sketchy thursdays

Hello! Today I'm sharing with you my latest Sketchy Thursdays page. The next sketch challenge and sponsor has been posted for you to play along with us.


I used a mix of the Pink Paislee and Crate Paper school lines to make this page. The colors in both of their lines went really well together.

This page is about my son's love for building. He loves to take every single toy he can get his hands on and make a little village or town. The picture was taken when he did this at his grandma and papa's house. He was so proud!!


I hope you'll play along with us this week. We welcome back Scrapfreak as this week's sponsor, and Monica has generously donated any available kit (winner's choice) for one lucky random winner.

Hope to see you playing along! And thanks for reading my blog today. :)

this kid's got game!

The July kit from Scrapbook Circle is amazing!! Again, Lisa has put together such a great combination of colors and patterns. I'm always in awe of how well she puts these together. So easy to work with... effortless creating.


I am especially in love with the lettering in this month's kit. They are from The Girl's Paperie and they are soooo cool. I will definitely need a few more packs of these.

I hope to see some of you scoop up a kit for yourself! (Julie, that means you! LOL!!)


For this page, I used the June Sketch Challenge at Scrap Freak. You know I'm a fan of the creativity over there! Hop on over here to see the sketch and play along.

I also used the Favorite Toys prompt at These Are A Few of My Favorite Things. Nate loves to play ball, and I think as his favorite characters come and go, he will always love to play sports.

Thanks for stopping by today!

hey cuz!

Hi! Today I'm sharing with you one of my new favorite pages. Of course, being Thursday, this page is for the latest Sketchy Thursdays sketch. And... the prize this week is AWESOME! Crop Chocolate is partnering up with us again, and they are giving away $50 of CropCredit. How cool is that?!

Head on over to Sketchy Thursdays and check out the latest sketch. Link up over there by next Wednesday to be eligible for the prize!


The pictures on this page are my son and his little cousin—my niece—Ella. We got to see them for the first time in a long time when we went to Michigan for my sister's graduation. Nate and Ella got along great, and they are 2 years apart in age. I just love these pictures of them.


Except for the lettering and the brads, the flowers, rub-ons and papers were bought at Scrappy Chic in Livonia, MI. This is my mom's favorite place to scrap shop and OMG... YAY!! I managed to restrain myself and only walk away with $30 worth of stash, but I could have done way more damage.

If you live anywhere near this store, you HAVE to go! I'm tempted to fly there to shop! It really is that great—at least for me.

And yes, Mom, you were right. Those flowers you picked up for me are awesome! I used them on this page, they worked perfectly!! Love 'em!!


This page was also made for the Scrap Freak Luau Crop. One of the challenges is the Lei Challenge, to use bright and bold flowers. This Thrift Shop paper from October Afternoon screamed Luau—they just look tropical to me. To play along with the Crop (all work due by June 19) and the Lei Challenge, check it all out over HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!


Supplies: October Afternoon (pp), Basic Grey (brads), Prima (flowers), Martha Stewart (border punch), Pink Paislee (chipboard letters), American Crafts Thickers (vinyl lettering), October Afternoon (rub-ons)

playing along with freaks and sketchy peeps

Happy Monday! Since Heidi made such a wonderful sketch for the GDT challenge at Sketchy Thursdays, I decided to play along. Obviously I can't win, and I won't even be linking my page over there, but here's what I made using her sketch. It was just too awesome to pass up!!

If you'd like to play along with us at Sketchy Thursdays, check out this link HERE. One lucky winner will get to be the Guest Designer for the month of July. And of course, we have prizes! Check it out!


This page is also made with the prompt Boys And Their Toys over at Scrap Freak. It's another challenge I'm not eligible to win, but I wanted to use this prompt. Nate definitely has his share of toys, and this picture of him with Optimus Prime from Transformers was perfect. This was all he wanted for his birthday. He talked about it for months!

If you'd like to play along with Scrap Freak for this challenge, check that link out over HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

my little man turned 4!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that most of my scrapping is centered around my only son, Nate. This past Saturday, Nate turned four, and I absolutely can't believe it! I've been warned that time flies, but you truly don't understand that statement until you've watched your child grow.

