animal crackers layout

well, i was telling you last week about my upcoming crop. remember? well, if you don't, then just check out this post. anyway, it was AMAZING. i loved it. i had so much fun, was so productive, ate waaay too much food, and will definitely be going back next year.

this crop's location was in a nearby city, maybe 20 minutes from my house, so not too far away, but far enough to feel "away," you know?

well, as soon as i drove up to this place called "The Keepsake Cottage" (which by the way is booked almost every single weekend throughout the year with the exception of a few weeks in August), i was struck by how different its appearance was from what i'd expected. i walked in and was even more shocked! from the outside, what looked like a long rectangular single story "office" building almost (more house-ish, but still), was really a beautiful, well-appointed, and amazingly relaxed crop station! hard wood floors, full kitchen (with the cutest stools, tables, and centerpieces), ott lites, rolly chairs, 6 ft long tables, tons of outlets, a Cricut with EVERY SINGLE cartridge imaginable (seriously, i don't think there were any missing, aside from new releases!), 2 Big Shots, a TV/ DVD player, and about 8 different rooms--styled completely separately and fabulously.

in my assigned room i was greeted with some cute pink camo bedding. underneath it all, i had the MOST comfortable bed--pillowtop mattress, good support, everything was perfect, which was an added plus to the cuteness factor.

here's my bed, and above you can see the wall art--the lyrics to "Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."


let's just say i felt MORE than a little spoiled at this cottage. i was so blessed! oh, the nightstands held some noisemakers (i always have a fan running at home, so this was amazingly thoughtful) as well as earplugs for the snorers... not ME!

perhaps the best part, or *one* of the best parts, was the food... our hostess cooked EVERY SINGLE meal, and they were amazing! we had such good variety, quality, and we were treated with desserts after dinner and another "late night snack" towards the time of ten o'clock. i seriously probably gained 5 pounds! (so worth it :D)

the real best part of the whole weekend was the amount of work i got done. i was a machine, making layout after layout. in total, i made 36 layouts (some doubles mixed with singles) from events like last year's Fair pictures, to this year's missions trip to Ecuador.

it's going to take me a while to share all these layouts with you, but i'm super excited to do it... here's the first one, from the Fair last year, entitled, "Animal Crackers" showcasing the mama pigs and piglets that are newly born each year...

this layout is loosely follows Laura's sketch #35 from 2sketches4you... but i think i'll make a card to follow the sketch... gotta love the chunky scalloped edge!

in all my scrapbooking, i've never made that many layouts in that span of time... i think it was really helpful to have everything so spread out and having other people around me. i know for SURE that part of the reason for my success is related to the fact that i didn't have "anything else to do" too... made it easier to focus :D

here you can see a general view of the crop tables. mine is highlighted with the pink circle. i think i brought the most "stuff" to crop with, but it was a good thing, and i was glad i brought it.

here's my friend/ roomie, Shawna, getting things done on her computer so she could cross them off her "to-do" list. we shared a room, laughs, and lots of stories... so great to have her there with me :D

oooh, and a self-portrait. not one of my best, but i thought i'd better take one anyway. i didn't take many pictures while i was there because i was literally cranking out the pages!

oh, i'll have to share with y'all the PRIZE that i won... it's really an amazing prize, AND an amazing story.

anyway, i hope YOU get to have a fun weekend like i did at some point... i wish i could do these more often and with greater ease (i can't leave work that frequently). have you ever had a great (or horrible) cropping experience? care to share? :D

thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Friday!

u r a nut!

okay, two things. first, i LOVE my lightbox! i'm still working on the angles and the light exposure, but i think that my photos will be better :D yay! i'll have to take a picture of the outside of my box sometime... it's funny looking, hehe!

second, can you understand the sentiment? like, if i hadn't posted in the title, "u r a nut," would you have understood the words/ pictures? cuz 3/4 of my family *did*, but there was 1/4 that didn't "get it."

i used the wonderful sketch by Kazan over at 2sketches4you. always lovely, always inspiring. i think i'll be taking this sketch along with me to a crop i'm going to this weekend... fun stuff, eh?

i used the DCWV Green Stack, some chipboard alphas, kraft, some AC satin woodgrain ribbon, PTI button, and a new $1 stamp i got from Michael's. oooh, and the flourishes are stamped and glittered with Martha Stewart glitter i won at an Impress Stamp night--door prize, baby! :D they're having another one on Oct 24th if you'll be around the Tukwila, WA area around then you should totally check it out. i loved my first one, and i can't wait for my second time!

anyway, thanks for looking, and have a GREAT weekend!

tomorrow is...

