Welcome to the CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hope Day #2

Hi blog hoppers! Weren't Cambria's projects just "the bomb" ? (If you didn't arrive here from Cambria's blog, you don't want to miss what our designers have in store for you! The CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hop starts at The Diecut Diva's Blog.

Welcome to the first day of the Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop, which will feature the Holiday Treats Apron Recipe Kit. We have 24 designers who will be creating wonderful pages to inspire you. Plus we all will be sharing some of our own delicious family recipes.


The apron, rings, Doodlebug paper and gingerbread man are all from this adorable apron kit. However, I blinged up Mr. Gingerbread using Liquid Aplique and some rhinestones out of my own stash of stuff. Also, the sticker letters are from my own little supply too. The scallop along the bottom is an American Crafts stamp from their new Shortbread stamp set. I stamped it in Versamark and then used American Crafts white Zing! embossing powder on it. The trees were cut from green Doublmates paper included in the kit.

I didn't take a separate picture of the recipe, but it is one of my family's favorites. It is my personal adaptation of the Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookie recipe. So here it is:

1 C. Butter
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. White Sugar
2 Eggs
Stir in: 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. vanilla and a pinch of salt
2 C. whole wheat flour
Blenderize and then add 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal
12 oz. chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Also, here is another photo of the apron album:



This is done with more Doodlebug paper that is included with the kit. The best thing is that it is already cut to the apron design and just had to be adhered down to the chipboard!! That cute bowl die cut was included and I backed it with some white. I then used my glue pen and sprinkled some Our Craft Lounge Sparkly Fluff (Brown Sugar) to make it look like dough in the bowl. The star and spoon were buttons (also included with this fabulous kit) and I adhered those on the pocket of the apron. The recipe inside is a peanut butter cookie recipe, but I am not going to give that one to you, as most people who like peanut butter cookies already have a personal favorite for that!

Be sure to hop on over to Laura's blog to see how she decorated her apron. Also, be sure to check out what yummy recipe she is offering. Do you think she will leave us some samples? ;O) Thanks for hopping by! Be sure to go all the way through the hop and check out the inspiration that is being offered. Also, be sure to go to the Diecut Diva blog to find out about your chance to win one of these fabulous kits!

Welcome to Day #1 of the CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hop

Hi blog hoppers! Weren't Suzannes's projects great? (If you didn't arrive here from Suzannes's blog, you don't want to miss what our designers have in store for you! The CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hop starts at the Diecut Diva Blog.

Welcome to the first day of the Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop, which will feature the 8”x8” Treasured Family Recipes Kit. We have 24 designers who will be creating wonderful pages to inspire you. Plus we all will be sharing some of our own delicious treasured family recipes. This kit is just packed full of good things! I love Cosmo Cricket and this is got lots of the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird line...including the Elements AND Ready-Set-Chipboard! LOVE THAT!!!! What a great value!

This is a page from my album. I will confess, I am not someone who really enjoys cooking. So I wanted the focus to be on the Treasured Family part, not on my recipes. However, I did stick a tag with a recipe behind the photo. So it is included. Since I didn't shoot a second photo of the recipe, I will post it below. I used the paper and the tree die cut from the kit. I did use my In the Garden stamps (Fancy Pants) and Fern Zing! embossing powder in the upper right hand corner of my layout. I also used some dewdrops that I had on hand to decorate my tree.

One other thing I loved about this album (besides all the Cosmo Cricket paper and embellies...) was that the album is cut from black chipboard. I didn't have to paint it, cover it or anything! What a great time saving step!

Okay, here is my Zuccini Bread recipe:

3 C. flour ( I use whole wheat flour)
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 C sugar
1 C. oil (I substitute applesauce)
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. Chopped zuccini
1/2 package of chocolate chips

Combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Blend. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Add dry mix to wet. Mix a little at a time. Blend. Add zuccini and mix in chocolate chips.
Put in two greased pans and bake 50-60 minutes at 325 degrees.

Wasn't that easy. Sorry I don't have samples to share...BUT as part of the celebration CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next six days, we will offer 20% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only for six days – this sale will end on Nov 14^th. Make sure you enter this code recipebloghop2009 during checkout.

As a continuing part of the celebration CC&M will of course give away great gifts. Each day we will give away one kit. Here is the twist – go through the blog hop, leave wonderful comments for the great designers. After you have finished the blog hop, return to www.diecutdiva.com and instead of leaving a comment, you need to share a recipe to have a chance at winning the kit. Share the recipe on your blog and link it back and get another chance to win the kit. Help us also make this a great recipe swap.

