)! She first bumped into mom & Kim a few weeks ago at Hobby Lobby. They got to talking about selling our crafty stuff & her crafty stuff & info was exchanged.

CardArtByNancy (this will be her Etsy name when she's up!)

Nancy is a super nice lady & feels like an old friend already! She makes wonderful cards & sells them in local shops, but is wanting to list them on Etsy. That's where I came in! You see, mom & Kim put way too much faith in my ability to run our little Etsy shop & talked up those abilities to Nancy. So, of course she wanted some pointers & I was happy to share what little knowledge I have of Etsy! We all spent a lovely breakfast getting to know each other at SNOOZE this morning & then I popped open my laptop to show her a few things about Etsy. I certainly hope that I didn't fill her head with too much from bouncing around the Etsy site & talking of all the social media sites & blogs out there!! In the end, we all agreed to get together soon to craft & talk some more!!

Afterward, I came home to catch up on some pix for my Creative Cuts & More post (I still haven't finished my Marie book, but I had to post what have done for tomorrow), as well as take some of the tin I did in our first Art Group meeting last Tuesday! Here's what I made during our day of crafting...

I'm calling it "Johnny's lost his head!"

We had such a blast pulling these little tins together! It was great to see all the different ideas come together! (I'll post a link to some other pix as soon as I get it from my fellow group member!) And, I believe some of us found a new obsession!! I have ideas for a ton more of these little tins!! I haven't decided whether I am going to sell this one or not.

Then as I was driving home, I got a nice little evite to a friends b-day breakfast in a couple of weeks! (You know who are!! Thanks!!) 

That's all that made my Monday a happy one!

Tomorrow I am spending the day with my wonderful gal-pal Shirley at IKEA (she hasn't been yet!) & probably try to craft a little before Maggie comes home from school.

And, hopefully on Wednesday evening I will get to have dinner with one of my oldest friends (way back to Kindergarten!)! That's all that's planned so far, but who knows what life will bring this week!

TTFN!

A Vamp by any other name

2011-08-22T07:48:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday to everyone!!

Just checking in to say hello & to share my latest Altered Tin creation!! I made this little sample for my first Art Group project - which starts tomorrow!


Front


Opened

Left side Glitter Girl

Right side - Atheist Girl!

Backside Vamp

Isn't it fun! I have printed a bunch of images for all the group members to play with & a ton of embellies to add to the inside of their tins! It's going to be so much fun!!

I was hoping to write a little more this morning, but I have to get the Mags off to school! (Last half day! Wahoo! Might actually get some time to myself this week!)

TTFN!

Another Great WWC Giveaway!!

2011-08-16T21:42:00.002-06:00

This is a little copy/paste/repost of another great giveaway from the wonderful women over at Where Women Create!

Every Friday they feature an artist & that artist usually gives away a great prize to one lucky reader! This past Friday featured a mother/daughter duo that started an amazing business together - The Gilded Girls Stash Society, & I just happen to be taking one of their classes next month at The Creative Connection in St. Louis...read on to learn more about their venture!

--------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>-----------------------------------------

Fabulous Friday with Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso

Being a mother/daughter design team definitely has it’s advantages. Take for instance the seed of an idea that came last fall. Sitting in our studio pondering the future, a chance thought began to develop into an exciting possibility. With the bond that we share (some might even say the same mind!!), when one spoke the other knew EXACTLY what was being proposed and how to proceed to the next step.
Thus, the Gilded Girls Stash Society was born.

An idea to share all of the yummy goodness that we use in our own studio with women all around the world seemed like a dream come true. The initial concept was hammered out into a final plan that would send vintage and vintage-inspired textiles, trims, paper, embellishments, millinery and jewelry findings to their new homes both here and abroad.
We were absolutely amazed when we hit our initial target number of members. A simple blog post announcing our new endeavor was uploaded to our blog, with an opportunity to “fly blind” with us, before we even posted pictures of the actual “stash”. Imagine our amazement when we not only sold each and every spot we had available, but we began a waiting list from month one.

Hunting and gathering each month’s product for what we call our “box of beautiful” is a thrill that will never get old. Digging through a millinery store’s inventory from 1940 and finding the blush pink velvet posies that complement a linen fabric, is a rush of joy that only a crafter’s soul could understand. Discovering the gold tipped angel wings found behind a box of funky glass beads that make you audibly squeal with delight will forever thrill.

All the dust from the boxes yanked down from the top shelf, all the miles racked up on the car for the good of a dig, all the Starbuck’s Venti black iced tea that are required to keep you going on a hot summer’s day, are nothing compared to the emails and comments of women who “get us”. When they email to let us us know that they just received their boxes and jumped up and down in their living room while covered in glitter and tulle… well, that is priceless.

The Gilded Girls Stash Society was an epiphany. It was something that we were meant to do, for us and for the “Gilded Girls”. We are honored to hold this task we have been trusted with by so many.

Each month it is a joy to curate these treasures into a cohesive “story”. We take inspiration from birthstones, flowers-of-the-month, holidays, and of course the Seasons themselves. We try to stay very true to our vintage roots while introducing variety and the element of surprise.

Membership in the Gilded Girls Stash Society also includes access to a private blog where tutorials are posted several times each month using the items from the kit. This is a very popular component of the Society, and we always look forward to seeing photos of the work that members share through a Flickr group and Facebook page.

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? We treasure everything about this amazing creative journey we are on, and all of the wonderful people and places we are getting to know!
We are also so very happy (and honored) to be teaching again at The Creative Connection. Last year was a magical experience for us, and we will truly never be the same. And this year promises to be even better. We hope you will join all of us in St. Paul next month, and make some magic for yourself! Please visit us at http://whathappensnext.typepad.com/

{Romancing the Wristlet}

{Count your Blessings Necklace}

A little Marie & Altered Pages Challenge Piece

2011-08-08T23:43:00.000-06:00

I have been busy this past week working on the Marie Antoinette book & thought I'd share some of the work in progress...Caution, these pix are not the greatest! I plan to photograph the whole book in better light when it's done.

Also, at the end of this post is a little 5x7 canvas I did for the August Challenge at Altered Pages. The theme is "The Last Flowers of Summer."

Inside/First page

Pages 2-3 The young MA meets Louis

The wedding

And here's my Altered Pages piece:

Digital image: "At the Beach 1907" collage sheet

That's it for tonight!

I'm off to la-la land now!

TTFN!

I didn't win, but...

2011-08-05T17:15:00.000-06:00

After checking email, Facebook, their blog & websites all morning long, I come to find out that I was not picked to receive 2 free passes to The Creative Connection Event.

BUT, my hubby said we could swing the cost for me to go!!!

{{Doing a little jig right now!!}}

I am sooooo thrilled to be attending this amazing conference! I just registered for my panels & classes minutes ago! (Sad to say one of the one's I wanted was already closed! That's what happens when you wait too long to register!) My hotel reservations are made & now I just have to figure out how to use my miles to get my flight booked!!

Here's a look at the classes I'm going to take:

Dream Big Art Journal

The Dream Big Art Journal with Traci Bautista.

This just looks like an amazing intro into art journalling, with a twist - it's all about business & goals! I am hoping this process will take me in new directions!

http://www.thecreativeconnectionevent.com/class/tcc-handmade-classes-2/dream-big-art-journal/ (the 1st part of this class is the one I missed out on, but she said we can take them separately.)

Photography for Knitters & Craft Bloggers

Photography for Knitters & Craft Bloggers with Gale Zucker.

I am always struggling with the best way to shoot our completed work for Scrap-a-Teeny Girls, so I am hoping this will give me some insight & allow me to be faster at posting stuff!

http://www.thecreativeconnectionevent.com/class/tcc-handmade-classes-2/photography-for-knitters-craft-bloggers/

Romancing the Wristlet

Romancing the Wristlet with Debbie Murray & Shea Fragoso.

This looks like an amazing little jewelry adventure!! I love the vintage vibe!

http://www.thecreativeconnectionevent.com/class/tcc-handmade-classes-2/romancing-the-wristlet/

Studio Alchemy w/Laurie Meseroll

Studio Alchemy with Laurie Meseroll.

