My Daily Snapshots

Valentines and Mixed Media ART

2012-02-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for preschool and 1st grade valentines party has consumed my life the last 2 weeks. But we are ready to hand out 24 of these adorable treats and it was worth the crafty late night hours. I found these cute butterfly printables on this site from pinterest. Makenzie loved helping me glitter all the punched hearts and stick on the wiggly eyes.

Check out the long lashes, isn't she cute? And I was so giddy when the placement worked out perfectly so that the twisted wrapper looks like hair and a smile on the face!

And here is my son's box to collect all of his classmate's valentines. Yes, I know...made it a bit too girly but he's okay with it! I actually found a really cute alligator box I was going to make him but he didn't like that idea..wanted a robot and then he suggested I used the leftover wiggly eyes from sister's project. The robot was actually cut out from the front of a gift bag I found in the Target dollar bin. I just added the eyes and buttons and embellished the rest. Quick and easy.

Now, for the last project..my mixed media canvas flower. I had a total blast making this! It was a 3 hour class and I haven't taken a local class at my scrapbooking store in like 5 years but now I"m totally hooked on mixed media. So much distressing, painting, inking, sponging, spraying, heating....just like I was sitting back in art class at school. Just LOVE it!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Valentines week shared with your loved ones!

PTI Challenge #5

2012-02-10T00:58:00.000-08:00

Hello there! Haven't been to my scraproom in a while, been busy with other crafty things around the house and for the kids. But I couldn't sleep after my 2 year old woke me up at 11pm to use the potty, then 2 hours later my 5 yr old woke me up to take him to the potty, and then it was hopeless for me to go back to sleep so here I am. Finishing this card at 3am and here to share it with you.Papertrey Ink is having a challenge on their blog in celebration of their 5 year anniversary and the challenge today is to use one of their DT's pinterest images as inspiration for your project. I chose this image by Elissa Hudson

I just LOVED Heather Nichols's take on the image bringing out the word YOU so here's my take excuse the crooked scan as I can barely keep my eyes open much longer.

Supplies: paper MME hearts and October Afternoon Farmhouse red letters, alpha dies, stamps by Hero Arts and PTI Fruit Fusion Apple

Happy Tet New Year!

2012-01-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a year full of heath, happiness, and prosperity! This weekend we celebrated the year of the golden dragon. I love my little China girl and asian boys.

A quick layout based on Got Sketch using Basic Grey Picadilly

I am feeling so lucky lately. I won some goodies from Imaginese not too long ago, a chevron stamp from Kinsey Wilson's blog giveaway, and just today I was notified I won the Stretch your Kit class by Amy Tangerine from Dawn McVey's blog! Sooo many scrappy goodness! :)So it's my turn to give back. Leave a comment for your chance to win some scrappy supplies. I'll draw a name on the last day of the month. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Take Twelve - Jan 12th

2012-01-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I sign myself up for too many projects and then never follow through but I like challenges and this is one that should be fun. The Take Twelve photography/scrapbooking challenge is to take 12 photos on the 12th of every month. I actually took more than 12 and had a hard time narrowing it down so this post is going to be a photo overload.

1. My son never takes a bath without bubbles.

2. Husband chillaxin in Kenzie's room after a full day

3. My daughter LOVES to gurgle mouthwash...scope, listerine..she can handle it. So we got her an iCarly bottle for her stocking, it has an easy squeeze cap so she doesn't have to ask us for help to open it up.

4. Chef daddy making breakfast each morning while mommy gets the kids showered and ready for school.

5. My parents just returned from Vietnam and brought back these rosary bracelets for the kids. Micah and Kenzie wanted one of each color. They also got a travel tic tac toe game.

6. Paxton loves to play with his trains ever since his cousin Koen introduced him to them. He's obsessed with them!

6a. Toby, Henry, Paxton, Thomas....even mommy knows all 50+ names

7. Kenzie is reading 2nd grade level books now, this was her AR reading book this week and she loved that the last page had an interactive circle that she can move around to choose the different moods and faces.

8. I just finished reading the 3 set book of Hungar Games which is a big accomplishment for me because I never have time to read any more but this book is next on my list. Lam received it as a prize after we ran the Cessna Fly By 5k last October. And my goal this year is to beat my previous time.

9. What we're currently wearing

10. On our fridge is Micah's leader of the day calendar for PK, Kenzie's lunch menu (she used to want to bring her lunch on the days the food wasn't so great but they got a new cafeteria chef and she tells me her lunches were so goood), and the YMCA schedule of group classes for me since we are now members.

11. Lam's favorite game is jewels.

12. The pantry, after and before picture. It must have taken me 2 hours to match up all the tupperware I had. Soooo many boxes without lids and lids without matching boxes. It feels good to organize it all.

Lots of Chap

2012-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've shared some layouts but i"m back into the swing of it. This month I got a chance to play with 3 Scrappy Boy's January Add-On kit and it is full of the American Crafts Chap line. Perfect for boys but so much color infused, you could adapt it to any occassion.

Right now 3SB is having a huge sale, go stock up while you can.

This week (in addition to the inventory sale)

only all Smash products and paints and mists

are 50% off!

It's the dreaded inventory time! To make my life

easier, we're having a sale-anywhere from

10-70% off, most items are over 35% off!

***I just updated the store with new last

chance clearance, clearance, and past kit

clearance items. Plus they are now an extra

10% off.***

Co-worker Gifts

2011-12-25T04:45:00.000-08:00

A Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you are gathering with loved ones today and celebrating a wonderful season. I"ve been very blessed this year, our family is in good health, our kids are excelling in school, we've got stable jobs, it's a lot to be thankful for.I posted about these two pages over at 3 Scrappy Boys. The pictures are a co-worker's daughter, layouts I gifted to her. :)

I received this amazing prize package from the wonderful people at Imaginisce for one of their blog giveaways. I tell you what, all this bling is so pretty, makes me want to put it on all my pages now! The bling lipstick packaging is too cute.The i-rock tool is so easy to use, you just plug it in and the heat transfer will just melt the hot rock accents right onto your page where you have it positioned....it's very cool!

I love all things pink and sparkly...I made a set of 15 monogram ornaments for the co-workers. The idea was from my lss, using glue dots dipped in glitter, very easy and cute.
I"m on a week of vacation so hopefully I'll have more pages to share after such a busy month.

Post Retreat

2011-12-02T23:00:00.001-08:00

Just getting a chance to finally upload a few layouts completed during my retreat last month. Moving on to my Daily December Album which I'm already 3 days behind! Should have an update soon.

It's a Wrap

2011-11-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with their family and loved ones.

Now that Black Friday is over the official countdown to Christmas is on! With those newly purchased gifts, it's time to wrap them up. I just Love when the packaging includes little touches of cuteness and here are two ideas to add to your wrapping this season.

1) Add handmade fabric flowers topped with a little bling or buttons. One of my flowers was adhered to a little hair clip from the November Main kit. It was just clipped into the packaging so that it can easily be removed and reused. Love the recycling aspect of that!

2) Roll a tshirt up like a Hogie Sandwich tied with a trio of Ribbons.

I had some scrapbooking tshirts with our theme "Bee Creative" imprinted for my scrappy friends so I decided to go with black/yellow/white/kraft combo. Taking a sheet of tissue paper in two colors, I just rolled it up and folded the ends to a point. Then created some quick and easy tags cut from my George cricut cartridge and stamped some polka dots and layered with diecut flowers. And Wa-lah!! You have a cute Hogie Sandwich wrapped tshirt.

All about the rides

2011-11-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

Last month my workplace sponsered a night at All Star Sports with discount tickets so we took the kids and usually they are all about the arcade but surprisingly this time, they spent the majority of the time on the rides. Much better on our wallets. Paxton was still too short to ride on most of the kiddie rides but this bug one was right up his alley and he loved it!

Dancin'

2011-11-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

I remember when my nephews just got this dance pad, Micah had a blast moving his little feet to all the arrows. Of course he'd miss the beat each time but when you're two...it didn't matter!

Creative Scrapper's sketch

From Bare to Beautiful

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday!!!

Today i'm going to show you my step by step process for sprucing up bare chipboard.

Step 1: Lay out the chipboard pieces you want to use and choose the inks, paints, or spray colors that will coordinate with your page. I am using the Maya Road assorted Autumn pieces that came with the November Main it.

