Top 12 Layouts of 2012...

I love looking back and seeing my style evolve and change over the past year! Here is a glimpse of my year in scrapbooking:

 

January; I made this page for a sketch challenge at Creative Scrappers:

 

 This shows a lot of elements that I LOVED at the beginning of the year...crystal flourishes, lots of flowers, just a couple of paper layers. I still like them, but these type of pages take up too much room, and cause bending in the album.

February; I made this page for a challenge at Creative Craft World:

 Moving into a mega girly phase, used lots of doilies...

March; I several pages that I loved in March...maybe because I loved my kits ( #1 and #2 ) from March so much, super girly and full of new goodies!

I made this page for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog and used a Paper Variety sketch:

(Side note: one of the reasons I love this page...I actually accomplished all of these goals except losing 30 lbs. But I did start running for the first time in my life, and lost about 10! I'll keep working on that this year!)

I did this page for a Pagemaps sketch:

 Loving the new combined with old here (that mason jar paper was one of my favorite scrapbook papers from the past year!), the washi, doily, mist, but mostly the photos (which I took!).

I made this page for a sketch challenge at My Mind's Eye:

 I love this page because the colors compliment my daughter's beautiful eyes perfectly, and I love the butterflies, banner, and doilies!!

April and May were not very productive months for me in scrapbooking...first with my brother's wedding, and then my dad's funeral, I was extremely busy, and then my heart wasn't in it for a while.I made a lot of pages in June...but none of them qualified for my top 12 personal favorite pages...so, here's on from July, made for a sketch challenge at Let's Get Sketchy:

 

September was a great scrappy month for me (probably because the kids were back in school). One of my favorite boy pages I have ever made:

 

 I made this page for a Negative space challenge for the Counterfeit kit challenge blog, and based it on a sketch from Creative Scrappers. I love the washi, crooked stitching, Mr. Huey's droplets, the fact that I was able to use some Tinkering Ink paper that has been in my stash forever, just waiting on the right page to use it on, and I love the photos of my son!And at this point of the year, I discovered the magic of Shimelle Laine and her Glitter Girl videos, so I am sure that her influences are starting to show in my pages.

I made this page for a My Mind's Eye challenge at 2Peas:

My Mind's Eye Sweetest Thing was one of my favorite collections of the year, and I bet you can see why! Very soft and girly, with lots of doily and flower motifs.And pink and turqouise are 2 of my favorite colors.

In October, I finished catching up on Glitter Girl videos and purchased my first scrapbook class ever, Scrapbook Remix ( I have won spots in classes before, but this was the first one I ever paid for out of my own pocket) It was sooo worth it! I was very inspired by this class, and I have lots of pages that I haven't even had the time to share yet, and notes for more ideas and inspiration that I just haven't had the time to use yet.

This page was inspired by a Glitter Girl stamping challenge:

 I love that I suddenly had inspiration to scrap this photo from my son's 10th birthday party, I used papers that I had not previously had inspiration for, and stamping on my scrapbook page (which I usually forget to do, even though the number of stamps thet I own suggests that I should use stamps on every page).

This page was for another Glitter Girl challenge, scrapping with your favorite colors:

 I forgot to share this one on my blog previously, but I love the colors, papers, and I scrapped one of my favorite things, pretty shoes!

This page was made with some of my very extensive Bedknobs and Broomsticks kit:

 I loved the vintage Halloween theme, the Matha Stewart stickers, the Tim Holtz resist paper that I die cut and inked, the glittery ribbon and letters, and the journaling on the washi tape!

This last page is another that I haven't shared on my blog yet, but was inspired by the Scrapbook Remix class:

My favorite things about this page: the stitched letters, the photos (I fell in love with that teal Fenton glass), the layering, and the Studio Calico sunburst shapes that I fussy cut.

I highly recommend Shimelle's Scrapbook Remix class (click the link in my sidebar to learn more), I love all of the inspiration it offered!

Some funny/interesting things that I noticed about how my style over the past year: Many of these pages either have a kraft base, or kraft on the page somewhere. I really need to work on making my boy pages better, not many made my top 12 list. I love girly supplies, and turquoise/teal and or pink makes an appearance on many of my pages. I also like the way my style has evolved to include more layering and stitching! Thanks for stopping by this morning, I would love any feedback or comments you may have to share!