The pictures on this page are from Nate's birthday this weekend. My poor little man wasn't feeling well. He complained of a sore throat and had an on-again, off-again fever for most of the weekend, but he plowed through. He's been so excited for his birthday, nothing was going to stop him from getting his celebration!


Nate chose his own cake and decorations. He picked a triple chocolate cake, white whipped frosting and a Spider Man themed party. We had my husband's parents, my best friend and her little family join us on Saturday for dinner and cake. With Nate not feeling well, the small little party we had planned worked out perfectly.

And the Spider Man cake and cupcakes perked him right up!


I made this page using the June kit from Scrapbook Circle. This kit is amazing! There are some very bright and then also very feminine items in this kit, and they all work so well together.

Over the next few days I'll be sharing my work from that kit with you. Again, if you haven't tried a Scrapbook Circle kit, you are missing out! Lisa truly knows what she's doing when she puts these kits together.


I also used the May Sketch from Scrap Freak for the layout. Scoot on over there for inspiration galore!!! There is always more to do over there than I can find time for.

Thanks for stopping in today! Check back in all week as I introduce the Scrapbook Circle June kit for you!!

double the fun

YAY, my first double-page layout in what I'm sure is three years. Not quite sure why I stopped making them, but I will definitely be making more of these!

This page goes with the 5.20 sketch for Sketchy Thursdays. (Would I post anything else on a Thursday? *grin*)


I love these pictures from Easter at my in-laws house. Nate has so much fun opening his eggs after he hunts from them. Each little toy is as big as a giant present to him. In these pictures he'd opened an egg with fishing bobbers, one with chocolate, and one with a Jessie toy from Toy Story. That was the one that got that huge grin. He LOVES Toy Story!


Sorry this post is so pic-heavy. I just loved so much about this page. I felt like I had three times as many corners to cover and edges to embellish! So fun!




Like I've said before: I love making my own flowers! The ones on these two pages are some of my favorites so far.

In addition to using the sketch for Sketchy Thursdays, I also used the Creative Type Prompt #31 to use type rub-ons. The journal spot above the word EASTER is filled with nearly a whole sheet of Daisy Bucket word rub-ons that I had been saving. Though not font, the blue bubbles rub-on was also one I had been hanging onto from K&Co.

I also used a challenge at Scrap Freak: May Class - Be Inspired #11 Fashion Colors. If you aren't playing along at Scrap Freak you're missing out on some wonderful inspiration! Hope to see you over there!

Thanks for stopping by here today! :)

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An update to yesterday's post: I did list a few of the items from yesterday to my Etsy shop. More will be added very soon. Thanks so much to everyone who purchases the flowers I make or kits I put together. I truly enjoy making them, and I'm glad they are given a good home!

a technique to try and cool news

If you regularly read my blog, you know I am a big fan of Scrap Freak. Each month the Design Team goes above and beyond to challenge you. For May, Bree has put together a wonderful challenge series, Be Inspired, to get you looking beyond the usual scrapping techniques, and to encourage you to pull from other crafty areas to embellish your pages.

Since Bree LOVES samples, she asked me if I would make the sample for the reverse applique challenge. She must have recognized my obsession with floss! :)

This is the page that I made for that reveal. The Be Inspired challenges are running all May, so you have plenty of time to see what else Bree has in store for you, and all of the other out-of-the-box challenges she came up with. That girl is one smart cookie!


Here are my tips for making a reverse applique like this:
• When choosing which part of the paper to cut first (where the underneath pattern will show through), choose a shape that has depth. I think it looked better with the floral pieces because of their movement and shape.
• Use a thick needle and pierce the paper in advance, especially when going through two pieces of heavy card stock.
• And adhere the pattern underneath the top paper before you try to stitch. Don't use the stitching to hold the pieces together, just for decoration.
• Select patterns that are bold and contrasting so that the effect is evident.

Hope to see a few of you over there trying the new techniques. It really has been a great first week of reveals. Such fun ideas!

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And some fun news!

I was asked to join these other wonderful women in my new friend Nana's kit club endeavor. To be honest, I am in awe to be working with these women. And a huge thanks to Sarah for making the connection for me. Beginning in June, you can find inspiration at My Paper Tree House!

