In my shoes

Awesome mini album + Foto Matr

2012-02-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Monday and Hello blog readers. I have to say that I LOVE MY JOB! I love that I get to document my family's life, be creative in the process and share my love for memory preservation to everyone that is willing to listen. I love how I can make a mini album like this one below to document a random trip to Chuck E Cheese with my kids two years ago and use fun products like the kit iems included in the Paper Bakery February Add on kit (which goes live for sale on the 15th). You can see more photos of this project in the PBK blog post today over here.

Then there's this really cool product that I learned about from WorldWin. They have come out with a fantastic way of scrapbooking where you can alter to your specific needs. I'm talking about the new FotoMatr. It's a scrapbook system (made of great quality kraft cardstock) and inserts that you will flip for! As a papercrafter and story teller I love the options of the filler pages which can be your regular 8x11 page with all sorts of layout configurations to the die cut folders and pocket holders. The possibilities are endless on this one.

Peter of WorldWin did a little show and tell on the new product at CHA Winter recently and you can learn more about it by watching this...

Check out the FotoMatr site here too.

So there you have it. Memory preservation is my middle name and I'm so blessed to be a part of this industry.

Till next time,
Grace

Heart Healthy Altered Journal + Tutorial

2012-02-10T00:15:00.000-08:00

Hi friends. Last week, Ella Publishing had a great three day event leading up to "wear red Friday" to remind us of the importance of "heart health" which we are celebrating this month. I had made a few projects for the event and one of those was this altered journal...

I wasn't sure what kind of postings were needed so while in the process of making the journal, I took some step by step photos. It was never used for the blog post so I thought of sharing it here at the blog. :) Here's the process.....

1. First I gathered up my supplies. I used a travel journal from SEI and a Studio Calico kit. When making projects like this altered book, it's great to use products from a kit or collection. That way you know that all the products go well together and it makes the process go faster.

2. Next, I measured the front and back covers of the journal. I then trimmed some papers that is about 1/4" smaller than the book covers. This will allow me to still show off some of the great brown chipboard color of the original cover.

3. Because the right edges of the book was cornered, I did the same with my pattern paper to make it match the ends.

4. Then I punched a decorative border on a strip of light colored paper and added that strip to the left edge.

5. I cut out a block of pattern paper which will hold my title, matted that on a light colored pattern and trimmed the edges with scallop scissors.

6. It's Stamp month over at Ella Publishing this month as well so I incorporated that technique with this project. The Studio Calico kit had this mini set in it and it was the perfect sentiment for my book. Notice the space in the arrow that was not fully stamped? Don't worry about that, I'll show you how I covered my booboo later.

7. Then I added some letter stickers onto lined paper, cut them into strips and added notches to the right edges. I also outlined the letters with black pen to make them more noticeable against the busy backgrounds.

8. Remember that arrow stamp with some open space that didn't get stamped? Well I added a chipboard butterfly with a brad in the center on that space. Now no one will ever know that I made a mistake there. *wink*

9. I added more butterflies and a little bit of handwritten journaling and called my front cover good!

10. The back of the book had an elastic band through it to enclose the book so I mesured around it, cut a slit and punched a hole where the elastic threads through and then adhered my paper. This way, everything is perfectly lined up against each other.

11. I then decorated the inside covers and section sheets with more pattern paper. I rounded the right edges to match with the design of the existing papers/sheets.

12. I then decorated these section pages with more stickers, chipboard butterflies and tape. I found a rubon set (in my stash) that had some great motivating words and I added that to the pages as well. Those words and phrases would be a great motivator for me while I use the book.

13. Here's the look of the second section header page.

14. the third section header page

15. And the back inside cover.

16. With the back, I just added a die cut shape layered with a punched pattern paper and butterfly chipboard with a brad center.

So there you have it. I hope this inspired you to make something crafty today. Have a great weekend.

Till next time,

Grace

trying something new as a family

2012-02-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Woohoo for Thursday. I love the ending of the week, it gets me excited at what stories the weekend will bring and what fun adventures I will be enjoying with the family.

Speaking of adventures, last Saturday my family and I tried something new. We went roller skating! Mitch had the grand idea. He wanted us to try something different. At first when he presented the plan to us at the dinner table, I was stunned and I bit scared. I mean, I've never roller skated in my life and only went ice skating once (yes I know I have missed out on a lot of fun stuff growing up but that's my story and there's really nothing I can add to that).

Anyways, so the snow came on Friday and although part of me was hoping that our little "Saturday excursion" would be postponed, I didn't show it. I wanted my kids to be excited to try something new and the only way I can make sure that they were up to the "challenge" was if I was up to it too.

We drove to our local skating place, walked in, paid our admission and skate rentals and I got ready to be either (a) embarass myself infront of my husband, children and strangers or (b)find out that I had a hidden talent in skating that I will yet discover.

Here's some photos that I took in between skating. We had to keep our stuff in a rented locker for safety so I was not able to snap the shutter all the time. Although now that I think about it, maybe that was a better choice so I wouldn't have any photo evidence of how "challenging" this was to me. Hahahahaha!

they were having a TON of birthday parties while we were there and they took a break from the public skating to sing and dance to the birthday celebrants.

and here I am taking a breather from the experience.

Speaking of the experience, here's what we found out...

Mitch CAN still skate despite not doing it since high school. He's not the fastest one out there but he sure can whirl around with just a few falls.

Marcus was resilient! He was falling every other second but I was so amazed and impressed at how he'd come right back up and do it all over again without any frustration, fear or worry. Later on I find out that he had a kid help him and show him the ropes and by the end of our two hour session, he was skating away from the wall. Super!

Maddie was also impressive. She was holding onto the rails a few times in the beginning but by the end she too was skating away from the wall and holding her ground. She was so upset when we had to leave and asked when's the next time we would skate again.

And as for me....well, let's just say that I know my strenghts and weaknesses and although I tried. Really I tried! I didn't leave the wall or the railing the whole time I was in the rink. I was embarassed a few times and fell flat on my bum more times than I can admit to but I wanted my family to see that I really tried and at the end of it...I had fun BUT I know deep down inside of me that skating and me don't mix! Sadly you can't teach this old cat a new trick!

So there you have it. Lesson learned here....always be open to trying new things and Grace and the skates don't mix! *wink*

Till next time,
Grace

Valentine Knitted Banner + Tutorial

2012-02-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

So today I'm sharing a fun project I recently finished. A short history before we continue though....about late November of last year, I was in my local grocery store and for some fortunate reason was buying time before heading out to the check out stand. That doesn't happen often, I'm usually trying to run in and out of stores when I run my errands but during this time I had no where to rush to so I stopped at the magazine rack. I browsed through a copy of the Cottage and Bungalows magazine and came across a very cute and what seemed to be an easy knitted advent calendar. After studying the photos, I decided that I would make one myself. So without any patterns and directions I went ahead and made some knitted pouches.

Unfortunately Christmas came and went and I still wasn't done with my 25 pouches. It got me bummed for a few seconds but then the light bulb hit! The color scheme that I chose was red and white. If I won't be able to use it for Christmas maybe I can finish it before Valentines and just add pink letters instead of my initial idea of green. And then another thought came....and if I can't finish it by Valentines, I can use it for Fourth of July which then I can just use blue for the lettering! And if I still can't finish it then, I will have something ready for next Christmas!

So the plan was done and I continued to work on my pouches and thankfully got them done by mid January and here's what I made with them....

I layered some felt circles with cardstock die cut letters onto my knitted pouches. Talk about different layers and dimensions!

Because of all the possibilities I have thought about for these pouches, I decided to use velcro to attach the felt circles with the banner titles. This way, I can just change it up when the next holiday comes around.

I love that with the pouches, I can stick things in them for some kind of day to day treat or surprise. Ideas are already swirling in my head!

and because I love to "share" in this blog. I decided to create a tutorial for ya!

Supplies:

yarn to complete at least 25 knitted pockets/pouches

size 10 yarn

pink felt

pink and red cardstock

3 white buttons

thread and sewing machine

velcro

pinking shears

baker's twine or thin ribbon

needle

die cut machine or letter templates (you can also just hand draw the letters if you want)

1. *Before I go on, I want everyone to know that I am not a Knitting expert. I don't think I've even passed the "begginner" stage and I tried to find a pattern or tutorial on my world wide web that would be similar to what I've done but I was not so lucky. So here's my process, if it's not easily understandable, I strongly suggest to go to your favorite knitter and ask for some tips. And if you find something that I can link here, please share in the comment section as well. I will not get offended at all.:)

ok so onto the knitting process....I casted 30 stitches and then knitted until my rectangle was about 4" in size. Then I binded it off. I folded the rectangle to make a square and sewn together the bottom and right opening to close the pouch, leaving the top open. Repeat this process 24-25 more times making sure you have about the same red and white pouches.

2. Next, I grabbed a small circle cutter template ( you can use bowls and small plates for this process as well) and traced circles on my felt pieces. For my Valentine banner, I made 16 circles.

3. Then using my pinking shears, I cut out all of the circles.

4. Then I layed my pouches on the table, alternating the colors and then layed my felts on top of them.

5. Next, I machined stitched a straight stitch on the inside edge of my circle, about 1/4". I was not particular if my circle stitches were "perfect" because I like the homespun feel of imperfect stitches.

6. Then I added velcro to the top and bottom parts of my circles which I then adhered to the knitted pouches. The velcro that I chose had sticky backs which made adhering them faster but if you have the regular kinds, I'm sure you can hot glue them and it'll be perfectly fine.

7. After that, I picked a simple font on one of my Cricut cartridges and spelled out Be My Valentine. I also cut out three hearts from red cardstock.

8. Next, I grabbed three white buttons, threaded the centers with baker's twine and tied them into a bow.

9. Then I hot glued the letters, hearts and buttons onto the felt circles.

10. And then I threaded the twine through the pouches, creating two banners- one with the "be my" and three hearts and another that spelled out the word "valentine".

as you can see, I didn't use all 25 pouches in this project and that means that if you are inclined to making this project, you don't have to! All you'll need is 16. Even better right?!

So there you have it. I hope this has inspired you to create a cute banner for Valentines or even take up knitting! Heck, if I can do it, anyone can. :)

Till next time,

Grace

Project 365 week 5

2012-02-07T00:15:00.000-08:00

It's week 5 and I'm so happy to still be motivated to "click" the camera every single day. Here's my latests Project 365 photos...

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

PBK Sketch and sample

2012-02-06T00:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone. I had a great weekend, how about you?

Today is the reveal day for the latest sketch over at the Paper Bakery kit blog. Here's what I have for you this time around....

a block design but with lots of room to add your own spin to it. And here's my take on the sketch....

Because You Loved Me

I used the February Add on kit which will be revealed on Feb. 15th. Lots of fun stuff here so make sure you subscribe now!

You can see more photos of my project and read how you can play along with this sketch over at the blog here.

Hope you all have a great start to your week.

Till next time,
Grace

Wear Red Friday

2012-02-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hello and happy Friday. Today's a wonderful day because a.it's a snow day over in Colorado Springs and my kids are enjoying a day off of school and at this moment they are playing with the white fluff outside with all the neighbor kids. Good stuff! and b. It's Wear Red Friday. What is that you might ask? Well February is Heart Health month and today was dubbed as the day we remember the importance of being healthy and having a strong heart. I know I have some family members that have passed away due to heart problems and that's one of the many reasons I support this cause.

So with that, wear red today and let's remember that we only have one heart and we need to take care of it. For us and for our loved ones. :)

Ella Publishing had a great three day event to promote this wonderful cause. Our very own Rachel Garnier headed the event and she has such a great story about love and loss due to heart problems. Read more about her story and see all of the inspirational projects made by the Ella Friends over at the blog here.

Here's some of my contributions...

Card Set with a feminine touch

Heart Healthy Altered Journal

This month is also stamp month at Ella and I sprinkles some stamp happiness in these projects as well.

But that's not it....if you wear red, upload it on the linky of today's blog post at Ella Publishing, you will get a chance to win some goodies. It's a win-win situation all around! So head on over there now!

Till next time,
Grace

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

So this Sunday is Super Bowl. It's a big day for this great nation of ours. Not because we voting for the next president or that we have found the cure to the worst illness out there.Nope, it's one of our favorite times to pick a team who we will root for; it's the time where we are allowed to eat in front of the TV and it's the only time I really pay attention to the advertisements during the game. *wink*

So if you are gearing up for this "big" event. Let me share some links that might help you better 'tackle' this all-American tradition of ours...

All the info about this Sunday's game can be found here.

and look at this cool craft you can make before the game! Perfect for the chips that we can never do without.

speaking of chips, why not serve some Baked Crab dip with it?

and change things up a bit this year, serve some grilled cheese pizza instead.

and then wow the crowd with these fun football whoppie pies.

and if you're like me that can't watch without getting our hands busy, try to make this cowl during the game. It'll keep you hands busy to avoid over indulging on those chips and crab dip. *wink*

Now that's what I call a "game plan". :)

Till next time,

Grace

February is National Heart Month

2012-02-01T00:15:00.000-08:00

It is February 1st and that means that my world will be revolving around Valentine's day from here up to the 14th. I don't mind it but I'm a little concerned about all the chocolates said holiday will make me consume. *wink*

but kidding aside, did you know that February is also National Heart Month? Yes it is and over at Ella Publishing, we are having a great event to celebrate....

"February is National Heart Month, and Ella Publishing Co. is celebrating with three days of heartfelt stories and projects leading up to National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 3. Learn more by visiting Ella Publishing."

I am so honored to be a part of this great three day event and here's a sneek peek of some of the projects I have contributed...

So make sure you check out the site here and be inspired to think "heart healthy" this month. Of course the Valentine Chocolates/treats can be an exception to the rule. LOL.

till next time,
Grace

Monday Links

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

What are your thoughts about Mondays? For me it's all about new starts and beginnings and usually a long list of to-do items that needs to be crossed off. So before I dive into my 'list' let me share with you some projects (and links) that might get your "new week" off to a great start...

