My friend Cheryl

If you've ever had the privilege to meet my friend, Cheryl, she would forever leave a mark on your heart.  This is her blog, this is her battle.  I am ready to stand next to my friend to fight.




http://blog.artsyfindings.com/

Wedding Album

My Brother-in-Law, Darin and his lovely new bride, Holly, exchanged vows in July in an outdoor wedding in Northern California.  The couple didn't want to register or receive a lot of gifts because they don't have much room in their current home.  My Mother-in-Law suggested making them an album for a gift and of course, I started plotting and planning.
Their colors were green and blue- the basic colors of their birthstones. This was a great challenge to me because they aren't traditionally marketed wedding-scrapbook product colors.  I went away from the themed-products and did it my own way. I mostly used Kaisercrafts Chapter One Collection to create these pages.  I also used Bazzil Basics cardstock and various flower embellishments from Michael's Recollections line.  I premade these pages, so that when the newlyweds are ready, they can simply add the journaling and photos.  I included space for their love story and engagement, as well.  From the look on their faces when they opened it, I think it was well received.

A Halloween Tradition

With Halloween just a few days away, I made sure to add one of our favorite movies to our Netflix queue.  Each year we like to turn off the lights, pop some popcorn and watch this:



"The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad"  has long been a favorite of mine.  Especially the story of Ichabod and the Headless Horseman.  I have watched it so many times and it still captivates me.  My boys really enjoy this movie each year and, like myself as a child, are kind of scared by the sounds in the woods as Ichabod rides through on his horse.

What kind of kid friendly Halloween movies do you enjoy or remember?

My First Kit for Kit-Tastic

I just completed May Flaum's class on BPC called, "Kit-Tastic."  It was a four-week online course designed to help you use your premade or store bought kits to the fullest extent and also make good use of your stash.  Today, I want to share the first kit I made, including the pages and cards I created from it.  This kit was purchased at a warehouse sale for Colorbok last year.  I was really drawn to the homemade feel to it- the stiching and embroidery hoops.  So this is the kit I came up with:

I used the premade kit and added my own elements like cardstock, buttons and ribbon.  From this kit I made these:

 I was very pleased with how much I used up this kit!  I have very little left over and won't feel so guilty if I don't use anything else up from it.
Thanks for looking!

Summertime Traditions

Hello and Happy Summer!  

Summer is my favorite season of the year- the food, the parties, the clothes, THE WEATHER, the carefree days and nights you can sit out and just enjoy the warm air.

Our family started the tradition of having ice cream for dinner on the first day of summer a few years ago.  It's a fun way to kick off the summer and enjoy a special treat to shake up our daily routine.  

This year, we opted for shaved ice.  We have a Hawaiian shaved ice store that opened about a year ago close to where we live.  We have been hooked ever since.  If you haven't tried it, you must!  I am a simple shaved ice fan, usually choosing coconut or a banana custard flavor.  My boys get super sweet combos like cotton candy and add a scoop of bubble gum ice cream.  

They also have some unique flavors like a chili pepper and buttered popcorn.  I'm not sure I'll try those!  One of my favorite memories of visiting the shop, was shortly after the Charlie Sheen-went-insane period (yes I followed it, I was in the hospital with my baby and so I watched), I took my boys in for an after school treat.  My middle walks right up to the counter and says, "I want Tiger Blood."  So Charlie Sheen of him.  That is a real flavor and it's pretty good.  It has a blend of watermelon and a couple other fruits making it a dark red color.

I'm looking forward to many more trips to have shaved ice this summer.  What is your favorite summer time pleasure?

Off to the Zoo

Our family is off to the zoo today.  We have been looking forward to this trip all week!  The rain made us postpone our trip until today.

I have found myself in the past taking way too many photos of random animals that I don't remember the names of.  I have tried taking photos of the signs that go with the animals to help.  Today, I think I will let the kids decide what we take pictures of.  They have their favorites, of course, so I think that will be the best way to capture the day.

