Keeping Life REAL...

So it appears to have been over two months since I was on my blog...life has been happening (a BRIEF summary):

* organized and have my own office space for creating and family history.
* I was a Sprints coach at the High school which took up A LOT of my time but I LOOOOVED it!
* My youngest tore his ACL in a Lacrosse game the same day my daughter sprained her ankle at a track meet, my middle son sprained his ankle two days later-that was a FUN week-NOT!
* Finding time to create has been a bit tricky so I have been collecting items for my Project Life which is now piled on top of my desk.
* Still trying new recipes-which I will share!
* painted my kitchen and cabinets!
* painted two bathrooms!
* Made my first Amugurumi doll-so fun I'll share that as well!
* first day of work for my middle.
* surgery for the ACL tear, and first PT visit this week...

As we have become a "picture" instant gratification society here is a picture of something I created:

LOVED working with some old paper from American Crafts- ;)

favorite techniques on cards.

So I was looking through my folders and these are the last American Crafts projects that I made for the blog--i REALLY loved the techniques that I used on each of these cards,

quilting:

layering:

watercoloring:

I loved working with my scraps, no holds bard using different collections all together!  Thanks SO much for the visit today!!

butterfly fly away.

look at this precious little girl!  This was 7 years ago--seriously where has time gone?  I remember her being so proud of those butterfly wings and being able to wear her dress from the previous year--we did her makeup and put sparkle in her hair.
Now?  Should would DEFINITELY not be wearing that much makeup and the butterfly wings--no attention please, she says!
This layout was made for the sparkle challenge for the American Crafts blog on using brads, buttons, and bling-I just forgot to share it here!
I painted the background with my own glitter glue.  I had liquid adhesive--poured glitter in it and painted it on my large cut butterfly--easy and FUN!

This is quick but I wanted to thank you for the visit!

family.

wanted to share this fun layout I made for my last American Crafts gallery.  I had a blast working with the Shimelle line and making a quilt.

side note this tall young man had a birthday last week--proud of him as he is currently serving a MISSION for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints.  He has been out for a year and has a year to go--the time is flying and he is growing up and having some awesome experiences! ;)  He was born when I was on my mission in Venezuela a LONG time ago, yep I'm a PROUD Aunty!

closeup of some goodness:

my favorites of this layout:
--the texture of cuts
--layers
--mixing different lines together.

Thanks SO much for the visit today--weekend looks like a busy one filled with date night with ALL my boys watching The Maze Runner, games for my girl tomorrow, and celebrating my dad's birthday on Sunday.  Hope yours is FANTASTIC as well!

1st born.

Hello!  Thanks for hanging in there and visiting my blog, I've been off playing and having fun!  I wanted to quickly share one of my VERY last layouts for American Crafts:

 I mixed some of the DIY shop and new Shimelle lines to come up with this fun layout about my oldest child.
here is a little closeup:

I SO loved this time I had to work with AC--they were AWESOME to work with and I think I grew as a designer as well!
Thanks for the visit today!!

create today.

So I can't believe I haven't shared this creation with all of you yet!  I made this for a blog post challenge for American Crafts.  For full description of the creation process click HERE.

closeup of the title:

My favorites about this creation:
* I made it for my mommy--she is a quilter and YES she loved it!
* LOVE this line of paper!! (Plus One)
* I repurposed a frame--I spray painted it black.
* the quilting on this took FOREVER--but I love what it looks like up close.
* I was able to sneak some washi (see the bottom of the title card)

Thanks SO much for the visit today--hope your day is FANTASTIC!

sassy girl.

I was up on the American Crafts blog the other day with a challenge which was to use bling, brads, and buttons.  I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture but the yellow flowers are glittery,  the other yellow & green have enamel dots, and the chevron is a brad.  This is all from the Plus One collection--if you didn't know that by now it is seriously MY favorite SO diverse!

