Friday Favorites

Just sharing some of my favorite things that I found on the web this week!

I want to make one of these for my living room:

tutorial here

I have the punch, the styro ball...if I make one, I will share it. It is so pretty!

I am crushing on this color palette from Emily Henderson's blog:

Source

I love this free printable set of cards for my Disney album:

You can download by liking them on facebook HERE

I love this free printable set(it says limited time on the website):

and she said she laminates hers and uses over and over, which I think is a fabulous idea! Find it at the Fitnessfashionista.com

And this cold weather has me dreaming of spring, so this post at the Helicopter Mom's blog caught my eye:

What are you finding on the web this week?

Scrapbook Sharing: December Journal Your Christmas album, Day 7

After a week of a an icy holiday from school, the kids are back to their normal routine. Which means back to the routine for me, as well. But before I get started on my mountains of laundry, house cleaning, menu planning, and grocery list making, I thought I would drop by and share another page from my December Journal Your Christmas album. My Day 7 was quite a full and busy day, with my niece's 1st birthday party taking up a large part of the day, and then driving home from Nashville with my mom and sister. I helped make a lot of the decorations for the party, and helped set up, and then took quite a few pictures while we were actually at the party. So, my day 7 is a double page, with a pocket page of lots of photos.

Here is a look at the double page spread:

A look at the photo pocket page:

between the 2 pages, I punched a couple of holes and added the invitation to the party:

Bits of glitter have sifted out and stuck to it, but I'm ok with that! Glitter is good in my book!

The back of the invitation was blank, so I adhered one more photo:

On the right side of the spread, I added my favorite photo from the party, along with a bit of journaling about it, as well.

I am still enjoying putting this album together, and I think part of the reason is the non-traditional color palette that I went with this year. The cream and pink make it feel not quite as "Christmas-y", so I still enjoy playing with it long after the season has ended. And if I do feel like doing the more traditional colors, they're in there, too.

What about you? Do you continue working on projects that are seasonal, like December Daily or Journal Your Christmas, after the season has ended? Or do you put it away and wait for the next year?

Product Links:

Wednesday Wishlist

Just thought I'd share a few of the things I am wishing for/crushing on this week!

The thing that I have been dreaming about the most....

The new, soon to be released Canon T6i:

I have loved my Canon T1i, and still do, as it is still quite a work horse of a camera. I use it to shoot nearly everything that I post here on my blog, with the occasional exception for iphone photos. It is a fabulous way to dip your toe into the entry level of digital SLR photography for a relatively small expense, and I have learned so much about photography with this camera. There are several features about the T6i that are drawing me in, though! 

*the Wi-Fi capability: this is an amazing feature in my book! It would allow me to easily transfer photos to my phone-making sharing to instagram, facebook, and even my blog exponentially easier. I do edit most of my photos in PSE or Bridge, but as I have taken classes and improved my photography skills, I feel much more confident with my straight out of camera shots. This feature would also make it possible for me to operate my camera remotely with my phone or tablet, if I understand correctly, and allow me to print via wi-fi from my camera as well.

*Fun Creative filters that can be used in conjuction with the wi-fi capability-

Art Bold, Water Painting, Fisheye effect, Soft Focus, Toy Camera, Grainy Black and White plus Miniature effect in both still photographs and movie mode.

*improved ISO capability with the DIGIC 6 Image processor- this one is important! I do a lot of low light shooting with the indoor sports and activities that my kids take part in, so the faster processor would allow for nicer, less noisy shots in those circumstances.While my T1i is capable of ISO expansion up to 3200 (and any shots taken at that level of expansion are pretty grainy!), the T6i is capable of ISO 100-12800, and expandable to 25600. 

*19 point all cross type AF (auto focus) -this is a big upgrade for an "entry-level" DSLR, and one that takes it up to the prosumer range for me, as it was previously offered in the Canon 70D. This will allow for tack sharp images, as I nearly always choose my focal points, and this offers a much greater range of choice than my T1i.

*The 24.2 Megapixel CMOS Sensor-with resolution this good, I would have to try out a large canvas print for my wall!

Ok, so now I really want a new camera. What do you think? Did I convince you that the upgrade would be worthwhile?

Other things on my wishlist this week:

I really, really want a few art supplies after staying home and watching craft and class videos all week last week while I was snowed/iced in. Wilna's videos really inspire me, and I want to pick up some more watercolors.
This would be my dream set:

But this looks like a great set for a great price:

And if you have seen any of Wilna's work, you'll know why she makes me want to order all of the Gelatos!

