Just a little update...

I have been busy cleaning (or at last trying to) and organizing the entire house. And so I took a little break and created a card. It was really nice to be in my space and work on something that was fun. Well the card was inspired by another scrapper but I did change a her sketch. This card is going to be sent to my Grandma and the inside is stamped so that the front says: Guess who and the inside says: ...Is missing you! Sorry that the scan looks so bad, but my camera's batteries were dead (I hate when that happens) and so I had to scan the card.

Patterned papers are Fancy Pants crush, Penny for your thoughts graph paper, and very very old tape measuring pp-that was sold at Wal-mart (cut a strip off).

Stamps are hearts in a row, and swirl stamp-unknown, owl stamp-Hero Arts and very old wood mounted alpha stamps. Heart rub-on is from Heidi Grace rub-on sheet. I used EK success and Prismacolor coloring pencils to color in the owl. Spellbinders frame embossing die id the frame behind the owl, and I used chestnut roan chalk ink, and worn lipstick distress ink (TH). The ribbon is from Basic Grey, I used jewels on the eyes and also some old Wal-mart brand pop squares behind the owl.

After finishing it I thought wow those colors would be great for Easter cards and so I thought about making some but decided that I wanted to wait and see if there is any other pp that would work better with some bunny rub-ons if not I could just stamp a bunny...it's not like I don't have a few to choose from. But I did make 3 more for my card stash. This card used a lot of products and it is the first image that I have ever colored in with color pencils.

I have been reorganizing my idea planner, my die/stamp log planner and also working on creating a great method for storing card/page sketches. It would be nice to find on that really works because I collect the sketches and recently thought about the fact that I rarely go to them to create a layout or card. I think it's because they sit in a binder on a shelf and to be honest the binder is way too big. So I am debating on transferring both set of sketches to an index card system. I think that would be a lot easier but it would take time to do all the sketches so I might just stick with the current ones and work from there and eventually I will need to go through the binders and weed out sketches that aren't my style. But that's what's going on here in my little scrappy space.

More decorating...and now I should be sleeping!

I have been up working like a nut for the last 3 hrs on a 5x7 wall art piece for LeiLani's room. You truly would think that I was doing something really hard to do, but it wasn't hard. I just couldn't decide on what I wanted the art work's theme to be. Originally it was going to be a rainbow so that I could get a range of colors added but then I didn't have the buttons all in the same size for the project so I found small frame that I hadn't used since working outside of our home in my little medical billing job. Oh sometimes I miss having an office to close the door and work in outside of the house. But then again I am glad to be home and able to get up at 3 am to do craft projects.

But that's the finished project...well for now that is. I have been debating putting a heart on the tree or using a rub-on on the white frame and there was supposed to be a quote but this frame was so small and unfortunately is was the only one that I could sand and paint white out of my old frames. It's always good to recycle items and that is what I was hoping to do. I even thought that I had white spray paint to spray a couple of really long frames but I realized that it was primer and that I better wait to get a nice glossy white spray paint.

Oh and I had to share a picture of the birdhouses that we found. I got one for 1.00 and one for $2.50 and I am now on the look out for some really cute wood furniture for her bedroom (table and chairs, and small bookshelf). I have decided to not do plastic for her room because I didn't like it in the boys' room. Shoot hubby's alarm just went off...gotta go make some quick breakfast and get ready for my day.

I am having so much fun...and can't wait to start!

I have been on the look out for items for dd's room redecorating project. The fact is she hasn't been in her room at all really and I am so ready for that to change. I haven't done anything to the room since we moved into our house yrs ago and I have decided that now is the time to get it going. So the theme for her room is a spring flower garden in full bloom...or that is what I see in my head.

I have tons of craft ideas to make one of which I am going to be covering chipboard with canvas and making a felt rainbow that is sewn together. I unfortunately can't sew with a machine, but I am going to have to had sew that one. Or take a class...I haven't used a sewing machine since I was in jr high and it is sad because my Grandma used to be a seamstress! And I wish now I would have learned much more about machine sewing (instead of hand stitching ) but she wouldn't let us use her many great machines. I just wish she were here though because she would love some of the ideas that I have. And she is awesome at making curtains (with assistance).

So I have done tons of searching and found a bed that I like for dd. It's actually from Ikea. Its a grow as you grow bed. It has white metal floral/swirl something or another. And at $149 it's affordable. The only thing is I am not completely sold on the sheer above the bed. I like it but it really isn't in the color theme I am going for so maybe I can come up with something else...I was thinking of actually getting the leave one in pic #2 and then altering it by adding felt flowers to it. I love that idea a lot. I would also most likely add buttons to the centers of the flowers. I just know that it will take a little bit of patience but I think this room is going to be the beginning of my entire redecorating process. I just have to choose a wall color that really works in the room especially since there is only one small window in the room.

