baby scrap book

This is a simple cute book that worked out great for a baby shower gift for my cousin. I used the Album for Baby file and the Echo Park Boy Subway art file on the Silhouette Online Store, and Little Safari from paper studio to make this album, in a nap time It was made and finished.

My tips:

I played with the type of paper that I thought would work well for the book, I am not always a fan of big bulky patterned paper, so I was going for a subtle pattern paper.

I cut out the flip side so the paper could be double sided, I used my xyron machine to adhere the pages together.

The scraps that I didn't use I cut to size and rounded the corner to add some design elements to it, (this is where I figured pictures and mementos would go, and it adds to the page.

I bounded the album with bind it all system, and it turned out awesome!

Easiest science sensory activity ever

This is a two ingredient sensory activity that my kids absolutely love, super simple and cheap (lol) ok ready: baking soda and vinegar! (can you hear the excitement and sarcasm from my voice?) for my two cute kidlets they love it because We get to make our own bubbles  mommy! This is what I do, I sprinkle the .29 cent box of baking soda I got on sale all a round the tub, inside dishes, and cups, poor some vinegar into a container, for added fun I add what ever color they want, and give them a dropper and let them play, I don't tell them what to do, I just let them explore. eventually they start pouring the vinegar all over and to see just how much bubbles they can make, and I then give them more vinegar to play with. this play time will last about 20-30 minutes for a 2 and 5 year old!

Here are some of my tips when doing this activity, 

Let them explore, sometimes it's best if I just over hear what is going on so they can play.

I do like to ask questions like what do you think will happen if I added more vinegar to this cup, is a different color of vinegar going to change how it bubbles? open ended questions are my favorite.

Have an empty sink when you are doing sensory table stuff like this, so it's easy clean up, I just rinse and dry, since all the containers are designated to be sensory table items I don't care if not sparkling clean, I only care if there are germs and gunk on it.

If you know a bit about science explain to them why it bubbles up, hubby is really good at that, I just let them play. 

stock up on both items, we do this about 4 times a season, they always have lots of fun with it. 

chocolate PB crescent roll

AKA easiest breakfast ever!

You know those mornings in the winter when every one is just like ahh another snow day, and all you want to do is not look out side at the 16 inches of snow you have gotten in the past month, That was the morning I figured why not try something crazy easy on Pintrest. Guess what it worked! best idea ever I wish I came up with it.

you need two ingredients (love those type of recipes)
crescent rolls
chocolate pb (I used Skippy, but Hershey's or Nuttella would also work well.)
I did sprinkle a bit of butter and brown sugar on the top of the crescent rolls but you don't have too.

unroll those crescent rolls, spread chocolate pb on it, roll them up (my 5 year old did most of the work, it was a great way to pass a cold snowy winter's morning) then if you want a bit of sweetness on top of the rolls, brush on melted butter and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Pop them into the oven at 350, for about 12 minutes and you will have one of the best kid friendly breakfast's around! my 2 year old had 3 of them! Yummo!

If you have a dipper in the family warm up some jelly in a small bowl and they could dip that into the jelly, for more of a pb and j style breakfast.

paper flower arrangement

I love making things with paper (big surprise right?) When I realized that I could make a paper flower arrangement I was all ears! This was a gift for my sweet mother in-law for her birthday and I am so happy at how it turned out. It's was super simple here is what I did:

Materials:

2-3 sheets of double sided patterned paper (I used some old Stampin Up paper that worked perfectly It was given to me by a friend at CCAL (camp create a lot at Pine lake in Eldora IA)

Card stock (I used Yellow)

Brads- I used paper studio ones that were clear gems

3 inch styrofoam floral ball

Yellow satin ribbon that coordinates with your patterned paper

pearl boutonniere pins

green pattern paper

Fluff, the tulle and floral accets you see

a quart size mason jar

green patterned paper

Hot glue and gun

Silhouette files: loopy flower, rolled rose, 3d water lily, so Many Smiles Begin with You, and a heart frame.

Cut out the flowers, I cut out 3 loopy flowers, and 5 rolled roses from the paper with a couple of the water lilly inside flowers to add to the arrangements. When rolling up the roses I have found that hot glue is my best friend to hold it together, and a quilling tool works wonders instead of you fingers doing all the work. 

