happy dsd and christmas ornament love

It's digital scrapbook day! Run over to my shoppe and check things out! All digital goodies are 30% off including CU stuffs! 

And guess what I'll be teaching at The Paper Niche in December?

I was so excited to put together this set of ornaments featuring so many of the goodies I love! Lots of American Crafts and of course FancyPants for the sweet metal frames! It should be out in their newsletter soon! I'll let you know as soon as the sign-up is available! ^_^

Hope you're enjoying a lovely Saturday! We're still enjoying a taste of cool weather - and LOVING it. Hot chocolate all around, please!

November Class for The Paper Niche

This is the first time I'm scrapping about last year's halloween trick or treat activities!

These cute supplies from My Mind's Eye were perfect. :)

Here's a bit about the class:

Create this cute and whimsical 2 page layout to feature your halloween photos! In addition to playing with pretty paper, we'll be masking with glimmermist, layering chipboard, dying our doily to create a custom color, dry embossing, and creating our own simple paper flowers using diecuts. Cost: $24 November 13, 11am. 


I'll post a link to the sign-up as soon as it's up on The Paper Niche site!


Here are a few detail images:

Have a great Thursday!

I'm just sayin'

this just says "autumn" doesn't it? And YUM. And a whole bunch of other things, like "Happy Tuesday!" and "Treat yourself!"

The last time I was out and about doing  a bit of grocery shopping, I made a happy discovery in the baking aisle:

Notice the bit about them being "unwrapped and ready to melt"? Well, I made the pretties above in 15 minutes flat owing to that fact. What could be better  I ask you? And I totally ignored the bit of instructions about melting the carmels on the stove and tossed them in the microwave. I don't use the microwave much, but it has it's handy moments. 

Here's a sneak peek at a little class I'll have up in November at The Paper Niche. I'll post a full photo soon, when I have the details of time, etc., worked out! We'll be covering a quite a few techniques and playing with some really fun supplies...

And here's a little peak at my project for the American Crafts blog! The full project will be up on their blog some time today! I can't wait! I really love how these turned out... their Halloween line is fabulous this year.

Have a lovely Tuesday! It's one of only two days per week that I don't have to be out and about. Which means - laundry. But also a few fun things like baking {planning an apple crumble for this evening}, and just plain relaxing a bit and getting to projects that need doing!

beach love

see. I told you that you'd be bored with more beach photos. I always take so many when we go, and we have so much fun - it's hard not to scrap the fun memories...

{look for it in the upcoming "Quick and Easy" issue of Scrapbook Trends}

I love the splash effect that the new luminarte spray ink had:

And I chose to mask a bit to highlight my title. :) I'm actually offering this as a class at The Paper Niche. If you are signed up for their email, this should appear soon! That's one of the techniques we'll be covering in the class, so if you've never done it before, this would be a fun time to try! Hope you'll join me in August!

Upcoming class for the Paper Niche - Faux Bois Calendar

Mmmm... woodgrain. I {heart} woodgrain. No matter what form it takes! lol In this class we'll take the plain chipboard frame that comes in this calendar kit from Harmonie, and using a woodgrain stamp to create our own woodgrain! BooYah!! This frame is fairly large. {The layout portion on top measures a little larger than 8"x10."} We'll be going over a few blending techniques, and some tips for overlapping your image stamp {in this case, our woodgrain}

And even though I featured photos of some of my recent craft projects, this would be a GREAT layout to feature a "lovely" photo of some of the ladies in you family/life. :)
We'll also be talking about some stamping basics - each month the dates and days are stamped. We'll also cover a basic run-down on different types of inks and stamps. ;)
Keep an eye on the PaperNiche emails and website for the pricing details and date!!

A Witchy Tuesday...

Yesterday I worked at the Paper Niche, and then taught a class directly afterward! This was a bit of a complicated class, but the girls hung in there and created some cute shoes! I'm so sorry I didn't get a pic during the class, but I didn't have my camera until afterward...

Rhonda was able to snap this one for me! :D

Adding some shimmer to the season & keeping the boys busy...

