ScrapLoveCreate

Hello 2012

2012-01-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

Since my last blog post we have traveled to China for 2 weeks to pick up our sweet Madeline and we have been back for about 4 weeks now. It's been a roller-coaster of activities, new experiences and lack of sleep. But all so worth it! We have finally gotten into a routine and I'm blessed that my daughter sleeps from 8pm - 8am! Which gives me time to do at least one scrapbook page a night and clean up. I recently subscribed to Studio Calic o and love getting the box each month of goodies. Here are some layouts I made with Studio Calico kits.

Hope everyone had an amazing Holiday season and only the best in 2012!

Maria

Cake in a Mug & Mini Book

2011-11-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's already November? And the time is changing this weekend? I'm enjoying the change in weather as I take my daily walks and looking forward to the holidays. And of course the food!

Today's Pinterest Find:

Nutella Mug Cake.

Doesn't this look yummy? I can't wait to try it. You can find the recipe here

I took this class from Make Something Splendid by the amazing Elizabeth Kartchner a while back. And I'm embarrassed to say I just finish completing it this weekend.

This book turned out so cute and can't wait to add little notes in there for Maddie. If you haven't taken a class yet from Make Something Splendid, you should. The videos and class kits are amazing!

Happy November!

Tangerine LOVE

2011-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. I can't believe how fast time is moving along, November is right around the corner. I'm impatiently counting down the days until we can go to China to pick up our little girl.

This is Maddie's room (as you can tell by the name on the wall) I love how it's turning out. The letters are from a wonderful website Heart to Heart and they are having a special going on now. Check out their website, they have the cutest things! The "butterfly mobile" is from Pottery Barn Kids. It's no longer available on their website but my cousin was able to find it at Pottery Barn Outlet in Ohio. And everything else is from Pottery Barn Kids. (my new favorite place to shop!)

Another project I'm working on is a journal I can bring with me to China to document our travels. After much research I picked out Fancy Pants Brag Book and Amy Tangerine's line of scrapbooking products. Here are some photos of the cover:

I used Amy Tangerine's (Fabric Paper, 3D Stickers, clear stamps, masking tape) October Afternoon's (sticker letters) and of course American Crafts (thickers).

Happy Halloween.

Keystone Craft Show

2011-10-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

My 2 friends (Judith & Dani) and I just participated in our first craft show to introduce "Craft-t-Cottage". We have a house that is devoted to just crafts and we are planning to host crops there and classes. Please check out the blog to find out what classes we are going to be offering and what events we will be at. Craft-T-Cottage

Here are some photos from the craft show.

If you are in the Tampa area or planning to visit, stop on by the cottage!

Maria

Berry Blossom Days

2011-10-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile. Where have I been? I've been working on a baby nursery for the arrival of our baby girl. We are hoping to make the journey over to China and pick her up in a few months. Yes, my husband and I are very excited about Madeline's arrival! I made this wall art for Maddie's room, using Stampin' UP! MDS program.

What else has been keeping me busy? I'm going to be at a craft show this Saturday in Tampa, FL and have been busy making projects and cards. If you are in the area, stop by my table and say HI.

Keystone Church Annual Holiday Craft Fair

Here are a few cards I made to put in a care package for my nieces. I used Berry Blossom Papers & Button of Buddies clear stamps all from Stampin' UP! I have to say that this is one of my favorite new paper collections in the big Stampin' UP! catalog.

I promise to keep in touch more often!

Maria

It's Been Awhile.....

2011-09-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

I just realized how long I've been away from my blog. I've spent this weekend blog surfing and also crafting away. This has been an amazing summer, we just had family visit from CA and MN and we drove down to Miami and then back up to Orlando for their timeshare. But unfortunately or fortunately things are finally going back to normal and my pace is slowing down.

This weekend I worked on cardmaking, getting ready for an invite I'll be at in October. (more on that later). And here are a few of the cards I made:

And of course there are some new MDS layouts too:

I promise not to be such a stranger anymore:-)

Maria

Where Have I Been?

2011-07-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Where have I been you ask? I've been in Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Atlanta and Minnesota. Our road trip was amazing and family reunion was a blast. I took lots of pictures and celebrated my Goddaughter's first birthday, 3 high school graduation and 1 college graduation. Ate alot of good food and played lots too.

Now I'm finally back home in beautiful Tampa after being away for over a month.

I took my laptop with me and did some scrapbook layouts on the road, using Stampin' Up! MDS.

This layout is of the graduates when they came down to Florida and we made a trip to the Taco Bus.

And her is a layout of the Birthday Girl:

One of my favorite photos with Tom and our sweet Great Niece Josie.

Of course I'll have much more to share with everyone.....

Hope you are keeping cool!

Maria

Sketch Frenzy Friday

2011-05-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

Is it actually Friday? This week has been a crazy good week and your going to love the the sketch by Tina Taves.

And here is my card. I used Stampin' UP! MDS nursery collection:

Next stop on the Sketch Frenzy Blog Hop is Patrice Herrera and to get the complete list of designers check out Sketch Frenzy Blog.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Sketch Frenzy Friday

2011-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? I just realized my last post was last week. wow! It's going to be busy month for me next month and I'm slowly making plans. We have 2 high school graduates coming to celebrate at the beginning of June and then Tom & I are going on a road trip to TN and then MN for our Goddaughter's 1st birthday. I can't believe we will be on the road for almost a month. Excited and already feeling overwhelmed LOL So, if you don't see that many post... it's because of planning:-)

I wanted to share my card for this week's sketch from Sketch Frenzy. Thank you Tammy Fite for making such a great sketch:

And here is my card made using Stampin' UP! MDS program:

I can't stop telling you how much I love MDS. It will be going with me on my road trip! And this month Stampin' UP! is offering 30% off printing. You can't beat that deal.

Please visit Patricia's Blog to continue on this week's Sketch Frenzy Blog Hop. And visit Sketch Frenzy Blog if you want the complete list and remember to include your card!

Have a great weekend!

Sketch Frenzy Friday

2011-05-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! This is my first official week with Sketch Frenzy and I loved this week's sketch made by Patrice Herrera, who is also the next step on the tour.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my card using Stampin' UP! MDS Hawaii Papaya Collection.

I hope you enjoy the card and to see more great cards continue on the Sketch Frenzy Tour. The next stop on the tour is Patrice Herrera. I know a few people had problems with blogger today, so if you don't see anything up yet please check back! And once you see all the cards from the design team, please visit Sketch Frenzy Friday blog and add your card. We would love to see your interpretation of the this week's sketch!

Have a good weekend:-)

Maria

Eva + Josie = Mini Album

2011-05-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to share with you a mini album & birthday card I made for my cousin. The two girls featured the album are her two adorable granddaughters: Eva & Josie. Which you have seen in many layouts on my blog.

This card was made using Stampin' UP! new Pretty Postage clear stamps, Postage Stamp Punch, In Colors cardstock and Early Espresso classic ink pad.

Hope you enjoy!

Today hubby is finally coming after 20 days in Vietnam visiting his family WAHOO!

Have a great day,

Maria

Just another Crafty Day!

2011-05-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend. It has been a day full of crafts for me. This morning I took a jewelry class and made two bracelets and earrings. I love the colors and look forward to making some more.

And when I came home the man in brown had a special delivery from Stampin' UP!

Lots of goodies from the new Summer Mini Catalog.... So many new toys to play with today! And the best news of all is hubby will be home Wednesday...wahoo!

Oh, I'm also taking my first class from Make Something Splendid "Envelope Book". Today is the first day of the online class.

I love days filled with crafts!

Sketch Frenzy Friday

2011-05-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to be asked to join the design team at Sketch Frenzy! I don't officially start until next Friday but I thought I would play along with this month's sketch.

Here is the this week's sketch & below is my card.

Stampin' UP! supplies used: sunny garden paper series, butterfly extra large punch, dotted scallop ribbon border punch, peach parfait & early espresso classic stampin' pad, sweet shoppe alphabet lower clear stamp set & four frames stamp set.