1. thursday. one of the best days of the week in my opinion. you only have one more day of school, and you can start to anticipate the weekend. plus, it's a great day.
2. one more day until the scrapping weekend with Shawna.
3. the day i use my new light box (made by me! and Cecelia) on a card i made for 2S4Y
4. my swim team's first swim meet... with 4 girls. woohoo (*note: sarcasm* we have a super small team and will lose all our meets. it's hard on the girls, but hard on me, the coach, too.)
5. a quiz day at school! yay, less work!
6. a day to hear AMAZING singing at the swim meet... our national anthem singer has a voice to *SWOON* over. ah, my heart is melting just thinking about his voice... ;)
7. a day to be thankful
   

yay, so there's a lot of things to be thankful about, and so i thought i'd post this in relation to the above reasons. this is one of the last cards i took photos of without my lightbox... some cards from bygones will have this same brick background, but the new ones will have some better lighting, etc once i figure out all the kinks.

it's a basic card, ribbon, button, paper... but i love how simple it is and the "cuteness" of it.

thanks for looking, and check back tomorrow, for it is THURSDAY!

my sister's cards!

haha, my family is funny. you should know that if you read along with my blog... but my sister, Cecelia, she is a special kind of funny. i love her. she is my best friend. and she makes me laugh a lot.

but, she recently wrote a blog post about crafting/ card making. i laughed so hard (to myself, because i read it later at night when my family was already snugly tucked into their beds), i couldn't resist. go visit her post entitled, she made me do it! (in reference to myself of course! :D) and see for yourself. plus, her cards are pretty stinking cute, don't you think?

no matter what... & ABC's

a while ago i made this Fathers Day card for my dad. we were having a family picnic on Father's Day, and i wasn't able to take a picture of it, so here i am posting this WAAAY later than planned. i really like the color scheme for this "masculine" card, even though some parts of it could be considered girly. American Crafts, DoodleFactory, and Bazzill were my main products used.

**i know i haven't been posting regularly lately, but i've been super busy with the 1st week of school and teaching and coaching, etc... i'm definitely not used to this pace yet, and am still settling in. thanks for bearing with me!**

here you see i made a belly band for this card... i used my Cricut to cut out the "Happy Father's Day" that fits perfectly behind my band. i did a lot of distressing and sanding around edges of everything, to give it a more guy feel.

here's how the card opens at first: "no matter..." i wrote a bunch of funny little things my Dad does, like shrinking clothes in the laundry, and not delivering phone messages. i love him all the same, though :D

and here's the full card opened completely. overall, there are quite a few layers on this card, and it was a good thing i had thought of a way to close it up, otherwise it would be spilling out, hehe!

also, i picked these barn and castle stamps for the inside of the card because my Dad has been dreaming up the house/ barn he's going to build at our property for years... he's actually tossed around the idea of building a castle type house, but my Mom wasn't really going for it. anyway, whatever they both finally decide, i'll be happy for them, because i know they'll love it. i got these stamps from DoodleFactory, and they were sooo perfect for layering and this card for my Dad :D

do you see how the windows are popped out, and i even had these barn doors open on the top layer! hehe, i felt so clever when i made this card... everything is just so cute :D (oooh, and did you see that windmill detail with the brad in the center? neat, huh?)

and here you can see the mega-layering on the castle. i stamped it 3 times--the first on the panel, then twice on gray card stock. i popped out some turrets and shaded everything in to give it even more depth. ahh, don't you just love this? it makes me think of knights, and princesses, etc :D too fun!

i got to use some fun velvet letters from Making Memories as well as some alphas from Basic Grey (on the belly band and on the inside). it added another kind of texture to the card which was really nice.

here you can see how i cut out the tags with my Cricut again and made a pocket to hold all the special little notes on why i loved my Dad so much. i used a circle punch out of the front of the half envelope and stuck these tags in with AC ribbon too.

he really liked this card, and actually showed it off at the picnic we were at... so glad he liked it. now he's got in in his office along with some other cards i've made for him over the years. so funny to see what you made before and compare it to your style/ sense now.

