Wednesday Night Scrappin!

My pal Jami and I have been scrappin on Wednesday nights. It has been SOOOOOO nice to have one night a week (well most weeks anyway ;)) to get some layouts done, have some fun girl time with my friend, and get a break from everything... and we always have lots of yummy coffee and some kind of goodie so you know I'm in heaven right there!

This is a layout I did last time we got together. I'm really trying to finish up some page kits I had put together a while ago so I can stay focused on my "keep 2009 current" plan.
I used some vintage wooden bingo markers for the flower centers. I LOVE these things! They are one of my fav. embellishments. My stash is getting low though, so I'm going to have to track some more down!!
I also used some of the Bright and Funky Journaling Cards from my shop. They match Pink Paislee papers so well, I love to use them together. (they also go really well with the October Afternoon lines....)
Go here to check them out!

No scrapping with Jami tonight, but I'll be doing some projects here at home for the Creative Chaos design team. I'll share those later! Have a great day!

Oh and PS incase you were wondering, we survived the whole first day of kindergarten trauma. Parker LOVED it and had a great day!! :)

We just love the Fair!

Last week was Fair week here in Missoula. It is definitely a summer favorite in my family! The kids LOVE to look at all the animal exhibits. They are convinced we should have a farm with sheep, pigs, horses, and chickens. Now after the fair this year they've added ducks, goats, and rabbits to the list. Pigs and chickens seem to be the absolute favorites though. This is a layout I did a week or two ago from some old fair photos I hadn't scrapped yet. I had it sitting out in my living room and everyday my youngest son (2) would walk over to it and say "pig, me go! pig, me hand!" (aka "I want to go see the pigs" "I want to hold a pig in my hand") He was so excited about the fair it was the first thing he asked about in the morning. A week has gone by now and he still says "Mama, me go pig" when he wakes up. It's so cute!
I made the flower accent from punched circles that I inked, distressed and layered with a cute star brad. So easy and a great use for scraps!
I used one of my "Quote It" Mini Journaling Cards from my shop. Go here to check them out!

I'll have some more fair layouts and photo ideas to share from this year. I hope to be scrapping them soon since my goal is to keep 2009 current!

Have a great day! Oh... I put some supplies up in the shop yesterday, cute stamps, stickers, etc. Be sure to check them out!

I'm still here...

I have just been living in my flower beds, wrapping up preschool (sigh, my oldest starts kindergarten next year) and soccer, throwing birthday parties, and the rest of the usual transition to summer stuff! :) I just love this crazy, fun, beautiful time of year! We are really trying to get all our landscape projects done before mid June so we can have the rest of the summer to enjoy them. I love gardening, and it is so rewarding to see it all coming together. Oh, and my peonies are about to bloom. They are HUGE this year and one of my very favorite flowers. If only they bloomed all summer long... but I did find a rose variety whose blooms look very similar, so I'm on the look out for some new bushes. Busy busy! Ok enough babbling... I have managed to do a bit of scrapping here and there, so I thought I'd share a layout with you today.
I did this one for the Creative Chaos design team. I used Jenn's fabulous journaling spots. They are so fun to use! I also threw in some sequins and cut some scallop circles in half and added buttons to make a fun border.

I've got a new special coming for the shop this month...stay tuned for details. Go here to see my shop! Well, I'm off to the garden! Have a great day!

Get Sketching!

So here is a new sketch today and a layout to go with it. I'm trying to keep up with my goal to stay caught up on my scrapbooks for 2009. I love being able to journal when it's fresh in my memory. This is a layout I did of my surprise b-day party my kids and mom threw for me. (...remember I told the whole mushy story back in January... sigh, it still brings a happy tear to my eye :))

Here's the sketch I did...


...and here's the layout.

I used lots of stitching, reds, aquas, and vintagey goodies, some of my favorites.




I wanted to include the handmade birthday cards my children made, but there wasn't a lot of room for them (they were kinda large). So I cut a slit in my layered papers and made a pocket be hind the mat of the large photo. I also made one of the small photos a pocket and slipped a tag with my journaling into it. Great space savers when you have ephemera, souvenirs, cards, etc that you'd like to include on your layouts. Almost anything can become a pocket!



More new goodies going in today. Be sure to stop by my shop and check them out! Have a great day!

Our Fabulous Guest Designer...

Miss Jami is such a talented gal! Here's some more of her wonderful work today!

Just look at those adorable girls, and the colors, oh my! So pretty and fun! I have to get one of those wonderful border punches she used! (the green paper edges)
On this layout she used one of the Girlie Girl Journaling Cards from my shop. I love how she added a little bling to them, only fitting for those princesses! I love journaling cards, there is no end to the creative ways they can be used. Go here to get some for yourself.

