gingerbread houses

A quick drive by post to share a layout I did yesterday after helping out at the youngest's school. Here it is side by side.

And here are the individual pages in a little larger view for you. I have noted Colin's gingerbread house on the one that was his. The others are some of the ones the other kids did. I wanted to make sure to only use their houses instead of their personal photo's for privacy reasons.

Credits:
Storyteller 2-Page Template 1 by Jady Day Studio
Terri - Handwriting Font by Krisi's Kreations
Gingerbread Kisses by Amy Stoffel
Just The Basics: Vellum Alpha by WM[squared] Designs

Couple more layouts

to share from the last week or two. I think the first one will kind of speak for itself as far as what my crafty goals are anyways.

The journaling reads...

I very much feel that goals that are written out are far more likely to be achieved, so here it is... in writing.

One of my primary goals for 2011 is twofold. I want to start to really take more pictures (as well as better ones!) and to focus more on my scrapping than hybrid projects. Don’t get me wrong here, I will still be doing hybrid, but I really plan to learn to be a better scrapper. I find myself intimidated and really there is no reason for that. There is not anything out there that I can’t learn to do if I want to bad enough. Plus I do feel that it is more so the story that matters than the presentation... not that I don’t want it to look good as well!

Credits:
Denim Days from Creations by Rachael
Basic Stamped Alpha by WM[squared] Designs
Drop Shadows: Styles by Haynay Designs
font - Windsong

And this one was for yesterdays RTS (Roadmap to Scrap) challenge.

Credits:
Better Days Ahead - Collab by Jady Day Studios w/ Stolen Moments
Fabulously Negative - Templates V.2 by WM[squared] Designs
Basic Stamped Alpha by WM[squared] Designs

I'm back!

My computer is all better again so I am back! I have a couple of layouts to share that I have done in the last month or so. I'll start off with the one I promised weeks ago when I was having all of the computer problems.

Credits:

Just Journalin' vol 1 {template pack} by Trixie Scraps Designs
Courage, Hope & Strength {Charity Fundraising Kit} also by Trixie Scraps

Next is this funny (or sad, depending on how you look at it) one about my boys.

Credits:
Potty Practice- Boy by Wimpy Chompers
Line It Up: Templates v. 1 by Krisi's Kreations
Stitch Me Up by Chelle's Creations
(carry my heart): The Alpha by Graham Like the Cracker

Then one with an old picture of me. Most of the time I can still be found with a book in hand, although I am not quite as flexible as I once was.

Credits:
Serenity by Happy Scrap Girl
Ink Happy Edges by Happy Scrap Girl
(October 29th Roadmap to Scrap directions)

and last but not least this one about one of my wants.

Credits:

Capture a Memory by Stolen Moments
11.2.10 Tuesday Template by Snaggle7575

All of the kits used in the layouts above are available at ScrapMatters.

ScrapMatters DSD Blog Train

Welcome to my stop on the ScrapMatters DSD Blog Train! You should be arriving here from Tanya's blog. This is a very big train, so in case one of the "cars" takes off a little late and you get lost all you have to do is refer back to the SM Blog for the master list.

In going with the theme of the blog train, and the wonderful new Many Thanks collaboration kir from the wonderful SM design team I want to share what I am most thankful for on this particular week. The last couple weeks have been very tense in my house as we were quite worried about me. Two weeks ago today I found a lump in my breast. Fortunately I was able to get in to the Doctor's relatively fast, as well as get an ultrasound done of the lump rather quickly. I am very glad to be able to announce that the lump is not cancerous. I am so very grateful for that as well as all of the new technology that is available now to make it relatively fast and painless to diagnose. (If you are interested you may watch for a layout or two about this next week)


Now, on to the freebie. Today I have made a quick and easy Thank You card for you. All you have to do is print and fold and you are done. You may also easily fit 2 onto a single sheet of paper to print off a spare to have on hand!

And you may get your freebie (sorry, link has been disabled)! Don't forget that all of these will only be available for one week! Now I hope you are ready to climb back aboard and hit Kim's blog. And don't forget to check back at the SM Blog should you get derailed!

DSD weekend is here!

And there are tons of goodies to be had and activities going on over at ScrapMatters this weekend! The designers have gone all out and have some gorgeous new releases and grab bags in the store this week. This is in addition to all the normal goodies. And here is the Master Schedule for the DSD activities at SM this weekend!

I will share just a few of the cards that I have made this week with the new releases. All 4 of these cards use parts from Krisi's 2010 DSD Hybrid grab bag. The first two also use Amber's (Stolen Moments) DSD Grab bag.