Not entirely my style, but I am super excited to learn her techniques!!

http://www.thecreativeconnectionevent.com/class/tcc-handmade-classes-2/studio-alchemy-handmade-studio-art/

In addition to all the classes, the first day is full of informational panels about social networking, marketing & more!

I just can't wait & wish so much that my mom & sis could go with me!! But I promise to share all my new crafty-business knowledge with them & hopefully a few trinkets too!!

I hope that I'll have the chance to take pix & blog about it along the journey!!

Please Pick Me! I'm going through a mid-life crisis!

2011-08-03T12:23:00.000-06:00

Dream Big Business Art Journal Class by Traci Bautista

I have been drooling over the amazing workshop event that is The Creative Connection for over a year now! After seeing what it was all about through the web last year, I knew that I wanted to attend it this year! But alas, money is tight & time is running out!
So, I am blogging about this for two reasons - first & foremost - because they TOLD me to blog about it to get 5 more entries to WIN 2 FREE PASSES for the weekend event in September & second of all, that's what we bloggers are supposed to do, right? Right!

There are several reasons I want to attend an event like this one...
One is that we (my mom, sis & I) have been struggling to be found in our little online/Etsy biz & I believe that this type of event would be an amazing learning tool with all of their panels throughout the weekend to teach me how to discover & fine tune your goals, & market our wares better through Etsy, social media & more!

Second, I think I am going through a mid-life crisis! {My husband is smack in the middle of his! HIS vice? Mountain climbing - not just ordinary hiking, but roping in & climbing crazy stuff with snow, ice & NO oxygen! He's off to Ecuador in December to climb 3 (YES, THREE!) 20,000+ peaks!!}
MY mid-life crisis is so much more tame! I want to CREATE ALL THE TIME! I want to either go back to school for some art training or I just want to try new art techniques NOW! So, this event is the PERFECT venue for this because I can dabble in any number of mediums for a fraction of the cost of actually going back to school! And, learn from those that I already admire for their passion & work! And, it's all in one weekend!

Thirdly, you get to meet with all these artistic "celebs" that have made their artistic passion their careers! Imagine asking those that you admire most, "how'd you do it & still have a life?" Their insight could be such a powerful tool!!

And last but not least, all the AMAZING loot they giveaway & what I am sure is to be a lollapalooza of a market place to shop in!!! I had already figured a good amount of $$ would be set aside for that if I were to go!!

So, it they were to pick me, I would be ever so humbly thankful for the enrichment it will bring to my mid-life crisis!! Wish me luck & keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Free Vintage Photo!

2011-08-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

This is my first attempt to post a photo for you all to copy for yourselves!

I found this awesome picture/postcard at an antique mall & just had to share it...

Isn't he just great! I can't wait to find a project to slip him into!!

Please let me know if the resolution is bad & I will try to post it again.

TTFN

Decadence is coming...

2011-08-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

Just a little hint of what I am working on now.

Part design team commitment for Creative Cuts & More & part artistic journey for me!!

Stay tuned in! I hope to post more as I go along! I have a month to get this book done & SOOOOO many ideas in my head to get down on paper, paint or whatever I reach for! HA!

TTFN!

CC&M/SOUS Summer Blog Hop

2011-07-29T05:00:00.022-06:00

Hello & welcome to our Summer Mini Album blog hop, sponsored by Creative Cuts & More!
The hop will run from Friday, July 29th (7am EST) until Sunday July 31st (Midnight, EST)

This hop is being hosted by Stuck on U Sketches & Creative Cuts & More (their blog is Die Cut Diva) Our hop today consists of Design Team members from both companies & is sure to please!! (The complete line-up is at the end of the post so that you can right to the good stuff here!)

I hope you arrived from Beatriz Guzman's blog! If you didn't arrive from Beatriz's blog, please head on over to Stuck On U Sketches & start from the top! You won't want to miss any of the albums we created today.

Today's hop is all about SUMMER and Creative Cuts and More! CC&M has a TON of albums to choose from - check it out HERE!!! They're just perfect for all of your summer memories & more!! CC&M is offering a 20% discount this week. Just use discount code SOUS20 during check out to save 20% off your entire order!!

Creative Cuts & More is also giving away this AWESOME kit:
Sea Life Album Kit

Sample of what you can create w/this kit!!

So be sure to check out the rules for your chances to win at the END of this post!!

Ok, enough of all that! Let's get hopping!!

When I think of summer I think of sitting around a campfire telling stories & roasting marshmallows for S'Mores!! That is the subject of my Summertime album today, but with a little twist...when these pix were taken (late summer), it was too wet & rainy to have a campfire! So we did them in the microwave!! Not quite the same, but still very yummy!!!

I also used the Filagree Rectangle Window 8x8 album (with the vertical window & top opening) for my project today...all in SU's Basically Black! Not your usual summer color, but it really makes the pictures pop!!

I covered the front with this fun polka dot (had to handcut the window opening!) & made the "roasting marshmallows" out of sticks & clay.

It's quite a quirky little album - most of the images I found online were silly & from the 50's...

Maggie as a Marshmallow Head! (inside 1st pg)

Investigating the S'more!! (Decorative Label for journaling)

I added a small page to show some facts & the recipe for S'mores

backside of 6x8 page

I love using full page photos!!!

Another great label used from CC&M

label closeup

Don't ya love this ooey gooey shot!

The Filagree Rectangle Label!

had to show the "matches" I made w/copper Stickles up close!


I added an acetate page as an after-thought. But you can also order these with your albums!!

back side of acetate

The Decorative Label again! I LOVE these things!!!

Finger-lickin' good!!

The Decorative Label again with copper Stickles!

Last page - inside of the cover

back cover

That's it for me today! I had a blast working on this album & all the memories it brought back from that night!

We (The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls) just love to work with mini-albums - It is such a great way to showcase a specific event instead of being chronological all the time!! AND it has been a blessing in disguise to find Terry (the owner) of Creative Cuts & More to supply us with all our mini-needs!!

Be sure to check it out after the hop & order some mini's for yourself - remember, at 20% off too!!!

Now, HOP on over to Bonnie Friesen's Blog! She is sure to have something amazing to share with us all!!! But before you go, don't forget to read the contest rules below!!

Now, Do You

Wanna Win the Sea Life Mini Album Kit?

Here are the rules:

1. Become a follower of each blog
2. Leave a comment on each blog
And finally
3. Leave a comment at Die Cut Diva, letting Terry know you stopped at all the blogs

Die Cut Diva will pick ONE lucky winner to win this awesome Kit!!

The winner will be announced on both the Stuck on U Sketches & Die Cut Diva's blogs on AUGUST 5th! So be sure to stop by & see if you are the lucky winner!!
Thanks for stopping by today!!

HOP LINEUP:
Start: SOUS
Annette Gearside
Beatriz Guzman
Becky Voth (This blog!)

Bonnie Friesen
Danielle Ryerson
Dawn Gallop
Dawn Lotharius
Fern Riley
Kayla DuPont
Kim Langhorst (This blog's sister!)
Kristine Reynolds
Leah Schaeffer
Melisa Waldorf
Nanne Harry
Noelle Reese
Nora Anne Robinson
Sandi Clarkson
Stine Ursin

Wanda Boardley
Die Cut Diva

Hope to see y'all again soon!
TTFN!

WANTED: Vintage Veggie Stand...

2011-07-26T21:02:00.000-06:00

Hi all!

I am hoping that one of you "junkers" out there that check in now & again can tell me the "official" name of this great little stand I saw at an antique mall the other day, that was of course marked NFS!! I would love to find something like this, but not sure what's original use was. Any guesses?

 The shelves are slanted & slightly ventilated on the sides. There's a handle in the middle divider on the top for easy transport...

The little "label" at the bottom was simply an image of fruit, which leads me to believe it's some sort of fruit stand, but can't find it with a simple "vintage metal fruit stand/bin" search.