I've been adding new goodies to the shop this week so be sure to stop by and check them out! More fun things to come too!

Monday's Sketch

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! We had a wonderful weekend. It was jam packed with activities- egg hunt, birthday party, the park, the carousel, friends, family, church, baseball- it was great. Today will probably be lots of housework and laundry since the kids really need some down time here at home today. (...or maybe it's just mom who needs the down time!:)) Anyway... I've got another sketch and a layout for you today!



My son Parker and his uncle had so much fun playing in the skiff of snow we had that day! I added an extra strip of torn paper at the bottom of the layout, but otherwise I followed this sketch pretty closely. You could easily flip this sketch and make it into a double 12x12 layout and use one of the photo spots for extra journaling.

I used a bingo card, one of my 5 w's Mini Journaling Cards, one of my Right Here Mini Journaling Cards, and some fun plastic arrows for embellishments. Go here to find my journaling cards.

I've been working on a really cute spring banner for my house. It's almost done, so I'll post some pictures of it later this week. I'm also working on some new flowers for the shop and I'm still working on getting all my journaling cards listed. Be sure to stop by and check them out!

Another Layout to Share

Happy Friday everyone! I don't know about you, but this week just seemed like it couldn't get over fast enough. Just sharing another layout idea today. This one is of my little "Snow Princess."
Polka dots, scallops, and brackets....oh my! I just can't get enough of them!

I used some of the artisan labels from my shop. I've got some fun new color combos coming soon too...
This is one of my new Month Mini Journaling Cards. They will be coming to the shop soon as well. Think I will also make them in camel, sage, and pink. So fun!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!! Tomorrow we are off to an egg hunt with the kids. It is a benefit for the local food bank. A helicopter is actually going to drop 20,000 (yes, that's 20,000) eggs filled with candy, games, and prizes for the kiddos. Sound likes a lot of fun for a wonderful cause! If your in the Missoula area, you should bring your crew down and check it out. It's this Saturday at 10:30 am at the Western Montana Fairgrounds. Just be sure and bring some non-perishable food to donate! They are also having bounce houses, prizes, and helicopter rides($25). It should be a ton of fun and provide endless photo ops! :)

A New Sketch!

It's been a while since I posted a sketch, so here is one I did recently:


....and here is the layout I made with it...

I fell in love with these papers the moment I saw them, Colorbok's Friendly Forest line. Love it! I was glad to finally put them to use! I added some chipboard stars, twine, buttons, and doodling to the layout. I decided to use the orange frame for a pop of color and to highlight my kids sweet faces.

The cute bracket is a new journaling card I made for my shop. I haven't listed them yet, but I couldn't wait to use them. They are big, fun, and perfect for layering too! I'll be listing them soon... you can contact me in the shop if you'd like some in the mean time.
I don't know about you, but I love graph and ledger type papers. I love anything that resembles and office supply for scrapbooking. They are marvelous and just go with everything. I guess you could say they are my crafty version of the "little black dress," when in doubt they always work!:)

Have a fabulous Monday! Be sure and stop by the shop this week, I'll be adding lots of new goodies! Go here to check them out!

A Pretty New Layout

HELLO!!! Well I think I'm really back for good this time! :) I know, your snickering right now since I keep saying things to that effect, but there it is anyway! :) My 3 children have had the WORST stomach flu bug ever. It has lasted about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. Not fun!! The poor kids! My little guy, my only chubby toddler, has lost so much of his baby chubs since being sick. I could just cry. (...but not for long...that fella is an eater, let me tell you, it won't take long for him to get back to normal once he is better.) You moms out there will know what I mean when I say I feel like my life lately has been nothing but puke and other lovely tummy related problems ;), so I am thrilled to be getting back to some crafty fun!!

So.... I thought I'd share this layout I made of my daughter Maddie. Remember those Valentine photo cards I made a while back? Well this is how I scrapbooked one for me to keep.
I know I am biased, but isn't she lovely! Maddie is just a doll, inside and out!

That cute little bracket card is one of the Bright and Funky Journaling Cards from my shop. I love to layer them and use them as embellishments as well as journaling spots. I also used a vintage hat pin tied with some lovely blue seam binding. (you can find the seam binding ribbon in the shop too!)

I wanted to show you this fun crepe paper trim I used too. I absolutely love it! It makes great ruffles on pages and cards, is so cute as a trim around banners and home dec projects, and can be turned into those cute little crepe paper rosettes. I've been making it to put on projects etc for about a year now, and I was kicking around the idea of making some for the shop. Let me know if you like it and would use it too! Those fun pink plastic letters are from Heidi Swapp-- LOVE THEM!

