Winter Wonderland

Well it has been a while since I was able to get into my craft room and really crank out some pages, and the reason is a new born babe. But he's pretty cute, so I'll let it slide.

I was able to get into the scrapbook mode today when I organized the new desk my hubby got me for Christmas and gawked at all the pretties I collected as gifts as well. I received some sweet kits and incorporated a few of the kit items on the page I made.

I scrapped this sweet picture of my boy in the backyard earlier this year when we got a bunch (for Tennessee) of snow.

I super love the Studio Calico gold and white letters in the December 2015 kit here & they went well with these fun gold letter from a Hip Kit Club kit I received as a gift.

I also am developing quite an obsession for washi tape & paired with glitter letters ... I DIE!

Check out my Instagram (link to the left) to see all the products used, and thanks for looking!

Hot Wheels solutions

Happy Christmas season!

Today I just need to do this quick post about a gift I crafted for my little guy. I bought a plastic storage container from the craft store that perfectly fits Hot Wheels cars. I used my Cricut to cut vinyl for a personalized touch:

I'm so happy how it turned out! He knows how to spell his name, so he will love having that personalization. And, I mean, come on, it rhymes. How cool is that? I was worried about the car and layering vinyl, but it was super simple. The vinyl was even easily repositionable if I needed to change placement.

I see more of these in my future for friends' birthday gifts...

Thanks for looking and have a happy holiday!

to infinity....

Ok ya'll... truth be told, I'm about Buzz Lightyeared out! I've been doing a lot of preparations for my soon-to-be 3 year old's Buzz party in about a week, and I'm about done.

But one of things I wanted for the party is to have our family vacation album for Disneyworld complete. Ideally I would have the 2015 family album up to date to show heath's 3rd year of life, but alas, that's not a possibility, but completion of the Disney album is! So I had put off the Buzz page because I could not decide if I wanted to continue the red/yellow/black Mickey theme throughout the album. I decided on no, so I finally completed the Buzz layout & am very happy with it!

I used a free cut file I downloaded offline (I linked to this in an earlier post) for the star frame. I cut the rocket from some paper in my stash & used a hodge podge of sparkly glitter letters I have.

I super love the pocket page I did in this double page spread. There's a lot going on!

Oh! So long before the fuse tool that everyone is raving about was thought of, my dear husband (then boyfriend, long time ago ya'll) got me this fun little tool for wood burning and paper burning called a Hot Marks. Well, I attempted to use it as one uses the current trendy fuse, and was happy it worked pretty well! I made my first sequin filled pocket & it's so cute!

You can also see the little Buzz that I created on my Cricut. I got that file for Heath's party, and I'm about done making Buzzes! He has a lot of parts!!

Lastly, I'll leave a shot of the double page spread. Thanks for looking! See my Instagram (link to the left) for products brands used.

say cheers!

Trying to get the Disney vacation scrapbook from this summer nailed down in order to focus on family scrapbooking! I loved using this lovely sketch:

from My creative sketches.

My two favorite guys!

Check out some of the supply credit at my Instagram account (link on the left).

Thanks for looking!

You are my sunshine

busy Busy BUSY!

Fall is always a super busy time of year for us, and especially this year, as a new little one will be arriving in less than 4 weeks! (eek!)

Between planning a super cool Buzz Lightyear 3rd birthday party, minion costumes & putting finishing touches on my little Lachlan's nursery, my poor scrapbook has taken a back burner lately, but today I had a second wind & inspiration, so I whipped up a quick page inspired by a sketch at Sketch n Scrap blog.

Their October sketch was for 3 photos & just perfect for this page I had planned to do of my sweet Heath running through the sprinklers on a lazy summer afternoon this past summer.

Also, I mentioned on my Instagram last weekend (link to the left) that I super scored at a yard sale in our neighborhood and got tons of paper and embellishments for a tiny price, and this paper collection is from that score. I paired it with some embellishments and scrap paper from my old stash & this page came together super quickly! Always nice,especially since I'm feeling a little off track with how my scrapbook for the year is coming along... Will maternity leave help or hinder my progress!? We shall see!