Over at Paper Bakery Kit blog today I shared five fun things/projects/ideas that can jumpstart your Valentine's day planning. This Valentine blondie dessert sounds sooo good right now. Check the blog here.

Last Monday I got to share some cards using my leftovers from the January Add on kit. Here's a peek at them...

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

To see the full view of the cards and to learn more about this great kit club, visit Paper Bakery here.

What have you been doing lately? Well I made a layout for Glue Arts with this theme...

Lately....

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

You can see this project along with a step by step photo tutorial on making this layout in this blogpost over at the Glue Arts blog. For this project we teamed up with Studio Calico and I was soooo giddy while working with the "Classic Kit". Fun stuff!

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace

Project 365 Week four

2012-01-29T15:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday everyone.This past week seemed to have gone way faster than I've anticipated and for a moment there I thought I didn't have anything to prove that I had a "productive" week but then I went through my Project 365 photos for this week and it made me smile when I recalled those small moments that I was able to capture. That's another great reason (and blessing) on why I'm taking on this project this year. Here's my past week in 7 photos....

till next time,
Grace

Incline Hike

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday and I am super sore! Good sore though. I did some Pilates last night for our YW activity and boy was I out of my element! It's funny how you don't know the muscles you haven't worked out until you put them to use and afterwards you hurt like crazy! I guess it's time for me to start doing some Pilates too. LOL.

Anyways speaking of being out of my element, I'm finally posting some pictures from our "incline" hike. It just took me nearly a month to do so. Don't ask me why cause even I don't know why it took me this long to post it.

Anyways.... so in Manitou Springs (just west of Colorado Springs) there's a side of the mountain that was used before for a railway to take people up to Pike's Peak. You can read more info on the history of the "incline" here. The funny thing about this is that it is one of the most famous hikes in the area and yet you are actually NOT ALLOWED TO HIKE THERE. Yes there is a no trespassing sign but it seems like people don't really care about it. Of course you go on your own risk and that's exactly what we did.

It was a great sunny day and the kids were still off of school (from Winter break) and we have been cooped up in the house since we got back from California. We didn't have anything major going on so I suggested that we finally take up the challenge and do this hike. The "challenge" of this walk is that it is STEEP. It's only a mile but it is a bunch of stairs. Just imagine that!

I took a picture of the family just before we started our walk. After a few steps Mitch took over the camera and so most of the photos from here on out was from him.

Although it was a nice sunny day, we didn't anticipate all the snow that would still be on the steps of the incline. This made it tougher to climb especiallly that we just had our tennis/running shoes on.

this is about on the halfway mark. It was a beautiful view but honestly by this time I was already crying (so to speak). There was a trail on the halfway mark where you can stop going up, take the detour and head back down. My main plan was to just "try out" the incline today. I was only planning on getting to the halfway mark. But Mitch had other plans and so we pushed along. Grrr!

See the steps up ahead of us? We not only had to deal with snowy steps but uneven and somewhat dangerous parts as well. But I have to say I was most proud of the kids, they grumbled and whined (like I did) but they still plugged along. Such troopers!

We were getting closer to the top here. As you can see the bottom view was getting smaller and smaller.

and when we've reached the top.

We found a hiker that was willing to take a family photo of us once up on the top.

It took us 2 hours to hike up and then because the steps were so steep and icy we had decided to go down through another route. And just when we thought that our worries were over (we were going down hill after all) it wasn't! There were spots of the trail that was still very snowy and unfortunately very slippery as well. Here's Marcus getting swept off of his feet.

We tried to be careful with the snow but it can be decieving. So when we would feel our feet slipping from underneath us, we would quickly grab a hold of the fence.

Finally after about 4 hours we made it down! We started at about 11 am and got back to our car close to 3 pm. We saw a sign on the way down to the end of the trail and it said how many miles it was to go to the top of the incline which was 4 miles. So with our 1 mile up and 4 miles down, we had walked 5 miles that day. Our longest hike with the kids ever!

After that, we had a late lunch/early dinner and called it a day.

My thoughts after finally saying I have done the "incline hike".....it was butt kicking, super tough and something I don't think I'll be doing in the near future BUT I'm glad I did it, that I had my family experiencing the struggles and the accomplishments with me and that we had a great workout for that day.

The "Incline", you love to hate it but you know you'll be a better person after it. :)

Till next time,

Grace

More WorldWin layouts

2012-01-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

Today I'm sharing the last batch of layouts that I made for WorldWin Cardstock.

Marcus

this one, I combined the Paper Layers patternpaper and Kraft cardstock. I had cut shapes from the kraft with the Cricut. I also dry embossed my shapes for added texture and design. To make the designs pop more is to ink the top of the embossed design. It really made the stars and circles pop.

Scouts

In this page, I played with the CutMates cardstock collection. To create some pattern in one of the cardstocks (red) I used a laser cut paper, placed that on top of my cardstock and then spray misted the paper to create that masking technique. I also cut some tags and run it through my crimper to create some textures. One thing that I always follow with my pages is to grab my colors from my photo/s. It will always give you a cohesive look and not make your page clash with your photos.

Tiny Dancer

In this page, I wanted to show some great Vellum technique. I was inspired to make my scallop border on the bottom of my page with the sheer dance skirt my daughter in the photos. I spray misted the whole sheet of vellum, punched out one side of strips with scallop punch and then adhered them on top of each other. I also used the Vellum with my butterflies (also sprayed with yellow mist) and a strip to hold my title.

Again you can always check out the WorldWin products here and the layouts are put together with Glue Arts Adhesives.

Happy Wednesday.

Till next time,
Grace

Project 365 photos

2012-01-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've finished the 3rd week of Project 365. Here's what I had documented in my family's life through photos...

Now off to run some errands. Happy Tuesday everyone.

Till next time,

Grace

January Wreath + Tutorial

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone. Feeling glad for the warmer weather!

One of my projects for this year is to make a wreath for my front door for every month of the year. A tall task so I'm crossing my fingers I'd be able to get this accomplished. For January, I decided to make a "winter themed" wreath. Here's what I made...

thank you to Pinterest, I was able to gather so many different ideas that I incorporated in my wreath. To follow me on Pinterest, you can always click on the red Pinterest banner on my side bar. :)

I used blue yarn to wrap around my foam circle and white felt for my flowers. I also used some twigs to give it that natural look.

Here's the tutorial....

What you'll need...
Foam circle or plumbing/pipe insulation. Found this trick here via Pinterest. It's cheaper than foam circles at the craft store. *wink*
Yarn (one big skein will do)
Felt, about 1/4 yard
Twigs
Glue Gun

These insulation tubes can be found at the Plumbing aisle of your hardware stores.

First, peel of the sticky tabs to close off your tube.

2. Measure it into the circle you want it. I made mine bigger because my hubby doesn't like how my past wreaths have covered the peephole in our door. I secured the ends of the circle with some duct tape.

3. Wrap the yarn around the wreath. This part is a bit time consuming,especially if you have a big wreath to wrap. I did mine while overseeing my son do homework and while watching TV. Secure your ends with glue gun or tying the ends together into a knot.

4. Then cut 1" strips (about 36" in length) from the white felt. You can cut as many as you want, I made 10 but only used 9 on my wreath.

5. Then I folded the feld in half and started to roll it into a bun.

6. Then I adhered the ends with some glue gun.

7. Then my daughter and I went to the backyard and gathered some twigs.

8. Next, I assembled the wreath. I placed the twigs first, gluing it to the wreath and then adhering the felt flowers.

And here's where our wreath is displayed right now...

thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Till next time,
Grace

WorldWin Projects

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today's share are a couple of WorldWin layouts that I made this month for my assignment with them. I made five and I'll share the others in another blog post. No need to crowd them all in one post. :)

100 Button Shirt

I have to say I really enjoy playing with cardstock and the challenge of making it the focus on my layouts. In this page, I used the Colormate papers for this in the following colors- Pink, Black, White, Slate, Cardinal Red, Blue and Spring Green. I grabbed the colors of the punched out circles from the buttons on my son's shirt. You can see the story of the 100 button shirt in this post.

I added a mesh stamp on each of the circles, using a combo of black and white ink so that the mesh image can show on both the dark and lighter colors cardtock. I also stamped my title on white cardstock and dry embossed the cardstock tag using a star design which I repeated in the star punched shapes I added to the layout.

A Cake Story

This story can be read here. For the layout, I focused on the fun Paper Layers collection. WorldWin had products pattern paper packs that are divided into smaller square blocks that are great to use with your die cut machine. One side of the paper has a whole page of one design and then the other side has 9 blocks of smaller squares with different colors of one design. I used those blocks to create my layered flowers which I had cut from my Cricut machine.

I decided to add some WorldWin Vellum between my layers to give the flowers some added soft touch/feel to it.

I also used the WorldWin Vellum to print out my computer generated title and journaling.

So there you have it. All Cardstock, Vellum and Pattern papers were from WorldWin and the pages were made using Glue Arts Adhesive.

till next time,
Grace

Boxes of Scrapbook Supplies for sale

2012-01-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

A second post today. :)

Last week, a great friend let me have one of her shelves and that prompted me into major overhauling of my scrapbook room. I spend all day organizing and doing some major purging with my supplies.

So because of that, I was able to fill up three medium flat rate USPS boxes with scrapbook supplies and I was wondering if any of my blog readers would be interested in purchasing these boxes from me for a small amount.

These boxes contain new (never been used/opened) and slightly used products. There's about 4-5 packs of pattern paper, 2-3 mini albums, magazines, flowers, chipboards, ribbons, tags, journaling spots/blocks and adhesive. Pretty much everything you need to get crafting! And they are from some popular manufacturers like GCD Studios, Cosmo Cricket, Clear Scraps, SEI, Scrapbook Trends Magazine, Scenic Route and Maya Road to name a few. I have three boxes to sell and here they are....

as you can see, the boxes are filled and products are squeezed in there to give you the best bang for you buck!

So here's the deal-o....
-Each box is worth $30 and shipping is a flat rate price of $11.
-The first three people that can email me their paypal addy at graceelainetolmanatyahoodotcom will get the boxes.
-If you live locally and would want to forgo the shipping, email me too and we'll talk about logistics and time of pick up.

Although I'm not giving these products away, know that they're still my own little way of spreading the blessings I get from this craft. If you can see in the photos, there are a TON of supplies that you will get for your money. These items retail for 4x more than what I'm asking. Some of the mini albums are already over $15 per piece and paper packs are over $10 a piece.

Till next time,
Grace

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

So Saturday's Excursions are slowling coming back into our routines. If you have been following my blog last year, you know that in the beginning of the year, my family and I had gone out and explored fun spots in and around Colorado Springs. It was our own little way of "getting to know" our new home. Well because of work and other obligations, our excursions was put on the way side by mid year. So I'm just super excited when the family and I were able to get out on Satuday and discover a new place......

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is about a 45 minute drive west of Colorado Springs. The drive was pretty but we didn't expect to be walking through snow! About two nights before the weekend, I was watching the news, and they had announced that between Jan 14th and 16th, that all National Parks and Monuments will have these days as a free admission days. They had mentioned that there's two in our area which is the Sand Dunes and then The Florissant Fossil Monument. Sand Dunes was a bit far for us and we were having the missionaries for dinner so we chose the closer place.

We first stopped by the Visitor Center where we saw some fossill rocks, artifacts and even got to touch a petrified wood. While reading through the many information in and around the area, we found out that about 35 million years ago, Colorado was a much warmer area and that gian redwood trees existed in the area. During this time, there was a volcano in the area that erupted. The eruption caused those trees to fall and the stumps were covered by the ash. This had preserved the redwoods and made the wood petrified. Some really cool stuff!

After the visitor center, we took a short 1-mile hike around the Petrified Forest Loop. So when settlers started to reside in the area, they had dug up these stumps and made it a tourist area. It had gotten bad though because people would take these petrified woods home with them as a souvenir and the stumps gotten smaller in numbers so they made the area a national monument to preserve what was left here.

It was a beautiful area to look at but again, we weren't expecting the snow.

Here's one of the stumps in display. They have fenced most of these stumps so people don't attempt to take any wood pieces home.

Most of the trail were covered with snow.

the children were very excited at the snow and at times would run to the nearest pile and walk in deep snow. We lost count of how many times we had told Maddie that her shoes weren't made for playing in the snow!

Here's one of the biggest stumps on display. As you can see, Mitch and Maddie don't compare with the size of this stump and to think this is just a part of a big tree. I can only image how tall and huge these redwoods must have been.

The hike wasn't too long but it was definitely cold. But we survived it and we're glad that we made this trip out to the Florissant Fossil Bed Monument. Plus it's free so you can't beat that! Marcus was a bit disappointed bec. he thought we were going to see dinosaur fossills. We had to tell him that fossills doesn't always mean dinosaurs all the time. Funny kid.

Till next time,

Grace

Chore Chart + Tutorial

2012-01-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

I've had a few projects that I've been meaning to share with you and this week is the week where my brain in finally functioning and I can get that task done. :)

First off is my children's new chore charts. Now they're not fancy but with the help of Pinterest, I was able to think of a cute project that the kids not only make themselves but also will motivate them to do the chores listed on their boards. Here's the finished projects...

When I make projects, the functionality of the item is always the first thing to consider. I've done a chore charts before for the kids where it was a weekly type chart. It worked for us but this time, I'd like some flexibility in it so I opted with the two colums of to-do and done on there.

I found this really cute printables through pinterest and decided that I would go with these instead of trying to make my own. It had all of the usual chores like setting table, cleaning room and taking trash out. They even have boy and girl ones for making bed or brushing teeth. I didn't need to print more than one sheet bec. it had everything I needed there.

The chore charts that I've seen in Pinterest that were similar used magnets but I opted for Velcro bec. (a) I have it on hand already; (b) I don't have to invest in magnetized board. Again I was going for cheap and using what I have on hand.

Ok so for the tutorial....

