Dreaming In Scraps

Another F.R.A.K. (giveaway)

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! And welcome to another FRAK (that's Friday Random Act of Kindness for the newbies).

Last week's FRAK was so much fun that I'm going to keep on doing it until I run out of things to give away. (Which will be approximately, um, NEVER!)

So are you ready to see this week's FRAK?

This week, I'm giving away a big package from the Imaginisce Bon Voyage collection, including 13 sheets of double-sided patterned papers, 6 snag 'em stamps,
sticker stackers, canvas stickers, chipboard stickers and die-cuts. Disclaimer: some of the embellishments have been picked over, but there are plenty left to create some amazing travel or masculine pages. All the papers are full 12 x 12 sheets.

Please leave a comment telling me what you'd do with these goodies by 5 p.m. Central time on Monday, February 20. I'll post a winner on Tuesday.

Good luck!

FINE PRINT: If you don't have an email in your blogger profile (or you aren't sure what I'm talking about), please be sure to leave your email addy with your comment. After 5 p.m. Central on February 20, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments on this post and list the winner's name/ comment at the bottom of this post. I will also contact the winner by email if possible. If you live outside the U.S., you are welcome to enter, but I'll ask that you cover the extra postage cost. Thanks for reading!

Looking forward

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

This week is dragging. I knew it would. That always happens when there's something to look forward to for the weekend. I'm heading out to a scrappy retreat -- my first in many years!

The girls I'm going with are so good at planning out what they want to work on and putting together all their supplies into matching kits, etc. Me? I'm just going to throw a bunch of stuff in a bag and hope I get there with something I can work with. It'll be a Tim Gunn "Make-It-Work" weekend. Hopefully, they won't kick me out.

Before I begin my packing frenzy, here are a few projects I created for Epiphany Crafts, but never posted.

I used the Epiphany Crafts metal settings with the Round 14 shapes to top the layered punched flowers on the banner. The silver settings add a very vintage feel to the page.

On this one, I used the Epiphany Crafts Square shapes in between the hexagon chipboard shapes from Pink Paislee. The square tool is so versatile for creating borders!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another F.R.A.K. -- I think you'll like it!

Simply fabulous

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I think (okay, I know) I don't give my kids enough credit. Especially Cecily. As the second-born, she's subject to all sorts of comparisons to her older sister. It's usually unintentional. I don't mean to compare them, but it sneaks into my mind and I feel so guilty for it. They are two completely different children. I want to celebrate their differences, not compare them.

Supplies: Ruby Rock-It patterned paper and chipboard, Epiphany Crafts
felt flowers and Round 14 shapes, My Little Shoebox alphabet stickers,
October Afternoon mini alpha

This layout celebrates the Cecily I know and love. I jotted down five examples of what makes her amazing and unique -- little things that I think are simply fabulous and so completely Cecily. There are many more examples, but I will save them for another day and another layout.

And I will keep reminding myself that there is nothing that can compare to her.

XOXO Blog Hop (winner posted)

2012-02-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

Do you feel the love? Only two more days until Valentine's Day, and to celebrate, Pretty Little Studio is having a blog hop, a one-day sale and lots of giveaways!

To shop the sale, visit the Pretty Little Studio store and enter the coupon code bemine to receive 14% off your order. This code is only valid today, February 12.

Now for my project. This is a very old photo of us, but it kind of fit with the theme of the layout. The days of the week flashcards were the inspiration, and it came together from there.

The most interesting thing about this layout is that it came together entirely from 4 x 4 sheets of paper. Except for the kraft cardstock and flashcards, all the other papers (including the heart shape and the vintage cutout) were from a Love Notes 4x4 paper pack from Pretty Little Studio.

I pieced together scraps around the outside to form a patchwork border, and I brought in more of the patterns with the flags on the left of the photo.

Ready for some more lovey-dovey projects from the Pretty Little Studio girls?

Visit each of these blogs for additional Valentines projects, and be sure to leave a comment at each stop. Each of us will be giving away our favorite Valentines product from Pretty Little Studio.

Leanne Allinson

Katie Cavanaugh
Jen Chapin

Elise Lindsey

Celine LeGuay

Robyn Schaub YOU ARE HERE!
Irit Shalom

Keri Babbit

Pretty Little Studio Blog

I'm giving away the Be Mine Shipping Tags. Aren't they adorable?!

And the winner is...

Congratulations!! I will be emailing you today for your shipping address!

I've had such a great time working with Melissa at Pretty Little Studio for the past few months, and I can't wait to see what the new designers do when they take over next month. There are so many exciting things in store at Pretty Little Studio...I know I'll be watching!

FINE PRINT: If you don't have an email in your blogger profile (or you aren't sure what I'm talking about), please be sure to leave your email addy with your comment. After 5 p.m. Central on February 13, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments on this post and list the winner's name/ comment at the bottom of this post. I will also contact the winner by email if possible. This giveaway is open to international entries. Thanks for reading!

F.R.A.K. (winner posted)

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

It's Friday!

And that means it's time for my first-ever FRAK! Here's what I have to send to one lucky blog reader today:

Apologies for the flash in the photo. I haven't been home during daylight hours any day this week.

This FRAK includes a full Cosmo Cricket Chipboard Alphabet, American Crafts Letterhouse fleece shapes, Basic Grey woolies, chipboard fruit tags, October Afternoon journaling die cuts, 2 sheets cardstock and 9 sheets coordinating patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Basic Grey and 7Gypsies.

And the winner is...

Congratulations, Sue!! I'll be emailing you for your shipping address! (EDITED: Sue, please email me at robmab(at)yahoo(dot)com. Your email address is not going through.)

FINE PRINT: If you don't have an email in your blogger profile (or you aren't sure what I'm talking about), please be sure to leave your email addy with your comment. After 5 p.m. Central on February 13, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments on this post and list the winner's name/ comment at the bottom of this post. I will also contact the winner by email if possible. If you live outside the U.S., you are welcome to enter, but I'll ask that you cover the extra postage cost. Thanks for reading!

Cleaning (and a tease!)

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

I've been on a cleaning kick lately. Not my house -- that's still a wreck, as usual. And my laundry...well, let's not even go there. But my craft room is getting a nice purging right now. I have way more stuff than I'll ever use, and I know there are scrappers out there who can give my things some love.

The main motivator for my purge was a local scrapbook garage sale last Saturday that I decided to join at the last possible minute (thank you, Shelley, for letting me in!). I spent a frantic two evenings throwing things into boxes, and I recruited my two best employees (Avery and Cecily) to stick on price tags. By Saturday, we were READY!

The sale went great, and I met some really wonderful scrappers that I hope to see again sometime soon. But I still came home with a lot of stuff. So once I have a chance to sort through it, there will be some giveaways a-happenin' on this blog.

Because I always work better with a schedule, I'm going to start a new feature called FRAK, which of course stands for "Friday Random Act of Kindness). And it's also fun to say. Try it: FRAK, FRAK, FRAK

See?

Be sure to check back here on Friday for the first FRAK and your chance to win a wonderful box of goodies.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of layouts. I had fun playing with the January kit from Jenni Bowlin and this fabulous Fiskars punch.

Journaling idea inspired by a layout I saw on Pinterest.

I love the pleated chiffon flowers...so soft and sweet!

And using the same kit, here's the full view of the layout I created for the Go Red feature on the Ella Publishing blog.

Hope to see you back here on Friday for the first FRAK!

Go Red!

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ahhh, the month of love is upon us. But February is more than paper hearts and boxes of chocolate...

February is National Heart Month, and Ella Publishing is celebrating with three days of heartfelt stories and projects leading up to National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 3. Learn more by visiting http://www.ellapublishing.com/blog.

Here's a peek at the layout I created:

The entire layout is up on the Ella blog today, so I hope you'll check it out. It's a very personal layout that deals with my struggle to lose weight -- something I haven't really talked about on this blog. I guess I've been afraid I would jinx myself or pull an Oprah and gain it all back. Which I might. But I don't think so.

The truth is: I am stronger. And not just because I created a layout that says that. I've learned some things about myself and about food that I will carry with me for a very long time. Hopefully forever.

But back to today. Or more specifically tomorrow. I have a special request for you:

Please join me tomorrow, Friday, February 3, in wearing red to bring awareness to heart disease in women.

Wear a red shirt, red ribbon, red lipstick, red shoes -- anything you have that's red! I know you will look FABULOUS!

Go Red for Women is a cause that is very near and dear to me. I know women that are my age or younger whose lives have been threatened or taken by heart problems. The fact is that more women die each year from heart disease than the next three causes of death COMBINED (including all forms of cancer).

I don't mean to get all Debbie Downer on you today. Just want to use any means available to make the women in my life (and that includes you, dear blog reader) more aware of their heart health. Get your check-ups, know the warning signs and take steps to live a longer life.

If you'd like more information on warning signs or how you can spread the word, visit the Go Red for Women website or "like" Go Red for Women on Facebook.

Hot and cold

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

It doesn't feel anything like winter here. Not that I'm complaining. I'd gladly take this over the ice/sleet/snow mix we had around this time last year.

Ironically, after taking bunches of snow photos during that big, nasty storm, the last thing I wanted to do was scrapbook them. I was sick of looking at snow and ice and ready to see some green grass and spring flowers.

In the spirit of catching up, I dug out (no pun intended) last year's icy, snowy photos for a couple of pages about what winter really should feel like.

I used Little Yellow Bicycle's Winter Twig collection, and I mixed in some die-cuts -- doilies and scalloped circles to play off of the snowflakes in the collection. I don't do a lot of black and white photos lately, but I liked the way the snowflakes really stood out in Cecily's hair in the black and white version.

This is a page I did for the Pretty Little Studio blog, using the new Winter Wonderland collection. I don't use a lot of pale colors, but I have to say that the soft pale shades in this line have made me rethink my need for color. I love the way this turned out!

The layout was for an inspiration challenge, and the photo I was working from was gray-striped straws. I translated the straws into the diagonal strips of paper to form the background, and I mixed in a few strips of washi tape.

On top of the doily tag is an Epiphany Crafts Scalloped Circle, topped with a button. I think that Scalloped Circle has become my favorite Epiphany Crafts tool. It's a great shape!

Thanks for stopping by!

12 Photos and 2 Layouts

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Last week, I started the Take 12 Photography Challenge with Ella Publishing. I have to admit: I was starting to panic a bit around 5 p.m. when I had only taken 4 photos. But it made me realize that my life truly begins when I leave work -- because I had absolutely no problem getting the remaining photos taken once I picked the girls up from school and we started going about our evening routine.

Left to right: stack of mail, mostly catalogs; picking Avery up from school; favorite winter coat; practicing piano; Lilah waiting for her treat; girls in their stylin' boots; to-do-list; Ceci writing in her notebook; my daily drink of choice (OJ diluted in water); marble jars -- our reward system; my messy desk; my nightly drink of choice.

I felt a little silly taking photos of my coat and the mail, but I think I might look back at this stuff in 10 or 15 years and think how outdated (or maybe retro?) everything looks. Chances are my desk will still be just as messy, though. Next step: get these guys into a layout...stat!

It's not too late to jump into the Take 12 Challenge if you're interested. You can start at any time -- all you need is a camera!

And while I'm here, I'll post my layouts I created for a challenge on the Ruby Rock-It blog. The challenge is to include a banner, pocket or tag on your layout. While it's not an official assignment, it gave me a little push to use these awesome Ruby Rock-It papers (the line is called Paper Boy) -- and they were perfect with the photos.

I got in the banner, but no pocket or tag. But I had paper left...and more photos...and time! So I kept going and made this one, too.

Journaling is hidden in the little mini paper bag/pocket.

These tags are so old-school. Metal-rimmed vellum tags that have been in my collection for years. They used to be the "in" thing, but they've faded from popularity. Still, once in a blue moon, a project comes along and they work perfectly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Is in the air

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Have you spied all the heart-shaped chocolate boxes and bouquets of roses that are popping up at every grocery store, drugstore and gas station this week? Guess that's our not-so-subtle reminder that Valentines Day is approaching.

At least this holiday has a fun color scheme for decorating. Red, pink, black and white are pretty fun to play with, so I created this little banner for a feature on the Epiphany Crafts blog this week.

I used square coasters, turned to become diamond shapes. At the bottom was a perfect spot to hang a charm. Just a few jump rings, hooked to a die-cut circle, then an Epiphany Crafts Heart 25 on top.

I used the Love Me collection from My Minds Eye -- beautiful doily prints and vintage themes with pinks, reds, gray and pale blue.

You may have noticed my blog got a bit of a makeover. I was ready for a fresh look. What do you think?

Take 12 Winner!

2012-01-11T13:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my Take Twelve in 2012 Giveaway. The winner is:

Congratulations, Kim! I'll be emailing you information on how to download your free Take Twelve Kit today.

For those who didn't win, you can still purchase the Take Twelve Kit at a 12% discount until tomorrow.

I'll be starting my own Take 12 tomorrow -- January 12 -- and I still haven't decided which direction to go. Guess we'll find out soon enough!

Take 12 in 2012 {GIVEAWAY}

2012-01-09T16:00:00.000-06:00

I knew 2012 was going to be a great year, and it's certainly off to an exciting start! I've joined the Ella Publishing Team as an Ella Friend for 2012.