Thanks for looking!

Trick or Treat: I"m here for your booty!

Hahaha! I just couldn't resist. My little guy was a pirate last Halloween & even though it doesn't show his sweet face, this is my favorite picture of him from Halloween night - checking out his pirate's booty.

It was a freezing cold Halloween night, and so many of the kids in the neighborhood did not go out, so the houses we visited were extra-generous! We pulled him in a wagon decorated like a pirate ship, braved the cold, & made some memories.

I LOVE the layout for this favorite photo.

I used some new paper I got on my last trip to my scrapbooking mecca, The Scrapbook Store and Clearance Center in Pigeon Forge. I used the color challenge prompts from Scrap Much?.

Here are a couple of detail shots:

I used my cricut to made the skull and crossbones cut out on the banner. Inked all papers & used some tiny brads to showcase the opposite side of the paper too pretty to hide!

I'm certain I've mentioned it before, but Miss Kate's Cuttables Website is amazeballs & offers a free cut every day. They're so cute! That's where this great Trick or Treat title came from.

Thanks for looking & HAPPY HALLOWEEN SEASON!

The best job...

I'm working my way through the year's family scrapbook - jumping around layouts, and I had the perfect photos to correspond with the October sketch challenge at Scrapbook Circle!

I documented my mother's day this year, which was #blessed by two babies!

I used Heidi Grace and Amy Tangerine for American Crafts supplies. I love using the girly pink papers and accessories, since I don't get much opportunity for those with a husband, a boy, and another boy on the way!

Check out details on my Instagram, link to the left.

Thanks for looking!

Celebrate the little things...

Trying to get back into some monthly challenges & regular scrapbooking layouts now that I've completed a few big projects lately!

I did this sweet layout of my big boy to document the first night he slept in his Big Boy Bed! He was so excited & has done really great.

I used the lovely sketch over at My Creative Sketches.

I think it is important to document these little moments - this is really a milestone for a toddler to move into a regular bed! A milestone & a necessity for safety since he was catapulting himself out of his crib at this point (I blame myself and the gymnastic classes I take him to!).

You can check out what supplies I used in my tagged photo on Instagram - scrappinhappy - link to the left.

Thanks for looking!

Adventurous wall decor

Busy busy busy! It's been a while since my last post. The fall always tends to keep our family super busy & getting ready for a new baby is adding to the to-do list.

I recently completed a piece of wall art for my sweet Lachlan's new nursery & I love it soooo much!

Not sure what to call the theme, but it's arrows and bears and deer heads and teepees and along those lines. Hoping our bedding comes this week, and I really will be able to put some finishing touches on the room & post photos.

I really loved making this tray, which I got on clearance, btw, so that always makes it better! I used mostly Project Life/Pocket Pages cards. I glittered a chipboard L initial. I bought the adorable gold deer stick pins at a garage sale from an antique collector & I just adore them. Also, the little bear charm was found in the carpet of the nursery while my husband was painting it - so that's pretty special - it just kinda feels like the room was meant just for this nursery!

Here are a couple of up close detail shots.

Supplies are tagged in my Instagram post with a link in the photo to the left on this blog.

Thanks for looking!

Something SPOOKY!

So I tried to refrain on the Halloween decor, and I made it until September 11, so I feel like that is pretty good. Considering all the cute Halloween crafting supplies have been in my newsfeed for weeks!

I just love cloches. I think they're so elegant, and it's just a fun word, too! I got this lovely cloche from Pier 1 with a gift card a while back & I love to use it for my holiday decor. So, I made some Halloween inserts for the cloche with some of my favorite holiday papers &, of course, GLITTER!

I really happy how it turned out, although I may add some candy corn to the bottom in the future! I really love that I got to use my new floral frog I at the flea market a couple of weeks ago.

Here's one with the glass off to avoid some glare.