But now I looking for a really cute nightstand (something that I could distress or paint would be great) and a small rug to match a comforter set I like. But if I can't find something soon I will focus on creating the wall art which includes dd's hand prints on white cardstock spread out like a flower. And the decorating of her wall name letters. I am hoping to have this all done by my 7th month...I have a little over a month so I gotta get it going! And then I will be working on the boys' room and remodeling the bathroom and hallway upstairs (to include a small love seat,bookshelf with all their books and maybe a tv with dvd). Well off to get more ideas and do more research! Oh if anyone knows point me in the direction to get some small (tiny) watering cans to decorate her wall shelf with to add some puffy felt flowers.

The calendar is done, but the cover still isn't!

I forgot to upload pictures of the calendar that I made. I truly thought I knew what I wanted to do to the cover but then I got distracted and started working on another BIA project. I don't have the cover done for my personal/work/scrapbooking calendar but I really like the calendar pages. Here are a couple of them. I use this alot and it is big (8x6) I can fit it into the diaper bag which I will be carrying for the next couple years or so.

I think this BIA machine is a great idea, but I surely can see me making tons of these calendars and mini albums just for fun!

An Egg-citing Day...

Just a few minutes ago there was a knock on our front door. And I wasn't expecting any company but I answered it. It was a neighbor who had gotten our mail by accident. And she also had a bag that she handed me. And at the bottom of that bag lay 7 eggs.

Now that isn't so exciting but then I remembered her asking that we sign some paper stating that it would be ok for her to have chickens in her yard and that is when I got egg-cited. Now we have another fun thing to look forward to in the spring...chickens hatching and eggs. I can't believe sometimes that I live in this big city and that we have some of the most unique things in our little neighborhood.

I have always wanted to live on a farm and we go to the Minnesota zoo every year and all I want to do is go and see the farm there. I love the state fair for a lot of reasons but they have a farm animal birthing barn and we are always there hoping and wishing to see a calf, sheep or whatever they have being born. And I know that these events are months and months and months away... but it was just so fun to think about them.

Especially when the weather is so gloomy and it rained all day today but the idea of spring coming totally brightened my day...now what can I make with eggs tonight? It has to be a side dish because LeiLani is allergic to eggs. Maybe they will be better for breakfast.

It's been 10 days since my last post...

Well it has been just that (10days) and now I have the planner that I was making almost completely done. I am excited because it came together really nicely but there is something missing. Well besides the tabs for each month there is something in the design that just isn't fitting.

Originally I just had to use the new Crate paper line (Mia collection) as seen on www.cratepaper.com. But it just didn't do it for me. I love the line but I wanted some of the seasons to be bright and fresh feeling and I also wanted my Christmas calendar to be the traditional yet fun colors of the season. So I pulled out some of my favorite lines that for one reason or another I haven't used.

And I also quickly learned that although the bind it all says to punch from the 5th hole and 7th hole, that if I want a continous punch I want to punch from the 4th and the 6th holes instead. But that wasn't a big issue at all.

So today before my shots, I brought of the planner (what I have done so far) and my hubby was truly impressed. He usually helps me think about other things that I can add or take away but he likes it as is...of course, when I brought it upstairs I knew exactly what was wrong...I don't like the cover pp. So it's out as soon as I feel better. And then my camera batteries are charging so I will have to wait to upload a few sneak peeks.

It truly isn't a scrapbook but I have been jotting down future ideas to maybe include some of my favorite photos from the previous yr each month. I love when a project evolves into something a lot more than it was supposed to be.

Oh one of my neighbors stopped by to check on me, and she saw it and now she wants me to make her one for Mother's day. I said I would because of the whole high risk pregnancy issue she may want them for Christmas instead.

33yrs old...and a new exciting scrapbooking idea...

I have been excited about starting a desktop calendar/planner for months. I have a scrapbooking planner or that is what I called it at one time. But it really isn't that. It has been like an inventory of my stamps,dies and it one time it held my wishlist. But now I have decided that it needs to be used to hold only my inventory. And I need a new planner that does the rest of it all...somewhere I can jot down some sketches, deadlines on products that I am putting on ebay and a calendar of the current year....and since I was blessed to get a bind it all...I can actually make a book of this whole thing. Well this process isn't going to happen overnight and since I put so much into things I make to sell, I want to put just as much effort into something that I want for myself.

I haven't come up with all the ideas yet, but I have created the calendar pages,made a little section for weekly noted (dated) and printed mini calendar for all of 2009 to go on the month before (i.e January will have a mini calendar of Feb. 2009 on it so that I can circle things or look at things without going to that calendar month.

Now I have to design some pages for monthly goals, and so on...I am truly excited about it and I think that in the future I might make some of these to sell. I just gotta do this one for me first!

This last weekend I completed some simple school pages from 2007-2008. I can't upload ds#1's page because it has too many faces on it but here is the one that I did for ds#2.

I actually have a total of 17 pages done for this year so far, mostly because I have a way to print my own pictures now and am more excited about our albums. And also because I have to make sure that I get 2008 finished before our new little family member comes. Plus it was my 33rd birthday just a few days back and I just chilled at home with the family and we all had tons of fun!