Bo Bunny - Oliva collection

I'm really loving the colours in the Olivia Collection by Bo Bunny.  I've always liked coral and teal together.  Mix in some rusty brown and I'm even happier!  The photo in this layout is of my sister and my son.  I chose to focus in on their eyes.  Both of them have brown eyes - and such a deep brown too.  My husband nor I have brown eyes, but Nigel got his brown eyes from my Father's side of the family - as did my sister.  What a great shot of the two of them!

I used Bo Bunny's Wraps trim in the top, and chipboards. The wooden flower is Kaiser Craft that I glimmer misted.  The letters are Basic Grey. I used my I-rock on the flowers and in the bottom right corner.  The journaling a printed on my computer with Vintage Typewriter font, and I distressed with Vintage Photo ink and Wheatfields gimmer mist.  The button is Bo- Bunny as well, it came on the trim!

The journaling reads:

"Daddy's eyes are hazel, Mommy's eyes are blue, Your eyes are deep brown, Where do you get those eyes?  Ah, Auntie's eyes are the same colour!"

Believe it or not ... the date at the bottom is NOT written in PINK - for some reason the white Signo ink turned pink on this page after I wrote it ... I'll have to remember that if I ever actually do want pink ink!!



Staying Creative

Here are a few cards and a layout that I've been working on recently.

The story behind the layout it that I don't know a THING about Harry Potter - not a dang thing, and when I started working with this lovely collection of Harry Potter papers and embellishments, I had no clue what to do with it.  Don't get me wrong, the paper is lovely - all antique like and my colours too.  The only thing I know that is associated with Harry Potter is the word "Muggles".  You see my husband and I Geocache - that is, we use a GPS to plug in latitude and longitude co-ordinates and play a game of "hide and seek" looking for a 'cache' that is filled with trade able trinkets and a log book.  It is a great outdoor adventure that takes you to places that you likely wouldn't have traveled to if not for hunting for 'tuperware in the woods'.  That being said; a Muggle is a person who is not a Geocacher who happens to stumble upon either the cache or you scouring the woods.  There you go ... there's the link!

Watch Out for Muggles

So, I used three different papers from the collection for this, and printed my story out on ivory cardstock with the font Kristen using my computer. Then distressed the paper and inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, and used two Glimmer mists; Coffee Shop and Wheatfields. I stitched the one paper with my sewing machine, and distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Distressing ink in Vintage Photo. I The title is Basic Grey Chip letters. The button is a vintage military button from my husband's sewing box. The ribbon trim I'm not sure about the brand.

The journaling reads:

"As soon as we introduced Geocaching to you, you were hooked.  The idea of hide and seek and treasure hunting all together  was terrific. Being outside in the woods looking for Tupperware was such a concept.  Watch out for Muggles - those are people who are not familiar with Geocaching - you don't want them to be aware of what you are doing; so they won't accidentally find the Cache"

.

The Cards
 
Using the Sew Easy tool from We R Memory Keepers I put together the following 3 cards.
 
For the first card I used an Asian themed background paper (unknown) and Chinese Lanterns stamp (Inkadoo) and kept it simple without a a sentiment. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, and Glimmer Mist in Wheatfields. Finished off with two butterfly stamps (Martha Stewart)

The second card I used a snowflake patterned paper (unknown) and two different Bo Bunny double dot cardstocks and some white Bazzil. I used the "Burst" wheel on this card and instead of rolling it in a row, I used the burst in the form of snowflakes. I cut a snowflake with the Cricut (Potpourri cartridge) out of vellum and some hemp string. I use the I-rock gem setting tool for the bling on the snowflake.

For the final card - Happy Birthday - I used October Afternoon's Thrift Shop collection patterned papers and red Bazzil cardstock. I used the Cricut to cut the Happy Birthday (Potpourri) and a piece of salvaged ribbon from a box of chocolates.

March Monthly Inspiration Challenge at Auntie Em's Scrapbooking

In like a lamb ... man it was a beautiful day out there today!  Just below freezing, full sunshine, no wind to speak of ... a gentle lamb. I guess we will be in for a Lion in 30 short days!

Well, since March is here now, I will give you the reveal of my March project for Auntie Em's Scrapbooking.  We got to use some wonderful items from Webster's Pages this month.  Mellisa and I used the March sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today Page Maps calendar as inspiration.  It never ceases to amaze me that we can use the same sketch and the same papers and end up with such different ideas.

This month again I was stumped at how to use three photos.  This whole multiple photo thing is going to either make me snap or make me a better scrapbooker.  I hope it's the later, not the former!

I call this layout - Innocence of Youth 

I wanted to go on the March theme, and made a calendar out of a journaling card.  I chose the date that the photo was taken last year - which really has no significance.  I am really starting to love my I-rock tool, and moreover using a Sharpie to colour the gems. I loved the butterflies on this page I wanted to enhance them even more - so I stamped various butterflies with a Martha Stewart stamp in Staz On ink all over.  I used some Bloomers (ribbon trim) and Sparklers (buttons) to finish off the project. I made one of my signature handmade Cabbage Roses

Be sure to check out Auntie Em's Scrapbooking Blog here, and Mellisa's blog here for further details and if you comment here you will have a chance to win some Blog Candy that I'm putting together ... and check out Auntie Em's page, there might even be some Blog Candy over there too!

