Leading A Craftastic Life

Your are my:

2012-02-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

Olivia & Ava are all smiles now
(most of the time).

Scrapbooking and blogging are no
longer something I can do often.
So when I got to scrapbook my first
favorite photo of 2012 I was excited!

Thank you for stopping
by and happy scrappin'!

So Classy...

2012-01-31T15:25:00.001-08:00

My little cupcakes modeled for a
local photographer in November.
Heather of La Bella Fleur Photography is amazing.
You can visit her official site here.

We did multiple wardrobe change but these
two are the only ones I've scrapped so far.

Aren't they adorable in pearls?

Heather had this adorable top
hats for the girls to model.

Awww Olivia & Ava at 3 months old now
they are 5 months, it goes by too fast.
Thank you for stopping by and happy scrappin'.

Sketch #305 @ Sketch Inspiration!

2012-01-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

Life is very different now with the
twins and it changes every day.
The girls are now 5 months
old and getting so active.
My Husband and I found this adorable
Combi GT Walker & Jumper and knew it
would be a great way to keep the girls busy.
We only have one but we're
working on getting a second one.

Ava is more active then our calm little
Olivia so the car is perfect, it keeps her
busy and she love that we can push her
around on the tile now.
Olivia likes it but she can't last very
long in there, just wait till she can
reach the ground, then she'll be off speeding.

This week's sketch at Sketch Inspiration
was perfect to document this new adventure.
Head on over and check it out!

Happy Scrappin'!

PCC Ladies Card Class

2012-01-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends, I recently found a local
group of woman who are all about crafts.
EVERY Kind!
Sewing, cake decorating, paper crafts and more.

On Feb 24, 2012 I'll be giving a class on cards.
I'm so excited to share the art of card making.
We'll be making the following cards:

Water Fall Card

Birthday Gift Card Holder

Flower Thank you Card

If you are local and would like to see the
full list of classes and/or register please
check out the group's facebook page here
and to register use this form.

You can register for event at a time if
you want to be but please register so we
know how many to expect...
Sorry all craft days requiring
payment are non refundable.

This group is open to all woman who like to
craft. Craft days welcome children as long
as they are 6 and older and you feel that they
can respectively participate in the the day.

TS Survivor Week #2

2011-11-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

For this weeks Challenge we needed
to take our inspiration from paper
lines by October Afternoon.
We need to take the name of a paper
line of theirs and use it as a title
as well as use the same color scheme
from that paper line.
Then pick three standout colors in
the collection and predominantly
use them on your layout.

Olivia & Ava were not quite smiling
back to us yet at this point, but
during one of Olivia's naps I was
able to catch her smiling.
Yes some people say it's gas, but
come now it's so cute when they "smile".

I used the Title Day Dream I thought it
was fitting with both colors and title.

Be sure to check out Tally Scrapper,
the ladies there are FULL of
inspiration and there are always new
challenges to get your mojo in gear.

Tally Scrapper Survivor Week 1

2011-11-05T00:52:00.000-07:00

Every year Tally Scrapper
hosts weekly challenges
during TV Survivor Season.
I try to participate every week,
because not only does it motivate
me to try something new but it
also helps you complete projects.

During Week #1 the challenge was to
create a map layout, use at least
three different patterned papers &
follow the idea for map from Kelly Purkey.

I have yet to finish the album
from our 5th Anniversary so this
will make the perfect cover page.

I Cheated alittle :0).
I used my 50 states Cricut
Cartridge to start my map and
cut it into pieces from there.
Once assebled I used one photo from each
place we visited and used circles and
ovals to cut them out and attach to the page.
I used twine and arrow brads to indicate
where each place was located on the map.

Thanks for looking
and Happy Scrappin'!

Hello Friends!

2011-10-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
It's been so long since I posted.
July I think was my last post.
Since then life has
certainly become different.

August 22, 2011 we welcomed into the
world our beautiful little Cupcakes.
Olivia Marie, 4lbs 15 oz, 16 1/2 inches
& Ava Danielle 4lbs 4oz, 16 1/4 inches.
The Cupcakes were 4 weeks
early, but so healthy.
Olivia however was a little to excited
coming into the world and took some liquid
into her lungs with her first breath and
it caused complications with her breathing.
She stayed on oxygen for alittle over 3 weeks.
Now Olivia is happy and healthy little baby.
Ava has been a little diva from the start,
she lets you know what she wants.
She's also a happy and healthy little baby.

They just got to 2 months old as of Saturday.
Both are double the weight just about and
slowly fitting into thier larger newborn
and 0-3 month clothing.
Being the proud mommy and daddy we've already
taken them to Sears and Walmart for photos.
*Tip- Sears has a better set up &
ends up the same price as Walmart!
Not mention we've taken lots of
photos since we brought them home.

September 30, 2011

October 19, 2011

What a difference just a few weeks.
Where did all the chunk come from? :0)

I have been crafting, though now it
takes a few days to finish projects.
So I'll slowly be loading new projects
here on the blog over the next week.
I hope to drop in more often and
share a tutorial or two soon.
Happy Scrappin'!

Oh the belly!

2011-07-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

Every week the belly gets bigger
and less I can move as easily!
But I'm excited and it mean the
babies are getting bigger and
it's closer to when they arrive!

Here I am at 27, 29 and 30 weeks.

The babies like to be silly during
ultrasounds so the last two growth
ultrasounds they've hidden their
little faces and the Techs have had
trouble viewing their hearts to make
sure everything is growing correctly.
But today they made an appearance
and I was one very happy mommy-to-be!
Seeing their little faces for the
first time made it even more real!
Yes the kicking makes it real but
to see faces left me in awe...

You can follow our baby updates every
week here: Twin Lambs 2011.
Thanks for looking!

The nursery...

2011-07-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

My husband has worked hard
making the nursery as
wonderful as it is and even
moved the furniture for me
a couple times.
Who knew getting two cribs
into a room would be so hard!

Here he is preparing the room.

Here is the room once
I got to help decorate.

The trees are vinyl wall stickers
from Target and the furniture is
from Ikea! Yay for Ikea!

thanks for looking.

Catching up...

2011-07-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

I began a pregnancy album with
the first ultrasound photo months
ago, and have slowly made layouts
with out photos for later.
But photos have stared to
pile up and they need to
make a home in the album.
I've done 5 layouts the
last couple days and I'm
so excited to share!
If this mojo keeps up I'll
be all caught up for this
album, for now any way.
I'll be splitting this
up into 3 days of posts!

Being pregnant with twins
has been amazing especially
to see their grown.
Here we are at 19 weeks,
two little heads
and two little babies.

During this ultrasound
Baby A was being shy,
however Baby B at least
let us see her profile.

This week is another Belly
Shot and the Baby Shower!
So there will be plenty
more photos to scrap.
See you again soon!
Thanks for looking!

Our babies' Nursery

2011-06-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

*Copied from the Twins Blog*
Though my creativity for scrapping
has be lost for the time being, Nesting
sure has come into play. I thought I'd
share with you all our latest creation.
* * * * *

Justin is amazing!
I told him the other morning that
the furniture needed to be moved.
The set up just wasn't working.
He was hoping I was kidding.
I was serious.

So when he came home from work he
was ready to start the moving process.
It wasn't going to work the way I had
hoped so we had to think it out again.
Luckily Justin had an idea and TADA!
Our new set up is perfect and functional.
Who knew getting two cribs and all those
shelves to fit was gonna be so hard.

The nursery is a work in
progress, but for now we're done.
We have a busy week ahead of us.
I need to clean up the rest of the
house, find new homes for the many
items removed from the "guestroom"
and clean the carpet.
It seems our little dogs had a few
fits while we were in Las Vegas.
Little monsters.
Thank goodness they are adorable.

I spent the afternoon with my mom
yesterday getting a few of the last
little details, a changing pad,
another tree,and frames and that
little toy box under the window.
(We have one just like it in
the living room and I LOVE IT!)

A quote from a friend about the
changing table: Erin said
"Too bad such a pretty piece has to
be used for such a stinky job. :)"

I washed all their little items
like bibs, hats and receiving
blankets in order to put them away
right away in the little green bins.
I really want more of the bins.
They store flat for storage
and pop-up perfectly when needed.

I put away as much as I could.
Washing what was going
to be displayed ect.
And was able to clear out a
few boxes from our room. YAY!
I didn't wash clothes yet.
Maybe in a month or so.

I'm so happy the nursery is set up.
I worry that later on I'm going to
have trouble getting around and
would hate to know that I couldn't help.

Thank you Justin for making it
work and look so beautiful!

*Update - New items are added to the
room every week from photo frames to
baby gear. Once our baby girls arrive,
they will be the room's focus.

My and my honey!
June 16, 2011

This belly gets bigger and bigger, it's crazy!

Where did I go?

2011-06-11T00:09:00.000-07:00

Well, life has been full of
being extra busy or lots of naps.
I have little mojo for scrap-
booking which makes me sad.
If'd you'd like to see what's
going on with me, you're welcome
to visit the blog I've been writing
about our journey to becoming parents.
Twin Lambs 2011.

I update this much more often,
though not ful of crafty inspiration,
it's a journal of my life right now.
One day I'll scrap all the photos!

Peanut Butter for Elephants

2011-05-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Bree is doing a wonderful
challenge at Tallyscrapper!

Helping the Elephants -
Peanut Butter Challenge

She has 12 bottles of Peanut Butter
she'll be donating to a Elephant
Sanctuary to be used to mix with
the elephants medications.
For each person to submit a LO
she is donating a jar of Peanut
Butter in their name.