Check out the amazing cards from the design team of Sketch Frenzy Friday here.

Happy Friday Everyone!

1 Layout & 3 Peeks

2011-05-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day here in Tampa and what I'm i doing?... Scrapbooking of course, gotta stay out of the heat. I did 3 layouts of 4 adorable baby girls but my scanner is not hooked up. So, I'm going to give you sneak peeks of the 12x12 layouts and when my husband gets back next week (yeah!) I will scan the entire layouts. I tried to take photos but it just didn't do them justice and the perfection in me is coming out lol!

This is a layout of sweet Eva Lu...

Tillie's 10 months photo.

My trip to Texas last week.

And here is a layout I did using Stampin' UP! MDS. It features more photos of my Goddaughter's visit to Florida in January with her mommy.

I used the new Hawaiian Papaya Papers from Stampin' UP!

All the Best,

Maria

One Pork Rinds Taco in Texas

2011-04-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Texas and getting back into the groove of things. Last night I finished my Mother's Day card for all the wonderful Mom's in my life.

I used Stampin' Up! Paisleys Petals Designer Series Papers, Bold Blossoms clear stamps, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Cherry Cobbler classic stampin pad.

My sister always introduces me to great food on the last day of my trip. Why does she do this to me? I think she does it secretly to have me come visit more often LOL This time she took me out for breakfast tacos at "Las Delicias Taqueria". And the name speaks for itself... delicious tacos! I ordered the breakfast taco and then had their amazing pork rinds taco. My mouth is watering now just thinking of this amazing taco! I have to find a place in Tampa that serves this. Any suggestions?

Doesn't this look yummy? If you are in the area, you need to stop by this restaurant.

Another great place we went to "twice" on this trip was "Euro Bakery" This lovely Greek restaurant has the most amazing desserts. My favorite is a custard pie that is served warm with syrup dredged on it. My last 5 minutes of the trip was spent devouring my second piece of this pie. I wish I had stopped and taken a picture LOL!

I'm looking forward to the coverage of the "Royal Wedding" tomorrow. I remember watching Princess Diana get married and can't wait to see what style of dress Kate will be wearing for her big day.

Best,
Maria

It seems like awhile since my last blog. It's been crazy in my corner of the world. My husband is getting ready for a long trip, I'm getting ready for a long weekend trip and my allergies are driving me crazy! I wanted to share with you two new projects I've made with the new "Spring is Blossoming" from Stampin' Up!

Both projects were made with Spring is Blossoming and Fun Flowers Bigz L Die:

The bookmark is my favorite new project!

Hope all is well in your corner of the world:-)

Weekly Sketch Challenge

2011-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone! I know it's been awhile since my last blog and I've missed everyone. Today I would like to share with you birthday cards I've made for April/May birthdays in my family. These are more girlie, so they will be sent to all the wonderful ladies in my life.

I made a totally of 10 cards with all Stampin' Up! products.
- Sunny Garden Designer Paper Series
-1/2 Inch Stitched- Poly Ribbon in Pear Pizzazz
- Build A Cupcake XL Punch
-Create A Cupcake clear stamp set
-Card Stock & Classic Pad In Color

And here is the sketch for this week's challenge:

And here is my take on the challenge:

Ever since we got Lucy, we find time to hang outdoors with our baby. I've never been an outdoorsy person but I love taking walks in the park and just slowing down my life for a few hours. This is a park that my husband went to when he was in middle school with his soccer team and it was a beautiful park with lots of trails.

I used Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio papers and embellishments.

Have fun with the sketch & have a great weekend!

{Hugs}, Maria

Weekly Sketch Challenge

2011-03-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

I know that I promised to have the new sketches up on Mondays, but life some how gets in the way. Yesterday I spent the afternoon cleaning my pantry and today it's just a miserable looking day outside. Rain & thunder all day long! I'm still scrapbooking my photos from our "Spring Break" road trip. Today's layout features my adorable niece and her love of chocolate. I love to incorporate dialogue into my layouts because I want to remember what was said and when the kids are older they can can see what kind of things they said too.

My challenge to you this week is not only a scrapbook layout but to incorporate dialogue into your layout. Don't forget to share what you come up with!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

Have Fun!

Many have asked what sentiment I used on the previous post, "Thank You Card". The sentiment was made using My Digital Software from Stampin' Up! This for all your kind comments, they put a Smile on my face!

2 Cards

2011-03-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Finally got my groove back after attending Stampin' Up! Orlando Regionals this weekend. I've learned a new word this weekend "recalculate". (not actually new word but a word I rarely use) You don't know how often I heard this word from Katherine's GPS system. It seemed like we got lost to ever destination! I was late to both my swaps because of this word. I will include some photos of the weekend, once I get them from Judith. But back to Regionals....It wasn't what we had expected but we did learn alot of new techniques and got some amazing cards during the swaps. I wanted to share with you two of my cards I made for the swaps.

This card was made using:

Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper

Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder Die

Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon

This card was made with upcoming papers & clear stamps from Stampin' Up! catalog and Bold Blossom clear stamp set.

Hope you enjoy! Stop by tomorrow for this week's sketch challenge!

Weekly Sketch Challenge

2011-03-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm attending my first Stampin' UP! regional convention in Orlando. We're making a weekend of it and will head up to Orlando tomorrow afternoon, do some scrapbook shopping and scrapbook in the hotel the whole night! Excited to meet online friends and see all the cool projects we'll be doing.

I know I'm behind on my sketch challenge, sorry :-( I blame it on the gorgeous weather in Florida and "Spring Fever".

Here is this week's sketch challenge:

Here is my take on the sketch.

These are photos taken from our trip to New Orleans. The kids had fun playing around with the masks!!!

Hope you play along!

Food Diary from New Orleans

2011-03-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday! We had so much fun in New Orleans and Biloxi this weekend. We drove from Tampa and found this small restaurant in Cottondale, FL that had amazing southern food. Tom enjoyed their buffet of chicken dumpling, mash potatoes, green beans w/ bacon and all you can eat fried chicken. I went for the oysters and fried okra.

And in New Orleans we devoured the beignets at Cafe Du Monde and cooled down with their frozen coffee treat.

We roamed around the French Quarters and the kids enjoyed the Audubon Aquarium, did some shopping at the Farmer's Market and enjoyed seafood gumbo at the Gumbo Pot.

It was an amazing weekend filled with good food and amazing family!

Spring is Blossoming!

2011-03-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

What a week it has been.... (deep breath). We are heading out to New Orleans tomorrow to celebrate Spring Break with my family. I'm soooo ready for a break! I have a sneak peek of a new line coming in the 2011-2012 Stampin' UP! Idea Book & Catalog.

This is a birthday card I made using a sneak peek of Paisley Petals Designer Paper & Four Frames Stamp Set.

I love this new paper series and the frame clear stamp set is gorgeous. It fits perfectly with Stampin' UP! Decorative Label Punch.

I promise there will be two sketches next week. I know I'll have plenty of pictures to scrapbook. LOL

Have a Great Weekend!

Monday, Monday!

2011-03-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

It's was a busy weekend. This week's sketch challenge will be up tomorrow. Sorry for the delay! Friday night we had our monthly scrapbooking night & I tried out a new recipe... Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins. I've been craving pancakes and it just seems like so much pancakes the typical way, so I thought I would try these amazing mini pancake muffins from Bakerella.com

And they were sooo good I made a second batch Saturday morning. We also attended a wedding on Saturday night. And I wanted to share with you the card I made for the happy couple.

The card was made using Stampin' UP! Springtime Vintage Designer Series Papers, Love You Much Stamp Set, Early Espresso & Melon Mambo Ink.

I also got a new phone, the Samsung Galaxy 4G, and having way to much fun playing with it!

