ink and scissors: lovingly handmade

Make It Challenge #1 Complete!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

And it's done! I challenged myself a few weeks ago to a Make It Challenge...to use up my ever-growing stash of crafty supplies and actually make something of them.

The first project I decided to make was a set of ATCs documenting Aiden's first year.

Supplies: Patterned Paper - My Minds Eye // Cork Letter - Hobby Lobby // Metal Tag - Tim Holtz // Ribbon - Stash // Metal Knob - 7 gypsies

To make things a little easier on myself, I assembled my supplies and chose to mainly use from that group so I wouldn't get overwhelmed with so many choices. I know myself...if I let myself get lost in my baskets of embellishments and stickers, I would never get this done.

It was actually pretty fun "shopping" from my own stash and finding a lot of the things I had bought in the past. My focus on this project was to use up a lot of the metal embellishments I had accumulated. I've always loved the uniqueness of them and had built up my stash quite a bit over the years.

I'm not sure how many of these embellishments are still available today. Goes to show how long I've been hoarding these supplies. I've seen several of the Tim Holtz metal pieces in craft stores still, but I had a couple of Making Memories and 7 gypsies items also thrown in which I can't remember noticing the last time I went shopping.

Some of my favorite embellishments were from an online supply shop which I can't recall the name of anymore. I bought a set of those pins with the "A" on them and numbers stamped on each one. I think there were about 30 of them. Does anyone know what these are actually for? They're like really heavy duty safety pins. Happy coincidence, I had bought them several years ago thinking the numbers were pretty cool and might be fun for marking dates in scrapbooks, but they went perfectly with this project about Aiden!

Supplies: Metal Word - Making Memories

The process for assembling this project was very easy, but with a lot of repetitive steps. I chose one of the papers from the MME paper pack and used those as the background for my photos. I could have made things even easier on myself by measure and using my paper trimmer to cut them quickly. Instead, I traced them out with a pencil and cut them myself with some detail scissors. I actually enjoy cutting with my scissors. Another bonus from doing it this way is I can choose exactly what I want on the paper. With this patterned paper pack, some of the edges had the distressed look and that didn't really fit with what I was trying to do. Tracing let me bypass those parts and just go for the bright sections.

I then used the remaining double-sided papers and cut pieces from them in the same manner. I tried to keep an equal amount of super colorful patterns and simple single color patterns and alternate them.

I then went through my photo archives and chose a favorite photo of Aiden, one for each month of his first year. It was a lot of fun scrolling through my archives and reliving those memories all over again. I really should do that more often. This is exactly what I wanted to make this project for!

Supplies: Metal Pin - Stash // Glitter Heart - Martha Stewart // Stickers - Webster's Pages, Little Yellow Bicycle, Cosmo Cricket // Chipboard Embellishment - American Crafts

Now came the fun part! Putting it all together. I chose not to put it together in order, instead choosing which metal embellishments I wanted to use first and putting those cards together first. Looking back on it now, I really should have started from one end and worked my way down in order to distribute the bulky embellishments better.

Supplies: "3" Wooden Embellishment - Michaels // Stickers - Studio Calico, Making Memories

I actually had a bulky stack way too fast and they all ended up on one end which made it hard to flatten the stack.

Supplies: Stickers - Making Memories, My Minds Eye, Little Yellow Bicycle

After doing those bulky cards, I tried to keep the stack to minimum from that point on and mainly used stickers on the embellished side. I lucked upon some old Making Memories stickers with numbers in spelled out and numerical form, and in coordinating colors with the papers I chose.

Supplies: Stickers - Making Memories, Webster's Pages, Studio Calico // Chipboard - American Crafts // Metal Number - Tim Holtz // Metal Paperclip - 7 gypsies

Actually, the first picture above is a great example of the flatter card and the bulkier embellished card side by side. I really love that photo of Aiden on the left. Hands down, that's still one of my top ten favorite photos.

After I decided to continue on with mainly stickers for embellishments, the process went a lot quicker. I finished assembling the cards in about 2 hours straight while watching episodes on Netflix. I couldn't believe how easy it all was and I wish I had made this project sooner.

