Wednesday, June 30, 2010

wordless wednesday


So, which one do you like better? I can't decide.
Same card with two different background paper choices.

Card with pink, dry-embossed background paper.


Card with hand-stamped, cherry background paper.


Thanks for stopping by today!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

he drives the boat


Here's another page made with the Scrapbook Circle July kit. Check out the new site if you haven't already and see what the rest of the DT made, too. There are some gorgeous pages over there!!


The pictures on this page are from a boat trip we took on the canal. Nate got to drive Papa's boat (with some help from Daddy), and he was just over-the-moon excited. I just loved the faces he was making. He kept looking over his shoulder at Grandma, whose hair was blowing all over the place. It made him laugh hysterically. It really was too funny.


Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I really do love this July kit. I hope you're able to order one if you're in the market for a new kit club!

Monday, June 28, 2010

the best dads squeeze into the small places


Hey there! I hope everyone is doing well. Today I have another page from the Scrapbook Circle July kit. I'm still loving the bright, fun colors in this kit. Check out the list of what's included in the kit HERE.


The picture on this page is from when we went to the playground on Nate's birthday. Brad is always so good about playing with Nate. He climbs, slides and jumps like he's still a kid, and Nate loves to have Dad by his side!

The best part is that they know to stop a second and pose for the camera! :)


I have a cool tip for you today. See the butterflies? They are from Jenni Bowlin, and I used my Smooch Spritz to spray one yellow and the other one red. I love how they turned out, and the paper took the misting really well. Try this yourself!

This page is made with the latest sketch from Design Dollies. As soon as I saw the latest one, I knew it would become a favorite of mine. It's a saver, for sure!! Great job, Kristy! I love this sketch!!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

a bittersweet day and project


If you've been reading my blog for a little while, you may remember this page HERE. It was a page for the Who's That Girl challenge "Why I Don't..." I had made the page about my editor, Laura. And I was serious... I do not do anything without her.

Well, now I am going to have to. Laura and her adorable little family are moving to Kentucky, and today is her last day at NextStepU. I have worked with Laura for more than 8 years. We have gotten to the point where we can read each others' minds, we know what each others' weaknesses are, and then fill the empty spaces in each others' work.

I am trying to imagine NextStepU without her. It's really, really tough!


Yesterday we had a party for her. We played bocce, had some great food, drinks... and I gave Laura this not-so-mini album I made for her. I had the staff write messages on journal spots and sprinkled them in among pictures from the last 9 years.


Not all of the pages are shown here—there are 10 of them—but I wanted to show a few of my favorite pages.

I had to devote one page to Laura and me. I wrote a nice, long message and even teared up a bit as I wrote it. We have spent more of our waking hours together than we have with our spouses.

Her daughter and my son were born 4 months apart. We were at each others' weddings. We called each other when important moments happened in our lives. Through everything, I've been able to count on Laura. OK... gonna cry again. Moving on...

These two pages are of Laura and the NextStepU founder and CEO, Dave. Dave and Laura have been working together since Laura was 15. She came to NextStepU as an intern, and she has grown with the company pretty much since it was founded. Like I said... It's gonna be very difficult to imagine NextStepU without Laura.


Let's all wish Laura the best at her new job in Kentucky! She reads the blog, so leave her a warm going away message, best wishes, etc. She'll love it!

She has always been a huge supporter of my crafting. In fact... I wouldn't even have a card making business if it wasn't for her! I made her a big ol' pack of handmade cards for her birthday one year, and next thing I know the orders are flowing in!

Good luck, Laura! I wish you all the best in your new chapter. It will all work out, I know it will. I will miss so much about seeing you everyday, but I know that you will always be in my life. OK... tears again... gotta go!

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

super silly faces


Happy Sketchy Thursdays day!! This week's sketch is made by my wonderful partner-in-crime, Heidi, so check out her sketchy prowess on the Sketchy Thursdays challenge site.

