A Sunday Sketch Video

I'm definitely a bit behind, but I don't mind using old sketches for cards or layouts.  Here's a card that I made based off of a Studio Calico Sunday Sketch from March ninth.  I was ready for spring and ended up with some spring-y colors.  I hope you enjoy.  Thanks so much for watching and stay tuned because I will be announcing the winner of the giveaway in just a couple of days!

Sympathy Card Process Video

Sorry that I've disappeared for a few days guys.  I've been busy and have not been able to keep up and then catch up.  Here's a quick card that I made using the Simple Stems stamp set from Stampin' Up!  I hope you enjoy the video and thanks so much for watching!

Project Life Week 9 Process Video

You didn't think it was going to be up, did you?  Fooled you!  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  Thanks for watching!

"The Eye of Minds" Book Review

I have been reading a lot lately and have so many books out from the library that they are threatening to topple over!  Not to mention the ones on my e-reader!  I can't wait for spring so I can get in some outdoor reading too!  Here's a book that I read recently and really loved.  Hope you enjoy the review and thanks for watching!

Banner Ruffle Card Process Video

Hey everyone!  I hope you are having a great day on this last day of winter!  I don't know how many of you buy things from Stampin' Up, but I wanted to share this card with you before their sale is up.  If you spend $50 you get to pick a free item during their Sale-a-Bration sale.  One of the items was a cute banner stamp set.  I had to have it.  There's also a banner punch, but to get that you have to spend one hundred dollars.  But it says that the banner punch will be available in their regular catalog, so if you just want the stamps, you can always purchase the punch later.  I was able to get both, and let me tell you, after making this card, I was so glad that I had the punch instead of cutting them all out by hand!

At the start of the video I was going to make a standard size card, but after seeing how many banners it was taking (55 at the end) I ended up cutting it down and making a 4 7/8 by 3 1/2 inch card.  Thanks for watching and have a fantastic day!

First Attempt at Mixed Media...

I put this video up on YouTube yesterday but forgot to put it over here too!  It's my first attempt at mixed media.  And I have very, very, very mixed feelings about it.  I went it without a plan or design or anything.  And there are plenty of things I don't like about it at all.  But I'm intrigued.  And I've actually made another mixed media thing since then.  That I still had mixed feelings about, but less so.  But, in the interest of sharing the good, the bad and the ugly.  Here it is, somewhere between the bad and the ugly..the bugly?  Haha.  Anyway, thanks for watching and if you have any tips, please share them with me!  (I will be signing up for the mixed media class at Studio Calico...isn't it funny how you think about trying something new and then you see it pop up everywhere!  Is there a word for that phenomena?)

Homemade Enamel Dots

Maybe you've seen this going around on Pinterest or on blogs--make your own enamel dots.  Yes, those pretty, overpriced, shiny, colorful little adhesive-backed dots.  So I had to try it out!  I tried to make a video of the whole process but it didn't turn out so well, but I did get a very short video of how they turned out.  Sort of...

I had my oven preheated to 400°F and had a pizza pan that I covered with parchment paper.  I used an older pan just in case something went wrong.  I set out the beads, making sure they were spaced a little bit apart and set them on one 'hole' so they wouldn't roll around.  They actually stayed in place pretty well.  I put them in the oven, set my timer for 15 minutes and went to my office.

About 9 minutes later, I could smell something funky.  It was bad.  Really, really bad!  I immediately shut off the oven, set the pan of melted beads in the garage and opened up two doors to air the house out quickly.  I used regular pony beads, purchased at Wal-Mart.  I have heard that others used Perler brand beads but have heard mixed reviews over whether these smell or not.  I have heard of a lot of people melting their beads in toaster ovens on a back porch or garage.  So take my experience for what it's worth and try it out yourself if you have the right set-up.