Anyway, in other news, I’ve been tagged by Celia @ The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia to participate in a fun meme, and since she’s my sister, and it looks like fun, I think I’ll play along. Plus, don’t you want to know more about me? :D

RULES

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Share your ABC’s
3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs
4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag

Available or married? Available! But totally willing to change that ;D

Best Friend? Cecelia, my sister. *grin*

Cake or Pie? Cake. For sure, ah, I love chocolate, and spice, and carrot… and doesn’t cheesecake technically count as cake?

Drink of choice? Water, or Diet Coke with a lemon OR lime. Either works.

Essential item for every day use? Gum, or my car. I practically live in my car… I drive about 45 minutes to school, and 45 minutes back every day. I spend so much time in my car, and everything in it is essential (like the chap stick, the comfy seats, the CDs, the speed at which it goes…)

Favorite color? Red, black, pink, and blue. My second favorite color is orange, green, and yellow. I also look really good in purple.

Google? Yes. Frequently. The maps are better than MapQuest, and well, it’s Google.

Hometown? Seattle, Washington.

Indulgences? Pretty patterns… especially on paper. Although I’ve been known to covet some items from Ikea catalogs every now and then. I also love movies, FOOD, and traveling.

January or February? February. Valentine’s Day, and it’s not right after the holidays when you don’t want to go back to school…

Kids and their names? I want them someday, and have ideas regarding names, but currently, no children… unless you count my “kids” at school… which I don’t really want to do.

Life would not be complete without? God, family, friends.

Marriage date? Not married, yet ;)

Number of siblings? I’m the second born of 5. One older sister, three younger brothers. My sister Cecelia is only 16 months older than me at 25, and my brother Peter is 16 months younger than me. Then there's Lincoln and Joey. My mom was brave, and had 5 kids within 6 years… I L-O-V-E my siblings.

Oranges or apples? Apples for sure! Fuji are my favorite!

Phobias and fears? I hate heights, but more than that, I hate the edges that usually accompany them.

Quote for the day? “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” --Dory, from Finding Nemo

Reason to smile? Hmm, FAMILY, pretty paper, good music, yummy food, FRIENDS, and finding money in pockets when you didn’t expect it.

Season? I think Winter’s great… I LOVE Christmas--definitely my favorite part of the year. But I absolutely cannot knock having the summer vacation (even though this summer wasn’t much “vacation”) as a teacher.

Tag 3 people?
Heidi at Van Laar Designs
Dad at The Garden Handyman
Amy at Tsuruta Designs
…not sure if they’ll actually do this, but who knows? I always like to hear about real people and their lives.

Unknown fact about me? I went to the National Championships in college for water polo (3 out of 4 years!).

Vegetable you hate? Lima beans, cooked spinach, beets, and sometimes I really hate eggplant. It’s the texture.

Worst habit? Staying up way too late. Especially on school nights.

X-rays you’ve had? Dental, fingers, toes, ankle, etc…

Your fave food? I like pizza, but if I had to live off of one food (made in a variety of ways) for the rest of my life, it would be POTATOES! Mashed potatoes, hash browns, French fries, potato salad, baked potatoes, home fries, tater tots, jojos, steak fries… I love it all.