Now hop on over to Cathy's blog and check out her projects and also her recipe!

Make sure you check back at Diecut Diva's blog tomorrow for the Holiday Treats Apron Recipe Kit Blog Hop. We will also have 24 designers who will be showcasing their great creations and sharing holiday treat recipes. Can't wait to see you tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to the August Creative Cuts Blog hop!!

Welcome to the Creative Cuts and More Acetate in August Blog Hop! If you have just arrived from Diecut Diva's blog, you are in the right place! If you have just arrived on my blog and want to be part of the blog hop, please go back to Diecut Diva's blog and begin there!

BONUS: There is a coupon code listed over there for 15% off merchandise at Creative Cuts and More for anyone who visits the Diecut Diva blog. (Coupon is good through Fri., August 14.) And don't forget to also check there to see how to win some fabulous blog candy! Wowza! A new kit they are offering called "Sealife". It's an 8x8 album kit full of really fun stuff!!

I did a fun little acrylic tag album Tag # 05 for my project. (You can order this from Creative Cuts and More, and if you don't see them on her website, be sure to contact Terry to get it!) I know that some of the photos really don't show the acrylic very well, so please excuse my camera work. However, I assure you that it is a fabulous acrylic album!! I wanted to use some photos of my daughter. I chose fun summer paper from last year's exclusive Archiver's line by We Are Memory Keepers. The photo above is one of the front of the album. The large ring at the top has different ribbons tied on it. I also used flower punches to punch out the daisy shapes. The label, which I cut in half, I got from CC&M and used Doodlebug letter rub-ons on it. The word "Cute" is actually on the second page. The letters are from Doodlebug also.

On the left hand page, I designed this to cover up the adhesive that showed through from adhering the label to the front page. On the right , I used two different flower punches for the flowers.
On the left page the glittery letters are from Doodlebug. On the right page, although it isn't acrylic, it is a library pocket with a photo inserted. I used a the pocket and cut it to the shape of the tag album. The label on the front is the other half of the label from the front page of the album and the letter rub-ons are from Doodlebug. The flower sticker is from Adorn-it, and the little hinge on the corner of the photo is actually a photo corner/tab from CC&M that is folded in half.

The left page is the back of that library pocket, with a small pocket and tag adhered to it. The flower is punched with a Fiskars punch. (This pocket is one of a set of three. If you like it, contact Terry and ask her about it. Pssstttt....it is Accucut A1003.) The flower on the right page is blinged up with jewels from Doodlebug.

The left page of this layout is another library pocket and tag adhered to the acrylic page. I inserted an acrylic tag into the pocket and used Fancy Pants rub-ons to decorate it and the front of the pocket too. I placed the glittery letters "Fun" behind the tag on the back panel of the library pocket. The letters "girl" on the right page are from Making Memories and they are soft felt. The round yellow circle is decorated using Fancy Pants rub-ons.
The left page is decked out in a girly fashion using Bo-Bunny chipboard swirls and flowers stickers from Adorn-it. The buckle on the right page is from CC&M and is covered in Diamond Glaze, even though in this photo it's not very shiny.

Here is the back cover and the letters are Doodlebug rub-ons and the buckle is from CC&M. These buckles were a blast to work with. I know that you will be seeing them again on other projects!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little album! For more great projects and ideas, not-to-mention blog hopping fun, head on over to Kim's Blog and see what fun projects she has posted!

Blog Hop still going on!

The CC&M blog hop will still be going on until tonight, July 16 at 11:59 p.m. Be sure to start at the Diecut Diva blog.

I did promise to post a few more pictures of the birthday album and here they are!

This is the cover. I used two different patterned papers from the Two Scoops line. Then I traced around a chipboard number "9" and painted it in with Hottie Pink Shimmerz.

In this photo, the pink rectangle is the backside of the library pocket. I stamped the background with a flourish stamp from Autumn Leaves, then stamped the brackets (Quickutz stamps) and then traced around the chipboard "9", again painting it with Hottie Pink Shimmerz. On the right page, the hinge on the top right of the page is a diecut from CC&M.


On this last layout, I used an antique label from CC&M to stamp Happy Birthday in. The dark blue strip along the bottom was stamped with a lino stamp from Prickley Pear and distressed with Tim Holtz Distressing ink. The letters are diecuts (Upper Case Block) from CC&M.

I want to wish all the blog hoppers a "Good Luck" in winning that fun blog candy that is being offered. Can you believe the card kits? If you want to check them out, they can be found here.