Assemble the flowers, add brads or gems 

once you have that done, get out the Styrofoam ball, and start arranging the flowers, hot glueing them, and pinning them with the boutonniere pins. I started out with the big ones first and then when into the rolled rosses, then added the little inside of the water lily last to fill in gaps, do what ever looks good to you. I then added the fluff to the ball to make it look pretty (I know super technical!)

For the Mason Jar, I just used some simple green paper to line the inside of the jar, cut it to size of the jar and stick it in, 

once I liked how the flowers were arranged I hot glued the ball  with all the flowers on it to the mason Jar.

I added the quote inside the heart frame, and printed it out, then cut it out. I made little slits in the sides so the ribbon could attach to the quote I designed. then add a cute little ribbon to the top of the jar (this was made so it looked polished and so you couldn't see the glueey mess. 

It's was super fun to make, not to much effort, and I think it brightened up my mother in-law's birthday a bit!

Spring cards

I love making simple thoughtful cards, This one was easy to make with the Silhouette file So Many Smiles begin with you phrase, and a Polaroid frame. all I did was print it out, and cut it out then adhered it with some pop dots. Easy-Peasy! (White card stock from Staples was used for the materials)

This card was super fun to make, I had to re-size the file, as it was super tiny to a 5x7 size to fit into my envelope. The SOS File was the Card Kit Flower Pot. I liked it it because it was easy to make 25 cards with one pkg of pattern paper. I did have to ink the green paper around the edges and used some brown ink to ink the scallop pice on the pot, I thought a simple brad worked well since I made 20 cards, but for just one you could use a really cute brad to enhance the card, but I don't think it was needed. 

Spa Treatment Christmas Gifts

I love making gifts for Christmas, I enjoy it, even more when my daughter can help me. These candy cane bath salts are a perfect gift to make with your pk daughter.  My inspiration came from this website,  of course I found it though Pintrest. 

 Here is what I did: I doubled the batch, and used red food coloring for just one batch, so I could get the candy cane effect. I did not wait for the soap to dry out a bit, I just put them into the Glad/Ziplock containers. (my containers were from Hy-Vee, about .50 cents a piece- a bit more affordable than other containers.)

DIY Bubbly Bath Salts

Ingredients:
6 Cups of Epsom Salt
¾ Cup of Liquid Soap (I use Mr. Bubbles baby bath (origanal scent)
10 drops of Peppermint Essential oils
3 to 4 Drops of Food red Coloring for one batch
Instructions:
Stir the soap, oils, and food coloring together.  Evenly pour over the salt, and stir until the salt is evenly coated.  Spread bath salt out in a thin layer on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and allow it to air dry overnight.  Pack into a glass container of your choice.
Directions:
To use, pour ¼ cup of the salt under running water while drawing a bath. Relax in the tub and enjoy!
Tips:

• Bathing with bath salts stimulates circulation, and hydrates your skin.
• Use mini jars, create a fun pack of three bath salts in different scents.
• Bath salts can open your pores to purify your skin, cleansing away dirt, sweat, and unwanted toxins.
• Enjoy the full benefits of the aromatherapy powers of essential oils.
• Make some lavender bath salt to relax and ease nervous tension.

Sugar Scrub:

I had a dear friend over to help me make this sugar scrub, and I feel in love with it that I had to give it to my other dear friends and family members, This stuff is awesome! Thanks Sarah Day for the recipe.

So generally you use 3 part sugar to 1 part oil, we used half white sugar and half brown sugar, so to make about 3 containers full of sugar scrub this is what you will need:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup of coconut oil (either melt it or cream it) (I have used olive oil too, but it had to much of a scent that I didn't much care for but it's also really good on your skin)
10 ish drops of Cinnamon Leaf Essential oils

Mix it together and put it into the containers. Decorate containers and put a label on it. I googled search for a label for both the sugar scrub and the peppermint scrub and found two that I loved. Then I printed them out and Cut them out. I am impressed at how easy and affordable both were to make and the results were fantastic! never again will I buy either of these items when they work so good on my skin, and how fun and easy it was to make.

Sci Center and Blank Park Zoo Family Pass

I am loving our family membership to the Science Center and to Blank Park Zoo. When Mother-inlaw gave this to me as a gift this Christmas I was thrilled (acting like a giddy little girl that just got her new dolly-that thrilled.)