This week we have a fabulous prize from Apron Strings kit club. But you can't win it if you don't play along with us!!


This page was made with the July kit from Scrapbook Circle. Told ya' I'd been busy creating with it!! I am loving, just absolutely LOVING these colors—so bright and bold!! And, being that I love stars (I even have stars tattooed on my foot!), this kit makes me smile!


Thanks for stopping by today! I hope that you're excited about the July kit from Scrapbook Circle, and also find time to play along at Sketchy Thursdays.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

scrapbook circle kit club is having a DT call!

Scrapbook Circle is excited to announce that they are adding new design team members! Here are the details for the design team call:

Design Team Benefits
Our monthly kits of newly released scrapbook supplies delivered to you
Exposure on Scrapbook Circle’s gallery, blog and Facebook Page
25% off any add-ons you want to purchase (shipped free with your kit)

Design Team Responsibilities
Complete 4 layouts each month using the kit of the month
Post weekly on our blog
Participate daily on our Facebook Page
Post your layouts in 2 web galleries each month
Host 1 blog challenge during your term

How do you apply?
Email the following to lisa@scrapbookcircle.com:

5 images of your favorite layouts
Link to your blog
Short bio including why you want to be on our design team
List of other current design teams you participate on
List of any scrapbook forums where you regularly participate

All submissions are due by Friday, July 2.

We will announce the new design team members by Wednesday, July 7. The design team term will be from August 2010 – January 2011.

We are excited to see your work!

International submissions are welcome.

I absolutely love being a part of Scrapbook Circle's Design Team! And you will too! What are you waiting for? Apply today!!!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

this kid's got game!


The July kit from Scrapbook Circle is amazing!! Again, Lisa has put together such a great combination of colors and patterns. I'm always in awe of how well she puts these together. So easy to work with... effortless creating.


I am especially in love with the lettering in this month's kit. They are from The Girl's Paperie and they are soooo cool. I will definitely need a few more packs of these.

I hope to see some of you scoop up a kit for yourself! (Julie, that means you! LOL!!)


For this page, I used the June Sketch Challenge at Scrap Freak. You know I'm a fan of the creativity over there! Hop on over here to see the sketch and play along.

I also used the Favorite Toys prompt at These Are A Few of My Favorite Things. Nate loves to play ball, and I think as his favorite characters come and go, he will always love to play sports.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Monday, June 21, 2010

i'm doing a giveaway!!


One of my favorite peeps and bloggy friends, Jingle, is doing a giveaway... and it's sponsored by ME! Yahoo!!! Head on over to Just Jingle and follow along for your chance to win up to $10 to use in my Etsy shop.

The giveaway will end July 5, 2010!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

checkout the latest from scrapbook circle


The new site is up and running, and it is so pretty!! I am hard at work on the July reveals for you and will start those for you this week, I hope.

July kit

Until then, scoot on over to Scrapbook Circle and see the wonderful new changes implemented over there. Oh, and you aren't a subscriber yet? Oh no!!! :) You can sign up for a subscription while you are there!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Friday, June 18, 2010

best week ever!

I have had the best {crafty} week ever! Not only did I get the news that Creating Keepsakes is publishing 2 of my layouts in an upcoming publication (...YAY!!!), but I also had a great meeting today with Robin from La Bella Mela.


Robin is the owner/founder of the cutest little boutique located about a mile from my house behind a well-known, quaint little restaurant. Adorable, right?! Here are some pictures from the inside of La Bella Mela. So cute!



I am happy to say that cards, flowers and other items (such as the frames below) made by me can now be found at La Bella Mela! I'm so happy to be included with so many other amazing local artists in this shop.

Fabric and fill memory board.


Love how the Dear Lizzy ribbon looks here around the button. (And I love my new tags!)


Cork memory board.


If you are traveling in the Rochester area, or live here, you have to swing on by. This place is eye candy for sure!!