And I am sorely in need of a new purse for spring... here are just a few that are catching my eye:

What about you? What are you dreaming of right now? I'd love to know!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge February Members Blog Hop

One of the things that I love the most about the Counterfeit Kit Challenge is the member blog hop that happens each month, where the fellow players and counterfeiters are welcome to join in and show off their kits and kit creations. It is such fun hopping around and seeing the lovely projects that everyone has been making with their stash busting kits! So, when I have the opportunity, I try my best to join in! I made it this month!

If you just got here from Gemma's blog , you are on the right track! If, not, I have a list at the bottom of the post so you can hop around to all of the other lovely blogs.
For my stop on the hop, I am playing along with my February Counterfeit kit, 

And using the challenge,

Challenge #2:  

Use a date stamp in an interesting way.

I know that I have plenty of date stamps that I haven't even used, so this was the perfect challenge for me! I grabbed a couple of date stamps to use with my kit:

And set to work on this page (still scrapping my Disney trip, and I will be for a long time-yay!) about the Main Street Trolley Parade at Magic Kingdom.

 I know I'm a dork, but I had to rewatch it on Youtube as I scrapped the page:

Here's a closer look at my use of the date stamps-I just embraced the messiness:

Thank you for stopping by blog today, the next stop will be Virginia's Blog; and just in case you missed the others,  here is the list of everyone joining in the hop with us today:

CKCB   http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Jemma   http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Tina   http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Lisa Harris   http://mykreativepursuits.com

Lynette   http://sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com

Gemma   http://thesteelenook.blogspot.co.uk

Margie   http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

Virginia   http://celtichouse.blogspot.co.uk

Julene   http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com.au

Janine   http://rachauscratchpad.blogspot.com

Lisa   http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

On Icy Beauty and Thinking Warm Thoughts

Just popping by the blog today to share a few of the photos that I took this past week when we were covered with ice;

It was so treacherous, but, as you can see, it was majestic and beautiful, especially when the sun came out! It just made the ice sparkle like a thousand glittering diamonds!

Since I was pretty much tied to the house, I was able to do a little crafting, and finished up a few layouts I had worked on. I don't think I have shared this one yet:

I used Maggie Holmes' first line, along with chipboard from Crate Paper's Party Day and Color Shine mist from Heidi Swapp to scrap these photos from Epcot- we were lucky enough to arrive a couple of days after the Flower and Garden festival ended, so were treated to a veritable feast of flowers and topiarys to photograph and enjoy! Our day at Epcot was a rainy one, but the cloudy skies just made it easier to photograph everything. My sloshy wet shoes were rather uncomfortable, but I am always one to look on the bright side of things.

Today will be a good day for me, as the snow and ice has melted, the kiddos get to go to Nanny's house and church for a while, and the Daytona 500 is today! Boogity boogity boogity let's go racin', boys!

Friday Favorites

A little later than usual today, but this momma's been doing laundry all day. Here are a few of my favorites from this week:

Fringe Tassel Banners made from tissue paper:

http://www.thatcutelittlecake.com/2015/01/cupids-arrow-valentines-day-party.html

http://lawnfawn.blogspot.com/2015/02/lawn-fawn-intro-party-balloons-candy.html

I am seeing these everywhere and loving them. I'm going to have to make some myself. Love!

http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/howtomaketasselgarland/

Snow Cream and Board Games:

http://www.countrydrawersblog.com/2013/02/snow-ice-cream.html

http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-A4770079-Monopoly-Empire-Game/dp/B00NAR2F44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424470318&sr=8-1&keywords=monopoly+empire

'Cause when the kids are home all week because of snow and ice you have to find something to do!

And I love, love, love this gorgeous layout, video, and free cut file by Wilna F for Studio Calico:

I can't wait to try it out!

I love this, so pretty, and I will definitely be making one for my living room:

https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/craft/h/14780946/how-to-make-a-decorative-mirror/

And these have me vowing to find and paint a globe as soon as I can find one at a thift store or garage sale:

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-room/33207911.jsp#/

And, since snow days make me nostalgic, I think I'll make some No Bake Cookies tomorrow:

Recipe:

http://completerecipes.com/Chocolate-Oatmeal-Cocoa-No-Bake-Cookies.html

What are you loving this week?

What Do You Do When It's Cold Outside?

What do you do when it looks like this outside?