How to Make Decorative Page Pebbles...A Quick Tutorial

This is what I woke up to this morning...isn't it pretty? Anyway, I thought I would share a quick tutorial on how to make your own decorative page pebbles. Here is an example of page pebbles from Prima:

And here are mine:

It only took a few easy steps to make them!

1. Gather your supplies. I used some old leftover Making Memories Page Pebbles, but if you don't have those, you can use Glossy Accents. Just be aware that the Page Pebbles sometimes yellow with age-that doesn't bother me, because it kind of adds to the vintage/aged look. I also used free Vintage Sheet music from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, Steampunk and Posh and Trendy digistamps, and Harlequin digipaper from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Bold Black And White Collection of digipapers, along with other various scraps of patterned paper with small prints (it's a great way to use up those small scraps you just can't bear to throw away!).

2. Leave your pebbles on the plastic backing and trim around with fine tipped scissors.
3. Trace arount the circle or oval with a pencil and cut with your fine tipped scissors on the marks(don't worry if it's not perfect, we'll fix it in a minute). Then you can ink or chalk your circles before adhering the pebbles if you want, I did with some of mine. Adhere the pebbles and trim any excess, using the pebbles as your guide for your scissors (don't be scared, it's easy!)

4. Voila! Page Pebbles-and you can customize them how you like!

Now hop over to Lindsay and the rest of the LSS Design Team for more crafty inspiration and another freebie!

Lindsay Weirich (Owner & Stamp Designer)
Cindi Hooks
Diane Bove
Jennifer Bliss
Karin Martin
Leanne Garner
Margie Visnick(me)
Micki Harper
Rhonda Walker
Shannon Neparko
Tracey Allen
Tamara Bennett

A Sweet Gift for Someone Special

Today, I am sharing a little gift I made for one of my little sisters (but it could easily be given to a female friend, teacher, co-worker...). I made a little recipe box for holiday sweets and treats, using Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Recipe Cards and Folio SVG setand the Recipe Digital Stamp Set

And, today only- EVERYTHING is on sale:The SVG set made it so quick and easy- they cut like butter!I used some pretty Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses double-sided patterned paper, pink cardstock for the recipe cards, and printed the "From My Kitchen-From My Heart" digital stamp out 4 times at 1 3/4 inches, punched them out w/ my circle punch, glued them to the tabbed recipe dividers, then inked all away around the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Inks Tattered Rose.I tied some shabby seam binding ribbon around the box, added a chipboard snowflake, a beaded vintage hat pin, and some yummy Prima goodies-a pink pearl swirl(or actually, part of a swirl that I had left from another project), and a fabric flower. Viola-a great gift for a special lady! All I have left to do is add some of my favorite holiday sweet treat recipes! And,the details really do make the difference and make it special! I will have a hard time giving it up, I think!
Thank you for stopping by my blog today and letting me share with you! I hope I have inspired you to get out your crafty supplies and make something-for yourself or someone else.
I am linking up to these challenges:

• MyGraphico Christmas Challenge


• 2 Sisters Challenge-Sparkly Christmas


• Alota Rubber Stamps Blog-Snowflake


• Annabelle Stamps- Christmas Creations


• The Artistic Stamper- Christmas


• Bunny Zoe's Crafts-Christmas, but not a card


• Bee-Crafty-Winter, but not a Christmas card


• Card Makin' Mamas-Anything Goes


• Catch The Bug Blog- Anything Goes


• Challenge Up Your Life- Christmas or Advent


• Craft Your Passion Challenge-Anything Goes


• Creative Card Crew-Anything Goes


• Creative Stamp Friends-Package


• Die Cut DreamsChristmas Club-Santa's Sack (since I will be pulling this gift out of "santa's sack")


• Flourishes-3D Holiday Gift


• Fun With Shapes And More-Anything But a Card


• Fussy And Fancy Challenges-Anything But a Card


• Scrap Creations-Make A Gift or Wrap


• Ladybug Crafts Ink-Pearls


• Lothian Crafts-for Someone Special


• MamiDoodles-make a handmade/altered gift item


• Papertake Weekly-Red and Green Must Not Be Seen


• Some Odd Girl-Make it Uber-Girlie


• The Stampsmith Challenge-Holiday Creations


• Stempel Magie-Holiday Baking


• Sugar Sweets Paper Treats-Anything Goes


• TSG Clear Stamps-Bring On The Bling


• Tiffany Doodles-Christmas


• Tip Top Tuesday-use ribbon


• Cute Daisy May-Ribbons And Bows

Whew-that was a bunch! Thanks for sticking with me! Now, head over to Lindsay and the other designers' blogs for lots more Sweet Treats and a Freebie!!

