Time for another Core Crop Challenge  Posting! This Challenge was to be inspired by Pinterest, the Core'dinations Core Creations Board Pins to be specific. So I searched the boards and came to this layout to use as inspiration for a layout for my son's book.

http://pinterest.com/pin/163044448979134473/

And here is my layout:

My son's scrapbooks are 8.5x11 size.  I used Color Core Cardstock from the Tim Holt's & Ranger Distress Pack (the dark brown letters MMM and light brown behind photos which I ran through my crimper and sanded). The paisley and checked papers are from the Fancy Pants Refreshed Collection Core Cardstock Pack. I hand made the marshmallows from scraps. Thanks for looking!

Beach Babe part Two:

After taking care of errands this morning, I sat down to create another scrapbook page. I happen to have a lot of photos of Marilee's first beach/lake experience from last summer. I started those with my Beach Babe page and knew I would need a second page to add more photos of that day. So, I picked another Core Crop Challenge and picked up my left over scraps from the Core Cardstock Fancy Pants Refreshed collection and went to work. This challenge was about tags, using them and journaling on them. So here is page two of Beach Babe ...

I added a couple of big tags, upside down there and a smaller tag for some journaling points.

Scrapbooking with Marilee running around and wanting to help me has been ... well... fun! At two she is learning new words all the time and she comes to the photos and points and names herself and her cousins and also likes saying "pretty" so that makes me smile and happy to have her with me. This Tag Challenge had a second bonus challenge involved. We were encouraged to include our children with the creative process. So I used an extra tag I made, and an extra photo of little Marilee at the beach, and put Marilee to work with her own creation. She was water color painting the other day while I was trying to scrapbook, so we added a bit of her picture torn up as the background mat under her photo on the core cardstock tag. Here she is at work, and she LOVES butterflies, it's her "thing"!

Marilee also LOVES playing with Magnets, so I added a square of magnetic sheet onto the back and Marilee took her creation to the fridge!

Tickles me Pink to see her budding creative side!

It's time to take a step back into my scrapbooks. I really miss creating pages. These past few years have been busy and busy and I really need to make the time for me to have some creative time, for myself. So I joined the Core'dinations Hard Core Online Crop Challenge.  The master list of challenges is here: Master List

The one requirement was that we had to use Core'dinations Color Core Cardstock on each project. This is awesome cardstock that has a color core in it so if you like sanding and tearing and distressing techniques, this is the cardstock to have. I didn't have any of this cardstock until the end of April when I just happened to win a Core'dinations and Spellbinders prize pack from Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine online (facebook) contest.

The Cardstock paper packs I have used here from Core'dinations are  Tim Holtz&Ranger Distress Collection and  Core Impressions Fancy Pants Refresh Collection. Thanks again Core'dinations for these great cardstock papers!

So you see, this crop came about and I had the perfect reason to get creative and share my Thanks to Core'dinations by joining their online Crop!  (If I happen to win some more Core Paper for participating in this online crop, then I will get to keep on having fun with these wonderful cardstock lines! It's a bonus!)

I got so excited as the challenges were posted. I pulled out some photos and got busy!

1. Ad Inspiration Challenge- The ad had lots of hexagon shapes with icons inside relating to the theme of the ad. I wanted to add some images and words about my son's High School, but as I was trying to cut them out of his handbook, I could not get them into hexagon images. So I changed it to rectangles!



















2. Trendy Things (banners, arrows, chevron -used ric rac, a poor womans chevron pattern) - My first attempt at a banner (handmade one too). I used my cricut to cut out the letters.




















3. Antiquing (crumple and sand) - I misted the cardstock with a bit of water first, it really helps when crumpling such a large piece of cardstock. It also helps to flatten it back out again, I rolled it with my rolling pin between a couple of paper towels while still damp to help dry and flatten for scrapping with without loosing all those lovely distressed crumpling lines for sanding. Wait until dry to sand though or you really take of the top layer of the cardstock!  I hand cut and embossed the sun too.

close up of hand cut and embossed sun

 4. Cardstock Only - Used my Cricut and Live Simply for these diecuts and title.

 5. Strip It- add paper strips to project

6. Handmade Embellishment - Hand cut Suckers

Close up of the suckers,
Stickles added for that glossy shine!

7. Die Cut Challenge with pop, dimensional adhesives - Again used my cricut for the easter basket and eggs and the title. Rabbit is a sticker I coated the back with baby powder so I could use it like a diecut and add the dimensional adhesive squares to make it pop off the page too.

Easter Basket cut with cricut, embossed, sanded, chalked and pop dots for dimension.

Yes, that is 8 pages, 7 challenges done! There are 6 more challenges listed for this online crop and I have two more days to fit them in. I challenged myself to TRY to get at least one entry for each challenge done, if I have the supplies I need on hand. So far, so good! Half way through the crop event and half way done the challenges. Yeah for Me!

Spring is Here!

and the time is flying by! I can't believe my little baby girl will be turning 2 years old tomorrow. It is time to do some Spring Cleaning! I have a LONG LONG list of things that I keep saying I'm going to get to, and well, now it's about time to recommit myself to getting around to it! One day at a time, one task at a time! I Think I like spring cleaning resolutions much better than the New Year's resolutions. Maybe it has to do with the pressure everyone puts on New years time to make and keep resolutions. But now, the spring weather, sunny days, and such, seem to brighten the outlook on life and what you want to accomplish each day. Much easier to be positive with sun shining through the window than winter cold making you shiver at the thought of looking out a window. So, here's to making changes, cleaning house, and reorganizing life in general! Happy Spring! and Happy Birthday to my little miracle, Marilee!

Valentine Treat for myself!

I went ahead and got out a small rubbermaid box from under my stairs that was labelled valentine's day decorations. Inside I found some items that I have had for years that friends have given me or I made myself that I just could not part with yet. Well, there was this one wreath made by my high school best friend that well, needed a new lease on life.

So, as a treat for myself, and hopefully my family will also enjoy, I recycled the ribbons and wooden hearts to make a new valentine work of art for our walls. I will always remember the wooden hearts are from my friend, and now I have a new valentine creation for this years celebration.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Merry and Bright

In an effort to be "ready" for the holiday season, I have been trying to think of ways to help others. I truly believe that our problems, trials, don't feel so "heavy" when we can serve others or find ways to help others instead of ourselves. So here's one of the Random acts of Kindness I am doing this season, and this one involved my family.

I handmade some door hangers using scrapbook and Christmas craft supplies to surprise some unsuspecting members of the community. I convinced my family to take a drive around town with me to see all the lights and decorations (at night). I asked my teenage son and my husband to each pick 3 houses they liked to award one of these door hangers too. My one year old daughter and I took care of the others. We left these hangers on those houses' doors as a surprise. On the back we wrote, "Thank you for making the season Merry and Bright. We enjoyed your decorations tonight."

This was a wonderful, heartwarming, and fun experience for my family.

Getting Creative Can Cure the Blahs!

Yes, I was feeling blah this past week and weekend. I wanted to do something to get out of it but was struggling finding the right thing. Then I decided to put my own needs and the needs of my household out of my mind and sit down to make some cards for neighbors who were having various "blahs" of their own. So I tried to chase away the "winter is coming" blues, troubling buying a new home frustrations, and celebrated the coming arrival of a new little girl (not so much a bad blah) by making some cards using up some scraps and recycling products of past projects (altered trading card/rolodex card) and using a couple new stamps and new Ranger distress candy and stickles. Yes, my day got brighter, my own blahs were left behind for the day. Doing something for others, just for the fun of it sure can make our own troubles seem less important, and more manageable.

 I must make time to get creative more often!