Step 2: I inked my pumpkin with some papertry summer sunrise ink

Step 3: Next I used my copics to outline the borders and to draw in the centers for some added dimension

Step 4: And then I misted the chipboard with my new most favorite mist: Mister Huey Calico shine.

STep 5: After it dries a bit I go in with some cats eye chalk and ink the edges some more. Aren't they so pretty?!

For the acorn I used tattered angels Frozen lake" glimmer mist and hunter green cat's eye chalk. Hope you've enjoyed my tutorial, have a great day!

3SB Weekend Crop & Sale!

2011-11-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun things going on at 3 Scrappy Boys.

This weekend, there is a mini crop going on at the message board. There will be games and challenges as well as some prizes!!! Who doesn't love prizes?! Be sure to head on over and join the fun.

There is also an anniversary sale running through Black Friday with items marked 30% off!! Great way to get a jump start on your christmas shopping!

Page Swap

2011-11-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

Just came back from our 2nd annual Bee Creative Scrappy Retreat. Traveling was horrible but had a wonderful time with the girls. I got 20 pages done...whooohoo! Haven't even unpacked yet but I'll have lots of pages to share when I do :) Here's one to hold you over, we played a page swap game and this is what I made with a spot to hold our group photo.

3 Scrappy Boys Sketch Challenge

2011-11-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

I love having a blueprint to work from, makes all the thinking stress free! Here is my layout: Fall Fun using PageMap's October sketch.

All papers are from 3 Scrappy Boy's November Main Kit. I was able to create 4 pages and a card and had just enough scraps to complete one more.

Happy Scrappin'

3 Scrappy Boys *Nov Reveal

2011-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's reveal time! The November Main kit from 3 Scrappy Boys includes 6 sheets of Jillibean Soup Homemade, Studio Calico scrap pads and lots of fun embellishments.

Place your order here. I love all the greens, it coordinates with my little pea pod from last year :)

And how about that that soft yellow WEbster's ribbon?...so pretty

The red Jenni Bowlin doily flowers makes the card pop don't you think?

This photo is one of my favorites from last year. I didn't dress up this year...makes me wish i did.

I've got two more projects to share later on this month. Happy Scrappin!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

The last day to display my spooky decor before it all goes down and Mr. turkey comes up. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.

3 Scrappy Boys Nov Sneak Peek

2011-10-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

It's getting closer! November is right around the corner, just one more day away. Here's a little sneak peek at the 3 Scrappy Boy's November kit.

I had so much fun playing with it and can't wait to share the full reveal. This month I received the Main kit and was able to get 5 layouts and a card completed. In fact, I used every little bit of it up and nothing is left...awwww...feels so good. It was perfect for my fall photos.

Fall Back Challenge

2011-10-25T18:33:00.001-07:00

Did you see Kelly Goree's cover page to Scrapbook and Cards Today? Such an adorable page, loved all the folded leaves. I tried the organomi folding but didn't turn out right because my squares were too big so decided to go with chipboard pieces instead. Here's my take

Working on some fun sneaks for my first 3 Scrappy Boys kit...almost time for the reveal!

DIY: Raspberry Shortcake Costume

2011-10-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

My six year old daughter is a size 14, it's getting very hard finding flattering clothing and Halloween costume shopping was just an adventure too. She likes this Raspberry shortcake costume we saw in the store but they don't have her size. So I told her I'd try to make it. Me...the mother that purchased a sewing machine so that she could sew on her layouts...and has never made anything that gets more complicated than hemming a straight line.

So my first stop was the Goodwill, and it happened to be my lucky day! All summer clothing was half price and I scored with these two items: a Gap polka dot Dress $1.99 and pink wrap for $1.99 minus the 50% discount had me checking out at $2.12!! (Happy.Dance) I wanted a red wrap but beggers can't be choosers and buying a red sweater and then having to sew it shorter was one step too much. I'm keeping it at the Level "EASY" here.

At home I searched her closet and found the perfect lime green top from Children's place purchased a couple years ago when it was on winter clearance. Next step, I went though the boxes of outgrown baby/toddler clothing to find matching lime green fabric and scored again with a pair of 24month old pants that we got from Walmart for a $1 back when she was 2 years old. I couldn't find the right color of green ribbon in my stash for the center of the belt but Michaels had in their xmas display the perfect color for $1.99 per roll. A little bit of snipping and a little bit of sewing and this pair of old pants made the perfect belt and head piece.

Next I dug out my cuttlebug and circle spellbinders to roll out 7 raspberries for the belt and 7 raspberries for the headband out of some hot pink felt I had in my stash.

The only additional item I had to buy was the pink wig which is optional but daughter really wanted it.

Not to bad for a novice if I don't say so myself...meet our little Raspberry Shortcake whose entire costume was created minus the wig for only $4.12.

Love Blooms

2011-10-16T16:22:00.001-07:00

I'm getting caught up on my Got sketch layouts, this is Sketch #7, only one left to complete. I"m loving the double pagers since I take tons of photos at events and never have room in my designs to include them all. This was of my sister in laws wedding last year.

Supplies: PP and chipboard Scenic Rounte Sonoma, EK Success and Martha Stewart punches, Kaiser pearls, Pebbles brad, Prima flowers, Jillibean soup and SEI stickers, misc sequins

Back to School Celebration

2011-10-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

I took a ton of 1st day of school photos since I took part of the day off to attend the half day with my son. My friend pointed me out to this blog with the cool idea of having a back to school dinner party, check it out for free printables. But our evenings are so hectic and we usually eat at grandma's house so I decided to celebrate with Back to School Breakfast style...hoping I remember to carry on this tradition next year because my daughter's surprise and excitement that morning made it all worth while. The kids woke up to find their very own rice crispie cake with flags showing their grades on a confettie decorated dining table. Mine didn't turn out as pretty but it's just the little extra things that make it exciting for kids.

Happy News!

2011-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've got some exciting news to share!

You're looking at the newest member of ...the 3 Scrappy Boys Design Team!

Check it out here

Gliding down the Driveway

2011-10-09T17:03:00.001-07:00

Supplies:
Lilybee design: catching fall, carribean twine, Jillibean soup alpha stickers, amy tangerine thickers, fiskar punch, pink paislee date sticker, WRMK stitched cardstock, Got Sketch design

9 plus 5

2011-10-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Just celebrated our 9 year anniversary and Micah's 5th birthday. So much to be thankful for, my partner and friend who's always there when needed.

My son, the middle child, the one that always makes people laugh with his crazy cheerful banter. He waves hi to every stranger he passes, he twirls a tuff of his hair when tired so that it sticks up all day, and he loves fighting ninja style. A few weeks ago when we were walking out of Walmart, my 6 year old daughter asks me who are all those kids on the posters? I told her it's the missing children that were taken by strangers and they are posting it up so if we see someone, we can contact the police so they can be returned to their families. I didn't even realize Micah was listening until one night at bedtime, he said his prayers and then added, "I pray for all the kids that are steal." I was confused...I asked him, what do you mean the kids that are steal? and he says..you know the kids at Walmart that are steal. Awww, that warms my heart he thought of them in his prayers.

Got Sketch

2011-10-05T17:33:00.001-07:00

Just a few recent layouts. The first one is based on Got Sketch sketches. Made a few more pages for my cousin's baby, only 5 or 6 photos left before her album is complete! Yay! This one was fun digging out my old scraps and combining different colors.

Echo Park's halloween kit from last year - I've finally had a chance to play with it and it's still like hot fresh off the press new.
And this card was based off a friend's sketch - the flowers are a combination of jillibean soup and recollections

For Andrew

2011-09-25T18:10:00.001-07:00

I have sad news, September was my last month designing for TSR. It was a wonderful 2 years and it was a joy to work with the other baristas on the team. The members on the MB make it a great place to be and I couldn't have created the dozens of great pages without those amazing kits.

On the bright side, It came at a good time. I've been busy gearing up for my son's 5th birthday party this coming weekend and it has been so nice to focus on it without worring about meeting deadlines. I'm also getting caught up on the album for Andrew. It was supposed to be a gift for his 1st birthday so I started back in March and worked on it a little here and there but now I can focus on completing it before he turns two! :)

Based on Got Sketch Express sketches

Bring out the Bella

2011-09-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a long time sketchfanatic but I've never tried to design my own sketches until now. This was the first one I designed for the scrap-room.

and after getting the September kits, I decided to stretch it into a two pager because I had so many 1st day of school photos I wanted to include.

