My One Little Word

My One Little Word for 2012 is embrace. Ali Edwards has a fabulous blog that is dedicated to the idea of One Little Word.

And what do you do with this one little word?
You live with it. You invite it into you life. You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities.

I've been thinking about what my word should be for a few days now. My word came to me last night as I was driving to meet some wonderful friends for dinner. I was listening to a song on the radio that I didn't know when all I heard was the word embrace and I thought, "perfect."

There is a lot that is unknown for me this coming year and never has a word been more perfect to describe my coming journey.

I will embrace what is great about myself and what is not. I will embrace the blessings that come my way and all that I cannot change. And I will actually be embracing people more. So watch out if you see me!

So what is your One Little Word?

Wishing you many blessings in the coming new year!

XOXO,

O Christmas Card, O Christmas Card

About two weeks ago I attended my first ever card swap at my local scrapbook store, Scrapbook Buddies. It was a fun afternoon filled with Christmas treats and socializing. All we had to do was bring two handmade Christmas cards.

 

I used Bo Bunny's Blitzen collection along with my new Sew Ribbon by We R Memory Keepers that I bought at Pages From the Heart.

This year I also decided to make our Christmas cards. Last year I sent a photo card with some of our wedding pictures since we had just gotten married and our family and friends really liked it. I chose one picture from our recent trip to Costa Rica and went with a design I had made at a make-and-take at Scrapbook Buddies.

Making 29 of these was a challenge. The worst part was when I was done and realized, "Um...what envelope do I use?" Epic FAIL! After a few panic-stricken minutes, I found that my local Paper Source had the perfect size.

Moral of the story: never make a card without having an envelope first.

Once these puppies were addressed, stamped and in the mail (five days before Christmas but at least they made it!) I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. I felt even better when I found out that everyone had received them well before Christmas, even those traveling out to Texas.

I think maybe I'll make cards every other year...

Merry Christmas!

XOXO,

Pages From the Heart: Cookie Cans

It's Christmas Eve and I am home sick with the flu so decided to catch up on my blogging!

My last reveal for the month (and the year!) for the Pages From the Heart design team involved eating lots of Pringles and a small country mart in Costa Rica. Our assignment was to come up with gift wrap ideas. Every year (ok, SOME years) I do lots of baking and am always looking for new ways to wrap them up. I used Canvas Corp's new Christmas collection and some baker's twine to cover up a Pringles can.

You can read all about how I made this over on the Pages blog as well as learn what Costa Rica has to do with all of this.

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. I unfortunately am off to bed to fight off this flu.

XOXO,

Pages From the Heart: Wrapping It Up!

My Design Team assignment for the month of December was to create gift wrap using scrapbooking materials. I began with a plain kraft colored gift bag I bought at Target and turned it into...

...this! The top red sleeve comes off to reveal something a little different using Baker's Twine. To see what I did head over to the Pages blog where you'll see some more projects from the fabulous Design Team. 

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season!

XOXO,

Ticos for a Week

For our one year anniversary my husband and I headed to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. We stayed In Playa Flamingo which is on the west coast and surrounded by some of the world's most beautiful beaches.

Playa Flamingo

We stayed at the Flamingo Marina Resort thanks to a generous gift from my wonderful adopted grandparents. The weather was extremely humid and it rained at least once a day. For the most part we lounged around and just enjoyed some downtime.

After two days of relaxing, we got brave and took the city bus to the small town of Brasilito. Here we ate some AMAZING food at a soda (a small restaurant serving typical Costa Rican food) and make the trek to Playa Conchal. This beach can only be reached by walking through Brasilito. Luckily, we found a little tour guide to help us out...

Walking from Brasilito to Playa Conchal with our tour guide

Playa Conchal was as stunning as we had heard it was. The beach is made from millions of small white shells. The beach is protected by different environmental laws and therefore remains fairly untouched.

So many shells!

