The Vatican

A little over a year ago my husband and I took an anniversary trip to Italy. I've been very, very slowly scrapping the pictures. As much as I just want to have the book done, it's fun scrapping and reminiscing. Like our morning at the Vatican. It was the only day our alarm didn't go off. We woke up 15 minutes before we had to leave, but we got there!

Supply List:
Paper: The Girls’ Paperie On Holiday (Travel Ticking, Mixed Dot)
Accessories: The Girls’ Paperie Travel Paper Cuts, The Girls’ Paperie Travel Brads, The Girls’ Paperie Travel Charms, Prima Flocked Alphas (vanilla, brown)

Baptism Layout and a Card

I had a lot of fun scrapping this special day. My youngest is now 2, but in this photo he was only 2 weeks old.
My Baptism
Paper: Moxxie Faith (Baptism, Faith Confirmed, Lighted Cross)
Accessories: Karen Foster Card Stock Stickers My Baptism



I used my leftovers to create this card:

Child of God
Paper: Moxxie Faith (Baptism, Faith Confirmed)
Accessories: Karen Foster My Baptism Card Stock Stickers, Hero Arts Hero Hues Ribbon

Turtle Bags

I've posted these fun bags a few other places, but I know I haven't posted them here. I'm handing these out this year to the ladies in my family (and yes those turtles inside are homemade too!).
These were pretty simple. I cut the bags with my Silhouette. I stamped on a piece of acetate (clear plastic) with white Staz-on ink to create the window. The stamp is from My Mind's Eye's I Believe collection. The bags are secured in back with a little bit of twine wrapped around 2 brads. The paper that the bags are created from is Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Soup.

Swinging Card

I just picked up Lawn Fawn's Critters in the 'Burbs stamp set. I've been eying it for a while, but since I have a ridiculous amount of stamps, I've only been eying it. Monday, I finally gave in and bought it. I justified buying it because I'm planning on using it for a Flower Soft class I'm planning for A Walk Down Memory Lane (more details on that soon). As an added bonus, Lawn Fawn's having a contest. The winning card is going to be published in their catalog and be shown off at their CHA booth. Pretty cool prize, right? Here's the card I came up with for the contest:


I thought this set would make a fun interactive card. As you can see the tire swing spins on a piece of twine. The front side is the tire, and the back side is the greeting. The tree was stamped, colored with Copics, cut out, and popped up on foam adhesive. The grass was also stamped, cut and mounted with foam adhesive. The card measures 4 1/4" x 4 1/4".

Sister Thing

It's no secret I love playing along with My Mind's Eye's Monthly Sketch Challenges. As much as I enjoy creating my own layout, it's just as much fun seeing what everyone else does as well. After the challenge closes, MME posts a photo album on their blog with everyone's entries. I'm always amazed how 1 sketch can translate to so many beautiful pages.
Okay, on to the main event. The theme for this month's challenge is "It's a ______ thing." Here's the sketch:Here's my 2 page take:

A little bit of back story on this. In September I went to visit my sister out in Phoenix (while my wonderful husband played Mr. Mom at home). It was a short trip that we packed with all sorts of fun stuff including a trip to a wildlife park. We got to meet this guy up close and personal.

With all the cute safari animals, I thought MME's Alphabet Soup papers would be a fun way to scrap the pictures from the animal park.I added some paper piecing, a lot of hand stitching, some Lush Brads, and some Jenni Bowlin Buttons to complete the layout.

I don't just scrap!

I thought I'd share this project I finished up as a gift for Christmas. Occasionally, when I get the chance I like to knit and spin. I knit this wine bottle cozy from this pattern, with a few changes. I used a larger size needle and made it much longer than the directions say. I'm kind of proud of myself, because I'm a pretty basic knitter and had to try out some new techniques with this. I'll definitely be making more of these.

1 quick update, too. Here's a picture of some of the coffee cup sleeves that I showed you how to make in this post. The proper cups arrived in the mail, and I just can't help but show what it's really supposed to look like!

To Love and Cheris

I've been playing around with Imaginisce's To Love & Cherish line. It's a beautiful, bold line for scrapping weddings and creating wedding cards, which is exactly what I did with it.