What's an Ella Friend, you ask? It's a team of 13 women -- scrapbookers, photographers and crafters -- who write articles and create projects for Ella's online magazine, blog and other publications.

If you aren't familiar with Ella Publishing, hop over and check them out! They're all about the clean and simple look, and they have some really cool eBooks, templates and other tools that make it easy to capture your memories -- from your everyday routine to special events and everything in-between. I'm so happy to be working with them!

the giveaway

To celebrate my new "friendship," I'm giving away a free 2012 Take Twelve Project Kit!

The goal of the 2012 Take Twelve Project is to take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month for a full 12 months—and scrapbook them! You can join in the fun any month of the year, but we hope you'll join in starting January 12.

The kit includes ideas for what photos to take, as well as a variety of sketches you can use to create your 12 layouts. There are even journaling tags and calendars you can print and include on your page.

Or maybe you'll create a mini album that uses your 12 photos as a 4x6 photo collage. There are lots of ideas for that, too!

Leave a comment below by 11:59 p.m. (Central) on Tuesday for your chance to win the 2012 Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit. I'll randomly select a winner on Wednesday afternoon.

Good luck!

If you'd like more information about the 2012 Take 12 Challenge, visit ellapublishing.com/taketwelve.

Muppets, rainbows and 10 crazy girls

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

That pretty sums up my weekend.

Let me explain...

I love parties. Especially birthday parties. And especially when I get to plan them.

When my girls were too young to know better, I'd come up with the theme, the decorations, the food...even the outfits they'd wear. But as they've gotten older, it turns out they want to have a say in the birthday party planning. Major bummer for me.

Fortuately, this year, Avery settled on a theme that I was totally onboard with. (Okay, I might have planted the seed in a very, nonconspicuous, matter-of-fact way...but she thinks it was her idea, and I'm fine with that.)

So her theme was...(wait for it)

Muppet Movie Marathon!!!!!

Gosh, I love The Muppets. Always have, always will. I used to sing Avery to sleep at night with "Rainbow Connection" and I like to think a little bit of it stuck with her and grew into her very own love for all things Muppet.

In honor of our "rainbow connection," all the food and decor was rainbow-inspired.

Because it was a movie marathon, we had to have popcorn. And M&Ms. And it wouldn't be a birthday without cupcakes, right?

My favorite trick was the bottled water -- I removed the labels and added a drop of food coloring to create the different colors. It was a massive hit with the girls -- when we ran out, they had fun helping me make more.

And here's our birthday girl, sporting her homemade Miss Piggy headband.

Cecily totally rocked the headband, declaring "There's only ONE Miss Piggy!" and striking a pose as soon as she put it on.

I got in on the fun, too.

We played Muppet Bingo (also homemade, using images I found on Muppet Wiki -- awesome site if you're into The Muppets) for the chance to win some F-AB-YOU-LUSS prizes...

World's greatest Muppet Bingo caller

And there was some movie watching...no photos because it was dark and, well, not very photographically exciting. I think they made it through most of Muppets Take Manhattan, The Great Muppet Caper and Muppets In Space.

It was a long night, but all 10 girls survived. Look how sweet and quiet and calm they are...

Hmmmm, wait a minute. There's something wrong with that photo.

Oh here we go. This one's far more accurate...

Most of them probably took some pretty healthy naps when they got home.

Only three months until the next birthday...this one's going to be hard to top.

Quiet time

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

With the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, my house was pretty quiet for most of the holidays. My mother graciously offered to take the girls to visit my aunt's house for a few days before Christmas and for a week of camping in South Texas after Christmas.

I have a love/hate relationship with the girls being away. Of course, I love how quiet the house is and how clean it looks without toys strewn every which way. But I also hate how quiet it is. It's too quiet. And it's kind of sad walking by the toy bin, seeing all the things so neatly put away and not being played with.

So what do I do with all my free, quiet time? I scrapbook. Photos of the girls. Naturally.

I wanted to do something fun with these photos from 4th of July, and when I saw the "it's a banner day" sticker in this collection from Lily Bee, I knew immediately what I wanted to make.

And of course it has a banner -- I'm so predictable.

More fun summer photos that I hadn't put to good use...this layout was up on the Pretty Little Studio blog earlier in the week. I used paper and vintage tags from the Antique Store collection. The patchwork pattern reminds me of one of my Granny's handmade quilts.

I hid the journaling inside this Maya Road envelope on one of the Restaurant Receipts from Pretty Little Studio. I think it's cool that these receipts were modeled after original antique receipts from the 1930's and 1960's.

Have a great weekend, and be sure to stop by on Monday, when I'll be sharing a fun announcement!

Fresh starts

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

There's something wonderful about waking up on January 1 -- especially when I didn't stay out too late or drink too much wine on New Year's Eve. Yes, I went to bed early this year, satisfied that I'd accomplished everything I needed to do in 2011. And when I woke up the next day, I felt happy and satisfied and very, very blessed.

Maybe it was my One Little Word taking effect. Or maybe it was just a quiet morning that I didn't wake up with a child or dog laying on me. Either way, it felt like a fresh start.

So far, 2012 is looking really good. There are many things I'm looking forward to like watching Cecily graduate from Kindergarten and celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary (in Hawaii!). And this year, I will turn 40 -- not exactly something I'm looking forward to, but the fact that I'm healthy and alive is cause for celebration, right?

One quick glimpse back at the holidays before I move full-speed ahead into 2012...

I usually run several months (sometimes a year) from taking the photos to scrapping the photos. But I liked these so much I couldn't wait.

I made the die-cuts with some Quickutz dies I've had (and used) for a long time. The bracket shape is one of my favorite dies because it actually cuts that skinny little frame, which you can use in a ton of ways. I used both the positive and negative cuts to create the background for the top. The paper and letter stickers are from the Christmas Town collection by Lily Bee Design.

Hope your new year is off to a fabulous fresh start!

Top Ten of 2011

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

Back in January, I posted my top ten favorite layouts using Imaginisce. But that was a long time ago, and I do actually create things with other manufacturers' products. (Yeah, I know...shocking!)

So I thought, seeing as the year is coming to an end, I should post my ten favorite projects of the year. If nothing else, it's a fun trip down memory lane. So here goes...

(in no particular order because I really can't pick a favorite)

One of my favorite photos became one of my favorite layouts:

Proud that I figured out how to make my own envelope/tag album:

So bright and happy (and full of Epiphany Crafts epoxies, flowers and vintage settings):

Favorite mini I've ever made:

Loved this paper line from Pink Paislee...

Perfect papers (Imaginisce Happy Harvest collection) for this photo:

A rare two-pager using the Animal Crackers collection from Imaginisce:

Published in Cricut Magazine's August issue:

Lots of color and Pretty Little Studio goodies:

Now displayed on my grandmother's mantle:

Thanks for taking the trip down memory lane with me. Hope you have a very happy new year!

See ya in 2012...

One little word

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's about that time. Time to say goodbye to 2011 and make a bunch of resolutions for 2012 that I probably won't keep. My resolutions are usually the same every year:

Lose weight. Exercise. Spend less money.

I usually fail on every single one of them.

This year, I'm going for something simpler: One Little Word.

It's a popular trend for scrapbookers these days to come up with One Little Word that will be their goal or an area of focus or a guide for their actions in the new year. You can read Ali Edwards' take on it here.

One word sounds a whole lot easier and less threatening than my usual resolutions, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

Here's my word:

That means getting rid of negative energy and replacing it with thoughts of all the good and wonderful things in my life. Not dwelling on what I didn't get or do or say. Letting go of disappointments and mistakes and what could've or should've been. Choosing laughter over worry and stress. Looking at the beauty in things rather than analyzing the flaws.

That is my goal for 2012.

And if I lose weight or start exercising, that'll be a bonus.

What's your one little word?

Wrapping It Up

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Just a few more days until the presents under the tree transform into a mound of shredded wrapping paper, busy kiddos and happy faces. It's always right about this time each year when I'm feeling pretty confident about having all the gifts bought and wrapped, that I realize: the stockings are completely empty. Oops.

I whipped up this stocking stuffer idea for the Epiphany Crafts blog. It's quick. It's easy. And hopefully, it will bring a smile to my mom's face when she finds it in her stocking.

You can use them as paperclips or bookmarks. Coupons, stacks of bills, homework assignments...wherever you need a clip or placeholder.

Full instructions and supply lists are on the Epiphany Crafts blog, but if you don't have the Epiphany tools and charms, feel free to be creative with bottlecaps, scrabble tiles or whatever else you might have on hand to top your clips.

I also made a simple foldover card with a wrap to package the clips (for easy stocking-stuffing).

One last bit of holiday cheer...a card I made for the Pretty Little Studio blog's Outside the Box challenge this week. I used papers from the Scaredy Cat collection. (Who says you can't use Halloween papers for Christmas cards? Certainly not me!)

I hope you have a very merry Christmas, happy Hannukah and joyous holiday with your loved ones!

Dreams

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving, my mom presented me with a battered folder stuffed full of my old artwork, report cards, writings, etc. from childhood. It was an interesting trip down memory lane, piecing together all the different things I wanted to be and do and see in my life...and realizing that I've experienced many of them. I guess you could say that those dreams came true. Of course, there are others that I still need to work on. But it was a nice reminder that, when you're a kid, no dream is too big.

Now that Avery is just a few weeks away from her 8th birthday -- and brimming with dreams and ideas of what she wants to do in her life -- I decided to create a repository to capture all those thoughts in her own words.

The book was a bit of an experiment. I created it by making a chipboard backing that I folded twice to make a spine. I punched holes in the top and bottom and bound with twine.

The inside pages/pockets are made from glassine bags that I folded at different increments to create a tabbed effect. The pockets are labeled: i want to be, i want to see, i want to live, i want to go.

The embellishment is pretty simple on each pocket. Just a strip of patterned paper, a strip of trim and a couple of pieces of ephemera with the label.

For each pocket, I created a small card for Avery to write on. I love that the cards show through the glassine for a hint of what's inside.

I can't wait to see what she writes on each card. And hopefully someday, many years from now, she'll thumb through it and see some dreams -- big dreams -- that came true.

Where's the fun?

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

The girls are away for a few days hanging out with my mom and aunt while school's out. And I miss them. A lot.

As much as I love having the house quiet and more time and space to get things done, the house really isn't the same. No one is laughing. There's no tears to comfort or fights to break up. And no one is repeatedly popping into whichever room I'm in to say "whatcha doin?"

Yeah, I miss 'em. Their energy, silliness and laughter are what make our house fun.

A little diversion

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

We interrupt this onslaught of holiday-themed red-and-greenery to bring you...

...Easter?!

Yes, I know I'm getting WAY ahead of myself by posting spring-themed projects. But Imaginisce just released a brand-new collection: Hippity Hop. After four weeks of December Dailies, cards, tags, ornaments and holiday-themed layouts, it was a welcome change to play with something pink and blue and springy.

The idea for this layout came from a sketch I saw on the October Afternoon blog. When I saw the birdcage die-cuts, I thought they'd look cute hanging along some twine. Then I added some patterned paper flags, a canvas Maya Road banner and an Epiphany Crafts heart. The twine is hanging from two iTop medium brads.

I've had the mini clothespins for a while, but kept forgetting to use them. They were the perfect size to clip on the photos.

One of my favorite things about this collection is the kites. I hand-cut some clouds to play into the kite scene on this layout.

Be sure to "hop" over to the Imaginisce blog each day this week to check out more projects with this fun, new collection -- and a chance to win it all!

Peppermint-obsessed

2011-12-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

Peppermint is my favorite flavor of the holiday season. Especially when you mix it with chocolate. And if you throw some espresso in there? Well, that's just a little shot of heaven in a cup!

Yes, Starbucks discovered this several years ago -- the Peppermint Mocha -- and I love them for it. I truly do. But this year they got smart and made a "skinny" version. Even better. I can drink this heavenly concoction and not feel an ounce of guilt.

So thank you, Starbucks. You've found yet another way to suck money out of my wallet and put a smile on my face while doing so.

Now, about the layout: The paper, stickers and trims on this layout are from Crate Paper. Ironically, the line is called Peppermint. I couldn't resist.

I added some Epiphany Crafts Round 14s, Vintage Settings (Clubhouse and Cabana) and a Heart 25 shape (in place of the letter "o"). Letter stickers are from October Afternoon and American Crafts.

I also tried out a new tape runner from Scrapbook Adhesives, called MyStik. Not only can you customize it with a photo (so no getting it mixed up with someone else's at your next crop); it also has three different positions that click into place, so you can choose the one that feels best in your hand. Very cool!

Finally, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the new Epiphany Crafts blog (and change your bookmark): www.epiphanycrafts.com/blog

Lots of inspiration and, best of all, GIVEAWAYS!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

On my blog and in my craft room. The crafty projects are piling up...and I haven't even started the cards yet. (Uh oh)

Before the month flies by and everyone has O.D.'d on red and green, I figured I'd share a few of the projects I've been working on for the past few weeks.

This is a gift tag that I'm planning to attach to a wine bottle for a hostess gift. I used a Pretty Little Studio shipping tag and added some of the vintage embellishments, like a bingo card, train calendar tag, ornament journaling tag and small vintage tag. I finished it with a sentiment stamp from PaperTrey Ink.

