Matryoshka Nesting Dolls Fold-Out Card

I cannot tell you just how excited I was to find a template to create this card over at Zakka Life. I am getting Zoey a set of Matryoshka nesting dolls for Christmas this year (something that I was on the look-out for last year) along with the book The Littlest Matryoshka by Corinne Demas Bliss. This card now of course will be accompanying the gift under the tree...or perhaps even in the tree!



The patterned papers that I used are all by Cosmo Cricket, I used the scalloped border punch by Stampin' Up for the red dot paper along the bottom of the dolls and used clear stamps by Hero Arts for one of the dolls faces and the "i luv you." Other embellishments include chipboard (cherries) by Basic Grey, letter stickers by Creative Imaginations, buttons by Chatterbox, and gemstones and brads by Doodlebug Designs, Inc. Pretty much everything that I used to create this little gem of a project was from one of my kits from Cocoa Daisy.

Such a fun and sweet little project, I think that I'll also be making Zoey a blank cut-out of these dolls too so that she can make up her own "set" after reading the story.

i love her..i love her..i love her..

This morning was hurried and rushed and we were all running late. I had an appointment in another town to get to right after dropping Zoey off at school and she was being pokey and stubborn and I had too much to do myself to help get her organized and ready for the day. She was grumpy and I was too short with her. I was literally holding my electric tooth brush in my mouth brushing my teeth while packing her lunch for school. We made it to school on time and I just made it to my appointment and now I am missing her and wishing that our morning would have been a better one and had gone differently. Being a parent is such a mixed bag. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Ornament/Treat Box Holders

This was a project that I created originally for an ongoing workshop that was held at Paper Studio, Inc. which is located in Minocqua, Wisconsin. I used an Accu-Cut die for creating the paper boxes and box lids (if you do not have access to an Accu-Cut machine click here for a great tutorial on making a small gift box that would work perfect for this project) and then punched out scalloped circles from cardstock using a small Fiskars punch. I stamped on the scalloped circles using Christmas stamps from Hero Arts and added a rhinestone to the center of some of my stamped images. I simply threaded some ribbon through a hole that I had punched through the top of my box lids and tied my ribbon to secure. The papers that I used for this particular project are all by Bazzill. I used the dotted swiss, the new glazed cardstock and then plain textured Bazzill cardstock (for the scalloped punch outs). This was a super fun and easy project and will make for some special treat holders for some special people this year I am sure! All supplies used for this project are available for purchase and/or use at Paper Studio.

Fall + Winter Reading List

I'm already putting together my list of books that I hope to read within the next few months...I think one of the things that I love most about this time of year is getting cozy and enjoying a good book in the evening hours that are before bed. Here are some of the books that I've come up with so far:

1. Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

2. The Lacuna: A Novel by Barbara Kinglsolver (just thrilled to see that she has a new book out!)

3. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (heard so many good things about this one that I bought myself a copy)

5. The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Isreal (I want to own this book)



6. Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas A. Christakis

7. Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America by Helen Thorpe

8. Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro (this one will be released Nov 17th but is available for pre-order on amazon)

9. Going Away Shoes by Jill McCorkle

10. NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

11. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (I love her blog and I want her book)

12. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof

13. The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate (my mom told me I should read this, so I am going to)

Are there any books that are on your "To Read" list? Please share!

Some Music on a Sunday...

Would You Go With Me - Josh Turner

Just For Fun...

I got a fun blog award passed on to me by a friend and part of it is to answer the following list of questions and then to pass on the award so here goes....

Here's the rules: I need to pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know I left them this award, and then I need to answer a list of questions (to follow) using just ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? n/a (don't have one)

2. Your hair? short

3. Your mother? strong

4. Your father? creative

5. Your favorite food? greek

6. Your dream last night? good

7. Your favorite drink? water

8. Your dream/goal? peace (in my heart)

9. What room are you in? bedroom

10. Your hobby? paper-arts

11. Your fear? fear

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home

13. Where were you last night? here

14. Something that you aren't? high maintenance

15.Muffins? rhubarb

16. Wish list item? health

17. Where did you grow up? small town

18. Last thing you did? tucked in my little girl for the night

19. What are you wearing? yoga pants + an old long sleeved t-shirt

20. Your TV? old school

21. Your pets? deceased

22. Friends? the best

23. Your life? thankful

24. Your mood? good

25. Missing someone? yes

26. Vehicle? Subaru

27. Something your not wearing? make-up

28. Your favorite store? any bookstore

29. Your favorite color? crimson red, brown, green, burnt orange (I just can't choose just one)

30. When was the last time you laughed? tonight

31. Last time you cried? today (when I was laughing)

32. Your best friend? true blue

33. One place that I go to over and over? work =)

34. Facebook? interesting

35. Favorite place to eat? Harbor View and the Island Cafe

I had a few answers that went beyond the one word rule but for the most part I stuck to it. Here are the blogs that I am nominating:

Ronda - She goes above and beyond for a fellow scrapper, she's extremely talented and is incredible about telling it like it is when journaling on her pages.

Wilna - Love how courageous she is in sharing her faith with the world, her art is truly from her heart.

Misty (like "drizzle") - An amazing friend in real life, always makes me laugh and is an amazing seamstress (and mother).