Thanks for popping by and come back to visit, as I always have projects to work on and photos to post! Have a great week!

Welcome to the Creative Cuts and More Blog hop!

Welcome to the CC&M blog hop! If you haven't arrived from the Chrissy's blog, you'll want to hop back there and check out the important information that is there!

I am excited to be able to post my project. I have been working on this little (6x6 chipboard album) for a while. It is a birthday album (yep...it fits right into the birthday theme of this blog hop...imagine that!) and is all done out of the Basic Grey paper from the Two Scoops line. I integrated the number nine into the album because that is how old my daughter turned this year! The Happy Birthday letters are die cuts from the Upper Block font. If you are interested in any of the fonts here, contact Terry at CC&M for details! Also, the ice cream cone is cut from metallic (rose) paper and shaded with a Rouge Cat Eye ink pad. The cherry on top of the ice cream cone? Doodlebug adhesive jewels. Yum!
This layout has several fun things I want to point out. First, the scroll/flourish rub-ons are from Basic Grey also. The tag is a library pocket and tag combo. I like to add those in my mini albums, and for those of you who have visited my blog before...you probably already know that! I used a Fiskars Border punch to create the lace looking edge on the pocket. Also, the brown nameplate is a diecut too.
Here I used a scalloped frame in metallic paper and used my circle punch to cut the circle to go inside of it. I used a cupcake stamp and a Happy Birthday stamp to embellish this page. The hinge on the top left of the album page can be found here. On the bottom right, I traced a number nine and painted it in with Wintergreen Shimmerz. I must say that every nine-year-old needs more shimmer!
The Happy Birthday is cut from the Recess font, and the pink cupcake is a die cut too.

I adhered the Library pocket to this page and blingedthe cupcake up with a bit of glitter! (After all, we are talking about an album for a nine-year-old!!)I also added a Basic Grey rub-on and some American Crafts ribbon to decorate it up! The letters that spell nine are cut from the Girly Girl font.
The swirl on the bottom left is one I fussy cut from some Two Scoops paper and the scalloped frame was cut from Pearlescent Florette paper. The ice cream cone was cut from brown and pink velvet paper. The Rouge cat eye ink added depth to the ice cream cone top.

And here, I used the Happy Birthday cut from Girly Girl and then added some Diamond Glaze to add some gloss to the letters. The flourishes down the center of the page is an Autumn Leaves stamp that I used with pink ink. It sure looks a lot like the pink flourishes of the Two Scoops paper! I couldn't have asked for a better match!

Please come back later in the week to see a few more photos of this album. I took a picture of all pages and would love to share a few more with you. But before you go, I have some exciting news! CC&M is releasing two new card kits! Each kit has enough product to make 12 cards! wowza! One kit is a Birthday Boy kit and the other is a Birthday Girl kit. Each kit is only $26.99, but it has $30 worth the product in it. Also, CC&M is offering an add-on kit that includes some Doodlebug Birthday stamps. For some extra savings, (a special offer for our blog hoppers) save 15% by using the coupon code: birthdaydt0915 at the CC&M store.

Now it's time to head on over to Carla's blog and see what birthday surprises she has there! Be sure to come back later in the week though and see those last photos of my birthday album! Thanks for stopping, I mean hopping by!

New Mini mini album

This is a little mini album that I did for my DH. He even said that this wasn't too girly...which is high praise from him.







I will tell you that I haven't got all the photos in this little album...and I bet you are wondering why!? Well, because I haven't gotten them all taken, of course! I am planning on adding photos throughout the summer so that my DH will have a mini mini album full of our summer memories!

I found that the acrylic pages were difficult to photograph, so all you will see is the outline of those and the embellishments attached to them. The papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Lil' Man line, and they all coordinate so beautifully that it made choosing the paper easier because there was no guess work to know if it went together. The stamps are from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps and the rub ons from Me and My Big Idea. The die cut images (hardware and hinges) and the tag album are from Creative Cuts and More and the acrylic overlay/ATC tag (of the ferris wheel) on the front cover is from Prickley Pear. Hope over there and see what a fantastic selection they have!

One of my faves!

Well, Peeps...I know it has been a while. I am definitely into the summer mode. I have been working on projects and have even taken pictures. However, the lack of posting isn't totally my fault. We have been having a few computer problems. Those have certainly been a test to my DH's abilities, brain power and patience. We don't have all of them fixed, but we are working on it. While we are up and running today, I thought I would post these photos.