Supplies: Stickers - Making Memories, Studio Calico

Supplies: Stickers - Making Memories, Studio Calico, American Crafts

Here's the final assembled project with all of the cards placed inside. It took a little squishing to get it to close, but I love the heavy substantial weight of it all. I intend to keep this somewhere safe, maybe on my desk where I can look at it. Eventually, I would like to give it to Aiden when he's old enough to handle it gently. Already, he loves to look at pictures of himself and saying "baby" whenever he sees younger photos. I can see him enjoying this set of cards a lot.

I can't wait to brainstorm ideas for my next Make It Challenge project!

I Started a Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

I started my first quilt, and, of course, it'll be a quilt for Aiden. And just to make things more complicated, I decided it will be a triangle quilt. Lovely aqua blues, grays, and greens. (And I'm in love with that gray bunny pattern.)

Gift Wrapping Idea for Toddler Books

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

This past weekend, we celebrated the first birthday of a friend's daughter. For the birthday girl, we went with the idea of gifting her with an assortment of books, many of them Aiden's favorites.

Like I've said before, one of my favorite things about having my own kid is the fun opportunities to craft for them! In this case, it was coming up with a gift-wrapping theme, as well as the chance to use some of those crafty supplies I had bought a while ago but haven't found the chance to use yet.

I chose a less traditional color palette for this set since I knew that the little girl's mom wasn't a big fan of pink. I used Winter Wisteria as the "girl" color and included Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse, and Summer Sunrise to round out the palette. They brighten things up and give the set a sort of party feeling. Great set of colors for a summertime birthday!

I started things out with a simple kraft gift bag as my base. I think I bought this one as a set of 10 from Jo-ann's a while back during one of their after-holiday sales for a really good price. This is something I do often after Christmas, loading up on basic gift bags and colorful tissue paper sets.

TIP: Buy a set of basic colored bags, like kraft, in an assortment of sizes. They provide the perfect foundation for bright and colorful packaging accents that can be tailored for any occasion.

Next, I cut a large rectangle of polka-dotted patterned paper and notched the end before using Scor-Tape to adhere it to the bag under where I planned to hang my tag. Scor-Tape is a great tape adhesive for this kind of project because it has a strong permanent hold, but adds no bulk. This is all I did to the bag itself. I planned on using the big gift tag as the main embellishment. Plus, I was running short on time.

For the gift tag, I used several steel dies to assemble it. Using the Basic Backer die, with Aqua Mist cardstock, I formed the base of the tag. I then cut another backer piece out of white cardstock and trimmed the edge so I was left with only the inner circle and mounted that onto the base.

I used the Scene It: Celebration Set to add the fun party layers to the die, keeping it simple and using solid colors rather than stamping on them. To add a little sparkle, I used a Wink of Stella brush pen on some of the purple stars which is difficult to see in the photo. It added a nice subtle shimmer to them. For the last layer, the orange banner, I used a Versa Mark pad to stamp the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the coordinating stamp set. I then heat-embossed it with clear embossing powder. I liked that it was visible, but not as obvious as if I were to use black ink. I wanted the focus to be on the sparkle.

The sparkle was done by adding things like star sequins, star glitter, metallic sequins, glitter, and clear microbeads. I just placed a small amount right in the center of the tag. All of this was stuff that I've had in my stash for awhile. I like to keep an eye out for things I can use in shaker cards or tags. But still...use those crafty supplies! They've been sitting in a drawer for a while now. #makeitchallenge2016

I used half of a plastic ornament to form a dome over the whole thing and glued it on using some Tombow liquid glue. This is one of my favorite glues for intricate pieces because it dries quickly and clear. I mainly use the fine tip for adding tiny dots of glue to die-cuts, but this time, I actually used the wide tip. It worked surprisingly well. I just squeezed the bottle with the wide tip pointing up. I kept squeezing until a decent amount of glue accumulated on the tip, but not so much that it started dripping over. I then twisted the edges of the plastic globe in it. It gets just enough glue to hold it on, but not so much as to glob around the edges. I also used a pointed cotton swab to sort of clean up the inside edges where there was a little too much glue. I didn't want the glitter or sequins to get stuck on the edges.

Here's the important part...once you set down the plastic dome, DO NOT SHAKE THE TAG. Let everything dry up nicely before shaking things around or you'll risk getting pieces stuck on the edges. Trust me...it's worth the wait. Conveniently enough, using the plastic globe gave me a handy spot to tie on some gold thread for hanging the tag on the bag. I found the gold thread in a dollar bin also at Jo-Ann. It's the same kind of thread found on commercially bought gift tags.