Here's what you'll need....
clipboards (bought mine at the dollar store)
Pattern papers *you can make your child pick this or pick her/his fave colors to use
Letter stickers *you can make your child pick this or pick her/his fave colors to use
corner rounder punch
ruler
pen/marker
scissor
pencil
sanding block
Velcro (I used one with sticky backs)
Printable chore chart clip art
Cardstock
Contact Paper (can be found at the shelving or kitchen aisle of your local Walmart or Target)

Instructions: (sorry some don't have photos)
1. First off, measure your clip board and cut paper to this measurement. I measured around the clip part and made a template from scrap paper which I used to mark the back of my paper. I then cut this space out of my paper. Round all four corners with the punch.

2. Have your child (or you) adhere your paper on the front of the board. I didn't bother covering the back because it's going on the wall anyways. But you can cover the back too if you so desire.

3. With sanding block or paper, Distress the edges of the board. This will give your clipboard a finished look. A sanding block works well with kids, it's big enough in their hands that they won't hurt themselves.

4. Cut another piece of paper that is about the size of a printer paper (8 1/2 x 11"). I decided to do this so incase we no longer want our boards to be chore charts, we can just slip off the chart paper and use the board for something else. Next, make lines where your child's name will go and the division between your columns. Highlight these lines with pen or marker.

5. Have child (or you) place their name on the top line and then the "to-do" on the left column and "done" on the right side. Cover the whole piece of paper (front and back) with contact paper and trim leaving about 1/4" all around with contact paper to seal the paper inside. If you've never worked with contact paper before, this is a cheaper version of laminating your paper. It gives it that water/mess proof finish.

6. Cut the blocks of chore clip art and then adhere them to cardstock. Trim cardstock leaving a small space matting the chore chart blocks all around. Wrap these blocks with contact paper and trim, leaving a little piece of contact paper all around the blocks to seal the papers.

7. Add pieces of the Velcro (we used the smooth side) on the back of each chore chart block. Add 8 of the other side (rough side) of the Velcro under each column.

8. Slip your paper on the clipboard and start filling up your chore charts with items that you or your child want to accomplish that day!

For the extra chore blocks that we are not needing that day, we just store them in a small ziploc bag.

This chart doesn't have a reward block (something that our old one had) but I'm noticing that my kids, especially my son, felt that he "deserved" a reward everytime he did some work. I didn't like that mentality because I want him to learn that he does chores JUST BECAUSE HE'S PART OF OUR FAMILY. No special rewards for doing his part at home. But if you think (especially if you have younger ones) that rewards will be a better motivation for your kiddos, then try to intergrate that with your chart. :)

So that's it. I hope that this inspired you to make something crafty with your kids today.

till next time,

Grace

January #2 sketch up today at Paper Bakery Kit

2012-01-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the January Paper Bakery Project and Add-on kit went live. If you are still debating about the great "Sew Charming" kit, I heard that there's only two left! I hope you can get your hands on it before it's all gone.

Well today we have the new sketch up on the blog....

and here's my take on the sketch. I love the handmade scallop banner. It's so vintage and oh so charming.

You can see some more close up shots of the page in this blog post as well as info on how you can participate in the sketch challenge.

and here's a peek at the January Project kit

as well as the Sew Charming Add on kit.

definitely some cute stuff and they're selling fast!

Till next time,

Grace

Project 365 Week 2

2012-01-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Sunday. How have you been doing with your New Year's goals/resolutions? Well I have to say I've failed miserably on some (especially the eating healthy part) but I've maintained some consistency in a few. One of those things is the Project 365. Granted I just finished two weeks but I really thought that I'd be so consumed with other things that this one would be pushed on the wayside a lot sooner. Not that I'm already giving up on it. On the contrary, I'm becoming more and more interested in this challenge. I've come to look forward to what will be the "picture of the day". But I still have a lot of learning to do so I'm going to just leave you with my week 2 project 365 photos.....

Till next time,
Grace

some links plus my January Take Twelve Scrapbook Challenge pics

2012-01-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

Soooo glad it's Friday. Today's share is a combination of project plus my Take Twelve Photo Challenge....

Last Monday I got to post in the super cute, brand new blog in the new Paper Bakery site. Make sure you check the post here.

This sneek peek is a mini that I made for Glue Arts with our team up with Momenta. You can see more photos of the project and a few more words in this blog post.

and yesterday I particpated in Ella Publishing's first "Take Twelve" Challenge. If you've not heard about it, check it out here. Here's my twelve photos from January 12th...

1. Submitted some projects for possible publication; 2. Went to goodwill and scored some great finds; 3. Worked on a wreath; 4. Maddie and I went to the backyard to search for some twigs that we would add to our wreath. 5. The finished wreath hanging on our front door; 6. Having some Christmas candy for snack while I create; 7. Helped Marcus with homework; 8. Finally being able to throw away the Gingerbread house from last Christmas; 9 Made some baked breaded Tilapia for dinner; 10. Made Snickerdoodle cookies for desert; 11. The kids played guitar hero after dinner; 12. Watched some TV with Mitch after the kids have gone to bed.

I have to say I'm really liking the concept of this Take Twelve Challenge. I'm excited at all the ways I can document our family's life. If you wish to be reminded monthly of the challenge, you can always sign up for the email newsletter here. And don't forget there's a Take Twelve Guide kit that can be purchased here.

Till next time,
Grace

Winner of Take Twelve + Project 365

2012-01-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday and if you are joining in for the Take Twelve challenge of Ella Publishing, today's the kick off day. How exciting, isn't it.

It's more thrilling for one of our lucky blog reader who wins the Take Twelve Guide. So according to Random.org the winner is.......Melinda!!! Congratulations. Email me at graceelainetolmanatyahoodotcom so I can send you further details on how you can claim your prize.

If you have not heard of this great challenge (where have you been?) make sure you check out the link here.

Speaking of Photo challenges, not only am I going to participate in the take twelve, I've also taken upon myself to try the Project 365. I've seen a lot of people do it and I felt like 2012 was the year I'm going to try it out for myself. The whole premis of the challenge is to photograph one thing everyday. Hence at the end of the year you have 365 photos saved. I decided to jump in the "bandwagon" because I know I need to improve in my photography and being able to shoot everyday will give me that practice. It will help me shoot in many different locations and lighting situations. I'm a bit scared to tackle this project as I'm not sure how it'll be come February or July or October but I'm starting it with hopes that I'll stay motivated and press the shutter everyday this year.

Ok so my first week's worth of photos look like these....

If Project 365 is too daunting, Take Twelve is your answer to participating in some kind of photography/life documentation challenge this year. So what are you waiting for? Click here for more details.

Till next time,
Grace

Take Twelve Challenge + a Giveaway

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

So yesterday's post might (or might not be) the first time you've heard of Ella Publishing. I hope you checked out the site and the many great things they offer. I LOVE their ebooks. They present scrapbooking to people in a way which makes sense and not too "artsy". I think that's how a lot of people see scrapbooking- it's a way to document our lives and the "creativity" part just follows.

Anyways, Ella Publishing is starting a really great photo challenge this year. And if your like me that photography is just as important as the story we want to tell, then this challenge is for you.....

Here's a little more info and samples of the challenge...

you might've noticed that the "guide" is actually an ebook and IT IS. Fantastic, I say!!!

Don't you think it is such a great concept? It's a project/challenge but not as overwhelming as some others might be. Totally doable. So are you ready to participate. Even my non scrappy friends can join in *wink*

So to get you more motivated I'm going to be giving out a copy of the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit ebook to one lucky blog reader. That's a $18 value!!!

Here's your chances to get your pretty little hands on this awesome giveaway....
1. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me your commitment in joining this challenge.
2. You name will be placed in the hat a second time if you "like" Ella Publishing on FB.
3. and a third chance for the giveaway if you sign up for my Google Friend Connect :)

*Mention all of the ways you shared this awesome news and I will pick a winner on the12th. Way to kick start this great challenge, don't you think?!

Till next time,
Grace

being an Ella Friend...

2012-01-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone. Today's post is short and sweet. This year, I am a part of the Ella Publishing as an "Ella Friend". What is it you might ask? Well it's like being an ambassador for memory preservation. I not only get to make projects, but more importantly TALK UP SCRAPBOOKING to anyone and everyone that would listen. How fun is that?! It's definitely going to be a great 'gig' and I can't wait to start. Make sure you check out the rest of the team (boy am I surrounded by talented people) here.

thanks for letting me share. Till next time,

Grace

some links plus food pics

2012-01-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my cali trip post that I had all the intentions of visiting my fave food places there. Yes I consider myself a foodie. I not only LOVE to eat it but I'm also very interested in why certain types of food work well together and how it's made. I enjoy cooking them and most importantly devouring them. *wink* And because of that I've noticed that there are certain kinds of food that I can only "acquire" in California. Hence the seperate post for it.

But before I share my "food" trips with you, make sure you check out the brand spankin' new website of the Paper Bakery kit. It went live today and I'm super excited to share with you the fantastic design that Sarah put on it. Check it out here. Make sure you take the time to browse through all of the tabs and I bet, it'll be a place that you'll want to add to your bookmarked links. :)

Another link I want to share with you today is my Glue Arts project which went up yesterday. Glue Arts teamed up with Simple Stories and the design team were able to create with the "year-o-graphy" line. This line was fun. I love the layered design of the papers and the many possibilities of using it in our paper crafting projects.

For me, I decided to use it to document a fun little visit my kids and I took to Downtown Disney over a year ago. Becuase the line was filled with "documenting" words, design and themes it wasn't hard to complete my mini. Check out the post here to see more photos and information about my project.

ok so onto the food trip share....
First one that I got to visit was a local Taco place called Albert's Mexican Food. We have one in Norwalk (the city we used to live in) and Mitch and I ordered our favorite wet burrito. It's called that because they pour green sauce on it. You can pick which meat you want in it. Usually we pick carne asada but this time I felt to order it with some Al Pastor meat. It's HUGE, filled with lots of calories and oohhh sooo yummy! I also ordered some Horchata to drink which made the meal complete!

Then my mom treated us to a Korean feast. I say feast because it was a huge amount of meat and sides and my family left there gaining at least three pounds. I love Korean food especially Kimchi. It's my fave and sad to say that the Korean places here in Colorado just doesn't match up with the ones in Cali. The only bummer thing about this trip is that we were blind sighted by the cost. The waiter we had was korean and he didn't say much words, just nods and smiles, so we ended up ordering way too much meat and for a hefty price.

Of course we sampled some great Filipino food. There's no better place to have filipino food that at my mom's house. My parents cook it the best (in my opinion) and having lechon, adobo or sinigang brings back so many great childhood memories for me.

And of course, we can't go to California without stopping by In n Out. We love our animal style fries and burger. If you wish to order a burger or fries "animal style" it's not in the menu but if you mention it to your order taker, they'll know what to do.

You're probably thinking that I've eaten out way too much on this trip and it might be so but on the five days we were there, we only ate out once a day. But who's counting anyways! Definitely not me. LOL. Next stop we took was to our favorite Chinese fast food place. I love how this place fills up the plate for not a lot of money. The deals are still the same and my favorite orange chicken still tasted the same delicious way like I remember it to be.

and finally, I had my fill of Lee's Sandwiches. The one thing I love about this place is it's a combination of Vietnamese and French flavors. French bec. it used a bagette and Vietnamese because the way the meat was cooked and the veggies that went with it is in that type of food genre. I also ordered an avocado smoothie which at first my kids thought disgusting but after having a taste of mine changed their minds. I didn't get to take a photo of it before eating it because I was on the move while doing so but here's the leftover of my great sandwich experience...

so now that I've consumed all that calories, it's now time to try to burn it all. Now why can't burning the food be so as enjoyable as eating all these yummy things?

till next time,

Grace

2012 Mantra

2012-01-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

It is Wednesday and I'm glad that this week is halfway through. Not that the "to-do" list is any shorter today than on Monday but still the thought that I'm only a couple of days to the weekend is bringing smile to my face.

Today's post is about what I want to pattern my life to in 2012. If you've followed my blog for a while, you know that every year I have a mantra that I choose to live my life by. See this post for the previous years mantras.

I also like to put them in a frame that I place in my scrapbook room. If you don't know what a mantra is, it was defined in an old Creating Keepsakes article as.."your purpose statement- the underlying premise that drives you why you scrapbook". At the underlying statement or drive I want my life to be that year.

Last year, I think I was pretty successful in fulfilling my vision which is to be proactive. I really went out of my comfort zone and I saw the rewards. In December, I started thinking about what I want to accomplish this year and then this quote from pinterest kept on ringin in my ear....

So I decided to go with that. I just went on a hike today and I noticed that I don't like to be surprised anymore. I want to know where I'm going and when I'm going to reach it. That's why this goal/mantra/vision is PERFECT for me this year. I believe I need to take more chances in life, have more courage to reach my dreams and to pursue my ambitions and more importantly to "let go" of expectations especially the ones I harshly put on myself. After all, I don't know what the Lord has instore for me and I can't reach that if I'm too rigid in my actions. This also means I need to have more faith. Wow that's a lot of things in just one quote!

Making the frame this year was super easy too since I have the quote already saved and all I had to do was print it out in cardstock. I also added a butterfly there to emphasize the need to "fly" and take chances.

what about you? what is your word/phrase/mantra that you are striving for this year?

Till next time,
Grace

top 10 highlights of my Cali Vacation

2012-01-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

So like I mentioned yesterday, we spent our Christmas in California. It's been over a year since we were there and have seen some family members and thankfully my husband got these days off of work that we were able to drive down there.

It was a short week but we packed it with lots of visiting with friends and family and checking out old favorite spots and "acting like tourists". I can't pack all the 300 or so photos I took in one blog post so I'm doing a top 10 highlights instead.....