A new ornament for my tree, using a Maya Road mega bottlecap and pleated ribbon, paired with paper, vintage tag and bingo card from Pretty Little Studio.

And finally, a layout. (Yes, I still do layouts.) This one features the Imaginisce Santa's Little Helper line, with some iRock details on the ornaments and package.

The photos are from last Christmas -- by the time I got them uploaded, I was out of the Christmas mood and wanted to scrap other stuff. Now I'm happy I waited. It reminded me of how much fun Christmas morning is and I'm really looking forward to experiencing it again in a few more weeks. (Wow...really? A few more weeks?)

I really need to get going on those cards.

Brrrr! (and Giveaway Winner)

2011-12-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

We're experiencing our first true "cold snap" of the winter season -- 20's and 30's -- probably doesn't even sound cold to most of you who live north of here. But...it sure feels cold to me!

Ironically, the weather change coincided with our holiday party at work, and our department's theme is "Frosty the Snowman." The girls helped me with my part of the decorations (Cecily is amazing at paper snowflakes)...

And the food...

Those are marshmallows on skewers, dipped in white chocolate and embellished with holiday M&Ms, candy corn noses, licorice scarves and pretzel stick arms. Inspired by ideas I found on Pinterest. How did I ever do anything before Pinterest?

Now onto the real business of the day...

Thanks so much for all the comments on my December Daily. So far, I'm 5 for 5 on taking photos, but I really need to start writing journaling DAILY -- 'cause that's kinda the point, right? (Bad Robyn!)

The winner of the Pretty Little Studio $10 gift certificate is:

Congratulations, agravette! Please email me at robmab @ yahoo.com and I will send you the coupon code for the PLS store!

A Holiday Blog Hop (Giveaway Closed)

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Jingle bells...jingle bells...it's offically December and what better time for a holiday blog hop! The Pretty Little Studio team has been busy creating some beautiful projects to ring in the season, and I'm excited to share in the fun!

So onto my project...a December (gulp!) Daily.

I said I would never do it. You see, I'm a realist. I know myself. A few years ago, there is not even a tiny smidge of a chance that I'd take at least one photo a day in December. But things happen.

Like the invention of the iPhone, which means I have a camera with me at all times. And then there are apps like Instagram, which makes my photos a nice square size and adds all kinds of cool actions right on my phone, and PostalPix, which delivers reasonably-priced 4x4 prints from my phone straight to my mailbox.

But the thing that really convinced me? These awesome pre-made December Daily journaling cards from Pretty Little Studio.

This year, a December Daily seemed -- dare I say it? Do-able.

I spent most of my free time over Thanksgiving putting together the pages, and I learned two things:
(1) It's hard to scrap without photos. (Ok, I already knew that one.)
and
(2) When you're doing 25 pages, you really need to KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn #2 until somewhere around page 10.

But I still finished it!

I'm not going to bore you with every page, but I'll share a few of my favorites...

All the papers, tags, flashcards, journaling spots, garland flags, etc. are from Pretty Little Studio -- mostly from the Jingle Bells collection.

I adhered pattern papers back to back and mixed them with Kraft and red cardstock pages. Because there are so many pages, I didn't want to add thickness with chipboard.

Here's where I figured out the "keep it simple" mindset...

Oh yes, it's going much faster now...

I adhered the December Daily journaling pages back to back and bound them into the book with my Bind-It-All. You could also use binder rings if you don't have a binding machine.

I tried to lay out each page to accommodate a 4x4 photo, so (hopefully!) I can just paste in the prints from PostalPix when they arrive.

To mix it up a little, I threw in some half-pages and a transparency page. I'm kind of loving the trend of different-sized pages lately.

Here's where I decided to get a little tricky. I knew there would be a lot happening on Dec. 24 -- like baking cookies for Santa, wearing Christmas jammies, etc. So I gave myself a little extra room on this day by adding an envelope.

I figure I can tuck a photo or some extra journaling inside.

And that's it. My very first December Daily. Now I have to remember to take the photos!

Ready for some more Christmas inspiration from the Pretty Little Studio girls?

Visit each of these blogs for additional holiday projects, and be sure to leave a comment at each stop. Each of us will be giving away a $10 gift certificate to the PLS store, and there will be a grand prize $25 gift certificate awarded to one lucky person who comments on the PLS blog!

Robyn Schaub <-- YOU ARE HERE!
Jen Chapin
Katie Cavanaugh

Karen Lim

Laura Achilles

Celine LeGuay
Mary Jo Johnston

PLS Blog

Happy hopping, and happy holidays!

Fickle girl

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I complete a project and think: this is it. This will be my favorite project that I ever do. From now on. I will never make anything I love as much as this.

Then a few weeks go by. Or a month.

All that time, I'm creating new things. But nothing I love as much as "the one." It sits on my shelf. I give it adoring glances as I walk by.

But then it happens. I make something, and all of a sudden, "the one" becomes a little less perfect. Because I've fallen in love with my latest creation.

Does that make me fickle?

I created this mini album as a fundraiser class for my daughters' school. And for about a month, it was "the one."

I love the red, black and cream color combo. I love that it combines all different kinds of textures -- paper, transparent overlays, ribbon, canvas, lace -- just like a family combines all types of personalities. (ooooh, that's a deep thought)

I love that it has all my favorite family photos, converted to black and white.

I love that I tried new things -- like stamping on a glassine bag and die-cutting overlays.

I love that I found a perfect use for the awesome red washi tape I've been hoarding.

And I love that it will raise money for a cause that's really near and dear to my heart -- my girls' beautiful school in Old East Dallas.

The class will be January 26 at my home, so the spots are extremely limited. However, if you're interested in making this album and enjoying some girl time on a Thursday evening (and you're in the Dallas area), drop me an email. The class is $30 and the entire amount goes to support a great neighborhood school. (If you're not in the Dallas area, I'll be selling any remaining kits after the class in January.)

But you know what's coming, right? Yes, as much as I love this little book, I've moved on. There's a new project that's captured my heart.

I'll be sharing it on Thursday...

(how's that for a tease?)

Blessed

2011-11-21T01:00:00.000-06:00

I have loved reading everyone's Facebook posts this month about what they are thankful for. I wish I'd been more on the ball and posted one of my own each day, but there's always next year, right?

With or without Facebook, the month of November always gets me thinking about the many ways we are blessed. It's overwhelming, really. I could probably write a book with all the big (and little) things in our life that I am grateful for. Hmmm...now there's an idea.

But back to the subject at hand...

I created this layout for an Imaginisce assignment about Thanksgiving. So many ways to go on this one, but I decided to focus on the relationship between my girls. Because watching them together, I can't help but feel blessed that I have them in my life. They teach me so much about myself and the person I want to be. And they inspire me every single day.

The other reason behind this assignment is the release of the new and improved iTop tool. If you've ever used the iTop, you know how addicting it can be. But you also know that the old tool had a bit of a learning curve. Getting the brads to shape just right was tricky. You'll be happy to know that Imaginisce has fixed this with the new tool. Not only is it lighter weight and easier to hold, the rubber heads that form the brads are much stronger and better at shaping the paper, fabric or whatever else you're using to cover the brad. Even the small brads that used to give me fits are a breeze with the new tool.

One of the things I've always loved about the iTop is that you can add texture to your layouts by covering brads with fabric or other materials. I used a scrap of Heather Bailey fabric and some bleached burlap to cover some small brad daddies and they became the tops of the banner.

Using brads makes it easy to wrap twine around each one to connect the pieces of the banner.

If the new iTop is on your holiday wish list, check out the deal at Oh My Crafts on the iTop Bundle. It's a great deal on a tool you will reach for over and over!

And now I'm off to pack for our Thanksgiving trek to the lake cabin. Many blessings to you and your family this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Take two

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000-06:00

I try not to use the same photo on more than one layout. While some of my favorite photos do end up getting repeated in mini books and altered projects, it's very rare that I will use the exact same photo on two separate layouts. I made an exception for this one.

Why? First, because I love the photo. It so perfectly captures Cecily -- how her mood can change in the blink of an eye and you can sense it immediately by the expression on her face. And second, because I felt that the layout I did with this photo a few months ago really didn't do it justice. It didn't say anything about me as the maker or her as the subject.

This is the layout I wanted to do. Everything about it, from the color combinations to the slightly messy style, feels right to me.

Supplies: Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 14; Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 25; Epiphany Crafts Vintage Settings – Tea Room; Epiphany Crafts Vintage Settings - Cabana; Epiphany Crafts Star Flowers - Mint; Tattered Angels Chalkboard Mist – Inchworm; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist – Pearl; Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam – Bordeaux; Pink Paislee patterned paper, ephemera, journaling spot, twine and wood letters; Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type stickers; American Crafts journaling pen

Yeah, I love this one.

Chasing butterflies

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000-06:00

There's a new sketch challenge on the Pretty Little Studio blog this week. All you have to do is create a layout based on their sketch by next Monday and link it up to the Pretty Little Studio blog post.

Here's the layout I created:

I discovered that this wavy line paper makes a great journaling block. I added Half Circle Number Tags as my bullet points.

Hope you'll play along for your chance to win a $5 coupon to the Pretty Little Studio store!

Outside the box

2011-11-10T02:00:00.000-06:00

Are you an "outside the box" kind of person? If so, you should check out the challenge on the Imaginisce blog today: create a shaped layout.

I have to admit that I struggled with this one a bit. When it comes to layouts, 12x12 is my comfort zone. So coming up with a shape that wasn't a square or rectangle or circle was a little daunting. I kicked around several ideas, but here's where I ended up:

As I started pulling supplies, I came to the Bon Voyage collection, and I immediately thought of a suitcase. Not the new, modern hardsided roller bag. I'm talkin' about the old-school, worn leather box with the handle that's just a little smaller than your hand.

The shape is really pretty simple: a 9 1/2" x 12" rectangle with rounded corners and a smaller 4" rectangle with rounded corners (and the center trimmed out) for the handle. Then add the two strips of paper for the straps and build the layout from there.

I added some inking around the edges because a good suitcase always shows signs of the places it's been. And I finished it off with some luggage tag embellishments and a bit of twine on the handle.

By the way, if you're interested in trying out for the 2012 Imaginisce Design Team, the call is open now. It's a wonderful team to be a part of, and I've thoroughly enjoyed working with the talented women on the team for the past two years. I've decided to let my spot go this year, but I know that it will continue to be an amazing team and I'll definitely be an Imaginisce fan for life. Good luck to all who apply!

Traditions

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000-06:00

It's nice to see that I still have some blog followers after my little hiatus. Thanks for sticking around!

So in a few short weeks, Thanksgiving will be here. And for us, that means a trip north to our lake cabin. (Or as Avery calls it, "The Cabinet.") My in-laws come and stay there with us, and my Dad and stepmom live on the adjoining lot, so it's the one time of year that almost every member of our family -- both my side and Adam's side -- are all together in the same house.

I think this year will be our sixth Thanksgiving at the cabin, and that's significant because, for both of my kids (ages 7 and 5), every Thanksgiving they can remember was spent there.

Of course, there are other traditions that happen during our annual trip to the cabin -- traditions within the tradition -- and I finally got around to documenting one of them.

I used patterned paper and garland flags from the Apple Cider collection from Pretty Little Studio to add some color. (The only downside of visiting the cabin so late in the year is that we miss the leaves changing color. But on the upside, it also means it's usually cool enough to build a fire in the woodburning stove!)

Have you noticed that I use bakers twine on everything lately? I'm in love with the stuff. I can't help it.

Timeless

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-06:00

It seems only fitting that my first post (after taking a considerable break from blogging) would relate to time. But I've been thinking a lot about it lately. My girls are growing so fast. A few days soon turns into a month and, before you know it, the holidays are approaching and the year will soon be over. I think that's what keeps me taking the photos and creating more pages for the scrapbook -- because I know that every moment is soon replaced by another and another.

A few weeks ago, the girls had an early release day. It was a beautiful day, and I needed photos for the holiday cards, so we headed over to the lake. The light was so warm and perfect, and I took some of the best photos I've ever taken.

Some of them went into this layout for Epiphany Crafts, which spotlights the Shape Studio Round 25 tool:

Supplies: patterned paper, chipboard elements and spool buttons (Pink Paislee), alphabet stickers (October Afternoon), chipboard letters (American Crafts), sheer doilie (Maya Road), Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 25 tool and epoxies

I'm sure some of these same photos will be making it into this next project. It's a class I created for Scrapville using the Bo Bunny Et Cetera collection.

Last year, I created a "Favorite Moments of 2010" mini, and I love looking back at it. I'm not sure which photos will make it into this year's version just yet, but at least the book is done -- and hopefully, it will inspire others to start their own "favorite moments" books.

A couple more peeks:

The class will be December 3 at Scrapville, so give Kerry a call if you want to sign up!

Life looks a lot like this...

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how taking off work on a Monday can throw me completely off-schedule. It's just one. little. day. Yet I'm behind on everything: laundry, email, work, blog, scrappy projects. How does that happen?

As I try to re-group and check a few more items off my to-do list, I thought I'd share a few projects I created for the Pretty Little Studio blog over the past month.