This lovely card was made with Jennifer Labre's gorgeous new kit With You, as well as a part of Krisi's grab bag mentioned above.

And this final card is made with Rachaels (not new) kit Ouchies, along with 2 of the items in Krisi's previously mentioned grab bag.

Well, I think that is all for today but be sure to check back in tomorrow for the blog train. There are tons of gorgeous goodies on it that you won't want to miss. And it will only be available for 1 week!

Bad blogger & Published!

Hi everyone! I have been a bad bad blogger again. But to my defense Blogger and I have been having some issues. I have been pretty busy, but a lot of what I have been doing I can't show here yet. I also am finally able to announce this, I am being published in the 2011 Memory Logbook! I actually have 3 layouts being published in it! I should have some more info about it soon.


I hope to come back with pics of the layouts I can share on Monday. I am having a few technical difficulties with it right now. (I am on the hubby's computer right now)

SM Store Collabs

Is there a ScrapMatters Store Collab that you have had your eye on? Well, if there is this is the week to seriously consider breaking down and buying it. Why is that? Well, they are all 50% off this week only! Check it out here!

Big News at ScrapMatters!

There is some big news to share today at ScrapMatters! In celebration of the Matter of Scrap's 2nd anniversary all points for challenges this month only will be doubled! So if you use a new release SM item for a challenge this month you will receive 4 points instead of the normal 2. Talk about a great deal.And if that was not a good enough deal, this is the perfect time to get "connected"... to the SM newsletter and SM Facebook fan. This is only good for the one week, so don't waste any time getting "Connected". There are links to both in the ad on my sidebar!

I'll be back soon with some of my recent projects!

u + me =

When I saw Christina's new kit Professor Atom I instantly knew what I wanted to do with it. Here is what I came up with.
It also uses the OWH sketch #32.

great gig

I am a little late in posting this, but there is still time left! Its a great gig if anyone is interested!

Bad bad blogger

Wow, I have been a bad bad blogger lately. So much has been going on with getting the boys ready for back to school. That day has finally come (and gone) so I am back to share a few of my recent projects now.

Here is the small back to school gift that I made for my son's second grade teacher.

Credits:Together Forever 3 Photo Cluster Templates by Haynay Designs
A Time to Learn, A Time to Learn: Word Bits and A Time to Learn: add on by Stolen Moments
Junior Legal Pad Wrap by Krisi's Kreations.

A custom crayon box for my youngest.

Credits:
Crayon Box Hybrid Templates
Enjoy and Enjoy Solid Papers by GG Digital Designs

A card that I will be sending on to OWH.

Credits:
Full Circle Hybrid Card Templates by Geeky Diva Designs
Love Grows by Erica Zane

One using an older photo of my son from his preschool.

Credits:
Love That Boy (value bundle) by Graham Like the Cracker and Bella Gypsy
ABC Basics: The Chrome Alpha by Graham Like the Cracker
8.3 Tuesday Template by Scrapmuss Designs

And finally there is this one. I went to a speed scrap last week and found that I really had no pictures that fit the criteria of the challenge. One of the ladies jokingly offered me some of hers to work with and I took her up on it. This was the resulting layout. I am rather pleased with how it turned out.
Credits:
Play (some recolored) by Sahlin Studios and De Crow Designs
EZ Date Edgers by Erica Zane
Just The Basics: Vellum Alpha and Be Inspired - Melissa - Templates (modified) both by WM[squared} Designs

Birthday Blog Train!

Welcome to my stop on the ScrapMatters Birthday Blog Train. I believe that you are arriving here from Happy Scrap Girl Designs. I hope that you are enjoying the festivities so far, I know there are more planned.

I have had many memorable birthdays, among them the one in second grade where I received the chicken pox on my birthday. That was one gift I definitely wanted to return! But probably my most memorable birthday was in 1994. That year, on my 18th birthday I graduated from high school. And if that was not enough I skipped all of the graduation parties that night, and went to the Pink Floyd Concert in the Horseshoe. Talk about an amazing day! It is definitely one that I will not forget.

Now on to what you are here for. Since yesterday was my son's birthday and I needed a cute boy card for him, I used the Cupcakes & Candles Mega kit to create that card. I also made up a second version in more girly colors so today I have a couple of Birthday Cards for you.

You can find my freebie here! **Link has been disabled**

I hope that you have enjoyed this stop on your journey, and have a great time visiting all the other stops and taking part in the festivities this weekend. Your next stop along the train is Chelle's Creations!