I could go on and on about all the cool things they have to offer but the real reason why I am thrilled are these reasons:

We really don't need any more toys -nope not a single one, I am trying to keep toys under control, and it's not working well. So this is a win-win, 1.we are not in our house making a mess (picking up toys) and 2. we are not getting any more toys (Wha Who!)

I love getting out and playing and going to places that tucker them out, if it's educational that is a plus! The Science Center of Iowa and the Zoo does just that and more! I love that even on hot days we can enjoy being in the air, and having a good time!

It's Free entertainment for a good 4 hours at a time! These days it's hard to do family things that don't break the bank and for us, having daddy around is precious time we want to make it count, One of the best ways to make time count for us to go as a family to the Sci Center or the Zoo, it's always changing and there is always something new to discover. For a family with an almost 5 yr old, a 2 year old and one due in May I feel it's a must! You might think that it's not really free, your right the pass was $158 however that get's you into the Zoo and the Sci Center for free as a family, if you were to go to either of these places even with a groupon it would still cost over $25 to get in as a family, since my kids are little and still need naps, it's best if we stay for the morning or an afternoon, not of the whole day so a pass works wonders for us, I don't feel like I am wasting money because we didn't see everything in one day.  If you plan it right you can get your pass for almost 13 months instead of a year, the pass expires on the last day of the month that it was purchased in, so if I were to buy a pass for the up coming year I would buy it a the first of the month in January 2014, have all that month and then the whole year plus the end of January 2015.

Enough blabbing about the pass, I should note that this a must for families that live close to the DSM area, I live about 1.5 hours away but have grandma and grandpa to visit with and to stay the night if we get to tiered.

some of my fav. pics I just took while we were at the zoo.

While at the zoo they had animal education for kids, We got to touch animals and see them up close! This is a Hissing Cockroach- the stuff on the table is snake skin from a python that we also got to touch!

 Our kids and cousins loved the truck at the lion exhibit, I couldn't get my son off of it, he said drive drive drive, it was super fun!

 It's like 55 degrees out side, nice enough for a light jacket, don't you love the snow on the ground? I will take fresh air in December any time!

 This cute Rhino seemed content as he was walking around in the snow, it was a funny sight to see in deed, I don't associate a rhino in snow!

Our older kidlets enjoyed the swinging bridge at the discovery center! I loved that it was so warm!

This is my favorite pic, at the learning center they also had a pygmy hedgehog that my son loved, it was super cute. 

I had to play with my camera just a bit, I love changing my shutter speed, I feel like I am a rock star photographer. This was to perfect to not take a picture off.

Apple Butter Gift

Apple Butter is so good on home made bread! When my mother In-law said it would be nice to make some for the Grandma's I thought duh of course I can and while I am at it Make some for all the other wonderful people I know! Apples were plentiful this year in Iowa, like double the yield than normal! so every one I knew was making apple treats this Autumn. I am blessed to have a friend that had access to two very yummy apple trees this year.

My apple butter recipe is from pickyourown.org ( I love this website for ways to preserve produce, great tips on how to preserve fruits and veggies, I also like it for dehydration.

now on to the fun part, decorating the cute quilted mason jar.

For the Bow on top I used Silhouette Honeycomb bow Design ID #27126 For the paper I used Paper Studio Christmas gold foiled paper, Red polka dot for the bottom layer and the honeycomb layer I used the gold leaf paper in the paper stack.

For the Tag, I used a simple tag that came with the soft ware, and the Apple Design ID #31555, I used ribbon red and white striped ribbon that came from Hobby Lobby's fabric ribbon section and adhered that to the tag towards the bottom.

I attached the bow with hot glue to the lid, and used red bakers twine to attached the tag to the jar.

I can see this bow working for most things that need that extra something on top of a lid, so enjoy decorating your food gifts!

Home made dipped oreo's

I love giving home made gifts, and anything that is dipped in chocolate is even better, I say. So why not dip Oreo's in melted mint chocolate? The results were amazing! add some sprinkles and they were delicious!. Here is my recipe:

2 bags of mint chocolate chips (mine were Hershey's)
a Tbl. of oil (add when you are melting the chips in the microwave.
2 Packages of Oreo'es (I like the double stuff ones)

Melt the chocolate by adding the oil, in a microwave container (I use my Pampered Chef Micro cooker) at 30 sec. intervals, stirring ever 30 secs. Then one by one I dip the Oreo's into the chocolate with a dipping fork (regular fork also works) and tap the access chocolate off the cookie before laying it down on either wax paper or on parchment paper. I stored these in the fridge for about 2 weeks before I gave them away as gifts and they were fine.