But I didn't stop there....I went through all my olds kits and made a couple pages using all my Bella Scraps. This one was also based off the sketch and I like it much better with the round photos..hehe. If you decide to give this sketch a go, don't forget to leave a comment on TSR's blog by the end of the month for a prize.
Not sure why there's a line running thru the title on this page but I'm going to be lazy and not fix it.
We took the kids fishing one day and nothing was biting but they didnt' care, they were having so much fun playing with the minows.

Sept Reveal

2011-08-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

It's gone live! Head on over to the www.scrap-room.com if you want to order this kit. Just brimming full of goodness.

Here are my creations, I had so much fun working with the bright colors.

Sept Sneak

2011-08-29T21:04:00.001-07:00

Pssst...it's almost time for the full reveal!

But here's one to hold you over.

All an Act

2011-08-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Had some extra time to play around with this cute Imaginisce Animal Crackers line a friend sent me so I used a Pagemaps sketch for a quick turnaround :)

August Reveal

2011-08-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of my projects from the August kits at the scrap-room. I just love all the bold colors,the wooden buttons, the full sheet of stickers, the cute animal embellishments, and lots more...so much fun I tell you!

August Sneek

2011-07-27T05:20:00.001-07:00

It's Sneak Peek week over at the scrap-room. You won't be disapointed with this month's kit, it is AWESOME! Here's my take using MME's Hattie. We just got back from vacationing with my parents and sister, isn't my nephew the cutest little thing with his big ole grin?

The wooden buttons are the perfect embellishment. So fun!

Check back next week for the full reveal!

July Reveal

2011-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've had the worst time with blogger lately. I can write posts but can't publish them on my computer at home. Anyone know what settings I need to change on my computer? Well, a little late but here are my new layouts from the scrap-room July kits. The most awesome picks from Pink Paislee, Lily Bee, Fancy Pants, and WRMK. Take a look!

And here's an article on The Scrap-room's Blog about my "Squirt Me" layout.

I did an Up Close and Personal write up for this layout here.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

My Happy Space!

2011-06-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Each month the Scrap-room will be featuring the scrap-rooms of the designers. Frances was last month here and I am up for June.:)

Hello there! Want a glimpse of where I hideout and create? My husband and I recently converted the corner of our basement, which previously was used as a storage/utility area into my new scrap room/office and I just love this room! The other side of the room has two desk computers where the kids can hang out and play their Nick Jr games.

Right above my desk are pretty floating tissue paper flowers in a fun colorful combo of pink/red/and yellow.

I used my cricut and vinyl to cut out the quote. :)

My papers are stored alphabetically by manufacturer in my recycled priority boxes that I receive the TSR kits in.

On my desk are my most used, go to tools like my Fruit stand turned into Border Punch Caddy.

Ribbons are stored by color in Hobby Lobby jars. And Baskets hold other punches, stamps, cricut cartridges, etc.

I had to show you my hand sewn grommet curtains...isn't it lovely? It's covering a fake window, behind it is all the waterpipes running throughout the house.

I love looking for fun little tubs to organize buttons, threads, and doo dads. The bowls and clear red containers were from Target's $1 dollar spot!

Hope you've enjoyed a tour of my scrap space.

More June layouts

2011-06-11T14:35:00.001-07:00

June Blog Hop

2011-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!! It is June 1st, and you know what that means...KIT REVEAL!! And you won't be disappointed, take a look...

My favorite line this month is Crate Paper Toy Box. Both sides of each sheet is so beautiful, I had a hard time deciding on one! We went to Kansas City to the T-Rex store for the kids and ate at a restaurant that had a Harley near the entrance so my hubby wanted his photo taken :)

In celebration of our JUNE kit, we are having another BLOG HOP!! You know the way this works, right? Here is a list of the places you will be visiting...

Lan Amphone you're here
Melanie Call
Sarah Eclavea
Jenny Moore
Aphra Bolyer
Kim Arledge
Frances Sylvia
The ScrapRoom Blog

The hop begins at my blog, but all of the blogs are linked in case you get lost along the way. Just follow along the blog path, and keep hopping until you reach your last destination which is The ScrapRoom Blog!! Make sure you become a follower and leave a comment at each blog telling our wonderful designers what you liked about their project! When you reach The ScrapRoom Blog, leave a comment letting us know that you finished the hop.

One blog hop participant who follows the rules, will be chosen at random to win a $5 gift certificate to The ScrapRoom Store! Whoot! Whoot! Check out the blog Tuesday, June 7th for our winner!

Next up is the Fabulous Melanie Call

OA Five and Dime

2011-05-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

It's sneak peek week at the scrap-room and that means new lines and fresh new layouts. Here's mine using October Afternoon five and dime. Pax just loves horses so I had to include the one on his page. Everyday on the way to grandma's house we pass them and he gets very upset if they are not out for his viewing. I love all the old fashioned images in this line, so much fun!

More May layouts

2011-05-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Only 3 weeks of school left for my kids and that means time to be thinking of teacher gifts. The May TSR candy wrapper stamps is just what you need to create this cute set. I used the apple, thank you, plaid and polka dot set.

Don't forget to enter your layout for the word challenge. All you have to do is use the word "PARTY" on a layout and load it on TSR's blog post here for your chance at a $5 gift certificate to the TSR store. Deadline is May 30th.

Easter Day

2011-05-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Running a little behind on my photo sharing. The kids received these cute personalized baskets full of candy from their Auntie Kim and Uncle Ryan for Easter.

TSR May Blog Hop

2011-05-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the Scrap-room's May blog HOP!! It is May 1st, and you know what that means...KIT REVEAL!!

I had to enlarge this photo of Paxton even though it was taken really late at night indoors with terrible lighting. It was the first time he wore his Thomas PJ's that he received for Christmas and this was what he wanted to wear for the next 10 days! He loves Thomas just as much as his cousin Koen and refused to wear nothing but Thomas. I was so excited to see that Walmart carries a 3 piece thomas set for only $10.

Did you check out that train in the corner? It was pieced together from the pattern paper sheet of Ad lib line. Fun huh?

In celebration of our May kit, we are having another BLOG HOP!! You know the way this works, right? Here is a list of the places you will be visiting...

Lan Amphone you're here
Melanie Call
Sarah Eclavea
Jenny Moore
Aphra Bolyer
Kim Arledge
Frances Sylvia
TSR Facebook Page

The hop begins here, but all of the blogs are linked in case you get lost along the way. Just follow along the blog path, and keep hopping until you reach your last destination which is The ScrapRoom Facebook Fan Page!! Make sure you become a follower and leave a comment at each blog telling our wonderful designers what you liked about their project! When you reach The ScrapRoom Facebook Fan Page, leave a comment letting us know that you finished the hop.

One blog hop participant who follows the rules, will be chosen at random to win a $5 gift certificate to The ScrapRoom Store! Whoot! Whoot! Check out the blog Friday, May 6th for our winner!

Your next stop is Melanie Call

Extra..extra..

2011-04-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

..read all about it :) I"m low on creativity for blog titles at the moment. Here are a few new pages I created. This one is for the Recipe challenge I'm hosting over at www.scrap-room.com this weekend. Be sure and head on over to the message board for their weekend long crop. Lots of challenges and fun prizes offered. I put this page together in 30min while my son was napping and the other 2 kids playing and bothering me. I just wanted something quick and simple and to windle down my scrap pile. And these two pages were created using Sketch 104 designs from my scrapbooking retreat last year.

I'm glad I took photos before my almost 2 year old sprayed it with a bottle of Windex. Well, it's awfully quiet so I better check on what kind of trouble these kids are getting into now.

TSR April Sketch Contest

2011-04-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

Needing some inspiration? Then give this sketch created by our TSR designer Aphra a try.

Here's my version using the Studio Calico State Fair kit

You have until Thursday, April 28th to leave a comment on the Scrap-Room's Blog HERE with a link to your layout. Your name will then be entered into a random drawing to win a $5 gift cert to our TSR Store!!!!

Good luck!

Easter Layouts

2011-04-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

More April layouts to share. Sometimes when I create a layout, I end up with a page that just doesn't look how I want it to. Like this one. I wanted to use more than one photo but the ones in the top left corner were not my favorites. And I really love the rub-ons but my handwriting was horrible and the flowers were not mixing well. So I moved things around and ended with this.