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Well, the big day is here! My oldest is now (in his own words) officially a pre-teen. Happy Birthday Bryce! (But you will always be momma's baby!!)

And in other birthday news, I have a master schedule of the birthday events that will be happening over at ScrapMatters this weekend. Be sure to go check it out, and to check back tomorrow for the blog train. You will only have one week before all links on the train disappear (then it will go into the store as a DT/CT collab)!

Birthday Week!

There are a few Birthday's happening this week. Most important to me would be my oldest son. He is turning 11 this Friday, and as he informed me he will now officially be a pre-teen! Ay-yi -yi! Then another pretty important one would be Scrap Matters. SM is turning 3 and there are a bunch of fun things planned. Be sure to check back there this weekend as there will be games, blog train, sale etc.

Non-traditional Christmas Colors

I found this kit last month and absolutely love it. It is very non traditional in colors, but that can be a good thing. It is like a breath of fresh air, and it is just so elegant as well. Check out this card that I made with it.
The kit is Wishes from By Becca , with the Wishes masks as well.

Sarah Bennett CT Template Blog train is departing!

Due to the great success of out template train in May we are back with another template blog train! It is a little smaller than last time due to summer getting in the way, *giggle* but we still have some great templates for you! Since my "area of expertise" is hybrid this time I have gone a little bit different route and made a card template.It is based off of this card made with Sarah's Love You Always kit. I love this kit, and it can be used for so much more than just the Valentines that first come to mind when you see it. Sarah is retiring as of the end of this month and her store will be closing then. Everything is on sale 50% off (you will see the sale price in the shopping cart). Be sure to grab it before her store closes on July 31st!
As you can see you can make the card as dimensional as you like. I love those extra touches, but nothing can beat a quick print and go card when you have forgotten an event. And no that has never happened to me. Nope. No way. No how. Never. (Am I being too emphatic and ruining my credibility on the matter?)So anyways, you should be arriving here from Katie's Scraps.
And your next stop should be at Amy's Unforgettable Moments. Please be patient if not all stops are up right away. There are usually little hiccups with where each person is located and what time zone their blog host is located in. If you do get lost the master list can be found here.
And you can grab the template here!

USA card

Well, I didn't make it back earlier this week, sorry about that. Had some printer issues and was really busy as well.

Today I have a card to share that was done for the IITC challenge over at SM. There have been so many great patriotic kits released this month that it was my first thought for a theme when I saw the template. The one that I decided to use was Celebrate Independence by WM[squared] Designs. I just love Wendy's kits. She packs them full of such neat elements and papers. And here is what I came up with. I thought the template was perfect to showcase some of the well known American icons.

The calm and my guys

Wow, this is 3 days in a row and 4 for the week! I am on a roll and really trying hard to be a better blogger. Here is the layout that I promised yesterday. I did this one for the 7.16 Roadmap to Scrap challenge at ScrapMatters. I love that I pulled out an old favorite photo and ended up doing something with it because of this challenge. Credits:

Gone Fishing from Creations by Rachael
Whispers: Nature, Embossed Frames, Foam Stamp Alpha(recolored) by Sahlin Studios
Get Real (shadows) by Jennifer Barette Designs
Extinct Alpha by WM[squared] Designs

I have always loved this picture and I am guessing you can see why. It's just so dramatic looking. My goal was to keep the layout pretty simple and kind of rustic looking. I think I managed it.

I also have made a layout with the photo of my boys from the header. I sooo love this picture, and had to do something with it so I ran a photo action on it and then used the vintage layer only for my large blend. Over top of that is a very softly blended text layer that consists of the date repeated tons of times. (erased from over their faces)Credits:
Sunday Afternoon Collab from Designs by Sarah Bennett and Trixie Scraps Designs
Spicy Meatballs Templates collab from Connie Prince and Bella Gypsy
Get Real: realistic drop shadows by Jennifer Barrette Designs

CoffeeShop B&W Classic and Bittersweet Vintage photo action

Well, that is all for today. I'll *hopefully* be back with more on Monday!

I miss ewe!

I am back today with another card made for OWH. This week they have issues a challenge for cards made for the heroes to send home to their children. As soon as I saw that challenge I had something in mind. I used the Wild Oats kit, which is a collaboration between Chelle's Creations and Designs by Sarah Bennett.
Here is what I came up with, the barn and the small cloud is raised up with glue dots and the barn with pop dots to give it two different levels of dimension.
Well, thank you for looking and check back tomorrow for another scrap layout!

A scrap layout... OMGosh!

