Friday, November 29, 2019

2019 Wish List

One of my favorite holiday traditions when I was younger was sitting down with a stack of catalogs to make my Christmas wish list. It was so much fun to imagine all the amazing things that might show up under the tree on Christmas morning! So to harken back to those days, I decided to make my own, more grown-up version of a wish list this year. I scoured the web for a few fun things I would love to see wrapped under the tree come Christmas Day. And while my younger self would certainly turn her nose up at the appalling lack of Barbie paraphernalia on this list, I think she would also see a bit of herself in some of the items listed.

*Disclaimer* I have no expectations of actually receiving any of these items. I made this list strictly for fun...and maybe to give you a few gift ideas if you happen to know someone who would enjoy them. Also, some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase that item, a small percentage of the price you pay comes back to me, at no additional cost to you. Now let's get started!


One, Two, Three, & Four  I love a good holiday PJ, and this year I'm dying to get my hands on these adorable, hilarious tees from Saturday Morning Pancakes. Pairing them with some cute lounge pants from Old Navy makes for the perfect comfy combo. 

Five I have been drooling over the bandanas from Hemlock Goods ever since I first saw them. Such gorgeous patterns! They've just released a new set, and I'm pretty sure I need them all. 

Six I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Wilson of Simple Scrapper when I was interviewed for her podcast, so when she announced that she had designed a tee celebrating books and crafts, I knew it had to be on my list!

Seven & Eight If there is anything in this world I love more than coffee, it's pups. So when I first learned about Grounds & Hounds, I was immediately smitten. They donate 20% off all their profits to organizations that help give sheltered animals a chance to be rescued, and that is a cause I can get behind. 


I have to admit that I haven't done nearly as much reading this year as I usually do, and I'm feeling a bit guilty about it. So I'm determined to do better next year, and these five books are the top on my list.

One Elise released this amazing book earlier this year, and I have yet to get my hands on a copy. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and it's full of inspirational and motivational nuggets, making it the perfect way to start the new year. 

Two I was so excited when I heard that Michelle Obama was releasing a book! I heard her speak at ALA in 2018, and I was so inspired to get a copy when it came out...and then I didn't. Like I said, I've been abysmally bad at reading lately. The good news is that there is now a guided journal to go along with Becoming, so a part of me is kinda glad I was a reading slacker, so that now I can get the two together. 

Three I read Felicia Day's first book a few year's back and loved it. I can't wait to read her newest book, Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity. It promises to be both entertaining and informational, and what more can you ask for in a book?

Four I've been purposefully staying away from Atwood's new Handmaid's Tale sequel, because I honestly wasn't sure I was ready for what is sure to be an upsetting read. But I can't handle the suspense anymore. I need to know what happens!

Five I've loved everything I've ever read by Elizabeth Gilbert, and based on the reviews, this book isn't likely to ruin that streak. 


This would not be a wish list of mine if it didn't contain at least a few crafty items. These are the ones at the top of my "gotta have" list at the moment.

One It's not secret that I struggle with stamping, which is why so many of my wish list items are related to that art. I've been thinking of investing in a stamp platform for a while, and I think it might be time. There are lots of options out there, but this is the one I've heard to most positive praise of.

Two I've seen so many people play with the new Foil Quill Freestyle Pens, and the results are amazing! I can't wait to try them out for myself!

Three I think I have seriously underestimated the value of a good set of acrylic blocks when it comes to stamping success. This bundle from Scrapbook.com has all the sizes I need.

Four The next year's new releases are just around the corner, so I've added a Scrapbook.com gift certificate to my list in preparation.

Five There's been a lot of buzz about this book lately. It's very similar to the Flow Book for Paper Lovers, but is much easier to get stateside. I'm a big fan of Flow, but I'd be willing to give this competitor a try.

Six Pinkfresh Studio recently released a line of dye inks, and I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to throw out every other ink I own in exchange for a full set of these gorgeous, colorful cubes.


Is it weird to ask for food on your holiday wish list? No, not at all. 

One If you've been around here for any amount of time at all, then you know I love coffee. And in my book, there's nothing better than a sipping a seasonal blend on Christmas morning. I haven't tried this one yet, but it's bound to be amazing! Grounds and Hounds also has some pretty awesome gift bundles that would be perfect for the coffee drinking, puppy loving people on your list. 

