Girls Paperie Goodness

These layouts were made with this week's kit over at Queen Scraps...is it not absolutely gorgeous??? The color palette and patterns immediately spoke "vintage" to me so with a little distressing of the edges, I came up with these two layouts.


This is my great-grandparents farm. I did purchase the add-on die cuts available here in the Queen Scraps store. I used the Smooch Spritz in Spun Sugar to "age" the look of the background cardstock as well. This can also be purchased here in the Queen Scraps store. I'll post a tutorial for the rolled, paper flowers later this week in the Queen Scraps Forums.

This other layout is of my grandmother when she was younger. I've shown you this one already but wanted you to see all that I was able to create with this one kit.  Once again I used some of the die cuts from the add-ons and the Smooch Spritz to age the background cardstock.

I made this card based on a challenge sketch on a blog I follow...totally simple and once again used the Smooch Spritz and add-on die cuts (can you tell I'm loving this combination). The card base is simply a piece of kraft cardstock I had in my own supplies. I'll share some additional cards I made using parts of this kit and scraps from my own supplies later in the week.

Birthday Card

Here's a fun birthday card I made for our son Zach's 7th birthday.  It's based on a sketch by DeeDee over at UnWowStudio.  I used some of my new Basic Grey mini stamp sets to  make the images on the raised squares and then colored them in with colored pencils.  Zach was so cute when he opened the envelope..."I know this is from you mom...you made this."  He later saw the sketch on my craft table and said "hey, that's my card!"  Clever young man he is.

Walk With Purpose...

I worked on this layout today - it was my "me time" on my birthday while the kids were all at school.  These are photos from the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer that I participated in last year.  What an amazing event - I came away completely touched and inspired.  Circumstances kept me from participating this year but I really want to participate again in the future.  Enough of that...this layout is based upon Liz's sketch #78 over at The Scrappiest.  Check it out and play along.

And the winner is...

Thank you for all of the lovely birthday wishes.  7 years ago today God blessed me with the best birthday present I could ever imagine...my wonderful son!  Who could ever imagine that being their birthday gift???  I know I didn't, he came a couple weeks early but that was God's plan all along. 

Now on to the winner.  Using Random.org (sure wish I could figure out how to post the actual widget) the winner is Marla.  marla said...


"Happy Birthday to you!! A great RAK!! I have NEVER tried these before. I love Crop chocolate and the goodies I find there!! Thanks for a chance. "

Marla, email me your mailing information at cat@desertbound.com and I'll get these wonderful felt embellies in the mail to you.

Ahoy Matey!

Here's my take on this week's sketch over at Sketch Inspiration.  This was such a cool layout to pull together.  I completely mixed up my supplies, using stuff from so many manufacturers and even recycling some items (the little black cats were on boxes of cookies my parents sent the kids last Halloween).  I love how it turned out and that the photo still takes center stage.  My sweet little pirate!

A Birthday RAK

I'm feeling festive since it's my birthday week and I'd love to share a little RAK with you all.  The RAK is a package of Rancy Pants Felt Shapes from the Harvest collection.  I have these and I LOVE them.  I was never a felt kinda scrapper but when I received these as part of my design team assignment for Crop Chocolate.com and had to use them, I found that I was using them on everything.  They are nice, heavy weight, non-shredding felt in some really fantastic shapes.  How can you win them???  Just leave a post here on my blog before the end of the day Wednesday (August 25th) and on Thursday (August 26th) - my birthday and my son's birthday - I'll randomly select a winner and ship them off to you.  A little birthday RAK on my birthday to celebrate YOU my readers!!!

Sketch Mania #6

Here's a quick card I made for Sketch Mania #6.  I used some scraps from the Girls Paperie kit offered over at Queen*Scraps.  The letter die cuts are from the add-ons which are also available in the Queen Scraps store.  This is such a simple sketch that you could do a ton with but I really envisioned this card as soon as I saw the sketch.

The Scrappiest #77

Here's my take on Liz's sketch #77 over at The Scrappiest.  This is my grandmother and I just love that I inherited these pictures that were on her farm when she passed away.  Isn't she just beautiful?  This Girls Paperie kit from Queen*Scraps this month was just perfect for scrapping these vintage photos of her.  I used some of the die cut add-ons that are available in the Queen Scraps store.  I had a lot of fun working with these products...I'm not usually a "blingy", girly kind of scrapper seeing as I have a house full of boys but I loved stepping outside my comfort zone and creating this project.  Enjoy!

Summer's Bounty

This basket full is what I gathered from the garden this morning.  Isn't it lovely?  I just love, love, love fresh tomatoes and basil and now I have plenty to make a yummy batch of pesto AND this recipe that I cut out of Wednesday's newspaper for Tomato, Artichoke and Basil pasta.  Sounds delicious doesn't it?  Here's the recipe just in case you have an abundance of fresh basil and tomatoes on your hands that you'd like to whip into something delicious for your family.

