it's all in the details

Yes I am still alive and well....

and much better I might add! I have taken a break from the blog world to take care of some much needed health issues and have stumbled upon something I am truly passionate about in the process so I call that a win win!

So many people have called, texted, emailed, and private messaged me and for that I am ever so grateful! Your words have meant the world to me and are really the only reason I am updating the blog today. Everyone has asked what I am up to and about the kiddos so here is a recap. It's been so long it is hard to know where to start. 

As most everyone knows that has visited the blog before knows that I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia and Sjogren's Syndrome and most days to even get out of bed was a struggle. I was dealing with joint pain, stomach issues, migraines and severe fatigue. At one point I was taking upwards of 18 pills a day and nothing was helping so I knew I needed to make a change and it had to be quick. Fast forward to January of this year when a friend suggested a product called Plexus to me. It was something I had never heard of so I went to work researching it (secretly in the back of my mind I was trying to dig up why I shouldn't take it) but I took a sample of the product from her and thought I would try it just to help her out. Ha! Three days later my joint pain was gone and I had an increased energy level that I had not seen for at least five years. I was sleeping through the night and could function during the day. If you have or know someone that has struggled with issues like these you would know how huge this is. So needless to say I have jumped in and I am enjoying helping other people live pain free, get healthy and lose weight if that is their goal. 

But...I have not abandoned the scrap world! I am still designing behind the scenes it is just not my primary focus right now. My primary focus turned to getting healthy for my kids and husband and now I am truly loving spreading the word and helping others. The kiddos are also loving having their Mom back and actually participating in the things they do instead of watching from the sidelines. 

Taylor will be a junior in high school when school starts again, McKinley is starting middle school, Jake will be a 3rd grader and Blakely aka Princess will start kindergarten!! Can you believe how much they have grown? 

Taylor turned 16 and is driving...you have been warned!!!

I have promised a few people (you know who you are) that I will try to update the blog from time to time and I enjoy that people are still using it as a resource for project inspiration through pinterest.

If you have any questions you can comment below or email me and I promise I will get back to you as quickly as I can!

Ikea, Spray Paint and Teacher Gifts...

I admit, two things I love that always seem to make it into my holiday decorating every year: Ikea and spray paint. I try to keep most of my core decorations the same to save money but I do like to mix in a few inexpensive items to change things up a bit every year and that is usually where Ikea comes in.

These frames from Ikea are only .99 cents and come in four different colors: white, red, blue and green. But, obviously with a coat of spray paint, they can be whatever color you need them to be. This Rustoleum glitter spray paint is seriously now my new favorite. As you can see from the close up below it is super sparkly and you can add several layers if you really want it to shine! (I believe it comes in three sparkly colors: gold, silver and red and I purchased mine at Home Depot)

 

I added some of the Christmas Cheer No. 25 art prints and they were ready to give as teacher gifts. This is a double sided frame so on the other side I gave my son a 4x6 piece of cardstock and he wrote a note to the teacher. I then tucked a cute envelope with a gift card into the frame and now each teacher has a festive double sided frame with a sweet student note on one side and a festive art print on the other for their desk!

For a little extra whimsy I even added a little "jewelry" to Goldie.

I think the dry time on the frames was the longest part of the project! (Approximately 30 minutes)

What projects are you making this year for teacher gifts?

Supplies used on this project: Ikea Frame, Rustoleum Glitter Spray Paint, Christmas No. 25 Art Prints, Black Chevron Paper, Bazzill Jewel, Bazzill Gold Glitter Tape, Seam Binding Ribbon, Red Twine, Bell 
 

Excited to share Christmas Cheer No. 25...

I was ahead of the game, I actually started these in September and then completed these about two weeks ago. Usually I am dragging myself into this time of year, not ready for Christmas but I was determined to be on board and look how long it has taken me to post these! 

I am excited to share them though....I already have Goldie hanging in my office, she makes me happy!

 

 

Here are a few close ups of Rudolph and Goldie.