Any help on what this thing is called or what it was used for might help! Thanks!

More life & crafting news soon!

TTFN!

Catching up...Heavy on the pix!!

2011-07-20T23:26:00.000-06:00

Things sure have been busy around here lately!

We got back from the cabin over a week ago & it's been non-stop since!

Here's a little re-cap (in pix) of the cabin week:

Maggie got pulled down trying to walk Tula (the dog) on our first afternoon - scrapes from head to toe!!

Our niece & nephew wanted to go rock climbing one day...

Carolyn (our niece)

Mike (our nephew)

The road & jeep while rock climbing - pretty, huh?

Maggie, atop her own rock (aka boulder!)

It was pretty wet & soggy while we were up there, but we did manage to take Maggie on her very first mountain hike! We trekked along the valley towards a beautiful lake called Lyle, but unfortunately there was still too much snow to get to the actual lake!! What a crazy year Colorado has had!!

Dad & Mags on the trail

Looking up valley towards the lake area

Mom & Mags - I'm so proud of her!!

We headed home late in the week while Nick's brother & his kids stayed another week. Mike is starting school in the fall at CSU, so he brought his sister down to Denver (she was heading out to her moms for the rest of the summer vaca before returning to Chicago where she lives with her dad) with him on his way to check out apartments in Ft. Collins. The poor kids - Mike's car had a major malfunction that couldn't be repaired even after 3 hours of waiting in Glenwood Springs! So, his 1-2 night stay with us turned into about 5! But the good news is that he found a great roommate & his car's all better now! He just left this morning. It's going to be great having him so close by now!!

While all that was going on, I went to my first ever Super Diamond concert with a gal pal from high school! What a blast!! (Drank WAY too much, but still remember it all!!)

Me & Sally

Kinda looks like Neil!!

A few days later, Maggie & I went to our first painting session at Canvas & Cocktails!! Such fun!! I hope to go again soon with my adult friends to enjoy the vino while painting!

mid-way thru

Maggie did an awesome job! I only had to help her blend a few things here & there! And yes, SHE did the whole tree! I only added a branch! I forgot to take a pic of mine - It's hanging in Maggie's room (hers is to go to daddy's office!), so I will try to take one & post it too.

All Done!!

In between all that, I've been crafting my tail off trying to meet some deadlines!

I did this fun box for Creative Cuts & More:

http://die-cut-diva.blogspot.com/2011/07/butterflies-fly-free-lots-of-picts-text.html

And I also finished a fun little mini for myself & to show in a joint blog hop we're doing with CC&M & SOUS designs on the 29th (so check back here next Friday!). Here's a little sneak...can't show it all yet!! (I have to say, I've forgotten how to scrapbook with photos!! I've done so many other project without them for the shop that I really struggled with this one!!)

Can you guess the subject?

(Kim was working on hers too but I don't have any pix yet.) And while we were doing those mini's Mom was putting the finishing touches on this INCREDIBLE Garden Book that will be up in the Etsy shop this Friday afternoon!! 24 pages of pure charm!!!

A Whimsical Garden Book by MOM

And, just today, I finished this fun little altered Altoid tin for the shop & a July challenge for Altered Pages (an online digital collage & scrapbook/ATC supply store). I had a blast doing it & think that I NEED to do more!!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78208188/victorian-altered-altoid-tin-box-sewing

I think that's it! Tomorrow I am getting together with mom & Kim to try a few new techniques together as well as brainstorm on possibly a new direction for the biz. Maggie's been in camp all week & I just signed her up for 2 more weeks! So that gives me lots of time to play as well as do some stuff around the house that I've been avoiding - like move curtain rods & patch holes for the new bedroom curtains!! UGH! Maybe tomorrow...

Wow! Has it been that long since I wrote?!!

2011-07-04T21:24:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I gave you a "life" update??!! SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF INFO LATELY!

I hope to jump on here in the next few days, but I am up at our family cabin with a satellite internet connection which can totally suck!

So, I leave you with these picts & to tell you to hop on over to The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls blog to see what I've been doing creatively (mostly business oriented!) & I promise to catch up soon! Hugs & Happy Independence Day!!!

Hope ya'll had a wonderful 4th of July!!

Catching Up...

2011-06-06T16:27:00.000-06:00

Finally! A minute to catch up on things here! I now have a chance to catch y'all up on what Maggie's been up to these past few weeks...

First we had Graduation from ECE! We watched our little grads come down the aisle at the school auditorium to the typical commencement march! Then they all sang a bunch of fun songs for us. Afterward we enjoyed some yummy cake with her classmates & teachers!

With her proud Grandparents!

Miss Lisa - Maggie's Para all year & all the kids adored her!

Miss Lisa - her incredible teacher! We will miss her a lot!

 The weekend after Graduation, she had her first big dance recital! They performed a tap dance for us as well as a little show of ballet positions. (We weren't allowed to take pictures at the actual recital, so all of these are from dress rehearsal.)

Ready?

Tap dancing to "3 Little Fishes"

Boob-booping...

 This was her most favorite part of the dance! She love to feel the tutu bouncing around with her! And then of course, the "Choo" part afterwards brought smiles too!

 For the ballet portion of their recital, they showed us the first 5  positions. I apologize to all the ballet afficianados out there - I  don't know the positions myself so I didn't label them accordingly! Ha!

If you look closely, my little ballerina is yawning!!

 The recital was absolutely adorable, albeit a little long! (All the students of the studio performed - including the adults!!)

The following week was Maggie's last week of school & she got to experience her first Field Day at school! Now, I had always hated field day when I was little because I was on crutches almost every year & couldn't play along! (I would either sprain my ankle or her my achilles in soccer every spring!)She had a blast!

 She did really great on the Egg Walk - almost all the way back without dropping it!

 She's a natural in the Sack Races too! Didn't fall until the very end!

 Trike Racing was everyone's fave!

Tossing the Whiffle Ball around!

So, that's the big stuff over the past few weeks...Everything in between has been pretty low key except that Maggie lost her FIRST tooth!!! She got so excited when we discovered that her tooth was loose & everyday we checked it. It finally popped out Saturday afternoon! So, I leave you with one more set of picts...

She's got 2 more wiggly ones, so expect to see some funny face pictures soon!!

TTFN!

Fab Friday Giveaway from WWC!

2011-05-27T08:20:00.000-06:00

The very lovely Tracy Porter is the guest blogger on Where Women Create today (Friday 5/27) & she is giving away an amazing prize!!! You'd be a fool not to enter this one!!!

here's a couple of my faves:


I'm not really a cross wearer, but this just appeals to me!

Always wanted a pair of C'boy boots! These are nice & broken in!

I have absolutely NO place in my house for these two pieces, but I LOVE them!!

And, finally, from the sale section:

So, other than a little blog surfing this morning, I am hoping to finish cleaning house in prep for the Holiday weekend full of BBQ's by noon today!

One of my bestie's b-day is today & I got totally inspired yesterday to make her something fabulous! (Luckily I have all weekend to get it done before her BBQ on Monday!!) My goal is to spend the entire afternoon in my room crafting - which I haven't done in SOOOOO long! An hour here or there just doesn't cut it! LOL!

I promise to post pix of all of Maggie's shenanigans over the last week & more of this project when it's all said & done. (Since my girlfriend reads this occasionally, you will all have to wait until Monday afternoon to see the finished product so I don't spoil the surprise!!)

Have a wonderful Holiday Weekend!!!

Thanks to all our men & women who serve this country to keep us all safe from the crazy people! :)

Thanks to Maggie's wonderful Teachers!

2011-05-23T08:00:00.043-06:00

Maggie has had a wonderful year at the local elementary school & will be "graduating" from preschool in today! I can't believe she will be in Kindergarten next year! Where does the time go???

First day, 8/20/10


Ms. Lisa

Ms. Kim

She had two wonderful teachers this year, Ms. Lisa & her aide, Ms. Kim. I wanted to get them something special for the end of the year because they really just do so much for our little ones!