Looking forward to waking up tomorrow to see a preview of the new mini catalog from Stampin' UP!.... I don't know if I'll be able to sleep LOL

Have a great night!

Tiny Teenie Weenie Bikini

2011-03-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of ladies in my life who are on a mission to loss weight and I'm so proud of them. One has lost 40lbs and the other two are over 10lbs. So, to tell them WAY TO GO, I made them these cards.

I only wish I had their will-power to do this. I used products from My Mind's Eye, Quickutz, Stampin' UP! and Jolee's Boutique.

Weekly Sketch Challenge

2011-03-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! What a great weekend it was in Florida. The sun was out and we headed to the beach yesterday to do..... Nothing :-) I had the perfect beach book I Still Dream About You: A Novel by Fannie Flagg and couldn't be happier.

This week's sketch features photos from yesterday and lyrics from Lady Antebellum "Perfect Day". Two challenges this week: 1) do a scrapbook layout 2) incorporate a song into your layout. Ready... Here's the sketch!

And here's my take:

I used Stampin' UP! My Digital Studio Springtime Vintage. Have fun, I can' wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Maria

Sketch Week Challenge # 9

2011-02-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Sketch Challenge Day! This week I have a very simple sketch for you. And one of my favorite MDS scrapbook layouts I did of my two nieces.

First.. here is the sketch:

And here are two layouts I did with this sketch:

I love Tillie in these photos. She is sooo adorable!

I showed you mine, let's see yours!

Happy Friday!

2011-02-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

Last night I was feeling creative and did some 3x3 cards while catching up with "Grey Anatomy". I used the Stampin' UP! in colors for this project & Sunny Garden designer paper.

And here is what the inside looks like:

There was a LOT of Stampin' UP! products used in these cards:

Hostess Gift: A Slice of Life clear stamps from the Occasion Mini Catalog

Build a Cupcake Punch

Create a Cupcake clear stamps

Classic Stampin' Pad & Write Markers: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Concord Crush and Chocolate Chip

Smooth Card Stock: In Color

Sunny Garden Designer Series Papers

Poppy Pizzazz 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon

Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Lower clear stamps

Buttons: Brights Collection

I hope you everyone has an amazing weekend!

Maria

Sketch Week Challenge # 8

2011-02-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile since my last post but allergies have invaded my body and all I want to do is "nothing". LOL This week's challenge involves adding more photos to your layout. There are times when I take lots of photos of one moment and want to capture the most I can in a 12x12 layout. Resizing your photos help you add more to a layout but yet keep it simple. Here is this week's sketch:

And here is my take:

I used Stampin' UP! My Digital Software Happy Memories papers & embellishments. I was able to put 5 photos in one 12x12 layout.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

My hubby and I have a pact that for Valentine's Day we would make each other a handmade gift. He usually sneaks into my scrapbook room and makes me a card. Which I LOVE! And for his gift this year, I went back to our dating days and made him a mix CD. This is the CD Cover I made with my amazing Stampin' UP! stamps.

"Mine all Mine" is title of the 1st song on the CD by Crystal Bowersox. One of my current favorite song to play over and over again on my ipod.

I hope your Valentine Day was filled with all the people you love!

xoxo,

Maria

Sketch Week Challenge # 7

2011-02-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

This week's sketch challenge features one of my favorite photos of Tillie. It's been so much fun seeing everyone's interpretation of the sketches. My style of scrapbooking is simple. I try to keep the sketches that way too, this gives you the chance to add what you like. If you haven't played around with Stampin UP! papers, you need to. The quality of the papers and vibrant colors are what makes the layout. I only wish sometimes you could see the colors more from the photo. They are so much brighter in person.

Here is this week's sketch:

Here is my take:

Ingredients:

Stampin' UP! Sunny Garden Designer Series Papers, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Filled With Love Clear Stamp and RubOns.

Love, Love, Love

2011-02-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

Love is definitely in the air this month. I made my Valentine cards over the weekend and they have been sent. I didn't want to post the card until my special recipients received them.

This Valentine's card was used with all Stampin' UP! products.

Sending Love Designer Series Paper (this paper is in the clearance section and it's one of my favorite paper collections. )

Scallop Trim Border Punch

Filled With Love Stamp Set

Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die

My new favorite tool to use is the Textured Impressions Embossing dies. What is your favorite tool at the moment?

I know I'm a slow at doing this..but I've sent up my Twitter account. So, come on a follow me... i know you want too:-)

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-02-08T17:33:00.000-08:00

I was honored to receive this award from Carrie @ Carrie On Scrapping & Patti @ What are you Inking?

Thank you, Thank you, Thank YOU! There are some rules in getting this award.

1st: I have to share 8 things about me

- I was born in Saigon, Vietnam and spent 11 years in Minnesota and the rest in Florida

- I've been married for 13 1/2 years to a wonderful man

- I have 2 Godchildren: Ian who is 7 and Tillie who is 8 months (who you see throughout my layouts & projects)

- I started Scrapbooking in 1997 and haven't stopped since!

- I can finish a good book in less than a week. (A James Patterson book in a night!)

- I don't like silence. I always need music or the TV in the background

- I have a cute Maltipoo named Lucy

- my family is everything to me. I could not live without them and thankful I have such an amazing family!

Step 2: share 8 blogs that inspire me. This was hard because I love checking out blogs and find so much inspiration out there!

http://ilinacrouse.blogspot.com/

http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

http://aniia.blogspot.com/

http://scrapsofdeb.blogspot.com/

http://createmepink.blogspot.com/

http://www.stampartpapel.com/

http://trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com/

http://elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/

http://susanweinroth.typepad.com/

Thanks again Carrie & Patti!

{hugs}, Maria

Sketch Week Challenge # 6

2011-02-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Green Bay Packers and MVP, Aaron Rodgers! I watch the first half of the game at the bar and the rest at home under the covers :-) I especially loved Lea Michele's "America the Beautiful".. it gave me chills!

For this week's Sketch Challenge I thought a big heart could welcome the second week of February.

Here is my take on Sketch #6.

Another page from my Christmas 2010 Album. (which is still in process!)

Ingredients:

Stampin' UP! MDS

Stampin' UP! Holly Jolly Designer Series Paper -Digital

Stampin' UP! Holly Jolly Embellishments - Digital

Happy Lunar New Year!

2011-02-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the year of the Rabbit!

I wish everyone out there a year filled with happiness, good health, peace & love! May we continue to do what makes us happy:-)

Ingredients for Chuc Minh Nam Moi Card:

Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper

Designer Buttons

1 3/4 inch Scallop Circle Punch

I wanted to take part in Sketch Frenzy Fritday this week. Here is my take on this week's sketch.

This card was made using Stampin' UP! MDS; Sweet Stitches Designer Series papers & PomPom Trim

I've signed up for my first Stampin' UP! Regional Event in Orlando. I can't wait to learn new techniques and meet new friends! Is anyone else going to be attending?

Have a happy Superbowl Weekend:-)

Valentine Box & Album

2011-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

"When you are in love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams."

Dr. Seuss

I don't know why but I love the month of February. If it was a color it would be PINK!

While Tillie was in town I wanted to make a little gift for her to bring home to her grandparents. I wanted her to be able to share some memories she had made in Florida.

This box is 6x6 and made using Pink Paislee Papers, Stampin' UP! Valentine Defined Clear Mounted Stamp Set & ribbon. And when you open the box....

A 4x4 album!

I can't wait to see if they liked it!

Sketch Week Challenge # 5

2011-01-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

I know I've been M.I.A. lately but I had some special visitors from MN. We had fun enjoying the sunshine of FL and the great eateries... and of course LOTS of photos were taken. I can't wait to share these photos with you.

This week's sketch is using some photos we took this week and were perfect for a Valentine's layout.

Here is my take of Sketch #5

I used Stampin' UP! Valentine Defined Clear Stamp Set, Sending Love Designer Paper & Fun Flowers Bigz L Die

Sale-A-Bration Starts Today!!!!