Playa Conchal

A few days later we became even more adventurous and did our one big tour of the trip-ziplining. Costa Rica is considered the birth place of ziplining so of course we had to give it a try. We had awesome tour guides (thanks EcoTrans!) who took us to The Congo Trail Canopy Tour in the small town of Artola. It was SO MUCH FUN! I wasn't sure how I was going to do considering my fear of heights but our guides were very patient and helpful that I felt totally safe. We even saw some howler monkeys hanging around!

Ziplining at the Congo Trail Canopy Tour

We spent the rest of the week exploring Playa Flamingo and eating lots of great food. We ate at all of the sodas in our area and tried new things. It was all delicious!

El Estero Azul, Playa Flamingo

Despite the 42 bug bites we had between the two of us (yes, we counted!) it was such an amazing trip and we can't wait to go back!

Off to daydream and relive it all over again...

XOXO,

Pages From the Heart Reveal: Give Thanks Journal

My second project for this month's assignment for the Pages Design Team was a Blessings or Thanks Journal. The assignment was holiday party favors or decor and my supplies included the beautiful "Summer's End" collection by Fancy Pants Designs.

I made this journal by covering a composition book I had. I got to use Viva Pearl Pens for the first time. That stuff is fabulous!

You can see more pictures and read about how I made this over on the Pages blog. I am hard at work on next month's projects in between recovering from some major tryptophan overdose!

XOXO,

Technically Inclined...or Challenged?

My husband is addicted to his phone. Like as in I have had to confiscate it a time or two at the dinner table. Most of the time it is work-related so I have learned to accept it. And, of course, scrap it.

I won the Robotz collection by Best Creation a few months ago and it worked perfectly for a technology layout. My husband's co-workers like taking these "paparazzi" pictures of each other and these two in particular are some of my favorites. They remind me of the hard work he does and how much he has accomplished. I am so proud of him!

Journaling: "Whether in a busy airport or in the tunnel before a big game, your phone is your #1 companion!"

The first picture is of Ben at the Colorado airport on his way to the Olympic trials. In the second picture he is in the tunnel waiting to go onto the field for a WPS game (that's Marta in the background who is considered to be one of the world's best soccer players to have ever played).

I am entering this in ScrapFIT's Workout #56: Technically Inclined. In case you haven't figured it out, my husband is the "inclined" and I am the "challenged." :)

XOXO,

November Monthy Challenge over at Pages From the Heart!

Pages From the Heart is having a new monthly challenge!

Since it's November and so close to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was thinking of a good color combo that could be for both Holidays and so our November Challenge is a Color Challenge!  Please create a project - any project - that has maroon, green and gold in it!  Take a look at what our Design Team created with this color combo!
 

Here is the sample that I created using maroon, green, and gold:

I created this layout using a sketch from one of my sketch books. I used paper from the We R Memory Keepers Peppermint Twist Collection. This paper has a lot of evergreen and maroon in it so I added highlights of bronze with ribbon, eyelets, and a brad. I used my round 14 Epiphany punch to add some small ornaments and cut the large ornaments with my Cricut. I finished the layout with some journaling strips and I also just happened to have some evergreen letter stickers! The title perfectly describes my friends and I. We make a point to go to Disneyland together at least a few times a year and this particular trip last winter was to celebrate my friend's birthday. There's nothing like Christmas at the Magic Kingdom!

Supplies:

We R Memory Keepers – Peppermint Twist Collection

Assorted Cardstock

Epiphany Crafts Round 14 Punch and Epoxies

Letter Stickers

Bronze Brads and Eyelets

Ribbon

Christmas Cheer Cricut Cartridge (Ornaments)

Mickey Font Cricut Cartridge (Title)

You can see more samples by the other fabulous team members and directions on how to enter the challenge on the Pages blog. There is a goody bag for the winner of this challenge!

XOXO,

Disney Fun

I am busy, busy, busy these days! In addition to teaching scrapbook classes and creating for my Design Team assignments, I've also begun substituting for my local school district!

There's a lot of coffee in my future.

I have a new class coming up this Sunday at Scrapbook Buddies in Temple City!