So, I discovered that Ms. Lisa loves to cook, but I couldn't really gather what kind of cooking was her favorite. So, I opted for one of Rachel Ray's cookbooks because her food IS yummy & fairly simple to pull together!

For Ms. Kim, I know that she LOVES to be creative & crafty! So, I thought this "Delight in the Details" would be a great inspiration for her.

And, of course, I HAD to make cards to go along with their gifts, right?!

I had seen a stamp at Michaels that would have been perfect for their cards, but I forgot to actually buy it when I left there the other day!! Silly me!

So, I used my own stash to copy the idea of the stamp...It was a cute birdie with the saying "time flies when you're having fun."

I started with a premade card from one of those boxes by DCWV, (I know! I could have just made one from cardstock, but I never have the right sized envelopes!).

I stamped the front of the card with my Burlap stamp (Ippity - from my friend Noelle's shop!) in a Timber Brown StazOn ink.

Then I Glimmer Misted a small paper doillie with a sand tone & stamped a faint image of a clock in the middle (Tim Holtz). (In case you're wondering how I got ALL the edges to adhere? I used a spray adhesive to attach the doillie to the card.)

Earlier in the day, I scanned a picture that Maggie had painted of a bird, shrunk it down & printed a couple out for the cards. I attached that to the front of the card & then added the saying, with my dymo. 

 All inspired from a simple stamp with the same idea! I made each of the teachers the same card, but the insides are different.

Here's Ms. Lisa's:

I don't have any picts of Maggie & Ms. Kim, so her's is much simpler:

(These stamps inside are also Ippity/Unity from the "Moment in Time" collection & the paper is from a DCWV Garden Party matstack.)

I think they turned out very cute & I love that they have a little creativity from both of us!

So, the next time I post, I will put up some more pix of Maggie at "graduation," her first Field Day at school AND her first dance recital this weekend!!!

Maggie's ECE Class 2011

TTFN!

Springtime, Faeries, Divas & More - a Mini-Album

2011-03-16T06:00:00.034-06:00

Hello! Welcome to one of the stops in the Creative Cuts & More March Album-themed Blog Hop! Hopefully you are joining me from my sister's project over at The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls' blog. But if not, you'll want to go back to the beginning so you don't miss anything FABULOUS! Just click here & you'll be directed back to the Die Cut Diva blog where all the happiness starts!

As you read on my sister's post, we decided to split up the Mix & Match album from Creative Cuts & More (we each got 6 fabulous, double-sided pages to work with!). For my 6 pages, I decided to do a little Springtime Garden Book with a TWIST...lots of fun images of divas, faeries, butterflies & some great quotes to go along with each! (I hope to get this little gem up in our Etsy store on Thursday!)

A little quote from Willy Wonka with this springtime nymph!

Each spread of pages has a theme...the first two are all about Faeries...


A quote from Yeats

I made a large tag to insert between these two pages with this great Steampunk Faerie I found at the Altered Artifacts blog. Isn't she AWESOME! I printed her on a transparency & then attached her with a couple of brads to the tag...

Her quote is from Peter Pan

Here the backside of the tag...with Faerie Images from Luna Girl

 On the next page, I used this awesome image of Bette Davis (I think!) off the Web (can't find my link!) & a Tim Holtz stamp for her wings over the dictionary page for "fairy"...

Next, I moved on to the Garden...

I found this fun vintage image (online somewhere!) of a little girl at the garden shed looking so exasperated!

The quote reads, "My garden will never make me famous, I'm a horticultural ignoramus!" by Ogden Nash

Again, in between the pages, I made a funky envelope & added the flower, garden def. & a MME tag that I glittered over the word "sunshine."

Behind that is another Diva page with fun quotes about gardening...

The top Diva is from a Flickr gallery & the others were found online

 The two quotes here are: "I don't take myself too seriously anymore. Sometimes I garden in my knickers & platform shoes." Kim Wilde & "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood

And, what's a garden book without Butterflies??

The cutout butterflies are from a DCWV paper stack & all the other butterfly cards are from Luna Girl with the exception of an image of Joan Crawford added to one!

 And finally, the back of the album...I added this great nude photo from a "History of Photography" book I have, (but the photo was unlabeled!)...

"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring & would stay that way later in the fall."

That's it! Again, sorry for the super long posting! I wanted to be sure you got a feel for the whole book (plus, now I can post this link in the Etsy listing! Ha!)

Now it's time to hop on over for our last talented lady of the day...Noelle of noellescrapsalot! I know she will have something amazing to share with you all!

Don't forget to head back to the Creative Cuts & More store to place your order for some great mini-albums & more! She's really got a great selection AND you don't have to cut out any paper to match up with the chipboard - just pick a background color & you're set!! 

TTFN!

Long Live the Queen...Ahem, Maggie's Teacher (a Birthday Card!)

2011-02-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

It's funny how sometimes your intuition tells you need to look into something & that something just happens to be that day! Well, that happened to me today when I dropped off Maggie at her classroom! I knew that her teacher's b-day was this month, but didn't know what day & had kept meaning to check...well it was TODAY!

So, while I was at the gym, I schemed up this little card in my head...I received my Marie Antoinette stamps yesterday in the mail (link is below in the "supplies" list - many AMAZING vintage style stamps here!!!) & was dying to get busy with them!!! It's not exactly what I had in mind, but pretty close! Sometimes it's hard to translate what's in the head to paper! I am hoping to tweak a few things & throw a few up for sale in the Etsy shop!

I would love to hear what you think would make it better too, so leave me a comment & you might just find me contacting you so I can send you one!

full image

close up of Marie

close up of banner

inside of card

There ya have it! My glitter skills need a little honing & I am not super wild about how the carriage stamped, but all-in-all it's a fun card & she liked it (& the Starbucks card!)! And that's all that matters, right?!

Tomorrow, (Maggie's cough permitting!) I get to meet my mom & sister at Archiver's for a little shopping (mostly window since I already spent my budget online & at Michael's this month!) & girl time! Hopefully I will have some more ideas to share with you soon! (I have to say, I am obsessed with Marie right now, so you might be seeing quite a bit of that!! Hang in there, it's pass!)

See you soon!

Supplies:

Card: Studio G, $1 bins at Michael's!

Ink: also Studio G & some Distress Ink

Glitter: Martha Stewart, Michael's

Cream Cardstock: AC

Banner Dies: PTI

Stamps: Oxford Impressions

Labels: We R Memory Keepers 

Misc.: Colored Pencils

Stampin' the Day Away!

2011-01-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

My poor Magpie was sick with a high fever (102!) & headache for the WHOLE weekend. I spent so much time hanging out with her this weekend, browsing all the creative blogs online while she rested, that I had all these ideas buzzing in my head! I had big plans to "get my craft on" first thing this morning!! So when morning rolled around, I knew that even though she was acting like herself again, I couldn't send her to school because she needed to be fever-free for 24 hrs (school policy).

Can you say "BUMMER?"

But, she was so great today! Playing & watching movies & "wrecking" the house AND letting mommy "work" for the better part of the day!!! Boy did I get a lot done!!

One of the ideas I had was to create a bunch of tag sets to sell in The Scrap-a-Teeny shop. 

I pulled out all the stamps that I own, some plain paper & tons of ink & started scheming! I had a great time pairing images & playing with layering techniques ALL. DAY. LONG.

Such fun!!!

I haven't had a day like this (by myself!) in ages!

{Thank you Maggie! I love you even more today - if that's possible?!?!}

I hope I get to do some more tomorrow, but school's closed due to CRAZY blow freezing temps (wind chills -35!!) here in Denver! And, I don't think I can "ignore" my kiddo for 2 days in a row!! But keep your fingers crossed I get a little time in my studio! Maybe I can bribe her with some playtime at the gym & her own crafting project...hmmmm, the wheels are turning already!

Here's a glimpse of the sets I did...

Message in a Bottle Set

The Journey is the Reward set

Gotta Have Vision set

Wonderful You set

Cupid's Arrow set

See you soon!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to My WONDERFUL Mom!!