2011-01-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

Wahoo!!! It's like Christmas Morning! Stampin' UP! Sale-A-Bration starts today. It's pretty simple, spend $50 get your choice of any free product in the Sale-A-Bration catalog.

Have fun shopping and stop back to tell me what you got!

Sketch Week Challenge # 4

2011-01-24T06:44:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! I'm excited to share with you this week's sketch. I made two layouts with this sketch to so you how you can play around with the sketch. Hope you enjoy and please play along!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, not only because my sweet Goddaughter, Tillie is visiting but because of the start of Stampin' UP! Sale-A-Bration. Have you picked out your favorite give away?

Game On!

2011-01-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

My cousin had asked me to do some layouts of her daughter, Quynh's basketball pictures. Quynh is an amazing basketball player, she actually excels in all sports she plays from soccer, softball, basketball and when she was little football. Because we live in different states, she in Ohio, me in Florida... I wanted to use Stampin' UP! MDS so she could print it out. Here are a few 12x12 layouts I made for her.

Hope you enjoy!

What's Your Fire?

2011-01-19T06:17:00.000-08:00

Last night I started this amazing book, "Saving Ceecee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman. I'm on chapter 11 and don't remember when I book has touched me this much. It's about this 12 year old girl who takes care of her psychotic mother and doesn't have her dad around. She ends up going down south to live with her Great Aunt Tootie. What got to me was in one of the chapters Great Aunt Tootie told CeeCee .. You got to have a fire. The little girl said a fire? and Great Aunt Tootie said.."Yes, Everyone needs to find the one thing that brings out her passion. It's what we do and share with the world that matters. If there's one thing I'd like most for you, it's that you'll find your calling in life. That's where true happiness and purpose lies. Whether it's taking care of abandoned animals, saving old houses from the wreckin' ball, or reading to the blind, you've got to find your fire. You'll never be fulfilled if you don't."It got me to thinking, what's my fire? And it's an easy enough question to answer, it would be scrapbooking. It's something that I can share with the world and it's something that represents what is important to me. So, my question to you is... What's your fire?

Speaking of scrapbooking, I would like to share two more MDS Christmas layouts.

I'm trying to slowly scrapbook Christmas 2010. I've decided that for this album it will be majority, if not all, using MDS.

{Hugs}, Maria

Sketch Week Challenge # 3

2011-01-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great LONG weekend. I spent today having a "Tudors" marathon and hiding from the rain. I really enjoyed all the great projects in the SUStars Blog Hop and hope you did too. This week's sketch is ready to go. I enjoy the simplicity of the sketches, so everyone can add their special touches.

And here is my take of sketch #3

This 8x8 layout was made with Stampin' UP! My Digital Studio, Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper - digital download and Holly & Jolly Embellishments - digital download.

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

SUStars January Blog Hop

2011-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our first Blog Hop of 2011! I'm sure you've had fun stopping by all the blogs and seeing all the great talent out there. You should have come over here from Diana at Stamping My Life Away and to get a complete list of all the blogs doing the hop, just stop by SUStars blog.

My theme for this blog hop is of course, Valentine's! I love Valentine's Day and not only for it's day of LOVE but because of all the beautiful colors....

I used all the paper from the Filled with Love Promotion for all of the cards and box.

This card was made with Stampin' Up! Valentine Defined Clear Stamp Set

Scallop Trim Border Punch

Filled With Love Clear Bundle

Love Matchbook:

Love You Much Stamp Set

Filled with Love Clear Bundle

Valentine Defined Clear Stamp Set

Valentine 3x3 Card and 3x3 Box

To make the box you need one 12x12 designer paper. I used Stampin' Up! Real Red Smooth Cardstock

1) 1 piece 8 1/2 x 3 1/2 scored @ 3 1/2, 4 1/4, 8, 8 1/4

2) 1 piece 7 3/4 x 3 1/2 scored @ 3 1/2, 4 1/4, 8, 8 3/4

Fold each to create a box and adhere. And then decorate as you like!

For all projects I used Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad, Real Red Ink Pad & Pretty In Pink Classic Ink Pad.

I hope you enjoyed the blog and please leave a comment!

Next stop and finally stop on the SUStars Blog Hop: Loni's Life

Have a great weekend!

Maria

Birthday Cards

2011-01-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

I've been busy working on projects & cards for my Open House this weekend & SuStars Blog Hop. But I wanted to take a short break and share with you two cards I made for January birthdays.

The "Cupcake" card is from the new Stampin' Up! stamp set: Create a Cupcake. Plus two punches: 1 3/4 Scallop Circle Punch and Decorative Label Punch. For the Birthday Card I used Bring on the Cake Digital Stamp Set. I printed out the Stamp Image in Basic Black and then adhered it on Stampin' Up! designer paper and colored in the numbers with markers. I wanted to demonstrate how you can use My Digital Software with paper & makers.

Check back to see sneak peeks .... :-)

Sketch Week Challenge # 2

2011-01-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Today I present you with Sketch #2:

I keep the sketches pretty basic because I want you to add your own flair to the layout. Below is what I did with this sketch.

This 12x12 layout was made with "My Digital Software". Everything used in the layout came with the software. My niece had another beautiful daughter on Jan 2nd, Josephine Pham. Looks like another "Scrapbook Star" has been born!

Let's see what you can do with this sketch!

2011 Calendar Directions

2011-01-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

I've received many emails as to how I made the 2011 Calendar. To make it easier I thought I would post the directions here.

You will need:

Chipboard

4 DoubleSided Paper

Corner Rounder

Embellishment

Sanding Tool

2011 Calendar

Adhesive

Photo Corner Punch

Instructions:

Cut out Chipboard 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 (12 pieces)

Pattern Paper 3 3/4 x 5 1/2, round the corners and adhere to chipboard. (sand edges)

Pattern Paper 3 1/2 x 5, round corner and adhere on top of previous paper

Pictures are wallet size

In back of of calendar month is a stripe of paper 3 3/4 x 1/2

Add Embellishments!

Have Fun!!!

2011 Calendar

2011-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Woke up to rain this morning and thus begins a lazy day. After catching up on some emails and work, I started browsing the Etsy.com site. I found this great saying at one of my favorite Etsy Stores: meganrene

Last night I realized that I never made a 2011 Calendar for myself. So, using some paper from My Mind's Eye, Embellishment from Basic Grey, I created this Calendar.

It was perfect for my desk because it doesn't take up that much space. The size of each card is 3 3/4 x 5 1/4. If you would like the Calendar template just email me and I'll email it back to you!

I also made this 3x3 card using Stampin' Up! Love You Much Stamp Set, Chocolate Chip Ink and Bitty I Buttons (that I got from the Filled with Love Promotion)

Have a great Day!

Bring on the Cake

2011-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the new Stampin' Up! Digital Downloads. I was talking to a friend last night and couldn't stop talking about "My Digital Software". She was amazed that I was able to scrapbook in the car on my road trip. Very Cool! One of my favorite purchase is Bring on the Cake. Here is a card I made with Bring on the Cake.

I'm patiently waiting for my Stampin' Up! order of new products from Occasion Mini. Which should be on my doorstep early next week. (fingers crossed!)

Don't forgot to play along with my Weekly Sketch Challenge

I'm also hosting an Open House on Jan 15th with my Stampin' Up! friend Dani. More info to come!

Have an amazing day!

Sketch #1

2011-01-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's Resolution is to do one scrapbook layout a week. I wanted to have some fun with it and to include all my blog friends out there....So, I challenge you to do ONE scrapbook layout a week. To make it easier for you I'll also add in a Sketch. This sketch can be used in any size layout: 12x12, 8x8 or 6x6.