Patty - Pretty much every time I see this woman she makes me cry or almost pee my pants (from laughing). She's one of those people that I know have been put into my life's path for a reason.

Anne - An amazing cook, to get some great recipe ideas be sure to check out her blog...another real life acquaintence who is now a blogger.

You are all "over the top" in my book! Now snag this award for yourselves and pass on the good cheer!

Working Through It...

I haven't been feeling very creative lately, at least when it comes to scrapbooking. Perhaps it's because I've been concentrating more on things here at home. Like baking and trying out some new recipes on the family, re-organizing and cleaning out the clutter that seems to accumulate so fast, making sure that there is time for Zoey and I to connect right after school. I've noticed that this is how I am...I ebb and flow, sometimes I want to share and get things out and done and other times I feel myself retreating back into myself and wanting to hold things close, let my ideas roll around for a bit before releasing them and letting them go. Maybe it's because my birthday is coming up soon and I'm realizing that I'm inching even further away from my twenty's. Regardless, I attempted to create a layout (pictured above) about how I'll be turning 32 this month and how this year feels like a good year to get my priorities back into check. To concentrate more on finding balance and peace. Peace not only within myself but with the people that surround me and that I care about. I included the following quote on my layout and it fits perfectly with how I am feeling right now.

"Decide what your priorities are and how much time you'll spend on them. If you don't someone else will." - Harvey Mackay

I'm feeling the need to cut out those things that truly are not important. Those things that add unnecessary stress to myself or to my family. Things that I feel that I do more so out of obligation instead of heartfelt desire. Obviously there are things that I will have to continue doing that I do not absolutely enjoy (ummm, laundry unfortunately is not going to go away), but there are things that have taken up my time here and there that are not important or things that I could find a way to do more efficiently. The first step is to prioritize and to come up with a plan, and to make a commitment to stick to it.

Looking forward to sharing with you:



I'll be sharing very shortly here on my blog my 2009 holiday projects that I've been working on the past month or so, as well as ones that will, I am sure fit themselves in within the next upcoming few weeks or so before Christmas is directly upon us. Quite a few of the projects that are already completed were created for Paper Studio and some others are ones that I just created on my own and for fun. I just love Christmas crafting...it's the absolute best! I think the thing that I love the most is that it most often times incorporates those special people in our lives that we love and care for. Either we are creating something for those people that we care for or we are creating something that will honor them and our times shared with them. Either way, it's usually not about us...it's about someone else.

Trunk-or-Treat Re-cap

Here is a picture of the three little amigos...or better known as Zoey, Ruby and Ruby's little superhero brother, Mateo.



There was much running around to be done right off the bat...which was a good thing because it was pretty chilly and of course nobody wanted to wear their coats over their costumes.







Then of course when everyone had their trunks all set up it was time for the actual "Trunk-or-Treating" to happen.



I couldn't believe just how Zoey made out (when it came to the treats) and it was nice too because their was a mix of handmade goodies in addition to the traditional candy sweets.



After spending some time outside it was time to head on in to the fellowship hall for some warm cider and cookies and cake!





Then after being sugared up the kiddos expelled some of that energy by running around inside the fellowship hall...



boys chased the girls (I guess some things never change).



And here is a picture of Ruby and Teo's mom and my good friend, Misty. I think she was going as the Northwood's Packer Princess this year?????? =)

Photo Printing Special

Just thought I'd share that Walgreens is running a photo printing special right now where you can get all of your 4 x 6 prints at just 10 cents each by entering the following code at check-out: TENEACH (good through November 7th). They must know that it's my birthday month! =)

Blogging...

I've been blogging now officially for four years. I started shortly after moving here. I didn't know anyone at the time and at first I didn't even tell my family that I had started blogging as I didn't want it to be something that I started and then didn't finish (I have been known to do this), but after I began I very soon was hooked. I loved (and still do) having a place that is just mine. A place where I can share as much or as little as I want with the world. A place where I feel for the most part, in control. A place where I can share feelings, share hopes, share dreams and accomplishments. The parts of me that are creative have been forced out here on this blog and have flown across the globe and back again and I feel that I've grown so much through this little place here on the web. I have gotten so many creative opportunities through the networking aspect that is blogging. I also at times have felt defeat...I've clicked that "publish" button at times and then wandered off into the day that is my life and have panicked at the realization that I do not know exactly who it is that my reader is and what they might think of me after sharing whatever it was that I may have shared on that particular day. For the most part though, it's all been good. It's made me have to be at times, more comfortable with who it is that I am. I love the creative part of it....blogging. I love the design elements...how I can change up the look of it. I have discovered that I have a love and desire to learn more about html coding and creating websites and learning more about web design. I could spend hours creating images and buttons, blog banners and backgrounds. It's almost borderline obsessive! I can't tell you how it feels to realize that a series of symbols and letters will create a dotted border or a button that will be a link...I know, I'm crazy. I love that I can share recipes, crafts, kid projects, music, videos, poetry, art, etc., and can mix it all up with all that's little old me. I love more than anything though, that I can look back through the archives and know where it was that I was at any given point in time and see how it was that I came out onto the screen . It's a very real part of my history. A snapshot of Zoey's history. How cool will it be for her to be able to one day look back and get to see all this and to maybe know me in a different way than she may otherwise may have.