 

 

 

These are just super fun prints to use in any way you can imagine. They can be used in home decor or to spruce up your office space at work. Or size them down and use them in your scrapbook layouts, as card fronts or in your December Daily albums! The Joy to the World print is sized down from what I sold last year, I had several people request a smaller size so I have included it bundled with this years prints. Last years 12x12 version of the Joy to the World can be found here. If you want to enjoy these in your own home they can be purchased below.

 

 

  

I hope to be back later this week to share some finished projects with these. Just need to photograph them and get them posted to the blog.

 

Have a great week!

Two Lonely Halloween kits left...

after teaching this fun class twice now and shipping all out of the kits out that were purchased from ladies that follow the blog regularly, I managed to scrape together two last kits. If you are interested email me for details!

And just a few of the charms I made for examples in class. I put together a fun halloween necklace that I have been wearing today with all of these charms and a skeleton I had in my stash. I had three people stop me today to ask where I got it. I guess I need to take a photo and share it with you since it was so easy to make.

Enjoy!

Decorating with these fun prints today...

and I just opened my email and see that Twopeas has them on sale for 20% off today only! So if you have been waiting now is your chance.

Enjoy!

A few more class details...

Just a little drive by post today. Nothing like trying to get a massive to-do list done on a Monday but at least the kids are all back in school and I have finished a good chunk of it. Yeah me!

Here are the details you have been emailing me about for the Waco class. You can call the store directly to sign up. Hope to see you all there!

Classes, Projects and more...

I have been busy designing two new classes which I will debut soon. I will be teaching in Waco on Saturday, Sept 28th at Crop Paper Scissors.  I will also be teaching a local class here in Dallas on October 19th. Both are going to be fun and using my halloween lines. But here is a sneak peek at project #1. The class is called "31 Days until Trick or Treating!" using the Arsenic & Lace colletion:

I have also been creating some projects with both lines and found a new (to me) stamping technique that I am really loving right now. It was simple but makes a cool effect. I will share a tutorial and the full projects in the next few days but until then here are a few visuals:

Here is a hint, the technique uses this metallic stazon ink:

Hope you are having a great weekend...can't wait to share the full tutorial with you soon!

And a peek at my line with My Minds Eye...

Happy Haunting!

Some of my favorites from the line:

The 8x10 Chalkboard Art Pieces....packaged and ready to be framed for home decor projects and any papercrafting project you might want to use them on:

Stamps:

There are also chipboard embellishments, stickers, and a 6x6 paper pad. You can view the entire line here. I can't wait to show you some projects and different things you can do with these products!

I am proud to be debuting two new collections at CHA Summer 2013...

with two great companies...Bazzill and My Minds Eye.

Today I want to talk about my new collection with Bazzill. It is called Arsenic & Lace.

Lots of fun patterns to work with in this collection, as well as stickers, lickety slip cards as well as journaling cards, word stickers and 6x6 paper.

I think this paper might be my favorite:

Fun stickers:

And of course there are plenty of yummy cardstocks that match perfectly!

I hope you like it...stay tuned for my collection with My Minds Eye as well as project photos from each collection!

 

Cupid's Arrow No. 14 Banner Project

I still have people that email me (I got two today) and say they have not heard of "printables" and can I give them a little help on how to get started because they think it looks like something they can do! And it is easy and yes anyone can do it! I have been pointing people here to the FAQ page where there is some good info for beginners.

Today I wanted to show you an easy project using the Cupid's Arrow No. 14 Printable Kit that anyone can start with that all you really have to do is print, trim, sew and you are done.

Here is the banner I created:

First I printed each of the three 8x10 art prints as well as the mini valentine cards at varying %'s. Then I trimmed everything and ran them through my sewing machine along the top edge of each piece and had it ready to hang in about 15 minutes. It actually took me longer to trim everything than it did to sew and hang it!

I think my favorite part are the mini cards that are stacked and trimmed in three's. 

These banners would make a fun addition to a mantle, mirror, window, desk area or anywhere you want to add a little festive touch.

Enjoy!