I haven't done a lo in couple weeks
and this challenge got me to thinking.
My first thought reading the
challenge this morning was oh, Elvis!
In 2005 when traveling to VA
we stopped in Graceland.
Justin & Mom are Elvis fans and
found a recipe for The Elvis Peanut
Butter Banana Sandwich.
We've tried it twice.
Once with the Bacon once without.
Let's just say it's yummy, but as
Justin calls it a heart attack
waiting to happen. Yikes.

SO for the challenge I thought
making a 12x12 recipe card for
my books would be perfect.
Of course if Momma sees it may
make it's way to a new home.

If you want to help the Sanctuary
as well you can send them a jar of
peanut butter too.

The address is

The Elephant Sanctuary
804 Darbytown Rd.
Hohenwald, TN 38462

Trying to get back on track...

2011-05-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

I've been lost again. I'm so sorry.
I need to take photos of all
the stuff I've done lately!

Next Week is our Card Class.
I'll post photos soon.

And Monday is the day we
hopefully find out if our little
Lambs are Boys or Girls.
Justin and I are so excited to find out.
He's hoping for Boys.
I'm hoping for a Boy & Girl.
Either way I'll be pleased.

Mom has started planning the
baby shower for next month.
Can you believe the little
ones will be here mid August!
Today we took advantage of some
great coupons from Babies R US
and got thier car seats, a baby
gate, a diaper bag and a body pillow
for me. Everything 15-20% off each.
A major savings for us.

My mind wonders much to easily so
that's part of why I'm not around.
We've also been out and
about alot more lately.

I promise to update with project pics soon.
But for now here's the Twins
@ 19 weeks 5 weeks, April 25, 2011.

About where I live...

2011-04-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

My friend's little girl is doing
a project for school.
The children are writing letters to
people from all over and asking
that a letter be written in return.

I of course had a bolt of inspiration!
I Used my 50 States Cartridge to
make a card with the state flag,
state bird, & state flower.

Inside I wrote the letter back
to Emily about where I live.
Talking about near by day trips,
the weather and facts about the state.
I was even able to include postcards
for the nearby areas of interest.

I hope she gets LOTS of letters back!
Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Scrappin'!

Happy Anniversary...

2011-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Justin's great uncle and aunt recently
celebrated their 52nd anniversary.
What an inspiration!

I knew I just had to send them a card!
I came up with this and was able to cut
out enough of everything for extra cards
for my stash as well as for a class!
The girls are ready for a class!

It's simple yet elegant!

Thanks for looking!
Happy Scrappin'!

Starting my pregancy/baby album...

2011-04-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

I figure if I start now and
make the pages, I might be
able to keep up just alittle.
Lol, we'll see.
One page down many to go!

I picked all bright colors
to use for the album.
In other words I've been
collecting papers, hehe!

This is the last day for Crop Lo's
that I completed however it's not
the last day of projects I've
completely recently! Yay!

Stay tuned!

Baby it's cold outside!

2011-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

OMG, I never seen REAL snow before,
until our trip to Chicago last year
for Joe's Navy Boot Camp Graduation.

Before heading to the Museum of
Science and Industry we took a
walk on the shore.
Beware, don't ever focus on the ice
on the top of the water, as it moves
with the wave you may get sea sick, lol!
But it's so pretty!

Thanks for looking!
Happy Scrappin'!

Winner for No Housework Day!

2011-04-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay!
My mind has been wondering.

So with out further delay our
lovely winner for National No
House Work Day is :

JAZZY!

Congrats!
Please be sure to email me
with your address so I can
send out your prize.

Jazzy makes beautiful cards so
be sure to check her blog out!

Thanks ladies for commenting
on my project as well as
sharing what you'd rather
do than housework!

Oceanside, CA

2011-04-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Awww the smell of fishy water!
Can you believe I kinda
missed it from Va?
Any who, Joe took us to Oceanside
to enjoy a wonderful lunch on
the Pier at Rosie's Diner!
(You can see the diner in the background.)
During our LONG walk to the restaurant
we took plenty of stops to take photos.

Geeze how I miss the beach, but at the
same time the desert isn't so bad, our
biggest issue is dust storms and tumble weeds.
Beach side means big storms, & hurricanes.
I'll sit tight in my boring, safe, town and
dream of going to those beautiful places.

Thanks for stopping by, just a few days to go!
Happy Scrappin'!

Botanical Gardens

2011-04-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Mom and I had a day to wander
while in Cali, so we took the
opportunity to visit Balboa
Park in San Diego!
It's huge and so beautiful!
WE went to 2 museums and
the Botanical Gardens.

Here's momma showing off her new
bag indicating where we are!

Mom and I took advantage of being
in a scrapbook store for the Crop.
Nearly everything on this page is
NEW items from the store, lol!
But the hubs can't say I bought
it and never used it, haha!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Scrappin'!

Goodness Age is creeping up on me!

2011-04-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's not often I find photos from
birthdays on my hard drive so when
I found this one from my 27th
birthday last year in October I knew
I had to scrap it.
(I'm still 27, swear!)

I used January's ScrapbookSussies Kit!
I LOVE Sussies!

Thanks for lookin!
Happy Scrappin'!

Safari!

2011-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

In January both Dad and
Joe came home on leave.
We had a busy couple of weeks
going back and forth to Tucson
and Phoenix and during one of
our trips stopped at Cabella's.
The boys were in their happy place!

They have many displays of
animals through out the store,
however this is one that caught
mom's eye with the elephant!

So here are Mom, Dad & Joe
on pretend Safari!

Thanks for Stopping by!
Happy Craftin'!

Fly!

2011-04-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

In March Daniel flew Snoopy
down for the weekend and the
boys spent time fixing it up.
Justin even made new slip covers
for the plane (yet another lo.)

When Daniel was to head back to
Tucson, we were gonna meet him
there to do some shopping.
Momma went along for the ride
and got to Snoopy in all it's
Orange and Yellow Glory.

We got lucky with it being
such a beautiful day out.

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Scrappin'!

Snoopy!

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

You all might have already seen the
Mini Album I did with this photos,
but it was a must for a LO.
The Album was a gift for my BIL Daniel.

Daniel was so excited that he
got to purchase his first
airplane before he was 21.
I went with him to do the
checks before he bought the plane.
I made sure to take plenty of
photos to document this event.
Here's the LO I did to
keep for my scrapbooks!

TFL! Come back SOON!
Happy Scrappin'!

Who's toy is that?

2011-04-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Buzz Lightyear has made a
huge impression in my life.
In fact this is the 2nd,
yep 2nd post all about him!
Since that first post he's
had a few more adventures.

Buzz has many battle scars, melted
hand, yellowed helmet, missing rockets,
and most recently a broken Leg.
He even has a new nickname, one
which dates us both horribly.
He's now Grandpa Buzz according
to my little friend Joshua.

So during that Marathon Crop
did a page just for Buzz.
There's even a pull out
journaling spot with his story!
Many of the ladies who saw my page in
progress kept asking, "who's toy is that?"
Well mine of course, lol!

TFL! Happy Scrappin'!

Are you Feeling Crabby?

2011-04-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

My brother is CRAZY!
When we went to see Joe in San Diego,
we went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner.
YUMMY!
Joe acted like the crab was attacking
him, so I just had to take photos!
And I love how they came out!

I used the Life's a Beach Cricut
Cartridge to make the little Crabs.
I was so upset with myself at the
crop for not remembering to take
little bitty googly eyes!
But here is it all done! YAY!

Thanks for stopping by, come
back for another LO tomorrow!

Happy Scrappin'!

Are you Ready?

2011-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to see new projects
here on Leading a Craftastic Life?

I'm am so ready Ready!

It's been so LONG!
But it's finally time to show
off all the recent projects!

A few weeks ago, a few of us ladies
went to Tucson for a Marathon Crop!
Geeze that was fun, and so exhausting!
But it was very and I mean very productive!
So productive in fact I completed 11 LOs.
Mom & Kay completed their first
full 12x12 LOS with photos!
And Jen Completed quite a few LOs too!

So what's my point?
This week starts at least 11
days worth of projects to share.
A project a day keeps
the inspiration fresh!

To Start off the week my LO
for this months Challenge!

This is my little cousin
(I lied he's taller than me)
Kristian last May after
his First Communion.

Isn't he a cutie?
Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Scrappin'!

National NO Housework Day Blog Hop!

2011-04-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the National No
Housework Day Online Blog hop!
If you have arrived not knowing
until now about the hop, no problem
...just go back to If It's Groovy where
this hop starts and work your way through.
You may find games, prizes, projects and
how do-you-dos along the path :).
We would appreciate it if you sign up
to keep in touch with us by "following"
and would love your comments!

Perhaps you arrived here from
Life With...(Julie), Great!

Hope you enjoyed that stop
and the others so far!!!

We celebrate this national holiday by
scrapping today and into the weekend
with projects that remind us of housework
or getting away from it!!!
Take the day off, put up your feet and let's hop!

House work has been like a four letter word here
at home lately. With company coming and going often.
Now that's I'm pregnant I rather nap then clean, lol!
But it must be done, sometimes.
(especially after this project, lol!)
But from April 7-10 We'll be celebrating No House
Work Day, which should in fact be every day!
So in honor of this very
important day I made this sign.

I used a $1 store platter, SassaFrass Papers
& the house from Sweethearts Cricut Cart.

Become a Follower & leave me a comment
about your favorite thing to do
when NO Housework is Required!
Be sure to leave an email in the
comments so I know where to contact you!

I'll be giving away the prize below:

Thanks for your visit, please head over to
see Scrappy Side of Me (Jen T) Enjoy!

The following List is
your stops along the way!

1. If It's Groovy (Groovy Deb)
2. Life With...(Julie)
3. Leading a Craftastic Life (Kristin)
4. Scrappy Side of Me (Jen T)
5. Peg's Crafting Corner (Peg)
6. All Things Crafty (Erica)
7. Scrapping the Guys (Heather)
8. Let's Get Peachy (Laura)
9. Creating Sensations (Vanessa)
10. Everyday Me (Michelle)
11. Basement Chronicles (Maya)
12. Love to Create (Misty)
13. Scrappy Go Lucky (Darlene)
14. Dragonfly Destiny (Jean-Marie)
15. Andrea's Metta (Andrea)
16. Red Car Productions (Krista)
17. Greets N Treats (Becky)
18. Paper Universe (Silvana)
19. The Limitations of Thought (Irini)
20. Step Into My World (Becky)
21. From the Owls Nest (Sharon)
22. Creations with Becka (Becka)
23. Crafty Go Lucky (Valerie)
24. Crafty Diva Lounge (Jen)
25. Just a Glimpse...(Jenneke)
26. Scrap it Girl (Kimberly)
27. These are a Few...(Julie)
28. Really? That Just Happened (Doreen)
29. Nikki Sivils (Julie c/o Nikki)
30. Marci's Scrapping Spot (Marci)
31. Scrapbookers Anonymous (Theresa)
32.Intrepid Thread (Julie)
33. Scrapbooking SOS (Michelle)
34. Flamingo Scraps (Amanda)
35. Scrapbook Abundance (Jana)
36. Artful Delight(Leeanne)
37. Mommy of 5 Kidz (Misty)
38. Designs by Diana(Diana)
39. Polka Cabana(Jeannie)
40. A Day in the Life...(Kelly)
41. MarBare Scraps (Mary)
42. One by One...(Karel)

Craftastic Challenge #23 April 1-30

2011-04-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 2+ Photos
~ 2+ Buttons
~ Flowers
~ Stitching
~ Color Teal
~ LARGE Monogram
~ Border Punche
~ 3+ Pattern Papers
~ Stamp
~ Journaling
~ Doodling

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
This Month we're celebrating
NO Housework Day on April 7!
So This month Make a project using this idea.
A sign, an altered house object like a broom.
Anything ...!
Check out the up coming post for this event!

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #22"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends April 30, 2011.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

No Winner for Craftastic Challenge #22!

2011-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

We didn't have any entries for this
challenge so It'll be played again in May.

Craftastic Challenge #21 WINNER!

2011-03-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends,
I know this month is nearly over and you all
are still waiting for last months Winners.
Well here we go!

Our Winner for Challenge #21 is
Teenabugg

Teenabugg please email me with
your address so I can send out your Prize!

Here are the entries for Feb:
Teenabugg:
Sketch & Shopping List Forever Young

Jessica:
The Shopping List Cards You Make me Smile & Oh Baby

Jennifer
Sketch & Shopping List : LOVE

Thank you ladies for your entries.
And we hope to see play along again in the future!

My LO for Challenge 21

2011-03-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it! I completed
a LO for Challenge 21?
It was completed in Feb, just
never had a chance to post it!

I used the sketch for my Lo.
Zeus Monster was my inspiration!

Little Zeus at 2 months old and a complete Monster.
Thank goodness he's a cutie!

Thank you all for looking and happy scrappin'.

Survivor Week 2...

2011-03-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Survivor at Tally Scrapper!

This weeks Requirments:
Scrap in a straight line. -check
That Just Happened title -check
Orange -check
Yellow - check
Olive Green -check
Burgundy -check

My brother and Justin bought Nerf guns
when we first moved into our house.
Since the house was empty
they used it as a play area.
At one point Justin when back to
work, and Joe and I began to play.
I pegged Joe right on the glasses
and the dart even stayed stuck!
Who said Nerf guns are just for boys?
Girls RULE!

Thanks for looking and Happy Scrappin'!

Opps went missing again...

2011-03-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry Friends,
We had a busy week last week and
a family emergency early this week.

Everything is fine, we had our last
freeze for the year and as my brother
was returning to his station from
here, he hit a patch of ice.
He's totalled his truck, but
he thankfully is fine.
He's a tough cookie and
only had minor scratches.

Mom and I picked him up and returned
him to Camp Pendleton, California.
It's the first time we got to go
and see where he was stationed.
We got a nice tour of the post,
where Joe works, Oceanside, and Carlsbad.
We stayed in the beautiful
Carlsbad Inn in downtown Carlsbad.

And while Joe was at work we headed
to San Diego to tour Balboa Park.
WOW it's huge and so many things to see.
We wish we could have stayed a few
more days to finish seeing it all.

We even got to enjoy dinner at the harbor!
Fun Stuff and I'm so happy to say I got to
share the experience with my Mom and Brother.

Any who, I'm back and need to catch up on a
few things and I hope to post more in the
next few days. Since Need to Crown a Winner
for last months Challenge!

Happy Scrappin'!

Craftastic Challenge #22 - DUE March 31

2011-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 2+ Photos
~ 2+ Buttons
~ Stars
~ Color Teal
~ Punches or Die Cut
~ 2+ Pattern Papers
~ 3+ Chipboard Pieces
~ Charm
~ Stamp
~ Journaling
~ Doodling

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
Wall art is expensive but it makes your
home even more welcoming. Your challenge
this month is to make your own Wall Art.
Use a Canvas, mirror, or cork board
and decorate it to your hearts content.

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #22"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends MARCH 31, 2011.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:
(Note it says #16 however the winner of that
challenged opted for a different prize ;0)!)

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Sneek Peek!

2011-02-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

OMG I should have been working
on a big order today, but
I just couldn't help myself!
It's a big deal, I haven't felt this
way about a project in a long time.

I worked on this most of the
day and even lost track of time.
It's way more detailed than I thought.
BUT I LOVE IT!
So far...
Today is Crop so I hope to finish this
up as well as the first half of my order.

I saw this idea posted somewhere and
just couldn't get it out of my head,
so I had to make my own.

I'll post the finished project soon!

Tallyscrapper & Sketch Inspiration...

2011-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every year Tallyscrapper hosts
the Survivor Challenges.
Each week each team gets a new Challenge.

Here is this weeks Requirements Summary:
~Must have WHITE SPACE or NEGATIVE SPACE CHECK!
~Must have at least one Photo with MORE than one person in it. CHECK!
~Must have Tan/Brown AND Blue! CHECK!
~Must have at least 2 staples and a piece of recycled scrapbook packaging. CHECK!
I used 5 staples and used the packaging from Sass Lass Felties for journaling.

This is Justin and me on vacation in 2009.
Yep, still working on that album :0).
I saw this little yellow fishy in my stash and
knew I had to find a way to use him!
So with a few little yellow flowers it worked!

I also used Sketch #207 from Sketch Inspiration
a wonderful sketch site from the amazing Trisha!
If you're looking to boost your inspiration
this is the site to wonder!

Thanks for looking and Happy Scrappin'!

Are you Sketchy?

2011-02-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

Are you Sketchy? is a challenge
on Tally Scrapper Right Now and linked to a
Current Challenge on Pages Maps for
the AMAZING Becky Fleck.

Tally Scrapper Due Date March 2
and Page Maps Due Date Feb 27!
Hurry Hurry!
Cool Prizes are up for both!

I knew right away what I
wanted to scrap for this sketch.
On a recent shopping trip with Mom and a
Scrap Friend I was able to stock up on
pretty papers and other baby themed items
to start my Pregnancy Scrapbook.

The Pink Tab in the back is actually a
pull tab with my journaling.
It's long, so here's a shorter variation.

On Feb 1 we had the first DR appointment
and were told all seemed to be ok except
that my uterus was larger than what is
should be for only 7 weeks.
So I was sent for an ultrasound
to confirm how far along I was.

As Justin and I waited for our turn,
Justin was joking about some tacos
I inhaled a couple days before.
And told me it's okay, I'm eating for 3.
Haha very funny, I was still
hoping I was only having one baby.

As the Tech was doing the procedure
I saw 2 little bodies and knew
right away Justin was right.
Two little Gummy Bears-Twins!

Oh the scary factor, two of everything.
We'll get through it though and I'm
sure it'll be a major adventure.
We're both very excited and only hope
that all goes well and the babies
are happy healthy and adorable!

Thanks for looking & Happy Scrappin'!

Projects Submitted so Far this month!

2011-02-21T07:42:00.001-08:00

I hope to get more participation for the
Challenges, however if it doesn't pick up
by May I'll have to close the challenges
for prizes. That makes me sad.
So pretty please start playing along with us.
I promise to do the challenges too from
here on out. I know I know I've been bad
not doing my own challenges.

Okay on to good news!
We have 3 entries so far this month!

Teenabugg:
Sketch & Shopping List
Forever Young

Jessica:
The Shopping List Cards
You Make me Smile & Oh Baby

I'll be doing the sketch this week. YAY!

Hello Again, after a long break...

2011-02-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

It's been way to long and I
apologize for this LONG break.
Alot has been going on the last couple
month both reality and emotionally.

December was nuts with the holidays.
January we adopted 2 new puppies, a
brother and sister, however the sister
was very ill and didn't make it.
The brother, Zeus is definitely
capable of being God of Thunder.
He talks alot and is more a guard dog
than the others, but so far is blending
in quite well, especially with Zoey.
There will be more about him soon.

In Jan we also found out I'm
pregnant with our first baby.
My dad and brother were home for a
couple weeks and we stayed very busy.
It was perfect timing though since we
got to tell my family as a whole.

Feb has so far been an adventure.
Our first baby turns out to be two babies!
We're having twins. Crazy.
Justin and I are both very excited though.
So emotionally it's been a roller coaster.
I'm due mid September, though I'm sure
the twins will make an early appearance.

I'll be back soon with Layouts to share.
I hope to be more active on
the blog in the coming weeks.

Craftastic Challenge # 21 - Feb 1/28

2011-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 1 LARGE Photo
~ 2+ Buttons
~ Circles
~ Color Pink
~ Border Punches
~ 3+ Pattern Papers
~ 2+ Chipboard Pieces
~ Charm
~ Stamp
~ Bling
~ Handmade Embellishment

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
It's a month into the new year but many of
us still have to find a planner or calendar.
Your challenge this month is to make
your own date book or calendar.

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #21"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends February 28, 2011.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

So excited for my BIL...

2010-12-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

My brother in law, Daniel,
just bought his first plane.
It's a little Cessna named Snoopy!
Daniel is excited he bought
a plane before he's 21!
So far it seems the plane is in good
condition except for the paint job, hehe!
I know Daniel wonders over here once in a
while so, DanDan, if you read this act
excited when you get this for Christmas anyway.

I was able to go with Daniel to get the
plane inspected, so while i was there I
took quite a few photos with my phone.
The very last photo was taken the
day Daniel got the keys to the
plane from the previous owner.

I used a stash of Coasters for my project:).
Where from?
Well, one of my favorite restaurants of course!
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE.

Thank you for stopping by and Happy Scrappin'!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2010-12-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

***WARNING POST IS LONGER THAN USUAL!***

I have been MIA for much to long.
I am so sorry!
Things have been very busy since
September and as for it slowing down,
I am not sure if it will.
But I am happy, and very exhausted.
Small projects have been done here
and there, but I really haven't been
in the mood until the last week or so!

My friend Jennifer has helped me
redeem some of that lost mojo lately!
Thank you, Jennifer!
I've been helping her with little
projects for Christmas Gifts.
It's been a blast.

Jennifer asked to do Candles, so we used
a technique I learned a few years ago.
You stamp on tissue paper, and melt it into a candle.
(Dollar Tree candles work perfectly for this project!)
We used brads to embellish the cactus.

I should have mentioned her gifts are for
family from outside of Arizona, so many of the
gifts she's gotten for them are AZ related.
She's a smart cookie!
I think I'll make a tutorial for this in the near future.
The project is easy once you get the hang of the process.

I have always been curious about Sculpey,
but until I met Jennifer I never tried it.
I THINK I'M ADDICTED!
Jennifer wanted to make ornaments for gifts
and I asked if I could play too.
Lucky me she said yes.

I made the polar bear on the left
and the penguin in the center.
Jenifer made the polar bear on the right.
I made my penguin, but LOVED her polar
bear so I had to have my own, hehe.
The penguin is for my brother Joe, I
might try and make another one though,
this one doesn't stand on his own, nor did
I make him into an ornament. Opps.

While our creations were baking,
Jennifer's little boy, Joshua, and
I made a little house ornament.
Okay, okay I made it but he picked
the paper and the sticker!
Isn't he just ADORABLE?

I got my pattern HERE.
I revised the pattern alittle with tabs on
the house to attach the roof and the base.
I hope to make more soon. They are supper cute!

I'll be soon with more projects to share.
Happy Scrappin'!

Craftastic Challenge #20 (12/1-12/31)

2010-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

PLEASE NOTE THIS CHALLENGE HAS
BEEN MADE A 2 MONTH CHALLENGE!

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 3 Wallet Size Photos
~ 4+ Buttons
~ Flowers
~ Color Red
~ Twine
~ Journal
~ LARGE Chipboard Piece
~ Charm
~ Dry Embossing
~ Bling
~ 2 types of Patter Paper
~ Handmade Embellishment

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
It's time to get ready for the holidays!
Your challenge this month is to
alter/decorate shipping tags for the holidays!

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #20"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends January 30, 2011.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Sept & October Challenge Winners

2010-11-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!
It's way PAST due to announce our winners
for the Craftastic Challeges #17 & #18.
No PHOTOS this time, so sorry.

Craftastic Challenge # 17 WINNER is:
JESSICA!!!
YAY, JESSICA!! Please email your addy
and I'll get your prize out ASAP.

Craftastic Challenge # 18 WINNER is:
JENNIFER!!!
YAY, JENNIFER!! No need to send your
addy girlie I'll be seeing you soon!

Thank you ladies for playing along.
It truly means the world to me!
As always you all have beauitful work!

Craftastic Challenge #19 (11/1-11/30)

2010-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 2 4x6 Size Photos
~ 5+ Rhinestones
~ Circles
~ Color Teal
~ Lace
~ Journal Tag
~ LARGE Title
~ Hat Pin
~ Dry Embossing
~ Die Cut
~ 4 types of Patter Paper
~ Handmade Embellishment

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
It's time to get ready for the holidays!
Your challenge this month is to
alter/decorate shipping tags for the holidays!

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #19"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends November 30, 2010.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Mini Update!

2010-10-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

Later this week I hope to update the blog.
It's been FOREVER.
We've been busy with many many things.
Scrapbooking Classes, Crops, LOTS of
Tupperware, A last minute decision
today to throw a Halloween Party,
plus very important family matters.
And I hate to say this but the rest of
the year is looking just as booked :0),
both good and bad.
So If I get a chance I'll
be here with little tidbits.

I REALLY hope to share with you later this
week the many fun things I've done for
decorating the house for Halloween with
nothing but DOLLAR STORE items. YAY!!
(I have more things to do still!! Yikes!)

MAJOR BONUS!! I completed my very first
REAL Sewing project last night!!
I can't wait to show you all!
Even the hubby is surprised and extra proud.
He helped me just alittle with the finishing
touches but I did the main parts!
BTW, he sews and I have avoided the sewing
machine as much as possible until now.
Like my fortune cookie said today:
"Nothing Dared, Nothing Gained!"

I know I also need to announce the
Winner of the Last Challenge.
So I'll be getting that done too!

Thank you all for following the blog
and Happy Scrappin'!

Interactive Card Class

2010-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

I have finally completed the kits
for this week's Interactive Card Class.
I wish I could say the ideas were flowing
easily, but they weren't so that's why
there's a delay in posting the cards.

Each Kit comes with written
instructions and a photo of each card.
Classes will be held
Oct 13 and Oct 16 from 11-3 PM.

Since the cards are interactive a video
was needed to show how each one works.
YAY! I LOVE VIDEOS!

Waterfall Card

Slider Card

Side Step Card

Box Pop-Up Card

Swing Card
I wasn't going to to a 5th card, but when
I saw this one I knew it had to be done.

There are SO many interactive cards to be
made that this may be a series of classes.

Spooky Sexy Can

2010-10-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Colleen did fantastic work with her can!
I think I need to make one with the Halloween Theme too!

The girls were able to pick from my
many monthly kits. So when Colleen
choose the Halloween Themed one I was
curious what she was up to! She created
this wonderful, fun and spooky can to be
used later on in the season as a "BOO" can.

How to start the tradition:

1. Create a "Boo" bag/basket o' goodies
(if this is new in your neighborhood, you may want to create 3 or 4)
2. Print a "Boo" gram.
3. Find your unsuspecting target
4. Make the "drop"
5. Ring the doorbell and knock
6. RUN!!!

I LOVE this idea and think
I might try it this year.

Unfortunately, Colleen will be moving soon.
We're going to miss her terribly.
But, we might get to have her visit once and a while!
Thanks Colleen for brightening
all our lives with your laughter!

Destination Sexy Can

2010-10-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Saving up for a future trip can be
hard work, but as long as you have
some where as beautiful as this to
deposit your savings it makes it easier.
Mom's can give you the urge to to travel
all over the world and taken in the sights.

The vintage style of the can is so beautiful!

About Vintage Scrapping
(Click here for more information)

Vintage scrapbookers try to make their projects resemble family albums from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Trademarks of the vintage style include:

~Pages that make liberal use of brown, tan, cream, black, grey, and other neutral colors
~Embellishments such as buttons, keys, old postcards, and pressed flowers
~Use of newspapers, handwritten letters, or maps as background elements
~A collage-inspired design, as opposed to the clean and simple look favored by contemporary scrapbook artists
~Handwritten journaling
~Use of script or typewriter fonts for title treatments
~An emphasis on projects that include genealogical research

While the vintage style doesn't appeal to everyone, it can be fun to try this look even if you normally take a more modern approach to your projects. Part of the appeal of scrapbooking is experimenting with different creative approaches!

Hoot Hoot Sexy Can

2010-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Momma (or Dee to all our friends)
LOVES to go BIG and BOLD so her
first can fits her personality well
and matches her scrap area perfectly!

10 Ways to use with Twine * Ribbon on your projects:
Click here for more information.

1. Add a bow: An elaborate bow or a ‘cheat’ bow - a knot in a piece of twine/ribbon which is then stuck on with a glue dot. Trim the edges for a bit of elegance.
2. Anchor a journaling block: The ribbon can go underneath the journaling block or stop at the sides making it look as though the ribbon is holding it in place. Add a couple of brads to finish it.
3. Attach to a ribbon slide: Hold a ribbon slide in place in a similar way to the journaling block
4. Add a border for a page: - horizontally, vertically or both.
5. Make stems for flowers
6. Make a tab holder: Accent a photo with an oddment of ribbon and a brad. Not all ribbon is used by the yard or that should read the ‘foot’ as on a 12 x 12 layout! ‘Hold’ a journaling block in place with a tab, again made from an oddment of ribbon. Or make a handle to pull out a hidden journaling tag.
7. Add ‘leaves’ to a flower or a tail to an accent like this Brad Buddy
8. Decorate a photo mat: This photo has been placed on a large mount and the extra space is wrapped with ribbon to which star brads have been added.
9. Give your photograph a ribbon treatment: Note the pretty lace ‘hanging’ at the right of the photo hiding/disguising the empty space and at the same time framing the photograph
10. Add a ‘word’ ribbon: even on a male layout! There are many examples available in various scrapbooking ranges, or you can stamp your own.

Splish Splash Sexy Can

2010-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is offically over but that
certianly doesn't mean you can plan for
the future and next summer's vacation!
Jennifer created her can to be
used for her vacation savings!
She's a smart lady getting started now!

Don't you just love the big flower on the side?
Jennifer's can leaves me dreaming of the ocean!

Silk and Paper Flowers
Silk flowers are available in sizes from
small to giant! Some are designed specifically
for scrapbooking, but you can also pick up
inexpensive ones at discount stores. Don’t be
afraid to place flowers so that part of them
extends off of the page; simply trim the
overhanging part to fit your page inside a page
protector. Silk and paper flowers are best
adhered using brads or eyelets or buttons
stitched as centers.

When using Dollar Store Silk Flowers
keep in mind they are not acid free!

Flutter Sexy Can

2010-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

The colors of Elisabeth's Sexy Can and
the fact that there is a butterfly on
the side of the can makes my heart Flutter!
Elisabeth used the Bo Bunny "Flutter Butter"
line for this beautiful can.

I LOVE how she did the belt line using
the green paper and a border punch.
It add so much depth to the layering.

Here’s how most decorative punches work:
(Visit this link for more information and photos!)
•Start with a strip of paper.
Place it in your punch. Punch once.
•Slide the strip down the punch,
placing it on top of the guide mark.
Many of today’s decorative border
punches have guide marks printed on
them, showing you exactly where to
set your paper when you punch.
Punch again.
•Slide the paper again. Place it
again over the guide mark. Punch yet
again. Repeat this step until your
border is long enough for your project.

Elengant & Bright Sexy Can

2010-10-04T00:00:00.001-07:00

Bea's can is seriously beautiful!
The bright & big flower makes the can.

Bea got to learn how to use Rub-ons
for the first time with this project
and the result is beautiful!

A few tips when working with rub-ons:
1. Always separate the image you want by
cutting it away from the others in the
package. This will help make sure you don't
over lap and use images you don't want.
2. Most packages of rub-ons come with a
burnishing tool, usually just a Popsicle
stick. The Popsicle stick will work but
may cause damages to your project, such
as tearing, scratching or denting. Using
a bone folder or tool made just for rub-ons
like the Basic Grey Rub-on Tool will help
make sure your images is transferred with
clear and smooth results.
3. Not all rub-ons are manufactured the same.
You may have to press harder on some rub-ons
than others. Always store your rub-on in a
cool dry place. Leaving your rub-ons in a hot
car for instance can result in rub-ons that no
longer work as well.
4. The easiest place to use the rub-ons is on
a flat surface like card stock, patterned paper
or photographs. After you have mastered rub-ons
for flat surfaces you can move on to the next
level which would be using rub-on transfers on
material, ribbon, twill, glass, metal and mesh.

Happy Scrappin'!

Parade of Sexy Cans!

2010-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

During the next week, each
"Sexy Can" created during class
this past week will be posted with a
short bio and more detailed photos.
Tips and more will also be posted with
each can so be sure to check back each day!

What makes a "Sexy Can" sexy?
When covering a can, a 12x12 sheet of paper does not meet in the back leaving about an inch and a half gap. So to cover the back without adding
more paper we've added eyelets and ribbon/hemp to create a corset. Super Sexy, huh?

Here's a sneak peek:

These wonderful ladies have been
a great support system with this
venture and I greatly appreciate
each and every one of them.
The best thing is we all support
and enjoy each other's company.
Thank you, Ladies!

Scheduled Premier Dates:
10/4: Bea "Elegant & Bright"
10/5: Elisabeth "Flutter"
10/6: Jennifer "Splish Splash"
10/7: Dolores "Hoot Hoot"
10/8: Dolores "Destinations"
10/9: Colleen "Spooky"

SYTYCS #5

2010-10-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

This past two weeks we were
asked to use a bingo card.
Team Nikki was required to use one of
the four corners to create a 12x12 LO.
I chose a corner with 4 pattern papers,
2 wallet sized photos,Stitching,
& hand written journaling.

I just have a few more photos I'd like
to scrap from our recent trip to Carr
Canyon so this was a perfect opportunity.

I've been wanting to try the
layered borders technique for a
while as well as the banner idea!
I Used my wonderful EK Border punches
and my one Martha Stewart punch to create
the pattern paper Kraft back ground.
For the Banner I used my Cricut and Gypsy.

Craftastic Challenge #18 (10/1-10-31)

2010-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 1 5x7 Size Photo
~ 3+ Brads
~ Stripes
~ Color Purple
~ 2+ Ribbons
~ Journal Tag
~ Stickles
~ Pearls
~ Heat Embossing
~ Paper Clip
~ 3 types of Patter Paper
~ Handmade Embellishment

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
Scrapbooking is expensive, but so much fun!
Your challenge this months is find a container
in your home and alter it to be a coin bank!
You can use this for any type of savings,
but one way is everytime you complete
a project place $1 in the bank.
This will help pay for future projects or layouts!

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #18"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends October 31, 2010.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Drive-by Scrap Lift!

2010-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tally Scrapper DT Member Createdmonster
posted an neat challenge.
The requirements seemed simple,
until I got started, lol.

Rules:
•Must use white cardstock as your background!
•One picture.
•One piece of patterned paper.
•No other color allowed other than the
picture and one piece of patterned paper.

I don't use white as a back
ground often so that was interesting.
Only one colored pattern paper?
And only Black & White other wise?
Hmmm, this was a challenge.

Oh but this was so much fun.
I got to use my stamps and play with
paint and these little roll on stitches.
I am pretty excited with the outcome.

Birthday Wishes...

2010-09-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend we're visiting my
husband's family and his dad will
be celebrating his birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEITH!

Since my FIL is a Pilot I knew I
had to have a plane on the CARD!
It's cheesey I know!
Over the weekend at our Crop
I was showing friends
how to make shaker boxes.
The shaker box idea was still
floating around in my head
so I went with it.

I used the Boy Friend Line from
Cosmo Cricket, a cute little Airplane
stamp from Kaiser Crafts, Green Micro
Beads, & Cut Clouds on the Cricut
using the Going Places Cart, oh
and LOTS of foam tape :0) !

The basic idea for the card was
there, but Justin suggested the
Clouds so YAY for my co-designer.

Sexy Can Class

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

A group of us did a preview
Sexy Can Class on Wednesday.

I'm so happy we did because one
of the ladies is moving away.
We're so sad to see her go,
but wish her the best in life.

I've asked the Ladies to email me
photos of their cans as they complete
them, so for now I'll share the one I did.

I made the flower using the
Tulle Flower Tutorial.

Scrapbook Sussies is one of my
favorite Kit Clubs and I love that
everything is picked for you and matches!
For this one I used the Sussies May
Kit featuring Tree House from Pebbles.

Oh to be a dog...

2010-09-11T01:17:00.001-07:00

Our fur babies are great,
fun, lovable, and sweet.
I just wish they could pick up
their toys or at least the fluff
they remove from the stuffed toys
or the "Snow" as we call it.
(The only Snow we see here in AZ, lol.)
But no life is tough being a DOG.
Sleep, Eat, Play & Repeat!
Gosh, it's horrible.

J & I love our Monsters so much
though and I don't know what
we'd do with out them!

Lily is all our Lazy & Stubborn one.
But she's a great momma Dog, she loves
children and is great with Zoey.
Lily likes to grumble, and talk
back so we have to watch out, lol!

Booster is AMAZING! He does everything
he's told, and hates to be scolded.
He has however caught on to the attitudes
of the girls. Not good.
But his huffing is minimal:0)!

Zoey is the Baby. She's the most
spoiled, and demands the most attention.
She rules over the big dogs and has NO fear.
But we have to say she's one smart puppy!

Thanks for stopping by &
sharing a Dog day with us!

Whimsy Jar for Jennifer!

2010-09-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

Jennifer won Challenge #16 and being that
she's local her and I were able to come up
with a different option for her prize!

I mentioned the Whimsy Jar and
Jennifer was up for the idea.

Normally I do use a Jar but I was
cleaning out a few things and ended
up with a few clear pails that the
Prima's come in and thought it was perfect!
I filled it with random goodies like,
buttons, brads, flowers, ribbon, tags,
metal hotel key numbers, and more.
Then I began the task of decorating it.
I used Crate Paper's Mia Collection to
make a belt for the pail and finished
off the belt with a corset back.

Jennifer received her whimsy jar this
evening so I've sure if she hasn't
already emptied it out she will soon!
Hopefully she can get it all out.
It was jam packed :0)!
A whimsy jar will have to be a prize
for future challenge soon!

CAKE POPS!

2010-09-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

I admit I'm not really good at
cooking or baking and I normally
tend to avoid it :).

However the past few months I've
tried alittle harder to experiment.
I've been following Bakerella for
alittle more than 6 months.

A dear friend sent me her link and
since then I've been oohing and
aawing and saying,
"I don't think I can do that!"

As it turns out I can do that, however
I can't make them nearly as pretty!
Bakerella is an artist!
Here are her Cupcake Cake Pops:

And mine, the not so fantastic ones:

The ones I made have to HUGE
compared to Bakerella, opps.
I will admit they are very yummy!

Here's the rest of the batch, which
BTW are this crop night's treat!

Thanks for stopping by
and have a SWEET weekend!

SYTYCS

2010-09-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Scrap
@ Tally Scrapper week 4 just ended.
We had to use a distressed paper,
paint and because I'm Nikki's team
we had to use HUG somewhere in our LO.

I used one of my favorite photos
from our little drive this past week.
I used Hug as my title.
Used Rock Candy a clear Crackle
paint on the blue strip and on the trees.
The large background paper
behind the photo was distressed.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Clothes Pin Tutorial

2010-09-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yay, a new Tutorial!
It's been FOREVER!
True this one is Simple but I wanted to
make sure our girls for Crop had a how to!
Writing the instructions are hard
for me, so videos are much easier!

Don't forget if you make some please be
sure to share your link to your photos!
You will be entered into this month's
Craftastic Challenge #17 for Outta the Box!
Leave a comment with your
link on the Challenge Post :)!

In this tutorial I'll be going through
the steps for paper covering your clothes
pins and completing you gift set.
Kit's are available for local gals at crop.

Where you can purchase some of these items:
~Clothes Pins - Local Walmart, Target, Kmart in the laundry section
~Shipping Tags - Staples or local office supply store
~3/8" Tape - www.RubberStampConcepts.com (more sizes available)
~Patter Paper - Local Craft Store (Taken from a 6x6 pad, for scaled down pattern)

Here's a link to the orginal post.
Clothes Pins! (CLOTHES PINS!)

Tutorials & more..

2010-09-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

To keep myself on track I thought
I'd make a list for future
tutorials I'd like to complete :).

Here's a few ideas:
~ Clothes Pins
~ Coasters
~ Chipboard Techinques
from our recent class.

If you'd like to add more
to my list please leave a comment!

Also I get quite a few questions and don't
always answer so from now I'll try my best
to comment where your questions are :).
If for some reason I don't reply,
(I get side tracked pretty
easily, ask Jennifer, lol!)
Please feel free to email
me at craftasticlife@hotmail.com.

Pocket Card!

2010-09-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

Nope no tutorial from me this time.
But if you'd like know how I made
this nifty card head over to Tally Scrapper!

One of the crafty ladies is hosting
a challenge to made your own pocket card!
I loved doing this card and the idea
of it being pockets is just too cool!
I hope you all give it a try too!

I'll be back in a few days to show you
how I got the leather look on the tags!
This was a very neat trick showed to me by a
fellow scrap chick at a recent class I hosted.

You can find the tutorial for
the Rosette Flowers Here.

Clothes Pins!

2010-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend is a Pot Luck Crop!!
For something alittle different I thought
decorating Clothes pins could be neat!
I saw this particular project
including the tag on a few blogs,
like at Made by Nicole.

This is one of those projects that is always fun!
I did the same idea about 2 years
ago in a Christmas theme and
they went well at the craft show!

Below are 4 of 5 themes the ladies
can choose from for their Make & Take!

The Tags can be used later for a quick label for
a present, the clothes pins can be used upside down,
standing up on a flat surface to hold photos.
Or add magnet to the back to put them
up on the fridge to hold documents.
So many possibilities!

Tutorial for this project
can be found HERE.

Don't forget if you make some please be
sure to share your link to your photos!
You will be entered into this month's
Craftastic Challenge #17 for Outta the Box!
Leave a comment with your
link on the Challenge Post :)!

Thank you, Jennifer, for your help assembling the Kits!

Ceviche & More!

2010-09-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

My poor blog has been lonely.

I've been in a funk and have
been working hard on getting
myself back to normal happy me.
This week hasn't made it easy!
Let's just say my car won't start,
mom lent me hers and it ended up with
a flat, and our garge door spring snapped.
Lucky us my car is at the shop, the flat
has been fixed on mom's, our garge door
is fixed and they delieved a new stove Friday.

Friday we had a lazy day, finally!
We made Ceviche! Yummmy!
Mom & I Love the ceviche they serve
at our local mexican seafood place.
We used the new Tupperware Steamer
and Chop & Prep, which btw both are AWESOME!
The ceviche was very yummy!

We had a recipe but didn't use it much :)!

Ingredients:
2lbs Shrimp Chopped
1/2 lb Fish Filet Chopped
4 Tomatoes Seeded & Chopped
1 Cup Cilantro Chopped
1 Cucumber Chopped
1/2 Onion Chopped
3 tbs Tomato Sauce
Salt to Taste
3 Limes
1 Lemons Juiced
1 Avacado Chopped (Used as a garnish)

Directions:
Season Shrimp & Fish with 1 Lemon Juiced and 2 Limes Juiced. Sprinkle with Salt. We used the TW Steamer and Steamed 1 lb at a time for 8 minutes. Same for the Fish. Once shrimp is cooked peel & de-tail, then chop. Chop fish as well. All chopped ingedients except should be mixed. Add & mix 1 juiced Lime and Tomato Sauce. Serve Cold with tortilla Chips. YUMMMM...

Hope you all have wonderful Holiday Weekend!

Craftastic Challenge #17 (9/3-10/1)

2010-09-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you Scrapbook Etc.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 2 Wallet Size Photo
~ 5+ Buttons
~ Poka-Dots
~ Color Orange
~ Lace
~ Decorative Border
~ Ink
~ Bling
~ Dry Embossing
~ Staple(s)
~ 2 types of Patter Paper
~ Handmade Embellishment

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
Daily house hold items are not normally thought
of to alter, but this round I'd like to see you
alter either binder clips or clothes pins!
Both are clever little photo holders.
Add magnets to the back of the clothes pins
to make them document holders for the fridge!
So many possibilities.

You can Find the Tutorial HERE!

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #17"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Multiple entries for a challenge are welcomed!
Challenge ends September 30, 2010.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
As of this month, I'll be adding a mini
album to all RAKs when there are more
than 10 entries for the Challenge.
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Craftastic Challenge #16 Winner

2010-09-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

It's that time again to select a Challenge Winner!
We had just a few entries, but all wonderful!

Our Winner for Challenge #16 is:
JENNIFER

Here's Jennifer's Lo.

Congrats Jennifer!
Since Jennifer is local she was
able to pick out her own prize :)!
So this means that this month's prize
will be posted for a future Challenge!

As always thank you all for playing along!

Inspiration!

2010-08-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

My honey and I went up to the
mountains this morning, an adventure
we haven't done in quite some time.
It's monsoon season here in AZ
and Justin's schedule hasn't
allowed much time for play.
We actually drove all the way to the top today!
We've never done that.
Dogs were not invited on this
adventure so it could alone time :0).
We took quite a few photos like this one:

and I took this one of Justin's SUV.

The color stuck with me and tada use
of a new stamp and the color
inspiration means a full project!
Now this a definite feat since the last real
project I did took me nearly 2 weeks to complete.
(I'll take photos of it and post later this week.)

Tiles are from Lowes and are Tumble Marble.
The Stamp is from KaiserCraft "Tea at Elsie's."
Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Challenge Info & More!

2010-08-22T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends.

A new Craftastic Challenge
will be up starting September 1st.
This will be the new schedule for Challenges.
Challenges will run from the first of the month
to the last day of the month at midnight.
Hopefully this challenge will allow me to catch up a bit.

I've been quite a rut lately and it seems my
Mojo has run off, but I have accomplished a few
projects which I'll be post over the next week.
For now I'd like to share with you my latest LO.

LO was for Tally Scapper's
"So you think you can scrap" challenge.
The beautiful woman in the photo is my aunt in 1969.
She's going through a rough patch and I thought
the song Smile sung by Nat King Cole was a
beautiful song to help her through.
I'll be putting the LO in a shadow box to give to her.

Thank you for visiting!

Craft Tips!

2010-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Tips are from U Create & U Create Readers!

I thought it would be fun to share little ways that make our crafty lives easier! Here are some of my very favorite craft tips...

Use a cookie sheet w/ newspaper or wax paper for a portable craft surface…super easy cleanup!

Sharpen your scissors by cutting sand paper.

Place a little bit of Vaseline to the end of your glue gun to get rid of those long glue strings.
Soak your paint brushes in fabric softener or hair conditioner for 10 min…cleans right off!

Recycle large plastic lids by using them for a painter’s pallette or cutting them up for stencils.

Need to create a large pattern? Use newspapers!

Keeping a magnet close by makes picking up those sewing pins a sinch!

Store those pipe cleaners for kid’s crafts inside of a paper towel tubes.

Break up some styrofoam to create snow for craft projects.

Keep those cardboard boxes! Cut & cover with patterned paper to make a mini album, cover with art paper and use as a canvas, and I always use them to eliminate a mess while spraypainting!

Re-use old containers such as Pringles chips tube or Clorox wipes container for storage of paint brushes or other art utensils.

Re-use prescription bottles for tiny craft goods-needles, beads,jewelry parts etc.

Whenever you paint a room, put a small amount of the leftover paint in a small, airtight jar (baby-food jar etc) and store it somewhere in that room-then you can instantly paint over nicks or scuffs on the wall when they happen!

Make sandpaper last 3x as long by putting duct tape on the back of it. Makes it stronger!

Tiny "scrunchies" or ponytail holders are great for keeping bobbin/spool thread from unwinding when not in use.

Empty dental floss containers (and empty pill bottles)make great little emergency sewing kit containers. Put in a needle, a small cardboard square with some plain black,white, and tan thread wrapped around it, a couple of safety pins and put one in your purse, your car, your diaper bag.

A few of my favorites:

For less fraying on the ends of ribbon use No Fray from the fabric section at the craft store, or use clear nail polish.
To remove stamps or ink texts on plastic or glass items use nail polish remover.
To use tattoos on projects follow regular instructions, however instead of a damp cloth use a baby wipe.
Pigment ink is easily cleaned with a baby wipe.Goo Gone is a Crafters Dream when it comes to gooey situations.
Warm/Hot water removes modge podge and rub-ons from glass. (I came across this with the flower vase tutorial.)

Do you have any craft tips you'd like to share? I would love to hear them!

Dahlia Flower Card

2010-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Day 5 of projects!

This flower is so pretty in person.
This is Tommorrow's Make & Take for crop!

You can see the original tutorial at Tallyscrapper.com
by one fantastic lady, valerie.

A. Cut 8 circles at 2" and one larger circle at 2.5".
B. Fold each circle in half.
C. Fold each circle in half again to create quarters.
D. Unfold each circle to reveal folds.
E. Fold back two edges of the circles to the form a point
F. Flip all circles back over.
G. Fold the edges over so the meet in the middle.
H. Fold Large circle in quarts (B & C.) to give you a center point, cover circle in adhesive and adhere first folded circle.
I. Continue with the remaining small circles until the large circle in no longer visable.
Once flower is complete embellish with a button or brad center.

In our case the ladies at the crop will be make a brad using the I-Top!
Flower is perfect for cards, scrapbooks, and more.

The ladies at the crop will have the choice of
one of the three color schemes below for thier card.

Thank you for stopping by & Happy Craftin'!

Make & Takes!

2010-07-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Day 4 of Projects!
Our Croppin Friends are spoiled and are
used to getting a Make & Take at crop,
so it's been up to me to make sure they get one.

So far we've made bottle caps,
Bra & Panty Cards and the projects below!

This adorable little brag book was
for our very first evening crop.

Last evening crop we made this cards.
Cricut Cart Home Decor was used.

Make sure to stop by tomorrow for
the next make & take and a Tutorial!

What day was that again?

2010-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of Projects!
Now that I've started my Tupperware
business and am doing classes and crops in my
home I need a way to keep my days straight.

I created 2010 and 2011 calendars using
Microsoft Excel and printed them out.
I also have the same calendar sheets on my
bulletin board on my desk for quick reference.
From there I cut Chipboard covers and divider.
I used Tally Scrapper's "Summer Ardor" by Nikki
to decorate the date book.

It's all about Felt!

2010-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of Projects :).
Today it's all about Felt!
I have recently learned how
to use a sewing machine, however
I still prefer sewing by hand.

A few months ago Mom and I each got a
Fiskar Trimmer and mom immediately went
in search for all the decorative blades.
She got us quite a few!!
And the new challenge was how to store them.
I came up with this felt book with
little pockets for each blade.
Outside with Chipboard Insert to make stronger.

Inside with pockets.
Had to add the flap to insure the
blades would stay in the pockets.

Since I was already having fun with
the felt I decided I needed a little pouch
to store all my extra stylus for my Gypsy!

A couple weeks ago Justin and I went
Joann's and I picked up some really cut
quarter cuts to make a fabric owl.
The next day the Sewing machine and I
had a fight and the sewing machine won.
I found out it's very smart to
add a backing to thin fabric.
Something I still need to purchase.
So since the sewing machine refused
to help me make an owl, I pulled out
my felt and started to hand sew!
It's she cute??
I just need to add a bow and she's done!

(Ok, I admit she's not that
cute, but I'm proud of her!)
Thank you all for stopping by!

Whooo's Purse?

2010-07-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

My projects the past few months
have been few and very spread out.
So over the next few days I hope to share
with you the last 3 months worth of projects.

Altering Wooden Objects is so much Fun!
I did a pure slightly bigger than this in Jan.
But this one is my favorite!
I used Sassafras Paper to cover the Wooden Purse.

Thanks for stopping by!

So you think you can...

2010-07-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tally Scrapper just finished out thier
first challenge for "So you think you can scrap?"

This Challenge we needed to make a 8.5x11
layout, use only one wallet size photo and
have the title, "So you think you can...?"
And because I'm on Nikki's team I also had
to use paint and use a blue color scheme.

I picked this photo of my brother Joe playing baseball.
Joe has never been good at sports nor has he ever
been interested so this was fun to watch him play!
He did pretty good!

Craftastic Challenge #16 (7/25-8/31)

2010-07-25T10:43:00.001-07:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.
June 2010 Sketch

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 1 Wallet Size Photo
~ 2+ Buttons
~ Stars
~ Color Blue
~ 4 types of Patter Paper
~ Handmade Embellishment
~ Twine
~ Decorative Border
~ Paint
~ Mesh
~ Dry Embossing

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.
June 2010 Card Sketch

Outta the Box
I LOVE using Baby Wipes in my craft area!
They remove ink from stamps, clean up dust
and even remove adhesive on my craft mat.
Your challenge this month is decorate
a Baby Wipe Container.

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #16"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Challenge ends August 31, 2010.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
Here is the Prize:

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Craftastic Challenge Winner #15

2010-07-25T10:20:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends!

We've had a very busy month for
family, but it's been awesome!

Challenge #15's Winner
is a Fabulous Scrapper!
Jessica, Congrats!
Jessica Submitted this adorable Birthday LO.

Thank you ladies for taking the time
to submit your challenge entries!

Dragonflies & Daisies July Sketch Challenge

2010-07-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Dragonflies & Daisies Paper Crafts,
has just launched thier WEBSITE/ and to
celebrate we're having a Sketch Challenge.
The challenge will run from today,
July 6th thru midnight PST July 31st.

This sketch is by the very talented Trisha.

Here's the layout I created for Challenge.

And we thought it would only be fitting to offer the Summer Seasonal Cricut® Cartridge Independence Day to the winner. The winner will be announced the first week of August.

We hope you can play along!

New Items in my Etsy Store

2010-07-03T16:22:00.001-07:00

It's been FOREVER since I've updated it!
Within the next two weeks
I hope to have more loaded.
I'm getting ready for the holiday bazaars
and making sure I've got plenty of items
to show both on etsy and at the shows.

Now any one who says they've been here on
the blog and would like to purchase an item
can message me with "FUN20" in the subject
line and get 20% off their order.
Please let me know before you purchase
so I can adjust the price of the
item(s) you would like.

Layouts to Share...

2010-06-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I completed a layout.
I'm excited to get back to playing.

Tallyscrapper.com is doing their
DT search and I'm giving it a shot.
Below are the LOs I've submitted.
I'm so excited.

Chicago, Feb 2010
While taking in the sites I decided
I needed a photo of me on my camera
so I started snapping away!
I got caught, lol!
Joseph was able to snap a photo
of me taking a photo of me.

Vacation, May/June 2010
After visiting the USS Midway in
San Diego we visited the park nearby that
honors our men and women of the military.

Momma
My beautiful mom in her 20s.
I love my momma!
I also used Challenge #15's sketch for the lo.

This isn't part of what I turned in,
but I like it just the same and I used
Craftastic Challenge #14's sketch challenge.

Thanks so much for looking!
I hope to share more creations soon!

Craftastic Challenge #15 (6/20-7/15)

2010-06-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 1 LARGE Photo
~ 5+ Buttons
~ Stars
~ Color Green
~ 3 types of Patter Paper
~ Handmade Embellishment
~ Vintage Style
~ Fibers or Lace
~ Decorative Border
~ Stamped Image
~ BLING or Glitter

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
Like wearing bling? Make your own jewelry!
Bottle Caps, Game Tiles, Paper and even
Shrink-a-dinks can be used to make jewelry.
Shrink-a-dinks is super fun and easy.
You can purchase Shrink-a-dinks
at your local craft store.
Check out this tutorial for more ideas.

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #15"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Challenge ends July 15, 2010.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
Here is the Prize:
(COMING SOON)

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Challenge # 14 Winner

2010-06-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

Finally have a chance to sit and post.
I am so sorry for the delay.
So with out further distractions it's
time to announce out Challenge #14 Winner!

As copied from random.org list randomizer.
List Randomizer
There were 9 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1.Your Song by Jennifer
2.Beautiful at 4 by li-bee-ti
3.Your Song by Jennifer
4.Brother Bear by li-bee-ti
5.Your Song by Jennifer
6.Black Sand by Tammy
7.Black Sand by Tammy
8.My Beloved Ones by li-bee-ti
9.Black Sand by Tammy
Timestamp: 2010-06-20 00:59:00 UTC

CONGRATS JENNIFER!
Jennifer, you and I will have to
discuss your prize for the Challenge :).
Jennifer's LO:

Jennifer is my best friend here in Town and
this is her first time using the Blog Challenges!!
Yay for Jennifer!