The last part of the gift wrapping were the bookplates. I've been dying to put this idea into action ever since Aiden was given his first book. I still haven't gotten around to tackling his library, but the idea is the same. I like the picture in my mind of little baby books with bookplates inside letting them know who it's from. And when he's all grown up and has a family of his own, he can pass down his baby library to his own kids. Yes...this is how I like to daydream.

For the bookplates, I started by cutting different colors of cardstock using the Mat Stack 3 die. These were then stamped with the polka-dotted stamp from the Mat Stack 3 Collection stamp set with Versa Mark ink. I let it dry for a bit since it remains slightly tacky for a while after stamping. I then used dark gray ink to stamp the image of the little child reading under the tree from the All Booked Up stamp set. I also stamped the To/From sentiment from that same set. This was all mounted with Scor-Tape onto white sticker paper that I die-cut using the Mat Stack 3 Layerz die. This made it nice and simple to stick them onto the backs of the books.

Cute, right?

The books were wrapped up in some sparkly tissue paper I had left from the holidays and then put into the bag. It sounds like a lot of work when it's all written out, but I think it took me about 2 hours total to put everything together. That included some brainstorming time since I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do in the beginning.

I think it makes a really cute set. I hope she liked them!

Dear Aiden...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite blogs to read over the years was Elise's blog. She has a great "go get 'em" attitude which is really inspiring. When she had her first child, she started writing a series of letters to her which were very sweet and touching. This resonated with me and inspired me. I decided that I wanted to do something similar when I had my first child.

I actually started writing letters to Aiden during my pregnancy, telling him about how I was feeling and about all my hopes and dreams for him. It helped me feel closer to him, almost like I already knew him because of all these conversations I was having with him. They are some of my favorite additions to his baby album. I like to imagine him reading those letters when he's old enough to understand, and that he hopefully realizes how much I really love him.

I don't write those long letters as frequently now since I write a lot of little notes to go along with his pictures in his album. But every so often, I like to write on his monthly birthdays. Eighteen months later and his dad and I still celebrate it, even if it's just between the two of us.

Dear Aiden,

Eighteen months is a major milestone for you, but surprisingly enough, the day was almost completely gone before we realized it. I swear...every time I think of these important stages in your life, it strikes me all over again how much you've changed. One of my favorite things to do is scroll through the photos and videos in my phone and witness all over again the many stages you have gone through.

Today, you are truly a toddler growing fast into your own unique personality. I am always remarking to your dada how crazy it is that you know exactly what you want. From what you eat (most especially on this) to the music you listen to, you have very strong opinions on what you want.

Right now, our latest struggle is about what you eat. You really know what you want to eat, and strongly let us know what you do not want to eat. Mealtimes have become our battleground. I assemble bits and pieces for you to sample and pick it, but most of the time, you refuse to touch anything but the fruit. And maybe some of the cheese. Your favorite chicken noodle soup? You refuse to even look at it now. Every morsel of food I try to put into your mouth is visually inspected before you let me know whether or not it's acceptable. I can't slip anything by you. It's actually kind of funny in its own way, but incredibly frustrating and stressful for me at the same time.

If you haven't realized it by now, I'll let you in on something that will help you understand what motivates me. Your mama is a worrier. A big time worrier. And when it comes to your little self, I am the worst. Most days I can work through it, but when I don't see you eat much, my worrying gets out of control. What if you aren't getting enough food? Will you stop growing? Are you getting all your vitamins? What if you're going to bed hungry? What am I doing wrong? Am I a bad mama if I let you eat only 'nanas and string cheese for dinner because that's all you'll let me feed you?

Seriously, this is how my mind works.

But as frustrating as you can be about food, I have no worries whatsoever about you as a person.

You are the sweetest and most affectionate little baby boy. I live for your freely given hugs and kisses. Those are my favorite moments of the day. You can be playing hard somewhere, but sometimes you will just stop, look around the room for one of your parents, and given us a flying hug with a big wet kiss to finish it off. I absolutely love how you lay your head on my shoulder with so much trust when I hug you back, holding yourself the same exactly way that you used to do when you were still an infant. My heart becomes so full each and every single time you do this. Even though you're growing into a big time toddler, I remember my little baby all over again when I hold you this way.

