Cocoa Daisy December

I have taken a bit of a blogging hiatus around the holidays. I think I really needed the break, not just from blogging and scrapping, but from everything. Spending the past 2 weeks with my parents has been really fun. We had a great holiday. And I feel really re-charged and excited for the new house and Christmas. I took so many photos, I can't wait to scrap!

Here are my Cocoa Daisy December pages, such an awesome kit! Loved all the envelopes! The letters layout has two letters, one short one from me about what I want for Christmas and one from J that I helped him with. The second one is a very strange attempt to dislodge a song stuck in my head, Duncan Sheik's On a High (it didn't work). But the more I heard myself singing it, the more I thought how much it really represented how I felt. I, like everyone, have reasons to be down, but I'm just feel happy. The third layout has a letter about the miracle of snow to J. The fourth layout I love because I have to watch Dora, a lot. So it's kind of tongue and cheek about "swiper." The fifth layout has a letter to my dh about our first 10 years together, he brought me the ribbon on a box of chocolates from Paris. And the last layout features my dh and son, only 1 week old, just home from the hospital 5 days before Christmas.

Ok, I've got to go upload to the Cocoa Daisy gallery. I can't wait to see what the other girls did! Happy Monday! Until tomorrow.

Quick update/card

On my desk, the new Letterbox line from American crafts: (Thank you AC!) The ones to the right are chipboard and the ones to the left are fabric-like the delight thickers. This whole line is amazing, check out Doris' blog for more photos of it (scroll down one post). I love it all!

What I'm doing, making a card with a few photos for my MIL:

Thank you card

Supplies: American Crafts Minimarks-Blue skies and Letterbox; plus Kraft Bazzil Cardstock.

What I'm thinking about: the holidays, Arrrrgh Charlie Brown! I haven't done any Christmas shopping, but more importantly no J's birthday shopping. I did put the Christmas tree up, but only because it provided endless entertainment for J while I made some calls about the new house. Thank you for asking about the move. We are most likely moving in Jan, I will be handling a few home renovations in Dec--new carpet for the downstairs and possibly paint for a bathroom. But the weather here is always snow storms for January. Could be exciting?!

On my to-do list: Take some videos back to the library. Laundry, ick.

What I see, photo from across the street at my house: the leaves are almost all down.

Happy Wednesday to you! Until tomorrow.

Sneaky

Cocoa Daisy Dec Kit, I love it! Here's some sneaky:

Happy weekend, until tomorrow.

ETA: I was going so fast to get them uploaded to the message board. The "chocolate ribbon" is memorabilia, a gift from my dh, on a page about my dh and is not included in the kit. Sorry, but everything else is. :)

You Inspire you

My friend Stephanie Howell wrote a comment on my first No phase layout at 2 peas, and said: No is more like a way of life than a phase. Made me laugh so hard. And as the no phase goes into overtime and overdrive I find myself saying that: It's really more like a way of life. This layout is the follow up to the first, the sequel if you will. My newest layout featuring the you inspire you concept:

The No Phase Part 2 Layout

Supplies: American Crafts white cardstock; American Crafts Junior Patterned paper: Yah!; American Crafts Craft Fair Patterned paper: Elanore Battington; American Crafts Leaf Rocketeer Thickers; American Crafts Junior Fabric covered brads; plus Scenic Route patterned paper, October Afternoon Farm Fresh patterned paper: Chicken coop, 7Gypsies sticker and Maya Road Chipboard heart.

Long ago, I was asked to be a GDT for a challenge blog called I Inspire me (which sadly is no longer in existence). I created these layouts with the premise that the things you already own in your own home can be inspirational to you. I still really love that idea. However, my house now is in various states of disarray as I clean up, pack for the move and bring out a little christmas tree for J to play with. But I wanted to post some older examples, and a new example.

Look around your home, at everyday items and see the beauty that could be translated into a scrapbooking page or project. This requires seeing your surroundings with a fresh eye and an open mind. Just choose an inspiration piece and give it a try. Anything is fair game, but here is a list to get you started:

Jewelry Artwork/wall hanging/paintings Carpets, throw rugs, decorative pillows or throws Dishes/mugs Food in the Fridge? LOL Books, Magazines, Shampoo bottles Toys, games

I will be back later to post Cocoa Daisy Dec sneaks of the kit. Happy weekend to you! Later.

A quick share

For Vee's tv inspired challenge over at Cocoa Daisy. This was the inspiration piece:

And here is my take:

Lil girl Layout

Supplies: American Crafts Delight Watermelon Thickers and American crafts Pastel Glitter buttons, plus Cocoa Daisy November kit and Spiced Cider add-on. Plus Martha stewart butterfly punch.

If you play along you could win something. Until tomorrow. I'll have another page then.

This weekend

I'll be hanging out here:

And I'll be posting some layouts here as I post them for the crop since it will make them bigger for the message board. Like this one:

My pug is always in the shot, I swear. I have lots of sneaks of the Cocoa Daisy December kit, but it's still a little early to post them (I jumped the gun last month, ha!). Love this kit, I've done 6 layouts already and I'd like to do more, but I've got to decorate for Christmas this weekend. Be back in a few. Happy weekend! Until later.

Cocoa Daisy November

At first, this kit really threw me for a loop. When I started researching the contents of the kit, the first thing I said aloud was, "It's pink?!" As the mom of a little boy, that word can panic me just a little. But once I saw it in real life, I was sold! And I think that Tricia is really talented for putting together such amazing kits, I couldn't do it. :)

I only got the main kit and the patterned paper add-on, all embellishments/alphas are from the main kit. However, I wish I had gotten more embellishments because I used all mine!

