Berry Yum (Echo Park Made From Scratch)

If you love to cook and/or bake, if you find yourself wanting to scrap photos of food or if you have recipes you'd like to document, then Echo Park's Made From Scratch collection will make you very happy.

This page is made almost entirely from 6x6 papers (with the exception of the background paper which is 12x12). I also used a number of Silhouette/Echo Park cut files, including a cutlery set that coordinates with the pattern in one of the papers.

Pop on over to the Echo Park blog for a complete supply list, detail shots and links to the cut files I used. While you're there, feel free to leave me some love or just say hello. :)

Thanks for visiting today! I'll see you tomorrow with a review of my favorite layouts of 2014. See you then...

Card Share: And Then... (Simple Stories Life Documented)

Yesterday I shared a card made with Simple Stories new Life Documented collection. Today I have another one to show you.

As with yesterday's card, this one is made with layered journaling cards three of them to be exact) along with a Sn@p cut, die cuts, chipboard and enamel dots.

For more information about this card, please visit the Simple Stories blog.

Card Share: Today (Simple Stories Documented)

Have you gotten a look at Simple Stories new Life Documented collection? This collection has a planner aspect to it and a scrapbooking component as well.

I created this card using journaling cards, die cut pieces, chipboard and enamel dots. If you look real close, you'll see I even used one of my husband's hand turned pens as a prop. LOL! For complete information about the products I used, please visit the Simple Stories blog.

Hip Hop with Teddy (Simple Stories Life Documented)

Simple Stories Life Documented collection was perfect for this photo of Alexa with hip hop dancer Teddy Coffey.

Teddy was a recent contestant on So You Think You Can Dance and made it into the top 14. He also happens to be from our town so he came to teach a class at the studio Alexa dances at.

Although hip hop isn't her "thing" (she's more of a lyrical, contemporary dancer), Alexa enjoyed the class and the chance to do something outside of her comfort zone. While the other girls were fawning over Teddy (Alexa was mortified, LOL!), she kept her cool and chatted with him. He told her, "I like you. You're humble." A pretty sweet compliment if I do say so myself. :)

Paper Issues: Making it Merry with Gossamer Blue

I'm keeping my post short and sweet today since we're all in the midst of a busy holiday season.

Head on over to the Paper Issues blog where you'll find all of the details about our festive, new linky party, Making it Merry, and how you could win this beautiful December Main Scrapbooking Kit from our sponsor, Gossamer Blue.

I'll be back tomorrow to share a layout and then I'll be taking a blogging break until next Monday so I can enjoy some time with my family.

Altered Project: Season's Greetings Gift Box (Echo Park Home for the Holidays)

Are you frantically running around, trying to wrap last-minute gifts? Hopefully the project I'm sharing today will help with some of your wrapping needs. Target sells adorable gable boxes by Spritz. They come in a bunch of different colors and patterns and they're super fun to decorate for any occasion.

I altered this one with Echo Park's Home for the Holidays collection. Just a few pieces of chipboard, some stickers, sequins and a bow and you're good to go!

If you'd like more information about this project, please visit the Echo Park blog.

Thanks for visiting today and happy wrapping!

Card Share: Presents (Paper Issues Swag Bag)

This holiday card was easy to put together using four 3x4 cards that came in the Paper Issues Merry Memories Limited Edition Swag Bag. The tag, sequin and snowflake were also part of the kit. The remaining items came from my stash.

If friends and family are asking what you'd like for the holidays, here's a suggestion — Paper Issues offers a 6-month Swag Bag subscription. You can read all about it right here. The code LISA20 will get you 20% off so be sure to pass this code on to Santa and his elves. They like to save money too. :)

Disney 2014 (Simple Stories Good Day Sunshine)

Hi everyone! Today I have a pocket page spread to share with you about our summer trip to Disney. I used Simple Stories Good Day Sunshine because it went so well with the colors in my photos (which aren't "typical" Disney colors). As always, when I create pocket pages, I embellished both inside and outside of the pockets.