I love you, babyroo.

Low Carb Diet: Week/Weekend 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 01:03:00 +0000

In an effort to keep track of what I eat, I've been taking pictures of some of my meals. As you'll notice, I missed one of my meals on the weekend so it's not foolproof! But I think it's been kind of fun using photos as a food diary and I'll try and keep up this week. So my results for last week were...

A few takeaways from the week:

We added a little more variety to the diet which made things more interesting. I can only eat so many eggs at a time.
Lavash is a type of flatbread that can commonly be found close to the deli counter. It's semi low-carb, I think around 8g of net carbs for a whole piece. We loaded it up with ricotta, cheese, and turkey pepperoni. I'll post a recipe once I find the perfect combination of seasoning for the ricotta spread.
The cream of broccoli soup was actually incredibly filling! I loved the silky texture of it. The cheese "crackers" were something Nestor looked up online and make an interesting side for the soup.

A few takeaways from the weekend:

Like I mentioned above, I totally missed what I ate on breakfast for Saturday! All I know is we stayed home that day so it was probably something egg related.
I'm in love with the Alaskan Pollock Fish Burger patties. These were a sample at Costco one weekend and I was surprised by how tasty they were. Even Aiden ate a few bites! They aren't completely zero carb, but they are low enough in carbs and calories that I think it's acceptable.
Sauteed cabbage is my new favorite side dish. I've never been a big fan of salads so incorporating them into my diet has been hard. But give me cauliflower or cabbage any day!

Quotes for Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

"The only thing you can control is your own effort." That is so true. It's easy to get caught up in the web and see how much other people are getting done on their blogs. How do they even find the energy? The time? Or even the amount of inspiration to always be creating? What's wrong with me that I can't come up with enough ideas? Or that I don't have much to show for it?

It's easy to feel like I'm so far behind, deficient somehow. But you know what? That's them. It's great that they are able to do all of that! All I can control is myself. All that is limiting me is myself. I need to get off my own butt and get cracking! Those people out there who have everything together are a source of inspiration and all I need to do is keep moving forward.

Low Carb Diet: Weekend 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

This weekend it was a little hard to stay on track. We were out at get-togethers all weekend and, of course, there's very little that's low carb when you go to parties. Saturday was probably the worst. We went crazy with the Baconators. I know. They are low carb, but high calorie so still not good for you. But by that time, I was just too tired to care. Aiden had a blast at both parties, but he really wore me out chasing after him everywhere. That boy is full of curiosity.

A few takeaways:

I need to start watching my calorie intake, not just the carbs. I will probably still lose weight, but a lot more slowly than if I kept it to a reasonable caloric amount.
We ate before going to both parties and that really helped us stay away from all the yummy carbalicious foods.
I'm not afraid to admit it...I wanted to rub my face into Aiden's slice of pizza on Sunday. Seriously...it was a close call. And don't get me started on how difficult it was to stay away from the Cake Love cake and cookies on Saturday. If they had a Baltimore Bomb pie, I would have been a goner. That's my kryptonite when it comes to sweets.
I'm pretty happy that I made my step goal on Sunday! It helped that we weren't at the party too long and I was able to run errands afterwards. Aiden had a bit of a meltdown and we had to cut our stay short, but he was able to unwind and relax in the car.

Week 2 was definitely not the easiest week with social events going on.

Make It Challenge #1: Aiden's First Year in ATCs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Challenging myself to make six different projects in the remaining six months of 2016 has gotten me super motivated!

For my first Make It Challenge, I chose the 7gypsies Artist Trading Cards Matchbox kit. I bought this way back in my early scrapbooking days, circa 2007-2008, so I'm pretty sure they're not sold anymore. I linked it to a page on Amazon just to show the information. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I went a little crazy in my early days and I have a TON of 7gypsies kits hiding in a basket still.

To continue on with my goal of using up crafty supplies, I chose to use a My Minds Eye paper kit, Alphabet Soup. I can't remember exactly when I purchased it, probably around the same time as the 7gypsies kits. What I do remember is purchasing this with thoughts of my future kids in mind. Yes...I've always dreamed of being a mom and even back then, I bought certain things with the intention of using them for documenting about my babies. Am I the only one with did this?

These two kits will form the foundation of my project. I'll use various embellishments as needed.