I had saved that little glass bottle from a reed diffuser. I cut out the label with my cricut. The black sand is actually from Hawaii where I had brought home a little tub and never done anything with it. I made a rosette with the Ribbons and Rosettes Cricut cartridge & glittered the spider medallion. The "wicked" quote was cut on my cricut with free downloaded fonts & glued onto a Halloween Project Life card. I dipped the ends of a couple of feathers in glitter & tied them to the cloche knob with some sparkly yarn & done!

Here is a close up!

I just love Halloween & holiday decor! I hope you are inspired to get fall started around your house. Remember: glitter makes everything better!

Thanks for looking!

Out of my comfort zone ...

I know the card making is the favorite past time of so many papercrafters, but I have a confession: cardmaking is not my forte!

I am not sure why, but I struggle to make cards I am proud of. Although I certainly hate the thought of dropping $3-$5 on a store-bought card which most people will end up throwing away! So I continue to try to make cards.

I made this little card for my mother-in-law for her birthday last month, and I like how it turned out okay.

I used mambi paper and pocket cards as well as some stash paper to make the balloons on my cricut.

Here's an inside shot. I think that is one main reason I do not like to make cards, I'm never sure about the inside. Do you leave it simple and hand-write a message? I put a background paper in here and used a journaling pocket card to write a little message.

All that to say, even if you're not comfortable with a certain type of crafting, the only way to get better is to keep practicing! Also, even if us crafters are not thrilled with the results every time, I think that non-crafters are still impressed and/or appreciative to receive something handmade when they don't handmake things themselves. It's the thought that counts, after all, right!?

Thanks for looking!

Banner mania

Do you guys love banners as much as I do?!

I feel like a banner can make a room pretty festive, and when you handmake your banner, it just adds to the festiveness! I love to use my Cricut to make banners, but nowadays there are a ton of kits you can buy to get the look for a handmade banner for less difficulty.

I love to scrapbook, but I'd like to showcase a few other ways that you can use papercrafting, so I hope you enjoy some of the banners I'm showcasing here! Be inspired!

(Sorry for the quality of some of the photos, as they're phone photos, and weren't planned for blog use.)

This is a banner I made for a baby shower earlier in the year. The baby's room is woodland theme with mint and orange colors. Another good thing about banners is that sometimes they can double as a gift for the party person, as in this case, the banner matched the baby's room.

For my son's 2nd birthday, we had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse bash. I went a little banner crazy to decorate my house for that party! I kept the name banner (which I just freehanded the different character designs on from the Disney junior website). But I actually sold the other two party banners and some "picks" to use in cakes or vases on a local "garage" sale site. The buyer was happy to get the items without having to pay for them from a place like etsy, and they were a sunk cost since I was going to make them for my party anyway, so it was nice to get a little bit of the party price back from selling them!

I even love making tiny banners as cake toppers! This is one from my grandparents' 52nd wedding anniversary cake we had at our family Christmas celebration that happened to fall on their special day.

Of course banners for holidays are my favorites. Below is my Halloween banner. There are just so many options, it's hard to choose just one design! With this banner I also added a separate pompom string of sparkle yarn. It sheds, but worth the cute look!

For the last banner of today we celebrate this past weekend of the beginning of college football season (GO VOLS!). I made this banner with the Ribbons and Rosettes cricut cartridge, and it's pretty simple, but I love it. As the holiday season progress, this football banner migrates to under the television to make room for holiday mantel decor.

That is all the banners I have to feature today. Thank you for looking!

Best. Ride. Ever!

It's a new month for challenges & I got a "dillightful" surprise this morning! My layout was chosen to win the August prize over at the Creating with Paper and More blog! For my first month of participating in scrapbook challenges, I was pleasantly surprised. And even if you don't win prizes, it's lovely to have the motivation to complete those scrapbooking projects.

So I was highly motivated to begin the month's challenges again today. I participated in the challenges at The Rochelle Spears Blog & again with Kelly at Creating with Paper and more.

Rochelle has a tic tac toe challenge & I chose the row of pennants, stick pins, and #hashtag. I have to say that I just LOVE the pennant banner I made on my cricut. Not sure if you can make out the stick pin, but it says dreams & the hashtag is #magic.