For Packaging, I found some really cute tins at a garage sale for like .10cents, and thought that is a perfect Christmas treat present container! I snatched all 5 up. I cleaned them up, with a damp soapy cloth, and once it was dry I used tissue paper to line the tins.  Here is my finished product.

Sales Cycle, Baking Season!

I know that I have posted this post before but I always like a good refresher. I always like to know what season is a good time to buy what grocery items, and when a specific item will be on sale at what time of the year. so here is my list, keep in mind that months run into each other meaning that just because Frozen food month is March expect frozen food stuff to also be on sale at a rock bottom price in February, so always know your price points and snag the deal when you see it.

So want to know how sales cycles work? it's super easy, once a year a product will be at it's rock bottom price, that also means Manufacturers will send out coupons for this product, you should also find a bunch of these type of coupons on line, It's a savings haven! so we will take frozen pizza (since they were on sale just a couple weeks ago) this is the time to stock up on frozen food. Digorno pizza was on sale for a rock bottom price at 2/9 I had a buy 2 get one free coupon so I got 3 Digorno Pizza's for 9 or for $3 a piece. If you could see my freezer  I almost need anther one since it's almost full of frozen food items that my family will use this coming year. That is how you can use sale cycles to your benefit  stock up once a year on the items that are on sale at it's rock bottom price so you don't pay double 6 months from now for the same item.

October

Halloween: Candy, Fresh Pumpkin
Beginning of the Baking Sales: Canned pumpkin, Evaporated Milk, Baking Chips
Daylight Savings Time Ends Promotions: Alarm Clocks, Batteries, Safety Equipment, Smoke Detectors
National Seafood Month
Adopt a Shelter-Dog Month: Pedigree, Purina
Seasonal Produce: Almonds, Apples, Artichokes, Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbages, Chard, Chestnuts, Cranberries, Lemons, Parsnip, Pears, Pomegranate, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Spinach, Squash, Winter, Turnips, Yams

November

Best month of the year to stock up on lots of grocery items, ( a little secret, my grocery bill doubles this month- but so does the savings, budget for a big grocery bill the sales are endless it seems)

Another worthy note: Hy-Vee has thier anual buy a Ham get a turkey free sale this month, I like to Roast and Smoke the turkey and freeze it for dinner later when I don't have time to cook, I also freeze the ham, and use them as ham stakes and cube the ham for stews and breakfast. I usally get 4 turkeys and hams, and will last us till about April.

Hot Cocoa, Coffee, Tea
Baking Sales in Full Swing: Nuts, Chocolate Chips, Evaporated Milk, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Coconut, Cake Mixes
Canned foods: Soup, Broth, Vegetables, Fruits, Spaghetti Sauce
Thanksgiving Items: Turkey, Canned Pumpkin, Stovetop Stuffing, Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes, Gravy Mixes, Frozen Pies, Cranberry Sauce, Jello, Marshmallows
Seasonal Produce: Anjou Pears, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbages, Carrots, Celery, Comice Pears, Cranberries, Kiwi, Lemons, Orange, Potato, Squash, Yams
Clearance: After Halloween Sales

December

Holiday Dinner: Egg Nog, Deli Platters, Instant Potatoes, Gravy Mixes, Frozen Pies, Cranberry Sauce, Jello, Marshmallows. Sour Cream Dips, Crackers, Chips, Soda, Ham
Baking: Flour, Sugar, Butter, Cream, Cake Mix, Brownie Mix, Muffin Mix, Breads, Pie Crust, Marshmallow, Whipped cream
Canned Foods: Soup, Broth, Condensed Milk, Vegetables, Fruits, Spaghetti Sauce
Seasonal Produce: Anjou Pears, Bok Choy, Bosc Pears, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Dates, Grapefruit, Haas Avocados, Kale, Kiwi, Kumquat, Lemon, Napa Cabbage, Oranges, Sweet Potatoes, Red Cabbage, Rutabaga, Savoy Cabbage, Spinach, Winter Squash, Yams, Turnips, White Potato
Clearance: After Thanksgiving and After Christmas Sales