Since the matchbox kit comes with exactly 12 ATCs, I thought making a small keepsake of Aiden's first year would be the perfect first project for me! I already know the hardest part of all of this will be using only twelve photos, one from each of Aiden's first 12 months.

Can't wait to get started!

Low Carb Diet: Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Week 2 is done! I saw a few pounds lost, even if it was probably only water weight. Still...progress is progress!

A few takeaways from the week:

I really should push myself to hit my goal of 11,000 steps.
Trying to remain low carb when going out for happy hour is VERY hard. Let's just say I failed on Thursday. Thank goodness that cider beer was delicious.
Since I did so badly on Thursday, I tried to make up for it on Friday. I did 2.5 miles on the elliptical and stayed within my carb limits of 20g net carbs. Happy to say that the plain fried chicken wings fit into the diet!
Next week, I'll try to incorporate different items into the diet to have a little variety.
Just because I break the rules of my diet doesn't mean I plan on giving up!

If you're interested in seeing how I'm handling a low carb diet, here are some of my previous posts.

Quotes for Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite parts about being creative is the act of documenting life as it happens.

I like to read old journals/scrapbooks and relive my memories twice. Sometimes I come upon old notebooks with a couple of pages of notes about my life at the time and it's just plain interesting. A lot of the time, I don't even remember writing them, but something on that page will trigger a memory.

I like to dream that, one day, Aiden will read through the scrapbooks I've put together about him and he'll smile at them, reading about his early years and how his mama saw and interpreted his life.

Low Carb Diet: Weekend 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 13:08:00 +0000

My first weekend doing low-carb hasn't been too bad. It really does help if we stay in instead of going out to eat because I can easily control the number of carbs I eat.

Just like last week, I've written down exactly what I ate and the number of steps a day I've been doing.

A few takeaways from my first week:

COFFEE. This has been my go-to solution for reducing my need to snack. There's something about the act of sipping a hot beverage over a period of time that kind of takes away my cravings. Plus...I just love coffee.
The longer I'm on this diet, the less I really have felt the need to snack. I am a compulsive snacker when I'm bored so I just now either sip coffee or take a couple of laps around the office.
I don't feel as hungry anymore after a meal. In general, I just feel more satisfied.
I find myself craving sweets even though I'm not a sweets-eating kind of person.

Weekend Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

This year, our 4th of July weekend started on a Friday and I wanted to do an activity that was more focused on fun for Aiden rather than just running errands. Since he really enjoyed watching the fish at Sea World in Florida, I thought the National Aquarium in Baltimore would be a lot of fun for him.

I liked that everything was indoors and it was easy to navigate for an 18 month old. There were a lot of "wow-wows" at the sharks and lots of pointing at the fish almost as big as him. Funnily enough, the escalators were probably one of his favorite things in the aquarium. Each level is connected by an escalator which crosses over the big sea pool on the first level.

There were a lot of levels and many different types of aquatic life. It's been a long time since I'd explored the aquarium, but we were all pretty surprised at the other habitat exhibits that we could visit, like the rain forest and Australia. Aiden was in love with the colorful birds and even the reptiles.

The last exhibit we saw was located in the adjoining building and it housed a couple of dolphins and my favorite display, the jellyfish! I don't know what it is about those floating squishy animals, but seeing them swim around in the water just fascinates me. Kind of like being mesmerized by a lava lamp. One of the hands-on displays in the main building actually allowed us to touch live jellyfish which was pretty unique. I had never experienced that before.

This was a very fun trip for the whole family and I can't wait to visit again when Aiden is older!

Did anyone else have fun plans for this past weekend? Did anyone do something special to celebrate our nation's independence?

Quotes for Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

I love this quote. There are so many times when I feel like I've become a dry lake bed. All those ideas I used to had all over the place, they just up and disappeared. I find myself sitting at my desk, staring at some new supplies that just arrived, and I can't come up with anything. Does that ever happen to you?

But like anything else...

Creativity is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised. It needs to be used.

It's not surprising that I have no ideas because I haven't been practicing coming up with ideas. Here's to using more creativity in my life. Here's to building up my creative endurance!

On another note, I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July weekend!