The best part is that I have lots of ideas from my meeting with Robin, so I have a list of cards and product that need creating. Better go get busy! :)

Thanks for stopping in today! And if you stop in to La Bella Mela, tell Robin I sent you!!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

hey cuz!


Hi! Today I'm sharing with you one of my new favorite pages. Of course, being Thursday, this page is for the latest Sketchy Thursdays sketch. And... the prize this week is AWESOME! Crop Chocolate is partnering up with us again, and they are giving away $50 of CropCredit. How cool is that?!

Head on over to Sketchy Thursdays and check out the latest sketch. Link up over there by next Wednesday to be eligible for the prize!


The pictures on this page are my son and his little cousin—my niece—Ella. We got to see them for the first time in a long time when we went to Michigan for my sister's graduation. Nate and Ella got along great, and they are 2 years apart in age. I just love these pictures of them.


Except for the lettering and the brads, the flowers, rub-ons and papers were bought at Scrappy Chic in Livonia, MI. This is my mom's favorite place to scrap shop and OMG... YAY!! I managed to restrain myself and only walk away with $30 worth of stash, but I could have done way more damage.

If you live anywhere near this store, you HAVE to go! I'm tempted to fly there to shop! It really is that great—at least for me.

And yes, Mom, you were right. Those flowers you picked up for me are awesome! I used them on this page, they worked perfectly!! Love 'em!!


This page was also made for the Scrap Freak Luau Crop. One of the challenges is the Lei Challenge, to use bright and bold flowers. This Thrift Shop paper from October Afternoon screamed Luau—they just look tropical to me. To play along with the Crop (all work due by June 19) and the Lei Challenge, check it all out over HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!


Supplies: October Afternoon (pp), Basic Grey (brads), Prima (flowers), Martha Stewart (border punch), Pink Paislee (chipboard letters), American Crafts Thickers (vinyl lettering), October Afternoon (rub-ons)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

wordless wednesday


Supplies: Echo Park Paper, Sweet Summertime (pp), Hero Arts (clouds stamp), Kaiser Craft (gems),
Martha Stewart (ink)
, white grosgrain ribbon

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

so very proud!


Who's That Girl challenge #11 is So Proud... document something you did that made you proud. Well, at this moment, I am more proud of my sister than anything else. She just graduated from high school, and I was overwhelmed with pride for her.

So, my "girl" for this week's challenge is my sister. And also, because I know she'll never make this page for herself. (Isn't she just the cutest thing, too?!)

We'd love to see your "So Proud" pages linked up over at Who's That Girl! Play along with us—you have 2 weeks to get your page linked up over there before the next challenge posts at the end of the month.


This page was made using the sketch from Design Dollies. As always, I love these girls, and this week's sketch did not disappoint! Check it out HERE, and make sure to play along whenever you can with these girlies!


Whos' That Girl is also having a DT Call!
WTG is looking for two new team members! If you have been hoping to start doing design team work for online sites or your LSS, this is a great way to get experience that you can show off. Its also a fun way to keep yourself challenged!

Expectations for the Job:

  1. Complete the majority of WTG challenges during your term (4-6 months with chance to stay on longer). You can skip 1 challenge every 3 months. Challenges post the 15th and end of month.
  2. Provide good quality photos of your layout or project on time for each challenge.
  3. MUST be into documenting the story - this includes JOURNALING. Your journaling does not have be super long or deep each time, but this is a topic based challenge blog. If you really don't care for journaling, then this is probably not the team for you.
  4. At least some of your layouts should be about YOU. This is an All About Me challenge blog after all. Its fine to make some about your family or loved ones.
  5. Post your layout and a link to the challenge blog on your personal blog and any scrappy sites you frequent.
  6. Help once every 3 months with an "idea of the month" (check out previous ones to get a better idea of these).
  7. Possibly assist with blog posts.