This is an album I did several months ago. However, I had sent the photos to be submitted at a magazine, they weren't chosen. So I post them now on my own blog. I love this album. The acrylic pages were a fun challenge. This one definitely stretched me as a scrapbooker!

I ordered the book from Creative Cuts and More. The paper is from Autumn Leaves. The stamps? The tree stamp set is from Gel-A-Tins. And there is also some shimmery goodness from Shimmerz!

I will be back to post some more of this album. Why? Because I love it! Also, I am working on a mini-mini album using paper from one of my absolute favorite paper companies....Cosmo Cricket. How, I would love to be on their design team...and I am thinking that I might just apply!

Check back for more photos! Have a great week! And for all those readers in the Midwest...stay cool! I know it's been hot and muggy there!

Blog hop happening now!!

Welcome to the Creative Cuts and More Blog hop!! Thanks for hopping on over from Diecut Diva!! I told you in my last post that something new and fun and exciting would be happening here today!!!

The photos you see here are from a fabulous new Mix-n-Match mini album that is from Creative Cuts and More. I had the pages die cut in chipboard, and then also in Bronze Ore Curious Metallic cardstock to cover the chipboard pages. I then had each style of page die cut out of Doublemates Terra Cotta cardstock and inserted them between the chipboard pages. The fabulous thing about Doublemates is that each side is a different coordinating color. It saves time when you don't have to cover those chipboard pages and can coordinate all the album covers!!

The above pages have been stamped with Basic Grey stamps and then cut out and adhered to the pages. I also added some Doodlebug rhinestones to some of the trees. I added a hint of color to the trees with Pearlized colored chalk. (by Pebbles.)


This page was first stamped with Fancy Pants "In the Garden" stamps in Versamark and then colored with chalk. I also stamped the dragonfly image in the right corner with brown chalk ink. The dragonfly image is from the Basic Grey "Wisteria" line. I placed a bracket frame (from CC&M) over the top and added a vellum tag from Stampin' up. On top of that I added a leaf die cut (out of Doublemates cardstock) and added some American Crafts ribbon. The word stamps are from Impression Obsession, stamped with Stayz On Timber Brown ink.

This page uses a scalloped frame (from CC&M) with a punched circle stamped with a Basic Grey "Wisteria" stamp. The word "silly" is a rub-on.

The page on the left was stamped with Basic Grey acrylic stamps. Then I added the tag (Doublemates Terra Cotta reverse side) with a Basic Grey stamp. I colored it with Pixie Dust Shimmerz. Then added a die cut leaf cut from Felt. The right-hand page uses a bracket frame with the butterfly stamped (Basic Grey Wisteria) and hand cut. It was embossed with Zing brown embossing powder from American Crafts. The word on this page is also a rub on.

These pages were stamped with Versamark and chalk brushed over the top of the design. The leaves are die cuts out of metallic cardstock, velvet paper and felt. To add some color I used Pearlized Chalk by Pebbles. The word "smile" was colored with Brilliance (in Rocket Red) and distressed on the edges with brown Chalk ink. The letters are chipboard letters by Basic Grey.

I loved working with this album. You can order the kit with all the different styled pages, or you can order each page seperately. I loved the different shaped pages, but am now thinking I might try an album of pages that are all the same shape. I am also anxious to get some pages die cut from felt...just to try and rise to the challenge of working with that!!!

Hope you have a great day and hop on over to Carla's blog to see what she has going on there!! Also, be sure to spend some time at Creative Cuts and More to check out all the fabulous products you can find there!

Teeny Bopper album

Well, Peeps, I know I have been away for a while. I have been busy. With life. There have been issues and things to take care of, stress to deal with, and every day things to accomplish. However, I did come back today with some photos of projects I have been working on. Okay. One project. I do have others I am in the middle of. I am also waiting for 250 photos that I ordered from Shutterfly to arrive on my doorstep this week. Then I will step up productivity. At least that is the plan!

This album is another album I have done as a gift. However, shhhhhh....the one it is to go to hasn't received it. This little beauty is still sitting in my pile of scrapbook stuff...waiting to be sent. However...you get a sneak peek. Can you tell it is for a teenager? I love this album.



I ordered this album from Creative Cuts and More. I actually ordered two albums. One acrylic album and one chipboard album and then combined them. The whole album was done with papers from DCWV using their "Nonsense" line. Don't you just love the colors and patterns?? The page on the left is an acrylic page and the page on the right, I created a pocket for the coin purse to go into. If you slide that coin purse out (you can also order those from Creative Cuts and More!) it looks like this:


Also, Creative Cuts and More has these cute little purses. How girly is that? They would make great gift card holders, invitations to a birthday party or girl's night out.