Here's a look at the left page which includes an animation-based sketch drawing I made at a class Alexa and I took at Hollywood Studios. You may notice Alexa wore her animal print ears everywhere we went (although she took them off to try on some Sully ears at Hollywood Studios; see below). She got them at Animal Kingdom during our 2012 trip.

This is the right hand page, showing a mix of photos from Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Downtown Disney and our resort.

I don't do pocket pages often, but I love them for times when I have a lot of photos to showcase and don't want to make separate layouts for each one.

Card Share: Birthday Boy and a Sketch (Paper Issues Swag Bag)

I can't say who this card is for, because the recipient regularly reads my blog. However, I can tell you it was easy to put together with items from my stash (some older pieces and some new additions) and the Paper Issues Swag Bag. The 3x4 cards that come in the kit are perfect for card making, pocket scrapping and layouts too.

My card was also used as the basis for the latest Sketchy Saturday Linky Party over at Paper Issues. Come play along for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Paper Issues store (there's a layout sketch posted too).

Holiday Gift Giving Ideas

As we enter the final stretch to Christmas, I thought I'd share some easy, last-minute holiday gift ideas. Some are older, some more recent, but all are timeless and perfect for giving (or keeping for yourself if you're so inclined). :)

Ready? Clicking on each link will take you to the original blog post where you'll find more information about each project.

1. 'Twiz the Season Treat Jar. Transform a lidded glass jar into a super cute gift featuring Twizzlers red licorice sticks and a clever saying to go along with it.

2. Clothespin Holiday Card Holder. Cover clothespins with patterned paper, embellish, then clip onto a length of wide ribbon for a festive and unique way to display your holiday cards.

3. Holly Jolly Wooden Christmas Trees. Cover wooden tree shapes (or chipboard) with patterned paper and embellishments to create festive home decor.

4. Bitty Christmas Cards/Gift Tags. These 3x3 cuties are stamped and tied with twine for use as a holiday card or gift tag.

5. Merry and Bright Holiday Clothespins. This is the merry and bright version of the traditional clothespins shown above. How cute would these be clipped onto gifts?

6. Embellished Wreath. Freshen up a plain wreath with die cuts, chipboard, journaling cards, and small ball ornaments. 

7. Ribbon Spool Ornaments. Upcycle empty ribbon spool packaging to create fun holiday ornaments. Decorate both sides so you have two designs to choose from and display.

8. Santa's Belly Box Packaging. Use your die cutting machine to create fun treat packaging, like this box designed to look like Santa's belted belly.

9. Just Believe Gift Box. Decorate a store-bought gift box with stickers and other embellishments. Tie it all off with a festive bow. Fill with treats, a scarf, a pair of fuzzy socks, jewelry or a gift card and you have a quick and easy gift.

10. Last, but not least, I'd like to share the news that my hubby has taken his wood working hobby to a new level and opened an Etsy shop called First Class Pens. He hand crafts and hand turns gorgeous pens from wood, acrylic and stone. I'd love it if you'd stop by and "favorite" his shop. He's offering my blog readers a 10% discount on all orders placed by 12/18/14, using the code HOLIDAY10.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these ideas and you're now inspired to finish up your holiday gift making and shopping. You can even hover over any of these images for easy pinning. :)

Rolo Pretzel Confections (Simple Stories Cozy Christmas and DIY Christmas)

If you stopped by yesterday, you saw the altered gift box I created for holding holiday treats. Today I'm sharing a layout about one of our favorite holiday confections which just happen to fit perfectly into said gift box.

I created this page with Simple Stories Cozy Christmas and DIY Christmas collections. Don't they pair nicely together? Kind of like chocolate, caramel and pretzels. :)

If you pop on over to the Simple Stories blog, you'll find a supply list and close up shots of this page. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the recipe for these sweet and salty treats:

Don't say I didn't warn you — they're addicting!

1 bag square waffle pretzels

1 bag Rolo candies, unwrapped

1 bag pecan halves

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. Line pretzels up on the prepared cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with one Rolo candy.

3. Bake 3-5 minutes or until the Rolo begins to soften, but not melt.

4. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Top each Rolo with a pecan half, pressing in gently.

5. Cool completely.

6. Enjoy!

I'll be back tomorrow to share a holiday card. Until then, have a wonderful and crafty day!