My favorites about this layout:
* I used a HUGE die cut and backed it, tedious YES, but I LOVE how it turned out!
* those pictures CRACK me up!  They are my sassy mommy when she was a little girl.
* love the background dot paper, I wanted to keep the strip on the bottom as part of the layout so I just cut off the top to make it measure to 12 x 12.
* using glitter on my page!

Thanks SO much for the visit today--hope you were inspired today!

live true.

I wanted to share my very last gallery items for American Crafts:

my favorites about this page:
* the picture, this is my girl with her two best friends--SO fun that they were all doing the same thing at the same time.  (this was taken at the practice for the Cultural Celebration for the dedication for the Gilbert Temple)
* the vibrant colors on this page--I used the Plus One line by AC.
* the triangles are actually leftover from another project--I couldn't throw it away!
* the journaling block, I actually took my x-acto knife and cut the X to over lap the picture.

Thanks for the visit today--hope your day is FANTASTIC!!

howdy hey!

Hello to everyone who still visits me here on the blog!  This summer has been FULL of fun stuff, I have been creating fun creative items, and cooking items from Pinterest.  I really wanted to spend the summer just playing with the family.
Wednesday school started with mixed emotions I sent the kiddos to school:

I missed them like crazy, so I went to the gym then spent the whole day organizing stuff.  Truth be told my youngest got his iPod taken away and I hid it (months ago) and can't remember where I put it!  It's also a GREAT motivation for him to come and help me! ;0)

Yesterday I spent the day organizing my pages into chronological order in my books--yep I like how they look that way!  I think I had like 100 pages to put away...ugh, not a job I necessarily enjoy BUT I do like looking over my pages and seeing the creative process in each one!

Before I leave I wanted to share one of my pages for my last American Crafts gallery, I have been truly HONORED to be a part of their design team for these past 2 years, it's helped me to grow as a designer and work with some of my Scrapbook HEREOS--thanks AC:

My FAVORITES about this layout:
* I used one of my FAVORITE lines from American Crafts Plus One
* I am used a bunch of scraps! :)  I cut squares on most of these and reassembled in a random order...
* the memory from that day, it was unusually hot BUT the experience was SO fun!
* the layered embellishments
* the sewing--it's a bit hard to see but I quilted the WHOLE page.

Thanks SO much for the visit today!

girls camp 2014 mini album.

my girl went to girl's camp in San Diego this year--it was a BLAST!  I created a little mini album to put all of her pictures that they (I say they because she is not really a photographer) took:

 this particular of turquoise is her favorite--she really liked it when I showed it to her--now to get the pictures inside! ;)  I plan on printing them at a 3 x 4 size with an occasional 4 x 6 size hear and there..
here are some things that I learned on this experimental book:

1. I used the card stock measured at 1 1/2" x 7 to help reinforce the spine so that the paper doesn't tear.
2. I wrapped a 3" piece around the front and back to hold the covers together.
3. sometimes a little bit goes a long way--embellishments, I wanted to go crazy but I held off remembering that she was going to be putting pictures and possible journaling in here--I had to make room!
4.  This whole book was made of scraps from other projects--I LOVE the Plus One line, I save all my scraps!

That's it for today--thanks SO much for the visit!!

stars and stripes.

I wanted to share with you one of my layouts in the American Crafts gallery for this month:

my favorite parts of this layout:

1. the background--not bragging but I made it!  Stars. (of course!)

2. pictures-yes I shared the colored one on another layout the other day...remember I have three kids I love creating 3 pages with the same pictures--yes, I am crazy...

3. pop of yellow.

4. the sparkly lettering.