I used this library pocket with a tag as a page all it's own. The tag slide out and can be used to mount a photo on or just for journaling. I guess anything a girly teenager wants to do with it!

Okay then, Peeps. It's nice to be back. Sorry I was gone for so long. I really am working on some new things and will be back to share them.

Where, Oh Where....

do ya' order that 4x4 album?

Here is link directly to the info on Creative Cuts and More. At $5.00 per album...it's a deal you can't pass up. Especially if you have never done a mini album and just want to try it out, or it would make a great cardboard book to help little hands keep busy. I could totally see it being a little children's book to play with and stick in a toddler's diaper bag. (Think: baby gift, birthday gift, or word book) Just sayin'........

Is it gone yet??

Is Christmas done yet?? Well, after downloading the pictures from my camera's memory card, I am quite convinced that it is. Between photos of projects I did for gifts (and I didn't photograph all of them...) and the photos we took of the Christmas season, there were 314 photos to be moved around. Yikes.

I looked back at the photos I had taken and thought about what kind of projects I had done this year. I have done 15 mini albums and one 12 x 12 album. I didn't count the cards and DT projects or the pages I did for my own family. It was a productive and busy year. (Can you hear the pride in my voice???? hee-hee.)

Below are two photos from an album I gave as a gift. The recipient has a daughter that plays soccer, so I added some soccer pages. When the album is folded up it is approximately 6x12. There are two sets of binding rings (Zutter) on each side because the book opens on both sides. (Making the album approximately 18x12 inches.

This photo is of two 6x12 panels. They work together to form a layout. The mats for the photos were run through my Sizzix Big Kick using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The soccer ball on the bottom right was an Accu-Cut die that I used from the workroom at Archiver's. The grid behind the photo mats was done with magic mesh. (I don't really know the brand name, sorry Peeps.) I is a canvas mesh that I layed on the cardstock and then dabbed green Makine Memories craft paint over it. Then I moved the mesh and it left this negative image. It reminded me of grass and a soccer net. (Yep...that's me. All about the symbolism.)

This photo is of the album with all three panels open. The panel on the left is the same as the left panel in the top photo. The right panel in this photo is the back side of the right panel in the top photo. The middle panel was underneath the right panel in the first photo. Confused yet?? The soccer girl is a die cut from the Quickutz Silhouette and the word "life" is a Making Memories rub on.

I was so pleased with how this album came out. It was fun and funky. I love that! I will have more photos of this album in the days to come. It has some really fun "features" to it. I have enough photos of all those gift albums to last me a couple of months of blog posts. (aren't you lucky!??)

Well, Peeps, I hope you had a great Christmas and now are anticipating heading into the new year. I am excited to see what it will bring! At the Gem house, we always pray that it will be a good year with good health and that God leads us to make wise choices. We found out last week that my DH's employer changed health insurance carriers. That is always a big, big deal for a family that has two people that have a rare, chronic illness. On another note, however, my DH graduated with high honors with his accounting degree in December. He has worked 2 1/2 years to get to this point. Now we are just trusting God to provide the right job for him.

Hope you have a great New Year's week. I still have a list a mile long to do before the kiddos start back to school here at the Gem house. They are at loose ends because of all their free time. Next week we will be getting back on schedule with school to do every day. This mom is not sure she is quite ready for that! yikes!

Be safe out there and thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip

It would be a great weekend to take a road trip. What is the weather like where you are? Are the leaves turning? Is it cooling off? I wish I could take a road trip. However, I have to work this weekend. Friday, Saturday AND Sunday nights. I am hoping to wedge some fun time in there though...to create and do some enjoyable projects. Maybe between darling daughter's soccer game and cleaning the toilets some time for fun can be found!

However, this is the deets on this project. This little page is out of a mini-journal/album I created several months ago for Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Design Team. Nicole, over at PPRS, (http://www.prickleypear.com/) has created some rockin' transparencies. (I used one of them for this page.) I distressed all the layers here and sewed (yep...as in SEWING MACHINE) the layers together. I am pretty sure that the patterned paper is from DCWV. I did use Ranger's Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy on this page too. It takes a long while to dry on smooth surfaces but it does work!

Okay, Peeps! Have a perfectly enjoyable weekend and make sure to get out there and do something fun!

Oh Brother!