Please call (626) 286-2846 to sign up. You will need your basic tool kit. I would also be happy to assemble one for you for an extra fee. 

XOXO,

So "Thankful" for my First Reveal!

I had my first reveal today over at Pages From the Heart! Our assignment this month was to create projects for the upcoming holidays. The paper I was assigned for my projects was from Fancy Pants Designs' Summer's End Collection. I was in love as soon as I had it in my hands.

Paper topiary's were featured in a recent issue of Scrapbooks Etc. so I decided to go for it!

This is just a small teaser picture. You can see the whole thing and read about how I created this on the Page's blog. You can also see the real thing by going into the store which is located in Monrovia.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

A New Page...

I think that's my cheesiest title yet. =)

I can now officially add "design team member" to my scrappy resume! Today was my reveal day for the Pages from the Heart design team, which is a great local scrapbook store in Monrovia, CA. I am thrilled for this new opportunity and can't wait to take my scrapping to the next level. I met the other fabulous designers and coordinators last week and learned about all of the exciting challenges and events that will take place during my 6 month term. Excited doesn't even scratch the surface of how I feel!

You can read all about it on the Pages from the Heart blog. My scrappy plate is officially full! Yayyyyyyy!

XOXO,

The Amazing Race-Pasadena style!

A few weeks ago my partner-in-crime Stephanie and I participated in a CityRace Urban Adventure Hunt hosted by RaceLA. Stephanie, a big fan of the tv show The Amazing Race, had been wanting to do one of these for a long time and when RaceLA announced a Pasadena race, she had to do it.

We arrived in Old Town at 9am and sized up the competition. Teams had some funny matching t-shirts like Defending Champs (they weren't) and Those Damn Train People (which I still don't quite get). Our shirts were made by Stephanie's friend and said Home Grown 91780 and our team name was born!

Waiting for the race to get started

Once everyone arrived we received our clue packets and we were off! We had to figure out the clues and find the locations. Having grown up going to Old Town Pasadena quite often, I thought it would be pretty easy. I was SO wrong! It was really challenging but so much fun. And I really learned a lot. Did you know that The Container Store building was the original city hall? For a few of the questions we asked random people walking around Old Town so if you are ever in Pasadena and strange people in matching shirts ask you questions, be friendly please!

The Container Store

It took us almost three hours to complete the question and we did have a few wrong. We came in 17th place out of 40 teams so we were pretty proud. Our next RaceLA is this Sunday in Laguna Beach and I am sooooooo excited!

Team 91780!

XOXO,

This is Halloween!

This year I will be celebrating Halloween in Costa Rica! I know my husband is a little disappointed that he doesn't get a new costume this year. I wanted to commemorate last year's costume (which takes the cake) and when Scrapbook Buddies received Doodlebug's new Halloween line, I HAD to have it! So I got working on a new class.

In this class we will be making this picture frame and two cards. We will be playing with stamps, some paper piecing, and actual dictionary paper to make a prize ribbon! And I think the "Best Costume" ribbon should go to that handsome penguin next to me!

This class will be on Tuesday, October 11 at 6pm AND Wednesday, October 12 at 11am. Please call (626)286-2846 to sign up for either time. You will need scissors, black distressing ink, and adhesive which can be purchased the night of the class if needed.

I guess I have no excuse for buying mini-Snickers bars this year...shhhh...

Mellow Yellow

Have you ever had a project that was so daunting that you put it off...and put it off again? That is how I have felt about my wedding scrapbook. I am obviously an avid scrapbooker so people assume I would have finished months ago but I am just so intimated by it that for the last ten months all I had done was buy the paper! I mean how do you go about picking pictures when you have over 800 images and you love 110% of them! So a few weeks ago, with the help of my friend Michelle, I FINALLY got started on a layout. I started with a sketch by Becky Fleck and some beautiful paper I bought by the ton by Pebbles.

I really like this paper because the black and white is so elegant and the yellow just gives it the right pop of color. And a special thank you to Michelle for letting me raid her letter stickers and giving me the idea for making a "ring!"