2011-01-23T08:00:00.003-07:00

I have a wonderful mother! 

Not only is she my mom, but she is my friend. She has been there for me no matter how awful I was to her as a kid & whenever I need her as an adult. Not too many days go by that I don't speak to her on the phone, get together with her to shop, scrapbook, craft, watch movies or do family stuff!

She is just an amazing woman! She's wise, kind, thoughtful, beautiful, funny, intelligent & Uber-crafty! 

She's what you would call a "jill-of-all-trades!" She dabbles in needlework, quilting, sewing, knitting, mixed media art, watercolors & of course, she is a fabulous scrapbooker!! (Here's one of the albums she's done for sale in our Etsy shop.)

So, the photo above was taken on her birthday many years ago & it has inspired me twice now...I used it for a Graphic 45 DT Call! This time around, it inspired me to create this little printer's box:

As I remembered the gorgeous dressing gown she has on in the above photo, I said to myself, "wouldn't it be fun if I could do something with a vintage child's dressing gown pattern for mom?" And behold!

I found this one from a seller on Etsy & snatched it right up!! It is an actual, used pattern from the the decade mom was born in - the 1940's!! I then bought all those great shell buttons that I have already used in another project (here), from a seller on Ebay!

Then I scoured the craft stores looking for just the right box & found this one at Hobby Lobby for $5.99!! I have to go back & get more!!!

I covered the back, sides & inside with pieces of the pattern tissue using modge podge (not super easy to work with in tiny places as well as it tearing when it gets too wet! But I think all that just gives it a more vintagie feel!) For the lid, I stained it with some FolkArt Antiquing Medium, & used hot glue to put all the shell buttons around it.

After all the tissue paper was in place & dry, I brushed a light coat of varnish over the whole thing & let that dry.

Then the fun began!!! Putting all the nick-knacks inside! I had collected a few things here & there that I thought I wanted to use, but then while visiting family in Kansas over the holidays, I found the MOTHER-load: a mason jar FULL of vintage sewing notions at an antique mall! What luck!!! (wish I'd taken a pic of it while it was full!) So, here's a peek at the interior...

I used hot glue again to put everything inside. For the girl & the other paper pieces, (bird, dress form & little "fabric bolt" are all from a set of "Paper Girl" paper dies by The Girls' Paperie) I used a strip of chipboard as a stand to keep them in place. Isn't it just PERFECT!!! I love that both my mom & the pattern girl are holding dolls & their hairstyles are similar!!!

It just makes me giddy!!! :D

I will give it to her tonight - If I can wait that long!! I will see her in just a little bit - we (sis & me) are getting together to do some crafting with her & then the whole fan-damily will go out for yummy Mexican food (one of her faves!) tonight!

Mom, this day last year!

So Mom, if you are reading this now, then it's probably a day or two after your birthday. I hope that you loved your gift(s) & had a wonderful day with all of us! We love you so very, very much & we look forward to more birthdays to come!!

XOXO

Beck

Her wonderful reaction to opening tickets to see Michael Buble last year!

If you're looking for the CC&M January Hop...

2011-01-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Kim & I are now working as a team on these hops, so I will no longer be posting the CC&M projects on my personal blog (this one) & the links haven't been corrected yet along the way!

To continue on the CC&M hop, please click HERE to go to The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls blog!

Happy Hopping!

Valentines!

2011-01-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to let y'all know that the talented ladies over at the Die Cut Diva blog are working on a lot of Valentine ideas this month for our regular posts AND our monthly hop on the 19th! Be sure to check it out!

Here's a little peek of my post today...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Photo: http://gmtplus9.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

I can't believe it is already 2011!!!

This year, I hope to post more projects for y'all to get inspiration from & to share some of the ideas where I get my inspiration!

Today, my sister & our good friend Noelle are coming over to crop - something we have been trying to do for months now! Maggie & Noelle's little girl Carlee will have fun playing while we get down to business! We are all three on the DT for Creative Cuts & More as well as good buddies! We always have a blast together! You just can't be in any sort of bad mood or uncreative around Miss Noelle! She's got to be the most positive person I have ever known & she always makes me laugh!!

So, hopefully by the end of the day I will have some projects to share with you! Albeit, they might just be sneak peeks for the posts to go up on the CC&M blog, Die Cut Diva over the next couple of weeks!

In addition to trying to be more creative, 2011 holds a couple of other resolutions for me...Nick & I are trying really hard to get healthy together. He's on a mission to climb many, many large mountain & even though I plan to do a few with him, I just would like to feel better about myself & my future with my family! I want to have more energy to play with Maggie & make some lifestyle changes to ensure that I am here for her when she's older! We joined the gym together & I have found another workout buddy through one of Maggie's playmates (also becoming a fast friend too!)

My other resolution is to get this crazy house in order! Finish projects that need attention (like the horrible paneling in the family room!)! My goal is to get the house ready to either sell or rent - as long as I can get the hubby back on board with this, things will go smoothly!

So, cheers to everyone! Here's wishing you a happy & healthy 2011!

See you soon!

"Dear Santa" Card

2010-11-19T17:13:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share this adorable card I made today!

(I scrap-lifted the idea from Paper Crafts Magazine, a design by Tiffany Johnson in the Nov/Dec issue & she was a designer on the "Perfect Pair" hop we did with Clear & Simple Stamps too)

(Tiffany's card used red & green; I used red & cream. She had some great flower ribbon, but I only had lace & netting; and of course she had a fabulous stamped typewriter & mine's a rubon - but I added the paper peeking out of mine.)

I ran the front of the card (from Creative Cuts & More, of course!) through the Cuttlebug w/the Swiss Dot embossing folder; added some red netting & lace from my stash around the middle & some bling dots of course!

The typewriter is this great rub-on my sister found at Michaels over the summer! (She got the last stamp like this rub-on!) I rubbed it onto some white cardstock, cut it out & then cut a slit along the "roller" of the typewriter to insert the "Dear Santa" paper printed from my computer!  Doesn't it look so real?! I wish I had more rub-ons & time to make a bunch of them this year!

Inside of the card

If ya don't hear from me beforehand,

Wishing you all a very

Happy Turkey Day!

turkey photo

Gobble! Gobble!

Creative Cuts & More November Blog Hop

2010-11-17T06:00:00.004-07:00

Thanks for joining us today for the

Creative Cuts & More

November Blog Hop!

Today the Creative Cuts & More talented designers are sharing some more fabulous Christmas projects with you!

So, settle on in & hop along with us!

Hopefully you started at the beginning & hopped along from Chris', blog to get here (she's so creative, don'tcha think!). If not, you really don't want to miss what all these designers have done for you today! So start HERE & work your way back to me!

OH! I almost forgot! What would a Christmas Hop be with out a little CANDY?!!
CC&M is giving away this fabulous Christmas Card Kit (a $29.99 value)!

One lucky winner can get a huge jump on making those fabulous Holiday cards simply by doing the following:

*Leave a comment on EACH designers blog
*Leave a comment on the Die Cut Diva Blog after you've finished hopping to let us know you've completed the hop!

So, let's get started, shall we?
I have created 3 totally different projects for you today & I am going to start with a simple card...

I am NOT a carder! For some reason I pick up a card & I just get stumped with design details! But this one turned out kind-of fun, if not a little messy! I used the Fancy Frame Window Card w/Scallop in Bazzill Canvas "Raven" so that I could stamp & emboss in white for this card. The white powder I have is so fine that it stuck to the texture of the cardstock & the result was a little messier than I had hoped for. So, I simply took my ink pad & "smudged" it around the card a little more to give it that snowy look!

I did the same thing inside too. Not perfect, but I'm kind-of messy myself! So whomever receives this card will totally understand! Tee Hee!

Next, I want to share this Tree I made for my table...

Isn't it cute?!
It's made from 12 Large Match Boxes!

First I dry-embossed the Swiss dot on the outside, then I heat embossed the white to achieve a snowy look! After putting together the outside pieces with some Tacky Tape, I put together the insides - no tape required! (The star on top is just punches, silver embossing on the large one & attached to a hat pin!)

