patterned paper as an embellishment...

first of all THANK YOU for all the nice comments about my circle layout--it really was a struggle and I had to breathe my way through it! lol! :)  Secondly in scrappy news my Leaves layout was featured on the Jillibean Soup blog today!
okay, now to business...for the challenge over at the Bella Blog it was using your patterned paper as an embellishment.  This time I went with a card--of course a birthday card!

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little story...the card was finished.  Or so I thought...then I decided it needed a skirt.  So I pulled out my Martha Stewart fringe scissors that have been sitting unused for months I cut two strips of the same patterned paper and layered them up on themselves and fluffed them a bit.  Then I slid them under the tied tulle. I like it!
The punch I bought at Michaels sometime last year, the cake was colored with colored pencil--I know watch out I'm getting fancy! :)  I actually stamped the stamp twice to layer it up and so you could read the words (it was hard to see on the patterned paper...)
Thanks for the visit today!  I'm off to Sam's club--woohoo--I have a list and I'm not afraid to use it! :)

Circle phobia....

I just can't get the hang of circles--I can't!  I enjoy them on other's layouts but for me...it just doesn't look right, I avoid them... Hi my name is Diana and I have circle phobia...
One of the challenges on the Bella Blvd. blog was to use punched circles, I cringed, I REALLY did.  Then I thought, and thought and came up with a plan.  This is what I came up with, (it helps when you have cute subject matter):

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A sweet closeup (I misted a bit, it was TOO white, needed to be toned down a bit, I used my chalk spray from tattered angels):

 

I decided to break up the circles a bit with some brads (I have like 100,000 and tend to hoard them....) I actually had fun!  yes, this was difficult and you might not see another layout with THIS many circles BUT I did it and I like how it turned out.  What's more important is that the boy in the picture likes his layout! :)

thanks for the visit today!

4th of July?

Yep, you read that right!  I did a layout using the new Bella Blvd. line Sunshine Happiness--I love the bright FUN colors of this line, not necessarily red white and blue, but my pictures aren't either!  Bella is having challenges over on their blog this last week (you have until March 3rd to complete your projects), this particular challenge was to use the border strip papers creatively:

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a few closeups:

 title, I wasn't so sure about just the 4th so I decided to put another word over the top and like it MUCH better:

I loved the Popsicle strip, we actually ate Popsicles that day even if you don't see them in the picture--PERFECT!  I had so much fun thinking about the possibilities of using these little border strips, I had already cut them up and used part of them for another project--so I had to be VERY creative with what I had!
Well, I'm off.  Today was the first day of track practice for my girl--TOTALLY excited!  Yes, I'm a nerd but hey it was MY sport! :)
Stay tuned I have all the rest of my projects completed I just need to edited the pictures between the batches of laundry, dinner, and soccer practice!

fatman pass

A couple of things about this layout I wanted to point out BEFORE you score down.  This happens to be my first layout that features instagram photos.  Secondly I used packaging on this layout, can you tell where?

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I'll give you a few closeups:

yes, that is hand stitching-did it in a few spots...

how about these closeups?  Notice the little blue half circles?  those are from the packaging from Elle's studio (I've always liked their packaging...)

The other is here.  It's a little harder to see....see the behind the Polaroid shape--the scallop thingy?  That is from the button packaging, I just covered up the holes with the misted paper...

 it's pretty simple to include packaging WITHOUT it actually looking like it--you should try it sometime, it's SO fun!
It's a BEAUTIFUL Sunday here, love being able to have the windows and enjoy the great outdoors--hope that you have a WONDERFUL day!  Thanks for the visit!

Free...

I shared with you a while back about the fact that their was a hot air balloon RIGHT above our house, I could hear the people talking!  I ran outside and took pictures of it as it floated by, it was so cool!  It brought back memories of a time when my family and I rode in a hot air balloon back when I was 14 years old, I wrote about that time since I don't have any pictures to document it:

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some hand stitching, (the punch is Close to my heart):

 more closeups, (the banner stamp is Dear Lizzy, the punch is Martha Stewart):

 

I dreamed about this layout, I wanted to add some tinsel to it, I also used some old pinking sheers my mom gave me:

 Do you ever do that?  Dream about a layout?  This time I actually got up and did a sketch of the thing I remembered.  There were several days this past week where I woke up with an idea in my head and I wrote it down.  The mojo is flowing!
For the misting technique I used some older Heidi Swapp letters and two types of mist, October Afternoon--Treehouse & tattered angels Key lime pie.  I sprayed the OA first (it's a little darker) then the TA so that it could lighten things up a bit.
All of the papers you see are from the new Dear Lizzy line--SO fun!  Well, I'm off to a soccer game--thanks for the visit today!