Weight Loss Journey with a Low Carb Diet & a Fitbit

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 23:10:00 +0000

A few years ago, I had started a low carb diet in an attempt to lose weight. It was great for awhile! I lost close to 20 lbs in a couple of weeks and some of my less fat clothes were starting to fit again. Then I hit a plateau on the weight loss and things stayed stagnant for a long time. On the other hand, Nestor continued to lose weight. There's nothing more discouraging than having someone who started the process with you, did the same exact things as you, and is all of a sudden moving farther ahead than you.

So that really sucked.

And then I got pregnant and had my sweet baby boy. My weight at the end of my pregnancy was at an all time high of 230 lbs. Yikes! Thankfully, breastfeeding is a weight loss miracle waiting to happen and I got back down to, and much past, my original weight of 199 lbs. The lowest I was able to go was around 165 lbs. I hadn't seen that weight in years. It felt really good.

At around 9 months, I decided to start feeding Aiden with formula and reduced the number of pumping sessions. This also reduced the number of calories I was burning and my weight crept back up pretty quickly.

So here I am today back at 199 lbs. Whoa...feels scary stating my actual weight out here in public. But here I am going to try all over again to lose it. My ideal weight would be around 130 lbs so I have quite a bit to go. I plan on beginning a low carb diet again based off the Atkins diet starting in Phase 1 (Induction). During this go around, I'm also plan to pair it with more daily activity as monitored by my Fitbit Charge.

I had tried this whole Fitbit thing in the past, but that sort of fell off to the side after a while. This time, I have a little more motivation to move! Several of my coworkers have also gotten Fitbits and it's been a lot of fun joining the workweek and weekend challenges together. Lots of smack talk going on throughout the week. Somehow, having a bunch of people trying to beat me really motivates me to move. I still have my off days, but I try and make myself move so I'm not dead last.

And then there are weeks where I totally rock it and hit some all time highs of over 100,000 steps in 7 days! To hit this all-time high, I was literally jogging in place at 10:30P on a Sunday night trying to beat my co-worker. I was not about to lose!

This is Week 1 for this diet and I'm hoping I can stick to it for a while. It really is a big change in how we're eating since a lot of it is preparing meals at home. In case you're thinking of starting a low carb diet as well and are curious about what kinds of meals you can have, I've outlined my week's menu below. I've also included my step totals just to give you an idea of the amount of activity I actually do. My actual daily goal is 11,000 steps and I really only hit that once this week. Shame on me.

A couple of notes about this week:

I started the diet on Monday. Next week I'll post what I ate for the weekend.
I was in training the first two days of the week and it shows with the iced coffees I bought from Dunkin Donuts. Gotta stay awake! I also kept my steps up by doing laps around the building during our breaks.
Some good snacks for me were thin deli slices of smoked turkey and swiss cheese that I rolled up and dipped into a little mayo and mustard mixed together.
Wednesday was Nestor's softball game so I was on bedtime duty that night. Explains the Baconator from Wendy's. That is not a normal thing.
Friday was our normal day off and we spent it at the National Aquarium at Inner Harbor. I feel like I should have researched more on what I could eat from Cheesecake Factory. Nestor was just craving really hard for something sweet so we indulged in a shared slice of Low Carb Cheesecake. I chose the Spicy Cashew Chicken and tried to remove most of the breading before I ate the chicken. I only ate about 10 cashews and had steamed broccoli instead of rice. This was obviously my worst day for following the diet plan.

All in all, I think I did pretty well for my first week. I lost a few pounds already, but I know it's pretty much just water weight. Still...seeing those numbers drop even just a little makes me feel good.

Have you also started a diet or are struggling to stay on it? Have you joined the Fitbit craze and are tracking your steps? Let me know if you want to join up on a challenge! Weight loss is always easier when shared with others.

Make It Challenge: Use Those Crafty Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Hi, my name is Christine and I'm a crafty supply hoarder. I love to go shopping in those big box craft stores and get filled with so many ideas of projects I can make. I love browsing the pages of online stamp companies and getting caught in the wave of release countdowns. I love surfing through all those DIY blogs and seeing visions of upgrades I can make in my own house.

But you know what? I don't love drowning in piles upon piles of supplies.

I joke when people visit my craft room because it's almost like shopping in a mini store. Need some paint? I have that! Want to make a stuffed animal? I have the felt and the stuffing! Want to make a scrapbook? Don't get me started on what I have. I probably have one in every color. Thinking you want a little glitter in your life? I have all kinds and colors!