Now let's hope it doesn't take me another 10 months to make a second layout! I'm entering this in a contest over at Scrap It With a Song which is a really fun blog that posts challenges that are inspired by songs. This week's challenge is to create a project inspired by Coldplay's "Yellow." I'm also entering it over at ScrapFIT's Salt and Pepper Workout!

I'm off to finish the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy. I can't put it down!

XOXO,

Life is good...no, great!

This year I didn't have a birthday, I had a birthmonth!


With my beautiful girlfriends at one of my favorite restaurants, El Cholo

 I am so blessed to have wonderful friends and family to share the passing of another year with and it inspired me to scrap a new project. I've had Bo Bunny's Vicki B. paper in my scrapstack for awhile now, waiting for the perfect project to use it on. I pulled out some acrylic sheets and got to work!

I used 5x5 acrylic sheets to create this wall hanging for pictures of my husband and our moms on my birthday. You can't tell from the top picture but I am blowing out a candle on a strawberry shortcake from The Cheescake Factory which is alllllll I wanted for my birthday.

And now I am salivating.

Anyways, this class will be on Tuesday, September 27 from 6-8pm at Scrapbook Buddies in Temple City. The cost is $12 and you can sign up over the phone by calling (626) 286-2846. You will need a basic tool kit (scissors, Scrappy Glue, and distressing ink). If you can't make it to the class you can always call and reserve a kit that will include a picture and directions (if necessary).

I can't wait to hang this up in my bedroom to remind me of all I have to be grateful for...

XOXO,

She's Gone Country!

New class coming up! FINALLY! I've been lagging in the class area and am so glad I have one coming up.

I was inspired by Scrapbook Buddies' Shop Hop theme which was Opryland. They had a fabulous photo area and brought in this beautiful cowgirl paper by Creative Imaginations.

This altered frame class will be on Tuesday, September 6 from 6:30pm-8:00pm at Scrapbook Buddies in Temple City. The cost is $14 and includes all of the paper, ribbon, and the frame. You will need to bring a pencil, craft knife (or scissors will be just fine), scissors, and adhesive. If you need any of these items they can be purchased at the store on the night of the class. We will be learning how to cover a plain wooden frame and also how to make the flowers from a flower punch.

Hope you can join me! This would be perfect for pictures from a vacation or even your country concert pictures. You can sign up in the store or over the phone with a credit card by calling (626) 286-2846. Please sign up at least 24 hours in advance. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

XOXO,

Reuse and Recycle!

Somehow posting about my final guest designer reveal completely slipped by me! If you remember, I was a guest designer on the Pages From the Heart design team for the month of July. I had the American Made collection by My Mind's Eye which is a patriotic line with a very vintage feel to it and my assignment was to create a party favor. I had seen this beautiful homemade utensil caddy on the Yellow Daisy Design blog and this one by Best Creation design team member Kim Holmes. So I decided to give it a try and I am pretty happy with the result!

I started with a cardboard (root) beer box. I covered the whole thing with blue cardstock which took a lot of tracing and use of my craft knife. After that I used the coordinating embellishments and made a rosette and tada! Crafty party decor!

You can read the original post on the Pages From the Heart blog. Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Shop Hoppin' Through So Cal!

So lots of things have been keeping me busy lately:

1. I've been working on some new classes.
2. I've been asked to create a few custom scrapbooks for different people. 
3. I tried out for a design team (didn't make it but a great experience nonetheless!).
4. Shop Hopping!

What is Shop Hopping you ask? The Southern California Shop Hop is a two week event that takes place once a year and involves 30-40 scrapbook stores from Ventura County down to San Diego. You purchase a passport and you get a stamp from each store and depending on how many store you visit, you are entered into different raffles for a chance to win fabulous prizes.

The Shop Hop always has a theme and this years theme was travel. Each participating store had a destination and a make and take related to that destination. Here are some of my favorites.