January

National Oatmeal Month: Quaker
Diet Foods: Healthy Choice, South Beach, Lean Cuisine, Special K, Kashi, Smart Start, 100 Calorie Packs, Yogurt
Super Bowl Sunday: Pepsi, Coke, Chips, Dips, Cheese, Sandwich Items, Crackers, Snacks, Wings
Seasonal Produce: Oranges, Pears, Grapefruit, Tangerines, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collards, Kale, Kiwi, Avocado, Cabbage, Spinach
Clearance: Christmas Decorations, Toys, Wrapping Papers,
Winter Health: Cold Medicines and Vitamins

February

Hy-Vee usually have lots of good deals on frozen food this month

National Canned Food Month: Canned Fruit, Pie Fillings, Vegetables, Meats: Tuna, Chicken, Salmon
National Hot Breakfast Month:  Malt O Meal, Oatmeal, Eggo Waffles, Syrup
Valentines:  Chocolate, Hershey’s, KY Lubricant, etc
Chinese New Year: Soy Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Noodles, Canned Water Chestnuts
Seasonal Produce:  Artichoke, Asparagus, Raspberries, Potatoes, Strawberries, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collards, Kale, Kiwi, Avocado, Spinach

March

Frozen Food Month: Ice Cream, Frozen Vegetables (Boxed, Bag, or Steam), Frozen Meals, Foster Farms Chicken, Waffles, Pizza
Seasonal Produce: Artichoke, Asparagus, Haas Avocado, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collards, Fennel, Kale, Leek, Lemon, Lime, Mushrooms, Spring Onions, Orange, Peas, Radish, Rhubarb, Spinach, Strawberries, Tangerine

April

Easter:  Ham, Eggs, Spices, Baking Supplies: Sugar, Spices, Baking Mixes, Chocolate Chips, Butter, Coconut, Marshmallows, Brownie Mix, Cake Mix
Earth Day: Organic Foods, Energy Saver, Reusable Totes
Seasonal Produce: Artichokes, Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Grapefruit, Haas Avocado, Mushrooms, Onions, Peas, Rhubarb
Clearance: After Easter sales

May

Memorial Day: BBQ Sauce, Condiments, Charcoal, Salad Dressing, Potato Chips, Dips, Grilling Meats, Hot Dogs, Hamburger Meat, Marinade, Salad Greens
Paper Products: Plates, Utensils, Insect Repellant, Sunscreen
Cinco De Mayo: Salsa, tortillas
Seasonal Produce: Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocado, Beans, Green, Beets, Blackberries, Carrots, Sweet Vidalia Onions, Peas, New Potatoes, Raspberries, Strawberries

June

National Dairy Month: Eggs, Milk, Ice Cream, Cheese, Cream Cheese, Butter, Yogurt, Whipping Cream, Whipped Cream, Cool Whip
End of June is Fourth or July Sales: Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup, Condiments, Charcoal, Salad Dressing, Potato Chips, Dips
Seasonal Produce: Apricots, Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cherries, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Grapes, Honeydew, Nectarines, Peaches, Potatoes, Raspberries, Red Onions, Squash, Summer, Strawberries, Sweet Vidalia Onions, Tomatoes, Watermelon

July

National Ice Cream Month
More 4th of July BBQ Sales: Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup, Condiments, Charcoal, Salad Dressing, Potato Chips, Dips
End of July: Back to School Sales Begin: Crayons, Pencils, Folders, Binders
Seasonal Produce: Asian Pears, Bartlett Pears, Beans, Green, Blueberries, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Figs, Garlic, Grapes, Nectarines, Onions, Red, Valencia Oranges, Peaches, Sweet/Bell Peppers, Plums, Potatoes, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Watermelon

August

Back to School: Pudding cups, Lunch meat, Lunchables, Bread, Cold Cereal, Waffles, Lunchboxes
Disinfectant:  Clorox, Purell
Clearance:  Insect Repellant, Sunscreen, charcoal
Seasonal Produce: Gravenstein Apple, Haas Avocado, Green Beans, Beans, Berries, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Figs, Grapes, Melons, Onion, Peaches, Bartlett Pears, Bell Pepper, Plums, Raspberries, Squash, Summer, Tomatillo, Tomato

September

Back to School Sales through Labor Day:  Crayons, Pencils, Folders, Binders
Diabetes: Bayer Glucose Meters, Glucerna Cereal
Seasonal Produce: Apples, Artichokes, Beans, Bell Peppers, Chili Peppers, Cucumber, Eggplant, Grapes, Onion, Valencia Orange, Asian Pears, Bartlett Pears, Pomegranate, Squash, Tomatillo, Tomatoes, Winter Squash
Baby Items: Major Baby Equipment, Baby Safety

Your a Hoot Owl Pillow Box

This was a fun little treat holder I made for two special people I admire. This project was easy to assemble, and fun to give.
My Notes: I used scraps for this project, and I resized the owl to make it bigger, next time I will not resize the file. it is big enough as it is. You have to add the Google Eyes, it makes all the difference.