Stop by and join the Facebook page! Nana is giving hints about the first kit and is even giving prizes! Not even the DT knows what's in the first kit! On the Facebook page leave a comment with your guess.

Here is the design team!
1. Amy Muffoletto
2. Diana Fisher
3. Iris Babao Uy
4. Laura Achilles
5. Noel Rusk Culbertson
6. Sarah de Guzman
7. Suzy West
8. Tricia Wilson
9. Veronica Johnson
10. Nana Campana
Guest Designer for June: Irene Tan

Hope to see you on the Facebook page...

scrap freak "sew cute" kit

I'm the May Guest Design Team Member for Scrap Freak, and I was so excited to get the May "Sew Cute" kit! Scrap Freak focuses on embellishment kits, so it's just enough of the fun stuff and all perfectly coordinated!

Wanting to put the focus on the embellishments, here are the projects I created. I really only added the card stock, ink and string... the rest is all in the kit. And what great colors in this month's kit!!







Thanks for scrolling through this photo-heavy post! I still have pieces left over from the kit, so I hope to make a few more things. Can you believe it?! All this and stuff still left?! The "Sew Cute" kit is a great deal... so go on over to Scrap Freak and scoop one up for yourself!

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I'm thanking my blog readers with a RAK this week! Stop by THIS POST HERE and leave a comment for a chance to win a RAK from me!

these two are such trouble!

Well, these two can drive me crazy, actually! LOL!! I made this page with the Scrapbook Circle May kit. All of the Crate paper goodness in this kit make me happy! I was surprised by the weight and texture to these papers. They are really unique and I enjoyed working with them.



These pictures of Nate and Daddy are from a night out last month. I just love them! (Both the pictures and the boys!)

I also want to give credit to the sketch. It was the April Sketch Inspiration at Scrap Freak. The challenge has since passed, but I wanted to give credit!

The May kit. Click on the image for the full details.

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I'm thanking my blog readers with a RAK this week! Stop by THIS POST HERE and leave a comment for a chance to win a RAK from me!

easter bunny is hopping into town

Yay!! I love Easter! Good food. Time with family. And, of course, the expectation to eat candy for breakfast!!

Nate had his first visit with the Easter Bunny this year. The years before we never went or the line was too long. Nate was surprised that the Easter Bunny doesn't talk, but other than that, he was fine with it all.


This page was made with the Scrapbook Circle April kit. Seriously, this kit is AMAZING! I was thrown by all of the pastel colors at first, since I make mostly boy pages, but with it being spring, everything just fell together so easily.


I am always looking for inspiration to help me put pages together, so here are the credits for the inspiration and places you can play along with, too:
• BlueMoon Scrapbooking: Paper cutting challenge
• Design Dollies: This sketch here from the wonderous Kristy
• Scrapfreak Birthday Bash Crop challenge: Stitching Technique challenge


Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I truly appreciate everyone who stops by here!!

yummy dark cherry mocha

The new Dark Cherry Mocha from Starbucks is so good! So, so good! :) With this page, I'm playing along with a few different challenges.
• These are a Few of My Favorite Things wants to see your Favorite Drink.
• Scrapfreak Friday's Challenge wants to see your "Indulgence."
• And The Studio wants to see buttons and bows.


Plus, this page was just so much fun to make. The cherry stamp was in the March kit for Studio Calico. I love how I was able to use it to make a pattern at the bottom of the page. A cherry pattern for a cherry drink, yum!

The journaling says, "The sign said 'Do you want' & I said 'Yes!' Oh yes I do!" And literally that is how I stumbled upon this new favorite drink of mine!

my boys

Hi there! Hope your Saturday is going well. This page is one of my latest favorites. The picture was taken this past week on my husband's only day off this week. We went to a local place called Taste of Texas for dinner. It is in an old bar and the specialty is called The Outlaw. A GIANT baked potato loaded with everything you would expect in a baked potato and then also a meat of your choice. I get the shredded chicken and hubby gets the pulled pork. It is so good!!


Most of the materials for this page came in my April kit for Scrapbook Circle... it is a good one! I added the stamp and the Hambly stitches rub-ons. The sketch is from the Studio Calico Sunday Sketches challenge from this past Sunday. Due today if you'd like to play along! I also used the prompt Just The Two of Us at Scrapping the Music.