Two Yes, you know I love coffee, but a lesser-known fact about myself is that I enjoy a good cup of tea regularly throughout the cold months. My favorite at the moment is this peppermint/green tea blend from Celestial Seasonings. I toured their factory several years ago, and I can still easily recall the sensation of standing in the peppermint room. If you're ever near Boulder, Colorado, I would highly recommend stopping by. 

Three If I'm not sipping coffee or tea, I likely have a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. Though I generally try to stay away from sweet drinks, hot chocolate is an indulgence I allow myself a few times throughout the winter. I'm partial to dark chocolate, personally, and nobody does dark chocolate better than Godiva

Four The Alternative Baking Company makes some of the most delicious gluten-free cookies I've ever tasted in my life. They're soft and chewy and full of flavor, which may seem obvious, but is actually really hard to find in a gluten-free snack. 

Five and Six Both of these snacks remind me of my time growing up in Nebraska, and since you can't get either of them here in Indiana, I can't think of a better, nostalgic gift to make my Christmas morning extra special. 

And there you have it! Everything I've been dreaming about lately all in one nice little list. Now to remain super good so Santa doesn't put me on the naughty list. ;)

What are you wishing for this year?


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Merry & Bright

**This post contains sponsored products and affiliate links.**


Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I don't know about you, but I am starting to feel the holiday spirit. :) I'm one of those people who tries not to start any holiday festivities before Thanksgiving, but when I saw the new Borders Cut File Bundle from Scrapbook.com, I knew I had to break out my Christmas crafting supplies a little early.


This cut file is super versatile! For each of the 7 border designs included in the bundle, you get three length options (5.5, 8, and 12 inches) which makes them perfect for cards, layouts, and pretty much any other crafting you may feel like doing.


I used the short fringe file to cut 8" strips from two green papers from my stash. Then I layered these strips on a triangle background to create a gorgeous, dimensional tree for my page!


I also used the heart file to cut a border for the top of my page from a candy cane stripe paper, then paired it with a strip of the same green paper from my tree. I added strips of both to the bottom as well to balance the page.


Once those elements were in place, all that was left to do was embellish. I used the Home for the Holidays collection from Pinkfresh Studio to add tons of adorable elements to fill in all the spaces on my page.

You can see the whole thing come together in the video below.


Now, how about you? Have you started you holiday crafting yet?

Today on the Citrus Twist Blog


I'm over on the Citrus Twist Kits blog today sharing a few more foundation pages in my 2019 December Daily album. Be sure to stop by and check it out!

And if you missed out on the Christmas Stories Kit from Citrus Twist Kits, I've created a shopping list on Scrapbook.com so you can pick up all of the available items from that kit. You can find it here.

Happy Crafting!

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Fussy Cutting: Friend or Foe?

So, fussy cutting. Where do you stand? Love it? Hate it? Avoid it at all costs?

I actually don't mind fussy cutting. I think it can be a great way to occupy my hands while doing some other mindless task, like watching TV or YouTube videos. But without the right tools, it can be frustrating  and nearly impossible.


I have tried so many different fine-tip scissors searching for the one that makes fussy cutting easy and hassle free, and I have finally found THE ONES. Meet the We R Memory Keepers Detail Scissors.


I used them to fussy cut some embellishments out of the papers from the new She's Magic collection by Dear Lizzy, and I LOVE how they turned out! I can't wait to use them on an upcoming project.


Full disclosure, the folks at Scrapbook.com were kind enough to send this tool to me to try and share with you, but I wouldn't be here telling you this story if I didn't honestly think these were the best fine-tip scissor I've ever tried.


And the best part? You can get a pair for yourself for FREE! Today only, with your Scrapbook.com purchase, they'll throw in a pair of the WRMK scissors for free. So if there are a few items in your cart you've been thinking about picking up, now is the time! Or maybe you just need to stock up on basics, like white cardstock or tape runners. Why not do so when you can get a free pair of scissors with your order? And be sure to check out the other amazing deals happening today!

Happy Crafting!


