The start of a new week.

The foam stamping week has come to an end but it's definitely not an end to using them. I had forgotten about a lot of the stamps that I had so digging through them was kind of fun. Kind of like when you find a ten dollar bill in your pocket that you didn't know was there. Love it when that happens!

Friday

One thing I've noticed about all of my pages in today's post is that I didn't use a whole lot of patterned papers. I tend to do that a lot. It kind of makes me kick myself a little for buying so much paper when a lot of the time I only use a little strip here or there.

Saturday

I'm beginning to think that Christmas trees can be made with anything! On this page I used a diamond shaped foam stamp to create the tree. (I completely lifted this idea from my mom and after she reads this I'll never hear the end of it! We are always "competing" with our kit clubs.) After I had the diamonds stamped I added stitching and buttons to complete the design.

Now it's on to a new week and a new challenge!

The winner of the foam stamp and paint giveaway is Trishamaus2005. Email me (alidavis1919@hotmail.com) your address. :)


Week #3 - Bare Chipboard
I probably have more chipboard than I do anything else. I actually do use it a lot so I don't feel so bad about having so much.

Sunday

On this page the three smaller hearts, "MOM", "LOVE" and the heart with the flourish are all chipboard. On the "Love" piece I covered it with patterned paper and then on the rest I just added paint and added them to the layout. Nothing fancy and super easy. I also cut a piece of striped paper to go behind the heart with the flourish.

This week the giveaway is... you guessed it! Chipboard! (and a lot of it!) Scenic Route, Prima, BasicGrey, Bazzill and Fancy Pants.


I'm so glad to hear that so many of you are joining in on the page a day/use your stash challenge! I think the thing I love most about doing a page a day is that I don't waste time. I get in there and get it done!

Page #10 and #11

Wednesday

This page might have been one of the easiest I've done! The design on the left page is a transparency overlay so there wasn't much work involved. All I added were the journaling strips. I had a foam stamp that is just a line and thought it would work great for journaling lines. It was kind of hard to stamp on a transparency because they slide when you stamp down.

Thursday

On this page I stamped hearts onto pieces of cardstock and cut them out. I also stamped a heart onto the felt scalloped strip. I didn't know how well the image would stamp onto felt but it worked pretty good. If you try this make sure you put a lot of paint on the stamp. I had to stamp mine more than once since the felt kind of soaks up the paint.

I've been getting a little frustrated with the place that I get my photo prints at. On both of these pages the photos are so dark and when you look at the originals they aren't dark at all. I had to put all of these pictures on with removable adhesive so I can replace them. Very frustrating!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

The fun with foam continues...

On both of the layouts today I used foam stamps from the Creating Keepsakes foam stamp KOTM. I had wanted to buy it months ago but never did. Then when I was at CKC Kansas City I saw a display board at the CK booth covered with foam stamps. I decided to check it out and for two days I would go look at them, decide to buy them and then quickly talk myself out of it. Finally on the last day I caved and bought them. I'm so glad that I did!

Monday

On this layout the "Boys will be boys" is a foam stamp that I coated with several different colors of paint and then stamped. I wanted the title to be colorful instead of all one color. The first time I tried it I covered the whole stamp and by the time I had gotten from the first letter to the last, half the paint had dried. The great thing about foam stamps with a clear backing is that I could go back and do a few letters at a time and clearly see where to line them up at. The little "bathroom" man in the bottom right corner is also a foam stamp.

Tuesday

One thing I love about this circle stamp is that there are so many possibilities. Not only is it cool without anything inside of it but it can also be transformed into many different things to fit the theme of the page. Here I turned three of them into baseballs by stitching the seams of the ball in red embroidery floss. Just think, you could make any kind of ball, pumpkins, bubbles, etc.

For those of you that were wondering, to make the ribbon Christmas tree from this post - I cut a 4 x 9 piece of scrap paper and then cut it into a triangle. I used white cardstock since some of the ribbons are see-through and I didn't want the cardstock to show through. Next I cut several 2" pieces from a variety of ribbons. Then I added adhesive and layered them onto the piece of cardstock.

To make the "A" from this post - I cut a large "A" out of white cardstock (actually the "A" that I used is the same "A" that Drew is holding in the picture.). Then I started along the right edge and adhered ribbon cut a little longer than the "A" at an slant even with the edge. After I had the entire "A" covered I trimmed any that was hanging off the edges.

I almost forgot to answer a question from the comments on the last post! I must admit that I am really bad about cleaning my stamps but when I do I just run them under warm water and the paint comes right off. If you're like me and don't always clean them right away try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or a sponge and lightly rub the paint off under running water. 

A new week, a new challenge (and a new giveaway!)

Friday

Have you ever had a page that just didn't quite turn out the way you had hoped. I did on Friday! That ribbon "A" gave me more trouble than I think anything ever has and the page still didn't turn out as I had thought it would. Oh well. It happens!