Project life week 7..

Okay, I just realized I didn't take a picture of one of the week's of Project Life!  Yes, it's no big deal but it was driving me crazy until I did a side by side comparison with what I had and the calendar...
I wanted this week to really feature the kids first soccer games, giving room to journal and share pictures, every week will NOT be this way but I thought it was fun to feature some of the pictures I took on Saturday.  Also, notice the journaling right above the pictures of my boys, those happen to coincide with those particular days....

I decided this week I wanted my week header to also be a review of the week:

Little closeup of Valentine's Day:

 This week isn't as fancy as last week but I still enjoyed the process, REMEMBER it's not a competition, it's YOUR life make it the way YOU want!
Thank goodness it's Friday!

Project Life week 6

yes, I know I'm behind but I just took the pictures!  Remember how I told you about the plague, well I spoke to soon, it literally knocked me flat on my back on the couch all day yesterday, I couldn't move.  I'm better today, I can sit up--(I know totally sad..), and I've eaten some crackers and soup!  I used  my time better today creatively! :)  I had so much fun with this week, I used punches and stamps and edited some pictures--I really had fun with it!

 of course closeups:

the punches are from the valentines that my kiddos made! And the stamps I found in my stash--they are Scenic Route (remember them?  I miss that company....went out of business in 2009), my LSS store had a major clearance of their stuff when they went out of business, and I CLEANED up!  I did very well, put everything away and FORGOT about them!  What a FUN find when I cleared my stuff out, I haven't tackled my closet yet but I'm hoping to find more WONDERFUL things inside!
Well, I'm off to supervise some cupcakes and homework, and ...yeah, mom's job is never done!
Thanks for the visit today!

Always

sorry that it's been a few days, we've been fighting some sort of plague at my house...and now I'm back! :)  Wanted to share a quick layout I did using the boy's life from Echo Park...

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This boy is so photogenic, love to take pictures of him!  I tried something different with this chevron paper,  I cut it in 1 1/2" strips and then alternating them I laid them down next to each other then stitched.  If you look closely at the star (it was cut with my cricut) I stamped it!  I used a stamp for Papertry ink...

the brads on this layout I've had for ages, they are a great size but I don't ever seem to use them for anything, I decided to pull something from my embellishment drawer, I sort of closed my eyes and pulled these out! Try it sometime...it's really fun!
I promise to take pictures of my Project life and post in the next few days, I'm just so excited that I am still feeling excited to do it!
Well, I'm off and running again today!  Thanks for the visit!

Happy birthday star...

I love my little card!  I made this the other day after watching THIS video.  It's not hard but it take a little time to do.  I was excited to use some of my buttons up--have quite a few ya know! :)

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I even stamped on this card!  I told you I've been stamping....I used the boy's life line from Echo Park for this card.  And the star in the middle is cut with my cricut--the twine comes from the twinery.

Today is exciting we start up soccer again, I have my camera cleaned ready and settings set!  Don't know if  I am more excited to see my kids having fun or the opportunity for fresh pictures! :)  I'm off to get the teenager up--she thinks she needs more sleep! :)
Thanks for the visit today!

Sunshine on my shoulders....

yes, I have another layout to share with you from the Remember This kit!  I just found out that it is SOLD OUT!  If you picked one up good for you--if not stay tuned because the next kits from Scrapbook Circle are ALL NEW things--STAY TUNED for that!

My post today on the blog over at SBC was about the color blue, this kit has such fantastic blues--different hues ALL AWESOME:

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 little closeup of the title:

 stitching action:

I have to tell you I tried something different for my background thanks to the talented Laura Vegas.  I did NOT use the whole sheet of of October afternoon, I actually cut strips and placed them on a orange piece of card stock (for some reason I have an OVER ABUNDANCE of these...)  Please click on her name and you will see just how I did what I did! :)

I'm off and running--thanks for the visit today!

Leaves...

yes, we have leaves in Arizona!  No, not in my yard or I should say not from MY trees! :)  Aren't leaves the best?  I love the smell of them..weird I know but there ya have it!

