Rusty Botanicals

Fall is approaching, the leaves are changing and it's time for Rusty Botanicals from Tidbitz in Time. This beautiful kit features stunning graphic 45 papers, tim holtz tissue tapes, ink perfect for distressing and real vintage buttons and trims. The papers are browns, greens and rusty reds. This pic doesnt do it justice....

Here are 3 of the 5 layouts I created with the kit:

Also.... Wendy is having a special! If you sign up for a 12 month sub you can choose a FREE past kit (june/july/august)! A 12 month sub is a STEAL at $27.99 ($35.94 shipped) SCORE!

Happy Mail day!

Friday I woke up top a 2 BIG boxes sitting in my living room. I swear it was like Christmas. I barely got the baby fed before I was tearing them open.

The first box contained my Oct/Nov design team package from thoughts2paper. I got a set of GORGEOUS limited edition papers she will be putting in the store next month. They are out of print so there is only a limited amount available for sale (which is sad because as I said before they are gorrrrregeous!) I cant wait to work with them! Liz also sent me an awesome donation for my campers! (cuz she rocks like that)

I also found THIS.....

A UNIBIND PHOTOBOOK CREATOR and 2 extra photobook albums!!!

A week or 2 ago  Cristal Hobbs (aka the fabulous miss Pinky) gave 2 away on her blog and I was one of the lucky winners! It looks so so cool! I cant wait to make a bind photo books! Im even thinking of making one using scans of my layouts to give as gifts. I am also thinking of making unique storybooks for Aubs.

Unibind is such a cool company! Today on facebook they gave away 10 more! I would hurry up and LIKE them in case they are feeling generous again anytime soon.

I just LOVE happy mail days!

Christmas tags!

Hey hey! Im here recovering from the Thoughts2Paper Christmas blog hop hangover to show you a few ways to use your Christmasy scraps to make darling gift tags for your holiday packages.

I used my scraps and a few scalloped circle punches to create these super simple gift tags. Simply add a ribbon and tie them to the package. I doodled around the edges with a black sharpie and the flourish is stamped in black staz-on ink





Supplies used: SEI Glitzmas papers, SEI Glitzmas acrylic Stamp set from the thoughts2paper store
Other Supplies: Coredinations vintage cardstock, Marvy Uchida Mega and Giga scalloped circle punches, prima essentials flowers, making memories metal circles, Cosmo Cricket tiny alphas, Black Staz-on ink, Black Sharpie

Another option is to forget punching the hole and tape them onto your package! A home made tag makes your package way more personal than a cheesy store pack of stickers!

Christmas in August blog hop!

Thoughts2Paper is having a BLOG HOP... and this hop is all about Christmas! It's coming faster than you think! Have you started thinking about shopping yet?

In hopping through you should have came from Karen's blog.....If you came here and didnt know we were hopping you can go start at the Thoughts2paper blog OR you can make your way back here. Just make sure you comment on every blog for your chance at the $40 gift certificate!

AND...... In honor of the hop Liz is generously offering up a 40% discount on all purchases until August 28th!!

Use the code:  CHAROOM
 
There are lots of good things happening at T2P at the moment. A new message board full of fun and challenges is in the works and here is a sketch contest on the BLOG right now and the prize is a PINK ATG gun! You must check it out!

Here are a few Christmasy projects to cool down your August

A Christmasy layout featuring my lil Santa baby Aubrey. She looked so sweet in her little santa hat Christmas morning. She was around 6 weeks old at the time. My mom snapped this picture as she slept in her car seat under the Christmas tree.

Supplies from the thoughts2paper store: Martha Stewart punch around the page in double loops, SEI Glitzmas papers, American Crafts felt thickers, christmas shaped buttons, zva creative jewels
Other supplies: Prima flowers, Maya road chipboard flourishes, American Crafts flair, Teresa Collins journal block.

And a little Christmas gift bag and tag.

I left the panel on the tag and the bag blank to fill in the giftees name when I get ready to use it. Here are a few closeups of the tag and the home made flower

Supplies from the thoughts2paper store: SEI Glitzmas papers, black pigment ink
Other supplies: Marvy scalloped mega and giga circle punches, fiskars large circle punch, martha stewart butterfly punch, Core'dinations vintage cardstock, a red bag

And since we are in a Christmasy mood here is a recipe for some of my famous Christmas candy

S'MORE POPS ANYONE?