Just take a look at my basket of raw chipboard albums. This is when I was very into all things scrapbooking and just had to have all those 7gypsies supplies. And if they were on sale? Just imagine me stockpiling this stuff like it was survival supplies.

But here's my confession...I haven't made any mini albums in years. I pass by that basket in my craft room and I'm always thinking to myself...I should make something. Lighten the load in that basket a bit, especially now that I have a zillion pictures of Aiden.

I have a bad habit of saving supplies for a "special project". You know what I mean. I'll be making things and thinking to myself that this project isn't special enough for that super cute embellishment that was hard to get and can no longer be found anywhere. I do that all the time, but I just need to get over it. Stuff was meant to be used and not hoarded. Once it starts spilling out of my craft room and into the adjacent living room there's a problem. And then there's the basement storage room. And my sitting room upstairs. And I'm sure I'm forgetting other hidey places, but you get the picture.

So I'm challenging myself to MAKE IT. Use up those piles and baskets of supplies. Make those projects I've had percolating in my mind for years. And if I don't have projects in mind? Come up with something just to use it up! There are six months left in 2016 and I want to knock out six projects before 2017 rolls around.

Want to join me? I know you do. I know I'm not the only one with hidden piles of supplies.

I will be posting my updates on my instagram account (@shopinkscissors) with the hashtag: #makeitchallenge2016. I would love to see what projects you decide to do with all of your crafty supplies!

Quotes for Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

All my life I have collected quotes of all kinds. Quotes that inspire me, quotes that touch me, and most especially, quotes that make me laugh. At this point in my life, I need quotes for creativity. Quotes that remind me that being creative is fun.

It's been a long while since I've done anything creative. I closed up shop to celebrate and enjoy the holidays, and I haven't been inspired enough to reopen and brainstorm new products until now. Half a year is a long time to not make anything. I have this wonderful craft room filled with supplies, but lately I walk in there and I just can't do it.

Maybe it's because Aiden entered this stage where everything that went into his mouth had to be visually inspected. Wasn't that supposed to happen around 2 years old? Gone were the days of easy feedings and here were the long days of constant fighting, trying to get him to eat all of the important food groups, but eventually giving up and letting him eat all the fruit he wanted because I just wanted him to eat. I never knew how stressful my non-eating child could be.

But this past week, he hit some sort of turning point and I'm seeing my sweet baby boy again. The one who liked to at least try new things and would eat until I could see his little round belly peek out from the bottom of his shirt.

So here I am back in my craft room. Feeling less weighted down by worry and more open to ideas. I like that feeling. I need to do things for me again, just because.

I've been coming across a lot of quotes that I really enjoy reading and I would like to share them with those who need a little push or inspiration to be creative. What do you have weighing you down and stopping you from being creative again?

Hope you enjoy them!

Blog Under Construction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 17:46:00 +0000

I'm currently working on sprucing things up around here. Don't mind me. Just figuring my way around this lovely new template from ThemeXpose.

Aiden's Baptism: Making My Own Party Favors

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:00:00 +0000

Having a baby has really made crafting a lot more exciting! I've always enjoyed crafting for myself, but having Aiden gave it purpose. Or maybe I'm just justifying all those previous purchases? Either way, my baby is getting baptized this weekend and we are having a small party afterwards at our house.

This means party favors! I have to admit, a lot of what I create in my shop revolves around my visions of the perfect party/gift wrap/decoration. Now that I have my own baby to celebrate, I did go a little crazy crafting the packaging and the party favor.

I decided that, for the main party favor, I would make a magnet with one of Aiden's latest photos. I liked that it showed who the special boy was, but didn't scream "party favor...throw me away later because I'm useless". Admit it, sometimes you get the cutest little party favors, but what do you do with them later? I can only have so many little bookmarks or keychains. With a magnet, pop it on your fridge and hold up some important things! And hey...there's a cute baby on there as a bonus!

I used 100% wool felt for the outside of the magnet. Nothing but the best stuff here! To make putting it together quick and painless, I used the Stitched Frame Die from PTI to cut all my pieces out. I used the Stitched Swirls Die to add the cute little accent below his picture because it needed a little something. Initially, I was going to put his monogram in that space, but I couldn't find a die that fit in that small of a spot and I was running too low on time to improvise.