Zodiac sign? Dunno, my birthday is May 1st.

thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend :D

let it snow (MFW Elegant & Classy)

okay, here's today's post #3! i can't guarantee that i won't be posting again today... depends on whether i feel ambitious enough to create one more thing, but probably not, since i'm going with the family to a Labor Day BBQ in an hour :D

this card was created for the elegant and classy challenge over at Moxie Fab World (Holiday Challenges). i immediately got an idea for the papers i wanted to use (DCWV--Doodle Stack and some Bright Mats) as well as the design. i *love* it when that happens :D

i also love using punches, but sometimes forget that i have them... i used a variety of Marvy (for the regular and scalloped squares), Fiskars (border), and Martha Stewart punches (two different snowflake styles) for this card. the rest is just some bling (Kaiser) and ribbon (Michael's double faced satin).

oh, that stamp is from The Paper Company, and i used some VersaMark Chalk Ink with some clear embossing powder. i know the sentiment is subtle, but i thought it was really classy, hence my decision to use it!

i just want to thank Cath over at MFW for hosting such lovely challenges... i wish i had seen them earlier, and i could have submitted more :D hehe. also, go check out Heidi's interpretation of another challenge, the fun and cute Christmas--she will make you smile, guaranteed.

well, thanks for looking, and hope you enjoy! let me know what you think, it's so much fun reading all your comments.

be jolly (MFW Schabby Chic/ Vintage)

okay, post #2 for today... this time, it's for the vintage/ shabby chic Moxie Fab World Holiday Challenge. and personally, this card took me the longest to make, but it's my favorite out of the three... maybe it's because it took so long, hehe :D

i've never submitted cards for challenges over at MFW, so posting 3 cards is completely new for me :D but i had a lot of fun checking out the gallery of cards, you really should too.

anyway, i used the "be jolly" stamp from The Paper Company, the snowflake cut from the Accents Cricut cartridge, some $1 lace from Jo-Ann's, DCWV patterned paper (The Christmas Value Pack), some K&CO holiday mat paper (can't really see it), kraft/ cream/ pink/ light pink card stock, brown ink from Impress, and some lovely pink rhinestones. i also used a Martha Stewart border punch.

i know i didn't have a vintage image, but i really thought the distressing and paper choices make this card "shabby chic." what do you think? you like?

oh, and here's something else that's new for me... i even decorated the inside and back of the card (back shown here) for some extra fabulous-ness :D

thanks for looking, and don't forget to check out Heidi's blog too for some sweetness!

santa claus is coming... (MFW Clean & Graphic)

here i am with post #1 for today... i'm trying to cram in a couple of cards for the Moxie Fab World Holiday Challenges.

the first challenge was to try out a clean and graphic style. now there is some serious talent going on over in the mr. linky section at MFW, so you should really check them out. but, i was really surprised to find that i could actually work with this challenge--better than i thought possible, actually.

i used some American Crafts paper, red & white cardstock, a santa chickie from DeNami Design, a retired stamp from Impress, a corner rounder, pop dots, and a fun little red clothespin. i'm just keeping it clean :D

what do you think? did i accomplish the task?

oh, and i just have to tell you--visit my friend Heidi's blog for some adorably cute cards... she participated in the challenges too, and she rocks!

fall pumpkins

fall is definitely coming quickly... i know this because school will finally be starting on Tuesday. agh, TUESDAY! nooooooooooo! that means i'm back to teaching, no more vacation (not like i really had a "vacation," but still...) but also, i've been seeing hints of halloween and fall decorations, so i thought a fall card was in order.

i used the Indian Summer pack from DCWV, and isn't that purple patterned paper just gorgeous? i love the metallic MM alpha letters too... a bronzy feel, plus some gold DeNami Glitter for an extra little flourish. guess where i got that pumpkin? a felt board... you know those boards you used in elementary school--you stuck people, or letters, numbers, etc on them to learn how to count, or read... remember? well, i used one of those and just trimmed the sides(it's a tad bright for the rest of the card, but oh well, i like bright, and the orange grosgrain ribbon from M's balances it a bit) ...so here i am using felt for the "touchy-feely friday" 365 cards challenge, and i never thought i'd do something like this! hope you enjoy, thanks for looking, and have a great start to your fall!