Mmm... it was a good ham!

OK, time for something totally NOT about scrapbooking!

Last night I cooked a brown sugar glazed ham (bone still in) and I must add, it was probably the best ham I've ever had the pleasure of eating!

Normally I would have studed the entire ham with whole cloves. But this time I got lazy and just threw a handful of cloves into the pan, two bay leaves and filled the pan about 1/4 full with water.  I put the ham on a rack so that it was suspended into the water but not sitting on the bottom of the roasting pan.  I packed brown sugar onto the top of the bone ... 2 hours in the oven, and WOW!!!

So yummy that I saved all the pan drippings for the next day - I put the broth into a ziplock bag in the fridge so any fat would float to the top and when I cut the corner off the bottom of the bag to release the liquid into my crockpot all the fat stayed in the bag!!

Well now in the crockpot I have a combination of: 

• Ham stock
• Rice
• Lentils
• White Beans
• Barley
• Carrots
• Celery
• Chopped ham

Nothing better than having a wonderful meal one night and a terrific soup the next huh?

Product Review - Cricut Storage Binder

The Cricut Storage Binder

What a fantastic purchase I made!  I've been long searching for a Cricut cartridge storage solution.  First I bought some of those boxes, (the same size as the box that the cartridges come in) that hold 8 cartridges and are supposed to hold the co-ordinating overlays and books.  I found that they were too small to hold the books and overlays.  So I was putting the cartridges in the box, and the books & overlays into ziplock bags.  Then I tried the Jukebox - which I found more clunky and cumbersome than useful.  Then I spotted this little beauty on Tina's website!  $30 gave me a storage SOLUTION!  Very neat and tidy, stores everything very well and organized.  I love that it is made of a sturdy, wipe able material.  I adore the fact that it is branded with the adorable green Cricut head on it.  I love that its black and the Cricut green.  Forward thinking that it will hold my Spatula too!  It holds twelve Cricut cartridges and the accompanying books & overlays, without crowding.  The Elastic band holds the books in place and has a snap closure.  (be sure to use the snap closure though - failing to do that can cause the books to all fall out if you pick it up by the handle and its unzipped)  I think the handle on the back, very easy transport.

 My only - and I will stress ONLY grief is that it will not hold the paper books - you know the two page ones that come with the less expensive cartridges that only have a few fonts on them - like Street Sign, Blackletter, and Home Decor. The pockets on the Cricut Storage Binder is too narrow to hold them without folding the paper.

When I was showing it off to my regular Tuesday night group of scrappers, it was a hit.  I need to order two more now!

Let me know what you think! I love it!

***** Update  *****

After 6 months of using this Cricut Storage Binder I have become annoyed with two other factors on it. 

1) the net pockets that hold the cartridge are black and therefore hard to read which corresponding cartridge in in that pocket.  I would suggest in an updated version have these net pockets white so that you can read through them. 

2)My other grief is that the nylon pockets on the right that hold the books is not reinforced very well.  Both of the pockets have torn away from the casing itself.  It is still functional but I'm not sure how long it will stand up.

Valentine's Day projects ...

OK, so if scrapbook paper sits in your stash for two years, does that make it Vintage?  I had allmost all of the entire collection of Basic Grey's Bittersweet still untouched.  I had done a layout or two and I think maybe a card or two as well.  But for the most part I hadn't used this collection for anything.  I promised my sister that I would help her make a Valentine card for her man on Sunday, so I thought I would pull out all the valentine papers and embellies that I tend to collect and rarely use.

That being said, I made two cards (six actually, as I made three of each design - I find it easier to make multiples of the same card when I am designing it) and a layout.

The layout I'm calling LOVE ROCK; and the photo is of some "shiny rocks" as my daughter calls them.  They were part of a centerpiece to a wedding I went to years ago (Julia & Rob).  I had put the rocks into my daughter's sand box and photographed them ... anyway, not a very exciting photo, but was a neat shot.

I tried a minimalist approach to this layout - my husband says it's missing something ... I dunno, I think it's done.

I glimmer misted an American Crafts rose ribbon - it started out white ... I love glimmer mist!  Of course more stitching on this one too!

Let me know what you think!

Baby Boy - Layout featuring - Curio by Basic Grey

Hello everybuggy!  I've been watching too much Treehouse TV again methinks!

Anyway, I did a fantastic layout on Tuesday night over at Candace's place.  This photo is one that my best friend Jennifer Carroll took for me of my son - this was his first photo shoot!  She is simply a fantastic photographer - look her up at her website here. 

I used Basic Grey's Curio line for this page and a little bit of Bo Bunny's Cambridge line and a couple of their Chiffon Rose trims.  Some Prima flowers (and the packaging from the flowers).  Some Webster's Pages trim.  Tattered Angel's made the key, and some Dew Drops (love these little beauties) by Robin's Nest. In the corner I stamped with a Tattered Angels stamp and then I used a piece of dollar store trim with some Distress Ink for the honeycomb effect.  I had seen that honeycomb effect done on another layout somewhere and LOVED it.  Last but not least I used two of my hand-made corsage pins.  OK, in the fourth photo I am showcasing my stitching again ... you may have to look hard, but it's there!  Love my Husqvarna sewing machine!!

Lemme know what you think!  Leave a comment - you don't need a Google account to leave me a comment.