(Yes that's an inch of ice on my driveway!And on everything else-my dog doesn't even want to pee on the grass a.k.a ice needles)
My front steps are a sheet of ice:

and the plants and trees are covered:

So...I stay inside! My kids sleep in...and my poor hubby has to go to work anyway! I don't watch as he slips down the driveway, and just hold my breath and pray as he drives away. He is a good driver, and he did learn to drive up in central Illinois, so he knows how to drive on snow, but it doesn't mean I don't worry!
 As the kids sleep, watch tv, and just generally enjoy their day off school, I scrap our vacation photos and dream of warmer weather. Here are a few of the pages I have made in the last few days:

All of these layouts came from my January Counterfeit Kit (which I am finally very close to using up-YAY!) I will be linking up with Disneyscrappers for these 4 layouts. Thanks for stopping by-I would love for you to let me know how you spend your snow days!

Counterfeit Kit Club Challenge #3, Unexpected Titles

I am coming to you today to share my take on the CKC challenge, Challenge #3: Create an unexpected title or sentiment!

I must admit that even with the beautiful example, I struggled a bit with this challenge. I just wasn't quite certain what it meant. What is an "Unexpected Title", anyway? So, I decided to make it my own, since there are no rules in scrapbooking. I could make the challenge mean what I wanted it to mean! So I thought about it this way. What kind of title would you expect from me? Something with Thickers, probably. And on a page about Splash Mountain, you would probably expect something like a title about water, splashing, or something wet. Well, not on this one. I decided to go for unexpected all around. I cut letters for my title free hand, something I have not done yet, but I have seen Becky Novacek do it beautifully, and I have wanted to try it.

I think I like how it turned out! It was fun to do, and I'll probably try it again-I think I will try it with 6x6 pads, since I think it would be a fun technique with pattern mixing like Becky did.

Friday Favorites

Just a little peek into my favorite findings on the web this week:

I wish I had seen this wreath idea before, I totally would have made it for my scraproom:

(Source)

I have found all sorts of recipes for DIY Beauty products:

(see it on A Cultivated Nest)

And homemade blush with no chemicals:

(source)

I am always looking for ideas and inspiration for DIY Decor. I loved these:

(See it on Anderson & Grant)

I have learned how valuable cute containers,baskets, and boxes can be in keeping the house looking neat and tidy, and I have about a million fuzzy blankets and throw pillows floating around my house. So these would be extremely functional, and cute at the same time:

(instructions on the Home Depot site)

And I have been actively endeavoring to cook and eat more healthfully, trying new recipes, and homemade versions of the fast foods and restaurant meals we love, hopefully cutting alot of calories, fat, and sugar in the process. Tonight I am making a whole wheat pizza (love homemade pizza), and I really want to try a few of these recipes:

(recipe on Cooking Classy)

Chicken Gyros. My husband loves Gyros, and this looks really good. I have very high hopes for this recipe-hope it's a hit!

I love salmon, and avocado, why haven't I thought to put them together before?

(recipe on the Cookie Rookie)

I found these and a lot more yummy healthy recipes via I Heart Naptime:

What about you? What's inspiring you this week?

Treats for Valentine's Day

Sharing a look at the classroom pass outs that I made for the twins to carry to school today. I found the cellophane bags at Hobby Lobby for 75% off after Christmas, and I knew that the red and white swirls would be perfect for Valentine's day (and when you have 4 kids you save money wherever you can!). I snatched them up for less than a dollar,and filled them with a bit of candy and a pencil (my kids love the cute pencils they get on holidays, and I know I appreciate any treats that they get that aren't sugar!).  I dusted off my Cricut Expression to make the tags, using the Sweethearts cartridge. It has some of my favorite designs of all the Cricut carts that I own, but I have found that it is also the most difficult to get a clean cut from, as well. Here are a few tips for getting a clean cut:

*Biggest tip: make sure the paper is fully adhered to the mat! If it slides around, obviously, it won't cut cleanly. If it is only partially adhered, it is more likely to snag the tiny blade. I use a pan scraper from my kitchen for this, but you could use an old credit card or store loyalty card just as easily.

*use a mat that is sticky (if you want to know why, see #1 again!)

*Not too fast, not too slow. I used speed 2, pressure 4

* Smooth cardstock works better. I only had textured in the white, though, so I worked with what I had.

Looks ok, though I see a few problems:

And a few more when I peeled off the outer edge:

*next tip-work slowly removing intricate designs from the mat

*"weed" the image from behind, in case the cardstock peels or rips slightly-then it wont show when glued to the back tag.

Not too hard, and I cut the backgrounds out of smooth red cardstock, and they cut perfectly. This is the completed treat bag:

and a lovely pile of treats for the twins to carry to school:

All they had to do was sign their names on the back ! For the tags, I used the scalloped heart tag on page 34, cut at 2 1/2 inches, and the background was the tag on page 79, also at 2 1/2 inches. I cut using the paper saver and auto fill functions, and it only took 2 sheets of cardstock for each color.