Wow, it has been a while since I have done much scrapping. I have done a bit this week and have one to show you today. It uses this weeks Tuesday Template over at ScrapMatters. I must say this is a great template for man photos. It was just the kick I needed to scrap these pictures from Waldameer that I probably would not have gotten to for some time otherwise.

The journaling blocks read:
The boys had never really been to an amusement park before, so we were a little hesitant to get the season passes to Waldameer, in Erie PA.

As you can tell from the first day here they had a blast! They tried at least a dozen rides each. We are so very glad that they loved it. Cedar Point... here we come!

Credits:Enjoy Solid Papers, Enjoy - Full Kit and Enjoy Dates by GG Digital Designs
Get Real: Realistic "Drop Shadows" by Jennifer Barrette Designs
Stitches from Fun in the Sun by Creative Dreams
7.13 Tuesday Tempate by YB Designs

Because of the Brave

I found this card sketch over on the OWH Stars and Stamps blog that I decided to give a shot. Since I am still totally in love with the Old Glory kit (link is to the bundle) I thought I would use this kit to play. Here is what I came up with...What do you think?

Coloring card anyone?

I saw these blank dinosaur stickers by GG Digital Designs in the shop and knew instantly what I wanted to do with them. So I made them into some cards. I mean, what fun is an already colored card? I know as a kid I would have loved to receive a card like this. (Who am I kidding? I would still love one like this!) This particular design is probably best suited for little boys... good thing I have two of them and my cousins have a lot of young boys too.

Couple of cards

I saw this kit and absolutely loved it. I thought it would make the cutest card for one of my boys or nephews.
Credits:Rocket Launch by Wimpychompers Creations
6/10 IITC challenge template by SylviaB

Then there is this one. I saw this kit and immediately thought baby. Don't you agree?
Credits: Frolic by Jenn Barrette
6/24 IITC challenge template by Melissa

Gorgeous Americana kit

Sarah Bennett has just collaborated with Trixie Scraps Designs to make the most gorgeous Americana kit I have seen! It is called Old Glory. This kit is absolutely packed with goodies. I know it will be one of my favorite "go to" kits for a long time to come. Here is a layout that I did with it.
I also used Get Real: shadows by Jennifer Barrette Designs and Becky's May (SB) CT blog train template to create this layout. The font is Porcelain

How about this?

Wow, I have been away for a while. I promise I have been super busy during this time. About a month ago my Mom moved in with us temporarily because she had broken her ankle and needed some help. We are talking a serious break here... steel plate and 38 pins / screws. (So once she is fully healed am I able to ask her if she has a screw loose? *grin*). So anyways, we were discussing all the pretty canes that you can get if you have a normal one and she said how sad she is that she can't get one because hers has the 4 "feet" on it and they don't make them pretty. **light bulb moment** So I thought about it and set about making her a pretty cane. Here is what I came up with...
Using Man in the Moon Designs kit Charming Gardner, a lot of mod podge, acrylic sealer, silk flowers, grosgrain ribbon and hot glue. She is absolutely in love with it and so anxious to get rid of the walker and be able to use and show off her beautiful new cane!

Krisi is having a CT Call

Hey everyone. A quick note to let you all know that Krisi is having a CT Call!. She makes some really great hybrid templates and is really wonderful to work with. You should definitely check it out!

the Sarah Bennett CT Blog train is now departing!!!

Welcome to the Sarah Bennett CT blog train. You should be arriving at my blog from Britanee's blog. I hope that you are enjoying all of these wonderful templates. Be sure to stop on by Sarah's store and pick up some of her great kits to use with these. She has a really great kit, My Buddy, being released today with lots of masculine colors!
Here is the original layout that I based my template off of. I have added in a spot for a photo as well, still keeping with the feel of my original.And here is the template itself.
Here is the link for the layered PSD template.
And here is where you can get the separated PNG layers.


The next (and final) stop on the train is Amy. If you happen to have gotten lost somewhere along the train, or have just stumbled aboard... here are all of your stops.

CT Blog http://designsbysarahbennett.blogspot.com
Trish http://justthe6ofus.net/
Katie http://scrappingwithkatie.blogspot.com
Kim http://karayannisfamily.blogspot.com/
Li http://libeingcrafty.blogspot.com/
Jamie http://jamiesscrapblog.blogspot.com/
AmyM http://melniczenkomusings.blogspot.com/
Kendall http://majorscrapitude.blogspot.com/
Becky http://hodgeypodgeblog.blogspot.com/
Britanee http://britaneesscraps.blogspot.com/
Amanda http://mandasmemories.blogspot.com/
AmyP http://amyp-unforgettablemoments.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you will enjoy all these wonderful templates.