Just Believe Gift Box (Simple Stories DIY Christmas)

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share a cute and easy way to package holiday treats for gift giving. I bought the polka dot gable box at Target (it's by Spritz), decorating it with embellishments from Simple Stories DIY Christmas collection.

Tomorrow I'll share a layout about one of our favorite holiday treats which are perfect for gift giving (that is, if you can stop yourself from eating them all) and just happen to fit into this box perfectly. See you then...

Paper Issues: What the #@!$%& with Feed Your Craft

Today marks the start of a fun new linky party over at Paper Issues. It's called What the #@!$%&, sponsored by Feed Your Craft, a wonderful mini flair company. I used three pieces of Feed Your Craft flair on my page. They fit so perfectly with my layout.

In case you're wondering about the linky party theme, it's all about punctuation, office products, children's art work and more — not bad words. :)

You'll find all of the details about what you could link up, information about the prize, and a coupon code to use in the Feed Your Craft Etsy shop on the Paper Issues blog. I hope you'll check it out!

Oh, and if you're wondering about the adorable striped and polka dot trees on my page, you'll find the cut file right here.

Apples Have So Much Ap-peel (Echo Park Made From Scratch)

Do you have Thanksgiving recipes to document — especially ones you make year after year or ones that have been handed down from generation to generation? Echo Park's new Made From Scratch collection is perfect for doing just that.

This page documents the apple recipes we make each Thanksgiving. To supplement the stickers that coordinate with this collection, I used a couple of Silhouette/Echo Park cut files, including a cutlery cut file, bitty bag, "yum" tag and "love the fall" word bubble. Of course I added a doily because I love them, but also because it goes perfectly with a food-themed page. :)

Pop on over to the Echo Park blog for a complete supply list, detail shots and links to the cut files I used. While you're there, be sure to check out the recipe I shared for an easy, chunky applesauce. :)

Thanks for visiting today!

Card Share: 'Tis the Season (Echo Park Home for the Holidays)

Last month Echo Park released a free Craft & Create Idea Book featuring the latest holiday collections from both Echo Park and Carta Bella. I contributed two cards to the book — the one above, made with Home for the Holidays and another made with Christmas Cheer.

I can only share one card here, but you can see the other (plus get full instructions and supply lists for both) when you download the free Idea Book.

You'll find the card above on page 4 and the other on page 10. I hope you'll take a peek. Holiday inspiration is always a good thing, especially during this busy time of the year. :)

Star Pupil (Simple Stories Sweater Weather)

(photo by All Star Images)

I find school pictures hard to scrap for some reason. Do you? This year's wasn't as bad as in years past because I chose fall colors to complement and match Alexa's top.

Simple Stories Sweater Weather collection worked perfectly for this page. I even used a Simple Stories camera print and cut file from the Silhouette store, changing the color to woodgrain to match my page. It's such a perfect addition!

Other than that, I added in embellishments from my stash and from Paper Issues November Swag Bag and called it done. :)

Paper Issues: Birds of a Feather Flock Together with Ruby Rock-It

Happy Thanksgiving week! To start it off, we have a new linky party at Paper Issues called Birds of a Feather Flock Together, sponsored by Ruby Rock-It.

Come take a look at what the design team created with Ruby Rock-It's What's Cookin' collection, link up your projects for a chance to win. This theme isn't only about Thanksgiving. You'll find all of the details on the Paper Issues blog.

Hope to see some of my blogging friends linking up (and hopefully winning and being featured too). :)

I'll be taking the rest of this week off. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and make special memories with friends and family. See you next week!

Card Share: December 25 (Echo Park Christmas Cheer)

Did you know that Echo Park offers free PDF files? Each file includes a project photo, step-by-step instructions and a complete supply list, making it easy for you to recreate a project as is or put your own spin on it. You'll find project ideas available for every Echo Park collection.

I created this simple Christmas card using Christmas Cheer. It was recently uploaded as a free PDF file. This design is easy to duplicate, so be sure to check it out, especially if you have a bunch of holiday cards to make. Christmas will be here before you know it. :)