Kelly's challenge is a color challenge & you have to use at least 3 of the colors in her challenge. I used red, yellow and charcoal/muted black.

This layout has a few more photos than I am used to working with on one page, but I am happy with how it turned out. I had to fit in all the sweet photos to document my son's first roller coaster ride with his daddy. He loved it & had to go a second time later in the evening. Wish I could have ridden too (prego probz) but it was a good experience for him & his daddy!

Thanks for looking & go participate in a scrapbooking challenge!

I mustache you to party!

So I happened upon these adorable mustache stickers the other day at Hobby Lobby & they inspired today's Throwback Thursday layout post!

For my sweet boy's first birthday party we had a Mustache Bash & the colors were red and black, so these adorable Mambi stickers were just screaming to be used for the occasion!

I made the "polaroid" in Cricut Design Studio. The title says "Fun on his 1st" and I used a cute glittery pocket card to cut those letters and the candle to go with the glittery theme of the stickers. I love how it turned out and & loved reminiscing my sweet little one year old! (Also, please excuse the red arrows at the bottom of the invitation. They're not really there. They're just hiding phone numbers!)

The party was so fun - it was at our church, and we had over 80 people there! He is such a lovable little boy. I've already started planning his 3rd party in November (which will hopefully be accomplished just a few days before the arrival of baby Lachlan) & Buzz Lightyear will be the theme!

I hope you've enjoyed. Thanks for reading!

When you wish upon a star...

Happy Monday!

Today I have a fun Disney layout of a family selfie in front of Cinderella's castle. I really love the wish upon a star die cut that I acquired from Miss Kate Cuttables. I love using my Cricut!

Product details are tagged on my Instagram account (link to the left).

Here's a close up of the cut file.

Miss Kate has a free cut file everyday & I love stocking up my Design Studio that way!

Thanks for looking!

Happy Disney Smiles

I whipped up this quick page this morning thanks to a sketch over at Scrap Much?.

I love this photo of my sweet boy. It was on the people mover at Disneyworld. Daddy was riding Space Mountain, so I got some Heath time all to myself & he was so happy. We had fun!

The sketch was really easy to accomplish & I like how it turned out! Products used tagged in my Instagram account (link to the left).

Enjoy!

Who's the fairest of them all?

Clearly, it's Snow White!

I really love this pocket page that I did documenting my son and me meeting Snow White at Disneyworld! I love when the characters kind of sneak out and if you're lucky enough to spot them, you can make a beeline and not wait in line too long. That's what we did here.

My son was so adorable around the princesses because he was so shy and bashful! They were really pretty :)

I used Mambi Pocket Page cards, except for the 4x6s which I made the backgrounds to with my Cricut and a Mambi paper pad. I used the Cricut to write Snow White's quote (which I felt was appropriate for my big kid excitement of meeting princesses) and to cut the apple and put some sparkle behind it. I also really love my washi tape tabs!

Hope you enjoy!

Planning ahead - a mini baby album for November!

So I felt like making a mini-album & I found the BEST tutorial over on the Mambi blog, here. It actually was relatively easy & I want to make many more! I need one of those sweet little scoring tools to make life easier ...

I decided to get a headstart and make a baby boy album for my sweet child due in November. I hope to not have to take too big of a break from crafting after his birth (you know, maternity leave and all, woot), but I know that I will probably not get as much done for a week or so around his birth. So, I went ahead and made this mini album to have on hand. I can just print some small photos quickly & carry it around in my purse!

I used all Me & My BIG Ideas pocket page cards & some random embellishments I had in my scrap stash.

I will post a few of the inside pages too. My Instagram will show the ones not posted here.

I already have the photo ideas in my head, especially for that last one - it will be for a bro pic, obvs.

I highly suggest watching the video to which I posted the link & trying out one of these albums yourself! It really was relatively simple & quick to complete. I think it would make the sweetest little gift instead of a birthday card for someone.

Thanks for looking!

He's going to be a BIG Brother!