Sketch #1:

Here is my take on our first Sketch of 2011:

Wrapped in Love Sketch: (8x8)
Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Set - Lower & Upper Case
A Cute Christmas Clear Mount Stamp Set

Please include your layout below & have fun!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that Santa brought you everything you wanted and more. I had a fun holiday season with my family in Texas. I spent the holidays watching movies, eating lots & playing games. I learned to love my new GPS system and have named her “Sally”. Sally helped us to not get lost as we drove from Tampa to Biloxi, Biloxi to Houston & Houston to Dallas. Into between find us a good “Pho” place to fill our tummies. I had great plans for our excursion to Dallas but unfortunately, it rained the whole time we were there. We ate at “Taco Diner” in the West Village and watched “The Black Swan” at the Metropolitan Theater. If anyone else saw this movie, please explain to me what happened. I felt completed lost throughout the movie. LOL While driving back to Tampa I was able to scrapbook using my MDS and created some layouts of photos from my trip. How fun to scrapbook while passing through Louisiana!

Here is my take on Mojo Monday Sketch:

Have a safe & fun New Year's Eve!

Packing, Packing, Packing

2010-12-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for our road trip tomorrow. I'm excited that I purchased MDS because now I can scrapbook while on the road. yea!!!! It is my Goddaughter Tillie's first Christmas and when I saw this photo I knew I had to scrapbook it pronto.

isn't she adorable? Santa could not have ask for a better helper! I used the Christmas Jingle Line for MDS.

And don't forget to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s "Filled with Love" Promotion.

I got this collection and did a card with it. (in previous post) I loved the free Bitty Buttons (64 in a case!) Perfect for Valentine Cards, Wedding Layouts, Baby Layouts.... etc.

My laptop of course will be going with me and hopefully I can share some photos, projects of my Holiday vacation. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Filled With Love

2010-12-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we did cards made from Stampin' Up! Filled With Love promotion and I used my favorite punch: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch I can't live without this punch. (More info on this special on Friday.. you don't want to miss out on this deal!)

Last night I was feeling creative and trying to get some last minute gifts made. I made this frame with Stampin' Up! Jolly Holiday Designer Series Papers, Season of Joy Stamp Set, A Cute Christmas Stamp Set, Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive Classic Ink Pad.

The cold weather is making me lazy and wanting to stay covered up in bed with a good book. But I got to get everything ready and bags packed for our road trip this Saturday. We will be heading to Texas to spend Christmas & New Year's with my sister and her family.

another MDS Christmas Card

2010-12-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Baby it's Cold Outside..... I spoke to my cousin this morning where it was -3 in Minnesota and here I am bundled up with the heat going and it's 45 degrees down in Tampa. My fingers are sooo cold while I'm typing away. But I guess I can't complain when my family is freezing up north but I can smile and send them warmth from Florida :-)

I did my last bit of Christmas shopping this morning and need to send packages & cards out before we hit the road this weekend. But in between all the shopping, I did make time to do another Christmas card using MDS and Christmas Cocoa II digital paper. I used the sketch from Mojo Monday's Sketch.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday

2010-12-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

It's starting to feel like Christmas. It's so much fun getting boxes from the ups man and then getting to wrap them. Today I got in some new products from Stampin' Up! little sneak peeks from a new mini catalog coming out soon. Today I would like to share two 12x12 layouts I made with Studio Calico past kits.

And I wanted to add my take on Sketchy Friday card. I used Stampin' Up! MDS and the Love Impressions papers & stamps.

I wanted to play with something that wasn't Christmas related! Hope you like.... a have a great weekend!

Dec 25 Card

2010-12-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile since my last blog. And blog writing (sharing) will be very low this month. I'm getting ready for our monthly Scrapbooking Night this Saturday and next Saturday we head out to Houston.

So, what have I been doing?
Online Shopping
Making Christmas Cards
Wrapping Presents
Watching past "Harry Potter" movies so I can see the new movie
Playing with my new MDS (My Digital Software)
Trying to stay warm!

It's been very cold here in Tampa, I even had to turn the heat on during the day. (which I never do!) Brrrr......

I wanted to share some Christmas Cards with you. The above card & this card were both made using MDS.

There are new MDS downloads Check out the 2011 Notable Desktop Calendar

Holly Jolly Christmas

2010-12-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

I received my box of goodies from Stampin' Up! today and finally got o play with "My Digital Studio". Above is my first project with MDS and of course it's a Christmas Card. I think I found another toy to play with.... :-)

What did everyone else get during the online sale last week?

Thanks GA!

2010-11-30T18:47:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! It's been an adventure this long weekend for me. We had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner and then I got up at 4am on Friday morning, got all I wanted on my list and was back in bed by 6am. Up at 3am on Saturday morning for a road trip to Stone Mountain, GA. It was my first visit to Stone Mountain and I already want to go back. We took the skyline up to the mountain and then did the 1.4 mile hike down the mountain. While going down the mountain I kept asking Tom if this was the right way, we didn't have to back up the mountain right? Well, we actually went down the wrong side of the mountain and I was not about to go back up the mountain.... so around the mountain we went back to the Christmas Village. Let's just say I got my workout done for the weekend. LOL

Thanks for the great weather Georgia!

Today the UPS man bought me a new little toy I ordered, Clarisonic Skin Care System! I got the pink one and ordered a white one for my sister. I'll keep you updated to see if it lives up to it's hype.

So, tomorrow I mail my sister's off to her. I can never mail someone something without a card. This is a 3x3 Card I made for Christine and my niece. I think this stamp set is the cutest!

Love You Much Stamp Set

I hope everyone took advantage of Stampin' Up! Online Spectacular Sale. If not you have until midnight today to shop. I did my shopping early and will be getting my box of goodies on Thursday. I took advantage of the great deal on My Digital Studio and I'm looking forward to using this software.

Stampin' Up Online Spectacular is here!

2010-11-22T05:19:00.000-08:00

Were you thinking about starting Digital Scrapbooking with My Digital Studio? Now is the perfect time.... it's only $39.98!!!! And there are more awesome deals going on until Nov. 30th. You don't want to miss out!!! I gotta get back to my shopping LOL

Holiday Blog Hop!

2010-11-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome Blog Hoppers to SUStars Holiday Blog Hop! Grab your morning coffee and enjoy the amazing projects from SUStars. The one thing I look forward to this time of year is making Christmas cards & projects. (and of course ignoring my diet and eating yummy foods) Today I would like to share with you an 8x8 Scrapbook Layout and Christmas Card.

8x8 Scrapbook Page Layout.

Ingredients:

Real Red Cardstock

Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Series Papers

A Cute Christmas Clear Mounted Stamp Set

Jolly Bingo Bits Clear Mount Stamp

A Cute Christmas Clear Mount Stamp

Calendar Stamp Set

Calendar Alphabet Stamp; Numbers Stamp Set

Full Calendar Stamp Set

1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch

Season of Joy Stamp Set

Inks: Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie and Pink Piroutte

Petal Card Double Punch

Merry Christmas Card.

Thank you for stopping by my blog and letting me share some of my projects with you. Please leave a comment and stop by again!

Next stop on the Holiday Blog Hop: Creative designs by Jackie

Have a fun weekend!

Challenge 96 - So Sweet

2010-11-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

This week challenge with Late Night Stampers ~ So Sweet...was perfect for me because I've been working on my October 8x8 album. Here is a photo with my great niece Eva blowing out the birthday candles.

Stampin' Up! On a Pedestal Stamp Set

Tune into tomorrow for SU Stampers Holiday Blog Hop. And check out my website Monday, November 22nd for some great deals with Stampin' Up! You don't want to miss this......

2011 Planner

2010-11-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I've already started Christmas shopping and making Christmas projects. I'm going to be part of a BlogHop this weekend and getting my projects together to show you. More information coming soon on the BlogHop, there are going to be at least 20 blogs to visit. yea!

So, I've been working on my 2011 Planner. Here is the cover of my planner. I used Echo Park's "Life is Good" collection. I've fallen in love with this company's colors.... love it! Plus Stampin' Up Butterfly punch!

To protect the pictures I cut out a page protector and adhere it over the photos. We all know accidents can happen... and I didn't want anything to happen to the photos. The planner is a 8 1/2 x 11 three ring binder.

I just got done reading James Patterson "Don't Blink" I was very disappointed in his "Private" and actually didn't finish it. (And usually I finish James Patterson books in one night) So, I'm very happy that "Don't Blink" was one of those books I could not put down. Kept me guessing until the end. Now I'm starting Garth Stein "The Art of Racing in the Rain" I've only read a couple of pages and know that I better have some tissue next to me during this reading.

Challenge 95 - Thank You

2010-11-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

Just made a cute Thank You card for my cousin. I love working with pink & butterflies. And it works perfectly for Challenge 95 of StampinUpLNStampers.

Ingredients:
Butterfly Punch
Punch Pack
Flight of Butterfly Stamp Set
Itty Bitty Bits Clear Mount Stamp
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad
Designer Series Paper - Brights

I also picked up a great
new book "The Busy Scrapper" by Courtney Walsh. It has some great layouts and ideas.

Looking forward to a busy weekend. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Stillwater 8x8 Layout

2010-11-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

Last night I stayed up until 2am working on my 8x8 album of my trips in October. How Fun! Wanted to share a page from my album (more to come later) This layout is actually a trip that my mom made to MN at the beginning of October. I love the autumn colors in this the photo and my nieces are adorable too!

Did I mention how much I love the Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper? Well, I love it!
Other Stampin' Up! products used on this page:
Flight of the Butterfly Wood Mounted Stamp Set
Calendar Alphabet & Numbers Stamp Set
1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
Butterfly Punch
Scallop Square Punch
Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad
Alphabet Soup on Board

Hapy Everything

2010-11-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last night the family went out for some Thai Food to celebrate November birthdays. I don't know about some of you but I find it hard to make a card for a male and have the hardest time finding a gift. I made this Birthday Gift Card Holder for my cousin's birthday. Inside there were cards for Starbucks & Best Buy. Two places I'm sure he could do some damage at. LOL I changed up the card holder I had made it so you would open it up sideways instead of the usual flap. The tutorial is from my previous post.

Ingredients:
On A Pedestal Wood Mounted Stamp Set
Itty Bitty Bits Clear Stamp Set
Scallop Square Punch
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

The other day we were in New Port Richey, FL to visit a friend and was looking for a place to eat. It was hard looking for a place that had a patio (because we had Lucy with us) but we found an amazing Pizzeria/Ristorante, MezzaLuna we both had Spaghetti, Tom had the Baked Spaghetti with Meatballs and I had the lunch special Spaghetti with meat sauce. All I can say is YUM!!!! It takes as about 40 minutes to get there but we will be back. Oh, and for dessert I had there Chocolate Cupcake which was heavenly! I'm getting hungry just typing this. LOL

Cute Christmas Stamp Set

2010-11-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

The cooler weather has given me some inspiration to do some Christmas cards. I pulled out my A Cute Christmas Clear Stamps and started playing. The cards are 3x3 (my favorite size)

Ingredients:
Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper
A Cute Christmas Clear Stamp Set
Real Red Cardstock
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
Marina Mist Stampin' Write

Christmas Gift Card Holder

2010-11-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is my take on Late Night Stampers Gift Card Holder Challenge. I finally open my package of Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Paper Series. and some fun!

Ingredients:
Real Red Cardstock 8 x 4.5
Candy Cane Christmas Glitter Dots 4 x 2 1/4 and 4 1/4 x 2 1/4
A Cute Christmas Clear Mounted Stamps
Candy Cane Christmas Glitter Stripes 4 1/4 x 1 1/2
Natural White Cardstock
1/4 Grosgrain Ribbon - Whisper White
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
Marina Mist Stampin' Write
1 3/4 Inch Scallop Circle Punch

Recipes:
Take the Real Red Cardstock and score @ 2 1/2 & 5 1/4
Fold the paper
Use the 1 3/4 Inch Scallop Circle Punch and punch half way on the bottom flap. Adhere with adhesive on both sides to make a folder.
Round the corners of the Glitter Dot Paper and adhere to front of the Gift Card Holder
Wrap ribbon around the front to the back (as shown)
Stamp the 3 Christmas Trees from the "The Cute Christmas" Stamp Set with Old Olive
Stamp the "To" & "From" with Marina Mist Stampin' Write.
Color in with "Real Red", "Old Olive" & "Marina Mist".
Adhere the Glitter Stripes Paper (as shown)

Have Fun!

Me & Lucy

2010-11-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

It's rainy & yucky here in Tampa, the good news is it's suppose to bring a cold front this weekend. What a great day to spend in my Scrapbook room :-)

Since we got Lucy, we've been going to the park everyday. (not today though) We let her roam around, hubby runs & I catch up on some reading. I've never been a dog person, actually been afraid of dogs my whole life but Lucy has stolen my heart! So, today I wanted to share a 8x8 layout I did with me & Lucy. I used Stampin' Up! Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Papers.

Recipe:
Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Papers
1 3/4" Scallop Circle Extra-Large Punch
Petal card Extra-Large Double Punch
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
Alphabet Soup
Hostess Gift: Cute By the Inch (Wanna Host a Workshop?)

There are new Downloads with My Digital Studio: Perfect for Holiday Cards!

Thank You

2010-11-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm blessed with a great family. On my trip to MN my family threw me a Surprise Birthday Party. They made turning 40 a little bit easier. They had all my favorite foods, drinks & people! It was a great party and I was truly honored.

Happy November!

2010-11-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since my last post. I had a blast in MN and didn't want to leave! While I was in MN we spent a muggy day scrapbooking. It was nice because the scrapbook store we went to was right next to Starbucks. I had packaged up some kits for my cousins & niece to do. Here is what some of the pages looked liked. I use some scrap paper I had and let them play with the Calendar Stamp from Stampin' Up!

My cousin made a Birthday Book to document all special birthdays. If you haven't guess yet, the Calendar Stamp is one of my favorites!!!!

Don't forget that Stampin' Up! has many products that are perfect for Christmas Stockings, presents, Cards & preserving your memories!

Email me to set up a workshop & Earn some free goodies just time for the holidays!

Just Stampin' Away

2010-10-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

I know I should be packing right now but I wanted to share a new creation I made & some Stampin' Up! news. I purchased some goodies from Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog. My favorite was the Autumn Spice Collection Album & Specialty Designer Series paper. (both are shown below)

This is the first page of my 8x8 October Album. I find it easier to do smaller albums for months when we traveled somewhere or a special event. It gets the project done faster! (which is always a plus)

Ingredients for this 8x8 layout:
Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Papers
Calendar Stamp Set
Full Calendar Stamp Set
Calendar Alphabet Stamp Set
1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
Punch Pack
Full of Life Stamp Set
Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

NEW from Stampin' Up!

~ ABCs of the perfect Handmade Holiday These are perfect for your holiday projects or would make great gifts! (from October 19 - December 16)

~ My Digital Studio professional print prices have been reduced by 15% - 60% just in time for the holidays. Make handmade holiday gifts, calendars, holiday cards.... the possibilities are endless.

I will bring my laptop on my mini vacation but I won't promise any new postings until I get by. Just going to try to stay warm & visit with family!

Have a good weekend!!!

Monday, Monday

2010-10-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend scrapbooking & stamping away.... I also packaged up some kits to make with family when I'm in Minnesota this week. I've been busy getting ready for the crop I'll be at on the 30th & finishing 3x3 cards for a swap. Did I mention I'm going to MN on Thursday? Found out the weather will be in the high 50's, so know flip flops will NOT be worn. Living in FL the only shoes I wear are flip flops are open toes shoes. I use to go to MN almost twice a year but it's been awhile since I've landed in MSP. Very excited to see family and my Goddaughter, Tillie for the first time. There will be lots of pictures taken of this adorable baby girl!

Here is a Christmas card I made for a 3x3 Card Swap:
Recipe:
Real Red Cardstock Paper (6x3)
Old Olive & Real Red Ink Pad
Old Olive Designer Paper
Season of Joy Stamp Set

Thank you so very much 3x3 Card

Recipe:
Designer Series Brights Collection
Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Set
Butterfly Punch

2010-10-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night we hosted our monthly Scrapbooking/Stamping Night. I thought I would share with you some cards I made for friends. I'm enjoying playing with my new stamps, inks & papers from Stampin' Up!

My Digital Studio Design Contest

2010-10-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up! invites YOU to participate in our first ever digital design contest using My Digital Studio and Stampin' Up!'s digital downloads! The My Digital Studio Design contest was created to recognize the amazing digital design skills of our talented, creative demonstrators and customers! Submit all samples along with an official entry form and photo release form (if applicable) to MDSContest@stampinup.com.

Date: October 1 - November 15, 2010

Submit: 1 digital card & 2 single-page layouts using only My Digital Studio product.

How it works: 5 demonstrators & 5 customers will be selected to win

What do you win? Winners will receive FREE My Digital Studio digital downloads from Stampin' Up valued at approximately $400! You'll also receive a digital pin for your personal blog (if you are a customer).

Are you Ready?

Read the complete official rules.
Download an official entry form and photo release form (if applicable).

Don't have My Digital Studio Software? Need additional artwork?
Find it on my Stampin' Up! website.

Have fun & Good LUCK!

Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack

2010-10-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Stock up on your past favorites & things you might have had on your wish list! Save up to 80% on Stampin' Up Clearance Rack now.

Bold Brights Classic Stampin' Spot

set of 12 for just $8.99!

Just hanging out with Rick Springfield

2010-10-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing weekend! Next month I'll be turning the big 4-0 and decided I needed a month of celebration for this big & yet scary event. So, this past weekend we went to Biloxi and saw Rick Springfield in concert. I've had a crush on this man since I was 13 and this was my first concert of his and it was great! The best thing about the trip besides sharing it with my hubby, sister, cousin & brother-in-law was getting to take this photo with Rick Springfield at the airport!

If you make it to Biloxi stop by "The Vibe" in the Hard Rock. I never get tired of the piano man playing "Just the way you are", their yummy Chocolate Martini's & the lobster dish was great! And the Spa at the Beau Rivage is very relaxing... try their Hot Stone Facial & Massage!

Before I left for my trip I got my starter kit from Stampin' Up! I also placed my first workshop order & a little order for myself too :-) I should be getting these this week. Looking forward to sharing some ideas with everyone!

Happy Monday!!!!

My Stampin' Up! Website

2010-09-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've just set up My Stampin' Up! Website .. I'm very excited to start this new journey and already have my first workshop schedule for October 9th and my first crop on October 30th. I'll get into more details when we get closer! I'm looking forward to making some card kits & scrapbook layout kits to share with everyone too!

This morning my husband & dog woke me up at 6:30am to go to the park. 6:30AM what??? Being the good sport I am I went with them basically rolling out of bed, brushing my teeth and getting into the car. When we got back from the park I took a shower and went back to bed! LOL The things you do for family!

Stampin Up!

2010-09-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

"You keep your heart above your head and you eyes wide open So this world can't find a way to leave you cold And know you're not the only ship out on the ocean Save your strength for things that you can change Forgive the ones you can't You gotta let 'em go"

Part of the lyrics from "Let it Go" by the Zac Brown Band. I was listening to their new CD today and these words spoke volumes to me.

Some exciting news... I just signed up to be a demonstrator with Stampin' Up! More news & information will be coming soon! I'm very excited about this new venture....:-) Wahoo!

Happy Monday!

2010-09-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

My wonderful hubby got me a new laptop and the first thing I did was added a little me into it with this digital scrapbook page of favorite photos of 2010 (so far!) With a new dog in the house I'm away from my scrapbook room more than I want to be. But the laptop comes in handy! I just ordered the Vera Bradley Laptop Portfolio in Very Berry Paisley and can't wait to get it!

I wanted to get the the All in One Wristlet but can't find it anywhere online... any suggestions?

Sewing Adventures

2010-09-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I hosted our monthly scrapbook night. Our scrapbook nights have turned into a Quilting party too. I've been working on a quilting project that I just realized will be almost 1 year in the making. LOL So, this week my homework is to finish cutting patterns out and then I can continue to sew. My first project was successful and I everytime I use it, I get lots of "oh, where did you get" and I makes me feel really cool to say " I made it!" ....

Of course I could never finish these projects without my dear friend, Carol... who is a quilt expert!

2010-09-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today I found out that Lucy is a good scrapbooking dog. It was funny because i was following her around the house trying to get a photo and she basically poised for some photos. LOL I've never had a dog and have been afraid of them all my life but she is really making it easy to love her. She got a box of goodies in the mail today from my cousin's dog, Maverick. And had fun with all her new toys & treats. I'm happy because after searching online I finally found some kind of spray to use on Lucy in between baths. yeah! and better yet, a store within 3miles that carries it. double YEAH!

My Mind's Eye is having a blog challenge until Thursday, Sept 23. It seems like a fun challenge... i got my thinking cap on!

Sketches

2010-09-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!!! I received my Studio Calico September Kit on Thursday and my 2 add-ons. It's like Christmas Day when i get my box. LOL But the funny thing is I did a layout of Tillie and used my August Kit. Here it is:
Gosh, isn't she adorable! I can't wait to meet this little girl!!!

Lucy

2010-09-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

I'm getting use to having a dog around the house. If you know me, you know how scared I am of dogs but for some strange reason I'm loving Lucy! I came back from Texas with not just a new dog but also a nasty cold. I haven't even went outside since we've been home except to walk Lucy. So, what have I've been doing? My latest thing to watch is "The Rachel Zoe" show. It's very addictive and somehow I stay glue to the couch watching it. LOL

Just got my September Studio Calico kit and this month I order 2 of their add-ons. Can't wait to start playing..... Did anyone else get their kits?

Lucy

2010-09-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

We had a blast in TX. I love seeing the family and hanging out together. We came back with a new addition to our family... a little doggie named, Lucy! She seems to be Tom's BFF and seems to adapt to life in the sunshine state. She is such a sweet dog and makes it very easy to fall in love with her!

Princess Album

2010-09-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

My cousin asked me today ... "what kind of blogger are you..it's been a week!" I'm still trying to organize my days. You would think being home I would have time to do anything & everything but that is so not the case. I have to force my body to wake up at 8am and then force it to go to the gym. And of course I have to get my nap in there too :-) I don't get productive until 2pm... so sad!

I'm catching a plane to TX tomorrow to visit my sister & her family for the long weekend. I'm looking forward to giving lots of hugs & kisses to my baby nieces. I wanted to share with you a mini album I made for Elizabeth's 2nd birthday. The theme was "Princess" (of course!) and she looked adorable in her gown.

Growing up I wasn't into princess & fairytales... i always wanted to be "Wonder Woman" i thought it would be so cool to twirl around and turn into a Superhero who could beat up boys! That are be one of "Charlies' Angels".

I'm currently reading "Getting the Pretty Back" by Molly Ringwald. The name drew me to the the book! And it's such a great book. It has me laughing & smiling ..... If you remember the days of "Pretty in Pink" then you'll enjoy this book. It makes turning 40 in a few months not so bad!

I'm looking forward to finishing the book tomorrow on the plane.

I don't think I'll be blogging much during my mini vacation... I hope everyone has a safe & fun LONG weekend!

2 Nieces

2010-08-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

It's another rainy day in Tampa. I wanted to go to the library to pick up a book I have on reserved. Hopefully, I can make it out there. Next weekend I'm heading to TX to visit my sister and her family. I'm very excited to see the kids & my sis. Here is a layout I did of her two baby girls. I was searching through Amazon.com last night for new books I wanted to reserve and was very excited to see this book is coming out at next month.

I've read the whole series and I think my favorite was "Shopaholic & Baby". And the audio book had me laughing out loud!

Sketch 7

2010-08-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy weekend. Woke up Friday and found out from hubby that we were going on a road trip. We took a 10 hour car ride to MS. I was able to read two books on the the trip and sleep! ahhhh

I fell in love again while reading Eileen Goudge "The Diary". This book reminded me so much of Nicholas Sparks "The Notebook". The story is about two sisters who find their mom's diary and reads it. I don't want to say too much because it is a must read for all the romantics out there.

"It would be the still breath at the center of each thought, the rest note between each beat of life's song. Someday, when she had children, she would wish the same for them: a moment in time when love was that all mattered"

Today i was able to catch up on some scrapbooking since it rained all day. I'm still trying to catch up on Kelly's Sketchbook 2 class. Here's my take on #7.

These were photos taken last October when we went to Toronto to visit my Goddaughter, Be and her boyfriend Kevin.

1 Month

2010-08-19T18:10:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a mini album i did for Tillie's first month. Ok.. for some reason i can't get the order of the album to load right. I should have started with the end first...but oh well.. I'm counting the days until i get to see this special little girl!

Happy Wednesday!

2010-08-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

I decided last night that i had to make a plan for my day. It's sad that when you are working you hate schedules but your life kinda needs it. For the past two days I've been wandering around the house feeling lost but today is the first chapter of my new outlook. This morning i set the alarm clock to 7am, YES 7AM, me.... surprising but true. I wanted to go for a walk this morning and living in FL you gotta wake up early to enjoy your walk. Afterwards i made a tall glass of Starbucks Ice Coffee and got to work. I have to tell you that i did stop by the nice, soft couch to watch "Little Women" again.. hey, it was on Showtime. LOL But i decided i needed to get to work.... soooo Wahoo to Wednesday.... !!!!

Sketchbook #6

2010-08-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll today. Wahoo! This is a new photo I have of my Goddaughter, Tillie. I was so excited to see this photo because it's the first where she is not sleeping.

Sketchbook #5

2010-08-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm still behind a few days on my Sketchbook Class. Here is my take on Sketch #5. When i saw this photo of my great niece, Eva Lu... I knew i had to do a layout. Isn't she adorable in that swimsuit?

Eat Pray Love

2010-08-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

I went to see this much anticipated movie on opening night. First of all Julia Roberts looked absolutely stunning throughout the movie. I read this book a few years ago and after watching the movie, I want to read the book again. I guess I'll have to go out and purchase it for the 2nd time. (my first copy went to my niece) You could feel the sadness in Liz, especially the bathroom scene. But you also felt her amazing ability to FLY! Thoroughout her one year life journey to Italy, India & Indonesia I felt like I was there with her ( I would love to to have tasted all the yummy food in Italy) There were some amazing quotes throughout Eat Pray Love. One of my favorite was:

"Never, forget that once upon a time, in an upguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a Friend."

I left the theatre with this inner happiness and this feeling of wanderlust to go out and explore the world and to not feel guilty to do Simply Nothing!

Sketchbook 2

2010-08-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's been sooo long since I've been able to blog. We've had some internet issues at home and haven't been able to get online for much. So, since I couldn't surf the net .... i did some layouts for Kelly Purkey's Class, Sketchbook 2. It's always fun to take her classes and see what ideas she comes up with.

2010-08-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like my hands are tied this weekend. Came home Friday night and found out our modem is not working and we won't have internet until Tuesday... what???? I had some layouts I wanted to share with the Sketch 2 Class from Kelly Purkey. So, I'll wait until Tuesday and share my latest creation with you.

This morning I woke and watch the latest "Mad Men". I'm totally hooked on this show, went out for a Korean lunch and then stopped by my husband's office to get my internet fix. What did we ever do without the internet? I guess I will find out this weekend :-)

Have a good weekend!

2010-07-25T13:37:00.001-07:00

This has been my favorite thing to do with the kids. Since they were little we always made time to play Canasta. This weekend was no exemption. We played until the wee hours of the morning.

Food is a big part of our family. And Chi Nga makes the best Crepes ... ! Man, i could use some now.

I can't believe July is almost over. Where does the time go??? and where was I??? I wanted to share with you some layouts i did of my trip to visit my cousin back on Memorial Weekend. It's been awhile since i flew to Dublin, Ohio and it was fun to catch up with the Vo Family.

New GodDaughter, Tillie

2010-07-05T10:09:00.001-07:00

Proudly introducing my new GodDaughter, Tillie Evelyn Lu. It's hard having her so far away but I'll be visiting the cutie soon!

2010-03-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm SO enjoying coming home each day to do a new layout from KP's Sketchbook class. Here is my layout from Sketch # 2.

This handsome young man is my Godson, Ian. His the inspiration to a lot of my layouts....:-)

Now I'm gonna get my Idol fix in. My favorite two contestants this year is Crystal & Didi. Looking forward to seeing what they come up with tonite.

2010-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Haven't been feeling very inspired lately. Found out the reason the I haven't been feeling good is because I have allergies. How after all these years can you get this & how long does it last???

But today I felt inspired again!!!! I received Kelly Purkey's first Sketch from her Sketchbook class. Had to hurry and make dinner, so I could play in my scrapbook room. LOL

Here is my first layout from Sketch #1

Butterflies

2010-03-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of rainy days in Florida. Perfect time to stay in and scrapbook. I love these two layouts I did of my adorable niece & nephew ... and our trip to Toronto...

2010-03-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog. Woke up to a beautiful sunny day in Tampa. I think spring is almost here. Today I decided to do nothing but scrapbook. I have so many projects that I want to work on.

Christmas in March? Yep, I completed a few layouts with Basic Grey & My Mind's Eye Christmas collections.

ScrapLoveCreate

Hello 2012

Cake in a Mug & Mini Book

Tangerine LOVE

Keystone Craft Show

Berry Blossom Days

It's Been Awhile.....

Where Have I Been?

Sketch Frenzy Friday

Sketch Frenzy Friday

Sketch Frenzy Friday

Eva + Josie = Mini Album

Just another Crafty Day!

Sketch Frenzy Friday

1 Layout & 3 Peeks

One Pork Rinds Taco in Texas

You Are Here

Weekly Sketch Challenge

Weekly Sketch Challenge

2 Cards

Weekly Sketch Challenge

Food Diary from New Orleans

Spring is Blossoming!

Monday, Monday!

Tiny Teenie Weenie Bikini

Weekly Sketch Challenge

Sketch Week Challenge # 9

Happy Friday!

Sketch Week Challenge # 8

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sketch Week Challenge # 7

Love, Love, Love

Stylish Blogger Award

Sketch Week Challenge # 6

Happy Lunar New Year!

Valentine Box & Album

Sketch Week Challenge # 5

Sale-A-Bration Starts Today!!!!

Sketch Week Challenge # 4

Game On!

What's Your Fire?

Sketch Week Challenge # 3

SUStars January Blog Hop

Birthday Cards

Sketch Week Challenge # 2

2011 Calendar Directions

2011 Calendar

Bring on the Cake

Sketch #1

Happy New Year!

Packing, Packing, Packing

Filled With Love

another MDS Christmas Card

Happy Friday

Dec 25 Card

Holly Jolly Christmas

Thanks GA!

Stampin' Up Online Spectacular is here!

Holiday Blog Hop!

Challenge 96 - So Sweet

2011 Planner

Challenge 95 - Thank You

Stillwater 8x8 Layout

Hapy Everything

Cute Christmas Stamp Set

Christmas Gift Card Holder

Me & Lucy

Thank You

Happy November!

Just Stampin' Away

Monday, Monday

My Digital Studio Design Contest

Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack

Just hanging out with Rick Springfield

My Stampin' Up! Website

Stampin Up!

Happy Monday!

Sewing Adventures

Sketches

Lucy