A wall hanging for my scrapbook room created with the Antique Store collection and some Maya Road jumbo bottlecaps. I'm excited about this one because Maya Road liked it enough to put it on their Pinterest page. Score!

I also added some Epiphany Crafts goodies, including a Round 14 Charm Setting that I attached to a key.

This layout was created for the "out of the box" inspiration challenge and is based on this photo from Pinterest. I used the Candy Jar Labels and cut out the centers with a craft knife to create the frames for these photos.

And here's a back-to-school layout I did with the Apple Cider collection -- I think it's my favorite of all the Pretty Little Studio lines I've worked with. The flashcard has the girls ages (5 and 7), so it was a perfect addition (pun intended).

Blog updated -- check! Next?

Bon Voyage

2011-09-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

I've been daydreaming lately...of walking along a sandy beach or sipping wine on a balcony with a view. The travel offers in my inbox are getting more and more clicks from me. And when I see a plane flying through the sky, I wonder where it's going and assume it's probably somewhere beautiful and exotic.

Sadly, there are no exotic trips in my near future, but we are getting away for a quick road trip this weekend to San Antonio. My kids are excited to go to Sea World, and I'm excited to check into a hotel room that doesn't look like a Toys R Us exploded inside it.

Coincidentally, Imaginisce has just released a new line that is feeding my inner travel bug. It's called Bon Voyage, and it's a very different line -- kinda grown-up and sophisticated. Here's what I created:

I found this old photo of Avery and realized I'd never scrapped it before. And the title is also the first book she ever owned (Adam bought it for her when I was still pregnant).

This two-page layout uses only patterned paper, canvas stickers, cardstock and letter stickers -- it's a lot simpler than it looks.

This line is perfect for making masculine cards, which is great since I have basically zero man-cards in my stash.

I used the Epiphany Shape Studio Round 14s to create the epoxy dots on this one.

Be sure to check out all the other designers' projects on the Imaginisce blog this week. There's a great giveaway, too!

Sunny days

2011-09-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

The weather has been amazing this week: sunshine, blue skies, dinner on the patio. Yes, I'll take it!

In honor of the beautiful sunshine, here are some bright, shiny projects.

I used the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio to create the centers for the felt Star Flower and the Vintage Settings.

Most of the other supplies are old Bella Blvd papers and embellishments that I've been hanging onto for a while. I toyed with the thought of trying out for their recent design team call, but the timing wasn't quite right this time. Really love their stuff though.

Here's a card I created for the Pretty Little Studio blog. It's an easy design, and I posted a step-by-step here if you're interested.

Hope you're enjoying sunny days wherever you are!

Colorful

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Cecily always inspires me with her fashion choices. She's not afraid to mix plaids and stripes and polka dots. She'll fearlessly pair an orange top with a green skirt and pink leggings and, somehow, it just works. Granted, she's 5, but I really love her fashion sense.

Over the past few years, I've become more courageous in mixing patterns and colors, and I think my crafty ventures are a big part of it. It's much easier to take a risk with sheets of paper that cost less than $1 than with articles of clothing or yards of designer fabric. Another plus is that some of the really smart paper manufacturers -- like Doodlebug Designs -- make supplies that color-coordinate. So you can mix fearlessly, just like Cecily.

Here are some very colorful projects I created with the Nifty Notions collection from Doodlebug Designs.

Appropriately enough, this photo was taken outside the Dallas Museum of Art. That mosaic just screams "take my photo!"

I didn't have letter stickers in all the colors I needed, so I whipped out my acrylic paint and altered a few white stickers to the colors I needed.

I made this monogram card using a letter sticker. I'm not quite sure who I'm going to give it to, but the great thing is that I can change the monogram by changing out the sticker and the person will think I made it just for them. Shhh...

And finally a mini album that holds some of my very favorite photos taken this summer. I've gotten into a habit of doing these "favorites" books, and they're always the first thing my friends and family members pick up when they come into my room.

Thanks for stopping by!

A few pretties

2011-09-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I still scrap girly layouts and cards. My life with two girls is still full of ruffles and bows and pink dresses. Although I'm not sure how much longer it will last. As they get older and their styles change, I figure our days of frilly and fancy are numbered.

But in the meantime, here are some of the girly projects I've done recently. The first two are for Pretty Little Studio, which has some beautiful vintage doll embellishments that are perfect for pink dress and tea party layouts.

I had the pink flower trim in my stash, and it was a perfect way to cover the seams between the two patterned papers.

Really loved this little cut-out with the doll -- it even looks like Cecily!

This is a window card using the Lemon Slice Garland Tags. I used a Spellbinders die to cut the window from the cover, then strung the tags for the sentiment.

Here's a really simple layout I did using the Doily dies from Papertrey Ink and some Pebbles supplies.

These photos were taken on the same day as the ones in the first layout I posted today, but these actually show my grandmother's china that we dug out of storage for this very special birthday tea party.

Again, more trim that I found in my stash. I think this might be a Crate Paper trim, or maybe American Crafts? I don't know, but I love it!

I added this sweet little resin flower with just a tiny bit of sparkle.

And that's it for now...I have a few more projects that I'm behind on posting. Hopefully the long weekend will give me a chance to catch up!

Back to School!

2011-08-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

The past few days have been a whirlwind of shopping, laundry and labeling. But this morning, all the effort paid off when I went in the girls' bedroom to wake them up and they hopped right out of their beds, excited to get dressed and go to school. I wonder how long this will last.

Coincidentally, today is the first day of the release party for Imaginisce's new "Geek is Chic" school-themed line. If you haven't been over to the blog today, be sure to check out the projects and the giveaway.

This line was perfect for my back-to-school mindset, and I created this mini book to show off all the photos I took this morning (which I'll be adding in soon):

I cut the double-sided papers to 6" x 6" and glued two of them together to create thicker pages. Then I stitched around the edge with my sewing machine, switching to a zig-zag stitch in some places.

I made the little paper clip by adding a canvas sticker to the top of a store-bought paper clip, then gluing some patterned paper to the back and trimming around the shape.

I kept the inside pages fairly simple because I figured some of the at-school photos would have a lot going on in the background.

To create the glasses, I used the die-cut and trimmed out the centers. Then I added patterned paper to show through the lenses.

Next up is a layout I created about Avery's obsession with reading. It makes me so happy to see her curled up reading a book, especially when it's a Beverly Cleary book that I read when I was in school.

I cut the heart on my Cricut, then used my sewing machine to stitch around the edge.

The patterned papers in this line are so much fun to use as backgrounds, especially the lined paper. Here's a non-school layout I created using some of the papers, along with the i-rock tool and Fabric Roly Rosies.

I misted one of the Neutral Fabric Roly Rosies to make it match the other colors in the layout. Then I hand-cut two leaves from the green paper to accent it. And there's another one of those red paper clips. They work so perfectly with this line!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the projects on the Imaginisce blog over the next few days for more back-to-school inspiration.

Two is better than one

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Among the many things I've learned about myself this summer is this little conundrum:

Even though my girls constantly get on each other's nerves when they're together -- including relentless taunting, the occasional fight and eardrum-piercing scream -- I like it better when they're together.

I'm not sure I can really explain it, but it seems that their personalities are almost dependent on each other to be complete. It's like one is part of the other.

Over the summer, they've visited relatives one at a time, so we've had the luxury (?) of spending time with each of them on their own. It's nice to have that time with them, but there's definitely something missing.

Yes, they're each unique and their personalities are completely different. But it's when they're together that you see those differences most clearly. They complement each other. They "complete" each other.

Tonight, Avery comes home from her week with YingYang (that's one of the grandmothers), and we'll be a complete "family of four" again. I'm sure there will be squabbles, screams and a few tears once she and Ceci are in the same room again, but it's worth it to have them back where they belong...together.

Have a great weekend!

Jumping for Joy

2011-08-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Another weekend just bit the dust. Four loads of laundry. Post office. Grocery store. Craft projects. Meals. It's all kind of a blur. What stands out are the silly things we laughed about -- and I even caught some of them on film.

For some reason, we're all about the poses right now. Each pose has a name. Some of our favorites are "Oopsie" and "Squirrel" (it's complicated), but the best one (on film anyway) is "Jumping for Joy."

One more time...

I especially love the "take-off position" they get into each time and the fact that Avery always opens her mouth when she's in the air. Yep, these will be going on a page sometime soon.

Speaking of pages...

If you're a fan of sketches, be sure to check out the August PageMaps from Becky Fleck. I was lucky enough to be able to create one of the examples for Becky this month. It's the first time I've ever done an 8 1/2 x 11 double layout. Actually, it might also be the first time I've done *any* 8 1/2 x 11 layout.

The patterned papers and embellishments are from Imaginisce's Animal Crackers line, and I added some My Little Shoebox alphabet stickers on a Spellbinders die-cut.

Hope you're week is off to a great start!

Addicted to doilies

2011-08-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

I know. They're everywhere right now. But I can't help but love doilies. They're girly and sweet and a quick way to add curved lines and a vintage feel to a project.

This week, Pretty Little Studio kicked off a new weekly Inspiration Challenge on their blog, and as my first design team assignment, I had to create a project based on this photo:

Source: http://decor8blog.com/2011/01/24/color-me-pretty-lemon-yellow/

Isn't it lovely? Ironically, I already had this one "pinned" on my Pinterest board for gift wrapping inspiration. But it didn't occur to me to turn it into a layout...until now.

I used patterned papers from the Apple Cider collection, and I mixed in some embellishments, including a flashcard, a train ticket calendar, number tag and notebook circle.

The different shapes and sizes reminded me of the different packages in the photo.

You can play along with the challenge this week for a chance to win a $5 coupon for the Pretty Little Studio store.

While we're on the topic of doilies, I realized I never posted this photo of a door hanger I created for the Epiphany Crafts booth at CHA:

Yep, you guessed it. Doily! Along with papers from Lily Bee and letter stickers from Echo Park. I'm also pretty addicted to the Epiphany Round 14s with the Charm Settings. Here's a closer look:

It's safe to say you'll be seeing more doilies from me in the near future. I think I'm going to need a 12-step program.

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

Still playing catch-up

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like you're thisclose to being caught up, but you can never quite get there? Yes, that's me this week.

In my futile attempt to achieve complete catched-uppedness (oooh, a new word!), here are a couple of projects I finished before CHA and haven't had a chance to post yet.

You may have spotted this one in my scraproom tour a few weeks ago, but you'd really have to be looking. It's an IKEA shadowbox frame that I altered with paper from the Pebbles Happy Go Lucky line.

I handstitched the gridlines onto white cardstock, then added a variety of embellishments, including Pebbles felt embellishments, flower brad and dimensional stickers. I also created epoxies with the Epiphany Shape Studio tools. I used a Round 14, layered onto a Vintage Setting (in a beautiful muted orange), and a Heart 25.

It's a perfect decoration for my scrapbook room -- a.k.a. my "happy place"

I also used an Epiphany Round 14 with part of a Spring Flowers Chocolate Strawberry felt embellishment on this layout:

I cut the round mats with the Doily Details dies from Papertrey Ink and layered patterned paper circles on top. Here's a closer look at the Epiphany felt embellishment:

And now I'm off to see how much more catching up I can get done before I fall behind on something else.

Have a great Thursday!

25 more days until...

2011-07-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

...school starts! Can you believe we're already under a month away from the "back to school" rush?

As much as my girls are enjoying their camps, I'm looking forward to school starting for two reasons:
1) One stop drop-off, same place, same time every morning. Because my overloaded brain can't handle the weekly change-ups from one camp to another.
2) No more fighting over what to wear -- hooray for school uniforms!!!

To get myself back in the school mindset, I created this little School Years mini book for a class at Scrapville:

I used papers from October Afternoon's Schoolhouse collection, along with a great little Library Pocket book kit from Creekbank Creations.

I love the fact that I now have a place to store Avery's school photo from each year and record a few details about her classroom experiences. I also left space on the back of each card in case there's a small piece of artwork or other memorabilia that I want to paste in.

I labeled all the pages using My Little Shoebox Tiny Alphas, and it will take us all the way through 5th grade. (Which I really don't even want to think about -- I mean, really, how could Avery be old enough to be a 5th grader. Why, that would make me, like, ANCIENT?!!!)

Here are the class details in case you're interested:

Date: Saturday, August 6
Time: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: Scrapville, 2304 Stonewall, Greenville, TX
Cost: $25

There a still a few spots left, but space is limited, so if you're local and want to sign up, give Scrapville a call right away (903-454-3323).

Hope to see you there!

Christmas in July!

2011-07-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

It's now day 24 of consecutive double-digit temperatures in Texas, and today we're expecting a high of 104.

So what better time to be thinking about Christmas!

Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking. But this week kicks off the release of Imaginisce's new Christmas Collection: Santa's Little Helper. Because, when it comes to scrappy projects for the holidays, you've gotta start early!

Since I'm already counting down to cooler weather, I figured why not create a way to count down to the holidays:

I started with a raw wood IKEA frame, which I painted and then used Mod Podge to apply the polka dot paper to it. The numbers are just printed from my inkjet printer onto plain paper and trimmed to approximately 1 1/2" squares. I say "approximately" because I found that it looks a lot more interesting if the sizes are slightly different. I attached the numbers using a mini clothespin that I glued onto the backing paper.