#10 Opened lots of gifts. Santa came to California for us and the kids were over the moon with all of their gifts. Below is a photo of what I was able to open on Christmas morning.....Cricut (from Santa *wink*); the flower pot from Maddie (don't ask me why) Foam ball from Marcus (his crafty mom helped him pick that out) a puzzle box (a family gift from one of our dear friends) Handmade ornament (from one of the kids made at school) and candies inside my stocking. :)

#9 Mula aka Money. Our side of the family (DeLeons) have this tradition of handing out money as gifts. Over the years, many family members have gone abroad and during the Holiday season, to spread the joy to family members back in the Philippines, they would send some cash for an adult to spread the money around. My parents, Aunts or Uncles usually get new and crisp bills from the bank to give out. This cool tradition has followed us here in the States and my boy really loved getting his money envelope. He counted all of his dollar bills to make sure Lola (grandma) gave her the right amount. *wink*

#8 Eating at all of my favorite spots. In and Out was something I sooooo missed while in Colorado and I made sure I revisited this fave spot. Can't get my animal style fries anywhere else. *because I was on a slight food hunt while in Cali, I revisited a lot of spots and I'll share the "food stories" in a different blog post. :)

#7 Shopping. We stayed at my inlaws house and my mother in law was so kind to let me sneek out one morning without kids to do a bit of shopping. I know I'm super lucky to have a MIL like her. Anyways, they live in Orange County and I got to go to the Block in Orange which is now an outlet mall. I went straight to stores that we don't have here in Colorado Springs like H&M and Forever 21 but for some reason didn't find any gems in my visit but I did manage to get some deals in other stores.

#6 Eyebrow Threading. I'm not a vain person. I don't put make up on everyday and I don't get mani and pedi's on a regular basis (I think the last time I got one was last year). But last year, before leaving Cali, I got hooked on Eyebrow threading. Some have asked me if it hurts and YES it does but it's fast pain so I can deal with that and the results are great, especially if you have a great "threader" doing it. It also lasts longer than plucking. Threading in Colo. Springs is wayyyy to expensive so when I was in Cali, I made sure I visited my fave threading place and got mine half the price of what I'd pay here in the Springs.

#5 Got to visit with friends. We have lived in Cali all of our married life and we've accumulated a great amount of friends. So with this visit, we tried to hit them all. Of course we didn't get to see everyone but we manage to see a lot. We even got to have a "park day" with our church friends, which brings back so many great memories for me and the kids.

#4 Walked the Huntington Beach Pier. Here's one of the examples of things we did as a "tourist". It's funny how in the 10 + years I've lived in Cali, I never had in incling to visit this place but once I left, beach is the one thing I wanted to go to. And it seems like on our visit there, we weren't the only ones thinking of beach because, even though the water was cold, there were still tons of people there.

#3 Playing at the Beach. Yes I know I need to be grateful for the beautiful mountains that I can see on a daily basis in Colorado Springs but lets face it, there's no ocean or sand! Of course we didn't swim in it (we're not that gungho about it) but we played a bit in the sand.

#2 Seeing the Sunset. One of the highlights of our trip was my first time to ever see the sun set. Yes it only took me 31 years to see it and I'm glad I got this chance. It was actually kind of an accident. We were walking away from the beach when I noticed that people were starting to pile up in one side of the road looking behind me with video and still cameras out. I turned around and saw the sun going down at an impressively fast pace. I quickly grab my camera and started shooting. I didn't have my camera bag so there was no time to change out to a better zoom lens so this is all I got but I still treasure it.

#1 and finally being with family. We've missed them all and are glad to see so many of them in a short amount of time. We were spoiled by both families, being showered with love and gifts.

The holidays was definitely completed by being with family. It was worth the 18 hours of straight driving we did. And it was mostly at night too!

So that's it! California is a blast to visit. But I'm glad to be home in Colorado Springs where gas prices are not outrageous and there's no traffic! *wink*

Till next time,
Grace

Giveaway winners + new Paper Bakery Sketch

2012-01-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday and Happy New Year everyone!!!

I had an amazing Christmas vacation which I spent in California!!! Yes I was super excited when everything fell into place and I was able to spend the holidays with our family back in Cali. I will for sure share photos of our trip but for now lets announce the winners of the giveaway.

First off, I'd like to say thanks to all those that have left their comments and although we had a small number to choose from I had to keep it to two giveaways this time. But don't worry, having more giveaways in the blog is on my list this year and I hope you guys will comment again.

So according to random generator....comment #1 and #3 gets the goodies. Sandra and Beatrice Lawson, please email your snail mail addy to me at graceelainetolmanatyahoodotcom so I can mail your goodies to you.

Thanks guys (along with Cathy and Anita) your comments are greatly appreciated and I will get the technical issues mentioned worked out. I love how through blogging, I'm able to have friends from all over the place like you. ((((big hugs)))) goes out to all of you. :)

Ok so today is the reveal day for my 1st January sketch at Paper Bakery kit. Make sure you check out the post here.

I went with a simple, minimal sketch this time because I know that there's some simple scrappers out there that would love to participate and here's my take on the sketch...

this page is made with the January Add on kit which will debut on the 15th. The layout shows just a few tidbits of the whole loot but I have to tell you, it's another great kit! Make sure you get your hands on it when it goes on sale. :)

Paper Bakery kit is on the tail end of getting a new site built. I saw some sneek peeks and I have to say, you are going to LOVE Paper Bakery kit's new home!!! We are just days away from it's reveal so stay tune for that.

I hope you will play along with our sketch this time.

Till next time,
Grace

I need your thoughts + a giveway

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all.

Hope your winter break is going great and Christmas was very good for you this year.

As I clean up the wrapping paper and boxes my thoughts turned to next year. What's in store for me? and what goals I need to set next?

One of the things that came to mind is what direction I want to take this blog to. I've had this blog for a while now, about 5 years to be exact and I'm amazed at how much followers I have and I enjoy reading or hearing your comments about my posts. I know my family relies heavily on this blog for updates and it's been a great avenue for me to share my love for crafting to each and everyone that will listen.

So with that being said....I want this blog to grow. I want it to be a place where I am proud to attach my name to but at the same time my readers will feel like they have a part of it's content. After all, its YOU the readers that keeps me doing what I do.

In that note, I want your thoughts.......

Please leave me a comment on what you think I should continue to talk about, eliminate or change.

Do you like the tab format on the top? Are my tutorials helpful for you or are they a drag? Do you want me to have schedules on my postings like Monday layouts, Tuesday family story, Wednesday links, etc. etc. etc.

Would inviting sponsors and advertisers be of help to my readers or just crowd the space?

I need your input!!!

and to get you more motivated to "make your voices heard"....I'm giving out two giveaway packs.

Here's some peeks....

I want all my readers to give their opinion so I'm opening the giveaway to international friends as well. :)

Giveaway will be open till midnight of Jan 1st.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts and from the bottom of my heart....THANK YOU for your support.

Till next time,
Grace

A few more project shares...

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Christmas. So did you get everything on wishlist? I had a fantastic time with family. Love it when four weeks of buying, hiding and wrapping gifts can be summed up to a few minutes of pure joy beside the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

today I want to share my last Holiday themed projects....

Christmas Canvas

I made this canvas for the Glue Arts and October Afternoon team up. We got to play with the Holiday Style collection and I love the vintage feel of the papers but with so much pop of color.

you can view my step by step tutorial on how I made this project on the Glue Arts blog. :)

To Remember

this one was made with the Noel line of Creative Memories. Like I mentioned in a previous blog post, I was fortunate enough to be a "semi finalist" in their design team search and they sent me some products to make my final entry.

Although this page's theme, I thought it complemented the emotions I wanted to evoke with the photos which is sophistication and classic tones.

and finally, my tutorial on how I made my 2012 calendar for Paper Bakery kit is up today. Make sure you check that out. And if you're looking for some quick creative inspiration, play along with our sketch challenge. :)

So that's it, I'm off to enjoy some family time.

Till next time,
Grace

The Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas Eve everyone. Just a quick post today. I want to greet all of my loyal blog readers everywhere a very Merry Christmas and to share this wonderful video.....

May we all have the Spirit of Christ in our hearts every day of the year.

Till nex time,
Grace

They want to give gifts too!

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

So before school ended for winter break, they had a program called Penguin Patch where the kids can pick items that they'd like to "purchase" as gifts to family and friends. My kids didn't participate in t his program because at that time I didn't have the brain power to remember the dates of the patch! What a mom, right?

the kids were bummed but I made it up to them by bringing them to the dollar store last weekend. The agreement was that they'll have four dollars to spend on four gifts- one for mom, dad, sister/brother and one for themselves. I was hoping I can just let them loose in the store so I can be surprised with my gift but the time that we went to the store, it was jam packed so I saw everything that went into their baskets.

It was actually better because my kids didn't know what to get. You'd think they know each of the family member well enough but I guess I was wrong.

Above is a look at Maddie's gift choices. Chocolate for Daddy, a buy toy for Marcus, a pot of glittered fake flowers for me and a bubble maker for her.

Although these gifts were "cheap", I wanted to teach the kids to think outside of themselves and get something for someone else. After all isn't that what this season is all about? Giving! No matter how big or small the gift might me, it's the thought that counts. *wink*

So that's our most recent field trip....the dollar store! LOL.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Till next time,
Grace

It's "sweets" making time!

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

***before I start my post today, let me share a wonderful news that I can finally share. Check this out! It's an honor to be working alongside some great names in the industry and I can't wait to get started :) ***

Hi all and happy hump day! We are days away from Christmas, can you believe that?! I can't! It seems like we just had fourth of July yesterday!LOL.

Speaking of the Christmas season, let me share a few pics of what kept me busy for the first two weeks of December...I've been making FUDGE! I made a batch and my husband loved it so he decided that we "should" make more and give it out as gifts to our family and friends. Yeah easier said than done but after hearing all the comments of how delicious the fudge was, it was worth it. Here's a small peek of when it came to assembling our gifts...

Oh, before I forget....we made Pumpkin Spice Fudge, Chocolate Fudge, Orange Dreamsicle Fudge and White Fudge. I added links to each one so you can see where we got the recipes from. Oh and NOTE....I doubled the white fudge so I can have more but bec. it used Condensed milk, the fudge didn't set so I turned to google to fix my booboo and I came across a blog post and in the comments section was a recipe for fudge brownie which I used to redo my white chocolate. It was still soft but oh man was it delectable! :)

Ok so after days of making the fudge, I got my hubby to help me package them up. I have been racking my brain for days thinking of ways to present them and Mitch kept on saying to just place them on a plate and cover them with Saran Wrap. Yeah that was easy but I was thinking, we went through all the trouble of making these treats, might as well present them well. Right?

Some of you will probably side with my hubby here with the easy packaging but some might be on my side so I'm not going to hold it against you which side you choose but I had the papers, the scoring pad and everything so I decided to go ahead and make my own boxes....

Believe me, this didn't take me forever to make. And I was able to use up some old cardstocks that I've been hoarding. It was a win-win situation.

Then my hubby and I went to work, assembly line fashion. I had him place most of the fudge on wax paper while I scooped out the fudge brownie and placed them in a separate paper.

Bec. the brownie fudge was gooeey, I didn't want that to mix with the other batches.

I gave hubby the important job of figuring out how many to give to each family. It took a few tries to get it right but we finally found our perfect number.

So while Mitch was packing the sweets in the wax paper, I was placing them in the box then wrapping and curling the ribbon. I scored a huge bag of curling ribbon at the thrift store a while back and it came very handy for this project.

and voila, after an hour of packing, wrapping and curling...we had boxes ready to be delivered.

I wanted to share this because (a) making homemade treats is an inexpensive way to share some "holiday" cheer this season and (b) there's so many things you can use your papers and ribbons for. They're not just for papercrafting in my home, they're used for school work, activities and in this case, gift giving.

So there you have it. Hope I was able to share a bit of inspiration with you today.

Till next time,

Grace

Paper Bakery Dec. sketch #2 + some Creative Memories projects

2011-12-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Hi all, trying to get some loose ends tied up so I can embrace the Holiday season fully with my family. How about you?

Anyways, today I want to share a few crafty projects with ya....

2012 Homemade Calendar

this is my take on the latest sketch which went up today at the Paper Bakery kit blog. I've been making these pocket organizers for a couple of years now and I love how I am able to customize my organizer with how my brain works. Here's the sketch...

the project is made with the December Add on kit which is SOLD OUT!!! Crazy huh! but don't fret, there's a few of the limited kit and project kit still availabe. Make sure you check them out here.

I was fortunate to get through the second round of the design team search at Creative Memories and they sent me some generous products. Here's a few of the projects I made for my final entry....

Christmas Candy Train

With the new blogger interface, I keep on forgetting to save my images in a bigger file. Sorry about the small pic but heres some photos of my kids making candy trains with their grandma last year. I used the fun and colorful Holidazzle line for this project.

And I used the leftover product to make some fun cards...

Jingle Bells

The line included some fun epoxy stickers which I used here in a grid line.

Tis the Season

I'm in love with the epoxy stickers, can you tell? In here, I layered a couple of the "presents" and added the circles to mimic brads.

So there you have it. Have a great day everyone.

Till next time,

Grace

Gingerbread house 2011 version

2011-12-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

Part of the Holiday season is building and repeating activities that become traditions. I'm big one this because I know that this is what my children will remember of their childhood. So part of our Christmas tradition is to make Gingerbread houses. There have been years where we deviated from the house and made gingerbread man or candy train but the concept is the same...we build something edible and sweet!

Here's this year's Gingerbread house...

One thing I've tried to remember this year is to be infront of the camera more often and last Sunday while making our house, I did just that. Mitch was kind enough and is a very good photographer in his own right to take the "process" photos for us.

this is my fave....

so after cleaning up our mess and washing all the frosting off my hands, I took some more shots of our creation this year....

as you can see with the strokes of the frosting, we (meaning I) are not the most professional decorators in the world but we were able to get the candies on the house in time before the frosting harden. Than in itself is a success for us. :)

so today is another Sunday and we are planning on adding memories to our Christmas by checking out some lights around the neighborhood. How about you? What memories and traditions are you capturing this Holiday season?

Till next time,
Grace

Project share + links

2011-12-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Happy hump day everyone. Things are looking up around here. I can finally see the bottom of my craft table and I'm halfway through my "to-do" list for the week. Doesn't just make you feel great? I know I am!

Today's share are some project I made for the wonderful companies that I work for. First off is a layout I made for Paper Bakery Kit....

Mothers

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

I love these photos. They will be treasured forever. Although next time, I wish my sister Gem would be around so we can be complete! This page was made with the December Add-on kit which will be revealed on the 15th, so call this your wonderful "sneek peek" of the kit. *wink*

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

Make sure you check out the Paper Bakery kit here for more inspiration.

and then this one is up at the Glue Arts blog today....