Then I punched some tabs out of patterned paper, numbered them for the 12 Days of Christmas & stapled them to the ends for the pull tabs! Right now there is only candy in each "drawer," but if I have time before the holidays, I hope to make some little paper ornaments to place inside for my daughter to discover!

Last, but certainly not least is my FAVORITE project this month...

12 Days of Christmas Banner

I made this fun "12 Days of Christmas" Banner by simply using the Large Rectangle (3 1/2" x 4 3/8") in the "Opal" Stardream Metallic Cardstock.

I dry-embossed the cards first with a swirly pattern, rounded the corners & then stamped a music pattern in black. With the pattern from embossing, the stamp image only adhered to the raised portions for a shabby look!

For the first & last cards on the banner, I cut out a Victorian image of 2 two couples to attach to each card. Behind the first couple is a Tree cut from Bazzill Canvas in "Lakeshore" blue cardstock with sweet little pearls on each "stem." I typed up the words to the song on the computer & then Glimmer Misted the paper with a "sand" mist.
For the last card, I Glimmer Misted a paper heart-shaped doille in "latte & gold," added some more pearls & placed it behind the couple with a sweet little embossed dove at their feet.

All along the center are the 12 Days of Christmas images I bought a long time ago from a digital site. I cut out the 12 images, layered them on top of 12 circles cut from cardboard (I peeled the top layer to expose the corrugated layer & added a little Distress Paint in "tarnished brass"), & layered that on top of a piece of burlap & attached it all to the card. Added the appropriate song verse...

To attach the banner cards to the ribbon, I used a bunch of double-ended swirly paper clips in gold & silver.
Too much fun!!

I hope you enjoyed my 3 little projects today as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you!

Now, it's time to HOP on over to see what little treasures my sister, Kim, over at The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls' blog, has to share with you!
But don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win the Christmas Card Kit!!
See you soon than you think!
- Becky

CC&M Autumn Blog Hop - "Handmade in Colorado" Treat Box

2010-10-20T06:00:00.004-06:00

Hello & welcome to the Creative Cuts & More

Autumn Blog Hop!

It's that time of year!

Hope you're ready for some great ideas for the big Holiday rush & to get a jump start on all those

holiday cards, wall decor, centerpieces, gift wrap, &

more with us!

We've created a plethora of ideas for you with some amazing dies from Creative Cuts & More! So, grab your coffee, a note pad & get ready to jump in!

Hopefully you started at the beginning & hopped along from Chris' blog to get here (I just love her projects!!). If not, you really don't want to miss what all these designers have done for you today! So start HERE & hop your way back to me!

Today, I am sharing the Tall Gable Box with you all!

It measures approx. 3 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 1 7/8 & is the perfect little treat box to fill with all your handmade treats this Holiday Season!

Tall Gable Box

I ordered the box in the "Sapphire" Stardream Metallic Cardstock & assembled it with only ONE strip of Killer Red Tacky Tape along the back - the bottom of the box just folds into itself!

Christmas Ornaments

I used three of the four Christmas Ornaments in a Smooth Bazzill, "Almond Cream" as gift tags with various embossed stamping on 2 of them & tied them on with some red & white Baker's Twine.

Moose & Trees

The Trees I ordered in a Bazzill Canvas, the front one in "Leapfrog" & the other in "Ivy," attached to another tree ordered in chipboard for dimension. I then ran them through my Cuttle Bug with the Swiss Dot embossing folder & embossed them with white ink & powder to give them some SNOW! I adhered them with more Killer Red Tacky Tape. For the Moose, I just couldn't resist ordering one in a brown felt (I attached him to the second one I ordered in chipboard too)! Don't ya love him! (Creative Cuts & More has tons of dies that can be used for your holiday creations! You gotta check it out!!)Then I popped him onto the box with foam squares!

I can't wait to fill this with some Homemade Fudge or Truffles (YUMMY!!!) this year & give it to Maggie's teacher!

That's it for me today!

Now it's time to hop on over to Kim's blog to see what exciting creations she has in store! It's always something great!!!

TTFN,

BECKY

Climb Every Mountain? Maybe Just THIS One!

2010-10-11T13:56:00.000-06:00

All summer long Nick has had the 14'er bug! Up until yesterday, he has climbed 9 of the 50+ 14ft mountains in Colorado & has been asking me to join him. It's not that I didn't want to hike with him, it's that I have terrible knees & am not in the best shape. I can handle the climb up - other than being outta shape, it's not that difficult. But it's the hike back down that absolutely kills my knees!

But I finally relented! I agreed to climb Mt. Sherman with Nick yesterday. According to his list of mountains ranked by other hikers, Sherman is the easiest & least technical to climb. So, that's the one he picked for my FIRST 14'er.

So, here are the pics from my iPhone.

Weather setting in.

The weather was not ideal, but we were prepared! I had on 4 layers when we started; added Nick's Gortex coat at halfway. Nick had on 4 the whole time. We only saw about a dozen others on the mountain. Even with all the snow & cloud cover, it was a beautiful day, with the sun peeking in & out of the clouds. We "enjoyed" a hot lunch at the top, courtesy of Nick's stash of MRE's, we ate like soldiers hunkered down in the snow in a makeshift wind break! It took us 3 1/2 hours up & 2 back down. There were times when I wasn't sure I was gonna make it - getting close to hitting the wall a couple of times - but Nick would throw me some food & my energy would rally. It was hard, but very much worth it. Thanks to my hubby for believing I could do it! And, I'm glad I could be there when he bagged his 10th for the year!

Old Homestead halfway up

Me halfway & definitely tired already!

Nick inside the homestead looking like a military ranger or something!

Old, collapsed mine in the hill

The valley towards Fairplay on our way up

Me, past halfway; working our way towards the ridge

Saddle/ridge we climbed on the way to the top

Snow crystals on the rocks along the ascent

Nick talking to another hiker on the ridge

TOP!

Here we are at the top! It sure felt good to get up there, but we were disappointed that the sun didn't make an appearance for us to catch a glimpse of the vistas around us!

View on the way down - the Holy Cross Wilderness across the way

The homestead standing in the sun on the way down

The valley on the way down

Me, ALL DONE & windburned!

Today, I woke up feeling tired & sore from the knees down! I pretty much have been hanging out on the couch all day, but I am starting to feel a little more human again now. Hopefully I will be feeling well enough to run a little tomorrow (I am working my way through the Couch to 5K training program). Not sure I will join Nick on any more climbs this fall, but maybe next year I'll slowly work my way up the list with him!

Crazy Hat Day

2010-09-23T09:37:00.000-06:00

Just had to share this fun pic of Maggie before school this morning!

It's "Spirit Week" at her school this week & today was "hat" day. Maggie doesn't own too many hats other than her dress-up costumes, so this is what she picked...

Ain't she cute?!!!

Happy Thursday to y'all!

The Perfec Pair! A CC&M Blog Hop with Clear & Simple Stamps

2010-09-22T06:00:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! I am posting here again with another hop!!

Welcome to the Perfect Pair Hop with some great stamps from Clear & Simple Stamps & fabulous die cuts from Creative Cuts & More!!

This should be a really fun hop to follow because not only will you find ideas from the Die Cut Diva team, but the Clear & Simple Stamps DT (CSS) is using the same stamp sets & dies! Each team member was given a different stamp set & then we were paired with the CSS DT using that same set! Should be fun to compare the 2 ways each set was used! The challenge was to use the stamp set & dies assigned to us to create 3 projects with one of those projects submitted to CSS for their iPhone App (HERE).

And what would a hop be without some CANDY???

There will be 2, yes TWO! prizes (from CC&M and CSS) given away to 2 (TWO!!) lucky readers EACH day!! So be sure to leave a comment as you hop along to all these wonderful sites over the next TWO days!!