***The links above are affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, a small percentage of that purchase comes back to me. Thank you for helping to support this blog!***


Saturday, November 23, 2019

FREE today at Scrapbook.com!!!


Have you been following along with all of the amazing Pre-Black Friday deals at Scrapbook.com? There are tons of sales, and every day they're giving away a free item with your order!


Today's freebie is one of my favorites, the ephemera pack from 1Canoe2's Saturday Afternoon collection! I have been loving this collection since it came out, and I've gradually been adding pieces of it to my stash as my budget allows. Which is why I was so excited when Scrapbook.com offered to send me this freebie to play with and share with you!


I knew right away it would be perfect for using with my 2019 Project Life album, and I had the exact right photos to pair it with.


This page is from my family reunion on Labor Day weekend. We all rented cabins by Table Rock Lake and had an absolute blast together. The motifs in the Saturday Afternoon collection were perfect for a weekend at the lake, and the colors matched so well with our late-summer vacation.


I used some random dot and grid cards from my stash to back everything up, and I added a few pieces of washi tape from the same collection. I love how it all turned out!


Don't forget to stop by Scrapbook.com to see all of the amazing deals and to get your freebie. But hurry, the deal only lasts 24 hours!

Happy Crafting!



***The links above are affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, a small percentage of that purchase comes back to me. Thank you for helping to support this blog!***

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Tis the Season with Scrapbook.com


Did you know Scrapbook.com now sells cut files?

It's true! I was recently given the opportunity to play with the three new cut files now available in the Scrapbook.com shop, and I can tell you they are amazing! With the purchase of each cut file, you actually get a set of cut files. There are titles and icons in multiple sizes perfect for full-size layout, traveler's notebook pages, and even cards...all with one purchase!


There are currently three cut files in the shop: Color Me Happy, My Whole Heart, and Tis the Season. Today I'm sharing my first layout using the Tis the Season cut file.


I started by cutting the large title out of the B side of the "Counting Down" paper from the Merry Little Christmas collection by Pebbles. Then I created an offset cut for backing the file and cut it from Doodlbug Designs Sugar Coated Cardstock in Lily White.


I also created a stencil from the card background file by cutting it from a plastic binder divider sheet. I used some modeling paste with my homemade stencil to add some texture to my background paper (American Crafts White Cardstock). The white-on-white is super subtle, but it adds to the holiday/winter feel of the page.


Next, I added some layers behind my photo using some foil dot paper by Jen Hadfield for Pebbles, as well as the "Oh Christmas Tree" and "Santa On The Go" papers from Merry Little Christmas.


After that, all that was left to do was embellish! I used two tags from the "Just For You" cutapart paper from Merry Little Christmas, a few puffy stickers from the Pinkfresh Studio Home For The Holidays collection, and a few pine sprigs from the gold puffy thicker set from Pink Paislee's "Together for Christmas." Finally I added a handful of enamel dots from the Holly Jolly collection by My Mind's Eye.

You can view the entire process in the video below.



Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Crafting!!


***The links above are affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, a small percentage of that purchase comes back to me. Thank you for helping to support this page!***

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Check me out!

I'm over on the Citrus Twist Kits blog today sharing another spread in my 2019 Project Life album. Stop by and check it out! :)


Friday, September 27, 2019

Project Life for Citrus Twist Kits

Today I'm over on the Citrus Twist Kits blog sharing a spread from July in my 2019 Project Life album. I used the September "Explore" Life Crafted kit to create this very un-adventurous page. Be sure to stop by their blog to see all the details!


Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Guest Designer for Pink Paislee

I'm over on the Pink Paislee blog today sharing a few projects I made with the Truly Grateful collection. Stop by and see what I created!


Thursday, September 12, 2019

Documenting the Not-So-Good


The Sleeping Bear Dunes area of Michigan is one of our favorite places in the country, and we try to make a trip up there every year. Last year we planned an epic 10-day camping vacation, and we were super excited about it.



Unfortunately, the morning we were scheduled to leave, I woke up feeling awful. I tried to fight through it to get us packed up and ready to go, but I felt like death. About half-way through the 8 hour drive, J reached over to discover that I had a high fever. For rational people that would have been a good point to turn around or maybe find an urgent care center. But not us. I convinced him it was only a 24-hour bug and that I would be fine the next day.