The boys enjoyed their first 3D movie on Saturday! the double feature was a bit much for the little guy, but they still enjoyed it!

After all that sitting, we had to head to the park to burn off some energy! :P

And FINALLY! I found some fresh pumpkins in the store to glitter!!
I'll be teaching a class at the Paper Niche on Saturday on how to create these gorgeous Fall decorations! If you're local and you'd like to sign up, you can do so by calling the store, or purchasing the class through the website here! We'll also create a fun Halloween tag while we wait for them to dry - though it'll be different from the one pictured...
And I can't forget! Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!!

February Classes at the Paper Niche, reminiscing about our wedding, and my circle journal

The 3 layout class:






You can get details there. I love the love letter layout - as you can see, it actually includes a little card on the back that you can write on, and leave you special someone a note! :)

My January circle journal:

Enjoy Nicole!

February desktop I put together for FPD



You can grab it here
And yes, I really do love that color combo - Our anniversary is in February, and guess what colors I chose for the wedding? My dress was white satin with black buttons and trim on the bottom, and I carried a nosegay of brilliant red roses wrapped in satin. All accented with silver and diamonds... my bridesmaids even wore black. {Yes, it was an evening wedding.} Ahh. {sigh} memories. And yes, I still get butterflies when I think of him. You know I was in nursing school when we first started dating, and someone was checking my heartbeat with a doppler - someone said his name, and everyone heard my heart skip a beat? A tiny bit embarrassing, but strong evidence of how I feel...

And one more class for February:





Most of these are finished on the inside as well! I loved working with this new stuff from Little Yellow Bicycle...

Enjoying being at my target weight for the moment. Maybe the way I feel will help me keep it up? Then again, that 1 pound bag of peanut butter m&m's I downed in 2 days time can't possibly help the prospect of actually *staying* here. {Not to mention the 2 slices of pizza, and bits of the little guy's BK dinner last night! HA!} Oh well, it's good while it lasts, right?

We {meaning myself and the E man} hung out last night - he was pretty peeved that dad and big brother left him behind {they were at the Heat game}, so I took him, where else? The mall!! Even though I'm not really a big shopper, and nothing I've seen lately has impressed me, he had a great little time riding the kiddie ride, checking out the fish tanks, wandering the Disney store, and staring wide-eyed at the Build a Bear displays.

We topped it off with a kids meal, and he was happy. ;D

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Ringing in the new year...

Got any plans? We'll most likely be spending the evening in - but I don't mind! It's just where we're at right now! ;) I'm sure that'll change as the boys get older!

Of course, I've been spending the last few days thinking about the last year, and setting goals for the coming one... I've made a "goal journal" for the last few years, something to keep handy as a reminder throughout the year when things start to go off course. This year's is in progress - and I'm sure I'll share on the 13th, when I'm able to post my ACBailey projects! I had soooo much fun working with the everyday girl set of papers from American Crafts, so I can't wait to share!

January classes for The Paper Niche are up! I'll be doing a class on color - we'll talk about good ways to coordinate color, work with a color wheel, and sort of get over some color fears. What better way to do that than to use these bold, bright and funky papers from American Crafts? {Geez - it's so funny that I've been using so much AC lately - unusual for me to really stick to a manufacturer, but I chose the ACBailey supplies back in November! HaHa! And I have worked with a bunch of other stuff in between, so I guess the posting just turned out this way. LOL.}
Anyway, we'll put these 3 layouts together for the class:



A digital layout for Dianne Rigdon:

Finally, if you're not tired of reading already, and you're looking for a desktop for your compy for January, you can grab this one, that I made for FPD!

You can grab it on their blog

Hope you enjoy your New Year's Eve!!

As promised!

This was the little layout that couldn't! Ack! Have you ever had one of those?! It sits on your table for days, silently begging you to finish it. Well, I finally have, and it's the final layout for my class at the Paper Niche!



Hope you're enjoying your week! We're {a little nervously} watching Hurricane Ike, as it is a major hurricane, and looks to be heading in our direction... making plans as to whether to take the boys to my parents in the midwest, etc. Pooh.