All of the paper is from To Love & Cherish, as well as the stamp and ribbon. I used my I-top to create not only the center of the flower and the I-top punches to create the flower itself. The rhinestones were added using the I-rock. The scalloped pleats were created by cutting 8 - 1 inch strips of paper, punching them out with Fiskars scalloped edge punch, and layering them from the bottom up.
Again, all of the papers except for the blue card stock are from To Love & Cherish, as are the rhinestone brads, stamps, ribbon, and flowers. The pearls and rhinestones were set using the I-rock. The frame for the photo and the bracket accents were cut using the Silhouette.

Everybody Loves Christmas

I know I've made these notebooks before and shown them on the blog. However, I wanted to show how easily they can be adapted for seasonal gifts. I handed a dozen of these out as party favors at a Christmas party I had at my house this past weekend. I've posted step-by-step instructions on the AWDML blog before. You can access them by clicking here. I also made one for myself that I'm using to keep my Christmas to do list in. These were simple to make Christmas-y using papers and stickers from Echo Park's Everybody Love's Christmas. They're kept shut using super thin magnets from Basic Grey. I embellished using my I-rock.

Birthday Bow Napkin Rings with Glue Dots®

I love entertaining. Truth be told, I do it less and less now that I have little kids, but I still love it. I love using my fancy plates, pretty serving dishes, and cloth napkins. When Glue Dots® challenged their Dottesses to create something with birthdays in mind, I decided to honor the dinner party with a Birthday Bow napkin ring. Try it for your next Birthday Party to add a fun, whimsical touch. To make the bow and ring, you'll need:

Craft Glue Dots®
Pop Glue Dots®
1 large brad
Double-sided patterned paper (I used Fancy Pants' It's Your Day) cut to the following measurements:
1 - 1 1/2" x 6" strip
8 - 3/4" x 4" strips
4 - 3/4" x 3 3/4" strips
1 - 3/4" x 3" strip


1. Take the 4 - 3/4" x 3 3/4" strips and fold them over on themselves to form a cone shape. Use a Craft Glue Dot® to hold the ends together.


2. Use Craft Glue Dots® to attach the 4 cones together into a bow shape.


3. Take the 3/4" x 3" strip of paper and use a Craft Glue Dot® to form a ring. Use another Craft Glue Dot® to attach the ring to the center of the bow.


4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with 4 - 3/4" x 4" strips of paper. Put a Pop Glue Dot® in the center.


5. Use the Pop dot to attach this bow underneath the first, smaller assembled bow.


6. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with your last 4 strips of 3/4" x 4" paper. Add a Pop Glue Dot® to the center and attach to the bottom of the assembled bow. You will now have a fully assembled bow.


7. Create the napkin ring by making a loop with a 1 1/2" x 6" piece of paper. Use a large brad to secure the loop in place. Put a Craft Glue Dot® on the top of the brad.


8. Firmly press the bow onto the the top of the brad (the Craft Glue Dot® will hold it in place). You now have a completed Birthday Bow Napkin Ring.

I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team.

Don't miss it

Most of you know that I'm on the in store design team, do the social media for, and teach classes at A Walk Down Memory Lane. I wanted to let you know that right now AWDML is having a great 12 Days of Christmas Sale. You can find all of the info for it here on the blog. Each day a new item is added to the sale, so by December 12, you'll have 12 great sales. Additionally, the paper I used to create the fun layout above is from The Girls' Paperie. They just happen to be one of this month's featured manufacturers (the other one is Just Rite Stamps). You can get them at 25% off all month long. Just thought I'd pass it along, since I LOVE a good deal.

Merry Layout Supply List
Paper: The Girls’ Paperie Tinsel & Twig (Christmas Carol Stripe, Deck the Halls, Festive Brocade, Snowfall)
Accessories: The Girls’ Paperie Tinsel & Twig Sticker Market, The Girls’ Paperie Tinsel & Twig Flower Market, Imaginisce I-rock crystals
Tools: Imaginisce I-rock, Fiskars Upper Crest Punch, EK Success Edger Punch Bracket