But for me, the smell was not worth the savings.  I did love the beads even though they didn't melt perfectly since I took them out early.  Most still had a small dimple in the top.  They were shiny and bright and I will probably end up using them on some project even though they aren't perfect.  And although the beads are definitely cheaper than enamel dots, by the time you calculate the use of glue and the beads themselves, they beads are still not a 'cheap' option, especially depending on how many colors you want.  For me, the company's will win out because that smell was toxic level bad.  I already have a ton of enamel dots anyway, so I will take this as a sign that I don't need anymore at this time.  Unless Michael's puts some on sale ;)

Thanks for reading and watching!  Have a great day!

Pinterest Challenge--Good Books Layout Edition

Hey everyone!  I'm uploading videos as we speak so there will be a couple more posts today.  Trying to get all caught up.  So check back later, I have some Sunday Sketches from past weeks and I also have my enamel dot review!

I found my inspiration layout on Pinterest and loved it!  I love books and since it used the Sugar Rush kit, it was the perfect layout to scraplift.  Thanks for watching everyone!

Project Life Week 8 Process Video

Am I behind, or what?  Between being sick and a time change and a sick cat I am so behind this week!  I haven't even shared all of my Sugar Rush stuff and here it is time for my Office Hours kits!  There's definitely going to be a mish mash of stuff over the next week or two but I know that I'm not the only one that doesn't keep caught up on scrapbooking/Project Life/card making/life in general, right?!

Anyway, here's the Project Life video from week eight.  I'm officially two weeks behind but I am determined to get caught up!  Meanwhile, look for extra videos this week because I'm going to be playing catch up to share everything with you!  There's some new things coming up so be sure to subscribe to my channel to see some different content and to make sure you're included in the giveaway!

Thanks for watching!

Two Sugar Rush Card Videos

I meant to post this yesterday, but life got kind of crazy around here due to a trip to the vet for our cat.  To make up for it, I'll post something extra over the weekend!  Thanks for your patience guys!

I need to share the last cards that I made with the Sugar Rush kit because it's time to make new cards with the Office Hours kit!  One of them I was inspired by this card that I found in the Studio Calico gallery.  So I hope you enjoy these last two card videos from the Sugar Rush card kit!  Thanks so much for watching!  I included the photos below but the gold sparkle did not come out as well in the photos.  It's definitely much brighter and more sparkly in real life.

Lucky Project Video

I did another project with shims and even though the video wasn't perfect, I decided to share it with you guys because I wanted to narrate it and share some tips that I had.  I hope you enjoy the video and thanks so much for watching!  Have a great day!

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March Kit Unboxing Plus a Giveaway!

My Studio Calico kits arrived yesterday!  So even though my voice sounds really bad cause I still have a cold, here are the Project Life and Card Kits in all their glory!  I ramble a bit during the video--must be a combination of all those medications in my system.  I also have a giveaway that I'm doing so I thought I would post both videos today!  If you're not subscribed to my YouTube channel already, head on over and become a subscriber.  You won't miss any new content and you have a chance to win something.  It's a win-win!  Thanks for watching!



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St. Patrick's Day Altered Bag

Hey guys!  I hope you're having a great day!  I've got a couple of St. Patrick's Day projects for you this week.  I never paid much attention to this holiday except to wear green.  But I married and Irishman so now I'm Irish and am enjoying having a little more green in my March :)  Also, I've had a really bad cold this weekend so I'm a little behind on things but hopefully I can get caught up, things just might be in a different schedule than normal!  I hope you enjoy the video and this should be the last one where the coloring is so blue.

Our Meal Layout Process Video

I've had a cold so I couldn't narrate my Project Life video so instead I'm sharing with you a layout that I made from the Sugar Rush kit.  Hopefully I will be feeling better tonight and can get the video up tomorrow!

Thanks for watching!

Project Life Cards Process Video

This week I was super excited because I found not one, but two, Project Life card sketch challenges.  One I found through my Project Lifers group on Facebook and the other was a new addition to the Sunday Sketch from Studio Calico.  I decided to do both in one video.  I had a lot of fun and it was definitely something different!  I think it made my brain work a little differently and I loved both cards so much that I already used them for my Project Life Week 8 that will be on the blog Saturday.  I hope you enjoy the video and thanks so much for watching!