Hip Hop Bloggity Hop!

2011-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to TSR's 2nd monthly Blog Hop! What a great way to get excited about the new kit release and share some inspiration with a fun giveaway! It is April 1st, and you know what that means...KIT REVEAL!! And it is a good one.

In celebration of our April kit, we are having another BLOG HOP!! You know the way this works, right? Here is a list of the places you will be visiting...

Lan Amphone <---You are here
Melanie Call
Sarah Eclavea
Jenny Moore
phra Bolyer
Frances Sylvia
TSR Facebook Page

The hop begins here at my blog, but all of the blogs are linked in case you get lost along the way. Just follow along the blog path, and keep hopping until you reach your last destination which is The ScrapRoom Facebook Fan Page!! Make sure you become a follower and leave a comment at each blog telling our wonderful designers what you liked about their project! When you reach The ScrapRoom Facebook Fan Page, leave a comment letting us know that you finished the hop.

One of my favorite projects this month was the altered wooden photo frame. This was the before:

And this was the result after sprucing it up with some yummy TSR Basic Grey Goodness. I love damask prints and the aqua color is so pretty, now it's permanently sitting in our family room to enjoy. The butterfly cut outs are from the embellishment add-on kit, you don't want to miss out, one of my favorites..really! The doily flowers were hand stamped.

Out of my stash were the rubons, bling, button, and 2 aqua flowers.

Supplies: Papers (Basic Grey Hello Luscious) * Butterflies (Cosmo Cricket)* Canvas Brad (Basic Grey) * Flowers (Prima) * TSR Stamp kit ( My Mind's Eye)* Twine (TSR) * Bling (Hobby Lobby & Creative Imaginations) * Ink (PTI - Pure Poppy) and (Ranger - Black Soot) * Rubon (Pebbles) * Button,thread,frame (misc)

Just wanted to say thank you for all the sweet comments left last month, don't forget if you haven't already to add yourself as a follower on my blog to the right.

It's easy peasy to win, just go through the list above leaving a comment at each designer's blog, and ending at the SR Facebook fan page leaving a comment.

One blog hop participant who follows the rules, will be chosen at random to win a $5 gift certificate to The ScrapRoom Store! Whoot! Whoot! Check out the blog Wednesday, April 6th for our winner!

Thanks for stopping by, your next hopping stone is at Melanie Call.

Just Lovely

2011-03-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hello, here's some details about my "Just Lovely" layout. I used the scrap-room's April Stamp to create the layered flower next to my title spot. I just love the doily shapes. And I used these Copics to color in the chipboard letters Bare Maya Road chipboard letters (thanks Kim!) Makenzie loves to wear Aoi Dai on Chinese New Years Day. Actually, she would be fine wearing it everyday. She's looking too grown up for me.

My second layout using the My Minds Eye line. I love the colors.

And a simple card.

Hope you have a great Friday!

Almost forgot

2011-03-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to share the rest of my March gallery layouts.

The cousins all together last August in Carthage.

My son trying on his big sister's assortment of headbands.

And a few cards.

For the Record

2011-03-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Echo Park's for the record line is beautiful. I love all the stickers. Here's my process for creating the month in review recipe card.

First I will usually try to sketch out my page. I make sure to write down all the names of the paper before I cut off the ends and pitch them.

Then I start choosing the paper finding the sides that coordinate the best. I always have my ruler handy and write down the measurements along the way.

The most time consuming part for me is always choosing the photos and printing them out.

Got out my cricut using the Base Camp cartridge for the title.

TSR Sketch Contest

2011-03-13T11:35:00.001-07:00

Do you love sketches? Well I do! Head on over to the scrap-room's blog and upload your take on the March's sketch for a chance to win a $5 gift certificate to the TSR Store.

Here was my take:

and an extra card:

You have until Wednesday, March 30th to leave a comment IN THIS POST with a link to your layout.

Home Gallery

2011-03-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

I've had a sick kid at home and family in town so been MIA. Here was my inspiration post over at the scrap-room last week.

After spending so much time on your layouts, wouldn't it be nice to have a spot where it can be viewed and appreciated longer before sticking them inside your albums? I fell in love with this idea of creating a wall art display when I visited Scrapfunattic, my local scrapbooking store, and saw how wonderful it looked on theirs.

So I went to my local Target to purchase a curtain rod & curtain hooks. The package of clip it up hooks was from my lss.

And with the help of my husband, this was the result:

A cute home decor item to display all of my recent layouts! And it's so easy to switch them out from month to month once I get bored with them. Just unclip and stick in the new ones.

TSR Blog HOP!

2011-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello there! And Welcome to the scrap-room's first official Blog Hop!

This is going to be a fabulous month! The kits will totally rock your pictures if you don't believe me, check out all the wonderful inspiration the design team has put together in the idea gallery.

The page I want to share with you is the one I made with Basic Grey's HOPSCOTCH line.

Supplies: Basic Grey Hopscotch paper, chipboard, and flower stickers. kraft tag, Fiskars apron lace punch, brown thread, and cricut for the title.

The pastels worked great even for a page of my little boy.

If you take a close look at my journaling tag, you'll get a peek of the library card stamp for March.

The dimensional flowers with their glitter and bling was my favorite part.

Okay...You know the way this works, right? Here is a list of the places you will be visiting...

Lan Amphone (You are already HERE! Way to Go!)
Melanie Call <---Your next stop
Sarah Eclavea
Jenny Moore
Aphra Bolyer
Frances Sylvia
The ScrapRoom Blog

The hop begins at my blog, but all of the blogs are linked in case you get lost along the way. Just follow along the blog path, and keep hopping until you reach your last destination which is where the hop began....The ScrapRoom Blog!!

Make sure you become a follower and leave a comment at each blog telling our wonderful designers what you liked about their project! When you reach The ScrapRoom Blog, leave a comment letting us know that you finished the hop.

One blog hop participant who leaves a comment at each designer's blog, will be chosen at random to win a $5 gift certificate to The ScrapRoom Store! Whoot! Whoot! Check out the blog Friday, March 4th for our winner!

Thank you so much for stopping by,
next be sure to stop on over to Melanie's blog.

Princess Room

2011-02-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

The first room we gave a lift to was Kenzie's. She's had these wallpaper bear border since she was born.

The BEFORE:

After some stripping and a fresh coat of pink paint...we've got a room fit for a princess! Who happens to be celebrating her 6th birthday this weekend. And the AFTER:

The bed frame and matching dresser was taking up so much room so we took off the mirror and rearranged the setting. Design on a dime!

Heart Flowers

2011-02-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

Papers: Basic Grey Jovial
Title: Basic Grey Junebug
Flower: heart punch
Got Sketch 104

Old Scraproom

2011-02-20T06:15:00.001-08:00

I"m moving! Yes, I'm moving all my scrap stuff into another room.

For the last two months, we've been busy working on my NEW studio. We had a corner of the basement that was used as a storage room with just extra junk in it. Holding boxes and boxes of the kids old clothes and toys they don't play with and xmas decor etc... The furnace and water pipes and drainage is all in the same room so it didn't make it ideal to turn it into a bedroom. And there are no windows. But my husband framed around all this stuff and it will work perfectly for my new space. This is my current room. I love it but we need room for a spare bedroom to hide all the toys the kids have accumulated in the past 5 years.

We are in the finally stages...I spent all weekend painting and the trim work and carpet will go in this week. Yay!

I do love the existing color scheme: Red/Pink/Brown

I have to share with you theis amazing canvas piece my friend Nikki made for me. She is just chalk full of talent!

MME True Blue

2011-02-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

I"ve always loved how whimsy thread just floats around on digital pages and decided to try the same look here.

Inspired by pinwheels I"ve seen lately...

Go Jayhawks!

A week late

2011-02-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

I"m running just a week behind schedule here....without further delay, here are my February Scrap-Room designs. This month you get a mix of Fancy Pants, My Mind's Eye and Echo Park.

I had to really stretch my half used package of thickers here. I didn't have any of the letters I needed so I improvised. The S was a number 8, the e's were the amperstand sign, the t's was a number 1, and my bottom e was a c.

And this month we have a new sketch artist...our very own Doubleshots Barista Frances! She has a great eye for design and I look forward to working with all her sketches. This one was great to show off all the different fun patterns when you can't decide which one to choose from.