Material list:
8.5 pattern paper (for the box)
brown, pink paper (I used some scraps that I had)
Googgle eyes
White card stock (for Print and cut)

assemble the file, super easy, I had to go by the picture. then I typed out in English Essay Your' a Hoot. I used the pink polka dot pattern for the back ground, but the opacity down to about 40% and enlarged the pattern to about 120%, and then print and cut it out on my Silhouette. I attached the sentiment with some pop dots, then I filled the owl with some pink, red, and silver kisses.

Hanger Note Holder

I really don't organize stuff, so when I saw this little thing on SOS I thougt that is what I need for my lists that I make for groceries, this would fix that! It was super easy to make, like in less than an hour I had this thing made and ready to hang. but if you have the idea in your head before you start with the paper picked out and everything else picked out it would be done faster.

I can see this being a super cute teacher gift or a gift to give before Christmas for Christmas receipts/note organizing. I might have to make one of these for each season, (I really like this file, worth getting.)

My Notes: I like using double sided paper for this, originally I was going to but a picture of my kidlets on it but then I came across this perfect printable, and I needed some spiritual inspiration, and it's perfect for this!

Material list:
Hanging Note Holder from SOS
2 sheets of 12x12 double sided paper that are coordinating. (I used K&C Abrianna paper line)
Bling/embellishments
Picture, or printable
Postit notes and a pen

assembling was simple, there wasn't much to go on but you fold and glue and your done.

Birthday Magic Card

You might think that I am in love with birthday cards, and some what I am, I have a lot of family and friends and I like making cards for them. This one is super easy to make, all said and done if you have all the materials I bet you could knock out one in about 20 min. or less, all you need is two sheets of 12x12 paper with scraps left over.

 My notes: use nice paper I used glitter paper and am happy that I did, the regular patterned paper just didn't look nice, this design is busy and if you add a pattern it is a bit overwhelming so I stayed with solid colors. I really wanted the paper to stand out, so I didn't do much to embellish the card and I really like having just the stars on the outside of the card, it adds a bit of fun to the card.

Material list:
Lori Whitlock Birthday Magic Card
12x12 silver glitter paper (found at JoAnn's)
12x12 Purple glitter paper (found at JoAnn's)

To watch a video on how to assemble watch:

I love it, another super easy fun card to make!

Iowa Mini Album

I had so much fun making this cute mini album that I had to make another one just like if for a sweet friend. Some projects are easier to make two than just one, and this is one of those projects.

Material list: (for one album)
Lori Whitlocks Chipboard Mini Album from SOS
12x12 Heavy Card stock for cover
12x12 patterned paper for the cover/binding
4 sheets of 12x12 patterned paper for the envelope, I used some yellow paper that worked together, ( mismatched brands. what ever was in my stash)
2 sheets of 12x12 double sided paper -for the pages of the book.

Lots of Embellishments, I used the Big ten font  and made lots of cut outs for Iowa, I also Print and Cut the Iowa Hawkeyes, and Go Hawks, and the Iowa logo's from the Big Ten Font. Stickers were also on the album, Ribbon would also had been cute on this.

Watch the video on how to assemble the album, it's not hard just takes time, I do this while watching tv.

I will admit the hardest part for me was figuring out the binding, but once I figured out how to fold it and glue it, it was a breeze.

I plan on using this file a ton for birthday, Christmas, baby, wedding and graduation  gifts.

Cupcake card easel back card

This is a fun card to put together, Lori Whitlock's cutting file is all ready to go, Just cut and assemble! The design work is all done for you.  For another alternative to stamping I typed out my sentiment and used the print and cut feature The Silhouette Cameo has to offer.