I spent the next five days miserable in our campsite. I refused to go to a doctor, and the only reason I can think of to justify that decision was that I was in some kind of fever-induced delirium. There were good points during the trip, moments when I felt well enough to enjoy some time at the beach or around town, so it wasn't a total loss. But overall, I was miserable. I couldn't sleep, could barely breath, and I was in a lot of pain.


So how do you document a trip like this? How do you scrapbook the times that you want to remember but that you'd also sorta like to forget?


I put it off for a long time. I knew I would make a mini album eventually, but I wasn't sure how to approach it. Finally, this month I decided to tackle the project, and I made the decision to focus on the good.


I'm not completely ignoring the fact that I was sick or that there were times during the trip that were incredibly difficult for me, but I'm not focusing on those times. I've made note of my illness, mentioned a few of the issues I was facing, but then moved on to the parts that I want to remember most. We took some beautiful pictures and had some really wonderful moments. That's what I want the album to be about.


I'll be sharing pages a few at a time on my YouTube channel. Here are the first three sections:



How do you document the hard times? I'd love to hear your strategy!

Products Used:

Citrus Twist Kits Life Crafted Album in teal

Citrus Twist Kits September "Explore" Life Crafted Kit

Citrus Twist Kits September "Explore" Digital Papers

Citrus Twist Kits September "Explore" Digital Cards

Citrus Twist Kits September Add-on Kit

Citrus Twist Kits September Traveler's Notebook Stamp

Citrus Twist Kits September This is Life "Let's Wander" Stamp

Citrus Twist Kits Simple Words Version 2 Stamp

Citrus Twist Kits June "Around Here" Life Crafted Kit

Pinkfresh Studio "Out and About" New Places Paper

Pinkfresh Studio "Out and About" Ephemera

Pinkfresh Studio "Out and About" Puffy Stickers

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

2019 Project Life for Push Print Studio


I'm back again with another page in my 2019 Project Life album. This one goes all the way back to February! 😳



This page has sat there, undone for months. It didn't really have a big story to go with it, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't figure out what to do with it. Enter Push Print Studio.


While I was working on my last layout for the PPS Creative Team, I was drawn to the gorgeous deep burgundy color in some of the cards from The Lovely Pear collaboration. And then it just clicked!



Once I figured out that I wanted to use these cards with this spread, it came together so easily! I grabbed some other favorites from the Push Print Studio shop, as well as a few random bits from my stash, and voila, the page was done!


You can watch the entire process in the video below.


Thanks for watching, and happy crafting!

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

2019 Project Life: June in Maine, Part 2




When I saw the "You Are So Brave" card in the Clear and Cloudy kit designed by Brandi Kincaid for Feed Your Craft, I knew I had to use it on the spread. This section of my 2019 Project Life album documents a trip Jesse took to Maine with a friend of his. They were there nearly a whole week, saw a couple of Phish shows, then hiked Mount Katahdin.


If you've never heard of Katahdin (I hadn't), it's the mountain at the end (or the beginning) of the Appalachian Trail. It's a steep rocky climb up something like 5,000 feet. It's crazy. And I'm so proud of Jesse for accomplishing this goal of his.


To document this page from his adventure, I used two of the cards from the kit. The "Brave" card, obviously, and a 4x6 card that looks like a topographical map, which I cut in half to make it fit a 3x4 pocket. I also used several pieces from the digital cut apart sheet that comes with the kit, including a tag, some labels, and a couple decorative circles.


To finish off the spread, I also added stamping from two other Feed Your Craft sets. I used the stamp set from the "Summer On My Mind" mini kit designed by Beshka Kueser to add a few sentiments around the page, and the "Head High" stamp set to add "you got this" to the picture of him rock climbing up the mountain.


I also added a few of the All Hearts Puffy Stickers around the spread. I love these things so much! I'm going to need to stock up, since my sheet is nearly gone already!


And that's about it! You can see the whole thing come together in the process video below.


Thanks for watching and happy crafting!

***The links above are affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, a small percentage of that purchase comes back to me. Thank you for helping to support this blog!***