5. I used a fun swag banner with the gem dots.

6. I used the Polka Dot party line to make this--it's mostly flowery and girly but I was able to create something else with it! ;)

Thanks for the visit today!

father's day cards.

summer has been SO busy and FUN but I did want to share my Father's day cards I had up on the American Crafts blog:

 I LOVED using the DIY shop line for these--Thanks SO much for the QUICK visit today!

groovy day.

this was another layout I shared this past week on the American Crafts blog:

I seriously LOVED working with the Plus One line--perfect for 60's pictures.  These happen to be my hip parents--LOVING my dad's pants and shoes--also LOVE that they are totally documenting their trip to the zoo!  My dad was ALWAYS the one with the video camera...

How to:
I cut different sized strips of paper, 3/4" x 11", 1" x 11",  2" x 11".
I then placed them randomly on the page and stitched them down along the edges.
I then mounted my pictures (which I developed on Persnickety Prints--4" x 4")on a sheet that was just larger than my pictures 4 1/2" x 8 1/2".  I adhered that to the page.
Then I embellished the page, adding the title and journaling.

These particular pictures were scanned from another batch of photos I snagged from my parent's house...Thanks for the visit today!

darling.

these cuties are my great grandparents.  This layout was featured on the American Crafts blog this past week...I snatched some pictures from my parents house to scan--I love the happy looks on their faces.  I really enjoyed working with the Polka Dot party line:

On the back of this tiny photo (1 x 1)--it had the date, where they were and where they had been.  LOVED that someone thought of doing that (probably GG Violet)  Anyway, with that information I was able to google what day it was--this picture happened to be taken after the world series game in 1945, I was able to find out who won the game.  Pretty sweet!
Thanks for the quick visit today!!

nanny's chimes.

Feeling a little nostalgic.  When I was my daughter's age we spent a couple summers visiting with my grandparents in their small town in Washington state.  Their beautiful little home is situated RIGHT off the Puget Sound--so the summer weather was PERFECT-we spent days outside enjoying the beach, and exploring the local youth center.  We are on the count down for the last day of school--can I hear a YAHOO?!!  No schedule coming right up!

Anyway, my grandparents had wind chimes lining the back of their porch, when the wind blew--it was quite melodious--all of the different chimes made for a beautiful chorus-sometimes I would just sit and listen for minutes.  A few years ago they were cleaning out my grandparents home to sell.  They asked if I wanted anything...I didn't see anything until I went walking outside and found this chime, lying forgotten under the deck.  I'm almost certain that my Papa made it--it's made of cut off pipes, plastic and fishing line.  Don't let that description fool you--after cleaning it up and retying some of the fishing line this chime makes the most BEAUTIFUL deep sound.  Due to it's weight the wind REALLY has to be blowing to get it to make some sound.  But as soon as I hear it--my mind is instantly drawn back to those by gone summer days....

winner chicken dinner!

And the WINNER of my American #summer giveaway is:

  lisacng @ expandng.com said...

The bunting really fits with the sports theme of the page!

please email me and let me know your snail mail!

here we go.

thanks for being patient with me as my kiddos finish up their seasons of track and soccer--one more day to go!  Tomorrow is state for my girl--yes, i'm going to brag a bit but is telling the truth really bragging?  I LOVE celebrating accomplished goals WHO EVER it is!  My girl went into the prelims of her race (preferred race) #7 came out seeded #4 for finals--back story on the photo--she was starting to feel sick (flu-like) her little brother shared his bug with her.  ALSO, their was a pretty intense head wind for her heat.  The other heats did not, so as one of her coaches put it "that race was even MORE impressive".

she ended up second in her heat...for those that care to watch.  yes, I went there! ;)

side note, I add music so you don't hear me screaming like a PSYCHO--you do see my fist in the end though... :)  The rest of her day Wednesday: long jump was good but not enough to get her in the finals and her 300 hurdles looked good until the last 100 and she was SPENT..So tomorrow she has this final and triple jump--EXCITING stuff!



ok--NOW on to some crafty stuff!  I made this fun layout using the #summer line from American Crafts--that background was inspired by the talented Nicole Nowosad--(yes, you can most DEFINITELY be inspired by others and incorporate it into YOUR layout!)



the black title letters come from the Plus One line...I love the fresh FUN colors of this line--REMEMBER you have one more day to comment for a chance to win some goodies from this line!  Just go to my post HERE, I will be posting the winner tomorrow!