What is in it for you? A chance to be featured on the blog and have your work seen by others!

Interested? If so, please email jbree22 [at] gmail.com the following:

  1. Your blog
  2. Your online gallery
  3. A brief comment on why you are interested in being on the team
  4. One or two layouts that represent your style. These should be the kind of work I can expect from you going forward if you were on the team!
***DUE By June 17th!!!***

Thanks for stopping by today!

Monday, June 14, 2010

playing along with freaks and sketchy peeps


Happy Monday! Since Heidi made such a wonderful sketch for the GDT challenge at Sketchy Thursdays, I decided to play along. Obviously I can't win, and I won't even be linking my page over there, but here's what I made using her sketch. It was just too awesome to pass up!!

If you'd like to play along with us at Sketchy Thursdays, check out this link HERE. One lucky winner will get to be the Guest Designer for the month of July. And of course, we have prizes! Check it out!


This page is also made with the prompt Boys And Their Toys over at Scrap Freak. It's another challenge I'm not eligible to win, but I wanted to use this prompt. Nate definitely has his share of toys, and this picture of him with Optimus Prime from Transformers was perfect. This was all he wanted for his birthday. He talked about it for months!

If you'd like to play along with Scrap Freak for this challenge, check that link out over HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Friday, June 11, 2010

a quick card challenge


Hi ladies! You have until this Saturday midnight to get a quick card together that is inspired by this card here:


Suzy over at My Paper Tree House is offering up a cool prize for one lucky winner who plays along with us. Link up your entry and view the details HERE.

I made my card with the Sweet Summertime Collection from Echo Park Paper. Still in love with this collection! And you can't deny that it was perfect for this challenge. Hope to see some of you playing along with us!

Hope everyone has great weekend plans!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

it's sketchy thursdays!


Hi there! It's Sketchy Thursdays again. These weeks just fly by, don't they? Here is the page I made for this week. Scoot on over to the challenge to see what the sketch is and also the prize!!

I used my Sweet Summertime papers from Echo Park Paper. I love the colors in this collection. They really outdid themselves with the bright and fun in this!



If you want to get your hands on some of these papers, head on over to Scrapbook Circle's Facebook page. Lisa is giving away a collection pack to one lucky winner, and there may still be more for purchase in the Add-Ons for June.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

little altered gift box


Today, on the My Paper Tree House blog, I shared a tutorial on altering this gift box using the My Paper Tree House June kit. I'd love it if you clicked on over there to see what I was up to!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

a chance to win some Summertime!

Want to win one of Scrapbook Circle's fabulous Echo Park Sweet Summertime add-ons? We're giving one away!

Just visit the Scrapbook Circle Facebook page and let us know something you love about summer, and you will be entered to win!

I've worked with this kit a bit already and I LOVE it!!! See the card I made HERE.

Monday, June 7, 2010

cupcake for a cutie


My little niece turned 2 in May, and when we were all together for Ashley's graduation this weekend, I brought a gift for her and also this little card.

Ella is the only girl in all of the grand kids. My brother, Jeff, has 3 boys. I have Nate. And Greg has Ella. The little jewel amongst the toughies. I loved making this girlie card.


I made this card using The Girl's Paperie sticker book that comes in the June kit from Scrapbook Circle. I LLLOOOOVVVEEEE this kit! And I love THIS sticker book. The Feltie is from Sassafras Lass and was just too cute not to use.

Thanks for stopping in today! I'm going to get to work on making some new pages, and I hope to be able to share with you soon!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

a very wise card


Hi there! Today is my sister's graduation party, and this is the card I made for her. Nearly all of the supplies are from the My Paper Tree House June kit.

When I saw this owl in the kit I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. I immediately put him aside, got him a cute little grad cap, and saved him for her graduation card.


Have a great Saturday, peeps! If you're interested in getting your own little owl, click on over to My Paper Tree House. There may still be a few kits left... and one might have your name on it!