This kit came with lots of brads and I love making my own flowers. I had a spare piece of canvas ribbon that I threaded and pulled for one flower. And for the larger one, I punched a set of hearts, folded each twice and stuck them together. Got out my distressing red brick ink and added some color to the bracket shape. And for my Forever title, I used some making memories manilla paint and topped them with crystal laquer for shine.

Sneak Peek

2011-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Clean Color is OUT!

2011-01-14T09:03:00.001-08:00

I've been patiently waiting for the Clean Color Workflow to be released and it finally came out this week! Today is the last day to purchase it at the introductory price.

Currently I don't do any editing to my photos except for a little brightening and it doesn't always come out how I want it to. I need all the help I can get to make my photos more natural looking and I really love the way Erin does her post editing. I've purchased elements 7.0 and lightroom books and can't find the time to work through the lessons. This workflow is a 2 hour video. Check it out here.
Erin Cobb's Clean Color

Baby Love

2011-01-14T08:36:00.001-08:00

Hello blog land...I've been buried in work lately but I will return on a regular basis some day. I became an Auntie to two of the cutest babies this past November. Introducing my nephew Eilan and my niece Kaylonie.

Hello 2011!

2010-12-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

Can't believe how quickly 2010 went by, it was a wonderful year and I hope 2011 is filled with just as much happiness and joy to one and all!

We just hung around at home all day. My kids drove me crazy...they played Just Dance on the wii and Kenzie and Micah fought all day when one of them didn't get the first prize ribbon for dancing. Then they whined when one got mad at the other and wouldn't play nicely. Then Paxton would go running off with their toys and the older ones would come crying to me. All day long...it was MOM!!!

My husband actually went to Lowe's hardware to buy wood and spent the day framing up our unfinished utility room which will become my new scraproom! I'm sure it will drag on for months but at least he's started it. We've actually had plans to do this almost a year ago but it's always been put on the back burner.

And now for the scrap-room's January kit reveal.

1) Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934
The photos were taken last year when all the kids were sitting at the doctor's office waiting to get their flu shots.

2) Fancy Pants Happy Together

Makenzie's first concert was Salena Gomez. We stood in line for a poster booklet and she came home and tore it all apart and taped it up all around her room.
We watched Andale High's football game at my 15 yr reunion. They were throwing out t-shirts into the stands after the first touchdown and Lam snagged one for Micah even though it was a size XL.

3) Jillibean Soup Atomic Soup

4) Bella Boulevard Lovey Dovey - coming soon...in my recipe card :)
Such a cute cute line!

And a couple cards. Oopsie, I can't believe I missed the "h" on this one. I ran out of this letter sticker and was going to go back with a black ink pen to make the l into an h and totally forgot until it was revealed today.

Ten days and counting!

2010-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Is everyone ready for christmas? I'm not! I have so much to do and so little time to finish it all. Being sick and having sick ones doesn't help out at all. The kids are finally better but I"m still holding onto this nasty cold I"ve had for days. We haven't even made our yearly trip to sit on Santa's lap yet...I"m hoping we can get that done this weekend.

Today Makenzie told me that she watched Hellen Keller at school and it was sooo sad. She told me she only dropped one tear though. My girl is so thoughtful sometimes. She see's a lot of homeless people lately as we drive around town and tell me she wants to give them some of her toys and candy that she doesn't like.

On christmas eve, she will be singing in the choir with her class. The girls will dress up like Mary and the boys as Joseph and they will bring their scrolls to the manger. She is super excited and have been talking it up for days.

People have asked what Micah wants for xmas and here's his Santa list. He wants mighty beans, baulkagons, criss cross crasher, Muno (Uno) cards, building thing...and that's it, he says.

Paxton hasn't added many new words to his vocab yet. He does seem to understand a lot better and can respond his famous...Nah or bob of his head though. He's been getting a ton of teeth in lately...I think 5 new ones already. He loves to ride piggyback on his sister, they do that everynight.

It's fun to watch the kids play with old toys (Micah's Thomas train sets) and reading old books (peek-a-boo ones).

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. I've opened up an early xmas gift...my Mark 5D!! Super excited so I'll have lots of photos to share if I can ever get caught up.

Christmas Kit

2010-12-01T02:35:00.000-08:00

If you are in search of a scrapbooking kit chalked full of the latest and greatest papers and cute embellishments, then you have to go get yourself a TSR kit. I always love working with my December kits, it gets me in the Christmas mood. The design team did a fabulous job, you must check out all the inspiration in the idea gallery.

This month, we have Basic Grey - Jovial

I just love the matching chipboard snowman, and check out the electic chipboard alphabet from the embellishment add-on kit was a great combo. They can be easily painted to match your page too, here I painted the "day" in black.

With this layout, I used my EK Success swiss dots punch. I've had it for awhile and didn't like it much but thought it worked great on this page.

Jillibean Soup - Christmas Soup

Calling all kraft lovers, this kit is for you! I used my new extra large scalloped punch for the bottom border...loving it!

Crate Paper - Snow Day

For the Maya Road calendar pieces I created a hanging calendar with the crate line. It is four 6x6 sheets of chipboard just tied together with some spare ribbon.

And finally, we have the TOWER of MILK DUDS! The stamp kit was created to easily wrap around a Hershey's nugget bar but I didn't have any on hand so digging through my kid's leftover Halloween stash still hidden in the pantry, I came up with this idea. Love the polka dots!

I have lots of extra little projects to share but my household has caught the bug ever since Thanksgiving day and I"m still trying to recover myself. Be back in a few.

Field Trip

2010-11-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

My TSR Recipe card using BoBunny Olivia. I took a half day off work to attend Kenzie's Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch. There were a few students who's parents couldn't come so they were split up between groups. Kenzie's friend Haley came with us and they had a wonderful time together. At the end of the day my daughter told me she was so happy I could be there. That just made my day.

Included in the kits are Jillibean canvas flowers and leaf stick pins...very fun.

Spooky Cute

2010-11-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Arial, Star Wars guy, my little Pea Pod, and cousin Ninja had a wonderful Halloween. Hope you did too!

TSR Nov Kit Reveal

2010-11-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Nov Sneak peek

2010-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

October Afternoon Campfire - These papers have a fall pallete but it was a good match for my pile of Kenzie's soccer pictures from last year that needed to be scrapped.

This weekend Kenzie found Lam's old volleyball trophy in the tub of toys and she asked if it was hers. I told a white lie and said yes and she was all happy and went to get a napkin to wipe it down and polish it. The she started asking questions like how did she win it? What sport was she playing? How come it looks like Volleyball. Then I felt bad and came out with the truth and told her it was her daddys. She was so sad and had a big frown.

Then she asked me how can she win one? And I told her she had to play a sport and her team needs to win the game. So then she told me she wanted to play soccer again...and gymnastics...and volleyball....

We took her out of karate and gymnastics when school started because with her homework load, and the adjustment of going to school all day everyday, it was too much for her to handle. But now that she's got the routine down, I think we might try one sport.

We went to our cousin, Astrid's birthday party this weekend. All the kids were playing the new "Just Dance" game on the wii. It looked very fun and I think Santa will have to put that on his list for the Amphone residence.

Halloween Boo Book

2010-10-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make one of these collective mini albums for each of the kids to showcase all their costumes and finally did it. Here's my project for TSR's crop this weekend.

The bat and title was inspired by this card created by Sarah Hodgkinson.

And i'm still finishing up on the book for Micah but here's the cover page so far

Fashion Fab

2010-10-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working away on some projects this week. Tune back in on Friday to see the results of what I creating for the scrap-room's first Mod Squad/Design Team Crop. Be sure to head on over to the message board and play along with all the challenges going on, it's bound to be a great time to get your creative juices flowing! It's going on all weekend long and my project, a Halloween mini album, is slotted for Friday night at 11pm central time.

I still have a pile of layouts I worked on a few weeks ago just laying on the floor in my scrap studio that still needs photos added. My printer at home is failing me...the quality is not the same so I had to do a large upload to Sam's club yesterday.