The papers you see are new from Jillibean soup, the Neapolitan line--LOVE them:

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little closeup and YES, that is a stamp!  it's new from the dear lizzy line from American crafts:

 I LOVED these letters from the first time I saw them they are new from the Amy Tangerine line:

I used my own sketch for this layout as well as my cricut (the leaves), the brad is from Basic Grey, and the button is October afternoon (as well as the mist)  I even did a little distressing with my ink.  I know!  What is going on?!  I recently cleaned out and put away many things and discovered stamps!  I've been (in my case) a stamping fiend! :)  I have to tell you the photo corners are one of my new FAVORITE punches from Martha Stewart--another clearance item!
I'm off and running--hoping that your day is MOST fabulous!  Thanks for the visit!

week 4 project life....

okay, how sad is it that i had to go back in my post to remember which week I was on?  SAD, just sad! :)  anyway, quick post today to show how it's coming a long--so far so good!

as you can tell I used just a hint of something else on my pages this week...I had the remember this kit sitting on my desk and the flour sack from October Afternoon came in handy for a bit of embellishing.  I don't want my book to be too thick so i plan on adding just flat pieces...The February calendar piece is from a Jenni Bowlin set from LONG ago...other than that everything is from the basic kit...I'm so excited with how week 5 turned out I need to take a picture of that so I can post it!
Today is an adventurous day--half day.  What to do with all the extra time with the kids.  I'm sure we will think of SOMETHING fun.
Thanks for the visit today--make it a good one!

kids Valentines...

first off I wanted to share some happy scrappy news with you!  One of my Valentine's Cards was featured on the Create blog on Friday!  What was really cool is that there were over 200 entries and they picked 40--SO cool!!  And today I was surprised that one of my layouts was featured on the Creating Keepsakes blog!  WOOHOO!  Thanks for letting me share!

okay now on to the Valentines....the other day I showed you what the boys Valentine's would look like if you didn't see it you can see it HERE--they are in the instagram picture.  My middle boy had to make a container to collect his Valentines--he got very creative and had a little inspiration from his teacher, sure was fun to work on this together.  He was a little concerned about the polka dot paper until I told him we were going to cover it up....I measured and covered and he assembled and colored....
a semi truck:

the front:

 My daughter did something extra special for her friends:

The fun thing about this project are that the hearts (both for the semi truck & these tags) are leftover from the Valentines the boys made!  Another fun thing are that these little cans were on clearance at Michael's for 99 cents (they were 2.99--don't know who would pay that....) Anyway, because it's my birthday month I got an extra 20% off!  Then I got the Hershey kisses (fits 13 if you were curious).  I showed her my idea with the hearts and suggested some other things--set out a bunch of stamps and let her have at it.  She did WONDERFUL!  (the stamps are Maya Road--the heart punch is Martha Stewart, I used my cricut to cut the tags...)
Sure was fun to have the kids craft with me--speaking of kids I've got one that is trying NOT to do his homework, so I need to supervise!  Thanks for the visit--hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Whole Wheat Bread

So I discovered this recipe in my book on it's own sheet of paper and decided to try it out. My testers told me I need to make it again! I thought I would share it with you:

1 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100 degrees)
2 1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 cup salad oil
3 cup whole wheat flour
4 cup white flour *be careful to watch--I only put in 3 then added flour to the counter when I was kneading)

Soften yeast in warm water.  combine hot water with sugar, salt and oil; stir in whole whet flour and 1 cup white flour; beat well.  Stir in softened yeast.  Add enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. turn out on lightly floured surface; knead until smooth.  Shape into ball and place in lightly oiled bowl, turning to oil top.  cover and let rise in warm place til double (90 minutes) Punch down, divide into loaves; place in sprayed loaf pans; let rise til double (60 minutes).  Bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

700 post! Valentines

Melissa Stinson inspired me the other day to look at the amount of posts I've done--can't believe I've posted that many times!  Thanks so much for reading, encouraging and following me!

So on Wednesday we started working on our Valentines (I know I have time, BUT I don't like being caught unawares!  Good thing too because my older son just told me he had to make another one...
My younger son was SO serious about the stamping and punching.  At one point he told me "he was tired from stamping." Kid cracks me up!  I wanted the valentines to be mostly them, so I came up with a simple idea and using supplies we already have we made these--all I had to do was buy a package of candy...