So, settle on in & hop along with us. Hopefully you started at the beginning & hopped along to Eva's post over at CSS (She has some beautiful work!!) to get here. If not, you really don't want to miss what all these designers have done for you today! So start HERE & work you way back to me!

Ok, so I had this fun little "Summer Sand" stamp set from Clear & Simple Stamps:

This was a FANTASTIC stamp set for me to work with since we travel quite a bit to sandy beaches!! And, here are the dies I had to work with:

Box with Handle & Layer

Small Window A2 Card (I used this one for my iPhone App)


One of the suggested dies was unavailable, so I chose to work with this Peek-a-View box instead

When I was playing around with the Box with handle, I immediately thought of a sand bucket!

So I stamped the adorable sandcastle from the set on cardstock & cut it out. Then I used the "sand" stamp to layer "sand" all over the castle in 2 ink colors - brown & black, but I stamped over & over before re-inking to get some faded stamping too. (I repeated this process around the box & it's layers too!)
Then I stamped the titles "Life is better" & "at the Beach" on red Glimmer-Misted paper & cut them out like a little flag & banner. I put the "Life is better on a toothpick to make the flag, glued it to the back of the castle before popping it onto the front of the box.
Then I pulled out an old roll of artistic wire & started making swirly ends to hold photos of my daughter playing in the sand last year in Maui...


I stamped the little seashells on some Glimmered paper & cut them out to put on the corner here.

Castle Die in Cappuccino Curious Metallic paper.

I used more of the stamp phrases on the red Glimmer-misted paper again cut them into banner-type pieces & made a little crown for my "Queen." I used a pen to ink the edges of the castle so it would stand out more (not perfect, but it works!) I crossed out the word "castle" from the stamp because she was "Queen of the Sand" that day, with no castles to be made!

I then put a small cube of florists foam inside the box to stand all the wired up in. And added the info on the back.

I just love the whimsey of it!!

Next, I played with the Peek-a-View Box & I have to say it is rapidly becoming one of my favorites!
(We're even doing one in a Halloween kit to sell next month on Etsy!!)

Again, I used the "sand" stamps in brown & black to create the sandy look on the castle die. I stamped a bunch of the seashells on glimmered paper & cut each grouping out. Then I stamped "at the beach" onto the front of the lower part of the box. I scored the castle so it would bend around the corner of the box once I put the bottom of the box together with Killer Red Tacky Tape (CC&M really has THE best prices!). Scattered the seashells around the bottom edges too...

For the inside of the box, I simply adhered a photo of Maggie at the beach onto a piece of cardstock, stamped the upper/bottom portions with the "sand" & "seashell clusters" & lightly tacked it inside so that it stayed in place. (The acetate piece is so simple: fold at scored lines & tape along one edge before you insert it.) For the top of the box, I simply stamped the "Life is Better" phrase on the center front edge & sprinkled glitter around it before I used the killer tape to adhere it all together. (I also used a little more of the tape along the inside bottom to tape the acetate to the bottom of the box to keep it from falling out with the weight of the coral, but the top can be opened.)

Filled it all up with the coral Maggie collected that year & violla!
Instant, adorable keepsake!

Thanks for stopping by!
Now it's time to hop on over to Jenyfur's blog to see what she's created for you!
OH! Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win some BLOG CANDY!!
TTFN!
Becky, a Scrap-a-Teeny Girl

Cancer Awareness - CC&M September Blog Hop

2010-09-15T05:00:00.020-06:00

Welcome to the September Cancer Awareness Blog Hop for Creative Cuts & More from my personal blog since Kim is on The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls' site today! You are in for a GREAT treat! Our Designers are very excited to share some beautiful projects created with the Awareness Ribbon products from CC&M.

Don't forget on the NEW website have over 100 NEW Die Cuts AND a NEW section called GREAT DEALS!

Once you are finished HOPPING along the Blog Hop, you will have an opportunity to win an assortment of Awareness Ribbon goodies! (including an Awareness Ribbon Album & cards!)

You will find the instructions for ways to win this wonderful prize at the end of this post...

Hopefully you are joining us from Melisa Waldorf's beautiful blog! If not, you'll want to hop from the beginning at the Die Cut Diva blog so you don't miss any of the amazing creations we all have in store for you!!

(*If for some reason one of the links is broken along the Hop do not worry, HOP back over to Die Cut Diva where you will find the complete list of all our bloggers!)

When I was told that we were going to do a Cancer Awareness Hop, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do! I haven't done just a layout yet & I have a very close friend who is a 2x SURVIVOR of Breast Cancer. So today, I will share 2 completely different layouts I did with her as my inspiration!

I had emailed my friend's husband in the hopes that I could keep this little project under radar to get some photos from him, but Kathy saw the message & I am soooo glad she did! Although Tim (her hubby) sent me some nice photos of her, the one's she sent were much more inspiring to me!!

This one is actually the most recent photo (2010) I received & I decided to play a little bit with it in Photo Shop Elements because the colors didn't work with what I had in mind. I think the image turned out kind-of fun & dreamy.

Since I plan on framing these layouts & giving them to her, I thought it might be fun to attach this one on something different first. So I took a piece of corrugated cardboard (roughly 12x14) & ripped it up a little bit & inked the heck out of it.

I used a piece of edge-torn & inked 12x12 paper from Shabby Green Door on the background (available in our Etsy shop) & attached it to the cardboard with decorative brads.

(White scallop circle in background)
To create the layers under the photo, I first cut a Scalloped Circle not quite in half, layered on top of torn pieces of more Shabby Green Door paper, an embossed piece of cardstock, another piece of cardboard & finally, just under the photo is 1/2 of a Awareness Ribbon Card. I inked up everything to keep it shabby, added the lace, flowers, tag & a butterfly (all punches I own, but you can probably find the equivalent at Creative Cuts & More or ask about something similar that might not be on the site yet).

I love the way it turned out & really hope that Kathy does too!

The other photos that she sent me were from the first Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure they did as a family back in 2005 - not too long after she went into her first remission. These photos warranted a more fun & youthful layout for me to play with...

I started with a piece of black cardstock & used another Awareness Ribbon Card as a mask with a silver paint Dauber to "stamp" the ribbons all over the background.

Once that was dry, I cut out the image of Sabrina (Tim & Kathy's adorable daughter) & gave her WINGS made from another 1/2 of the Scallop Circle. I "daubed" more paint on the edges & added some Bubble Gum bling dots to them. Isn't it great!!

For the photo of all 3 of them, I simply layered together the other half of the Awareness Ribbon Card (w/o the cutout), some flowers cut in different colors of felt & a few embellishments from my stash (a Jenni Bowlin "Live" bingo card, a giant pink paperclip from the office supply & an old Making Memories "Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" metal statement.) Added to that a couple little felt hearts & I was done!

You are probably wondering why I didn't journal anywhere? Well, I knew that I was giving these to her & I felt that her story isn't really mine to tell. So I left off all my thoughts of how amazing she is & how much I admire her determination & strength as she travels down the road to recovery! She'll get all that in a card!

NOW for the Blog Candy!!

Here's how to enter to win the Awareness Ribbon Assortment:
RETURN to the Die Cut Diva site then:

(A) Leave a comment on the DIE CUT DIVA post. (This is limited to one per person unless you meet the criteria of B, C, and/or D below.)

(B) Leave one extra comment if you've posted a link to the Die Cut Diva blog candy on your own blog. Make sure to include a link to your specific post in your comment.

(C) Leave one extra comment if you become one of the Die Cut Diva blog followers. See the right-hand navigation column to follow us.

(D) Leave one extra comment if you click over to our new page on Facebook and become a fan of Die Cut Diva.

(E) Leave one extra comment by commenting on ALL of our talented Designers in our Blog Hop!

(F) Leave one extra comment by another chance to win subscribe to mailing list at www.creativecutsandmore.com

Thanks SOOOOO much for hopping along with us today! As a special way of saying thanks, Creative Cuts & More is donating 20% of all sales of Awareness Ribbon products in September & October to charities. They will be splitting the proceeds with half going to the American Cancer Society & the other half to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. We hope that you will help support these wonderful charities by visiting CC&M today!!