And speaking of photos, I got the opportunity to tag along on a professional photoshoot with Teresa Reed last weekend. She was taking pictures of 3 little kids and initially they were not in the mood to get their pictures taken at all! and I can sooooo relate. It was fun to watch her work her magic, she was so generous with her time in helping me learn how she meters for light. I brought along my camera and she showed me what settings she used, we had the same lens but my photos did not turn out anywhere near as good. I have no intentions of becoming a full time photographer, it's a whole lot tougher than it looks. But I would love to learn all the tricks of the trade to improve my own photos.

We have our own family photos scheduled for this Saturday with Jacque Inc. They were running a groupon special so I couldn't pass up on the $20 deal, no sitting fee and 3-4x6 prints. We're going downtown and I'm very excited about it. I've been debating on what to dress the kids in for quite some time. Isn't it everytime you're looking for a specific outfit, you can never find it but then when you're not in the shopping mode you see all these cute things at the store?

GAP had a 45% sale a week ago so I purchased a few things for the kids. I loved their Bleecker collection and got the boys some basic black/grey shirts. Micah wanted this one when I showed him the site but I wasn't so keen in him wearing a skull sweater for our family photo.

And I got this dress for myself...thinking it'll be great for xmas, and at 45% off...even better!

And speaking of fashion, I love the outfits Lisa is wearing, the 4th photo looks just my style. I love the Anthropologie boots in the 2nd one, but I can't spend that much for a pair.

And here Kelley does a comparison on clothing, love her Skimp or Splurge choices. Really like this shirt dress from Forever 21 paired with those shoes and accessories. I just don't have the sexy legs to pull it off though.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tooth Fairy & Pixie Dust

2010-10-12T21:03:00.001-07:00

This morning I took both Kenzie and Micah to the dentist. We just made a switch to a new one because I didn't like the way our previous dentist handled the billings and it seemed they wanted us to come back every 3 months for unnecessary work. When I called to make the appt, I mentioned that I just noticed last week that two of Makenzie's permenant teeth have already come in thru her gums. And since her baby teeth haven't fallen out yet, they are pushing in towards her mouth and she's been complaining of aches. Her teeth are just a little bit loose but not enough to go stringing them to a doorknob and trying the ole' yank em out business.

Anyways..back to my telephone call...the receptionist said I could come in to have the doc look at her but they couldn't gaurantee the extraction could be done the same day since we are new patients and have to fill out all that paperwork.

Well, the doctor recommended these baby teeth go bye bye and here is one Happy Little Girl!!! She's been waiting for the tooth fairy for over a year now. ( She dresses herself and does her own hair in the morning each day for school...i think mommy needs to help her)

Micah was in there for a 2nd opinon on his front teeth. Unfortuneately, we'll be bringing him back for some additional work. On the ride back to school Micah asked her, "Sister...can you please tell the tooth fairy to leave one present for you and one for me too?!?" And she says...Micah, you have to wait til yours fall out, i've been waiting for this day for a long time.

And this evening she was dancing all around and asking me if I thought the tooth fairy would remember to come tonight. She had her teeth sealed in a little tiny chest the dentist gave her but she kept opening it up and looking at it. Once again her little brother tried..., Sister he says....can you put one under my pillow too so the tooth fairy will come see me?

LOL...i love when little kids still BELIEVE.

But the tooth fairy was not prepared to make her rounds so soon and had to stay up late to leave this on the dresser drawer for the special girl. Inside the star box was a $5 bill wrapped in blue tulle and a fairy dress ornament. Kenzie woke up at 6:30am and immediately looked under her pillow!

The tooth fairy also left this note for her. There was a trail of glitter (Fairy Pixie Dust) from her bedroom window leading to the dresser too...she was super excited and woke me up early to read her note for her.

City Park

2010-10-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

My recipe page this month is using American Crafts City Park line. A great mix of colors for any everyday layout. The circles were cut out from the sheet of Courtland Gardens. You can't see it very well here but the centers are filled with glitter. If you have the old coluzzle tool, they are the perfect size to cut all these circles. Photos were taken on Mother's day this year.

Retreat Recap

2010-10-10T12:35:00.001-07:00

Every day after school, Kenzie pulls her school uniform jumper off and plays in the yard with her siblings and cousins. Grandpa has this metal wagon that the kids love to play in. They all hop in and she pulls them down the dirt driveway to the mailbox.

My friend Heidi from MN knitted me these cozy pair of fingerless mittens. I LOVE them! So warm and fitting and I'll be able to take pictures wearing them this fall/winter. It was a prize for one of her scrap challenges. I've been admiring her knitting/crocheting skills for a long time so imagine my surprise when I won my very own handmade piece. Thanks friend!

Enjoying my frappachino as I waited in the airport in either Detroit or Memphis. I had two connecting flights...it was a looooong flight home.

And now for a little Recap of my wonderful weekend spent at the Hamburg Hideaway in PA. I met up with 7 other girlfriends that I've known for over 2 years..some as long as 5 years. We met thru an on-line scrapbooking kit club, TSR and have just bonded since then. It was an amazing weekend and these ladies were incredibly fun, talented, and sweet!

This was the room I stayed in which fit 6 comfortably. It was like stepping into a little girl's room with the cute flower print comforters and white iron bed headpiece.

PA is a lot like Kansas, just with a bit more hills and curves and trees. I picked up my own rental car since I missed my 6am flight and was the last to arrive. Thank goodness for my Sprint gps on my phone though...those backwood roads could be tricky driving along at night when you are on new territory!

And here we are, a buch of good looking gals if I don't say so myself. Flying in from all over the place, KY, NY, OR, MN, PA, and KS.

Deep in concentration as I'm working on my 2011 calendar. Thanks to Pam for all the great pictures she took.

We're a tight group, hugs are welcomed. The majority of us own an slr too so no shortage of photos.

Oh my, we had some hilarious conversations and when someone starts the belly laughs, it's hard to control yourself.

I had such a wonderful time and can't wait for our next retreat.

And being gone just 3 days made me miss and look forward to my regular scheduled programing with these silly beans

October Reveal

2010-10-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

Just returning from a wonderful weekend spent in PA meeting up with 7 amazing scrapbookers from across the states. It was so nice to finally meet these ladies that I've communicated with over the years. Haven't had a chance to download the pictures yet but they will be coming.

Here's my layouts for TSR's October kits. Tammy chose nothing but the best again.

I tend to create layouts with mostly 1-2 photos because it's easier to show off the beautiful paper and embellishments. But in this one, I wanted to add lots of photos from my trip to NY and the border strips from the Crate line made it easy to finish off the page. Central park was amazing, I would love to take a stroll there during the different seasons of the year. Nothing like it in my part of the world.

Bella Boulevard - Love the mix of fall papers from this line. The DT did a fabulous job, even I want to lift from their ideas :) This was based on a sketch from Julie Bonner.

This photo was taken last year in September on our trip to California. My parents and aunt were just sitting outside our hotel room chatting and holding the kids. I don't think you can ever take too many photos with your family.

And Who doesn't have gobs and gobs of birthday photos?

This will be included in the pack of cards I'm making for Kenzie's teacher for her xmas gift.

On a funny note: This morning as I'm driving my 5year old to school, she asks me "Mommy how old are you?" And I tell her, honey, you asked me that yesterday and you know how old I am. So she thinks about it for a minute and says, Thirty-three?

that's like GRANDMA old!

Birthday Boy

2010-09-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

This boy just celebrated his special day.
I tried to moouse his hair down before the party and he got upset because he wouldn't be able to twist his hair while he sucked his thumb without getting it all yucky. Yes, he still has that quirk about him.

Watch out or Kenzie will knock you over!

A little frightened at first but Paxton wanted right back on that slide.

No hugs from little brother

Thanks grandma for my Super Mario cake!

Oct Sneak Peek

2010-09-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

A peek at what's in store for the scrap-room's October kit using Teresa Collin's celebrate line.

The tiny ticket tags and red baker's twine are fun embellishments included in the kit. There's a whole sheet of paper with birthday titles that make it so easy to add toppers to your page.

A technique I use quite often is making my own flower embellishments. Here I cut and layered scrunched up circles and topped them with a star. The heart bling is from the add-on embellishment kit.

Wait until you see the rest of the reveal...it is AWESOME!

Imaginisce September Sketch

2010-09-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Loved this sketch designed by Aida Huron for Imaginisce.

Roadmaps and a Winner

2010-09-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Did a couple layouts for fun using some roadmap challenges that my friend posted. Try following these for something new.

