Getting Caught Up!

It is amazing how life gets out of control sometimes and things have to go by the wayside for a bit until I can catch my breath.  With 3 little school goers in my house and one too little for school yet, it has been super crazy in our house! My blog has been sadly behind because of this!  These days I am lucky to get a shower, let alone time to sit at the computer to post!  I am sorry for that but my family has and always will come first!  They have to!

That being said, here is a super cute birthday card I made and shared over on Practical Scrappers a few weeks ago along with other banner and garland projects:

   

It is super simple and easy.  I used a coordinated paper set that took all of the guesswork out of the color choices.  Sometimes this is a great idea if you are feeling unsure about a great color combo, or if you need to get things done quickly. Most of the time I like coming up with my own color scheme but when time is short, this is a super easy way to take some time out of the creating process!

There are some other great ideas over on the design team site that are definitely worth checking out!

So Brave Layout! Glitter Pop Dots!

We looked at different ways to use Dimensional adhesive over at Practical Scrappers and some of the ladies had some super innovative ideas!

My idea was to Make them Shine!

I took dimensional foam adhesive dots and peeled off one side of the paper.  I shook some glitter onto them and pressed it on with my finger a bit.  I then shook off the excess, and peeled the backing paper and placed it on my layout to create photo corners and to accent the letters in the title.

It helped to make the photo pop and the letters stand out too!!

Check out the other designer's ideas at Practical Scrappers!

Some Fall Inspiration

Fall is here!

 I am so excited to see the changing leaves and not so excited about having to rake them up every day or so!!  This is our first year really experiencing fall with our kids since we moved from Florida where the change of seasons was minimal.  THEY LOVE it!! They love to play in the leaves and rake them back into a pile, and jumk in them again.  The littlest just stands there and laughs her little heart out when her sisters toss leaves on her head! It is truly wonderful to see!

I just wanted to share quick layout that is my favorite fall layout so far!  I hope to have some great new ones coming from our leaf pile photo shoots!  Get outside and take some pictures!  It is a great time of year to be outside enjoying the world around you and the pictures will be so fun to scrap!!

Send a Little Love

Hi Everyone!! I wanted to share my take on what I think is an amazingly inspiring idea that was introduced by Stacy Julian over at Big Picture Classes during the first day of their Big Idea Festival.

Happymail! 

The idea is to brighten someone's day.  Her challenge is to take the time to sit down and write (with a pen and paper, I know crazy right?) a card or a letter to someone in your life. Doesn't have to be long or mushy, just something to let that person know you are thinking of them and wish them well.  

I was immediately touched by this idea.  It is so true that when we go to the mailbox, most of the time we get catalogs or dreaded bills...How nice to find something in the mailbox that is meant to brighten your day!  It can take whatever kind of day you are having and kick it up a notch or two.  It will put a smile on that person's face for sure.  

I decided to make a card and write a letter to my Mom.  She is an amazing woman and she does not get recognized enough for the sacrifices she makes everyday.  I recently moved away from her with my family and I miss her everyday so I thought that was perfect!  

 Part of the challenge is to encourage the person you write to to Pay it Forward. I made my card with a pocket on the inside to slip my letter into so that if my Mom was unable to find the time to make a card, she could reuse the one I made and slip a letter into the pocket for her recipient.  

This is what the final page of my letter said:

 It seems that this card is only the beginning of this for me though.  As I was making my Mom's card, I was inspired to create on for my Grandmother, who I do not see or speak to enough:

As I created her card, I came up with a list in my head of all the other people in my life whose days I would like to brighten.  Sisters, friends, teachers... Maybe one a day for a month...2 months...a year...I will do my best to brighten the days of everyone I am lucky enough to have in my life.  

So, take a few minutes and write a note to someone in your life.  Seal it, Stamp it, and send it along. You just might find this simple idea does not just brighten another's day, but that is brightens your day as well.

Back to School Scrapbook Layout!

Back to School Time is Here :(

Over at Practical Scrappers today we are showcasing Back to School Layouts and Cards!  Here is my contribution but be sure to come on over and check out what the other girls have come up with too!

Lately I have been trying to include more photographs into my layouts.  It is a challenge because I prefer to print my pictures in 5X7 and scrap them that way, but I have a million pictures and will never make a dent if I keep that up!

I created the title with a chipboard frame, ribbon, rub-ons and some patterned paper.

My colors were chosen to coordinate with my daughter's clothes in the photo.

Come on over to Practical Scrappers and check out all of the team's ideas!

 

Curly-Q Ribbons Scrapbook Layout

Curly-Q Ribbons for your next layout!

 

I have seen these curled ribbons in little girl's hair bows and wondered how they kept the curl. After a bit of research I found out the ribbons are actually heated to make the curl permanent.   Check out the how-to!  So I started to include these adorable ribbons on my scrapbook layouts.

For this layout, I began with a yellow sheet of cardstock and began playing around with the paint to create a dry brush and splatter frame for the photo.  To do this I cut a 6X8 piece of cardstock to create a mask and adhered it to the paper where the photo would reside.  I took a dry brush and painted around the cardstock and splattered the paint in different ways until I loved how it looked.  I waited until it was dry and removed the cardstock mask.

 I placed my photo and played with the ribbons until I was happy with their placement.  I used glue dots to adhere the thicker ribbons and fiber glue to adhere the thin yellow ribbon. I place the dots and glue about every inch or so along the ribbon and was sure to place the adhesive directly onto the surface and pressed it firmly onto the layout.

I created the journaling square for this layout by hand stitching lines on vellum and writing with a permanent pen.
I hope this idea inspires you to create some Curly-Q ribbon of your own and work it into your next layout or papercrafting project!

Come say Hi! over @ Practical Scrappers!

Dry Erase Chore Chart DIY

Dry Erase Chore Chart DIY

As back to school quickly approaches, I am trying to get our home organized and to get the kids eager to help out!  We have done chore charts in the past and they were very successful.  (They just typically fall by the wayside when our days are irregular in the summertime.)  So our new chore chart looks like this:

Pretty simple.
I Just took an 8X10 frame I had ready in the gift closet, placed 4 pieces of different colored handmade paper inside.
Added each of the kid's names to their section of paper and a list of chores at the top.

  
Placed it all back in the frame and added the title in stickers.
Each time the kids complete a chore, they get a mark in their section: Dry erase marker so they can be erased and reset each week.

Our rewards for a job well done change frequently.
Right now, they will each earn a dime for each chore they complete.
(We are headed to Disney in a few weeks and want them to have some of their own spending money)

Other rewards might include:
1.  The child with the most points will get to choose a family activity
2. Each point earns a dollar for our rewards closet store
3. Most points gets to choose dessert for one night
4. Child with the most points will get to decide on dinner for one night, and help prepare it.

Now it sits front and center on the kitchen counter to remind us all to help out and keep track of those hard earned points!

Join our Community of Creativity and share your ideas!