Happy Friday

We made it to Friday! woo-hoo! Today is the 100th day of school. It's payday. We're almost done with January. And I've got a project to share using a newly released Perfect Presentation template: Cute Carton. I'd say the day is starting off in a good way!


I laugh everytime I use Kraft now. I always wondered why people were so in love with this cardboard looking paper. And I find myself reaching for it all the time now. I needed to whip up a little something for a thank you to take to someone who's been helping me out with a big PTA project. This fit the bill perfectly. It went together quickly, was very easy to decorate, and holds a nice amount of Hershey nuggets. It could fit cookies, too, but I wasn't doing any baking that day. All paper crafting!

If you'd like to see the rest of the templates that are released today, here is a list of inspiration that can't be beat!

Harriet Hensley is showing "It's a Keeper."
Chris Olsen has another view of "Cute Carton."
Alyssa Scritchfield is showing "Squared" can be fun (no math involved!).
Kerri Michaud is showing off "Hey Cupcake."
Leigh Ann Baird will be showing something using all four!!!

If that doesn't get you going on a Friday morning, I don't know what will! Enjoy your Friday everyone.

Stamps: PTI Background Basics: Text Style, Turning a New Leaf
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado
CS: PTI Kraft, Ripe Avocado, Rustic White
Accessories: Sizzix Bigz Beautiful Butterflies, PTI Dark Chocolate Buttons, PTI Cream Ribbon
Perfect Presentation Template: Cute Carton

Double Duty

Oh, it's a late post today. I thought I'd be all ready to post these projects before going to help at the school today. But I was just moving tooooo slow this morning. Today I have a card and scrapbook page to share, using the same sketch! These both were inspired by last week's sketch at Inspired Crafters. The sketch can be found here.

First up, is my card.


I was browsing online galleries the other day, and saw a card using a similar color palette with this floral stamp. I cut out a shape with my Nesties, and it fit just how I hoped it would. I had a purple square to add on there instead of a second pink square, but it disappeared from my desk. And I didn't feel like cutting another one. So I didn't!

Then I used the inspiration from the sketch to make a scrapbook page as well.


This is another picture from the old metal lunchbox. It is me with my two older brothers on some Christmas long ago. It's the same year for all of us. My mom would always have us take a picture under the tree with all of our stuff. It is kind of a fun memory, and I'm glad I found a picture of each of us from the same year.

Card
Stamps: PTI Background Basics: Text Style, SU Happy Harmony
Ink: PTI Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise, Plum Pudding, Ripe Avocado, Versamark
CS: PTI White, Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avacado

Scrapbook Page
Designer Digitals Products

Blog Hopping with PTI: The Total Package

Well, it's Blog Hop time at Papertrey Ink. The challenge this month was to create a card with the "total package." Meaning, don't neglect the inside of the card or the envelope (like I always do). So, once again, while this probably isn't too much of a challenge for some people, I was definitely working outside of my comfort zone.

I knew I wanted to make something cheery. I know it's not even February yet, but I'm ready for spring and flowers and cheery colors to flood the scene! So I tried to get some of that onto my card (and envelope) today.







That's all for me today. If you're on the hop, I can't wait to see what you've done as well. If you're just here visiting, hope your day is cheery!

Stamps: PTI Friends 'Til The End
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate, Versamark
CS: PTI Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Burst, Plum Pudding, Spring Moss, Summer Sunrise, White
Accessories: Filigree White Embossing Powder, SU Scallop Trim Punch, PTI Dark Chocolate Buttons

Magazine Inspiration

This week's Saturday Scrapbook challenge at Inspired Crafters is to find inspiration in a magazine advertisement. Well, while my computer was down for repairs, I found a stack of old scrapbooking magazines that had been missing. I ran across this ad here, and got inspired to make a page with lots of squares:



And here is my layout:



