Monday, January 31, 2011

I Was Spotted!

Heather, a good customer and friend, stopped into the store on Saturday and mentioned that she saw that We R Memory Keepers had linked to my blog on their Facebook page! This is what they said:

"Another great layout by a scrapbook blogger! Joanne (who's blog is Scrapping Outside the Lines) has created a beautiful layout using our Be My Valentine collection. Take a look at it here… http://scrappingoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/2011/01/xoxo.html".

I don't know how they found it, but they did and they liked it!

How exciting is that?


Saturday, January 29, 2011

Book Club

Remember this post? Well, my book club experience has begun!

Eight of us met for the first time on Wednesday evening and we have a lovely group of ladies all very excited to be in a book club. Linda, a wonderful friend who is generous and witty and a great person to be around, is the reason we are all together. She has twin boys (or should I say young men) who will be graduating high school this year and starting University in the fall, and she didn't want to miss them too much, so she thought she needed to stay busy with some new endeavors. Hence, her desire to begin a book club.


The first book we will be reading is The White Tiger a debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It is interesting to be reading a book that someone else has picked out. Based on the cover it is not one that I would have chosen. (Yes, that is how I normally choose a book. Does that make me a shallow person? lol) So I am very curious to start reading it.

Which brings me to my second concern. Do I begin to read it right away and risk forgetting the details when it comes to discussing it... or do I wait and read it right before we meet again and risk not finishing it in time!! YIKES!

I know a book club is supposed to be fun and I am seriously excited to be a part of one, so I refuse to worry about the little things. If I don't like the book or finish it or have anything intelligent to add when we discuss the book, I will just change the subject to scrapbooking - something I know lots about!

I will let you know how it goes...

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Little Red Wagon #65

Happy Wednesday! It was Rosanne's pick this week at Little Red Wagon and she chose lace!


Lace is so pretty and I immediately thought of my Martha Stewart lace doilies! So I paired one up with a sweet butterfly and some lace trim. I used a PTI stamp for the sentiment and added a couple of decorative pins.

So why not grab your lace, head over to Little Red Wagon and play along? We would love to see what you create :)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Perfect Timing

I love to read! I have always loved to read. Even as a young girl, I would happily sit down with a new book and disappear into a fictional story of another time, another place, and totally forget what I was supposed to be doing in the here and now!


And still now, I always try to have a book on the go. I find it a great way to unwind after a long day and to be honest, I prefer to read rather than watch TV. I almost feel lost unless I have a book that I can pick up when time allows.


I just finished a fabulous book by Jodi Picoult, House Rules, and I wasn't sure what book I wanted to start next. Then, a good friend that I haven't heard from for a while, called me and asked if I wanted to join a book club! What perfect timing! I have often thought of joining a book club, and now I have that opportunity.

So this coming Wednesday, we will meet (10 of us) for the first time and we will be given our first book! I can't wait to see which book is picked and to see if I actually enjoy discussing the book once it has been read. I am hoping it will be an enlightening and fun experience!

Have you ever belonged to a book club? Did you enjoy it? I will let you know how it goes :)

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Winter Themed Card

The Forum at Two Scrapbook Friends is really rockin' with all the discussions, challenges and fun!

This week's card challenge was posted by Sharon (DrJ) who wants to see some Winter themed cards. I wanted to play with a Cuttlebug embossing folder that shows a snowy village scene, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity.


I used Coordinations cardstock and once I embossed the scene onto it, I lightly sanded it to make it show up more. Then I added some Glossy Accents and Diamond Stickles for a true Winter feel. I heat embossed the sentiment and added a couple of clear Dew Drops.

If you enjoy the incentive that challenges give you, then why not check out our Forum! There are lots of layout, card, and photography challenges to keep you going. Plus, there is going to be an on-line Super Bowl Crop coming up soon! You will want to be a part of the fun and prizes!

Have a warm weekend ~

Thursday, January 20, 2011

XOXO

I love when we receive a new paper line in the store that I immediately know I have the perfect picture to use with it.

When Be My Valentine from We R Memory Keepers arrived I immediately thought of a sweet photo that I had of my nieces, Danielle and Sarah. It was taken in the summertime at my parent's house a few years ago, when they were just adorable little girls! (They are now 14 and 17 and still adorable, but they are also teenagers - need more be said? lol)



So this past weekend, I had some time to scrapbook and I did up this layout. I based it on a sketch by Becky Fleck and I had lots of fun adding all the little details...


like lots of layering, some machine stitching...


a doily from my stash and a hand made flower! I was even able to add some hand-dyed ribbon and a button (my personal signature!).

I adore my boys and I love making up layouts with their pictures on them. But, it is always such a treat for me to be able to scrapbook pink for a change!

Thanks for looking ~

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Little Red Wagon #64

Happy Wednesday! It was Regan's turn to post the challenge at Little Red Wagon this week and she has challenged us to create a one layer card.