50 large marshmallows
1lb of milk chocolate (if using chocolate chips you will need to add a little shortening to thin/smooth it out. I used candy melt)
1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (give or take I didnt really measure)
50 lollipop sticks
* A thick piece of styrofoam (optional but will make your life easier and your suckers prettier)

1. Insert stick into marshmallow about 3/4 of the way in
2. In a glass cup (I use my pyrex measuring cup) melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until creamy smooth
3. Dip marshmallow in chocolate
4. Sprinkle all over with graham cracker crumbs
5. Insert sticks into styrofoam block (if no styrofoam place on wax paper)
6. Repeat
7. Put s'mores in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow chocolate to set


I made over 100 of these and packaged them prettily with some cellophane bags and ribbons to give as Christmas gifts. Of  course that only left me with a few to photograph so these are the ones the chocolate didnt totally coat, but they were still delicious.
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As a SPECIAL BONUS if you leave me a comment AND follow this blog (or already do) you'll be entered to win this christmasy prize pack


pic

The next stop on your hop is..... Michelle !!

Happy Scrappin!
Sarah

Wanna win an pink ATG gun?

Anyone wanna win a pink ATG gun like this one?

Participate in the sketch challenge at Thoughts2Paper and you could be scrapping with this!!  Create a layout based on sketch 8 for your chance to win. You have until September 5th. Get scrappin!

Its the Scrap that Baby Blog hop!

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Welcome to the Scrap that Baby's Sweet Summertime blog hop!!

Thank you so much for hopping along on our first ever blog hop!

If you popped upon this blog and didnt realize we were blog hopping you need to go to Scrap That Baby  and start the HOP!  You will need to comment on ALL of the blogs to be eligible for the grand prizes listed on the main site. ! Plus so many of our awesome designers are giving away a prize on their blogs as well. You will not want to miss out. There are MANY MANY chances to win!

Our theme for this blog hop is SWEET SUMMERTIME!! The members of our design team will all be sharing fantastic summer projects, stories, tips or ideas for keeping cool and having fun in the summer with a baby along.

Here are a few ideas by design team mama : Sarah Rice (moi)

This first summer with Aubrey was so much fun. At first I was so stressed some of our normal summer activities, but quickly scary things became routine. The first time I took Aubrey on the boat I was a wreck! I spent $35 on an infant life vest. I wouldnt anyone hold her but me and I sat in the same place for the entire trip. Of course she loved it! She happily sat with me, the wind blowing through her hair and eating cherries. She loved looking at everything! I dont think I relaxed until we arrived at the dock. Now we are pros at boating. Aubrey even drives the boat.... see....

of course`she was on grandpa's lap but she did the steering.

We never forget the sunscreen.... afterall my girl is a fair skinned red head! Aveeno baby rocks! She also wears a hat when she isnt underneath the canopy.... in the pool I sunscreen her head. She looks like the heat miser with her red hair sticking straight up! It's pretty comical.

Speaking of the pool.....We also took her to the pool a few times.She loves baths so I knew she'd love love the pool. It gives me such joy to watch her kick her legs, squeal and smile in the water.

My best pool tip?? I bought a big hot pink laundry basket to take to the pool. It easily fits 4 big towels, swim suits, cover ups, sunscreen, beach toys, swim diapers, goggles and lots and lots of snacks. Its easy to carry in and out and if it gets wet or sandy it can easily be hosed off. I keep it packed and in my garage to grab and go. I also include a big ziplock bag for phones, camera and anything i want to keep dry.

And now Im going to share my recipe for my veggie kabobs. Im in love with them. I have made them at least once a week since we bought the gas grill. mmmmmmm  Im addicted to the farmer's market right now.