blooms and birthdays

whew, it's been an interesting week here in Washington. we've had really great weather all summer, but today we got a little taste of fall--RAIN. which is good. i like rain. without rain, we wouldn't be the "Evergreen State." i like it like that. it also keeps our plants pretty... and speaking of, here are some pictures of flowers. i took these in Ecuador (i went about 2 weeks ago for a missions trip), so don't worry if you don't recognize them. truthfully, i don't know their names, and i wasn't able to ask what they are called. but they sure are gorgeous!

i really like this purple one... so striking.

both of my middle brothers have birthdays in August, so it's always a fun month to make guy cards... sometimes i can get away with some frillier, "girl" things, but i have to make sure i stick to the right colors: blue and green. my brother Lincoln got his card via mail, because he's been gone all summer. i thought he'd like a reminder of all the ice cream we chowed down on as kids... we went through gallons of ice cream like there was no tomorrow! (oh wait, it's still kind of like that when the whole family get's together... hehe, oh well :D)

i embossed this "elegant" sentiment in light blue and definitely stuck to the whole blue theme... (pom poms, polka dots, ice cream shakes-in blue, ha!) all the stamps aside from the sentiment come from DeNami Design. love their stuff!

i almost forgot to take a picture of this card before it got mailed off, that's why it's in a cellophane wrapper... but i think he'll really like it. oh, almost forgot, this card also qualifies for day 185 at 365 cards for the "feeling blue" day :D

hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking!

Love, Chickies, & Bachelorette Parties...

i have a friend who is getting married this weekend, and i am soo happy for her! she has been in a relationship with her fiance for about 8 years, and her big day is Saturday! i got to help kidnap her for a bachelorette party last night, and it was soo fun! (fondue, games, chocolate, and gifts, who wouldn't love it, right? oh, yeah--maybe a guy... oh well, that's why they're called BACHELORETTE parties :D) i made this card specially for her, and to hold the gift card i was giving her. the card has a built in pocket that was pefect for tucking something sweet inside.


Supplies: white and light pink cardstock, pink Impress card with pocket, Bazzill cardstock, textured & dotted; AC zebra print; Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" pp; DeNami Design button; twine; ribbon from Michael's - pink satin & and white w/ trim; Recollections lip embellishment from Michael's; $1 black fringe from Jo-Ann's, rhinestones from Michael's; Cricut cuts - Simply Sweet cartridge for the heart and "Love" sentiment; Making Memories stars and hearts - glittered chipboard embellishments, Fiskars "threading water" border punch.

i decided to use the Kazan's sketch #34 from 2sketches4you for the front, as well as the colors for the Caardvarks challenge, (even though i didn't meet the deadline: pink, black, and white, YAY!). it couldn't have made a happier marriage (ha, pun intended!) because i reallly wanted to keep this card for myself instead of give it away!

in the above picture, you can see where i wrote the note, and then the gift card tucked into the side pocket. i used some soft pinks as well as bright pinks, because really, that zebra print from AC needed some competition :D

oh, in other news, i went to see "The Time Traveler's Wife" with my sister (for free!) on Monday night. i was really surprised that i DIDN'T cry, because it was definitely a movie with themes that would normally make me tear up. but it was good, not something i'd see twice, or would recommend for *everyone*, but i enjoyed spending time with my sister :D

ooh, and speaking of love... i LOVE DeNami Design's chickies. seriously. LOVE them. i made a ton of cards recently using their stamps, and i have to say, there are so many possibilities, and i seriously doubt i will get tired of them, ever.

so here i used some tulle, floral stick pins with Maya Road butterflies, and a DeNami Design button with some blue polka dot ribbon and yellow twine for the embellishment.

the polka dot stamps are also DeNami Design, and the chickies are too... aren't those colors fun? i love the whole feel--it's very bubblebum-ish, but super sweet. also, if you have a hankering for more DeNami goodness, go check out my friend Paulina's blog... she just posted some really sweet designs using their stamps. PLUS, she's having a HUGE giveaway, and i mean, HUGE!

anyway, hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking!