A Jillibean Soup Layout

Today I've got a page I made for the Jillibean Soup blog for this month. I got to use some brand new items on this page: the Irish Farmhouse Soup line (for the vintage die cuts and the word stickers), one of the new Placemats (the kraft frames) and the new cursive word stickers (that's Jill's handwriting, btw). I also mixed in some Macho Nacho Soup & Soup Staples:

I took the photo on the Dumbo ride at Disney - hence the name of the layout:

Love the frames placemat - I took them apart and used them in my layers. 

The Jillibean Soup die cuts, which used to come on a sheet are now packaged off the sheet. I love not having to deal with those little cardstock bits from where the shape was attached to the background sheet!

Yesterday I was supposed to go on a photo walk at a nearby sculpture garden. I was so looking forward to getting out with my camera and learning some new skills from an expert. The snow had a different plan, though, and I had to miss it. I'm going to have to go on my own now - maybe when the weather is a little more predictable. Did a little baking instead; my favorite thing to do on a snowy day. Will share my finished product in a few days. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

CHA for Jillibean

I've been to one CHA - back in 2011 in Chicago with my Ella Publishing teammates. One of the booths that really left an impression on me was the Jillibean Soup booth. Aside from seeing all their amazing new product and getting to talk to Laina & Jill, I remember thinking how amazing all the projects were and how genuinely nice the Jillibean team was. To think my projects were in their booth in Anaheim a few weeks ago - well, that just blows my mind. I wish I could have been there. Today I get to start sharing those projects with you -  starting with my faves - I call them the 3D projects.

I was inspired to make these by a photo I saw on Pinterest of some paper sculptures under a glass cloche. I wanted to duplicate the idea in an easy, maybe not-so-fragile or heavy way. I thought of using a clear plastic cup of some kind and headed to the local party store - where I found these:

I asked hubby to saw off the stems and I was in business. (If you use a hack saw and are very careful, the rest of the cup won't crack.)

First up is my absolute fave - the 3D 'scrapbook page' - it features a little photo of me and my son and a variety of embellishments from the Grandma's Lima Bean Soup line. All encapsulated under the little plastic dome:

Here's a close up:

 And here is the back view:

Next up, the 3D 'greeting cards' as I like to call them. Using lots of Coconut Lime Soup:

Have you seen all the new Jillibean Soup releases? They are amazing and I'm really enjoying working them. Stop by the blog to see all the great CHA projects - you will not be disappointed! 

Happy to say we made it through 'the blizzard' with power still on and trees still standing. 

I'm very happy and have no complaints about going out to shovel. Especially since the remainder of the day is clear for me to do whatever I want - which will hopefully include some baking of Valentine's cookies and some craftiness. I'll be back with more Jillibean CHA projects, too!

Hope you have a great day - thanks for stopping by!

The Paperweight with SRM Stickers

Hello February! 

So glad we got through January without any major weather incidents - ever since the super-storm in the Fall we Jerseyans get a little freaked out at the prospect of really bad storms - particularly ones that might shut down the power for even the smallest amount of time. I thought for sure by now I'd be over the shell-shock of that event but no. I think that one is going to stick with me for a while. 

Today I've got a project that features my beloved Atlantic Ocean on a calmer day. (Funny, the picture in this paperweight was taken right after a huge Nor'easter came through a few years ago.) Anywho - I found this glass paperweight at a local store and new it would pair well with SRM Stickers, since they are clear. It was simple and easy to make and I really like the way it turned out.:

You can see the full list of SRM Stickers and Twinery Twine (also available via SRM now) right here on the SRM Blog. The metal tag is old Tim Holtz from my stash. Cute and practical! (and it will come in very handy when I can open the window next to my desk again!) Here's another view:

Craftiness on tap for this weekend, including some baking - which is long overdue. All that after a 9.30 appointment with my trainer at the gym. All this exercise is doing wonders for the winter blues this year - which were really becoming a problem for me this time. I'm clinging to my daily workouts to get me through to spring. Banking on coming out on the other side of this winter in better shape than I've ever been and ready to have a great spring and summer.

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

RSVP with SRM Stickers

Today I've got a recent favorite page up on the SRM Stickers blog. (My final as an official DT member - alas my term is about to end). It features one of the new SRM glassine bags - which I used to store a collection of notes to my son.

A few times a week I put these little notes in my son's lunchbox. They come from a little pre-printed pad of jokes I picked up at Paper Source over the summer:

I write a little message to him on the back of each one. And the little boy writes back to me. When I pack the lunchbox in the morning I get to read my note from the day before. Saver that I am, I can't bear to part with them. Some of them are very sweet - my favorite one says 'you're a star' - and some are just 'little boy' weird.

Also at work here are some SRM Express Yourself Stickers, some Live Life/School stickers and some Twinery Twine. You can check out the post right here.  Almost everything else is from my November kit from Scrapbook Circle. How I love those kits - they keep me current since my time to shop for crafty supplies is seriously limited.

I can't believe it's already the end of January - but I'm not sad. Winter can not end soon enough for me. It's unusually warm here in New Jersey - which is just fine with me. After the Sandy debacle, we sure can use a break here at the shore! An easy winter is fine by me.

Thanks for stopping by today - back tomorrow with one more SRM project.

Sunday at The Studio

Today I've got a page I made for this week's challenge at The Studio - which happens to be a sketch inspired by a page by team member Amanda.

I used the November Scrapbook Circle kit to make this page and it worked so well with the super-saturated color in my photos. I'm somewhat addicted to those die cut frames - which I used to give the illusion that my second photo was smaller. I liked the idea of keeping that photo larger so I could have more of that vibrant background on the page. Here's my close up:

Feels good to play along with my Studio teammates again. Feels good to be getting back into a creative groove. I hope you will play along with us. It's so easy to link up your project and you could be our winner for the month! If you are in need of some more inspiration, and to see the sketch click right here. The team did an amazing job with the sketch, as always!

It was busy here last week for me. I started going to the gym and even started running again. This week I start working with a trainer 2 times a week. I'm definitely feeling the burn and have my sights set on a 5 mile race in April. We'll see how that goes. I get up very early to squeeze this activity into the schedule and as a result, I'm usually ready to fall asleep by 9. The plus side (besides the fitness stuff) is that I finally seem to be sleeping through the night - which was becoming a problem for me back in November and December.

Lots of assignments to complete this weekend which means a busy blog ahead. Looking forward to sharing it all. Thanks for stopping by today!

The Cover

Like I said yesterday, I am committed to getting more physically fit this year and start running again. I decided to swing by the local Barnes and Noble the other day on the way to work to pick up a copy of "Run Like a Mother." I cut through the magazine section (like I always do) on the off-chance that the new issue of Simply Handmade would be there - lo and behold it was. The issue with my project on the cover. I was so surprised and so happy to see it that I took a couple of photos:

This is my second cover ever and it's definitely kind of thrilling. I was a little disappointed with the photo; I asked them not to photograph any of the paper seams but they did (you can see it in the low right of the photo). I was shocked they didn't Photoshop it out. And the image seemed a little saturated to me. Overall, though, I'm thrilled and was honored when the editor contacted me for the project. Definitely a high point in the crafty career!

Here are my photos of the project, which I made for Pebbles, Inc. last year. 

It's just a chipboard box turned upside down and made into a little gift box. Here's the interior: 

In addition to the whole fitness thing, I'm going to try to keep better track of the little things more this year. I found this little set of monthly notebooks in Target in December and thought they would be perfect. I'm hoping to use them like little tiny art journals - words and pictures. Most importantly, no pressure. I've been seriously slacking on writing things down for a long time. Time to step up the journaling and remember the reason why I'm a part of this hobby. 

Have you been loving all the CHA photos? I'm thoroughly enjoying my Facebook and Twitter feeds and seeing all the new stuff. Wish I was there.
Thanks for stopping by - have a great day!

Hello 2013 - I've been waiting for you!

Oh boy, it's been a while.
Happy New Year - yes, I'm really late to the game on that. I don't know about you but 2012 was a crazy year. Amazing and awful all at the same time. I am relieved to be past the holidays and diving into 2013. I've got resolutions and I'm focusing on them right now.

Resolution #1 - Get crafty, again.

Without torturing you with all the gory details, it's been a rough few months for me. Amazing how certain events in life can completely stifle the creative urge. I was knocked out of my routine in the early Fall and couldn't bring myself to sit at my desk. I realized during that time that while I'm working on projects I'm in a sort-of 'meditative' state. I never realized it until I tried to work in the midst of the crisis. I couldn't stand to be up there alone with my thoughts - so I just couldn't do it. As a result, I flaked on several commitments and submission deadlines.  So not like me.  I contemplating quitting everything and getting rid of my entire stash. It was bad. But I'm happy to report I'm past it. To prove it, here's a little sneak of a project I made for the Jillibean Soup booth at CHA - I had a blast making these and can't wait to share them:

I hope these were booth-worthy - can't wait to see the photos that come flooding over the internet from CHA today!!

Resolution 2: Get fit.

I know a lot of people have this one but this is actually Phase 2 of last year's resolution to lose weight (which I'm happy to report was a huge success!). I didn't talk about it much in 2012 but I gave up sugar last February and started the South Beach Diet. It was hard but the reward is so awesome and I'm fully committed to the lifestyle change. I joined a gym and will start training for my first 1/2 marathon this year. I know, a lofty goal but I have to aim big. Honestly, if I can get through a 5k I'll be happy. I have not run since 1998! (and I promise, I'm not going to turn this blog into a fitness/running log!)

Resolution 3: Take more pictures and really, really learn how to use my camera:

This went out the window when the mojo left me in September. I need to take photos and lots of them - of my family, of places and things - simply because it makes me happy. I'm already signed up for a few workshops with a local photography club. Looking forward to taking more pictures and meeting new people.

Of course, getting back to a regular blogging schedule is on the list too. I'll be back tomorrow.
Thanks so much for sticking with me - I missed this place!

Almost Christmas...

Up to me ears in holiday prep and realized it's been ages since I wrote a blog post. I'm long overdue so hear goes...

I've been baking a lot the past few days, so I was so excited when Carla at the Paper and Party Love blog asked if she could share a photo of my cookie garland yesterday.

Here's the garland you might remember if you've been reading here for a while...

This garland was part of Julie Balzer's Handmade Holiday in 2010. You can see the whole selection of stamped cookie projects and read the post I wrote for her right here. I had a blast making those cookies and got such great feedback on them. Here are a few more of my faves from that blog post:

Maybe I'll make some more this week. I've got a pile of candy canes, polar bears and penguins to ice before the weekend. I will definitely share photos.

I'll wrap it up today with a card that was featured on the Jillibean Soup blog last week. I used the Winter Tortellini and Spinach Soup line for this:

Love being on that team and get to send my first projects to them this year to be displayed at CHA in their booth. I might need to go to Anaheim to see them! Still trying to decide.

The Good Stuff

Today I've got a page that was up on the Jillibean Soup blog this week.  It's made entirely with the Country Pumpkin Chowder line (with the exception of that white cardstock - which is from Studio Calico):

I love the mix of small die cut pieces and stickers that Jillibean Soup includes in each line:

I framed the edges with some die cuts and narrow strips of patterned paper - 

love how it all plays off that white woodgrain:

For a complete list of all the Jillibean Soup product I used on this page, you can see this blog post. There's lots of great holiday-themed layout inspiration there, too! 

So now I need to go order more white woodgrain, which I just realized I am fresh out of. Hope you have a great week ahead. I'm seriously behind in all things Christmas so it's going to be a busy one for me.
Thanks for stopping by!

SRM Peppermint Sticks

Finally, Saturday!

Today I've got a project that was featured on the SRM Stickers blog this week. A quick and simple project I made for the holidays. I used the SRM plastic tubes to make my peppermint sticks and a variety of stickers for the tags:

To do the striping I used a few narrow strips of cardstock adhered with quick-drying liquid adhesive, but you could make this even easier if you had the right washi tapes:

I filled my tubes with pearl mints from the local party store but any white candy could work: 

For a complete list of all the SRM Stickers I used for this project, check out this post on the blog. While you are there check out all the other holdiay projects. So much good stuff there!

Hoping to take our holiday card photo today - always last minute even though every year I vow to do it earlier. Hope you have a great day - thanks for stopping by!