Christmas Tags

Since we are nearing Christams, easy and quick tag projects are a must. Don't you think? I made these cute little projects with the Glue Arts and Lawn Fawn stamp team up. I used the "Bows and Holly" and "Bannerific" sets. Super lovely stamps.

and of course if you stop by the Glue Arts blog, you will be happy you did because the blog always have inspirations galore from the talented design team which I'm feel so blessed to be a part of.

that's it folks!

Till next time,
Grace

some happy photos

2011-12-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

This week is my "get Christmas preparations done" week. That means shopping, baking and wrapping done.Crossing my fingers that I will get them all done in time and still have the brainpower to craft. Do you feel like this sometimes? I hope I'm not alone.

Anyways today I was going through some photos and found the following images that I took last week. They were making me happy...

Last Wednesday night after coming home from a church activity, I was greeted by these boxes in my front room. It was a happy scrappy mail. That big humungous box was filled with scrapbook supplies, four issues of magazines I have some work in and my returned projects. It's these things that make me feel super blessed that I get a chance to papercraft as a "job".

Maddie's CLEAN room was making me happy as well. For the past month or so, her room has been a total mess. I'm trying to teach my kids to pick up after themselves and be responsible for the cleanliness of their rooms but after months of seeing the disaster in her room, her and I got to work one day last week, after school to finally tidy it up. I especially love that I can finally see the floor in her room again. And what's better, it's still like this today. :)

and my last photo that's making me smile....pumpkin spice fudge. Recipe is here and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! Yes my calorie counting is out the door when I bite in one of these. I'm in fudge making mode this week so I'd be enjoying more of this in the next few days. Yum-o!

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace

a Pioneer family

2011-12-11T18:47:00.001-08:00

I can't pinpoint the main reason but it seems like this year my family and I have enjoyed dressing up. For Easter we dressed up like this, then on Halloween we were this and this year for our ward's Christmas party we looked like this....

our ward's Christmas party was themed "Christmas in Nauvoo." If you are familiar with LDS history, Nauvoo is an important place to our Pioneers. That's where our early LDS members settled in after being persecuted in Kirtland OH. Anyways they made Nauvoo home and built businesses and homes here and the committee that put this activity together did an amazing job transforming rooms in our building to look like the town back then with toy and candy shops, post office and museums. The kids played games that they would play during that time period and we ate desserts like pies and muffins. We even had a barn dance which was super fun, (if only I was still graceful)! But all in all it was absolutely a well put together activity that I'm glad we didn't miss.

Anyways we were "encouraged" to dress in pioneer clothing. I didn't plan on doing so before this week because, well I just didn't think I had the brain power to tackle that project on top of the already overwhelming list I had, but my husband wanted to do so since he was serving cider at one of the "shops" in the activity. So with a few clicks on google to look for "pioneer clothing" and then heading straight to goodwill this is what we came up with.

I have to say it wasn't that difficult after all to put together our outfits. The boys had the black pants and white shirts already so we just added some vests to the mix. Mitch had his leather motorcycle vest already so that was good and I got Marcus' vest at the Goodwill. It was a lady's vest so I had to do some adjustment to make it fit him better. I had the checkered brown/red fabric in my stash already and since it looked vintage, I used that for their neckerchief/neck tie thing.

By midweek, after going through a few bonnett tutorials online, I was feeling frustrated because I felt like my sewing skills couln't help me accomplish this task. So I went back to goodwill and browsed for some ideas and what do you know....I found one! I saw this pink valance that had ruffles and the lightbulb hit me. I bought it (for 45 cents), cut it in two pieces and played with it until it "somewhat" resembled a bonnet. After finding the right look to it, I added some ribbons to the end so I can tie it around Maddie and my face.

We got a few remarks with our outfits and that makes all the worry and stress pay off. But I think my most favorite part of this whole thing was how my family and I come together when dressing up. Even if Marcus refuses to put on his "outfit" in the beginning, he does it anyway and that just makes me feel good that we are a "team". Nobody refuses to participate and I love that.

I think Maddie was the most happy with her look, I mean look at these poses from her.....

she even wore her dress again today at church. Funny girl!

Till next time,
Grace

Fabric trees + tutorial

2011-12-09T08:55:00.001-08:00

It's Friday and I'm soooo looking forward to ending this week. Loaded has been an understated theme for me this whole week and I'm looking forward to a better, less loaded couple of weeks. I'm crossing my fingers that would be the case anyways.

Anywhooo, today I want to share with you a quick and easy project that you can add to your Christmas decor this year, or get it ready for next year's Holiday :)

Fabric Christmas Trees

I am inlove with milk glass containers and I scored this cake stand a few weeks ago while on a antique shopping day with some girlfriends. I knew I wanted to display it for the Holidays but didn't have anything "fun" to add to the pedestal so the lightbulb went off my head and that's how these fabric trees came to life.

Know it sits on my lovely cake pedestal and finished off this collage of decorations I placed in my living room.

With this project, I was also able to make use of some Holiday fabric that has been sitting in my collection for over 4 years now (yes I''m a bit embarrased by how long they've been in storage)

So, wanna make your own? Here's my process for this project...

Supplies:

Styrofoam cones in different sizes (I used two in the same height and one taller)

Holiday themed fabrics ( you don't need a lot so if you have scraps better but if you have to get out and buy it, I'd say no more than 1/4 of a yard for each one)

Fabric Scissors

Glue Gun

Toothpick or small sticks

Star punch (optional)

Glittered paper

1. Tear your fabrics into strips. I measured (well mostly eyeballed) the length of my cone vertically then added about 1/2" more on both ends so the fabric can co over and under the top and bottom parts of the cone. When tearing your fabric, use the scissors to cut a small slit and then rip, it's easier that way. Why rip? it gives the edges a more homespun look. You don't have to do it this way. Another variation...use pinking shears to cut the long edges of your fabric strips.

2. Then you add each strip to the cone with a glue gun. Overlap the fabrics onto each other so you can fully cover the white styrofoam. Repeat #1 and 2 for all cones.

3. Then punch out stars from glittered cardstock (if you don't have a star punch or would want to make it look more homemade you can also handcut the star). Make two stars for each cone and sandwich a stick or toothpick between the stars with some hot glue.

4. Finally hot glue the stars to the top of your styrofoam. Initially I was going to just poke the stick through but with the thickness of my fabric and hot glue on the top, it was impossible (for me anyways) to get the stick through all the way to the styrofoam.

and voila! you have made a fantastic and yet easy decor for your home this Holiday season.

A few more tips....
-because I rarely pay full price for anything, it took me a couple of visits to the craft store to purchase my styrofoam so I can use my 40% coupons on both purchases. Make sure you have a running list of craft supply to purchase and buy them with coupons or when they're on sale so that your crafting is easier on the back account.
-for the fabrics....you can also visit your local thrift stores and repurpose shirts, sheets or any fabric typed item you can see there to use for this project.
-You can make a lot of these cones and spread them around your home. I'm sure you can even translate the technique onto stryfoam balls or squares. The possibilities are endless.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed our tutorial post today.

Have a great weekend.

Till next time,
Grace

Christmas decorations this year

2011-12-07T12:48:00.001-08:00

Hi all. Coming up for air a bit amidst all the crafty things I'm in the middle of today to share with you some of our Christmas decorations this year. We don't have much and most of them are handmade. I have been saving my kid's handmade ornaments over the past years. They love looking at them and trying to figure out who did what and when so until they move out of the house, our tree is going to be filled with homemade ornaments. Don't get me wrong, I love looking at them especially the ones with their pictures on them but in a decorating/design stand point I'm sure my tree can benefit for some themed color scheme or something like that.

Anyways here are what we've done this year to spruce up our home and bring in the spirit of the holidays....

I added a new handmade item to my Christmas collection and I'll share the project with you soon along with a super easy tutorial for it. :)

Till next time,
Grace

Paper Bakery December Sketch #1

2011-12-05T11:34:00.001-08:00

It is another Monday and we are days away from Christmas. Still can't believe it! Today I want to share the latest sketch over at Paper Bakery kit...

and here's my take on the sketch....

this page was made using the wonderful December Add on kit that will be revealed on Dec. 15th.

To check out some more photos of my layout plus read how you too can play along with my sketch, check Paper Bakery kit blog here.

Till next time,
Grace

Poinsettia flower napkin rings Glue Arts

2011-12-01T09:12:00.001-08:00

How's your first day of December going so far? Ours started off with some snow. It's still a light dusting but it reminds me of the songs that starts off with..."it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". Aaahhh the joys of living in Colorado!

Today I want to share a project I made for Glue Arts....

Poinsettia Flower Napkin rings

I used some Glue Arts Accent it all Vinyl to make the flowers and added some glitter to it for that "holiday shine". this project is somewhat 'green' as well as I had used an empty paper towel roll for the base of the ring. To learn more about this project and an easy how to tutorial to make it, check out the Glue Arts blog post here.

Till next time,
Grace

some Christmas DIY inspirations

2011-11-30T09:13:00.001-08:00

You all know how I love Pinterest. Every time I get a chance to get on there I'm pinning like a mad woman! So today I'm sharing some of my favorite holiday "pins". Hopefully this will get you excited about the holiday crafting like I do. :)

Isn't this so clever. A new way to use those holiday socks!

This cute trees are made out of cupcake liners. How clever and inexpensive too!

Ribbon to create a candy ribbon-like ornament. How cute and sweet too. *wink*

I sooooo want me a glass dome!!!

a cute treat container that you can do for popcorn and a red glove. You'll definitely get the "coolest homeroom mom" if you hand this out to your kids classmates this year.

If you want more information (and links) to this project and see the rest of what I'm pinning on Pinterest, make sure you check out my Pinterest badge/link on the right side bar.

Have a great and inspirational day everyone.

Till next time,

Grace

Holiday cards Paper Bakery kit

2011-11-29T12:29:00.001-08:00

December is just a couple of days away and what better way to welcome the "holiday season" than by sharing some Holiday cards...

this card set was made using the Paper Bakery November Add-on kit. such a fun kit to play with.

to learn more about purchasing the kit or to see the other kits being offered, check the site here. Happy Tuesday everyone.:)

Till next time,
Grace

our fancy dinner experience

2011-11-28T12:15:00.001-08:00

The week before Thanksgiving, the kids' school offered a Thanksgiving lunch for the children and their family. It's a special meal during their lunch time where the parents can purchase the meal for them and the kids. We decided that instead of participating in this that we will just go to a restuarant for a "fancy" dinner.

So on a Saturday night we went to a restaurant called Zio's. They serve italian dishes and we've never been here so it was a new experience for all of us. We don't normally eat out at a restaurant because we like fast food (cheap and fast) plus the kids have not really been the most behaved while waiting for their food but I thought they need to experience the "fancy" side of a meal at least once a year so they can be familiar of what is expected of them as far as proper etiquette are concerned.

Here's a few pics of our dinner out...

while waiting for our table to be ready, I took out the camera for some quick shots.

We saw an ad in the paper of a great family deal that Zio's was having. It was about $22 for a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs plus chicken alfredo with unlimited salad/soup and bread. We thought it was reasonable and since we've never been to this restaurant, we were up for trying anything.

Marcus didn't like the restaurant experience at first. He was complaining and wanted pizza instead but after tasting their bread and having some of the spaghetti, this boy was happy!

Maddie surprised me at how much food she ate. She doesn't normally have seconds but with this meal, she was enjoying everything twice!

We were surpised at how much food we got for the price we paid. Definitely a deal! Plus the food was delish. I didn't care much for the marinara sauce but the Alfredo dish was superb. We even had room for dessert which we all shared a plate of bread pudding with caramel sauce. I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the dessert as the kids wolfed it down before I can even blink!

All in all it was a great experience. I love how this is so rare for us that we cherish little moments like these. Sharing a great meal (that I didn't have to slave in the kitchen for), practicing our table manners and having a blast together.

Till next time,
Grace

goodness gracious Grace!

2011-11-25T16:05:00.001-08:00

Gosh! Shocked myself today when I peeked into my blog and noticed that I have not posted anything this week! So sorry guys. All the crew (aka family) has been home all week long and that meant lots of family time BUT also no time for anything else. But I love it though. It's not often that I have my hubby and kids all to myself and we have been enjoying catching up on some movies, doing chores together, putting up our Christmas decorations and enjoying a feast on Thanksgiving.

So today I have some overdue sharing (and linking) to do.....
This past week, Glue Arts teamed up with Imaginesce and the designers were able to play with the Happy Harvest collection. Here's a wreath I made using the wonderful fall papers.

I added a tutorial on how I made this wreath in the Glue Arts blog tha can be found here.

Then last Wedneasday (I believe) Glue Arts shared a few more of my Happy Harvest projects.

To see more of the card set and layout, click on over here.

Did you know that a new sketch started on Monday over at Paper Bakery kit blog? Here's the latest sketch..

and I used that sketch to alter some paper bags (which is included in the November Add on k it)

to play along with the sketch and to learn more about the November Paper Bakery kit head on over here. BTW, they are having a great Black Friday sale on past kits. Make sure you check that out too.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a great Thanskgiving break. I know I do. *wink*

Till next time,
Grace

For a limited time

2011-11-19T13:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Saturday everyone. It's pretty windy today and I dropped my step stool on my feet! I'm thinking this day is not turning out good.

but wait, I remembered that I had planned on opening my Etsy shop today for a limited time and that instantly put a smile on my face. :)

So I'm inviting you to check it out. It will only be open for two weeks (or until I'm all sold out) and I had put items that I recently made that I'm looking for homes for. I can easily hoard all my projects but I think they will have a better purpose if they're actually used and now is the perfect time to "share" them as they will be the "one of a kind" gifts you can share with your loved ones.

Here's the link again.

Have a great weekend and till next time,
Grace

words to live by

2011-11-17T12:27:00.001-08:00

Craziness is starting to creep up around here. The calendar is getting a "bit" full and we haven't even hit the Thanksgiving break!