Thanks for visiting my blog today! I've been busy scrapping the past few days so I have lots and lots to share with you!! If you are looking for a place to play this weekend, there are quite a few challenges going on over at Scrapfreak.

There are the regular Friday challenges, the sketch of the month, the Birthday Bash Crop and the TGIF crop from last night. Most projects are due by 3/31 and the TGIF crop is due by tomorrow night, I believe. Lots of fun over there!! Plenty of ideas if you need a few good ones!

my sissy

My sister and I are the bookends of the siblings. We are 14 years apart in age and there are two brothers in-between us. Ashley lives in Michigan with my mom and stepdad, and as many of you know, I am in NY with my husband and son.


I've been wanting to make something kind of feminine and girly, and this suddenly all came together! This project was inspired by the Moxie Fab doilies and lace challenge, and the embellishments challenge at Scrapfreak.

When my mom posted some pictures on Facebook this past weekend, this one of my sister and I from last summer was in that batch of photos. I hadn't seen it before, and it motivated this project that's been knocking around in my head for awhile.


I hung this frame from a thick, satin brown ribbon on a white, distressed metal hook in my scraproom and it look fabulous... actually is looks Moxie Fab, lol!

Thanks for checking this out today! I know I am just getting this in under the wire for the challenges, but I am so glad for the inspiration to finally get this out of my head and into my hands! :)

Supplies: Girls Paperie (paper), Dear Lizzy (pink ribbon), American Crafts Flair (button), Cosmo Cricket (letter stickers), October Afternoon Fly a Kite (paper for petals), lace, blue button and paper for flower (vintage finds).

gotta check this out!

I know, I never post twice a day... very rarely. But, I am helpin' my girl Bree out. She is looking for crafty people... LIKE YOU!!!

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Are you fabulously creative?
I am looking for a few fabulous, creative scrappers who love a great challenge. I actually have a few projects in mind:

1. Some guest DT spots for Who's That Girl.
2. Being featured in a class I am teaching over at Scrapfreak.com
3. A crazy creative project I am considering starting, but it would really only be for the weird, brave and bold! I am still thinking this one through :)

I would love to get a comment from you with a link to your gallery and info if you would like to try out a new challenge!

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If you like to be part of a team and love jumping off points for your creativity, I would suggest you give it a try. I love working with Bree and think you would, too!

sneaky sneak...

As I said earlier this week, I have been busy working on pages for reveals. One reveal is on Monday for the Who's That Girl challenge #2.

By the way, you only have a few more days to upload your page to the Flickr gallery. We would love to see what you did with the first challenge: Make a page that describes you using only one word.

Next week I'll be able to bring you a peak at the Scrapbook Circle February kit, too. So fun!

And of course, Sketchy Thursdays is going strong. You have a chance to win a fabulous Kenner Road kit just by playing along!

And, if you are a Scrapfreak, (hee hee, who isn't) they have an online crop today. I plan on stopping by and hope to see you over there. {SCRAPFREAK 1.29 ONLINE CROP}

Have a great weekend!!

that very special first christmas

There was nothing like Nate's first Christmas. And I know that it meant way more to me than it did to him at the time. That's why this page is for the All About Me Challenge #7: Processing the Holidays.

For me, that first Christmas meant we had to have professional pictures taken for Christmas cards (hence the photo I chose to scrap). I had to have all new stockings that matched for the whole family. I had to have all of the special items in place ... under the impression of it all being for him. And it was. It was for him... but at the time, it definitely meant more to me.

What does a 6 month old know about baking 12 kinds of cookies? But I did it anyway! With him in the kitchen with me, all the while talking to him like he was frosting them instead of me. The silly things moms do!!


This page is also for the December sketch at Scrapfreak. It's a good one, so if you're a freak like me (smile), then head on over there and get your page done this month.

Thanks for looking! I really do appreciate those of you that read my blog!!


Supplies: Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses (pp), American Crafts Thickers (foam lettering), Evalicious (button flower), Making Memories (journal spot), K&Co. (chipboard), Vintage sheet music, Prima (pearls), white ink