Digital Supplies: Designer Digitals

The Metal Lunch Box and Computer Down Time

Yesterday my computer got an awful virus that had me down for hours. Thank goodness my husband has me up and running again today! One of my goals in scrapbooking this year, is to catch up on OLD pictures. I have tons of pictures from when my kids are little that still need done, too, and I'm working on that as I go. But I'm talking about pictures from when I was a little girl back to even some from when my mom was a little girl. My mom has an old metal lunch box that houses a lot of these old pictures. A few years ago, my dear sweet husband scanned them all in. A good quarter of them were so dark, I teased him for wasting his time scanning them in. I didn't know the joys of photoshop then. Now, I'm still no photoshop expert, so I haven't gotten any of the photos looking like a pro has been working with them. But I've been able to get a lot of them in a condition I can use them on scrapbook pages. For this page I used last week's scrapbook sketch at Inspired Crafters. To see the sketch, you can click here.



One of my favorite things about doing my scrapbooking digitally, is how easy it is to change things around. I did the first layout, had it totally finished, and loved it. But then when I looked at it again (after being away working on a different project), I worried it was too dark and drab. So I changed the main background paper and the color of the flowers. I still like both and my husband prefers the darker one. Since it's for my mom, I guess I will let her have the final say!

Fabulous Day

Well, it's practically Friday here since there is no school tomorrow. And today I get to share some fun news. Leigh Ann of Stamping With Annie B, asked if I would officially join her Perfect Presentation Design Team, and I was thrilled to accept the offer. You know I love making 3-D projects!!! I have been so pleased working with her templates, and am super excited to show you a project using Bag It Up!


One of my favorite things about templates is how very versatile they can be. For example, this template also comes with the option to create handles on top and/or a peek-through window. Today, I didn't use those features, but I will! My daughter loves to take little treats on the bus to share with her friends. She gets frustrated when I tie a bow, and she can't re-tie it. So I kept this one super simple at the top, and added a little round clip that she can re-fasten when she wants to. So now, she can open it up, take out a few chocolate kisses, and fasten it back up. And I used some of my favorite Basic Grey paper. I don't use patterned paper a ton, but I could use sheet after sheet of this stuff!

Here are the links to the rest of the design team to get more inspiration:

Leigh Ann Baird
Kerri Michaud
Alyssa Scritchfield

And to look at any of the templates already available (and I can't pick a favorite, or I'd tell ya!) visit the Wild Flower Patch shop, where all the Perfect Presentation templates are available!

Stamps: PTI Signature Greetings
Ink: PTI Scarlet Jewel
CS: PTI Scarlet Jewel, Spring Moss
DP: Basic Grey
Template: Perfect Presentation Bag It Up
Accessories: Spiral Clip, Ribbon

You Make Me Smile

So, I finally got my desk cleaned off. Well, cleaned off enough that my paper cutter can fit entirely on the desk. And my husband got me a new hard drive since my old one was almost jam packed! So it's a good day. Now, if only spring were here. Since it's going to be a while until spring, I made some cards with colors that cheered me up!


I love this set of sentiments, although I kind of feel like I am cheating using a set that contains someone else's handwriting. I found this paper a long time ago at our scrapbook store, and was thrilled with how many PTI colors it goes with. I love it! And it's cheery, and I need a little sunny cheer, even if it's just in the form of a card.

Stamps: PTI Signature Greetings
Ink: PTI Ripe Avocado, Terracotta Tile
CS: PTI White, Summer Sunrise, Terracotta Tile
DP: SEI
Accessoreis: PTI Terracotta Tile Twill Ribbon, Ripe Avocado Satin Ribbon

Snow Dots Christmas

Yes, you read that right. It's January, and I've got a Christmas card to share. At the Inspired Crafters blog, we are running various challenges all year long. One of the challenges will be Christmas cards to work on throughout the year, so in December we don't have such a mad rush going to get things done! You can see our first card sketch here. Here is what I made with it:


My friend Michelle, a "non-coloring gal," sent me this snowman from the PTI holiday button bits set. As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew I'd be using the little snowman (finally)!!! I love how it turned out, and yes, I love all the pink and red. I plan on using the sketch again, this time with the Santa. I had planned to do that last night, but my desk was so messy at the end of this card, I couldn't stand the thought of cleaning it all up to make another one.