No measurements really.... but here's what you do

*Whole mushrooms (button or baby portabella... if too large cut in 1/2)
*zucchini or summer squash (or both cut in 1/2 and slice into half moons)
*red bell pepper
*green bell pepper
*balsamic vinaigrette (i make my own using the good seasons package and balsamic vinegar. Its my dirty secret. Everyone begs me for my homemade vinaigrette recipe... and its a package... lol)

Cut veggies and marinate in balsamic vinaigrette. Usually for an hour.
Preheat grill to medium high.
Thread veggies on skewers. (if using wooden skewers soak them in water for 1/2 hour)
Set aside leftover marinade for basting.

Grill skewered veggies with the grill top open for about 10 minutes. Turning and basting every 3ish minutes. You can grill them more or less time depending on how soft you want your veggies.

Remove veggies from skewers, Toss with a little marinade. Serve. SOOOO GOOD!!

Want a prize??? As an added BONUS... if you leave me a comment and FOLLOW this blog you'll be entered into a drawing to win this embellishment kit

Ki memories Chipboard alphas, KI memories gel alphas, heidi swap chipboard brackets, bling blossoms crochet flowers, fuzzy flowers, ribbons. Its so much cuter than this stinky pic (sorry for the bad picture.... i had issues today and couldnt take a pic)

want another entry??? comment on another one of my blog posts .... any post

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Our blog hop run from today, August 18th until August 22nd . Invite your friends to play for extra entries.  You must comment on all the blogs for a chance at the main prize

The Scrap that Baby blog will be drawing for prizes on Wednesday August 25th! .

The next stop on the blog hop is the lovely and talented JEN MATOTT

Get HOPPING!

Life Stories

Happy Sunday! This week Ive been playing with the wonderful Life Stories line from My Minds Eye found in the Thoughts2Paper Store. This line is full of journaling papers, distressed patterns and fabulous kraftiness. In a way the prints remind me of vintage wallpaper and the journaling papers cover a wide variety of topics. It comes in 2 collections... one full of magentas and orangey reds, the other soft blues and olivey greens.

This layout of my darling daughter Aubrey features collection 2:

I curled and inked the edges of the flower diecut and added jewels to give it dimension

Supply list: My Mind's Eye Life stories papers, My Mind's Eye Life stories diecuts, American crafts cardstock, Zva creative magenta jewels, pink trim and cream lace all from the thoughts2paper store.
Other supplies: Prima Say it in crystals black, Rusty Pickle black buttons, Chestnut cats eye ink , pink staples, black sharpie
Check out this must have line in the thoughts2paper store and get scrappin'!

Finally Friday

Its Friday! This week has completely flown by. Lots of fun this week. Hobby Lobby, a lunch out with my mom and brother, an afternoon on the boat, a bbq party at my house, an entire day at the pool/park, and *gasp* 2 hours of uninterrupted alone time to scrap. The only pee in my cheerios this week was somehow I managed to re-injure my back. Its a pretty wicked pinched nerve (probably from hauling around a 23lb kid on my hip 24/7)

Yesterday Aubrey turned 10 months old!  I cannot believe its been 10 months! Only 2 more months til the big 1 year. I really need to start planning her birthday party. Im hoping to do an Alice in Wonderland theme. I got these awesome stamps....

that I hope to use to make cupcake toppers and decorate the envelopes. Im planning a version of the Mad Hatter's Tea but I want to hang BIG cards from the ceiling and plant the roses red too. Im just bummed that her birthday is in October so I cant have it outdoors (and play croquet)  October in Ohio can go either way weather wise. My house isnt big enough for a party of the scale I need. My mom's house is but if I have it there my dad wont go... so looks like Im going to have to try to find a venue. Fun fun

I also have a little sneaky peek to share! This is a hint at the stunning September kit from Tidbitz In Time. Trust me you want this kit. Its delicious

A surprise party!

Somehow on Sunday night I had myself a par-tay! I didnt plan on having a party. Heck I didnt even buy any food. We went to that afternoon lake with my SIL and 3 of my nieces. My husband casually invited them to stop by our house afterwards for a cookout. My FIL called and we told him to come along too. On the way home we got a text from some friends and told them we were hanging out and to stop by. Those friends told some other friends. .......