The Santa and presents die-cuts were perfect accents, and I used alpha stickers from My Little Shoebox to create the title.

I also created these ornaments using some shadowbox kits I found at the Great American Scrapbook Convention last month:

The kits are made by a company called Darcie's and come with several layers of chipboard that you can cover as you like, then top with a sheet of acrylic and clip together. I added some white iridescent glitter to turn them into shaker ornaments. I also finished them with a few i-rock jewels for some added sparkle.

It's a perfect way to create a winter scene, and my kids are going to love hanging these on the tree.

If you're looking for more inspiration for the upcoming holidays, be sure to check out the Imaginisce blog this week as more projects will be revealed each day.

Answers and Giveaway Winner

2011-07-15T10:20:00.007-05:00

Thanks to everyone who commented about my deceptively clean scrap room. You'll all be relieved to know that it's messy once again. But yes, even when it's messy, I still love being in there. It's my happy place.

A couple of you asked questions in your comments, so here are some answers for you:

IrisGoddess -- The white desk is from Target, and you can order it online with free shipping. It's called the Madison Large Trestle Desk. Assembly was pretty easy and, for the price, it's a good quality, sturdy desk. I love it!

Katie -- I had to trim about a half-inch off the top of each of the Cropper Hopper vertical paper holders to make them fit in the Expedit. After that, they fit perfectly. I looked for other options that would fit, but never could find anything I liked as well as the Cropper Hopper folders, so I just gave them all a little trim.

And the winner of the giveaway is:

Kelly Sas, congratulations!!!! Please email me your address to robmab at yahoo.com and I'll get your prize pack shipped out next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Counting down to Chicago

2011-07-15T02:00:00.001-05:00

Just a few more days until I board a plane to Chicago for CHA Summer. I'm very excited to see my scrappin' peeps and spend a few days surrounded by the newest, coolest crafty stuff.

Here are a couple of projects I created for the Epiphany Crafts booth:

I used the Shape Studio Round 14, Shape Studio Round 25 and Shape Studio Heart 25 tools to create matching epoxies with these gorgeous papers from The Girls Paperie. The Vintage Settings in Clubhouse were a perfect match for the colors in the papers.

I layered one of the Vintage Settings on top of a felt flower (from these Spring Flowers) and I tied a Charm Setting onto the tag.

Next up is a simple card I created with the Delightful Doilies stamps and a Doily Details die from Papertrey Ink.

I used Epiphany Round 14s, including a Vintage Settings and a Felt Flower as the center for some of the doilies. The papers are from American Crafts, and the inks are Jenni Bowlin.

The giveaway from yesterday's post is still open, so be sure to leave a comment. I'll do the drawing on Saturday morning, so get your entries in by 12:01 a.m. (Central) on July 16.

I have one more CHA project to share, but I'll save that for the weekend. Stay tuned!

A Peek at My Crafty Space + GIVEAWAY

2011-07-14T01:00:00.001-05:00

Warning: this post may not portray me in the most realistic light.

My room never looks like it does in the following photo. I don't think there's ever a day when I don't have at least one project splayed out on the desk. But Imaginisce asked all the design team members to do a feature for their blog called i-Space and give you a little peek at where we create. And today it's my turn (a.k.a. time to clean things up!).

So here's a rare look at my very clean (for the moment) room:

Lots more photos and descriptions of my storage solutions are on the Imaginisce blog today, so hop over there and check it out.

GIVEAWAY

But while you're here, leave a comment below to win an Imaginisce prize package, including papers, embellishments and stamps from the Little Cutie line AND the very cool d-stress tool!

Hope you enjoy the tour!

Party on

2011-07-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's birthday season around these parts. Between late April and mid-July, three of the four members of our household (not including the dogs) celebrate birthdays. Throw in Mother's Day, anniversary, Father's Day and Independence Day and it seems like we're partying for three months straight. I feel like Ke$ha. But with kids.

In honor of "birthday season," I created this little envelope/tag album as a display for Scrapville. The entire album is on display at the store, along with some tips and instructions.

The album itself is by Melissa Frances (it's called the Tag and Envelope album), and the papers and embellishments are from the American Crafts Confetti collection. And of course, all of these supplies are available at Scrapville.

Apologies for the bad lighting on some of these...ran out of natural light.

My intention was to scrap the photos from Cecily's latest party, but the colors weren't really working for me, so I went back to the photos from her 4th birthday and they were a perfect match.

I used Glimmer Mist on all the envelopes in colors that matched the papers to create a quick and easy background that I could layer onto. The die-cut scalloped circles are from the Nestabilities Eyelet Circles die.

I realized I would never come up with enough journaling to fill every tag (six tags with two sides each = a LOT of words), so I cut a square out of one of the envelopes to create a little frame; then I adhered the photos to the tag to show through.

For the tags, I went around the edge of each one with a Jenni Bowlin paint dabber to frame it. Then I added a ribbon "pull" with my Tiny Attacher. I layered on a square of patterned paper, then I wrote the journaling onto a spiral-bound memo pad (the kind you buy in the office supplies aisle at Target) and stuck on top.

I love the way the album came out, but I still have to find something to do with this year's birthday photos. I have some ideas...

Pretty Little Things

2011-07-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday, especially to those of us in the U.S. preparing for a long holiday weekend! And it's an especially happy Friday for me because I finally get to announce that I've been selected to join the design team for Pretty Little Studio!

I discovered Pretty Little Studio products a little over a month ago from a post on Jen Chapin's blog, and I loved the mix of vintage images with contemporary patterns and color schemes. I ordered some papers and journaling spots to check them out, and they were perfect for my mixy-matchy style.

Here are a couple of projects I created:

And this week, they released the Antique Store collection, which I can't wait to play with:

They also have digital elements and printables (some of which are even freebies!)...so much fun stuff! I love these little cards...

I've been busily working away at some projects that I can't post yet, but hopefully, I will have more to share after the long weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Harvest...the reveal

2011-06-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

Hope you've been following along with this week's Happy Harvest release party on the Imaginisce blog. I've been waiting all week to share the projects I did with the new collection. So without further ado...

I added in a little square of bookprint canvas (I love that stuff), but all of the other supplies are from the Imaginisce Happy Harvest collection. The colors in this collection are so warm and rich -- almost like fabrics. And I love this little owl guy.

In fact, I loved him so much, I made him into an i-top brad.

And one more layout...

I have so many different photos that would work with the "Simple Joys" title, but I loved the colors in this photo and seeing the girls in that golf cart always makes me smile.I used the i-rock with some of the metal glam studs to embellish the die-cut title.

I did some hand-stitching around this panel to give it some contrast from the others, and I hand-cut this little flag to balance it.

Be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog today and leave a comment there for your chance to win this beautiful new collection before you can buy it!

A moment like this

2011-06-29T15:23:00.008-05:00

Today didn't go at all as I'd planned. I'd nearly chalked it up to an epic fail, until something happened that made it even better than the original plan.

The background: Avery didn't get to go to Girl Scout camp today. It was mostly my fault, and I've done my share of shedding tears and beating myself up over it. But in my attempt to make it up to her, I promised her an afternoon of Scrapbook Camp. She's been asking me for a "scrapbook class" for months now and I've always said "Yes, we will do that...someday." It's not that I didn't want to, but there was always something else that I was doing that I thought was more important.

So today, in my cloud of guilt and self-loathing, I said "Hey, I know. Let's have that scrapbook class you wanted me to teach. We'll call it Scrapbook Camp." And she agreed...happily.

She made an awesome little mini book from an old kit I had lying around. We used the Big Shot and the Bind-It-All, and it was really coming together. Then I threw her a curve. I asked her if she wanted to learn what made a page beautiful, and of course, she said yes. So I started trying to explain the "visual triangle." Admittedly, she's 7 and I don't expect her to be Ali Edwards, but she's pretty bright and she knows what a triangle is. At first, she kind of nodded and rolled her eyes. I left her to her work and turned around to check my email. A few minutes later, she said "Look Mommy, I made a triangle" and she showed me this page:

The flower in the photo, the bow (that she painstakingly tied), the button for a pop of color. She totally got it.

But that's not the best part of the story. The rest goes something like this:

Avery: Do you make triangles on your pages?

Me: Yes, would you like to see some?

Avery: Sure.

I pull out a page I made the weekend before and show her the triangles. Then I pull out this page that was on top of my "unfiled" stack because it just came back from the publisher:

I'm pointing out the brads and the butterflies and trying to show her the visual triangles, and she starts reading the journaling:

"I've learned...
...what you have is not nearly as important as who you're sharing it with
...it's okay to make mistakes, but you'd better be willing to fix them
...if you don't pursue your passion, you'll never know how great you could've been
...the smartest people spend more time listening than talking
...it's better to sing off-key than to not sing at all
...you don't have to be Superwoman to be a super woman"

Avery: I think you're Superwoman.

Me: (tears rolling down my face) Then that's all that matters.

Though I wrote those words well over a year ago, I really needed to hear them again today.

My daughter rocks.

(Even though she's going to be a much better scrapbooker than I am.)

Giveaway winner and a new release!

2011-06-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day...call Ripley! There was just too much news today to share in one post, so you're getting two for the price of one.

For those who entered my giveaway on Tuesday on this post, we now have a winner!

Congratulations, Silvia! I have a beautiful box of Imaginisce goodies packed up and ready to ship to you! Email me at robmab at yahoo dot com with your address.

And for those who entered the giveaway on Wednesday's "Stylin'" post, the winner was announced yesterday on the Imaginisce blog.

Speaking of the Imaginisce blog, be sure to check out the release party for Happy Harvest that's happening throughout the week.

I will be posting my projects on Thursday, but here's a little sneak (shhhh!).

Thanks for stopping by (twice)!

Life is funny

2011-06-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the things you need the most -- things that you'd never ask for or maybe even realize that you need -- the universe magically delivers to you. It's a mystifyingly beautiful thing.

Sometimes these things you need are not even things -- just words, reassurances, validation. You don't ask for them, but deep down, your soul is wishing and hoping they'll come along.

And they do. Usually right at the moment you need it most and often in the most unexpected fashion.

Case in point, a few projects that I submitted for publication a LONG time ago (we're talking this time last year) finally made it into print. I had all but given up on this first one.

Let me just say, I never in a million years thought I would be published in this mag:

And I never in a GAZILLION years expected to get the full back page:

But wait, there's more. Scrapbooks Etc. liked my project so much that they made it into a kit that they are now selling in "The SBE Shop" so that anyone can make it. Whaaaat?

Blown away. Complete disbelief. Every time I pass one of these magazines on a store shelf, I have to open it to the back page and make sure that's still me in there. Yeah, I'm a dork.

A few days after this mag hit my mailbox, I received a box containing this Memory Makers book that I submitted to last spring:

They picked up two of of my layouts:

The photo on this one turned out a little dark...

This is such a wonderful book -- literally HUNDREDS of pages in varying styles. It's a great source of inspiration. I've seen it at Hobby Lobby, but you can also order it on Amazon.

I will be posting the winner of last Tuesday's giveaway (the one from the gift wrapping post) later today, so check back this afternoon!

Stylin'

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to those of you who hopped over from the Imaginisce blog for our fashion accessories "mini hop" today. I've included all the details of the hop (including the giveaway!) at the end of this post, so keep on reading.

Honestly, it's a good thing I have girls. I need ruffles and frills in my life, and I'm clinging to these days when they still like (and wear!) the things I make for them. I know it's just a matter of time before my creations aren't cool enough.

Both my girls recently informed me that they're growing their hair "long." Thank goodness for headbands because this "grow out" phase is not-so-cute at the moment.

Using my i-Top twist daddies and headbands (along with some fabric scraps and flowers), I came up with this:

It's a fun and easy way to use fabric scraps and create a one-of-a-kind hair accessory. Here's how to create your own.

Start by cutting a fabric scrap to about 2" wide and about 22" long.

With a needle and thread, stitch loosely along the bottom edge of the fabric. My stitches are about 1/2" each, but you can make them shorter or longer, depending on how you want your ruffle flower to look.

When you reach the end, pull the thread tight to gather the fabric into a ruffle and sew together at the middle to create the round flower shape.

Next choose some flowers to layer on top. I used two brown tulle flowers and two ivory sheer flowers from the Fashion Fabric Flowers Neutrals.

Stack everything together. I added a tiny dab of glue between each layer because I know how rough my daughters are with headbands, but it's not necessary.

Cut a 2" circle from the remaining fabric scrap (or you could use a coordinating fabric if you like) and use your i-Top to cover a medium i-Top twist daddy.

Choose one of the i-Top headbands to match your fabric and use your i-Top twist daddy to fasten your layered flower to the headband.

And there you have it!

Another look at my "model" to prove that she CAN smile. (But I did have to pay her. Diva.)

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial. Don't forget to leave a comment here AND on the Imaginisce blog and the other two participating designers' blogs leaving a comment on each along the way.

All of your comments make you eligible to win your very own

i-top and fashion accessory bundle!

Today's mini hop includes:
Imaginisce blog
Robyn Schaub <<<----you are here
Marielle Leblanc <<<----go here next
Erin Bassett

Have fun! And be inspired!

It's always better to give... (hint, hint)

2011-06-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

...than to receive. Especially when your gift is as cute and fun as these...