Last month I posted a layout from an album I did for my lil' brother. Well, here is another page from that same album. I love the paper and the format for this album. I love the tall 6 x 12 format for this album. It also uses my favorite paper...Kraft cardstock!! woo-hoo. The stamps were from Zach's Life from Little Yellow Bicycle and also Prickley Pear. I wish I could remember what company the patterned paper is from, but I will freely admit it, I am too lazy to get up and go look for the scraps tonight. Please forgive my laziness. Also, since this album was a gift, I left the mats blank so that my lil' bro could put in his own photos.

Things have been rockin' and rollin' here at the Gem house. My darling husband has an extra day off this week and is helping with schooling the kiddos. Today, we planned to get a bunch of school done and plans changed all day long. My darling son, who just tested in Tae Kwon Do for his yellow belt got to wear his black belt during his class today. (It was a reward for good leadership during his previous classes and he got to wear it for just one class.) He earned enough special points to do that and he was so excited!!! He got to lead some of the drills during class and did a great job! Darling daughter had soccer practice and then after practice fell off the monkey bars on the playground. She wasn't badly injured (PTL!) but enough to make her tired little body hurt. After a nice shower, she was easy to get into bed!

Well, Peeps! Hope you have a rockin' good week. Check back for more inspiration later in the week and thanks for stoppin' by!

Finally!

How many weeks have I been promising new pics??? Well, here is one! Finally. I have had a couple of really busy weeks. Blah, blah, blah! I know you have been busy too, Peeps. I want to thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to check out my blog. I hope you all will keep returning again and again!!!

Well, darling son tested for his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do last night. He was so excited and Mom and Dad were so proud! He tested before a TKD Master. His instructor told them that many people practicing TKD don't ever get to test before a Master, so it should be considered a privilege. Otherwise, we have been busy doing tests and assignments in school. We school at home and the kids attend a virtual academy. We have had some problems with our online school in the past two weeks so the schooling has been going kind of slow. It's hard to get anything done because we haven't known whether the school will be online or not. Such a major frustration! Anywho....it is Friday and tomorrow will be the weekend. No worries then!

Well, Peeps... here is a project I have been telling you about! This is a layout from an album I gave as a gift. I finally got it "given" and the receiver has "received" it so I felt okay about posting some photos. This is one of my favorite layouts from the little album and the patterned paper is from DCWV. I cut the circles with my Nestabilities circle die cuts. (Which I won from Vicki's blog! http://www.stampedsmiles.com/ Thanks Vicki!!!)

The album is 6 x 12 inches when folded, and then when you open the pages out, the album is a 12 x 12 size. I used my trusty Bind-it-All to create the binding. I used my Sizzix Big Kick to die cut the stars. The "AWESOME" stamp is from a set from Little Yellow Bicycle. After I got the layout done, I thought it needed a little "bling". What better for a little boy than rhinestones...oops, I mean, BUTTONS! So I added a few assorted ones. I like the way the stars, circles and buttons look like they have been tossed on there! Really, it is more like controlled chaos!

Okay, Peeps. Another important day of school is about to start here at the Gem house! Have a great weekend!

New, new, new!

Hi there, Peeps! I did manage to get a bit of time working on a project, it just isn't photographed yet. However, I have a photo I do want to share. Last week was busy, busy and this week is shaping up to be the same. I didn't do anything productive on Saturday. (Except clean the bathrooms. Let me tell ya' that was a boatload of fun. ha.) However, yesterday I finished a little gift project I was working on. I will post the photos soon, after they have been taken and the gift has been given.

This photo is of a little album I put together for my Prickley Pear design team. It was very whimsical and fun.

Mini-albums are a fun way to try out new techniques and experiment with new tools and "toys". This album is made up of A2 sized envelopes adhered together in an accordian album. It created flat spaces to decorate, but also the pocket was handy to stick decorated cards or pictures. I got to play with some new bird stamps (from Prickley Pear, of course) and also a new die from Quickuz. (A 12" flower border die, seen at the bottom left of album in this photo.) I also dragged out some slide mounts that I acquired and had some fun with them. They make a great mat to put around something small that you want to draw attention to. I have found that mini-albums are also great ways to use scraps of paper. One thing I love about mini-albums is that they go together quickly and are so easy to fit into a "theme". The theme can be an event, a certain series of colored or patterned paper.

I do have some ideas I want to try out for other mini-albums, so stay tuned for that! I have a couple of inexpensive ideas for small albums that would make great Christmas, birthday or thank-you gifts too!

Well, off to do more school with the kiddos. History and science this p.m.! Have a great week, Peeps!