Tomato, Artichoke and Basil Pasta

1 pound short pasta such a campanelle

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 thinly sliced garlic cloves

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, rinsed, patted dry

1/2 jar (6 ounces) marinated, quartered artichoke hearts with some liquid

8-ounce container of fresh mozzarella (cherry sized)

1/2 cup shredded basil leaves plus small leaves for garnish

1/2 tsp. kosher coarse salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente - just slightly firm to the bite.  drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and saute about 5 minutes or until they just begin to burst.  Add the artichokes with some liquid from the jar (about 1/4 cup).  Cook another 5 minutes to heat through.

Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl.  Scrape the tomatoes and artichokes into the pasta and toss.  If the mixture seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water.  Add the fresh mozzarella and basil leaves.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Mangia!

So if you get to try this recipe before I do, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.  If I have the time, I'll run to the store and grab the fresh mozzarella today and serve it up for dinner tonight despite the fact that I have a refrigerator full of left-overs that need to be eaten up.  It just seems like the perfect summer dinner.

More Doodlebug Summertime fun...

Here's another layout I worked on for my Queen Scraps design team assignment this month.  I loved these papers when I first saw them even though it wasn't "my usual"  type of collection.  I had so much fun putting this layout together from the strips of paper, inked just a bit to soften the edges to making the "heart" flower using my Fiskars heart punch.  The punch isn't a perfect heart, it's a little lopsided, which I think added a fun shape to the finished flower.  Hope you enjoy and have a blessed day!

So Handsome for The Scrappiest...

This is my take on this weeks sketch #76 over at The Scrappiest.  Once again, Liz has made it super easy for me to lift her scrap and turn it into a page of my own.  I love these photos of my hubby - taken  at separate times but both such great pictures of him.  He doesn't agree but then again, we are our own worst critic right?  I love them, and I love him!

Treasures From Mummu's Farm

On our recent vacation to northern Wisconsin to visit my Grandparents' farm (Mummu's farm), I came home with FIVE cookie tins filled with treasures - buttons (dating all the way back to my great-grandma), lace, ric-rac, embroidery floss, and spools of thread.  Treasures that I could never buy at my local scrapbooking store and memories that flood my heart every time I open those cookie tins to look for that something special for my layouts.  I've already used several of the buttons on layouts and projects but the above layout is the first that I've dug through the tin filled with lace and ric-rac.  Isn't it beautiful?  It's aged to perfection and coordinates magnificently with the feel of this layout.  By the way, the layout is based on the Sketch Inspiration sketch of the week...check it out, it was quick and fun to pull together.

The photo is one I took on a preschool field trip to a local ranch and I just love, love, love how it turned out.  It was taken with my point and shoot digital camera (before I got my SLR camera that does fancy things).  I'm amazed it turned out so well but I think the colors and lighting are just perfect - not my doing...it's all God's handy-work.  Sometimes if we're paying close enough attention, we can capture some of the rare beauty that He has given us to enjoy...in my opinion, this is one of those such things.  Take a little extra time today to look around and see what beauty He has placed there just for you, breathe it in and be thankful!

Doodlebug Summertime Peeks!

The Queen*Scraps Doodlebug Summertime kit is full of fun, bright colors that just scream playful!  Here are a couple of sneak peeks of my projects using this kit.

 

The Scrappiest Sketch #75

Here's my latest take on Liz's Sketch #75 from over at The Scrappiest.  Just love Liz's sketches, they are so easy to work with and I had a blast working with more of this Echo Paper Company Sweet Summertime product.

More Max & Whiskers Fun...

Isn't this a fun layout???  This was last year, obviously towards the end of our camping season since it snowed on us.  Thank goodness for the RV!  I used primarily the "B sides" of the Max & Whiskers kit papers to put this one together...see, you don't have to stick to a pet theme even though that is the gist of this line of papers from Basic Grey.  I love Basic Grey and the distressed look they give all their papers - I added to it by inking up the edges of all my papers too.

So some girlfriends and I were feeling overly brave and took our boys camping over the weekend - we each have two boys under the age of 8 and our husbands were off backpacking (or on a business trip in the case of one friend).  My teenagers chose to stay home but that's okay.  I don't drive our RV which meant I was "roughin' it" in our tent.  Mind you, I haven't set a tent up in 7 years (ever since we bought the RV).  We did it though and had a great time despite the rain.  We camped along the gorgeous Cache la Poudre River and enjoyed a Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia tribute concert at the Mishawaka Amphitheater with all the kids.  We all danced up a storm - literally since it started raining while we were there.  It was fun, fun, fun and I'm so proud of my girlfriends and myself for braving this adventure sans our husbands.  Go girl POWER!!!