I've also been adding some new stuff to my online shop, finally! :) Some of the things I previewed here have started going in with lots more to come. As you know, I am hopelessly addicted to designing journaling cards. Well my hubby was out of town for a week (during the puking etc...sigh)so lets just say I have lots more to show you. :)

Journaling Card Layout Ideas

The lovely and oh so talented Jenn Stevens sent me this photo of a layout she did using some journaling cards from my etsy shop. I just love her style! Look at those cute little tags layered at the bottom: simple and brilliant! Thanks so much Jenn for sharing! You should definitely go on over to her shop and check her out. Amazing!



These are the journaling spots she used from the shop.


I'd love to see/share your creations too, send me a pic and I'll share your ideas here!

Sparkled Felt Blossom Ideas

This adorable layout was made by the talented Vivian Huizinga. I love how she added one of the Sparkled Felt Blossoms to the center of the flower, so cute! Thanks so much for sending me the photo, you'll be getting a little packet of goodies for sharing with us! Lets all give Miss Vivian a round of applause, not only did she send in a fab layout, but she was just added to the Design Team for Sweet Pea Scraps. Yeah!! Good luck and best wishes Vivian! If your looking to get your hands on those lovely Sparkled Felt Blossom, you can find them here in my etsy shop.

ONLY 2 DAYS BEFORE THE BIG HOLIDAY FAIR! Soooo much to do so little time! :) Remember to stop by the University of Montana if your in the Missoula area this Saturday from 9-4. You'll find me there along with a bounty of crafts, antiques, and holiday fare. Get your Christmas shopping done early. :) Have a great day everyone, I hope to see you there!

Fair is Fair...

Hello everyone! I just had to share this layout I did of my daughter. She saw the blog post with the layout of "my boys" and said, "Mommy why you not have a scrapbook picture of me on the puter(aka computer)?" So, my dearest to make everything "fair" here is a picture of you. :) She's just too cute to resist.


For an easy handmade accent I cut out hearts from pink and white card stock, inked them, doodled around the edges, and dotted them with glitter. Cute and Quick, a great combo! :) Oh no! I see one of my buttons fell off! I have been very frustrated with a box of glue dots I recently bought. They don't stick! I guess I got a defective box or something, cause I keep having to go back to my layouts and re-glue. UGH!

Things are really getting hectic this week. I have so much last minute stuff to do for the craft fair on Saturday. Remember if you are in the Missoula area (in Montana for those of you wondering where Missoula is) come on by the University between 9am and 4pm for a fabulous holiday event! I'll have the Pink Owl Paperieshop all set up with loads of new goodies. (like mini albums, embellishments, wall hangings, banners, cards, altered boxes and much more) For all of you not in the area, I will be listing whats left after I'm done with my craft shows this month. In the mean time, I have some new embellishments made up for the shop and I'm hoping to get them listed by Friday. So be on the lookout! :) Have a wonderful day!

A layout to Share

Happy Monday! I thought I'd share another layout I made recently. More of that fun robot paper I'm luvin right now.

I used some colorful paperclips (fun and easy embellishments) and circles cut from felt and cardstock.

Lots going on this week for me, I'm getting ready for my 1st Holiday show of the season. It's on Saturday, so I'm up to my eyeballs in paper, trims, glitter, and packaging. :) My "craft room" has officially taken over 1/2 of my house. Our coffee table is now piled with all kinds of goodies. My sweet hubby sat on the couch trying to watch football yesterday through a sea of ribbons, tags, and glitter without one little complaint! :) hahaha Poor Guy!

I've got some new velvet creations for the shop too, so watch for "Tattered Velvet Blossoms" to be making their debut this week.

Here's the Layout

Sorry! I know I said I'd post this yesterday....but I have a really good excuse! My hubby got back early yesterday (he had been out of town for the last week and a half) so the kids and I mobbed him with attention and we took off to have some fun family time. So here it is:

This layout was so quick and easy! LOVE THAT! I cut up a measuring tape to use as an embellishment, added some vintage seam binding, bakers twine, a button, and a few photo turns. I love using "rulers" on my projects. Amazing, I even found a way to use glitter on my baby boys layout (the chipboard flourish at the bottom is covered in silver glitter). Hopefully he won't harass me too much for that later... :) hahaha, I can't help it, I'm addicted to the stuff! Have a great day!

Here's a Sketch

Happy Monday! I thought I'd start out the week with a sketch I did! It's for a 1 page layout, but if you wanted to do a 2 page spread you could just flip the sketch and use that for the second page. It could also be "shrunk" for a cute color blocked card layout.



I'll be back later today with the layout I made using this sketch. I'd love to see any ideas you use it for too! So use it as little jump start and see what wonderfully creative things you come up with!