Want to see more? Head over to the Imaginisce blog for more photos and info. But first, be sure to leave a comment here because...you guessed it:

GIVEAWAY!!!

In honor of my day of hogging the Imaginisce blog, I'm giving away an Imaginisce prize pack, including papers, embellishments and Roly Rosies. To be eligible, you must leave a comment here AND on today's post on the Imaginisce blog.

Closing out some kits

2011-06-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

There's a whole lot of purging going on...in my scrap room, that is. And it's beginning to look almost inhabitable again. Okay, actually, it looks better than inhabitable. But you'll have to wait a few more weeks for the grand unveiling!

I've also been working on a lot of new projects, which you'll be seeing over the next few days on the Imaginisce blog. A bit of a departure from my normal stuff, so stay tuned.

I don't think I ever shared the layouts from my classes at the Great American Scrapbook Convention. My class was called "Top It and Rock It: Adding the Wow Factor" because we used the i-Top and the i-Rock tools from Imaginisce on both layouts.

Both classes use the Garden Party collection from Imaginisce, which is pretty much sold out everywhere at this point (but see below if you want to get your hands on some!). We also played with the Pop-Up Posies and Roly Rosies, which were a big hit with everyone.

Everyone loved how easily this layout came together...

And the ribbon flowers are much easier than they look:

I'm selling the few remaining class kits on Etsy if you're interested. They come with full-color, step-by-step instructions and I'll even include some modification suggestions in case you don't have an i-Top or i-Rock yet.

And since I've been asked a lot lately about where you can buy these tools, they are available at Michael's stores (and you can use a coupon!) and online at Oh My Crafts (which has some great bundle packages for i-Top and i-Rock).

I'm not affiliated with either of those options. Just passing along the info.

Thanks for stopping by!

I am who I am

2011-06-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've debated whether or not to post this. I like to keep the blog upbeat and positive. But I've learned over the years that there's a fine line between constant positivity and B.S. No one's life is perfect. No one gets everything they want every time. Life is about celebrations AND disappointments and learning lessons along the way.

From http://walkingonseashells.tumblr.com

I did not make the Kaisercraft design team. It was disappointing. While I'm very proud to have made it to the Top 25, obviously I wasn't what they were looking for. And after seeing the entries of those who were selected for the final team, I can see why. That's not my style. I was trying to make my style fit their product, and it just wasn't going to happen. I should've known when I received the product they wanted me to use for my final entries...it's not something I would've ever chosen to create with.

It started me thinking about what my "style" really is. I've never really been able to describe it because it seems to change all the time. Sometimes it's influenced by other scrappers, by the product I'm working with, by what I've seen in a magazine -- it's constantly evolving.

I looked back at the layouts I did early on, before I started the whole publication and design team pursuit. They're much cleaner and simpler than what I do now. I miss that. It was much faster...much less pressure...much more "me."

One thing I say a lot is: I am who I am...take it or leave it. I'm honest (probably to a fault) and opinionated and outspoken. I'm easily distracted, impulsive and moody. I'm most definitely NOT a perfect mother or wife or employee or volunteer. And I'm okay with that. Because the people who matter don't mind, and the ones who mind don't matter.

And that's the attitude I need to have about crafting/scrapbooking/etc. I need to be true to me and to my style -- whatever that is. If I inspire someone along the way, that's fabulous. But the reason I started doing this (and the reason I will keep doing it) is because I love what I create. It makes me happy. And that's enough.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll leave you with one of the projects I created for my Kaisercraft entry, using their new "Velvet" line. It's nice, but it's not "me."

I do really love the flower I created using a strip of black lace and a Gluber.

I doubt this layout will ever be in my scrapbook...I think I can do something with this photo that I'll love much more. Maybe something simple...

98 degrees...

2011-06-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

...and I'm not talking about my favorite boy band. It's definitely summertime. Time for tank tops and seeking out that last bit of shade wherever you can find it.

Here are a couple of summery projects I did for the May issue of Scrapstreet, featuring SRM Stickers:

I used the For the Record collection from Echo Park, which worked perfectly with these photos of Cecily planting her geraniums.

Next up is a card I gave to a sweet friend of mine.

That strawberry sticker makes me crave chocolate. But honestly, I pretty much crave chocolate all the time anyway. It's not the sticker's fault.

In other news, I had a great time over the weekend at the Great American Scrapbook Convention. I go every year with my friend, Jenn, and it's always a fun day of shopping and classes. But this was my first year to actually teach a class -- definitely a different experience, but a fun one. Thanks to the 40 people who took my class this year. Hopefully you enjoyed it and learned some techniques you'll use on future projects. And a special shout out to Imaginisce for sponsoring my class and loaning me i-Tops, i-Rocks, Petal Rollers and i-Bonds for my students to play with. Do I really have to ship them all back? (Just kidding...they're on their way. Promise!)

I did manage to take one class this year, and it was a great one: a Postage Stamp Collage taught by Jenni Bowlin herself. I loved meeting Jenni -- she is as sweet and down-to-earth as I imagined -- and I bought a ton of fun stuff at her booth, including this fabulous stamp:

And this one, which we used in the class:

I also fell in love with the ink pads and paint dabbers, so I picked up a few of those.

Epiphany Crafts was there, too, and the booth was hoppin'! It was fun meeting Cathi (who I've known via email and Facebook for the past two months), and she was kind enough to give me a couple of new tools to play with. Love working with Epiphany!

Next project: a major purge of my scrap room with a little reorganizing. It's definitely time.

Reasons I'm Extra Happy Today

2011-06-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

1) It's Thursday. Which means tomorrow is Friday. And I'm only working a half-day on Friday because...

2) I am teaching at GASC on Friday and Saturday

3) And shopping at GASC on Friday and Saturday (cha-ching!)

4) The Little Yellow Bicycle layout I posted on Monday was one of the three winners of the LYB
challenge at 2Peas. Woot woot!! Check it out here.

5) I finished my layout for the Imaginisce June challenge on time.

There are bits of Splash Dance, Happy Camper and Berrylicious all mixed together on this layout. Plus a Spellbinders die-cut that I sliced in half to go along each side.

It's a fun challenge...so many ways you could go with it. You have until June 25th to play along and create your own entry to win a prize pack valued at $75, so check out all the details and enter here.

I'll be back on Sunday with a recap from GASC. In the meantime, enjoy what's left of the short week!

Charmed

2011-06-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've never been much of a jewelry-maker -- my man-hands don't work well with tiny jump rings and itty bitty beads. But I received some charm settings from Epiphany Crafts and they were calling to me.

I dug out some scraps from Echo Park's Be Mine and the sticker sheet from For the Record, and soon, I had repurposed an old charm bracelet into something fun and new:

I liked it so much, I decided to make some matching earrings. I found a "Fancy Earring Findings Set" at Joann (on sale this weekend!), so all I had to do was put a jump ring onto the charm and slide it onto the hook.

Silly me...I showed them to my mom and she decided to keep them. Guess I'll be making another pair!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dazed and confused

2011-05-30T13:41:00.015-05:00

Okay, so I pretty much live in a perpetual state of "dazed and confused" (and not in the illegal hallucinogenic way), but I'm kind of shocked that it's already mid-afternoon on MONDAY?! Where did my three-day weekend go?

Once again, I planned to accomplish way more than I could realistically fit into three days. But on a happy note, I did get a ton of stuff done. Let's see...

1. I put together 50 kits for the classes I'm teaching next weekend at the Great American Scrapbook Convention. There's a whole lot of trimming, punching, bagging and stuffing in this box.

2. I finished creating the project for my first class at Scrapville. Ready for a couple of peeks?

Just a little tease...more photos to come after Kerry, Melinda and Cara have seen it. Basically, it's a fun little mini book that'll be perfect for your favorite summer photos, and we'll be playing with heat embossing and stamping along the way. The class will be Saturday, June 25, from 11:30 to 1:30, and you can sign up at Scrapville starting this week.

3. I created this layout for the Little Yellow Bicycle Challenge at 2Peas.

I accidentally stumbled on the entire Twig collection last week -- I seriously thought this was sold out pretty much everywhere -- so I bought a few pieces. And now I can see why it's sold out (almost) everywhere...it's awesome!

4. I trekked all the way to the Girl Scout Store to buy Avery's Brownie vest for her bridging ceremony tomorrow night. Next order of business is ironing on all the patches. Ugh.

There's a whole list of other stuff I got done this weekend, but let's get to the reason you're really here, shall we? The little matter of the giveaway??

Without further ado, the winner of the Lucky Me kit is:
Congrats Amy!!! Send me an email and I'll get your kit to you ASAP!

And now I'm off to wrap Adam's anniversary present. Tomorrow is our 9-year wedding anniversary, but we're celebrating tonight. (Because the Girl Scout Potluck and Bridging Ceremony just wasn't the way I wanted to ring in our 10th year together.)

Enjoy what's left of your Memorial Day weekend!

Let's get campy!

2011-05-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned on Monday, there's a big party happening on the Imaginisce blog this week for the release of the new Happy Camper collection.

When I heard that Imaginisce was doing a camping collection, my first thought was: uh-oh. You see, I've pretty much sworn off camping unless it involves a luxury trailer (like the kind the celebrities travel around in) or a well-built cabin with indoor plumbing. Suffice it to say, my photos of camping are pretty limited because, well, I just don't go there.

But I got lucky. Cecily's preschool goes on a camping trip every year and Adam, being the good sport he is, agreed to take her. And it just so happens, one of her classmates has a mom who is a truly amazing photographer and was kind enough to post photos of the camping trip for all the parents to download. Pretty cool, huh?

I had to supplement with one iPhone photo -- bet you can tell immediately which one is not the professional-grade photo.

Since that layout pretty much exhausted my camping-related photos, it was time to think outside the box. Looking at the colors in this collection, the oranges, reds, browns and dark greens reminded me of the change of seasons. Even though it's not even summer yet, I started thinking FALL!

I used the Cloud Snag'Em Stamp (directly on the layout, as well as stamped on a separate piece of cardstock and cut out) along with the clouds from the Camp Critter Die-Cuts to create the scene.

The trees are handcut (but I used an October Afternoon die-cut as my template/inspiration for their shape) -- except for the pine trees, which are also from the Die-Cuts pack. I used pop-dots to give the 3D look of a grove of fall trees.

The other thing I love about this collection is the little red birdie. He just makes me happy, so I wanted to give him the spotlight.

And there you have it. The closest I will get to camping for a long time. Hopefully!

Be sure to check out all the other DT members projects on the Imaginisce blog today, and enter the giveaway there to win the Happy Camper collection.

And speaking of giveaways, the one I posted yesterday is open until Saturday, so if you haven't already "liked" Scrapville on Facebook and posted a comment on my blog post from yesterday...well, what are you waiting for? My Mind's Eye yummies are up for grabs!!

C'mon down to Scrapville! (with a great GIVEAWAY!)

2011-05-24T00:01:00.003-05:00

At last, I've found a new, local scrappy hangout! Over the weekend, I visited Scrapville and my first thought was "Why in the world didn't I come here sooner?!" It's a wonderful store located in Greenville, Texas (that's northeast of Dallas for my non-Texan friends), and they have an amazing selection. They carry almost every Bo Bunny line that's out right now, plus every color of Bo Bunny double dot, journal, flourish and stripe. I may never buy plain cardstock ever again.

Kerry, Melinda and Cara at Scrapville

I also spotted October Afternoon (5 and Dime...bestill my heart!), Kaisercraft (paper collections and beyond-the-page alterables), American Crafts, Crate Paper, Cosmo Cricket, Canvas Corp., Tim Holtz inks, paints and even the new Kraft resist paper -- so many of my faves that I have been ordering online. What was I thinking? I plead ignorance.

But what I'm most excited about is that the owners, Kerry, Cara and Melinda, have asked me to teach some classes at Scrapville! As of now, I'm planning one for Saturday, June 25, and another in early August. Stay tuned for more details (and sneak peeks)!

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate my new-found scrappy bliss, the ladies at Scrapville gave me a fabulous My Mind's Eye "Lucky Me" paper pack to give away. It's full of papers and accessories -- over 130 pieces! -- from the Abbey Road collection:

To enter the giveaway, head on over and "Like" the Scrapville Facebook page. Then leave a comment below telling me you did it. I'll draw a winner on Saturday, May 28, to receive this wonderful prize pack!

Camping, anyone?

2011-05-23T09:56:00.007-05:00

I always love a good Release Party (especially when it involves a giveaway!). Today kicks off the "Happy Camper" release on the Imaginisce blog. Here's a peek:

Now those of you that know me know that I'm not much of a camper. The camping experiences I've had in my life...well, let's just say they weren't good ones. So what did I do with this collection? Well, you'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out!

Ok, how about just one. This is one that I created for Winter CHA and it was featured in the Imaginisce catalog this time. (My first catalog feature!)

I'll post more on Wednesday, but in the meantime, check out all the fabulous Design Team members' projects that are posted today on the Imaginisce blog. And while you're there, leave a comment to enter the giveaway for a Happy Camper sample pack. You can even increase your chances of winning by grabbing one of the Happy Camper avatars at the Imaginisce Facebook page. Personally, I love this one:

But there are several to choose from, so pick the one you love the most!

And be sure to stop back by my blog tomorrow because I'm going to share some fun news and give away some yummy My Mind's Eye goodies! You don't want to miss it!