1. choose 2 photos
2. choose 2 patterned papers; use one paper for background and one for a large photo mat
3. frame or mat your photos identically
4. use a word or phrase strip or sticker
5. use a circle element (I forgot this step...need to add some stitched circles yet)
6. use an abbreviation in your title
7. journal on a journaling block, placed up against your photos

1. choose 3 pictures, and arrange in a row across, or an up-and-down column
2. choose a dark solid or dark tone-on-tone background
3. choose 3 or more patterned papers, cut in long strips and placed in a border behind photos
4. choose 2 basic shapes of embellies and repeat the shapes at least 2 times each (for example--mine are circles and stars)
5. use a scallop somewhere on the page
6. put journaling and the date on tags and/or tabs
7. use light-colored words on your dark background as part of your title

And now to choose a winner from last week's giveaway. The lucky person using the random number generator is poster #2...

it is so hard to actually CUT the pretty papers :-) but i certainly would like more papers for my scrapping.thanks-shen

Congrats!!! Please send me your address at Lan214@yahoo.com and I'll get your prize mailed out.

Giveaway!

2010-09-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

I was the lucky blog winner from Sassafras Lass's blog giveaway and recieved not one but two sheets of every new paper from this CUTE line,Count me In.

So I thought it was about time that I gave back and hold my first ever blog giveaway. Just leave a comment by September 23rd and tell me what other scrappy items are on your wish list and you will have a chance to receive some of these pretty papers and an extra surprise from me!

Pool Party

2010-09-10T20:36:00.001-07:00

The TSR September kits have been mailed out so I can now post my recipe page using October Afternoon's Seaside kit. Farwell to the last day of summer and looking forward to the cooler weather of fall.

The top three photos shows Kenzie, Micah, and their cousin Dara as they line up and get ready to plunge into the pool together. Except Micah would stop right at the edge of the pool and wait for daddy to grab his hands and actually carry him into the water. Making a note to myself that next summer I've got to enroll these kids in swimming lessons so they are more comfortable.

Copic Cupcakes

2010-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Decided to dig out my new copic markers and give them a try.

I used the following colors...

To fill in this cupcake...

Then added to this page.

TSR Sept Reveal

2010-08-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

My little girl on her first day of school and first year with uniforms. White polo shirts $5 at old navy and I was able to snag up 2 used uniforms during registration. The backpack was her pick, she wanted the over the shoulder one like her cousin's Dara and Phoma.

I love the texture and color of the navy ribbon in this kit. It was easy to create these flowers. Just ran a base stitch thru the ribbon, pulled the thread, pressed it down into a circle and one glue dot did the trick.

Papers: Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl
Ribbon: Pebbles
Chipboard flower: Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl
Misc: button, bling, thread
Punches: Fiskars Upper crest border punch
Stickers: Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl
Chipboard title sticker: Cosmo Cricket

It was late one evening when we stopped at the new playground area at Sedgwick County Park. All items from the kits except for the brown and green flowers and pearl embellishments.

Paper: Fancy Pants
Ribbon: FP My Family Woven Ribbon
Artist Edition Safety Pins: Fancy Pants
Other:Pearls
Flowers: Maya Road Velvet Pleated Blossom, Bazzill
Punches: Fiskars threading water,EK Success large scallop
Stickers: Fancy Pants

Making cards is not my favorite so I love it when the paper can be cut into the card itself. All I did was add the red and blue stickles and sentiment with stickers.

Paper: Fancy Pants My Family Strips
Pearls
Stickers: October Afternoon Mini Market Alpha, FP Red Alpha

This layout is based on Julie Bonner's sketch for TSR. Hands down the best crawfish restaurant i've ever eaten was in Vegas.

The journaling spots are so fun here. I also wanted to try a stitching template to create the top border

Paper: Jillibean Soup Pasta Fagioli
Stitching template:
Journaling Sprouts: Jillibean Soup Pasta Fagioli
Alpha Stickers: Doodlebug Loopy Lou(blue), MME Lush (brown), SEI (red)
Stars: JS Red Script Canvas Stars
Other: Thread, flower, button
Die: Nestabilities scallop circle

Aww...an a few pics of my kiddos. Colorful chair was on clearance at HobbyLobby :)

Paper: Jillibean Soup Pasta Fagioli
Dies: Scalloped nestabilities
Cricut: Basecamp font
Journaling Spot: Jillibean Soup
Flower: Maya Road Velvet Pleated Blossoms
Brads: Queen and Co
Punch: Fiskars Upper crest

And a set of three cards using Jillibean Soup

Landscape Photography

2010-08-31T09:02:00.001-07:00

I took a phototography class from JR Cowell on landscape photography. Something totally different than doing everyday portraits. We met downtown Wichita at the Keeper of the Plains. Sadly I've lived here all my life and didn't even know how to get there so I googled it.

Yes..that's a piece of my hair in the image above...should have worn a headband knowing it was a windy day.

I learned the following...
1) I've been holding my camera upside down for the last 5 years
2) I shouldn't be squinting with one eye open thru the view finder
3) I can now use my left eye open...very new concept and hard to break old habits
4) It can get very heavy toting your tripod, camera bag, 3 lens, and a bottle of water around town on a hot day
5) You don't have to be looking thru the view finder to take the shot...leaving it on the ground is an alternative
6) What types of things to meter from
7) Be patient for bystanders to get out of your photo unless you want hippies and spandex in your photos
8) I've never shot at f/16 until today
9) Be open to your surroundings and what to look for
10) Always clean your lens and remove dirt and black spots before the shoot....learned after I uploaded all my pictures from the 3 hour shooting and found the same black spot on each image. Guess my eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

Indigo is the new Black

2010-08-26T09:09:00.001-07:00

It's sneek peak week over on TSR's blog and my layout using Sassafrass Lass Indi Girl is up. I am just loving the color Indigo!!! It's my new favorite to scrap with. This line of paper is just rich in color and beautiful. I love the chipboard flowers in the kit. I also used some of the new stamps as part of my journaling spot.

We did a couple takes with my camera on auto timer to get this photo...Micah was being a cheeseball as usual but I love it because that's just him in a nutshell.

Supplies: Sassafrass Lass Indi Girl (paper), Heidi(chipboard stickers), American Crafts (foam letters), Stamps (TSR), Scallop Punch (stampin up), Thread

Journal your Vacation

2010-08-24T10:36:00.001-07:00

This is my last month designing for Sketches by Tamara. :( I've really enjoyed my term, it gave me the jump start I needed for my layouts and cards. And for the last project I have to share is the Journaling challenge.

It comes from Karen, one of the Design Team Members at Sketches! {by tamara}.

Journal about your vacation: More than who, what, where and when. But your thought about the vacation or a funny event during the vacation.

I chose to journal about getting lost in New York. It was the first time the three of us had ever been there and we were dressed up to go to a Lips show. We had the map out, our phones with google maps and gps...but we couldn't find the location. We made circles around the blocks and even asked for directions multiple times. We finally called the place for directions and they told us that they just moved locations a week ago and we were looking at their old address! It was quite the evening! Luckily we were still able to catch the later showing.

Altered DVD Tin Tutorial

2010-08-22T05:35:00.001-07:00

My tutorial is posted this week over at the Scrap-room's Blog

ALTERED DVD TIN TUTORIAL by Barista, Lan Amphone

Hello crafty people! Today I’ve got an altered DVD tin to share with all of you peeps. This tin measures 8”x 6” and I picked one up at my lss. If you can’t find one, substitute with any tin case or try a plastic pencil box found in the school supply area, they can be altered in just the same fashion.

For my project I used American Craft’s Dear Lizzy Line from TSR’s April kit.

Supplies Needed:
• DVD Tin (or pencil case)
• Coordinating pattern papers
• Cardstock or solid PP
• Piece of ribbon
• Flower
• Modge Podge
• Border punch/ or stickers
• Foam Tape

Step 1: Cut out all your pieces for the front cover and lay them out in the following order:

Solid Color #1 – 5.75” x 1.5”
Pattern #1 – 5.75” x 3”
Piece of matching Ribbon 5.75” long
Pattern #2 – 5.75” x 1”
Solid Color #2 – Punch a scallop strip 5.75” wide Pattern #3 – 5.75” x 2.5”

Step 2: Adhere each layer using Modge Podge starting from the top down. ( When I made mine, I cut my pieces longer to wrap around the outside edges but I would recommend just covering the top and leaving the sides and back unfinished)

Step 3: Attach flower cut from ribbon and two hand cut leaves.