After I got the kids projects all cut out I started working on these babies:

 closeups:

 others:

 I was inspired by Lisa Andrews check out her valentines HERE.  I used the Be Mine mini kit--it is PACKED with FUN stuff!  I added a few things from my stash--the heart doilies I found in the dollar bin at Target a few weeks ago (I mentioned them HERE on my post about my Valentines cards...), they are the perfect size for the front of the envelopes.  I also included some tinsel garland I picked up on clearance at Walmart after Christmas--I knew that I wanted to use it for cards and I have a WHOLE bunch for like 20 cents each!  These little bags are packed with Dove candy--seriously?!  yeah, I had to eat some--it was delicious!  AND I ate to much but I had fun doing it! :)

thanks for the visit today!  Hope you have a fabulous day!

Family Good times...

Don't you just love it when a layout comes together quickly?  I needed a little boost (thanks pinterest!) with my edge but after that I was on my way:

See the dots, i pulled out my Heidi Swapp mask from who knows when and started misting with some October Afternoon sprinkler mist (wheat field) and then topped it off with some sprinkles of (ice box--both are from the Farmhouse collection AND my stash...)

 little closeup:

my assignment for the Scrapbook Circle blog was to focus on the My Mind's eye button card included in the Remember This kit--which by the way ROCKS!!  See the little butterfly?  I ripped him in the center! (I know--the horror!)  I decided I wanted to thread it with the twine which was included in the kit, I like the bunchy feel almost looks like a french knot...
I also used the add on kit (which has sold out twice--sorry!) the chipboard border & date are from it....

ANYWAY, today I went on a field trip with my youngest to the orthodontist office--it was actually pretty fun--AND short about an hour.  I loved the fact that he learned about cleaning his teeth and what exactly causes cavities--he even won an electric toothbrush!  He was SO proud! :)

Thanks for the visit today, I'm off and running kids!  Have a great one!

Project life week 3..

Project life is coming right along--I'm loving the printing of the smaller pictures on my printer.  THANKS instagram for making it fun to take pictures!

I've finally figured out the size to print out my pictures to fill in the smaller (journal) spots.  it's 2.95" x 4" fits perfectly!  Remember I have a board on pinterest that pins ideas you can follow me ---> over there.
I'm off to finish up some Valentine stuff!  I went a little crazy in Target, they had a sale and well, it looked good--although all of it is going out the door....

Thanks for the visit today!

Valentine cards!

I have so much I want to share with you today!  First off did you know that Scrapbook Circle has a mini kit (Be Mine) for February--it's SO lovely!  I have had more fun making Valentines:

The doilies you see on these cards are NOT included in the kit, I found them in the $1 bin at Target.  I was digging for something else and found these--SCORE!  They are white and I misted them.  This first one was misted with sprinklers from October Afternoon (also from my stash)

 The heart punch I used for this actually embosses as well, but it doesn't really show up--that's okay because I didn't really buy the punch for THAT purpose--I love the heart!  Again this was a HAPPY discovery at Michael's on clearance--I snatched it right up!

 This doilies is AMAZING I used the Chalk mist from Tattered Angels--the coverage is amazing!

I couldn't help myself I kept making these cards and remembered I needed to figure out how I want to do the Valentine's with my boys... :)  When I do--I like to discuss with them and have them help me create, I will share them here....

So my exciting shopping news today.  I went to Michael's to buy a NEW trimmer, my old trimmer I ended up getting for free with a gift card and it was 50% off...ANYWAY, it hasn't cut straight in a VERY long time and drives me NUTS!  So I was using a smaller fiskars trimmer which is great but I was missing the 6" base that my other trimmer had (without the fold out arm) Well, I'm happy to report that after TWO recommendations I am now the proud owner of THIS:

The arm that comes out is stiff, so it doesn't move and the paper butts right up to the edge evenly--WOOHOO!  So the kicker, is this is my birthday month (last Thursday in fact!) Because I am a Michael's member card holder person--I got an additional 20% off my purchase--sale items included!  So, this beauty was 60% off!  I was very smart about my purchase today--I got some fun little tins that were on clearance, paint, and replacement blades!  This puppy uses titanium blades--stronger, lasts longer....and another clearance corner punch from Martha Stewart--GREAT shopping day! :)

Thanks for a visit today!  Hope you have a FABULOUS day--I'm off to create!