Lindsay Weirich (Owner & Stamp Designer)
Cheryl Gorka (DT Coordinator)
Cindi Hooks
Diane Bove
Jennifer Bliss
Karin Martin
Laurel Seabrook
Leanne Garner
Margie Visnick(me)
Micki Harper
Rhonda Walker
Shannon Neparko
Tamara Bennett
Tracey Allen

Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Thursday...

Today, I am sharing some little mini banners with you that I made using Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Pretty Banners svg file set .

They are so versatile and fun to use! I made them tiny, to be used on cards or scrapbook pages, but you could make them larger, for party decor, etc! Check out Lindsay's Stamp Stuff today, she has all sorts of new digi goodness-check out some previews below:

Check out Lindsay and the other designers blogs for more inspiration and a freebie!

Lindsay Weirich (Owner & Stamp Designer)
Cheryl Gorka (DT Coordinator)
Cindi Hooks
Diane Bove
Jennifer Bliss
Karin Martin
Laurel Seabrook
Leanne Garner
Margie Visnick(me)
Micki Harper
Rhonda Walker
Shannon Neparko
Tamara Bennett
Tracey Allen

A quick post for today...

Hi! I am running behind today, so I will make my post short and sweet!First, I would like to welcome Laurel to the LSS Design team-check out her awesome blog here. My Lindsay's Stamp Stuff project for this week is also a swap that I am in on 2 Peas ( I love swaps, it's such a fun way to get a variety of handmade embellishments!). This swap was for hand-dyed wrinkled hem tape or seam binding. I wanted to package them attractively, so when I saw Lindsay's new svg set, Teacher's Helper, I knew that it would be perfect to make toppers for my little baggies (I just used little jewelry bags).Quick and easy, viola!Cute little bags! Thanks for having a peek at my project, now head over to Lindsay's blog for a freebie, then on to the other designers' blogs from there!And I KNOW you'll see something that you like along the way, so be sure to take advantage of the 30% off Back to School sale at MyGraphico through the weekend!

Blog Hop Day 2

As promised, here is the lineup for day 2 of the blog hop! Don't forget to leave comments for your chances to win some of Lindsay's awesome stamps!!

Start at Lindsay's blog:

Lindsay Weirich: http://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com/

Lisa Jurecek: http://zippycrafts.blogspot.com/

Shannon Neparko: http://www.desertdesignsstudios.blogspot.com/

Tanya Johnson: http://little-scrapper.blogspot.com/

Tracey Allen: http://myfenceposts2.blogspot.com/

Cindi Hooks: http://cindi-hookedoncrafts.blogspot.com/

My "Lindsay project" that I am sharing today is for one of the challenges at the Online Crop we are having through tomorrow (be sure to stop by, there are freebies for everyone!). This challenge was to make altered art (recycle a container!). I decided to join a swap with this project on 2 Peas. I took a 1 lb clear strawberry container, and I wanted to decorate it in a "vintage style". Basic Grey Nook and Pantry, Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Sew Pretty digistamp set, the Ribbon Corner digistamp FREEBIE and the Sewing Stuff digistamp were perfect for this project! Go grab them while they are on sale, everything is 50% off through tomorrow (Thursday April 15)! Don't miss out! Now, go hopping, but be sure to come back again tomorrow, I have at least one (maybe more) "Lindsay projects" to share with you!

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's On it's Way!