Step 4: Cut a half circle out of cardstock and adhere with alpha stickers as shown. This completes the cover. Next we will work on the inside flaps. (note: I ended up not using the brads pictured below)

Inside Papers Needed:
pattern #4 - 8” x 5.75”
Solid #3 – 3” x 5.75”
Pattern #5 – 8” x 5.75”
Border paper or sticker

Step 5: Adhere Pattern #4 to inside left flap. Next we’ll create a pocket so you can slip a card inside. Take the solid 3” x 5.75” piece and score both ends at the ½” mark. Attach the flag border to the front top edge. Round the bottom corners and add two layers of foam tape to the back of the bottom edge and adhere to left flap of DVD tin with adhesive on the scored/folded ends.

Step 6: Adhere Pattern #5 to right side flap and you are done! Now just fill up your tin with goodies and give away to that special someone!

And here is a picture of another tin I made...thanks for sending the photo Pam!

We took the kids to see the Sorcerer's Apprentice last night. Kenzie has been asking to see it for the longest time. It was a great movie. Pax slept through almost the entire showing...I lucked out! I"m usually chasing him up and down the isles.

I had a flash/metering/light photography class yesterday and right as I was starting up my car to go...my engine wouldn't start...the batter died again! This is the 2nd time. So I had to call hubbie to come back home and drive me. I was half an hour late but was still able to learn a few pointers.

Tamara's Card Sketch

2010-08-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge is a card sketch. I like how the sentiment wraps around the corner. I was creating this at work one day and didn't have any tools with me to create the flower. So I took my Victoria's secret ultra-moisturizing hand and body cream lotion (My Desire) that was sitting on my desk and traced the cap several times to create circles. Then I just started playing around with it and folded the sides in and this is what I came up with. Check out what all the other designers did with it
here.

Imaginesce August Sketch

2010-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Made another layout with the cute Scooter's vacation line from Imaginesce...this time using a sketch from their blog contest. Photos from when we went to visit Auntie Kim & Ryan in CO earlier in the year.

Groovy Girl

2010-08-12T07:23:00.001-07:00

Here's my double page recipe card I made for the scrap-room using KI Memories Groovy Girl line. I love the journaling cards and softies that came with the kit. A pretty basic design but the papers bring such pop of color, you don't need much more.

After Kenzie learned how to ride her bike without training wheels on the 2nd attempt, she kept saying, I can go 2 wheeling now mama! lol.

Imaginisce + Pagemaps

2010-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Pagemaps is having another sketch contest on their blog. This is what I made with it during my lunch period yesterday. Received this adorable scooter's vacation line by Imaginisce from my friend. I just *heart* the red camera icon on that paper. It's so cute and perfect for my photo of when I met up with my New York scrapping friends.

Back to School

2010-08-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

The kids have exactly one week left of summer break. I for one am all excited to get them back into a regular routine. This year Kenzie will start all day kindergarten and Micah will go to preschool two days a week.

Here's a layout I made using Kenzie's preschool picture from 2 years ago. It's this week's recipe challenge over at sketches by Tamara. We had to use these three items:

*Bling
*Banner
*color green

Supplies:
Paper - October Afternoon Cherry Hill (TSR Aug '09 Kit)
Flag Banner Sticker: Sassfras Las Cherry Delicious (TSR Aug '10 Kit)
Topiary Spruce bling it - Basic Grey (TSR July '10 embellishment add-on)
Alphas: American Crafts & Cosmo Cricket

Beat the heat

2010-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Just returning from a trip to Carthage, MO for the Marion day festivities. When I was younger my parents would take us every year and we would camp out in tents. Now with three kids of my own and a heat wave in the 100's...how I'm so grateful for hotels and swimming pools....and working A/C's!

August Layout Sketch

2010-08-03T09:51:00.001-07:00

Your inspiration this week is a layout sketch. Be sure to click on over to sketches by Tamara to see what all the other designers did with it.

I used the BoBunny line for my photo of Paxton. Everyone comments on how dark he is...they think I let him suntan all day long, lol...but he's just naturally dark.

Full August Reveal

2010-07-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's up! The scrap-room's August kit is just bursting with 4 fun lines:Glitz Kismet, Sassafras las Cherry Delicious, Echo Park Paper Sweet Summertime, and KI Memories Groovy (my upcoming recipe kit).

First off, the embellishments in the Glitz Kismet kit were way awesome! The coconut buttons and red photo turns were so much fun to add.

A mini ablum I put together using the August "good stop" stamp set.

Count me In

2010-07-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

This is just a sample of Sassafras's new line Count me In. I think it's adorable! The color combo of yellow, orange, and pink is so girly and so much of Kenzie's favorite colors right now. Check out the rest
here

July Card sketch

2010-07-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

This week's card sketch from sketches by Tamara is a great design to use up some of your leftover paper scraps. Or cut into some new fun ones! :)

Paper and leaf stamp is from Papertryink. Flower & sentiment stamp is Hero Arts.

More red,white, & blue

2010-07-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

Up for a challenge? This week's recipe challenge over at Tamara's blog is to use the following three items: Stars, rubons, and staples.

for this page of my cute nephew, I used two different colors of maya mist on the background. The flourishes are rubons and I added some glitter star stickers in between.

And this was the layout sketch posted last week using some Glitz paper I received in my June Scraptivity Kit. The photos are of my two friends I went to NY with. We had quite the experience trying to figure out if we had the right subway each time.

I had a virus on my computer again and had to wait for my brother to fix it for me so now I can download the dozen photos I took from 4th of July and our Vegas trip we just got back from. It was a quick 2 night trip but much needed. The kids are now 5, 3, and 1 and the longest we've ever both left them is 1 night. Lam was worried about Kenzie the entire time because she likes to sleep with him at night and was telling him she would cry and be scared without him. But after we got home, she asked her daddy if she could spend the night at grandmas again....haha..kids, gotta love them.

July Reveal

2010-07-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the month again! New scrap-room kits are posted and you've got to go get yours...very very fun line of kits. Here's what I created.

1) Pebbles Tree House - the 3x3 cards that came with this kit was perfect to make greeting cards with. I used my cuttlebug & spellbinders die to cut the square into this shape and it was quick and easy, done!

Used my cuttlebug and dies here also. The flowers and darling sentiment are rub-ons from the kit.

Isn't the row of houses too cute?!

2) Pink Paislee Starlight - Love the glitter element stickers...i got so much mileage out of this kit

Using the scalloped circle paper, I cut it apart to make the rolling hills

Sketch by the talented Miss Julie Bonner

3) Girls' Paperie On HOliday

4) And the last line is October Afternoon Fly a Kite...stay tuned for my recipe double page layout using this kit

Fearless

2010-06-28T16:46:00.001-07:00

Pax loves to ride with Grandpa...the 5 acres of grass will keep him entertained for quite a bit of mowing.

This girl has been riding her bike without training wheels for just over a month now but has had 3 pretty hard falls. Both of her knees are scrapped up and now she's sporting this pretty thing. Yet, she pops right back onto her bike.

The two musketeers just had their hair buzzed.

Crawling

2010-06-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at Sketches by Tamara is a journaling challenge that I came up with. It was to vary your journaling by changing up the font color, size, or type. Photos of my little baby the first time he crawled.

My most favorite

2010-06-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

Yes, I dressed them up and dragged them out in the swealtering 99 degree heat for a photo shoot. And after all the hard work on my part, I finally got some decent shots of the 3 of them.

And a few shots from my NY trip:

on the 23rd

2010-06-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

This layout was for the scrap-room's recipie card using Webster's pages - Lullybye Lane kit

On the 23rd of each month since the day Pax was born, I sat him in the same rocking chair we purchased for Kenzie's nursery and took his monthly photo up to his 1st birthday. I tried to take it with the same bear so you could see how much he's grown but month by month that bear would get lost and then the older he got, the harder it was to get him to stay sitting still for 2 seconds so I gave up. It was hard enough to remember each month. I went overboard and did this same thing with Kenzie every week of her first year! And Micah has a similar layout.

Card Sketch

2010-06-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

This week's inspiration is a card sketch, here is my take.

Just getting back from a 4 day trip to New York. I had so much fun but getting back to my regular routine is so hard.