MATERIALS  LIST:  

Coredinations Cardstock red,

Coredination Cardstock light Blue

Blanc Boutique White cardstock

DCWV Nana's  Kitchen light blue pattern paper

Paper Studio small silver brads

Silhoutte Cutting Image File lori whitlock cupcake easel card by Lori Whitlock  Design ID #43213

Fonts: Gabriola (FontZone.net) Irish Spaghetti (Dafont.com)

My only notes on this card are: make sure your mat is nice a sticky, as there are lots of little dots to cut out... I liked designing with a tricolor scheme any more colors might take away from the design. 

Oh Snap Card

Need a cute card to mail with pictures? I got you covered! I saw this folder file on SOS (Silhouette's online store) and had one thought as to what I would use the folder for! I equally love the sketch camera, it reminds me of my camera I use to use when I was in High School learning photography. Yes those cute kids in the picture are mine, they make for great models don't you think?

What you will need:

October Afternoon Sasparilla, Pony Express (or any double sided paper that you love)

Coredinations gray cardstock.

Staples cream cardstock

star embossing folder from Paper Studio

Ribbon Boutique 1/2 inch black ribbon

Silhouette cutting file, sketch camera Design ID #43177

Sketch pen (I used black)

Silhouette cutting file 2 artisan pocketed folder by Samantha Walker Design ID #35845

Photographs

Sketch the camera to about 3.5 for the size,  I cut it out with my paper cuter (easy that way)

the emboss the grey cardstock with the star embossing folder using your big shot or cuttlebug.

Cut the folder file,  

assemble the front of the card, remember the ribbon, tape the ribbon to the back of the camera I also used a scrap of the paper at the bottom to add some texture to the card. 

on the inside of the card I found a quote by Ansel Adams: Life is like a camera focus on what's important and you will capture it perfectly. I typed it into Silhouette's designer edition software and the sketched it out with the sketch pen, but really It would have worked out well if I just printed it out and not sketched it. 

As always re-size your folder file to make it fit your envelop if you don't have a 5x7 envelope, I get my big envelopes from our local Halmark card store- the ones they don't want they will usually give you a good deal if you buy a bunch at a time. 

and a big shout out to Memory Bounds Scrapbook store for helping me with selecting my paper

Corn cob child craft with Silhouette

I love crafting with my kidlets, and this worked out great for my P-k and toddler. While painting I talked about Iowa and all the corn and harvesting that will be happening soon.


I used Silhouette cutting file Design ID #33884

Size the corn to be about 6 inches high
I cut out the corn cob on yellow pattered paper and the husk on green paper, 
Then I had kidlets paint the husk with green paint. if you wanted to get more creative you could use a feather or some string to make it fun for them to paint. 
For the cob I gave them red, yellow, and orange pant and a q-tip and had them make dots on the corn.
after waiting for the paint to dry I ran the husk through my Zyron to glue to the cob, I did this because the husk was curling and I didn't want it to curl.

Split Monogram Home Decor

This project was simple to make, but did take more time that I thought but turned out worth it. so here are the steps,

Materials:
12x24 cutting mat
12x24 vinyn
12x24 stretched canvas (I got mine from Michaels)
Acrylic paint
12x24 contact paper

1. watch the youtube video on split monograms and how to do it in Silhouette's Designer software (a great way to learn how to use the knife tool) Then design your Monogram

2. find a cute family quote that you would like with your monogram, This image worked great under the monogram, I have seen some with just the quote on a square canvas. The quote will need to be cut out on vinyl, so make sure you can cut it out.

3. paint your canvas, I use an acrylic wash, (think water color)  I liked the texture look, wait for it to dry  and set it aside.

4. place the vinyl on the mat and cut it out on your Silhouette. Then on to the tedious part ( take out all the negative vinyl part) after that is done take your contact paper and cover the design to transfer the vinyl to the dry canvas. Rub on the image (this is much easier said than done!)  Smile and think I am so awesome to your self and your done!

Here is another tutorial on how to use contact paper as transfer tape go here

Family Scrapbook Page

Did I mention that really love Scrapbook kits and templates?

This page turned out perfect, I love the file you can get it at SOS here

The paper I used was from DCWV Autumn Melody (got it from JoAnns)

here are my notes:
use a spray mount to mount the page layers, so you get an even coat.
use 3 some what solid coordinating pattern paper (there is enough stuff going on don't go to crazy with patterns in the paper)

The Pictures are about 2.5 so close ups and head shots will work best for this layout.