I created a page for my sweet son for a layout challenge over at the GrandDiva's Creative Corner & Creating with Paper and More blogs. It was fun to tell our parents we are expecting again because I do not think they were expecting it so soon (ha, neither were we!).

I used the sketch at GrandDiva's for the layout & the word challenge at Creating with Paper with the word BROTHER. Heath, my son, didn't really get it at first, but now that we are 3 months away and talk about it quite a bit, I think he is starting to understand what it means that he will be a Big Brother. However, he will still not be ready to share all his favorite people, I'm afraid! I cannot wait to meet my new little guy, and see how the two interact. I hope they will be best friends!

Thanks for looking! And check out my Instagram account (link to the left in the photo) to see other pages that I haven't blogged about.

Everything was Golden.

I'm super excited about this post because I LOVE my golden double page layout!

The lovely ladies at Scrap Much? blog had a super fun colour challenge this month with the color of the moment, Gold. I picked some of my favorite pictures of my little guy to scrap from a day when we took a rainy walk & puddle jumped. It was a special memory.

My photo overlay did not fit aligned with the top of my photo, but I realized it worked perfectly when I cut it, and adding the eyelets just let me add to the gold theme. I used my Cricut explore & metallic pens to draw the arrows at the top of the page. The large arrows are from the Holidays Through the Year Iron-On cartridge & the small arrows are from the Boho Graphics Iron-On cartridge. The metallic gold card & lovely stickers are Me and my big ideas. We are Memory Keepers Paper & K&Company chipboard complete the page.

Now for the second page of my layout! I just love how it turned out & I was able to use almost only Mambi (Me and My Big Ideas) products. Now let me tell you. This company had THE most KILLER black-Friday sale last year. I received a huge box of their products as a Christmas gift as a result of this sale & I basically use at least one of the items in every single craft I make! So, I know it's early, but seriously stay on the look-out for their Black-Friday deals again this year. I know I will!

love. Love. LOVE!

I really enjoy the look of sticking the pins through the plastic protector on the bottom right pocket. Oh & I also really adore the little frames I cut on my Cricut. I got these free online here & here!

Gold & Metallic & Glitter OHMY!

Thanks for looking!

Magical Love: a Disneyworld scrapbook page

A few weeks ago my little family of 3 took a quick vacay down to Disneyworld & it was FABULOUS! We had so much fun, and it was amazing to watch my son & his sweet wonder and excitement at the magic of everything.

I have since been very excited to document the trip, which is making the scrapbook come along nicely. I'm using Simple Stories "Say Cheese" collection to keep a theme throughout the book, and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I even was able to incorporate my second sketch challenge with this scrapbook & it has turned out to be one of my favorite pages!

I used the August sketch over at Boys Rule Scrapbook Kits blog. I love it! I also love that I have this "selfie" of my husband & I. Nowadays we do not get a ton of photos with just the two of us, and I'm sure they will become more rare as another little boy enters our family in November {yes, I went to Disneyworld in Florida in July while pregnant, & no, I do NOT recommend it!}.

Here's a close up of the title, which I, again, just love.

You can check out my Instagram for links to companies of some of the products used (link in photo on left sidebar). Go participate in the sketch challenges - you won't be disappointed!

Thanks for looking!

My first sketch challenge!

I found this lovely website called Design Team Calls that tells you of upcoming try-outs for design teams, as well as current challenges on scrapping blogs. Yes, please! I picked some fun challenges that I'm planning to try this month. I've never done one of these, but worth a shot. It's been kinda fun so far!

I completed the July sketch challenge at Boys Rule Scrapbook Kits blog. I loved it! I ended up using some of my scraps stash & it came together really quickly!

I love the bright colors for Easter/Springtime. It's hard to not use too many "girly" colors for my boy pages, but my boy says pink is his favorite, so I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much! He might mind more in the future though...

One more of a close up, just because I love his silly, cute face in this photo!

If you're lacking for some inspiration, or even just need a way to get some pages done quickly, I highly recommend a sketch challenge. It's fun & the composition is already done for you!

Thanks for checking in!
~*Natalie*~