Some Holiday Fun

     It is hard to believe that November will come to a close in a few hours!  This month flew right by!  Now the preparation gets underway for the holiday fun!  I have been doing a few small holiday projects that I thought I would share with you.
     First up is a card I made using Echo Park paper.  I wanted to challenge myself to make a holiday card using non-holiday papers.  So, I used "A Walk in the Park" by Echo Park and came up with this little card. I am still looking for a little bird with a Santa hat to peek out of the circle but I like it as it is too!  I tried to create some dimension with this card and used some foam adhesive to get some depth.  

     Next, I have a few creations that I have been playing with using the "Mitten Weather" line from Cosmo Cricket.  I have really been having fun with this collection.  The color combination is not typical for me and I love to try things that take me out of my comfort zone a bit (at least when it comes to scrapbooking ; )  Some of my previous blogs also have also used some of the same line.  I was planning on making tags today for gifts and thought I'd use some more of the "Mitten Weather" paper that I had sitting out!  

The stamp is part of a set from 7 Gypsies. I was hesitant to use these stamps at first since they are self inking and I couldn't control how thoroughly they were inked.  I tend to like an even amount of ink to create a solid, bold stamp, but I like the darker/lighter areas on these.  Seems a little vintage-y to me!  

     The last project is a card that I made, again using "Mitten Weather".  My friend Kristy over at http://www.scrapbooksteals.com created this sketch for us to try for our Monday Card Madness that we do each week.  This is a ton of fun and really makes me get crafty when I feel I don't have the time!  Check it out on their blog http://www.scrapbooksteals.com/wp/.  Kristy also does a Mid-week Mojo on Wednesdays which is typically a scrapbook layout.  Be sure to check it out!  This is the sketch for this week...

And here is my interpretation...

The color combo was a bit of a stretch for me but I am *so* happy with how it turned out!  It was a great sketch so it was easy to make it turn out well!

     I am hoping to get crafty again tonight and maybe even get started on my big Christmas project.  Hopefully the small people in my house will cooperate!  Until next time...scrap happy!

~Melissa 

Love Notes

     Being a former teacher, I love it when I see my kids making progress in their learning.  When my youngest started to write us notes and leave them laying out for us to receive, it just warmed my heart.  I love how inventive spelling is used but you get the general idea of what he is trying to say..."Mom, I want oatmeal for breakfast."  This was just one of those "moment" scrapbook times that I needed to capture.

I used Cosmo Crickets Earth Love collection for most of it but the ribbon is from the Everafter collection.  The buttons are just from my button stash.
     My other scrapbook excitement is that I got myself a new storage system for my buttons!  I had fun sorting them last night.  I am hoping that I have enough room left over in the little drawers for me to sort the brads too.  Organizational scrapbook tools make my heart skip a beat...*love* them!
     I started a really cute holiday card using very non-traditional scrapbook papers from Echo Park last night.  When I finish it, I will post it here!  Thanks for stopping by!
    

Try Again

     Hello!  Each month, My Mind's Eye has a sketch challenge that I try to enter when I can make the time to create.  This month's sketch was a lot of fun to try and I enjoyed working with all of the components of this great collection.

I rotated the sketch to make it work for what I needed it to do.  I used My Mind's Eye Lil' Robots collection with the exception of the arrow which is from MME Breaking Free.  I had been wanting to scrapbook these pics for a while now and purchased this paper specifically for these photos!  I really played around with dimension with this layout.  Here is another view to show the dimension of the layering.
   The journaling reads: "You are truly a child of the electronic era.  We try to limit your exposure to electronics but you are definitely persistent and love to play.  The great thing is that, when you lose, you know that you always want to try again."

I have so many projects that I am working on right now.  I need to leave the housework sit for a while and just scrap until I get my fill!  More to come as I complete my scrappy to-do list!  Thank you for stopping!

(Pre)-Mitten Weather!

I had some fun working with Cosmo Cricket's collection called "Mitten Weather" last night.  What a beautiful line of papers this collection has!  It was fun to mix all of the different papers.  The great thing about the line is that there are two distinctly, yet coordinating color schemes.  The card below was also made using Mitten Weather.

On my first layout, to make the adorable little embellishments that are on & surround the snowflake, I watched a tutorial from Die Cuts With A View (DCWV) and they came together so well!  It was really easy and I like the dimension that it adds to the page.  Here is a link if you'd like to try it yourself...
http://dcwvinc.blogspot.com/2010/10/flower-tutorial-video.html.  I had a few papers left over and wanted to scrap this picture I took of the snowman my kids built last year (below).  I have never scrapped an 8X10 print so this was a bit of a challenge to play with.  In the end, I was pleased with the result.

I am hoping to get a few pages for my December album completed tomorrow!  If I do, I will post them later.  Thanks for checking in!

No Longer a Blogging Newbie!

Hello All!  I can't believe that I have entered into the world of blogging.  I actually just discovered blogs about six months ago.  Once I figured out how to subscribe to my favorites, I was hooked!  I admit that most of...okay, *all*...of the blogs that I follow deal with crafting or scrapbooking in one way or another.  I just love the chance to see other peoples creations and get some inspiration for my own.  


Someone asked the question recently, "Besides preserving photos and memories, what is your favorite thing about scrapbooking"?  It didn't take long for me to reply with an answer because it truly brings me so much happiness!  I said that I simply love the craftiness of it. It brings me back to my days of coloring, cutting, gluing and such. I have always loved to create, the fact that it is an acceptable way for me to play is just a bonus : )  I created this blog to have a spot to keep my own creations in one place and, if I am lucky, maybe inspire another person or two!  


A little about me...
I have had scrapbook supplies in my household for nine years but really jumped into the craft with both feet about three years ago.  My favorite subjects are my family members but I also like to scrap about other things that are dear to me.  I am married to a wonderful man who supports my hobby 100%.  I also have three pretty incredible kids that are patient with the camera being around all the time.  


For the most part, I make scrapbook pages but have tried a few cards here and there as well as other crafty things like baby gifts and party supplies.  I have a few favorite things in regard to scrapbooking...


1) Scrapbooksteals.com- Hands down, my favorite place to purchase scrapbook supplies. Also, the ladies on their Facebook page keep my creativity flowing and keep me laughing!
2) My Mind's Eye, Imaginisce and Echo Park are probably my three favorite scrapbook companies right now but that changes all the time when I see something I love from another company!  
3) I just bought my very first Silhouette Personal Die Cutting System and I can't wait to use it!  (Thanks to scrapbooksteals.com)!


Some of my upcoming projects include:
A December Daily Album: A great idea that I found to remember the fun we had preparing for the upcoming holiday!  Basically it is an album full of empty pages before December and then you finish a page every day when the month arrives. This allows you to scrap memories as they happen without becoming overwhelmed.  I got the idea from my awesome Scrapbooks Etc. magazine.  Here is the website: http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/theme/holidays/christmas/easy-december-daily-album/


Christmas Banner:  I got a great little mini album that I am planning on taking apart and assembling into a banner for my fireplace mantle.  


Thanks for taking a look at my brand-new blog!  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what kind of things you would like to see!  Below, I have posted a few of my more recent layouts and creations.  Let me know if you have any questions!  Have a fabulous day!
~melissa