So what do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Well one of the things I do is to stop/rest and read inspiring quotes. I've even dreamed of having a wall full of these inspiration phrases. So today that I'm feeling a tiny bit swamped, let me share with you a few quotes that gets me pumped up and ready to tackle the long to do list.
*all quotes are in my pinterest board- Words and Quotes. To check my pinterest boards, click on the link at the right side bar of this blog. :)

Till next time,
Grace

An Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Can't believe we are about one week away from Thanksgiving and I've been really inspired by all the "thanksgiving" ideas out there, from the projects to ways of showing gratefulness this month. I just hope that we can continue the "attitude of gratitude" even after the holidays are over.

Today I want to share with you a couple of links....

Speaking of Attitude of gratitude, I made a mini album with that in mind which was posted in the Glue Arts blog recently. Check it out here plus check out the full step by step instructions on how I made the book.

One of my friends posted a fun Gratitude photo scavenger hunt over at her blog and I'm playing along. Check out my first batch of photos in my photo blog here.

Now I have to run.Still got a TON of things in my list to accomplish by the end of the day. Tada!

Till next time,

Grace

Finally Home

2011-11-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

I made this layout with the November Add on kit over at the Paper Bakery kit. I love how themed products can inspire us to make non-seasoned pages.

My initial inspiration was the block of houses sticker. They are the perfect "embellishment" to emphasize my gratefulness of finally being home.

To learn more about this layout and the Paper Bakery add on kit. Click here.

Till next time,

Grace

a new addiction

2011-11-14T13:29:00.001-08:00

sometimes I think that I've already spend way too much time on the computer and then I discover a new site that's totally addicting. I'm talking about Polyvore. Great site to make your own boards. I especially love the endless collection of clothes that I can put outfits together with. I also have realized that although I love color, I only wear then sparingly, such as the case in this outfit...

I started this outfit off with the cute green top and then I wanted to add some pop of color and ended up choosing maroon since it's a "fall-ish" look.

What do you guys think?

If you're interested to see Polyvore yourself, check it out (click on the link provided above) but let me remind you...it's addicting! You have been warned!

Till next time,

Grace

*sorry for the change of font after the image, somehow google/blogger is acting up with me and I don't know why)

RAK winner + card share

2011-11-12T16:11:00.000-08:00

Wow can't believe how unanimous the voting was. So I guess it's official....it's going to be the mustache photo that will grace our Christmas card this year. Thanks for letting me make what seems to be a hard decision, done!

So as promised, the winner of the RAK, according to random.org is #2 which is Tina. Can you email me your snail mail addy at graceelainetolmanatyahoodotcom so I can send you the prize. :)

and because this post is not complete with a project or photo to share, here's some of my recent cards....

Mom, thank you for being you

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

Congratulations on a job well done

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

Dad you lift me up!

Happy Mother's Day

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

I know these cards are a bit out of the season but doesn't the colors just makes you smile? I wanted to have a soft feel for the feminine cards and gave some graphic, modern design for the masculine cards.

Have a great weekend everyone.

till next time,

Grace

I need your vote!

2011-11-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

No I'm not running for any office/position, or that something I've made is up for a contest. This is more of a plea to help me narrow down my choice.

You see I have been making my Christmas cards for a few years now. I always add a photo of our family. Nothing fancy which I think speaks volume on what kind of family we are. *wink* And we took this two photos a few weeks ago and I'm not sure which one to use for this year's Holiday cards. I like the "formal" version but I'm also really digging the mustache one cause we've never been this silly infront of the camera and I think it's a refreshing look. What do you think?

and to make your votes worth the time, I'm giving away this little package of "fun scrapbook products" to one commenter.

I'll open the voting up to Friday (Nov. 11th) 9pm Mountain time so you can be eligible for the giveaway.

thank you and have a great day. Looking forward to what you guys think should be in our Christmas card this year.

Till next time,

Grace

some layouts for you today....

2011-11-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you to all that stopped by and commented on my Handmade Holiday projects. It was fun to see all the projects in the blog hop. Wasn't it so inspirational?

Anyways today I want to share a few pages....

First Christmas in Colorado

my new sketch for Paper Bakery kit club is up today. You can play along and now you have two weeks to complete your page. How fun is that! Check out all the info here.

It's the little things (digital)

yes sometimes I'm in the mood to make digital layouts. I can't resist all the fun digi kits out there. I got most of the supplies for this layout from Design House Digital. Did you know they just wrapped up a whole week's worth of celebration for National Digital Scrapbook day? Yeah I know, how fun to have a special day for all of the things we hold so dear, like digital scrapbooking. LOL.

Carnival Party

a few weeks ago, I rushed to the local's Archiver's here in the Springs to score some deals on pattern paper. In this page, I used my recent Jillibean Soup papers.

thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Sweets for my Sweet gift bag

2011-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

And it's Sunday! Hope your day is starting off great.

Today's our last installment of the 3-day tutorial posts.

Sweets for my sweet gift bag

Here's the how to...
1. First you need to figure out the size of the bag you want to make. I had measured mine to be 6" x 4" so I cut my paper into an 8 x 11" piece. Then I scored 1" lenghtwise on both 1" on the middle of the paper horizontally which is about the 4" and 5" mark on your scoring board.

2. Fold on the marks you've just made and snip the sides of the square fold you made in the middle of the paper.

3. Adhere the short ends of the fold to create the bag.

4. Layer some pattern paper and stickers together and then adhere to the center of the bags. I had made two layered pieces for each side of the bag.

5. I then added some papers layered with a sticker and a flower to the front of the bag using some foam adhesive.

6. Then I eyeballed the center of the bag top and then punched two holes.

7. And the last step would be to thread ribbon through the holes and tie a knot inside to secure the ribbons.

Thank you for joining me in this three day Handmade Holiday Project + tutorial posts. Please visit Glue Arts blog for more Holiday inspired projects and have a great day.

till next time,

Grace

Christmas gift altered container

2011-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday. Hope you enjoyed participating in the Handmade Holiday Blog hop that started yesterday. If you missed it or don't have a clue what I'm talking about, hop on over to the Glue Arts blog to check out the details.

Today I want to share with you how I altered this cute clear bag...

Christmas Gift Altered Container

this container originally housed some buttons. I love how cute, small and clear it is. I can include some small treats in it, add a gift card or even a beautiful jewelry set. The gift possiblities are endless! So here's how I made this super easy project...

1. I started off with measuring the front and back side of the bag. I had cut out pattern papers to measure abuot 1/4" smaller than my initial measurement. Then I added this paper to another pattern and then trimmed that with scallop edge scissors. I also added some machine stitching to the edges of both paper pieces. Then I added them to the bag using some extreme square adhesives.

2. then I used some letter stickers that came in the Webster's Pages collection kit that I was using for all three containers.

3. I also added some stickers to the back of the bag. I adhered the big butterfly sticker with some foam adhesive to give it more dimension.

4. then I added some flowers on the bag. I used some mini square adhesive to adhere the flowers.

5. After staring at this project for a few minutes, I felt like it needed some bow to it. So I added some red dot ribbon to the front of the bag.

Now it's all complete and ready to be filled with goodies and great Christmas gifts.

Make sure you check out tomorrow's blog post for our final edition our tutorial posts.

Till next time,

Grace

Altered Christmas altered gift containers + tutorial

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all and Happy Friday. Today I want to start a 3-day tutorial post. Glue Arts is participating in this big Handmade Holiday hop. It's pretty neat and a ton of companies are participating. I've made this project set for Glue Arts part of the hop and I decided to add some how to photos and instructions here in my blog for my wonderful blog readers. *wink*

But because this set contained a TON of photos, I decided to break it down into three days. What could be better than three consecutive days of fun tutorials?! So the first one is for the tall container in the middle of the pictured set...

Merry Christmas Tin

With a handmade paper bow on top.

So here's the instructions...

1. Measure the length and width of your altered tin container (mine was a recycled bread crumbs container. NOTE: Make sure you wash recycled containers very well before altering especially if you're going to be adding food products in it.

Cut a piece of pattern paper to match your measurements and adhere to the can. I used some extreme squares for this project so it'll hold well. I think you can use glue gun on this one too but you might have bumps under the paper because of the dried glue.

2. Add a thin ribbon/trim for the bottom edge of the tin can.

3. Cut 1" strips from pattern paper and cut them in four varigating sizes (two for each size) Mine had about 1 1/2" difference between the strips having the smallest be 3" long and the larges is 8". Set aside

4. Fold the paper strips and adhere ends together. Add another adhesive dot to the center to create a bow.

5. Layer the bows on top of each other. Adhere the centers and use a pen or paper piercer to open up the bows ends.

6. Add a glittered button threaded with red baker's twine and add to the top of the can.

7. Stamp a greeting onto pattern paper.

8. Punch out the sentiment with 1 3/4" circle punch. Layer this piece onto pattern paper and trim the edge with scallop scissor.

9. I decided to add a scalloped border onto the top edge of the tin using pattern paper and Fiskars border punch.

10. Lastly, add some Glitter glue around the edge of the sentiment paper for that added Holiday "shine" on your project. Let it dry completely then fill up with your favorite Holiday candies or cookies and deliver to friend and family.

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure you check out the Glue Arts blog today to see who's participating in this blog hop and come by tomorrow to see how I made the other containers in this set.

Till next time,

Grace

WorldWin Projects...

2011-11-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the silence in the blog this past couple of days. This week is passing me by so quickly, I haven't had the time to sit and make a blog post. Shame on me, I know, but I will try to be better in the next couple of days. I have a Christmas project + tutorial on the works for tomorrow so I hope that it will be more than make up for the days of not blogging.

So I'm still in cloud 9 about the recent announcement of getting in the WorldWin Cardstock design team for 2012. And I thought what better way to end this feeling of gratitude for this great opportunity than to share what I made for my application entries.

Home at Last

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

I wanted to present a layout with just cardstock and if you know me, I'm a big design and texture kind of gal so to complete the project with what I'm most comfortable with, I used punches and embossing folder to build this page. Here's a close up...

PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION

Snow Much Fun

In this mini, I covered a shaped Christmas stocking mini with cardstock. I also added a lace border on top of each of the stocking page made out of cardstock and a border punch.

Since I didn't have any pictures to add to this mini, I opted to use some pattern papers. I also stamped snowflake onto the chipboard stockings plus I added embossed cardstock accents on each page.

at the end, I got it quite chubby. Just the way I like it. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Exciting news to share...

2011-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday. Last night, I got some exciting news. I had learned that I was picked to be part of the WorldWin Cardstock 2012 design team. The announcement came through their facebook page today.

When I made my application projects, I had the butterflies in my stomach. There was a part of me that wasn't sure if what I was doing was enough to make me stand out but there was also that other part that wanted to be true to who I am as a papercraft artist and this news just shows me that if we are authentique and give our best, good things will come our way. I'm a living proof of that! *wink*

In other news...I had my Monday post up yesterday at the Paper Bakery kit club blog. Here's the layout I shared...

and last Saturday, this project went up at the Glue Arts blog. We had a team up with Webster's Pages and I decided to make a love notes box with the Western Romance line. Check the blog here for the "how to" on this project.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Till next time,

Grace

Halloween Costumes 2011

2011-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

whew! Halloween is finally over. The costumes have been worn, the candies given out and my kids are finally in bed (all sugared up!). We can cross off Halloween for this year!

Speaking of this year.... in the last three years I've had dreams of my family dressing up in some type of group costume and every year I get disappointed at myself for not having the inspiration and time to put one together. Well thankfully this year, the cards were in my favor and after multiple trips to the Thrift store and having many fights with my sewing machine, here's our official Halloween costumes for 2011....

Yes, the "force was with us" dressing up in Star Wars characters.

I had wanted Marcus to be Luke Skywalker but he had different plans. After researching all of the characters we finally agreed on him being a Sith Lord.

Mitch would've been an excellent Hans Solo but since he "lacked" the hair we decided to go with one where he can pass it up with a hooded robe so we went with Obi Wan Kenobi.

Of course, our Star Wars get up won't be complete without having a Princess Leia. Thank you to my sister who suggested I purchase a brown knitted shirt at the thrift store, we were able to put together the famous "Leia buns" despite Maddie having short hair.

and me- a Jedi Girl. I had wanted to be Queen Amidala but her costume was too much for me to even contemplate of making so I went with an easier costume.

I LOVE this photo! Everyone was into their costumes, playing some light saber games while Ms. Maddie remained in her pose. That is our family for yah!

Happy Halloween everyone.

Till next time,

Grace

Some links....

2011-10-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

My Friday's going to be a loooonnnnngggg one but before I head off and do the things on my list let me share some stuff with you...

My First Sketch challenge is up at Paper Bakery this week and you have a chance to score a great prize if you play along. Here's the post with the sketch and all the requirements for the challenge.

Also, over at my photography blog, I posted some quick tips on getting better Halloween Photos. Check it out and hopefully it'll help somebody out there make their photos snazzy and not "scary" this year. *wink*

that's all folks on this chilly Friday morning.

Till next time,
Grace

I'm a surgeon too!

2011-10-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've heard of the many roles a mother play. We are the cooks, the taxi drivers, the teachers, the referees and we are even nurses and doctors. And sometimes not only to our kids but also to their beloved stuff animals.

My kids believe in my sewing abilities (I don't know why because I don't have any!) but everytime there's a rip on their favorite stuff animals, they quickly turn to me to "fix" their beloved toys.

Sometimes they even just leave "sick" toys on my craft table for me to fix. They know that that's where Mom does her "magic". *wink*

It feels good to know that my kids' believe in my power to "fix things" for them. I hope and pray that they will always trust to come to me (or their dad) first when they have issues or problems. Whatever small or big they may be. With how the world has become now, I'm scared of what kind of future my kids will have and how much worst the outside influence can be on them.

But for today, I'm happy that I was able to fix/sew back up their favorite stuff animals and that in my sweet and innocent children's eyes...all is well with the world again.

Have a great Thursday.