Today's project is a sweet little set that I made for my swap partner in a Secret Bunny swap I am in. I was inspired to use these bright colors by this week's Tuesday Trigger at the Moxie Fab blog, and I used the sketch at 2Sketches4You for the card. You can also see some of the Tuesday Trigger inspiration in the background of the card-I used a tan card base and stamped swirls in the corner like the background of the egg photo. To make the adorable little basket, I used Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Egg Shaped Easter Basket and Chocolate Bunny svg files set(it was so quick and easy to cut and put together-cut like butter!). For the card, I used 2 of the Swirly eggs from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Cute Easter digistamp set. Now...I've got to go drop this set in the mail, and get back to finishing up my sister's bridal shower stuff...I'm on a countdown! The shower is Saturday, so start looking for pictures sometime next week!
Now "hop" over Lindsay's blog, she has an fantabulous freebie for you, and she has 3 AWESOME new digistamp sets in her shop, so take a peek (trust me, you're going to want these sets!!).Then drop by the other designers' blogs for more inspiration with these fabulous sets!
Tamara
Lisa
Melissa
Cindi
Erin
Tracey
Micki
Leanne
Shannon

Lovely Lollipops

I love the Prima Lollipop flowers, but they're so expensive, especially if you get all of the colors you want! So when I saw this swap for Handmade Lollipop flowers on 2Peas, it was right up my alley! I had so much fun making, inking, crumpling, sanding and embossing these(even though I went a *little* crazy when I was signing up...)!Enjoy!
Vintage Valentine Group:

White Group (I just love these, they're my favorite!):
Red Group:
Vintage Christmas:
Blue Group:
Black Group:
Pink Group 2:

Valentine Banner

Do you ever feel a little let down when you take down your christmas decorations? I know that I
do! I even teased my husband and told him that I was going to take the christmas ornaments off of the Christmas tree and turn it into a Valentine's tree, lol. But instead, I decided to start making some Valentine's decorations. I LOVE the banners that I have seen on 2 Peas and some other blogs. Well, now Lindsay has made it easy to make some FAN-ta-stic ones using the Cricut and SCAL, called Pretty Banners svgs,with several different types of banners-swirls, plain, scalloped,circles,and stars. She also includes printable JPGs for you to cut by hand if you do not have one. And, even better, everything at her My Graphico Shop is on sale, 25% off for today and tomorrow only! Run, don't walk, to get your digistamps and svg files while they're on sale!
I made the whole banner with one sheet of white shimmer cardstock (which I used for the scalloped banners and the lettering), and one sheet of purple cardstock (that I used for the swirl and plain banners), some eyelets, ribbon, and digistamps from Lindsay's Love Grows Here digistamp kit. The challenge at the Digital Tuesday blog this week is to use embossing, and I am using my new Cuttlebug as much as possible, so I embossed the plain banner shapes with the D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder, which I think added a nice touch, and went well with the other swirl cut out banners. I added tiny light purple heart shaped eyelets to the corners of the banners and threaded a sheer pink ribbon through. I am really happy with the way it turned out!
Now, hop on over to Lindsay's blog, 'cause she has a freebie and some eye candy for you-and then you can make your way on to the other designers' blogs for a lot more great projects!

Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Thursday *Edited to add the scut file link

The big story today-Lindsay is having a HUGE sale at her store until December 23rd! Buy any 2 sets, get a 3rd set of your choice absolutely free! So buy 4 sets, get 2 free, and so on.This is a fantastic deal, grab it while it's here-the perfect time to get those sets you have been eyeing!

Now, on to my project for this week:

I made these cute little cocoa packets for my son's class. I cut the mugs with SCAL, tied a ribbon around it (but no bow, 'cause that would be too girly ;-) ), added a cocoa packet, and a candy cane, and I will also be adding chocolate dipped spoons to each packet. I printed out enough of the "Hot Cocoa" digistamps for each packet, then colored them and punched them out with a circle punch. I punched out larger scalloped circles of complimentary patterned paper, and attached to the top of my packets with Glue Dots for the perfect little embellishments. These digistamps come in the Warm Winter digistamp set, along with some of the cutest little snowmen and women ever- check it out!

Thanks for stopping by-now I am off to bed for a while, for all crafts and no sleep makes an impatient mommy! Check out Lindsay's blog, she has a freebie for you, and she will have links to the other designers blogs for you to check out their fantastic Lindsay's Stamp Stuff projects (Hey, you can get some great ideas of what to do with the great sets you pick up ON SALE!). I know that I am headed to their blogs myself this afternoon-these gals are uber talented!

*You can download the scut file (made in SCAL1) for cutting 2 mugs at a time HERE