Stamps: PTI Holiday Button Bits, Studio G Sentiment
Ink: PTI True Black, Pure Poppy, RV 10, Rv13 copics
CS: PTI White, Hibiscus Burst, Pure Poppy
Accessories: Glitter Glue, Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Snow Dots Cuttlebug Folder, Hibiscus Burst Saddle-stitch ribbon

Perfect Presentation with Pink Polka Dots

I was feeling a little Dr. Seuss there with my title. Well, after a long Christmas break with no stamping time, yesterday it was time to get back in the groove. After the kiddos were both on the bus, I decided it was time to make something! You probably know by now I love to build stuff out of paper. There is just something really fun about making 3-D projects with paper. Well, the talented Leigh Ann of Stamping With Annie B, has started her own line of templates. It's so exciting to see someone I know from blog-land, venture out on their own and do something they love [and are really good at, too!].


I used her favor box template and, yes, I made it a Pink Polka Dot favor box. I know Valentine's will be here in the blink of an eye, and I figured now is a great time to get started on teacher Valentine's treats. One thing I really like about this favor box, is that the top stays totally closed on its own. Sure you can add ribbon or fun stuff for looks, but you don't have to to keep it shut! It takes only two sheets of cardstock, and went together super fast. Which is always great when you need to make more than one.

Well, I am off for the day. I get to go help at kindergarten, and my poor husband has finally caught whatever I had. I figured since almost a week had passed and he hadn't caught it, he wasn't going to get it. But last night, all that changed! So now 3 of the 4 of us have had it. Keeping my fingers crossed that my son stays in the clear! Enjoy your day.

Stamps: Unity Distressed Dots
Template: Perfect Presentation Favor Box
Ink: PTI Raspberry Fizz, Colorbox Frost White
CS: PTI Rustic White, SU Rose Red

Scrapping and Sketches

I'm back! And glad to be back. I got sick right after Christmas and was miserable. Over the break I did get a lot of scrapbooking done, so I'll have some pages to share over the next little while. In addition, I want to tell you about a fun blog to check out. Some gals that I swap with on SplitCoastStampers decided to set up a fun blog and have challenges, sketches, etc. Here is the link to Inspired Crafters. One aspect that I was most excited about is that we're including scrapbook challenges. Since I started doing my pages digitally, I'm excited about scrapbooking again! I have so many ideas swirling in my head and can't wait to get a lot of layouts done this year. So, for the first scrapbook challenge. A sketch.


Now some people love sketches. I have to say, though, that sketches are not always my best friend. I have decided that my CAS style of cards, often pertains to scrapping as well. So I don't always want to add everything a sketch calls for. And I have finally decided that that's okay. Use a sketch for a starting point, and leave off (or add to, if that's the case) whatever doesn't suit me. After all, I don't want a bunch of completed layouts that I don't like ;)


This is my son back in 2003. Yes, that's how far behind I am. But I'm having fun looking at old pictures and remembering good times. Enjoy your Monday!

Caramel Popcorn

Merry Christmas to all of you still out there in blog-land! I realize it's too late in the season to be starting on gifts, but this recipe is so good I had to share. And maybe you won't be doing any last minute gift-giving, but you could still whip up a batch of this for your family to enjoy when you snuggle in to watch Christmas movies tonight. The recipe card is a little different from my usual style, but I had fun making it!