Till next time,

Grace

Integrity frame + how to

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Everybody in our church has a "job" to do. We are all asked/called to be in certain positions by our leaders and none of us are paid. It's all volunteer work. And the best part is that you don't know which position you'd be called in and for how long. It's a matter of where the Lord sees fit to put you at that time.

Anyways, my calling or "job" right now is to work with the Young Women. They are the teenage girls from 12-18 years old. One of the things that I help them with is to set and accomplish goals. We call it "Personal Progress". It has all sorts of goals/activities that they are to accomplish which at the end of completing the program would've helped them gain a better testimony of the Gospel, learn more about themselves and their divine natures and learn skills along the way.

One of the aspects they are to work on is Integrity and a project in that field was to read messages from our leaders about the subject, pick a quote that they like and make a craft for it that they can display in their home to remind them of the quote.

Well I took this challenge on in August and although I'm just now getting around it, I feel the need to share the project with hopes that you can translate it into creating your own quote frame.

Integrity Quote Frame

For this super easy and versatile project, you'll need a frame (I got mine at Goodwill a long time ago!), spray paint, some vinyl sheets ( mine was the Accent it all Vinyl from Glue Arts) and die cut machine (Cricut was what I used)

Here's the frame I got. My initial intention for this was to make it into a chalkboard frame but I guess that's the beauty of crafting, you collect items/mediums you want to work on and then change your mind and use it for something different. :) As you can see, it had a picture in it. I didn't care much for the picture but I did like the detail on the frame that's why I picked it up.

I spray painted my frame with primer. I used a specific one that can coat any types of surfaces like glass. I wanted to go with spray paint on this project because I didn't trust my shaky hands to create clean paint strokes. I was going to spray it with another coat but the lazy one in me said, one was good enough. *wink*

After the frame dried completely, I headed on over inside and worked on creating the letters/words that will go in the frame. I wanted the words to be readable so I chose a classic font.

After choosing the size of the letters that would fit in my frame, I started making lines so I can make the spacings even.

One of my favorite tools while working on letters is this plastic see through ruler type thing. It's not really a ruler but an attachment to my paper cutter but I've used it as a guide for my letters all these years. I'm so imperfect that even my letters don't ever go on straight so I use this tool to help me out with that.

While my Cricut machine was cutting the letters for me, I grabbed some snacks. Can't craft without some munchies! LOL. My daughter actually asked for them so I opened it up for us to share.

After adhering all the letters/words down, I started erasing the lines. NOTE: Erase gently as you can make some unsightly marks on your frame. *wink*

After looking (and looking) at the finished frame, I felt like it needed something more so I added some swirls on the top portion.

and here it is...

I'm not sure yet where I'm going to hang it up so it's just sitting in my red school chair right now.

another beauty of this project is that later on, when I want to change up the quote, I can easily do that because this vinyl is peelable and won't ruin your paint job. Good stuff!

thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Family Hike

2011-10-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since our little family went on an adventure together. With work, church callings, school and life in general, our weekend exploring had been put into hiatus until last Sunday.
It was one of the rare days that we didn't have too many meetings to attend or people to visit so we jumped in the car and went for a ride. I had wanted to see upclose and personal the beauty of fall in the mountains and one of our friends had suggested the Mt. Herman road which goes behind the Pikes Peak range.
So we grabbed our trustee map and headed north. The beauty of living in Colorado Springs is that is doesn't take you long before your out of the city limits and into the mountains. LOVE THAT!!!
Here are some of the photos we gathered from our trip....

We got stopped in our tracks when we saw this awesome rock formation in the middle of the valley. It was not planned, but we got out of the car and started hiking down to this place. And since we didn't have any intentions of exploring outside of our car, Maddie and I were not dressed properly for the "occassion". Going down the trench was definitely not the kind of terrain my little sneakers were up for.

this was only 15 minutes away from home but as you can see, there's no homes or buildings in sight.

Maddie was appointed leader of the hike today. :)

trying to capture some of that fall goodness we were seeing all over the place.

I love this shot. Maddie found a small stump and decided to rest a bit. What a beautiful view she got to rest her eyes on too.

this is my attempt of getting a "group" shot for the trip. Even though it's just shadows, we were all there. :)

But I am trying to hand off my camera more often now that before and here's one that I am treasuring up today. Love how this photo captures my son and I, and how TALL he has gotten. I'm not looking forward to a few years from now when I'm going to have to look up to him!

My favorite people to explore with. And the bonus of this trip....Marcus got to check off a portion of his Cub Scout requirements. Yippee for that!

Gotta run. Trying to do some final preparations for the family's Halloween Costumes. :)

Till next time,

Grace

BTW as you might have noticed, I'm changing things up a bit around in the blog. I have widen the post section and enlarged my photos. Tell me, is this working better for you (is my blog better to read/visit now)? or did I make it worse? Love your thoughts on this. Thanks :)

My Sketch had launched...

2011-10-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday blog readers, today I posted my first sketch over at The Paper Bakery blog. Check it out here. I'm been very anxious about this as I've never shared any of my sketches online before. It's definitely a learning experience and one lesson I learned today is that I need to add borders to my sketches! Hehehehe.

And as always with any sketches that I've made and will make in the future, I have a sample page to go along with it. For today's sketch, here's the sample...

Say Hello to my Little Friend

Got inspired? Well you have a chance to play along too. Check out the details here. There's a price for a lucky participant. *wink*

Have a great Monday.

Till next time,

Grace

Flower Power

2011-10-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I applied for the Heartfelt Creations DT call. I was so honored when they picked me to be a part of their "semi finalist" and I recieved some products from them to play with. I had send in my projects for the final round and I'm crossing my fingers that they'll pick me. We will see.

I liked the products so much that after I made my projects for the final round, I played a bit more with the stamps and die cut shapes and here's the results....

Think Spring

Now I know we are in the middle of fall but I can't help but make Spring-themed cards with the beautiful flower dies and stamps I had recieved. In this card, I used the die cut flower set to make my layered flower which is the focal point of the card.I ran it through my Cuttlebug to add the swirl embossing effect and inked the edges to define the petals better.

Spring Fever

In this card, I combined the die cut flowers with the Posy Patch flower stamp. It's pretty cool how you can have the perfect shape of the flower PLUS great definitions in it provided by the stamps. I curled the edges of each flower to give the petals more dimension.

Spring has Sprung

I LOVE this bucket with flowers stamp! It's so gorgeous and with a few stamp markers I can customize the colors anyway I want/need. It takes a bit of time to put this card together but I love how coloring the flowers took me back to Elementary art days. So fun!

So that's it. Thanks for stopping by and make sure you check out Heartfelt Creations here.

Till next time,
Grace

this is for Grandma Caryol

2011-10-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

One thing we sure miss about California is family. The fact that we can't "drive by" to see them anymore is a luxury we sure miss a lot. But thank goodness to internet and blogging, we can still keep them up to date with stuff that's going on around here.

This is especially helpful when we want to show off things to our grandparents like what the kids did with their gifts. :)

Grandma Caryol send some birthday money for Maddie's birthday earlier this month and we took her to the mall and she used up her money (wisely, I have to add) to purchase the following....a Cinderella accesory set (which included a bracelet, earrings and necklace); a little bag with lip gloss, lotion and nail polish and some candy from Rocky Mountain chocolate factory. I was very impressed with how she made sure to divide her money to get all the stuff she wanted, especially the candy. There were other things she was eyeing on but if it didn't leave her any money for candy, she would turn around and forget about it.

On Marcus' baptism in August, he got this pillowcase from Grandma. She also added some crayons so Marcus can personalize it. About a couple of Sundays ago, Marcus finally worked on it. He even got Maddie to work on it too. He was very proud of his coloring and even added his own artwork on the side (some robots)

Now this is a permanent fixture on his bed. He uses it every night and I think that's super sweet.

My kids definitely feel blessed to have such great and loving grandparents. :)

Till next time,

Grace

it's not too early to make a Christmas wish list

2011-10-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

That's how I'm feeling today anyways. But before I share the top three things in my wish list this year, let me announce the winner of our Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro giveaway and according to the random generatore it is comment #27 which is...

Laura said...
Love dressing up in costume...even as an adult!

Please contact me (graceelainetolmanatyahoodotcome) so I can forward your information to Glue Arts. I'm so excited for you...this new glider pro will rock your boat! *wink*

Ok so onto my wishlist. I honestly don't want too much (hahahaha) but what I do want are quite pricey but I believe that if I put it out there and people know that I'm worth it, I *might* just get what I wished for. (((coughing....hubby are you reading this.....coughing))))

Baking is something I'm slowly becoming passionate about. I love how serving my family "sweets" makes my "#1 mama in the world" factor increase a notch everytime. Having a stand mixer where I can make my breads, my fondants and everything in between would just make this process so much more enjoyable. Plus that apple green color is just super fabulous to add in my kitchen.

This baby is DA BOMB! I have stalked so many photography blogs and sites where I've seen this baby in action and I WANT ONE!!! Definitely the priciest in my list but dang! I get all so excited and anxious at the same time everytime I see it!

Riding boots! Leather, short heels and in brown please! I try not to be too concerned about the "in" thing in fashion BUT these boots are calling my name and I can't resist but dream of having my own pair.

So like I said, I'm banking on my wishing star that the good vibes will come my way and I can open up a box with any (or all of them) this Christmas. You are free to pass this along to anyone that you'd think will help me with my cause. *wink*

Till next time,

Grace

oh it's another Monday

2011-10-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

and yes I got a lot of things on my to-do list. But this time, it's different. Lately I'm really trying to prioritize and be realistic with my goals. I have learned (the hard way) of course that I cannot have it ALL, all at once. So I'm choosing this day to not make bread and use that time to visit with some friends and do a blog post here. *wink*

If you are visiting me for the Glue Arts Giveaway, scroll down a bit and you'll see the post about it. I have to say I'm loving reading all the comments and what makes Halloween so special for you. It gets me pumped for Halloween! Remember the giveaway will be closed at 9pm (mountain time) tonight.

Want to get to know me a bit more and read my 10 favorite scrapbook products? head on over to the Paper Bakery kit blog today as I have written a short intro there today.

And of course, this can't be a post without a photo (or two) so here's a couple....

I am a photographer too (among other things. LOL) and I did a quick photoshoot with my daugther two weeks ago for her 6th bday. I still can't believe that my baby is all grown up!

She was a trooper despite the cold weather during the shoot. To see more photos, click here.

Have a great start of the week everyone.

Till next time,

Grace

Glue Arts new Glue Glider Pro PLUS GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday to all. Today's a fantastic day here and I'm starting it off with an awesome giveaway from Glue Arts.

If you've not heard about the new Glue glider pro (where have you been?) now is your chance to see it in action because I am giving one away.Here at my blog!

Here's a few details about the new Glue Glider Pro...

GlueGlider PRO+ MultiDirectional Flip Cartridges (exact product name)
Same superior adhesive strength
Enhanced glideability
Uses the same GlueGlider PRO handle
Currently available in PermaTac, HighTac, and Repositionable
Ships and available online Oct. 24th
Taking you in a new direction...anywhere you wanna go.

and a special note...this works with the existing PRO handle. No need to purchase a new one. *wink*

So have I hyped it up for you? Want to own one of these babies?! Just comment on this post and tell me what your favorite thing is about Halloween. Giveaway will run till Monday (9pm mountain time).

Speaking of Halloween. Check out this shadowbox project I made for Glue Arts.

For this project, we have teamed up with Die Cuts with a View and I used the Midnight Spell Stack to complete this project.

I had used a ton of U Cut if foam adhesive to create dimension for each of the elements inside the boxes. Some are raised more than others which I think is the perfect little way to show variety and movement to the project.

To learn more about this project and find out where I scored this cute little shadowbox, check the Glue Arts blog here.

So that's it. Make sure you comment and get that chance to win the new Glue Glider Pro.

Till next time,

Grace

Paper Bakery October kits are now available + layout share

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!
Today's first order of business is to share with you some sneek peek photos of the wonderful October Paper Bakery kit. Lookie look!

Just heard from Sarah that the add on kit is sold out (wow!!!) and there's just a handful left of the project kit so I suggest that you grab these kits now before they are totally out. Look at what an awesome home decor this can be on your mantle or door?!
To purchase the kit or to learn more about Paper Bakery, check the site here.

and because it's not a totally scrappy post without some shares,here's a couple of layouts I finished recently...

Egg Hunt

Can't believe these photos are from last year's Easter egg hunt at Grandma's house. So many different changes had occured since then, one major thing being is that we no long celebrate Easter Sunday with the Tolman's because we've moved out of state. So sad about that!

Flying High

This photos are from this year. Earlier this year, during Spring break. We had decided to buy some kits and fly them. See the post about it here. Although that day was perfect for kite flying, it was pretty brutal for the body because it was super cold! For the layout, I had handstitched some embroidery floss from my kids' hands in the photos to the handmade kite Imade on the top right corner. It created some movement to the page.

thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend. I heard it's going to be warm this weekend for us so I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy the weekend outdoors!

Till next time,

Grace

A day in my life Photo heavy

2011-10-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Today I want to share with you a glimpse of who I am. This is not to make you feel uncomfortable that you're thinking I'm sharing "too much out there". Or to show you how great of a person I am, although if at the end of this post you think that way, I won't be against that. *wink*.

This little photo documentation of a single day in my existence is to encourage you to look beyond the normal day to day tasks and see your life in a different way. To see the beauty in your everyday, cherishing the NOW.

As most of you know, I work and breath memory preservation with the photographs I take and the scrapbooks I make (for me and for the companies I work for and get published with). That is why I felt the inspiration to strap my camera around with me and show you how I went through my Saturday. So grab a chair, some snacks (just don't get it on your computer or accidentally spill on your keyboard) and take a ride back with me through Saturday, October 8th 2011.....

Saturday's always means sleeping in for me. Except for the occasional morning photoshoots, I don't usually get out of bed till after 8:30am. I started today with a hearty breakfast of boiled eggs, toast and jelly, cheese slice and a glass of milk. Saturdays are our only day that we have hot breakfasts. On the other days we would have cereal or oatmeal with milk.