Scrapbook Buddies in Temple City

Scrapbookland in Hacienda Heights

Memory Lane Scrapbooking in Los Alamitos

Pages From the Heart in Burbank (Yes even Grandma got in on the action!)

A to Z Scrapbooking in Torrance (I had to drag the hubby to at least one store...)



Michelle and I at Collective Journey in Redlands


Out of the 39 stores participating in this year's Shop Hop I made it to 21. Some brave souls made it to all 39! Fingers crossed I win a prize this year!

Special thanks to my friends, mom, grandma, and husband for being good sports about all of this. You guys rock!

XOXO,

Rosy Rosette Tutorial!

Hey all!

I had a second reveal as a guest designer for this month on the Pages from the Heart blog. This time it was a tutorial for making large rosettes like I did on this banner. There are lots of tutorials out there for making these and here is my take on it. You can check out the original blog post and tutorial here!

1. Cut two strips that are 2 x 12 inches. Using a scoring blade or a scoring board (which I really need to add to my arsenal!), score at every 3/4 of an inch. 

2. Fold the strips at each score line going back and forth. 

3. Glue the two strips together. You will want to glue them so that you have a continuous "mountains and valleys" pattern. You may need to cut a piece off in order to do this. 

4. Now you will need to glue your long strip into a circle using the same technique of having continuous mountains and valleys. 

5. Punch two circles. Using a hot glue gun cover one circle with glue (be careful!) and fold the strip circle inwards onto the circle with glue. It doesn't have to be perfectly centered because this will be the bottom of your yo-yo. You can also use a strong liquid adhesive or glue dots but it may take a few tries to get it to stick. I'm a little impatient so I prefer a hot glue gun which works immediately! 

6. Glue the top circle onto the center of your yo-yo. You're ready to add it to your project!

If you are ever in the downtown Monrovia area stop by the store and check out the projects for this month by the design team. Next week I'll be sharing my last project and a new class!

XOXO,

It's Banner Time!

My first of two projects was revealed this week as part of my guest designer assignment for Pages From the Heart! The assignment was to create a banner of any kind and I had the American Made line by My Mind's Eye. I really liked this paper because it has a vintage feel making it look even more patriotic in my opinion. So without further ado...my banner!

I kind of have a slight obsession with banners and pennants so this assignment couldn't have been more perfect! After you have found a flag/pennant shape that you would like to use (there are lots available online that are free to print and then trace) you can embellish to your heart's desire! Having an embellishment sheet that matches the paper makes it even easier.

You can read all the details and see the other design team's creations on the Pages blog post here. If you are in the Monrovia area you can also stop by the store and check out all of the samples. It's a beautiful store located in the heart of downtown Monrovia. Stay tuned for the next reveal plus some other stuff I've been working on!

XOXO,

Be our guest! Be our guest!

A few weeks ago I shared that I had won my very first scrapbooking contest that was held on the Pages From the Heart blog. As if that wasn't cool enough, a few days later I was asked if I would consider being a guest designer for their blog for the month of July.

Oh. My. Goodness.

To say I was ecstatic would be a major understatement. I had a permanent smile on my face for a week afterwards. I promptly picked up my kit and got started! I will be doing three assignments for the team and the first was revealed today.

The Pages blog is having another challenge and I needed to create a sample for it. The challenge is to create a card, layout, or project using a grid design.

Creating a grid takes some thinking and measuring. Using a sketch can make the job considerably easier. I used one of Becky Fleck's Pagemaps from November 2010 to help me with some of the measurements. I think my favorite part of this layout are the kitty face epoxies! I made these using my Epiphany Crafts Punch. These pictures were taken while I was working on a wedding project (that never came to fruition) and Normandy was being nosy until he finally fell asleep in the craft bag!

You can read the Page's post about the contest and my sample here.

I never quite knew where this scrapbooking road would take me but so far it's been a great ride. Teaching classes lets me use my teaching skills while sharing something I love. Now with these design assignments I truly get to explore my creative side while definitely challenging myself. I feel so incredibly blessed and am thankful for every one's support.

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

XOXO,