A few tips on the recipe:
1) 6 quarts of popcorn is a lot! I personally don't have a bowl big enough to stir it all in. So I separate it into 2 bowls, so it will stir easier. You want the caramely goodness to cover all the popped corn. My little popper makes about 3 quarts at a time. So I put one batch each in 2 different bowls.
2) Get all the old maids out before adding the caramel.
3) When the caramel mixture is done boiling, get it off the heat while you add the soda. The first batch of mine boiled too long. While the flavor was still good, it ended up hard as a rock. This recipe makes delightfully chewy caramel corn, so don't cook it too long!

All Digital Supplies: Designer Digitals

Little Paper Houses

Well, are you all ready for this week? I am slowly getting there. The last big project that I actually felt like I had a deadline for, the kids' teacher gifts, is done. I made 4 houses from the Home Made template. I love these little paper houses. There are some really fun, over-the-top, awesome houses I've seen out there. I definitely kept my decorating to a minimum since I was doing four [And don't mind the off-kilter bows. I was trying to tie the bows by myself while my bow-tying helper was at school.] I think these are such a fun way to package a little goody up. I ran into a major road block this morning on the way to finishing these. The 2 main things in the houses were going to be Denise's lotion (scroll down about 8 posts to #1172) and homemade caramels. I had made my caramels in advance, so they would be perfectly set up by today, so I could wrap them up. This morning I could not find my wax paper anywhere!!! And driving to town from where we live takes too long when you're racing with the clock. I switched gears and went with caramel popcorn, and filled the extra space with hot chocolate mix, peppermint candies, butterscotch candies, andtootsie rolls [the open picture was before I found all the extra candy, so the house looks pretty empty]. The little poem, I include with the lotion, just so they will realize it is definitely not an edible goody! I will definitely be making more of these houses next year! And I hope to be back later in the week with my caramel recipe and caramel popcorn recipe.

Winter Wedding Congratulations

Well, it feels like forever since I sat down to make a card. We were going to my niece's wedding last night and I felt like making a girly wedding card for her. This is what I came up with. I love this big leaf image from Papertrey's Turning A New Leaf. I love that the big leaves can take the stage all by themselves, or share their space with pink flowers, and look terrific either way! The wedding was gorgeous, and my niece and her new husband looked so happy together. I love to see the bride and groom so happy at weddings. It was freezing cold, though. I don't know how people do winter weddings. I was very happy in the heat of June!

Stamps: PTI Turning A New Leaf, SU Botanical Blooms, Congratulations
Ink: PTI Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, True Black
CS: PTI Rustic White, SU Rose Red
Accessories: Martha Stewart Lace Doily Punch, Dew Drops

Corn Flake Cookies

Well, as you can probably tell from my lack of posting, we've hit the really busy time of year. Today I have a recipe card to share with you. Kara, at Kara's Kitchen Creations, is getting ready for the holidays by having a Christmas cookie recipe swap. I have lots of treats that I love to make and to eat around the holidays. I picked this recipe to share, because these cookies bring back so many memories for me. When we were little kids, we lived in the same town as one Grandma but the other one lived out of state. We would go visit at spring break, Thanksgiving and other times throughout the year. But every Christmas, without fail, we would get a box in the mail from my Grandma, filled with treasures and treats. And my favorite thing ever was her corn flake cookies. Just thinking about getting home from school, and seeing the package that my dad picked up from the post office and slid under the tree, makes me smile.

Milk and "Cookies"

December first already! Wow, I can't believe it. I love this time of year and seeing the Christmas lights start to glow, listening to the festive music, and spending time with my family. This is a layout using pictures from Christmas 2007. I love these pictures of the kiddos from that Christmas Eve, and have been trying to make a layout for ages (2 years, to be exact). Finally today, I just sat down, continued to ignore my messy desk, and made this layout. I'm really happy with how it turned out. The story is that we were getting ready to make cookies for Santa. Everyone started talking about all the cookies Santa gets on Christmas Eve, and we decided to leave donuts that year, instead of cookies. It is a really fun memory for me.