Thanks SO much for sticking with me through the post!  Hope your day is FANTASTIC!!

American Crafts National Scrapbook Day blog hop!!

Welcome to the American Crafts National Scrapbook Day 2014 Blog Hop! I hope you'll be inspired to craft as you make your way through the 16 blogs of the design team members and participate in each of the challenges!

 MY CHALLENGE: Use triangles on your project - easy peasy! 

How I made this layout: I cut the pattern paper to 8 1/2 x 11, then I punched out 28 triangles from 7 different pattern papers.  With gesso I painted where I wanted my picture to go--an added layer of detail if you will.  I added dimensional dots on the back of my picture, punched out a tab.  I measured my page at 4 1/4" and started adhering my triangles letting the tip touch the edge of the page.  I kept adding triangles to the the left and right of my original triangle--this creates a look of additional triangles between the patterned punched triangles.  I then sewed the triangles down with a straight stitch.  After my gesso dried and triangles adhered I added my picture, title and embellishments.  

Supply list: patterned paper, thickers, bits, gesso mini staples, puffy stickers, sequins, sewing machine.  (Everything EXCEPT the sequins come from the Plus One line, the sequins come from the DIY shop line).

GIVEAWAY!!

Leave a comment on this post by Saturday May 10th 2014 and I'll randomly select a winner to receive fun goodies from the brand new #summer line.

Here is the full hop list in case you get a little lost, or want to open up every blog in a new window right now. Make sure you go through the entire hop, leave a comment on each blog, then visit the American Crafts blog to win an extra super ginormous prize!

Paige Evans

Allison Waken

Patricia Roebuck

Lilith Eeckels

Ashley Horton

Katie Ehmann

Elizabeth Gardner

Gina Lideros

***Diana Waite***

Janna Werner

Heather Leopard

Meghann Andrew

Erin Stewart

Becki Adams

Angie Gutshall

Madeline Fox

American Crafts

Next on the hop is Janna Werner!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

sports insulated/brag cup.

wanted to share with you real quick a challenge I  shared on the American Crafts blog last week:

How to: Gather supplies to use on the project. Make sure that your supplies aren't too bulky as their is a limited amount of space that it can fit in to. Clear insulated cups can be purchased at craft and hobby stores and online.

I printed my pictures at 2x3" then cut them down to 2x2 1/2". If you are using just one picture you can leave it at 4x6".

 

I carefully removed the mask that came with the clear cup. Then using a pencil I traced it on my background paper and cut it out.

After I cut it out I carefully folded it and inserted in the cup to make sure everything lined up, and to see which part of the paper would be covered over, I measured about 1/4" and traced a line which I covered with a piece of patterned paper. This let me have a visual of how much space I had to scrap on.

 

 I matted each photo with patterned paper and adhered it to the background making sure to follow the curve of the cut of paper. 

 

I then embellished the "page" with cork stars, sequins, patterned paper, washi tape, punches, and mist. I then sewed on my page to add another layer of dimension but not bulk.

 Before placing my page in the cup I carefully rolled it so that it would have some "memory" to be placed in the cup.  

 

I then placed my page inside the space of the cup. This part is tricky but I was patient and pushed slowly.

 I gave this fun cup to my hubby--and he LOVES it!  Thanks for the visit today--make your day a GREAT one!!

hello. I love you

I wanted to share real quick a card I made for my niece, it also doubled as one of my gallery items this month for American Crafts:

I used a mix of collections including DIY shop, and Polka Dot Party.  I will be sharing the mini album I made to go a long with this cute card in an upcoming post--thanks SO much for the visit today--sure hope you are having a FANTASTICAL day! ;)