The file is easy to ungroup and change so if you don't like the Family word you can change it to what would fit your need.

Rhinestone projects

Need some bling? here are some ideas, and some quick notes on how to use rhinestones

I really enjoy designing my own Rhinestone images, all of these are my own creations and they were all simple to create. The best way is to find an image using google search, I like to search for line drawings, the simpler the better in my opinion. Then you trace the image in Silhouette Designer edition studio software. after it's traced to your satisfaction you go to the rhinestone window and play with the settings. I like linear fill  for big blocky things and  outline is great for all icons, and simple images. I like to keep the rhinestones close together so I play with the spacing most times.

For the Iowa shirt, btw I love it! I used the Big Ten Mania font found here  and used the Linear setting, changed the spacing to 1mm the Iowa word spacing was set to .30mm with SS10 rhinestones.

Other notes: I highly recommend the Silhouette's Rhinestone Starter Kit, and get the picker upper guy (pick up tool)- totally worth it, and the hot fix rhinestone setter, with out these tools it's hard to get the rhinestones placed perfectly.

Happy Wedding day

This elegant wedding card  is easy to make with Tim Holtz distress ink!

The Rosettes are fun to make, ink the strip with a cosmetic sponge that has ink on it, then clean off  the extra ink so the pearl finish is left white. accordion fold and assemble with a dab of  hot glue on both circles.

MATERIALS  LIST:  

Blank Boutique paper from Hobby Lobby

1/4 Satin white ribbon, Ribbon Boutique

Ranger Ink, Tim Holtz, Faded Jeans ink

White Card Stock

Paper Studio Silver Brads

Silhouette 3d Rosette Flower-Hearts Design ID #21803 

Silhouette Frame border

Font: Kunstler (fontZone.net)

Paper Studio Pop Dots

Hot Glue (for the rosettes)

for a good tutorial on how to make paper rosettes go to http://www.howdoesshe.com/chic-paper-rosette-backdrop-tutorial/

For the blue background (base layered) I just used the same blue ink and inked the edges, then put the white paper on top, then assembled the rosettes and then glued them onto the card, then used the ribbon and print and cut out the happy wedding day sentiment and added the ribbon and the sentiment together. 

I think it makes for a nice elegant card for a wedding

Happy Birthday Card

I love super fun easy to make cards, this one looks like you took lots of time on it, and really all you need is like 20 minutes with kidlets helping you-so less if you don't have two running around "helping" you.

What you need:

Coredination Pink Card stock

My Minds Eye Dolled Up patterned paper

Studio G pink Glitter

Paper Studio Rhinestones

Silhouette Cutting File daniela angelova happy birthday accordion card Design ID #45825 

once you cut it out on your Silhouette, add your paper accent for the frosting, your bling and the glitter glue to the outside square (I had to make it really thick, so it took a while to dry but I wanted it super glittery. 

Vroom Vroom Birthday Boy Coming Through Card

A super easy card to make for a cute birthday boy

To add some depth I traced that last row of automobiles in Silhouette Design Studio, then applied the same color to each piece and print and cut out the card and the 4 pieces, then attached the four pieces to the card with a pop dot. I really like how it turned out!

MATERIALS  LIST:  

White Cardstock

Silhoute Cutting file Design ID #12155 Birthday Card

Paper Studio Pop Dots

Color Printer (Kodak ESP9)

Enjoy!

Baby Whale Card

What a cute little whale! I loved making this super fun card it has a lot of layers and not to hard to make more than just one if needed. I love Lori Whitlock's card files and this one for the time being is my go to card.

Heres the details:

MATERIALS  LIST:  

White Cardstock

Blue Cardstock

Silhouette Cutting file Design ID #42518  Whale with Waves, Design ID #45943 Mail stamp set and Design ID #42687 A2 Lori Whitlock scalloped center step card

Paper Studio Pop Dots

Color Printer (Kodak ESP9)

And if you want a good tutorial on how to make layered card stock stickers, like the one I made for the Whale card, this video tutorial is great!

Hy-Vee now takes digital coupons! Wha Who!

Yes, finally, Hy-Vee has digital coupons for you to use! all you have to do is have a fuel saver card, have it registered on line and then start loading digital coupons to your fuel saver card, this works with regular manufacture coupons, so it's like double dipping! go to http://www.hy-vee.com/shop/coupons/default.aspx for more info!