Have a great day!  And don't forget to do something creative today. :)

12 Update

I am feeling a little behind in my "Twelve" class lately.  Stacy says we are never really behind and I am trying to stick to that philosophy.  Besides, I'm already so many pages in to this year than I typically would be, so that counts BIG in my book.

Baseball started and then a round of illness hit us, so scrapbooking and the class took a back shelf.  The inspirational emails are "piling up" and my Inspiration File has been neglected.  I am a couple months behind on Triggers and Storytelling. Yikes!  This kills my overachieving-student spirit.

Well, today is a new day.  One of my best crafting buddies is coming over for a Spring Break craft session.  I hope to get some pages knocked out and get the enthusiasm and excitement back for this awesome class.

I find once I get back to my craft desk or do some reading on the class, I am pumped back up to create, create, CREATE!  What gets you back into the groove when you've had a break?

Spring Cleaning

It's the special time of the year (for some of us), when we feel the need to clean, organize and purge.  This week I got rid of something so sacred in our home, I have to do it when the kids are away....The Halloween Candy!!!  We had tons of it because we are very strict about candy and junk food consumption in our house.  It looks so much better and the temptation is gone.  


My next area to work on was my crafting area.  I recently allowed myself a little more space in my new area.  Between my paper organizer and my scrap bags, I felt like I was constantly moving stuff around which cut into my craft time.  It's not much, but I feel like I gained a lot of elbow room.
I decided I would also start going through my paper and embellishments and clear out what I have already used enough of, am tired of looking at or is really outdated.  I still have many items I bought when I started scrapbooking back in 2002 (10 Years!)  I am also the person that people know they can give their leftovers too.  


This was a long process, but so worth it.  I feel like I can concentrate on what I really like now!  So what am I going to do with all the items I no longer need or want?  Well, I always tell myself that I will use it for cards, but that hasn't happened.  Instead, I am donating it to my husband's class so they can make cards.  He teaches at a very low income school.  The students enjoy making cards for their friends and family, but have little resources beyond construction paper that the school provides.  I hope these supplies bring a little joy to someone's day.


Some other ways I've used/donated my supplies:

• Created a swap basket at the crops I hold at my home.  Leave something, take something.
• Donated to my son's preschool
• When I taught, I would make games such as matching or memory from duplicate sticker sheets
• A crafting play date for my kids and their friends
• Know a new cardmaker or scrapbooker?  Let them experiment without spending tons of money on new supplies

What do you do with your leftover supplies?


Happy Spring (Cleaning)!

My New Craft Corner

I moved in to my new craft corner over the New Year's holiday. I hadn't planned on it, but when I was given the gift of "Twelve" and it started January 1st, I had to get a move on.  I forgot to take a "before" picture, but it wasn't much but a mess.  I had a whole room that also contained a desk, a printer cart and a bookshelf.  It was really challenging for me to condense everything to a mere corner.  So, this is the "after."  It is now located in our playroom.  Note the little desk next to mine, it's my 4 year old's.  He loves to craft and loves to sit next to me to work on his latest glue filled project.  I had to get some better lighting in there, too.  With the dark green paint and high ceilings, it was impossible to craft at night.  Even harder to look through my white cabinet (hard to see, but it's to the right of my chair).  So far, this new arrangement has been wonderful for me.  I can see the kids play in the yard, I can supervise them in the playroom.  I have also started following the motto that Stacy Julian gave us in class, which is, "Don't go to bed without a page in progress."  I try to leave out photos and some paper every day.  It has worked well for me because I spend most of my time in the kitchen or the playroom anyway. I catch myself walking past and looking at what's on my desk for a few minutes or so.
I know this is not a YouTube worthy scrap space, but I am grateful to have a home big enough that allows me a corner of my own.
Thanks for looking!

P.S. Just don't look in my son's closet ;)