Saturday

On this page I used tulle along the bottom of the patterned paper squares with a stitched line going across them. I also used tulle behind the buttons on the tree.


I really enjoyed ribbon week and can't wait to start using it more on my layouts. Winners of the week #1 giveaway are:

Ribbon - lil-rosi
Just in Case kit - allie
Photo Placement kit - Jen Schmitt

Email me your address! (alidavis1919@hotmail.com)

Now that ribbon week is over it's time to move on to something new. This week: foam stamps and paint.


I loved all of these foam stamps when I bought them and I still love them now. I remember buying every single foam stamp set that passed through our store, and at first I used them all the time. I don't know what happened but I never use them anymore. After digging through them all yesterday, I'm excited to play around with them this week!

Sunday

I think Christmas might be my favorite event to scrapbook. I love all the possibilities to include the theme into the design. I used three different foam stamps to create the ornaments and then added my own little touches - stitching, glitter, brads and ribbon. (See the ribbon challenge was good for me. Usually I would have stitched the lines down to the ornaments but instead I used ribbon.)

And because I'm playing with foam stamps and paint this week the giveaway is all about the same:


All comments on every post this week will be eligible for the foam stamp and paint giveaway!

#4 and #5

I'm beginning to find a little love for ribbon! I don't think it's something that I will use on every layout but I will definitely use it a lot more now.

Wednesday

For this page I made a big ribbon Christmas tree and then stitched "garland" over it. I do have a few strips of paper in the tree since I didn't have the right color of blue ribbon. I love the way the tree turned out. I get so excited when something transfers onto the page exactly like it was in my head.

Thursday

Here I tied ribbon around a few strips of paper. I couldn't get the green lace to stay in a knot so thankfully I happened to have a pin to hold it in place. I love those rare opportunities that I get to use flowers. I figured with this color combo I could use them without it looking to girlish.

Happy Friday! :)

*Also, I'm going to be including all comments for the week in the drawing so you don't have to scroll all the way down to the first post of the week. You can leave a comment on any post for this week and it will be eligible. :)

Layouts #2 and #3

Monday

For this page I covered circles punched out of cardstock with ribbons. Then I stitched around the circle, frayed the edges and added words for some super easy embellishments.

Tuesday

This time I added a simple border around a picture with ribbon. This is a great way to highlight a photo within a group of photos the same size. Maybe a favorite picture that you want to stand out.

The reason this page doesn't have pictures is I combined work and play. This is the layout for Scrapbook Generation's new Boy Crazy kit club that starts January 1. Each month I'll create a layout with a boy theme using fun papers and embellishments. The first month features two of my favorites, My Minds Eye and Scenic Route.



I recently found out about this book by the super talented Amanda Probst and can't wait to get my hands on it! Here's a little description of what this book is all about:

This is the year.

· The year you remember to take pictures of unique family traditions.

· The year you come up with a system for scrapping all your holiday photos.

· The year you devise inventive twists on the typical seasonal layouts and projects.

Let CK Dream Team member Amanda Probst and her crew of talented scrapbookers show you how to maximize the creative potential each month holds. You’ll find tons of inspiration for all the traditional annual events, rites, and rituals, along with new perspectives on how to document your daily life throughout the months of the year.

Don’t put it off any longer! This is the year you embrace your schedule-driven life and put your calendar to work for you. You need this book!

154 page book. $19.99. Available December 1, 2008.

This sounds like something that I'm going to love! Pre-order is available now, just click here.

Along with the book she is also hosting a group at the Creating Keepsakes website. Anyone can join the group and follow along with her as she offers challenges, giveaways, etc. Be sure to check it out here. I know I'm going to join! :)

Page a day...with a twist (and a giveaway!)

After the many hours it took to clean my disaster of a room I realized I own a lot, maybe even too much, scrapbooking stuff. I would like to say supplies but in all honesty I don't really use a lot of it. It never fails that when I'm cleaning my room I end up finding things that I have forgotten about and right then I vow to use it sometime soon.

It never happens.

Why do I own so much and then hardly ever use it? I bought it for a simple reason, I liked it. Something about it screamed out "BUY ME!" Maybe it was the color or the style or the theme. Maybe I had it in mind for a certain layout that never was made. I think at some point my room became overwhelming. Sure it's fun to look through it all and imagine "Oh, I could make this!" or "This would be perfect for that" but when it comes down to it I rely on my go-to items - stitching, word stickers and alphabets.

It's time for a change.

After a few moments of gazing at jars of ribbon that have pretty much gone untouched, stamps that have never had a drop of paint or ink on them, package after package of unopened brads, chipboard and felt, I was actually getting a little mad at myself. This stuff is great and I just let it all sit there gathering dust. Not any more!

My point of all this rambling is that I am going to add a challenge on top of the page a day challenge. Each week I'm going to pick a product(s) that I have to use on my layouts. The ultimate goal is to use that product in a different way each time. I'm going to stretch my creativity as far as I can!