After breakfast, I got out of my jammies and put on this. Now a bit of a note here, I'm typically in my jammies till I NEED to go out but since I'm documenting today, I figured I needed to pretty me up a bit for the audience. Hehehehehe. Also in this photo, you'll notice that I'm wearing long sleeves and a sweater. We had our first snow of the season today and the need for warmer clothes were definitely a must! To see some photos of the snow, check out my post here.

Our initial plan for today was to go hiking. Since it snowed, of course that plan was scrapped so I cleaned the refrigerator instead. There's no better time to do some cleaning than being homebound bec. of snow. :)

did some major purging of food (bottles with expired dates and unknown leftovers. Yuck!) then I cleaned the surfaces with my go to wipes! and of course wore my trusted cleaning gloves.

Now my refrigerator is all cleaned and organized. Makes me feel that I've accomplished something productive today!

So while I was cleaning my ref. I couldn't stop thinking about my poor tomatoes freezing to death out there in the snow. There were still a ton of them that was green but I told Mitch that I was going to go ahead and pull them out. I was not prepared for this snow and if I knew beforehand, I would've pulled them out the day before. So here I am braving the snow (that makes me sound so tough but seriously the snow wasn't that bad) and picked out all the tomatoes and veggies I can find. Mitch took these shots of me.

after a few minutes I was able to fill one colander and one emptied ice cream container of mostly tomatoes but some green beans and chili peppers as well.

Since the kids saw me put my snow gear on, they immediately asked if they could go out and play too. At first Mitch was against it because the snow was a wet snow therefore they'll only track the wet stuff back into the house. But after much pleading he said yes and I prepared a big towel right by the door and helped them get in and out of their snow gear before and after they came in the house.

they had a blast! Made snow angels and did a snowball fight.

they even decided to use the fence as a target for snow balls. Kids!

There was no way I'd put my camera in danger of the weather so I made sure to wrap it up with plastic before heading out the door to capture the kid's snow fun.

After a few minutes of capturing the beauty of the white fluff, I returned inside, got out of my snow gear and washed off the snow on my garden harvests.

by the end of it, it was lunchtime so I started heating up some leftovers. Weekends are usually time for our "left over buffet" meals. This might seem a lot of food but this week we had a TON of leftovers so we had to finish them up. Note: we didn't finish them all up but felt good that we made a dent on the leftovers stash.

After lunch, the sun finally broke out of the clouds and started melting the snow away. The snow was pretty but I was so glad to see the sun!

After clearing up the table from lunch, I headed to my scrapbook room. At this time, the family was doing their own thing- Mitch was upstairs balancing the checkbook, the kids had walked over the neighbor's house to play and I went to my "cave" and worked on some projects.

By 5pm, I went back upstairs and started dinner. (taken with the self timer option of my camera)

One of Maddie's chores is to set the table for dinner and here she is doing an excellent job of it. Notice the costume dress? That's my girl for you, never wanting to be in "regular clothes". You can always see her sporting one of her Princess dress up outfits.

Today's dinner consisted of BBQ simmered meatballs, ravioli from Costco and green salad. Yes I admit, I'm not following my weight watchers plan on this one. What can I say? I love good food!

after dinner was bath time for the kids. Love that both kids can bathe themselves now. All I have to do is remind them of their time limit in the tub. Maddie was in there for over 30 minutes and the water got cold for Marcus so we had to drain the water and fill it up again.

After bath time, Maddie and I read for a few minutes. One of the many routines we've had since the kids were babies.

after we all took baths, I joined the kids to watch Despicable Me on DVD. We got it from the library the day before and although we've seen it before, the movie was still very enjoyable the second time around.

When the movie finished, the kids went to bed and I spend sometime writing in my journal before I hit the hay. This time, I was writing some quotes and excerpts from this book that I just read. It was very inspirational not only as a photographer but more importantly as someone that values the everyday moments.

And then I finally went to bed at about 11:30pm.

So that was my Saturday. There was no dull moment and definitely filled with surprises and routines. That is my life as a mother, wife, papercrafter, photographer and an avid believer that there is no better time to start appreciating your life than today! May you all have a great TODAY and till next time,

Grace

Sometimes I forget that I live in a totally different area now...

2011-10-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

Before I continue my thought....I want to share some exciting news...I got an email last night from Sarah, owner of Paper Bakery kit club and she picked me to be their new sketch artist. Woohoo!!! It's been FOREVER since I last worked with a kit club and so I'm dying to get my hands on her November kit and be inspired by the products in the kit. Plus if you've known my scrapbook process, you're probably familiar at how I love sketches and follow one (mostly my own sketches) EVERYTIME I start a layout so for me to get a chance to share these sketches to Paper Bakery fans and kit users is a thrill on its own. Check out the announcement here.

Ok so onto the topic of today's post...
I sometimes forget that I live in a totally differnt area now....

and then last Saturday's first now of the season hits and then I'm immediately reminded that I don't live in the Sunny beautiful part of the nation called California. :)

About three weeks ago while on a photoshoot, I shot this trees with their awesome colors.

We've been wanting to go up to the mountains to check the fall foliage but never got around to it.

and then on Saturday, I woke up to this....

SNOW! can you believe it?! in the middle of October nonetheless. C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

Again this humbles me and reminds me that I live in a totally different area where we get snow....right outside of our homes!

It was pretty seeing all the white fluff but after taking this shot, I immediately had the panic feeling because, right out there in the photo are my vegetable patch (with green tomatoes still in the vines) freezing to death! Later that morning I picked up whatever's left of my garden, most importantly my green tomatoes.

I did some research and they said that tomatoes can ripen just by placing them on your kitchen counter. That's what I did and so I'm hoping it'll work. Otherwise, I'm going to have to try making some "fried green tomatoes".

The snow quickly melted that afternoon and we are back to the fall views except for the tip of Pikes Peak which is covered in snow. Oh the many joys and surprises of living in Colorado!

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Cards Monday

2011-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

I've been having some great fun doing cards lately. I'm thinking maybe I should designate Mondays as Cards day? What do you guys think?

So onto my shares today...

Laughter is good for the soul
PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION
Used some of the lovely papers and embellishments from the Happy Go Lucky line of Pebbles. You all know that I have a slight obsession with border punches and this leaf one from Fiskars is just too cute to pass up!

Time for some monkey business

This one used papers and stickers (borders and monkeys) from Doodlebug Design Inc. As you can imagine, the monkeys got my brain rolling on this card. They were super cute and I just HAD to put them in card!

Precious Baby

I don't know if I made this because secretly I'm missing having a baby of my own or I know there's a few friends that might be great recipients of this card in a few months. Anyways, I highlighted the diecut shape of a baby carrier that I cut from Cricut and added soft colors and design to compliment the theme of the card.

40-Birthday Greetings

I just so happen to know of a friend that's turning the big 4-0 so this card would be perfect for our dear friend. Used a bunch of scraps here, especially the strips of ribbon on the bottom.

Thanks for looking and I hope you are inspired to make your own bunch of cards today.

Till next time,
Grace

Glue Arts Latest Projects

2011-10-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Today the kids are out of school (and tomorrow too) and it's so windy out there. I'm not optimistic that this day will be a good one with kids at home and it's brutal to go out to the park. We shall see.

But what I am optimistic about is the change of weather and the feeling of fall all over the place. It makes me feel very grateful for so many things. One of those blessings I cherish is the opportunity to work for a great company. Glue Arts not only offer fantastic adhesives but they also carry Viny sheets called Accent it all. Here's a project I made with them....

Give Thanks Plaque

this was super easy to make with my Cricut machine doing all the cutting for me and a few premade fabric flowers from Maya Road to finish the project. Of course I used some Extreme Square adhesive to add them on to the plate.

to read more of the details on this project, check the Glue Arts blog here.

I'm also grateful for the little moments of bliss I get to share with my family. Like trying out a new restaurant. Such was the case when we visited our local Cracker Barrell last December. I made a layout about it here...

Cracker Barrell

I used some Core'dinations textured cardstock with Jenni Bowlin designs which was perfect for the vintage, homespun feel I wanted to incorporate in the layout.

I'm inlove with Maya Road fabric flowers right now and as you can see, they're the perfect embellishments to this page. :)

I had made a step by step tutorial on how I had made this layout and you can find that here in this post at the Glue Arts blog.

So that's it for me today. Happy Thursday.

Till next time,

Grace

Maddie's 6th bday recap

2011-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Over this pask week, we had many "little" things happen for our dear Ms. Maddie. There's her pumpkin patch field trip, loosing her two front top teeth (in a matter of two days) and getting a cute but short hair cut. So many stories and yet not enough time for this mama to catch up. So if you're looking for stories and pictures about the above mentioned events, well I *might* be able to share them here "someday" but as of today, you will have to be satisfied with Ms. Maddie's 6th bday recap....

Madelyn was super excited about her birthday. She was counting down the days and bugging me everyday (prior to her birthday) if she can take a peek at her "gift". This girl was so anxious and excited that it was not hard at all to wake her up on her birthday morning.

I had wrapped three gifts for her to open and since her big day fell on a Tuesday and that's one of our busiest days, I told her to spread opening the gifts throughout the day so that family members can see her open *at least* one gift.

Just before heading to school, she opened her biggest gift- a Princess Cash Register toy.

After I dropped the kids off to school, I came home and decorated some cupcakes that I took to school during the kid's snack time.

I had borrowed this book from the library and I had bookmarked all the cupcakes that I *can* do so Maddie got to pick out which one she wanted. She chose a flower one which was super easy.

The cupcake was a white cupcake with white cream frosting. Then I snipped large marshmallows into four pieces, dipped one side into sugar crystals and then layed 5 on each cupcake to make it look like flower petals and then I added some gum drops for the centers.

It was a hit with the kids which made all the work worth it. In my hurry to get the cupcakes to school, I forgot to take a picture of the batch.It's much cuter to see 24 flower cupcakes versus only 5 but alas this is what you'll get.

At lunch time, after coming home from school, Maddie opened another gift. This one was from her Lolo and Lola (my parents). I had actually bought this one and had asked my mom if this can be her gift to Maddie. She didn't protest and I'm glad because I LOVE this outfit for Maddie.

notice the lack of teeth in Maddie's mouth. She was super thrilled that her teeth finally came out. I was a bit sad to see her toothless but she didn't mind especially since the tooth fairy came by our home and left her some money for her teeth.

this is the skirt to match

and leggings too.

In the afternoon she got some great phone calls from Grandma Tolman and Lolo both sending her some birthday greetings.

And then after dinner, we placed six candles on her cupcake and sang the bday song. I was hoping that Mitch would be home at this time so we could all celebrate but there are just things out of my control and this was one of them. So Marcus and I did the singing while Maddie made a wish and blew out her candles.

do you see the food in the foreground? Yes that's chicken nuggets. Only the best food for my bday girl. LOL. Again it was one of those crazy busy days and chicken nuggets were both kid friendly and easy to make.

Marcus waited so patiently all day to taste the cupcakes.

and Maddie got to open her final gift- a flower ring. It's nothing fancy but I had put it in a velvet heart box to make the gift "more special".

and she sure like 'em.

So that's it. Our last birthday for this year. Whew! Now off to eat some of those yummy cupcakes!

Till next time,

Grace

Cards galore!

2011-10-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

So today amidst all the crazy things that is in my head (to do lists, things I need to catch up on, must do activities) I am sharing some cards. Because? Well why not?!

I wanted to make some dent in my scrap stash so I crafted some greeting cards. Here's what I came up with....

Remembering our Love

Sweet baby!

Owl Card

Happy Card

Thanks

It was fun rummaging through my pile and seeing one I can combine to make the above cards. Thanks for stopping by and now I'm off trying to accomplish somethings in my "mile-long" to do list.

Till next time,

Grace

In my shoes

Awesome mini album + Foto Matr

Heart Healthy Altered Journal + Tutorial

trying something new as a family

Valentine Knitted Banner + Tutorial

Project 365 week 5

PBK Sketch and sample

Wear Red Friday

Super Bowl Sunday

February is National Heart Month

Monday Links

Project 365 Week four

Incline Hike

More WorldWin layouts

Project 365 photos

January Wreath + Tutorial

WorldWin Projects

Boxes of Scrapbook Supplies for sale

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Chore Chart + Tutorial

January #2 sketch up today at Paper Bakery Kit

Project 365 Week 2

some links plus my January Take Twelve Scrapbook Challenge pics

Winner of Take Twelve + Project 365

Take Twelve Challenge + a Giveaway

being an Ella Friend...

some links plus food pics

2012 Mantra

top 10 highlights of my Cali Vacation

Giveaway winners + new Paper Bakery Sketch

I need your thoughts + a giveway

A few more project shares...

The Spirit of Christmas

They want to give gifts too!

It's "sweets" making time!

Paper Bakery Dec. sketch #2 + some Creative Memories projects

Gingerbread house 2011 version

Project share + links

some happy photos

a Pioneer family

Fabric trees + tutorial

Christmas decorations this year

Paper Bakery December Sketch #1

Poinsettia flower napkin rings *Glue Arts*

some Christmas DIY inspirations

Holiday cards *Paper Bakery kit*

our fancy dinner experience

goodness gracious Grace!

For a limited time

words to live by

An Attitude of Gratitude

Finally Home

a new addiction

RAK winner + card share

I need your vote!

some layouts for you today....

Sweets for my Sweet gift bag

Christmas gift altered container

Altered Christmas altered gift containers + tutorial

WorldWin Projects...

Exciting news to share...

Halloween Costumes 2011

Some links....

I'm a surgeon too!

Integrity frame + how to

Family Hike

My Sketch had launched...

Flower Power

this is for Grandma Caryol

it's not too early to make a Christmas wish list

oh it's another Monday

Glue Arts new Glue Glider Pro PLUS GIVEAWAY!!!

Paper Bakery October kits are now available + layout share

A day in my life *Photo heavy*

Sometimes I forget that I live in a totally different area now...

Cards Monday

Glue Arts Latest Projects

Maddie's 6th bday recap

Cards galore!

Poinsettia flower napkin rings Glue Arts

Holiday cards Paper Bakery kit

A day in my life Photo heavy