As always there were many beautiful
entries, thank you ladies for playing along.

Check out the Other Amazing Entries below.
Original Post

Entries

Layout Sketch
Black Sand by Tammy
Your Song by Jennifer

Layout Shopping List
My Beloved Ones by li-bee-ti
Brother Bear by li-bee-ti
Black Sand by Tammy
Beautiful at 4 by li-bee-ti
Your Song by Jennifer

Updates, Email, Blog Guests

2010-06-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten about the Blog world I promise!
I've been very busy with the Tupperware Business
as well as the new scrapbooking venture.

Just a few Updates for you.

You can now subscribe to
"Leading a Craftastic Life" via Email!
Just click for the link on the top left hand
column and a new window will open where you
can enter your email address. An Email will
be sent to you to confirm your subscription,
make sure to click that link!
Emails will only be sent to you if I have
made a post on the blog. No Post no Email!

Because I've been so busy crafty stuff
hasn't exactly been going on around here.
There's a few things but not much.
I'll be posting them soon.
So I was thinking it's time to open
the Blog up for a weekly Blog Guest.
As a Blog Guest you can share a tutorial
or even a recent project.
To enter your idea please email
(you can find it on the side bar) me with
a written "blog post" that you would like
to see here as well as photos of your project.
Each week I'll pick a new Blog Guest and
their post will be put up every Friday.
No prizes just another way
to put your projects out there.

I'm so excited about the Tupperware Business
and would like to share with you my site link.
Just Click on the box and it'll take you there.
Another link is on the left column.
My Tupperware Site

This week is the Tile Coaster Class.
I'll be posting every one's finished tiles
On Monday next week :)!

Thank you all who still come
one over to check out the blog.
It means so much to me!

Right now I'm in the process of re-organizing
my clear stamps so I'll be back with a post
soon with photos and how I did it.
Happy Scrappin'!

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you our service men
and women past and present.

My hubby Memorial Day 2006, Honor Guard.
U.S. ARMY Veteran

Rosette Flower Tutorial

2010-05-30T19:46:00.001-07:00

During the flower class I showed the
ladies these cute little Rosette Flowers.
Check them out for yourself.

Tweet Tweet!! Remember this?

2010-05-24T01:18:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a little while since I posted
this before photo of the birdhouse but I was
finally able to complete the bird house.
I bought this for $.50 at a rummage sale :).
This is the before photo.

And this dear ladies is the after!

Big difference! I LOVE it!
Now I wish I altered it with
colors to match the guestroom.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Towel Wreath

2010-05-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

I know the title makes you think oh a kids craft.
It can be, but it can also be so elegant!!
I recently redecorated my living room in the
Blues and Greens I've been wanting so badly.
I even got momma to arrange a floral vase for me.
It LOOKS AWESOME, but that's for yet another post.
So when I saw this tutorial
from Nicole I just had to try it out.

The first one I made was very cute, pastel,
and very small, about 12 inch wreath.
When I went to put it on my front door I was soon bummed.
It looked so tiny!
And as cute as the pink was it wasn't my style,
so I opted for a BIG, BETTER Wreath.
I got the first wreath frame at dollar tree.
So I went to Walmart in search for a larger frame
and was able to find a twig type frame for about $3.50.
It was perfect!

I had everything ready to get started but I was also
stressing out and supper busy with getting the house
ready for my first Tupperware Party.
My Friend Jennifer came to the rescue and
she calmed me down and we worked happily on
the wreath the night before the party.
Jennifer is awesome and she's truly become part
of the family and I'm so excited to say something
so beautiful was made possible by her!
Thank you Jennifer for calming me down and helping
to create this lovely piece for my home.
Oh and thank you Nicole for sharing this amazing idea!
Here it is:

BTW, Jennifer went home that night with the original wreath :).

Coaster Mini Album

2010-05-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Justin, Mom and I recently went to a
restaurant and while chatting I mentioned
I'd love to alter the coasters!
I shouldn't have said anything.
Those two where on a mission to
acquire as many as possible.
(I now wish it had been more!)
They are in fact those throw away coasters
so there's no harm in taking them.
And Boy are they nice to alter!

I made momma a mini album of some of
the photos we took in Chicago in Feb.
I simply covered the coasters on both
sides with the photos and patterned paper,
then embellished with odds and ends.

Doesn't Joe look handsome?

Momma is so proud of Joe!

I got caught taking a picture of myself!

Momma Loves it! YAY!
Thank you for dropping by today!

Coaster Tile Class

2010-05-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies, I recently saw a
tutorial on youtube.com to make your
own coaster with Tumbled Marble Tiles.

I loved it so much I made my own and
I'll be hosting a class for this project
on Wednesday, June 16 and Saturday, June 19.

Supplies for this Class:
Travertine Tiles or Tumbled Marble Tile.
Tiles can be purchased at Lowe's for about $5 a box.
Each box comes with 8-9 tiles.
When buying your tiles be sure to
check that all tiles are unbroken.
Also when purchasing the Tumbled Marble Tiles make
sure to pick tiles that do not have too many pours.
Smoother surfaces are best for stamping.
Other supplies include stamps, like above a
uses an image and wording.
Also please be sure to choose clear stamps.
Ink used is Staz-On.

Don't have a chance to pick up tiles and
don't have stamps or Staz-On ink, no
problem I'll have more on hand.

Class when you bring your own supplies $5.
Class with supplies provided by me $12.

Please sign up for this class no later than
2 days prior to the class date you prefer.

Hope to see you all there!

Let's do the Monster Mash!

2010-05-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

Hahaha, time to boogie!

I recently got the paper pad for
Sassafrass Lass's "Monstrosity".
I bought a few sheets at CKC last October and
made cute page of the Monsters-
(L-R)Spike, Gizmo, Booster and Zoey.

I'm so excited to have the paper stack now!

But this time I had something alittle more fun
in mind and came up with this altered notebook!

Crazy Cute, huh?
Thanks for looking!

Craftastic Challenge #14(05/17-06/15)~RAK~

2010-05-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Are you ready for challenges?
Here's the details:

Below you'll find 4 challenges.
2 LO Challenges, 1 Card Challenge and 1 Altered Item Challenge.
You are not being asked to do all challenges, though.
For each Challenge you submit to me your name will be
entered into a "raffle" for the monthly RAK.
So if you do one challenge you will be entered once, do 4
then you'll be entered 4 times.
This is just a way to Challenge you and give you the chance
to try new techniques.
If you have suggestions on RAKs or Challenges let me know
and I'll be more than happy to try to incorporate them.

Layout Sketch
For this one just follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Layout Shopping List
Use at least 3 of the following items in a LO.
~ 3+ Photos
~ Butterflies or Birds
~ Color Teal
~ Black & White Photo(s)
~ Eyelet(s)
~ 3 types of Ribbon
~ Handmade Embellishment
~ Vintage Style
~ 3+ Buttons
~ Twine
~ Decorative Border

(If you combine LO Challenges 1 & 2 your name will be entered an extra time, so instead of 2 chance to win the RAK it'll be 3.)

Card Sketch
Follow the sketch and make it your own at the same time.
This Sketch is brought to you by the talented Becky Fleck of www.Pagemaps.com.

Outta the Box
I like many of you take tons of photos and sometimes I much rather find a faster way of making them into an album. Mini Albums are AMAZING. There are so many ways to make them. You challenge this month is to make a mini album with some of those unscrapped photos. Need inspiration check out this tutorial.

Submitting your work is easy,
either post a comment here with the
link or email me a photo @ craftasticlife@hotmail.com.
Just make sure to put in the Subject Line
"Craftastic Challenge #14"
and the Title(s) of your project(s).
Challenge ends June 15, 2010.

*****ATTENTION!*****
I am no longer able to send packages
to international countries.
Participants must be in the US.

Now for goodies!!
Here is the Prize:
(COMING SOON)

Have fun ladies and I can't
wait to see what you create!!

Challenge #13 Winner!!

2010-05-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

So sorry about the Delay!
Challenge #13 got such a great response!
I hope to see an even better
turn out for Challenge #14.

So with out further hesitation
our winner for
Craftastic Challenge #13 is:

AMY!!!

Congrats, Amy!
Here's is Amy's layout "Cowboys":

Amy please send me an email with your address!

Because we had 18, yes 18 total entries Amy will
recieve all the yummy goodies added to her box!

Thank you as always to everyone who played along!
Make sure to check out Challenge #14!

Flower Class

2010-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

I have everything ready for my first in home class!!
(Or at least I hope everything is ready.)
The first class is all about flowers!
We'll be making the ones below.

Attention Local Ladies:
This class will be held both Wednesday and Saturday and
you Can sign up for the day that suits your schedule best.
Class runs from 11AM-2PM. Class is $10.
You can sign up either by email.
*** UPDATE ***
Wednesday Class is Full!
We still have openings for Saturday.

Thanks to the wonderful blog world and YouTube.com
I'm found so many new ways of making flowers.
Thank you to all the crafty ladies out there.

Congrats to by Buddy Erin!

2010-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Erin is Celebrating her Gradution today!
I'm so excited for her!
So to help celebrate with her, though may
miles apart I made and sent her this card!

Congrats, Erin!
You've worked hard for this day!