Whew! Long Time, No blog!

I could blab on about how busy we've been, but, that'd probably be boring... it all has to do with starting school, trips to the park, shopping, family gatherings, approaching tropical storms/hurricanes, deadlines...well you get the picture. ;)

I really have been scrapping though! This layout is a part of the "Design Secrets" class I'll be teaching at the Paper Niche this month! Not only will we make this layout, we'll make 2 others. One 8.5x11 and one 6x12. We'll actually talk about how to make all of your layouts fabulous, by following a few tips!



Hope you'll be able to join me!

As promised...

...a peek at the class I'll be offering at the Paper Niche in August!
left page:

right page:


This layout will focus on grabbing several photos from across a time span! I chose to use photos of our son, but this could apply to anyone!The colors are neutral enough that it could be used for pics of guys or girls. Please bring 1 vertical and 2 horizontal 4x6 photos, and 1 vertical 3x4 {This is easy to crop out of a 4x6}. We'll be distressing and stamping on the photos. :)

Techniques we'll cover: sewing with a machine {yay!}, working with fabric, & distressing with inks and edge distressor.

To see the full sample, stop by the Paper Niche! Hope you'll join me for class. :D

Just a side note: I had to look through pictures from over about 18 months time, and was a little disappointed in the photos I found. :( I've learned so much since then!!And it was tough for me to include these older photos! I've also switched to matte photos since, and really love it. I finally decided, This hobby is about real life. Life isn't perfect, and neither are a lot of the photos we take/use. It's a sign of how I've grown, and I must embrace that.

My Picks

I just had to share some of my picks from what I've seen from summer CHA! scrapbook.com has some great peaks on their manufacturer blogs.

These are some of my faves so far:

FancyPants

American Crafts YUMMY!

Oh my Hambly!! {Of course!:D}

making memories {Especially the Paperie line}

And ahem... everything from Pink Paislee!

Love the Sassafrass Lass, but don't know what the heck I'd do with it! I'm sure I'd find something... ;)

So far, just 2 of the new lines from Basic Grey have caught my eye... Offbeat and unexpectedly, Ambrosia. I like a few of the papers from the other new lines, as well, but these 2 were my faves.

Any fun plans for the weekend? I'll be cleaning tomorrow, and then baking cake #2 for E's birthday on Sunday, then heading to the airport to pick up my sis who's in town for the week! :D

Enjoy your weekend! I'll be doing a special post specifically about my upcoming class for the Paper Niche in August - lots of fun planned for the class - distressing, sewing and using fabric on a layout. :D I'll post a couple of sneak peeks here, and if you're interested, just stop over at the Paper Niche to see the full sample! :)

February Classes :)

beloved ~ an extra ordinary layout

This is a great layout to showcase a picture of a special couple in your life, whether it's you and your significant other, or family or friends.
In this class, we'll:
~ hand re-color a black & white photo using Ranger Distress Inks. (Great if you don't use Photoshop, or just want the feel of coloring yourself.)
~ create 2 large flowers using several small ones (you'll have one for your layout, and one to add to another layout of your choice)
~ create 3D embellishment using patterned paper
~ go over tips and techniques for attaching ribbon and other notions to a page
Class will meet on Saturday, Feb. 2nd, 3:30-5:30pm or Wed., Feb 20th, 6:00-8:00pm, at The Paper Niche. They are located on the northeast corner of Cleary and Nob Hill Road in the Publix plaza. You must register ahead. The cost is $22. :)If you stop over, you can check out the sample.


Box of Love Notes



Isn't this cute, and fun? In class, you'll create a simple origami box and fill it with 6 - 3x3 cards. This is also an introduction to acrylic stamping. :) We'll go over general use and care, storage tips, basic information on inks, and just get you comfortable with using them! They are a great tool to dress up your layouts, or create greeting cards & ATCs. Class will meet on Sat., Feb. 9th from 3:30-5:00pm, or Monday, Feb. 11th from 6:00-7:30pm. Cost is $15 and you must register ahead. You can find the store info here, even though the site is under construction.

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