I was looking through a Cards magazine recently and I was inspired by one of the samples, so I pretty much scraplifted it!


Now that I think about it, my card is more of a no layer card, unless you count the card top on the card base as one layer! Either way, I had lots of fun playing with my stamps :)

Please join us over at Little Red Wagon and link up your one layer card - we love to see what you create!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

ATC Crazy!

Artist trading cards, miniature works of art, have totally caught my heart! If you have not heard about ATCs, don't feel left out. I had heard about them a couple of years ago, but I really didn't get what they were all about until now.

What they are is simply a 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch piece of original art that is meant to be traded among artists. They can be created using a variety of mediums, including scrapbooking supplies!

Well, hello? I thought, "I can do that!" And I did!


This is my first ever ATC. I started with a piece of cream cardstock and then I added a bit of pink and aqua ink using a blending tool for a soft effect. Next I stamped the bird cage and bird, then I added a strip of text from a book and a small strip of pattern paper. A few bling were added to the bird cage and I added some text that I printed on cardstock on my computer.

I was really inspired so I made up another one...


This time I started with a piece of pattern paper that I attached to cardstock. Then I added a bit of a doily, a stamped heart, a border I made using my MS border punch and a snippet of ribbon. The text was again printed on my computer and added to the ATC.

Can you say... too.much.fun? Oh yah!

I think I will go and make up a couple more...

Friday, January 14, 2011

Oh Baby!

Have you been to the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum lately? It is a great place for discussions, inspiration, tutorials, contests and challenges. Our Design Team keep us going with weekly layout, card and photo challenges and it is really fun seeing all the responses.

The card challenge this week was to make a baby card. I decided to join in and this is the card I created.

Why not head over to the Forum and check out all the fun? We have lots of really great things planned like on-line crops, weekly and monthly challenges, contests, blog-hops, etc. You will also find tech support for photo editing and organization, CHA sneak peeks, altered art ideas and so much more!

See you on the Forum!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Little Red Wagon #63

It's time to grab your wagon - we're going for a ride! There is another fun challenge at Little Red Wagon that was posted by Avril. She has challenged us to use or create an envelope.

I had this cute little envelope in my wagon that was perfect for this week's challenge. I also had some bits and pieces of a sticker sheet that made the perfect match.

In view of the fact that Valentines Day will be here before you know it, I made up a sweet little Valentines tag card.

The envelope is adhered to a couple of layers of cardstock and the tag slips into the envelope. My message will be written on the back of the tag.

Why not try to play along this week? We would love to see what you create :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!


Sunday, January 9, 2011

Let It Snow!

I had a bit of time to be creative this weekend, so I played with an adorable digi image that I have had for a while.

Isn't he just the cutest snowman? I colored him with my Copic markers and then I added some Glamour Dust for a bit of sparkle. I embossed the card background, added some twine and a button and I just love how it turned out!

I think I will be using this image again and again and I will experiment with different colors for different looks. Oh - I just love my Copics!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Do You?

This might be a personal question... but do you wear one? Now be honest. I have to admit, that I normally don't, but I totally love them!

I am talking about aprons. My earliest memories of aprons would have been my Grandmothers wearing them. I vaguely remember my own Mother wearing one a couple of times, but not too often. Other than that, I have rarely seen someone in a home setting actually wearing one.

Shortly before Christmas, I was looking through my linen closet and I came across two sweet little aprons. I have to honestly say that I don't even remember owning aprons and I sat for a few minutes looking at them, trying to remember where I might have gotten them from.

All I could think of, is that they once belonged to my MIL. I inherited some beautiful linens from her and they must have been part of the package. I could see that these aprons were well used; from the fading of the cloth, to the small stains, to the loose threads. I could also imagine the times they might have been worn - holiday baking, preparing Sunday dinners, while getting things in order before company arrived.

Shortly after I found the aprons, I received an email about the History of Aprons. How coincidental!

"The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. It was also wonderful for drying the tears of children and even to wrap around them to keep them warm.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner."

I am happy to have my two little aprons and I think I will keep my eyes open for more when I am out at antique shops or thrift stores. It is a nice touch of days gone by and after reading the email I received, I realize that each one would have it's own story to tell.

So... do you?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Little Red Wagon #62

Happy New Year and Happy Wednesday! We are starting off the new year with a fun challenge at Little Red Wagon and we hope you join in.

It was my turn to post the challenge this week and I chose doilies. I love these little paper cuties that come in all shapes and sizes and are so easy to work with.

For my inspiration card, I used a simple white doily. (It was the only one I had in my wagon!)

I decided to leave it white and I used it as the foundation for the element on my card.

Then I did a bit of layering, added some coordinating background papers and some yummy ribbon. I also stamped the sentiment and ended up with a sweet card!

Why not start off the new year by joining us in our challenge this week? Just make up a card, layout or altered item using a doily and link it up at Little Red Wagon! We would love to see what you create :)


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