This was a photo from last year at the pumpkin patch. Even though it's a strange angle, something about it intrigues me. The alphas sold themselves to me after this one (love those!):

This is just a quick one about J being on the verge of walking. I used my own handwriting because I was too afraid to run that beautiful piece of 7 Gypsies paper through my printer and risk certain destruction. LOVE that paper. I just thought the font looked good with rhinestones, J was a baby, I can get away with that. I think. :) Oh, also my first and last experiment with real stitching. Very time consuming, didn't love it as I thought I would.

Loved this photo, J doesn't sit still very long. I'm used to chasing him to photograph him. I think he was mesmerized by the water, but then he got up and started tossing in acorns and all was back to normal.

This is my favorite layout, only because Kutin is all I have heard around here for the past month. Kutin is J's word for pumpkin. Love the stamp in the bottom corner of the photograph, beautiful stamps with this kit.

Lastly, this kit comes with a mini album. Loved that! This is Jill bean soup paper, my first exposure to this manufacturer, and I loved this paper so much I used it for every page. I hand cut the butterfly and leaves out of the main kit paper, a different leaf for every page. Then in the interest of being a purist and only wanting to use the kit, designed some labels in photoshop (I will have a tutorial at Cocoa Daisy on the blog this month). However, if like me you have Jenni bowlin, October afternoon, etc. label stickers already in your stash, I would just use those. I added the Pink Paislee numbers on top and some embellishments. I did not journal before I posted it, I was afraid my handwriting would ruin it, but I've since journaled on it and I like it. I love that it sits open on my side table displayed for Fall. Can you believe how big he is getting? (Choked up here, carry on.)

So, that's it. I told you I was busy. Seems like I should have more to show for doesn't it? I'm such a slacker. :) I am in the middle of a project for J, I promised him I would make him something he could have, really have. Not something that just sits on the shelf and looks pretty. But it's not finished yet. I'm not doing a December daily. I've decided no one wants to see me hanging out of a Uhaul for as many pages. :) Friday, I will have a layout on the American crafts blog. I'm waiting on my AC albums to get here. I'm so excited for them, I have one album to my name and a huge stack of layouts. I'm excited to put them all in albums before the move (which won't be completed until Jan., but that's another post.) Happy Thursday to you! Until tomorrow.

Giveaway winner announced

Thank you for all your comments, I really appreciated every one. I have to give credit where credit is due, the RAK/giveaway is courtesy of Scarlet Lime. They are a very generous company. I too have tried to win the Scarlet Lime monthly give away, I have a whole lot more in common with you guys today that did not win, than the winner. But a couple of tips to try again-

1. Check the Scarlet Lime blog often and sign up for the newsletter. Both will tell you about SL's giveaways.

2. On the first of the month check the "Be Inspired" for the new guest designer and stalk their blog until they post it. :)

And the winner is: (drum roll)

Look at that, a kit virgin! This could be fun. (insert evil grin) :) Sorry I am posting a couple of hours late. I got the flu vaccine H1N1 today and it took longer than I thought. Then I got distracted, I went to Micheal's afterwards to look at all the Christmas stuff to perk myself back up. Holy Martha Stewart punches! I only allowed myself 2. So, Jody please email me an address where you would like your kit sent at: amigas6415@mypacks.net and I will forward it to Christy at Scarlet Lime.

I will be back with my Cocoa Daisy November layouts momentarily, I'm not on the right computer or I'd post them now. Happy Wednesday, until later.

Scarlet Lime GDT and Giveaway!

When I was asked by Christy to be the guest designer for November, I was so excited. Back when I first met my friend Ali Mclaughlin, I didn't know what scrapbooking "kits" were. That's something that was a big change for me. Returning to scrapbooking after my husband was injured it Iraq, I felt like I had no idea what was going on. Ali helped with that. She said she worked for a company called Scarlet Lime that had amazing kits, and that I should check out her blog to see her work. Of course, Ali does amazing work. But I was intrigued about the kits too. So bright, so colorful, so happy. Everything changes, and I happen to think scrapbooking kits are a change for the better. They make everything so much easier. Anyway, being asked to design for Scarlet Lime this month brought everything full circle for me.

There are so many things about the November Scarlet Lime kit that I loved. I loved the colors. I especially loved the watercolor green/blue/purple and the muted green exclusive Scarlet Lime papers. I loved the Lily bee navy blue/orange Audrey paper. (I'm always on the hunt for beautiful navy papers. My last ones were from Basic grey's boxer line, so excited to have a new stand-by). I loved the glitter embellishment stickers, the maya road pin, the prima flower centers, the buttons that match that watercolor paper exactly (I mean exactly, amazing!). I even fell in love with the yellow prima alphas after working with them. I think working with a kit requires some amount of trust, that the kit designer has your back. And I loved taking the risk and having it turn out so much better then the conservative choices I would have made had I been picking out of my stash. That's the magic of a kit. I especially loved the rub-ons, but late one night I put the backing on them wrong. I really could have cried. I spent the next day trying to figure out how to fix my mistake, but there isn't an easy fix for something like that. So, um, don't do that. :)

Here are my layouts with the kit:






On the second layout, that is exactly how J counts. It's so funny. And on the last layout, the text is a clear plastic bag J received candy in. I just cut it apart and adhered it flat. I hope I've piqued your interest. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about fall or about scrapbooking kits and I'll draw a winner Wednesday at noon EST. The winner gets the same kit I got to work with, the November Scarlet Lime kit in all it's glory! And when you use those rub-ons, think of me fondly. :) Happy Monday (or probably Tuesday)! Until tomorrow.

PS I am indeed a homeowner, got the key to prove it! :) :) :)