Coconut Scrapshop Inspiration!

Ok everyone, are you ready for some serious fall eye candy? I was asked by the wonderful Jen who runs the Coconut Scrapshop to be a part of their October kit of the month. They included my Fall Fun Glittered Artisan Labels and pieces from the Autumn Splendor Embellishment kit. I had so much fun making all those goodies! I have been a little addicted to orange glitter lately, so you can imagine my delight when I got to use it on everything! I wanted to show you some of the amazing projects the Coconut Scrapshop's Design Team came up with using the kit. You HAVE to go there and check it out! The kit looks like its going to be amazing, it's not up for sale quite yet, but you get the idea from the photos. They do an amazing job picking things out, and I love all the vintage touches too!

Look at all those fabulous layers! I just love the trims and papers is this kit. Those are the felt leaves from my Autumn Splendor Kit.

She used one of the artisan labels here and added "happy" to it, great idea! I love how she used all those buttons on the card too.
These 2 projects were done by Grace from the Design Team. I just love the wall hanging. I'm such a project girl, it's right up my alley. Those little leaf cupcake pics are soooo cute too. See, I told you it was a fun kit!


This kit is loaded with buttons, YEAH! Here's another use for the artisan labels.

This is so adorable! Look at all that wonderful stitching! She used the felt leaves and the vintage image journaling blocks.

What a clever gal! She used a cookie cutter dipped in paint to make the leaf shapes on the background paper. We all have to try that one! She also used one of the vintage image blocks from my Autumn Splendor kit.
These 2 layouts and the card were done by Pamela of the Design Team. What a fabulous bunch of creations! Love them!



These papers are so rich in color, perfect inspiration for the season! I love all those detail photos of fall how fun, and the journaling around the papers, super cute. She used more of the vintage image blocks here too.
This layout was done by Cheryl of the Design Team. I can't wait to see what else she does with her kit!

Wow! Jen did a great job putting such a talented group of women on her Design Team. I look forward to seeing what they all come up with! Be sure to go check the design team (I didn't show all the ideas and I think they have more coming) and Coconut Scrapshop out. They only do a limited amount of kits, so be sure to snag one up quickly. Thanks soooo much Jen for including me! Thanks to the Design Team too for letting me post your goodies!

Ideas for Journaling Spots.... Artisan Labels

Hello all! I thought that since I've been talking so much about journaling spots lately (and listing them in the shop) I'd show some creative uses for them. Here is a layout done by Jami Rodolph, such a creative gal, that uses the Robbins Egg Artisan Labels. She used them as an embellishment instead of a journaling spot. They are just so versatile! They look super cute if you cut them in half and put them on the edge of the page or a photo (like seen in the layout below) and then you get more bang for your buck too! :)




So cute! Thanks Jami! I'm making some fun Thanksgiving place cards to show you out of a new set of journaling cards I'll be listing today. I just love finding new uses for supplies! Have a great day!

A Challenge....

I don't know about you, but my camera goes practically everywhere with me. I am always snapping photos, jumping on chairs and tables to get the shot, and driving those around me crazy with my addiction to photography. So.... you can imagine how my lens was snapping away on my latest vacation! My favorite stop on the trip was Catalina Island off of the California coast. So beautiful! I found myself (as usual) taking a gazillion photos of the "atmosphere." I love to take pictures of places, buildings, nature... etc. because I think it's great to remember the beauty of life as well as the people in it. Now what do I do with all these seemingly random photos you ask? Well I scrapbook them of course! When we go on a trip or have and occasion that I take a lot of these kinds of photos I do a "taste of" or "pieces of" layout. That way I can remember all the wonderful things I saw that inspired me. Here is an example of a "Random Pieces of Calgary Layout" it did recently:






I labeled each photo with a number so that I can journal about each one individually since they don't necessarily "go" together. (I still need to do the journaling :)

Now here are a few photos I took on Catalina Island, I'll use these to do a "taste of" layout as well. I post it for some more ideas after I finish it.








Now I challenge you to do add some "random pieces" to your scrapbook projects! Be sure to send me a photo of your project too! Have a great day!
Oh, p.s. I have some new goodies for the shop that I've started listing, be sure to check them out! More to come throughout the weekend too!

A Sample Layout!

Hello! Today I have a fun layout to share from one of my blog sketches. This super cute layout comes from the talented Jenn Stevens of My Creative Mess. I love that she turned the sketch into a 1 page layout. Sketches are such a great starting point to get those creative juices flowing.

Here is the sketch:


Now here is Jenn's fab interpretation of it:


I'm still playing catch up from the trip and being sick, but I promise to have some new goodies, more layout ideas, and my fabulous cruise class projects up really soon!
Have a great day everyone!