Week #1 - Ribbon

I have a separate jar for each color and then several spools of ribbon. (Your only seeing about 1/3 of my ribbon stash.) Enough to probably go around our house 1,000 times, but yet I almost never use the stuff...

Until now.
Page #1 of my page a day challenge. All week, starting yesterday and going until Saturday I will use ribbon in some way on my layouts. On this page I just used them as borders along the edges of patterned paper.

And for a little fun, each week I'll be doing a giveaway. This week since the product I'm using is ribbon this is what I'll be giving away...

but that's not all. To kick off the page a day fun I thought I would also give away more than just one thing. I'll also be giving away kits from two of my classes that I've been teaching.

One is the kit for my "Just in Case" mini album.

The other is the kit for my "Using the Same Photo Placement" class.

All comments from now (Monday) until Saturday will be eligible for the giveaways.

Now I'm off to get started on my Monday page! :)

Page a Day - The Sequel

I can't believe how busy I've been since September. I spent September getting ready for October which happens to be the craziest month of the year for me. Then I've been spending this first week of November recovering from October. I'm itchin' to do some scrapbooking for myself!

I think the best way to jump back into that is to start up the page a day routine again. I love that I got so many pages done the first time and can't wait to get started again. But first on the agenda is getting my disaster of a room back to normal. Actually normal would be exactly the state that it is in right now so we'll just say clean instead.  

I wonder how far I can go this time? :) 

p.s. I just might do a little giveaway to kick off the page a day fun! Have a great weekend! :)

And the winner is...

now that wouldn't be any fun if I told you all right away!

We had an awesome Halloween. Friday night for the kiddos and then Saturday night for the adults.

Drew was a little bit of trouble when it came time to put his costume on. He picked it out all by himself and then spent the rest of the month asking me if he could wear it. Between those two factors I'm still baffled as to why he was scared of his costume. I mean terrified! We had to explain it over and over "Hey buddy, it's just clothes. You're the one who gets to scare people." He finally gave in and loved it, minus the mask.


He even threw out his meanest skeleton face later on that night.

My favorite part about Drew that night was when he got a bag of candy corn at my mom's house. All day he had been singing "I Don't Like Candy Corn" from Noggin. After he tried it he changed it to "I Like Candy Corn". When we tried to correct him he said, "No, I like candy corn so I'm gonna sing I like candy corn instead."

Jackson had no problem with his costume. Maybe because he didn't have a clue that he was dressed up as a big pumpkin.


While I was getting ready to go Mike was dressing Jackson in his costume. I walked out in the living room and instantly busted out in laughter. He was so cute and started grinning so big at my giggles. It was that "I don't know why you're laughing but I'm gonna go ahead and laugh with you, smile."

When I got home and starting going through my pictures I couldn't believe it when I got to this picture.



If you want to know what I looked like as a baby, this is it. The hair, the face, the chubby cheeks. Yup, he's my son alright! The coolest thing was that my grandpa and my uncle said that he looks exactly like my dad did at that age.

On Saturday night Mike and I went to a costume party with my sis and her husband. I have been to a costume party almost every Halloween until I met Mike. He couldn't believe that I would dress up in a costume past the age of 10. Are you kidding me! When else can I act like a complete fool! I finally talked him into a pretty tame costume that he ended up tossing after about an hour.

My costume ended up being, well I really don't know what I was. The initial idea was to be a witch but it ended up going in a completely different direction. I didn't like the witch hat so I traded it in for a black halo and a pair of black wings that I wore for about 10 seconds. I wish I had a good picture of Mike and I but he was out of the costume before I got a chance.


So instead I have a picture of me and my sis with party host Lt. Dangle. This had to be one of the funniest costumes of the night. You should have seen the shorts! Hilarious!

My scrapbook supplies came in pretty handy for my costume. I used rubons around my eye (that hurt like hell when it came time to take them off!). I also made a wand to go with my costume. After seeing one in a store I knew I could make one for a fraction of the price!


I hope everyone else had as good of a time as we did! :)

I loved reading all the comments about Halloween. I had to agree with pretty much all of them. Halloween is such a great holiday! I love seeing the big smiles on Drew's face when he gets all that candy. I love seeing both of them in their costumes! I love that Halloween = fall. I love candy! I love carving Jack-o-lanterns. I love that Mike takes the day off work and we all get to hang out together. I love watching all the scary movies, the cheesier the better!

On to the drawing (I'm sure you are all thinking man she rambles on! Yes. Yes I do.)

According to random.org Heidi H. you are the winner...
anonymous said...
I love the page you made of Drew's first Halloween. I also am in love with the Little Yellow Bicycle line. I can't find it at my LSS yet. My favorite thing about Halloween is candy corn. Love that stuff!!!!!!
Heidi H.

Congrats Heidi! Just email me ( alidavis1919@hotmail.com ) your address! :)

Oh yeah, don't forget to vote!! :)