Rollin' along

2011-05-09T01:01:00.000-05:00

Hope you had a wonderful National Scrapbook Day and a fabulous Mother's Day! I spent the weekend hanging out with my family and my sweet aunt who was in town for the weekend, but I did manage to squeeze in a little crafty time.

And thank goodness I did because today kicks off another fabulous Release Party on the Imaginisce blog! This week, Imaginisce is releasing new versions of the Roly Rosies, including new colors and...wait for it...FABRIC rosies! They're beautiful, and they add such fun dimension to your projects.

Here's a card I created using the denim Roly Rosies, along with some paper from the Little Cutie collection and some ribbon and ric-rac from my stash.

This one's probably going to need its own box because those flowers will never squash into an envelope, but it would be perfect to hold a gift card that you're mailing to someone special.

I wanted to mix the Fabric Roly Rosies with some of the new Neutrals (they're paper), and I realized that the Neutrals really are "neutral" -- they go with everything! Here's the layout I created using the Garden Party collection with lots of new Roly Rosies:

I used the i-Rock Flourish stencil to create the bling swirls. I love that you can mix colors of the rocks to match your layout.

The flower with the black polka dots is my favorite favorite! I need a whole package just of those. (Are you listening Imaginisce?) Oh, and I added diamond Stickles around the edges of the flowers to give them a little extra oomph.

Be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog today through Wednesday for more examples from the Design Team. We have some amazing projects in store for you!

Crafting with Kaisercraft

2011-04-29T22:39:00.020-05:00

Ever since I wandered into the Kaisercraft booth at CHA, I've been dying to play around with some of their products. And I finally got the chance this week. There's a lot to share, so I won't waste time with a bunch of chit-chat. Let's get to the photos!

Here's a wall collage I made for my grandmother for Mother's Day. (Since she doesn't own a computer, I'm pretty sure there's no chance she will see it here and ruin the surprise.) I used the Nan's Favorites 6x6 Paper Pad, which was perfect for giving a variety of patterns and textures, and the Nine Frame Photo Display.

I used a red chalk ink pad and some green acrylic paint to color these wooden cherry embellishments. Then I finished with some i-rock bling.

That's a vintage book page in the background that I topped with a handmade flower and some die-cut embellishments from the paper pad.

I had plenty of papers left over, so I created this card:

Next, I played with the Seaside collection. I altered a 6x6 canvas by spraying mists to create the sky and the sea. Then I used sandpaper (which I tore into "dunes") as the bottom border.

And yes, I made the umbrellas and the sun from the patterned papers. They were super easy, and I will post a tutorial for both next week.

While I was in the "beach" mood, I created this layout with lots of layers. Check out that canvas tag that I journaled on...it worked perfectly!

Now I know this is a beach line, but the little beach huts really reminded me of doghouses. And it's been a while since I did a dog layout. So...

I cut the heart outline with my Cricut, but it seemed a little plain, so I wrapped some baker's twine around it and, all of a sudden, it became a lot more fun!

But wait...there's more!

As my followers know, I have a thing for butterflies, so this next project is right down my alley. I painted the Kaisercraft Table Tidy blue, added some embellishments and turned it into a bouquet holder for some spring butterflies.

I cut the butterflies with my Slice, then I made the bodies by cutting a long strip of paper at a slight angle, then rolling it up (starting with the longer edge).

These papers and chipboard embellishments are from the Bubblegum Hills collection. Here's a quick and easy layout I did with the same range.

As I was cleaning up from the layout, I realized that the backing of the chipboard flowers had this wonderful image printed on the back of it. I'm all for recycling, so I turned it into a card. I added a ribbon and a little "bling" and it was done!

Hope you enjoyed the projects. Thanks for stopping by!

Another use for those recycled tins

2011-04-25T09:35:00.013-05:00

Hello, blog friends! Today I have a fun little "step-by-step" for a quick and easy gift idea. It's a mini "brag book" that fits conveniently inside a recycled tin. Perfect to carry around in your purse and whip out each time you hear the phrase "Do you have any pictures?"

I'm using the Little Cutie collection from Imaginisce because my mini has a baby boy theme, but you could use any double-sided paper that fits your theme.

First, cut a 3" strip from your double-sided patterned paper. Then you will score it along the short side at 2".

Now flip it over and score it at 4".

Repeat this score, flip, score routine every 2" (so you will have scores at 2", 4", 6", 8" and 10"). Then fold along the score lines to create an accordion fold-out.

Next you'll want to round the corners so it will fit nicely into your tin.

Once you have everything rounded and folded, it will look something like this:

And then you're ready to embellish! I kept it simple by punching 1 1/2" squares from one of the backing sheets.

I did four of them and adhered them to the inside of the fold-out.

I added a combination of die-cuts, canvas stickers and sticker stackers to finish the look.

To give the front a little extra oomph, I used the new square Glam Rocks that work with the Imaginisce i-Rock tool. I turned them so they were shaped like diamonds instead of squares and made a border around my title block.

I finished the project by embellishing the tin with some patterned paper and stickers.

And voila! A great little gift (or something you might want to keep for yourself!)

Hope you find many uses for this fun little gift idea. Be sure and visit the Imaginisce blog today and all this week for more ideas on how to incorporate the new i-Rock accessories into your projects.

Thanks for stopping by!

Late for the party

2011-04-17T14:54:00.009-05:00

I hate being late for anything. In fact, I'm usually so antsy about being on time for things that I end up being early. It's kinda embarrassing always being the first to show up, but I never quite mastered the concept of "fashionably late."

However, this week, I totally missed the Imaginisce Release Party for Little Cutie. Well, not totally. I did manage to make some projects to share on the Imaginisce blog. But here on my own blog...well, I'm a little late.

So without further ado, here's what I made with this cute new collection:

It's a perfect collection for baby things, of course. But I thought the girly papers would be fun to use for girls of all ages, so I paired them with a black background and voila!

I did a lot of edge punching as accents on this page, and I created my title by cutting letters out of this paper, which made for a fun, non-baby look. I also glitzed up the banner die-cut with a few i-rock Glam Rocks.

In case you missed any of the amazingly creative and diverse ideas from the other Imaginisce design team members during the release party, you can check them all out at these links:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Now I'm off to prepare for the next party. Guess who's going to be early this time!

Sniff, sniff

2011-04-15T09:48:00.006-05:00

If you haven't heard the sad news, Coordinates Collections is closing at the end of this month. (sigh) As much as I respect Jamie's decision and am so happy that she will have more time with her family, I am so sad to see the end of such a wonderful community and kit club. I have enjoyed every minute of my time there.

I posted one of the layouts I created with the Blooms kit yesterday, but here are a couple more projects I created with all the beautiful Crate Paper and BasicGrey yumminess in the kit.

I got pretty wordy with my journaling, but there was plenty of room on this My Mind's Eye journaling tag, so it all worked out.

And here's a card. I misted the doily with Glimmer Mist to give it that beautiful shimmery color. It's topped with a Studio Calico Fab Rip (pleated into a flower, and also used across the background), a BasicGrey petal and a Crate Paper sew brad.

And since I'm talking about Coordinates Collections today, I wanted to share one more layout I created last month that I somehow forgot to post to my blog. This one was with the Sweet N Sassy kit from March, and it's truly one of my favorite photos of Avery of all time. Papers are from Echo Park and American Crafts.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll pop in again tomorrow when I'll be sharing my projects with the new Imaginisce release: Lil' Cutie!

My Core'dinations Creative Frenzy

2011-04-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

Get ready for a lot of photos...I went a little "Core'dinations crazy" over the past few weeks, and it's time to share the results.

It all started when I received my Coordinates Collections "Blooms" kit to play with, and it had a sheet of Core Impressions My Mind's Eye cardstock.

The rich brown color was so pretty by itself, but I couldn't resist sanding away a bit of it to reveal the red underneath. It made a perfect background for the butterflies on this layout.

But that was just the beginning. With sand paper and my Imaginisce d-stress tool in hand, I was ready to experiment a little more. I've had this Maya Road Picket Fence album in my stash for a while and it seemed like a perfect fit for the Core'dinations Whitewash cardstock. After I had glued and trimmed it from the fence shape, I sanded the edges and used the d-stress tool to add some lines to give it the look of a weathered garden fence. I also embossed a sheet of the Whitewash with a pink core to use as part of the title block.

And since this little book showcases my family gardening, I created this little flower by tearing circles of yellow Core'dinations cardstock into circles, crinkling them up, then unfolding and layering.

There's Core'dinations on literally every page of this mini book. I used it to mat the photos, create layers for backgrounds and even to punch the butterflies for accents on the page below.

On these pages, I created handmade accents and journaling spots with Core'dinations.

For the flower, I used an edge punch to cut along a 1" strip of cardstock, then I pleated it into a circle on top of a Cosmo Cricket Gluber and topped with a Crate Paper brad. I added some leaves that I hand-cut from the Whitewash cardstock and sanded to get a pretty green color.

Ok, this is subtle, but I love this idea so I'm going to share. I used the Imaginisce d-stress tool to sand journaling lines onto this cardstock. I have a hard time keeping my handwriting straight, so these subtle, sanded lines were a perfect way to make sure my writing would stay neat.

I was amazed at how easily the Core'dinations cardstock tears in a semi-straight line. It made it easy to create some accent borders and strips to add unity to my pages.

And just for fun, here's the back of my little book. I couldn't resist adding this little birdie as a "bye-bye." To get the weathered effect on the cardstock, I used the same technique I used on the cover, but I rubbed a little Distress Ink around the edges to create some depth.

And finally...a card! This one includes a mix of sanding, embossing and tearing -- because I tried it all! On the embossing, I accidentally embossed the wrong side of the cardstock, but it gave this cool "reverse embossing" effect, which I ended up loving. Yay for happy accidents!

Thanks for checking out my Core'dinations Creative Frenzy! I hope there will be many more Core'dinations projects in my future!

It's a doll's life

2011-03-30T01:00:00.001-05:00

With two little girls, it's no surprise that our house is full of dolls: Barbies, American Girls, Groovy Girls, Disney princesses...the list goes on and on. Appropriately enough, this month's "Click It With Cricut" challenge on the Imaginisce blog was to use the doll shapes on the Once Upon a Princess cartridge.

I went a little doll crazy...

But I just couldn't resist creating this layout about my girls and their dolls...

And then I spotted the mermaid costume. This paper-doll-making thing is addictive.

Everything on this gift bag was cut using the Once Upon a Princess cartridge. I used the Gift Bag cut to 5 3/4" and Doll2 cut at 3" from some Imaginisce Splash Dance papers. The sentiment is a rub-on that I applied to the Pajamas tag, and I finished the bag with the clam rub-on and some i-Rock hot rocks to accent the mermaid.

Be sure to hop over to today's post on the Imaginisce blog for my third project (using the Enchanted collection), plus some fabulously inspiring projects from fellow design team members Melinda Spinks and Liz Qualman. But first, leave a comment below for an extra chance to win a fabulous Cricut prize pack from Imaginisce!

Spring has sprung!

2011-03-27T19:49:00.008-05:00

Okay, so technically, it's not feeling very spring-like outside today. Kind of gray and dreary and cold. But we had a long string of 80+ degree days before this cold front rolled in, so I'm going to consider it Spring! (Fortunately, the calendar agrees with me.)

In honor of the arrival of my favorite season, I'm sharing some spring projects I've created over the past few weeks. First up is a layout I created with the March Sweet and Sassy kit from Coordinates Collections. The kit is now sold out (sorry!), but the papers are from the Echo Park Little Girl collection, with some American Crafts Dear Lizzy mixed in.

These photos had such nice sunlight in them that I decided to tie it into the layout in a very literal (a.k.a. huge sunshine title block!) way. I did my journaling in a half-circle on the bottom of the layout to balance it.

Next up is a layout using my favorite Upsy Daisy papers -- the Vogue collection. I can't seem to get enough of the green/navy/white color combo. So fun!

I really liked the diamond print in the patterned paper so I did a crazy thing and cut it out. They were straight cuts (up and down, and up and down), but they still took me a while. I do love the way it turned out though. Note to self: use more diamonds!

And finally, here's a card I made using the same Upsy Daisy papers to create a rolled window effect. It's an easy technique, and I posted a full tutorial on the Upsy Daisy blog, in case you're interested.

Thanks for stopping by!

Catching up

2011-03-03T08:59:00.008-06:00

Today continues my "catching up" posts with some projects I've created with Upsy Daisy supplies over the past few months.

First up, a couple of layouts I created with the Avalanche collection. I really like how you can use this collection for school-themed layouts or wintery layouts -- very versatile!

I found that the square brads were the perfect size to use with the Basic Grey mini mono stickers, so I incorporated them into my title. I also embossed some white cardstock to tie in with the "snow" theme and added some Basic Grey snowflake rub-ons as a finishing touch.

These are some of my favorite photos from last fall, but I hadn't really thought about doing them in black and white until I paired them with these papers.

Next up is a layout I created with the Blossom line and my Cricut:

I think my "spring fever" made me go a little crazy with the butterflies, but I liked the way they worked with the flowering tree on the paper. I used some pom-pom trim to make the body of the big butterfly, and I also accented the flowers with some i-rock crystals.