Before we knew it we were entertaining a group of 15 people. . Most people stopped at the store and picked up stuff. I had to do all the leg work. Make the burgers, the dogs, the veggie kabobs, the fruit and get everything all set up but the only thing that actually came out of my pantry were the veggies for the kabobs (and some liquor from my stash) . SIL brought a ton of sides. Others brought beer and soda. It was the cheapest party I think I ever hosted and SO much fun. We drank, ate, played cards, broke out the roulette table and dh gave my nieces a lesson on how to play. Aubrey had so much attention and had a blast. Mommy got a tad tipsy since she rarely drinks. It was a great time.

Check out my awesome kabobs. Im new to grilling (in my family the men always grilled) and these are the first thing I made(and perfected) all on my own.

They are so so good! I could eat them everyday. They are even good on pizza (I used the leftovers to make tonights dinner)

I also got a little scrappy this weekend. Mostly design team work. A few fun halloweeny proects for thoughts2paper and 1 layout with the stunning September tidbitz in time kit (I'll have a peek up soon!) Here is one non design team layout I finished. I just adore this photo of dh and Aubs

The yellow flower got a little squished in the scanner. I used the KI Bloom line again. I love it so and it was such a tuesday morning steal! $2.99 for the entire collection. Cant beat that!

Baby Cards

This week I am once again playing with the completely cute American Crafts Baby kit found in the thoughts2paper store. This time I focused on making a few baby cards. It seems like new babies are popping up all around me lately and I like to keep a couple on hand for baby showers and new arrivals.

First I made a couple of mini cards out of my page scraps. Mini cards are perfect for tucking into a small gift or you can even punch a hole in the top and tie them to a gift bag. I make the cards 3.5"x3.5" since I always have papers that size after cutting down my paper for layouts to 8.5x11

Supplies: cardstock, patterned paper and stickers from American Crafts baby kit, American Crafts Dear Lizzy Warble stamp set, American Crafts Baby stamp set from the thoughts2paper store. Also used: Marvy Uchida scalloped circles punches 3" and 2.5". Sharpie ultra fine black marker

Then I made a full sized cards using the same supplies. I punched along the bottom with the Martha Stewart punch around the page set in double loops.

Supplies: cardstock, patterned paper and stickers from American Crafts Baby kit, Jenni Bowlin baby girl bingo cards, pink cord trim, American Crafts Dear Lizzy Warble stamps, Martha Stewart double loops punch from thoughts2paper store. Other supplies used: American crafts vinyl thickers, cosmo cricket tiny alphas, prima flower

I have made 3 layouts and 3 cards out of this kit so far and there is still plenty left to work with! Its a bargain! Check it out at thoughts2paper!

one awesome weekend

The last couple days have been a whirlwind of FUN. Gosh I love summer. We had a beautiful weekend and we made sure to get out there and enjoy it!

Friday night we headed out to an awesome outdoor concert to celebrate my Dad's birthday.Since my SIL Elaine shares his birthdate I drug her out with us as well. 10 adults and 2 babies rocked out to the Eagles cover band on a beautiful starry night full of fair food and cocktails.

Here we are early in the night SIL Elanie (dh's sister) Aubrey, Me  (for some reason nobody told me my boob was hangin out after nursing) and SIL Mindy (my brothers wife) 2 of my alltime favorite girls and awesome mommy's cutting loose for the night. Aubrey loves to boogie and bounced in her stroller and on whomever was holding her all night long.

Saturday Matt got up with Aubrey and let me sleep in. (a-mazing) We spent the afternoon doing yardwork. For dinner we decided to grill chicken sausages and i made my first ever veggie kababs (veggies from farmers market in home made balsalmic vinagrette)

Sunday was spent at the lake getting a bit of sunshine cruising around on the boat. Aubrey LOVED it. She squealed with delight at the water, loved looking at the other boats and played happily with her water bottle for almost an hour.

.....and grandpa (my FIL) even let her drive......

Im a bit crispy, but it was a fabulous time.

Guttergirlz also posted a new challenge this weekend. We have now started to post 2 challenges a month (on the 15th anf the 30th) ! I used the prompt "memories" and looked back on my childhood love for my easy bake oven. Oh how I loved baking brownies with that little light bulb. I still love to bake and Im always experimenting with new delicious treats! I also used the technique (transparency). Hambly oh how I love thee. Papers are from the October Afternoon thrift shop line

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend like I did. Here's there a great week!