Workspace Wednesday--Shelving

Today I'm showing you my scrap room, mostly I'm focusing on my shelving though.  Thanks for watching!

Printing on Vellum

Hey everyone!  I hope you are having a great day!  Today I'm going to share with you how I print on vellum.

To start with, I have a Canon Pixma MG6220.  My husband picked this printer out for me about a year ago when I wanted a printer for printing good photos.  I really appreciate him doing all the leg work for me because I do not like looking for stuff where I need to read the specifications or reviews!  Send me to the scrapbook store any day of the week!

Anyway, this printer has served me really well even with using off-brand ink.  This is our all purpose printer as well.  I use it to print photos, print on cardstock and regular paper and it has a great scanner.  But, this post is not about my printer--even though it kind of is!  One thing that everyone recommended was to set your printer setting to 'vellum' or 'transparency.'  My printer has neither one, even after I checked on Canon's website for an update.  Nada.  So I was back at square one.

The other recommendation was to print on fast draft.  You want as little ink going onto the vellum as possible.  A heavy layer of ink has a much higher chance of smearing, or possibly even not ever drying on the vellum.  So I decided to try this!  One thing to note, is that I printed on vellum I purchased from Studio Calico over a year ago.  I have no idea what brand they use or if other brands will work.  I know from a class that I took that not all vellum can be printed on.  It's kind of hit or miss.

Set your printer up for how you would normally print the printables (in this case they are from Two Peas in a Bucket).  Put your paper setting in as plain paper.  Set your print quality to fast.  And in my case, I chose to have it print from the rear tray.  I typically print this way so that the paper doesn't get curled or torn when coming up from the bottom.

After hitting print, it comes out super quick!  The ink was just barely wet in some spots and it dried very quickly.  Success!  Here is a photo of the finished result.  I have put it on white paper so you can see the details of the print.  And you will notice that the top edge is a bit cut off but that was my fault for choosing the 'actual size' option instead of 'fit.'  It seems I have to change this setting all the time, depending on who designed the Two Peas printable.  Anyone have any tips for me?

Card Process Videos from Sugar Rush

Today I have two cards to share with you.  They are both quick and easy and I used products from the Sugar Rush card kit from Studio Calico.  I still have gobs of embellishments and patterned paper left over from my kit but I'm out of cardstock.  I wish they would include more than 4 sheets in the kit.  That only makes 8 cards and I could definitely  make 10 or 12 cards if I had some more cardstock.  Of course I could always pull from my stash, but I feel that for the price I'm paying, it would be nice if they included more.  But, I'm also perfectly happy to use the embellishments on other layouts or in Project Life spreads.  Anyway, here are the cards for today.

Pinterest Challenge--Hamburger Buddy Edition

I don't know how it is for everyone else when choosing a recipe, but generally if I see a picture and read the ingredients then that's how I choose it.  And then sometimes I get surprised right before I go to cook because I haven't read the directions.  This recipe was like that.

Luckily, I was able to adapt.  I'm a pretty good cook so I was able to adjust the cooking to the way that I thought it would work better and there wasn't any real major changes.  But let me tell you, this recipe was a huge flop in my house.  I don't know if it was the thyme, which none of us liked in this dish, or if it was something else about the meal.

I didn't even have time to take a photo before this meal met its end in the trash can.  I don't like wasting food and my husband will save the tiniest bits and pieces of food (which he then never eats) because he hates throwing out food.  But he was actually the one to dispose of this dish!

To be fair, I thought if the thyme was taken out that I would have liked it.  But my husband made the worst face and my dad tried a sample, put some on his plate, but then couldn't touch it because he realized he didn't like it.

I try to be honest with you guys and give you my true opinions even if they're not good ones.  So you can't say you haven't been warned on this one ;)

Have a great weekend!

Project Life Week 7 Process Video

Sorry that this is going up a bit late today!  But here it is!  I loved the way this week's layout came together, especially since I had hardly any photos for week seven.  Thanks for watching and I hope you are having a great weekend!