And last, but not least, here's a little thank-you card I made with the Home Sweet Home collection and the Girlfriends stamp set:

Speaking of Upsy Daisy, the Printers Tray I created last fall with the Vogue collection is featured on the Scrapbook and Cards Today blog today! Check it out.

Lots to share!

2011-03-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Anyone else notice that it isn't February anymore? How the heck did that happen?! That short little month confuses me every year.

The good news is: I've got lots of projects to post! (And some fun news to share, so keep reading!)

First off, a birthday card I sent to Lori Allred at Imaginisce for her birthday last week. I used the new Berrylicious collection and this fun new punch from EK Success.

Lori loves her some bling, so I got a little "blingy" on the butterfly. Hope she likes it!

And speaking of cards, here are a couple more cards I made with the Berrylicious collection.

And are you ready for some exciting news? I was selected to join the Fashion Team for Epiphany Crafts!

I've been intrigued with Epiphany ever since summer CHA (remember this blog post?), and I love the versatility of these products. This team is a little different than my other design teams because I'll be coming up with ways to use the awesome Epiphany Crafts products to create jewelry, hair accessories, home decor and more. And who knows...I might even throw in a scrapbook layout once in a while.

Check back tomorrow for Upsy Daisy projects and some Coordinates Collections sneak peeks!

Berry sweet!

2011-02-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

When I was a kid, I was really into Strawberry Shortcake. And I'm not talking about the dessert (even though I'm always a big fan of dessert). In this case, I'm talking about:

Remember how the characters used the word "berry" in place of "very" -- as in "Oh Strawberry, you look berry pretty today!" Or "We had a berry fun time at the Festival of the Rainbow Unicorns!" If you're a child of the 80's, you're having some "berry" vivid flashbacks right about now.

The reason I'm on a Strawberry Shortcake kick today is that Imaginisce has just released the Berrylicious collection. And I have to say that, from the moment I got my hands on these papers and embellishments, I couldn't get the Strawberry Shortcake voice out of my head. It just wouldn't. go. away.

It's sweet, really. Berry sweet. See...there I go. And there are more puns where that came from...

When you replace the word "be" with "bee," the possibilities are really endless! But it makes for some darn cute layouts.

This one is actually my favorite. I resisted banners for so long, but then I realized that you can make a banner out of anything and it really adds a nice line to the layout.

I used my Cricut to cut the peas, the title and the banner. (The Country Life cartridge is awesome!)

My friends, you are experiencing something of a record here. Yes, I actually did six (count them!) layouts with this collection. I love it that much. Last one...and I got out the mist!

Are you "berry" excited about this collection? Then go check out the Imaginisce blog for more layouts from the Imaginisce design team. And be sure to check back each day this week for more products using this berry amazing collection!

Have a berry awesome Monday!

Something that's not red and pink...

2011-02-14T00:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are being treated to plenty of love and surprises by your Valentine(s).

If you (like me) are ready for a little break from the red and pink, take a look at the Imaginisce blog. It's part two of the February Color Challenge, and those of us who weren't quite ready to share our projects at the beginning of the month are chiming in now with a fresh batch of inspiration.

The challenge is to create a project using this photo as inspiration:

So I pulled out some scraps from the Imaginisce Lucy Bird collection (released last year...wow, I am really digging into stash!) and some of the Roly Rosies, which matched the colors in the inspiration photo perfectly. Here's what I made:

In addition to sticking with the yellow, pink and blue color scheme, I was inspired by the banners across the top and decided to create one of my own. I used the Petal Roller tool to roll the tops over and then I strung them along a piece of baker's twine. I added a little i-Rock bling on top of the rub-ons...hard to see, but it catches the light just right when you see it in person.

Your next stop on the design team hop is:

Lydia Jackson

Be sure to leave a comment on all the participating design team members' blogs and at the Imaginisce blog for your chance to win!

And if you haven't already linked up your challenge project for this month, you've still got a few more days. Entries are due by February 25. Good luck!

Snowy days

2011-02-04T21:25:00.012-06:00

We're now on day 4 of no school in Dallas. And yes, I am referring to Dallas, Texas. Land of 70-degree winter days and shorts in February. Although I'm beginning to wonder if my home has been magically transported into another city...or another dimension!

Needless to say, it's been a long week. Fortunately, one of my friends (who lives on the street next to mine) invited us over this afternoon for a much-needed playdate. With a couple of inches of ice under 6" of snow, walking over to their house was an adventure all its own.

If you're wondering why Avery's eye is closed, it's because a snowflake flew into her eye at the exact second I snapped this pic. Oops!

While there's usually a sidewalk we follow to go over to their house, we pretty much just made our own little trail today!
When you live in Dallas, there's really no reason to invest in snow boots. So Cecily's pink Barbie cowboy boots were the best we could do today.

Ahhh, it's nice to have friends in the 'hood.

This is Cecily, right after throwing a snowball into the street. Pure joy!

The very fashionable Snow Princess DiDi!

Love. This. Photo. I can't explain it. I just love it.

Apparently the remedy for frozen fingers is to put them into your mouth. Who knew?

An icicle Avery broke off of a shrub. She was so fascinated by it that I had to take a pic. I realize this is old news to anyone who lives above the Mason-Dixon line, but in the South, icicles are the rarest of phenomena.

The perfect snow fort for a snowball fight. But the kids enjoyed building the fort much more than the actual snowball fight. Figures.

This is one of those weeks when I'm so glad to have kids. I could not possibly appreciate this weather as much if it weren't for the smiles and looks of wonder on their faces. They appreciate and enjoy every moment, including the glittery look of snow in the moonlight. It makes all these days of "cabin fever" seem almost worthwhile. (Notice I said "almost.")

Love is in the air

2011-02-03T01:00:00.000-06:00

It's officially the month of "love," so what better time to bust into this collection pack of Echo Park Be Mine and create something?

I loved that the journaling cards in this collection reminded me of "tags" -- so I created an envelope mini album with tag inserts.

Once you untie the twine and open the flap, it opens to reveal the first tag...

I added photos of my husband and I, beginning with the day he proposed...

And continuing through our life together. There's another tag for each page where I can add some journaling.

I left the last page a little longer and trimmed the end into a half-circle so it would fold over the front. Then I bound everything with my Bind-It-All.

Here's a look at all the tags...

Believe it or not, I completed this entire project in the span of about two hours (which is about how long I usually spend on one layout). As with most Echo Park collections, this one practically scraps itself!

Thanks for looking!

CHA photos and giveaway winner

2011-02-02T18:00:00.000-06:00

I think I've just about recovered from the whirlwind trip that was the CHA Winter Show. I will start by saying the entire trip was so much fun! I loved seeing my friends from CHA summer and meeting many friends that, until now, I've only known online. And of course, drooling over all the new collections coming out was pretty good, too.

Here are a few photos from my trip:

With two of my favorite girls -- Shemaine Smith and Liz Qualman -- at
dinner with the Imaginisce Design Team on Friday night

The Imaginisce booth (before the show opened...it was usually packed with people)

DT member Erin Bassett teaching Imaginisce Make-and-Takes

A trend I spotted at several booths: birdcages! They were everywhere! (I think this one was at Kaiser Craft)

Another trend: pennants! These were at the GCD Studios booth (which was a gorgeous booth!)

This yummy wreath was in The Girls' Paperie booth

Loved this "storefront" look at October Afternoon

Adorable banner made with sheers at Maya Road

A quick shot of the Coordinates Collections crew: Me, Jen, Jamie, Sarah and Lisa

There are, of course, more photos over on the Imaginisce blog, so check those out, too. And speaking of Imaginisce, it's time to make the prize announcement! The winner of the Imaginisce Make-and-Take (plus some other Imaginisce goodies) is:

Melissa, please email me at robmab at yahoo dot com to claim your prize!

Goin' back to Cali...Cali...Cali...

2011-01-27T05:00:00.001-06:00

Very excited to be leaving today for California and the CHA Winter Show! Okay, technically I'm stopping in Denver first for a work detour, but that's a small sacrifice for a weekend in sunny L.A. with girls I adore and a convention center packed wall-to-wall with crafty yumminess!

If any of you are at the show, I hope you'll stop by and see me at the Imaginisce make-and-take table on Saturday or Sunday. We're doing a really fun little project using ALL the Imaginisce tools (even the brand-spankin' new ones), so you don't want to miss out on that!

Speaking of Imaginisce, here are a couple of layouts I created with the new Animal Crackers collection, just released last week.

I don't do that many two-pagers, but I had so many photos from our ferris wheel ride and this collection was perfect!

Love these ticket die-cuts...perfect for journaling OR titling!

I added a little baker's twine and some i-rock bling to the balloon bunch.

But these papers work for a lot more than just fair or circus photos...like this photo of my daughter sporting my "way-too-big" sunglasses.

The banner is an adhesive border sticker that I trimmed down just a bit. I hand-cut the wave using my Bo Bunny flexible ruler.

So that's it for my projects until after CHA. But I'll also be posting on the Imaginisce blog over the weekend with some of my show photos, so pop over there for some behind-the-scenes peeks.

AND...just for fun: if anyone gets the "Goin' back to Cali" reference in the title, leave me a comment telling me where it's from and I'll pick a random winner who'll win one of the Imaginisce make-and-take's from the CHA floor (along with some other goodies from my stash). Good luck!

Fun with Cosmo

2011-01-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

I admit it. I've gotten a little behind on posting projects this month. The good news is that I've done a LOT of stuff. The bad news is that I haven't really blogged most of it. Oops.

So let's fix that, shall we? Here are some projects I created with the (now-sold-out) Amish Quilt collection from Coordinates Collections. It was full of yummy Cosmo Cricket papers and Lush by My Mind's Eye.

I created this mini book using the Cosmo Cricket blackboard album and the Prima stamp to create a background. It was a fun and easy way to capture all my favorite photos from 2010.

And be sure to check out the Coordinates Collections blog today because I posted a fun Valentine's idea using the new Imaginisce Animal Crackers collection.

I've got a few more things up my sleeve tomorrow before I leave for CHA, so stay tuned!

My Imaginisce Top Ten

2011-01-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday! Hope you have something fun and/or relaxing planned for the weekend. I have a little bit of both: a date with my husband (fun!) and brunch with my BFF (relaxing! and fun!), combined with catching up on some scrappy projects (also relaxing! and fun!).

In honor of my "10 Things You Don't Know About Robyn" post on the Imaginisce blog today, I decided to do another kind of "Top Ten" and feature some of my favorite Imaginisce projects I've created over the past year.

Lucy Bird collection

Scooter's Vacation collection

To Love and Cherish collection

Splash Dance collection

Birthday Bash collection

To Love and Cherish (with a little Lucy Bird), Roly Rosies, Pop-Up Posies and i-Rock

Apple Cider collection

Wine tags made with Cottage Christmas collection

Enchanted collection

Garden Party collection

I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to work with such a wonderful company, and I'm looking forward to creating many more projects and making lots of new friends throughout 2011. I hope you will follow along the journey.

If you haven't been to the Imaginisce blog today, be sure to pop over there and leave a comment on my "10 Things" post for your chance to win some Imaginisce goodies!

Now go relax and have some fun!

Buttons, banners and...hankies?

2011-01-05T02:00:00.001-06:00

Have you been following the Imaginisce blog this week? If so, you've seen some great ideas for using the i-Top during the "I-Top Intensive" we're hosting! It's now Day 3, and I'm up with a layout idea.

My mother-in-law found these beautiful vintage handkerchiefs and offered them to me and, of course, I snatched them up for my crafty stash. I knew they would make beautiful i-Top buttons (isn't that sad...that's where my mind goes these days), so it was just a matter of time before I found a perfect match between papers and hankies.

Enter the Enchanted collection from Imaginisce. The pinks and blues were identical to one of the hankies. Normally when I'm doing a layout, I go for i-Top brads. But I decided to try something a little different and go with i-Top buttons for this one. I'm using the medium button daddies for this project.

At first, I had a little trouble because the silk was so thin and fine that it barely held the backing in place. So to add a little thickness, I cut a circle of clear acetate from some sticker packaging (recycling!) and layered it on top of the silk. It worked in making the backing secure, plus I think it might protect the delicate silk from breaking down over time. It also added a little extra shine!

Once I had the buttons made, I strung them onto a strand of baker's twine and created a little swag border to go across the bottom of my layout. It's a fun variation on the wildly popular banners you're seeing everywhere, but with a bit of a twist!

And here's the finished layout...

If you hopped over from Penny Smith's blog, the next stop for you is:

Cari Locken's blog

And if you're not participating in the hop, now's a perfect time to start! You could win an i-Top of your very own, along with all the accessories!

Here's how to win: visit the blogs of all three of the designers who are participating in the i-Top Intensive today, leave a comment and then hop back to the Imaginisce blog and leave a final comment letting us know what you discovered about the projects and the i-top. All of your comments make you eligible to win an awesome i-top and accessories of your own. The designers you need to visit today are:

Penny Smith

Robyn Schaub (you are here)

Cari Locken

One more thing - You will also want to visit the Imaginisce blog all week for more ideas on how to use the super creative and incredibly fun i-top with chances to win your very own i-top each day and a SECRET grand prize opportunity on Friday.

Happy hoppin'!