Next you will want to hop on over to Steph Zerbe's blog for some truly inspiring work!

Enjoy the hop & see you soon - you won't want to miss out on our BIG 2-DAY HOP with the talented designers at Clear & Simple Stamps on Sept. 21st & 22nd! We are teaming up with their designers to create some fun combinations for you!!

So be sure to come back soon!

Tomatoes, Shmomatoes!

2010-09-08T16:08:00.000-06:00

Well, we know once again that our garden location is optimum for cherry tomato growing!

This is my THIRD bucket of tomatoes

this season & there are still MORE on the vine!

I have given a ton away, but they seem to multiply when I do that! CRAZY!!!!

In the meantime, I am looking for any recipes where I can use these yummy little gems!

Any suggestion?!?!?

Cheers!

HOLY Vegetables Batman!!!

2010-08-25T13:03:00.000-06:00

I love my husband dearly, but I have decided that he will no longer be in charge of planting the garden every year! PERIOD!!

You see, he's great about prepping the soil, planning & creating the rows, but then he just drops the seeds in with no regard to the directions on spacing...therefore we get an abundance of vegetables that are all ready to pick at once!!!

This is what I have picked today ALONE! There are still over 2 dozen carrots in the ground & a ton of tomatoes that are ready to pick & more ready to ripen!

But after 2.5 hours in the garden & another hour cleaning veggies off, I am THROUGH for the day!!! (He also planted 8, yes EIGHT! Yukon potato plants & we never eat potatoes anymore! Don't ask me, I don't know what he was thinking on that one!!!)

Needless to say, friends & family will be getting some goodies over the couple of days!!!

Thanks for letting me vent!

Crafters - Check out this Amazing Giveaway I found!

2010-08-23T09:22:00.002-06:00

I found this blog candy at this great blog I discovered through one of the CC&M DT, (Chris Dickenson) members:

Playing with Paper! She has some great card ideas & tons of resources! Not to mention some amazing giveaways! If you follow the rules today, you could win this by Aug. 30th!!!

Yep! ALL of it!!

She has it listed by manuf. on her blog, so be sure to check it out!

See ya soon & good luck!!

- Becky

Back to School

2010-08-20T22:25:00.000-06:00

Well, today was Maggie's first day at her new school (we switched from a small local church program to the public school Pre-K this year). I was worried that she'd have a hard time this morning, but she hung in there like a big kid! I think I was a more nervous than she was & found myself feeling a little lost all day without her!

Silly, I know!

I have to admit that I had a little lump in my throat when I got home! Not really sure why since she's been going to school for the past year! Albeit, only 2 days a week & there were only 7 kids in her class & probably 60 in that whole school! So, maybe it was just a little apprehension about her being in the HUGE public school (there are 3 ECE classes of 16 kids each!) & all the worrying about this big change for her! I'll get over it! Especially when I realize I am caught up on life after a few weeks of a quiet house for the better part of the day! LOL!

She seems so grown up here!!

STOP! Let me get at least ONE good picture!!

Oh, the trials of being a scrapbooker & trying to capture all of life's little moments!!

Waiting to go in...she was being a little shy & not talking to the little boy next to her & even scooted all the way into the corner at one point! Silly girl!

Waiting for her teacher in circle. I did get a smile before I left & lot of hugs & kisses blown to me, but the photo turned out too blurry to post!

All in all, she had a good day! We heard nothing of tears, but definitely played it shy all day! Who knew my constant talker could be so quiet!!

Tomorrow morning we are off to a trial run at a dance class! I will post some pix if I can this weekend!

Happy Friday to all & to all a goodnight!

FAB Teacher Gift Idea

2010-07-15T16:40:00.001-06:00

I know, I know! It's still summer & YOUR kids are OUT of school!!

But my little one has gone year-round at a little pre-school down the street

& today is her last day there before she enters Pre-K at the public elementary school!

WHOA! They grow up so fast!

So, I spent the last 2.5 hours pounding out these great teacher gifts for all the teachers & staff!

It only took me about 3 hours to do 16 candles! (Funny how that worked out, me being a product of the 80's & all!!)

I had seen these adorable cards in the dollar bin at Michaels & just knew that I wanted to use them for a teacher gift project! Then I remembered these beautifully decorated candles I saw on the Martha Stewart site, (that & incidentally, my best gal-pal Shirley made similar one's for my 40th b-day party decor!) & bingo! I had a quick & easy idea ready to roll!!

Here's my list of supplies:

16 candles from Walmart. You will find these with all the other candles, but in the aisle with the religious candles. They were only $1.30 each!
2 sheets 12x12 white textured cardstock, such as Bazzill
2 sheets from a child's writing tablet found at the Dollar Tree (you could also use other school themed papers or even ledger paper!)
Glimmer Mist in assorted, coord. colors. (I used 1 on the white paper & a combo on the tablet paper)
8 Cards from Michaels with Apples on them or simply use a stamp &
some craft colored cardstock!
Good, strong adhesive - I am addicted to my ATG gun, but I did have to use a smaller tape runner on the little apple squares
A ruler, paper tearing tool, trimmer & Distress Ink.

The first thing I did was Glimmer Mist all the papers & let them dry. (You can speed up the process w/a heat gun, by kitchen was already 80 degrees today!!)

Because I wanted a soft yellow & didn't have any, I used a pretty "Sunflower" yellow to change the white paper; the ledger got a combo of "Tattered Leather & Mustard Seed."

While the papers were drying, I cut the apples from the cards...

Because I wanted to re-purpose the other parts of the cards (the odd looking craft colored pc on the top left is the leftovers!), I trimmed as close to the apple cutouts & prints as possible. I then adhered them together (a large Xyron would have been great for this part!); I also had to trim up the edges a little inking them with walnut stain (a staple around here!). I set those aside for later.

Once the papers were dry, I measured the cirumfrance of the candle - approx. 7.25 & cut my papers to that length. I then decided to tear the edges of the yellow background paper, but I needed to figure out the width first - easy peesy - use the finished apple squares that were approx. 2.25 inches & decide what you want the band to be like! I decided that I wanted mine to be a tad smaller than the apples, but with the tearing, they turned out about the same!! LOL! And I'm fine with that!

Next, I trimmed the tablet papers to 1" strips.

(You can't really tell here, but the table paper has this nice green/gold tint to it from the "Mustard Seed" mist! Looks great w/the yellow & the reds in the apples & the candle!!)

After that, it was just a matter of putting it all together! I ran my adhesive gun down lengthwise on the torn edges of the yellow first, applied it to the candle as straight around as possible - didn't need to worry about overlap too much since the apple square would go over the seams. Then, I did the same with the tablet paper strips. (I did try to adhere the strips together first & then to the candle, but I got some buckling.) I continued doing all of the yellow & tablet strips on the candles first since the squares took a little more glue & placement.

Once all of those were done, I applied tons of my tape to the apple squares (so the edges that curved around the candle don't lift too badly) & placed them over the seams. Viola! All done & ready to take to school this afternoon!!

You'll notice that some of them are centered lengthwise & some not - the silly manufacturer put the price label ON THE SIDE on some of the candles!!! So, in the interest of time (& frustration!) I decided not to remove them before hand & simple just staggered the placement on the each one a little. This would have really driven me bonkers if all the candles were in the same room at the same time, but since everyone was only getting one candle each, I didn't think it mattered as much!!

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial - it's the first one I've ever done! So, let me know what you thought ok?? Maybe I'll do more!!

TTFN!!

New Blog Design!

2010-07-12T23:25:00.000-06:00

Please bare with me as I re-design a few things on here! Things might be a little squished or out of place right now as I play with a few things!

I am trying my hand at creating my own banners & such using some great digi elements from Summertime Designs.

I kind of like the new look, but not sure I'll keep it this dark...what do you think?

I would love to hear from you!

After I get this blog squared away, I am planning on tackling the Scrap-a-Teeny Girls blog! We need something fresh there too!

Thanks for looking!