To turn it into a magnet, I die-cut a piece of chipboard and glued a rare earth magnet to it using Glossy Accents for a super strong bond. The chipboard also gave the magnet some rigidity so it wasn't super floppy and made sewing it all together so much easier.

On the back of the magnet, I printed out the details on some sticky back canvas that I had hoarded from years ago. Remember that stuff? I remember buying it when I first started scrapbooking almost 8 years ago. It definitely felt good to be able to use up some things in my stash.

Printing on the canvas was very easy and it took the ink well, but I did notice that it needed some time to dry before I was able to handle it without smudging. I would say I waited half an hour just to be on the safe side.

The canvas does have a sticky back, but it does not stick well to felt. To fix that, I just added some lines of Glossy Accents to the edges and it adhered perfectly. That really is some magic stuff!

The magnets were slipped into glassine bags and then put into some quick and easy gift bags I made using the Favor It 3 Die. To pretty things up, I made a small frame to put on the outside of the bag and tied things up with soft Moss Green seam binding. I love using seam binding for wrapping up packages because it ties beautifully. It's so soft and makes the loveliest bows.

There are going to be a few kids attending so I decided to make some goodie bags for them as well to hold a few toys and candies that could keep them occupied while the adults chatted. I had a lot of fun shopping around Party City looking for these.

I came away with some candy coins in the party theme colors, different types of stickers, bubbles, and this ball popper thingy that I thought was pretty cool. I should have gotten one for myself.

The bag itself was super easy to put together using the Front & Center Die and a brown paper bag as the base. I used the little strip from the Jar Bonnet Die to make a ribbon tail and I made that "thank you for coming" sticker and printed it out on sticker paper. The sticker was mounted on a punched out heart. I also added a little frame near the bottom of the bag with the baptism details.

The last thing I made for the goodie bag were these candy treat boxes. Honestly, they're just going to get ripped apart, but I really wanted to try out the Vintage Favor Box Die. These took a little bit to put together because I had to die-cut two sets, stamp them, and then assemble, but I think they were so worth it.

It even comes with a little tear-away strip to get to the candy inside. The kids would most likely not even care, but it's still a nice touch. Anyway, decorating is all about the adults right? We want the pretty matching packaging and decor, and the kids only want the candy and the presents.

The last things I made were these pinwheels, not so much party favors but decor for the house. I used the WRMK punch board to make these pinwheels quickly and in several different sizes. My favorites were these two tone pinwheels. They don't exactly spin since I didn't buy the kit, but they look super cute.

To assemble, I used an extra long brass brad to hold the pinwheel together. I think I bought these off of Amazon, but I'm pretty sure they can be found at Staples. I wrapped the ends of the brad around a striped paper straw to secure the pieces of the pinwheel together. Easy right? I tried using thumbtacks at first since I thought they would let it spin, but I would need a long-needled tack to make this work. I like that I could adjust the height of the pinwheel on the straw easily since this is really only meant to be decoration. I have several of these on our mantel.

And that's it! Handmade items for inexpensive boutique-looking party favors. The consumable supplies (e.g. cardstock, ribbon, felt, etc.) are very inexpensive. The dies are a bit more pricey, but I consider them an investment because I can use them for a multitude of events and also to create things for my shop.

The biggest investment is time. We had less than two weeks to pull everything all together for Aiden's baptism this Sunday so I literally scrambled making these. Thankfully, we're only inviting a handful of family and close friends so it wasn't too bad, but this involved a lot of late nights after Aiden already went to bed. I pretty much pushed out the felt magnets in two days over the weekend and the packaging over the course of three days. It helped that I've been thinking about what I wanted so I wasn't completely starting from scratch.

I don't regret it one bit though. Making my own favors was a great way to personalize things just the way I wanted them and I always find joy in creating. I can't wait to give them all away this Sunday!

Product Introduction: Bridesmaid Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 21:17:00 +0000

Another product I am so happy to introduce is these beautiful Bridesmaid Invitation Banners! This is yet another product that has been percolating on my mind for a very long time, but I wasn't able to put together my vision until recently.

I have always loved looking at invitations and seeing how unique some of them can get. I didn't have a very large wedding so I only had my maid of honor, but, if I did have a large bridal party, this was exactly how I would have asked them all to be a part of my special day.

The outside of the 100% recycle kraft envelope hints at what's to come, using customizable colors that coordinate with anybody's wedding color scheme.

The coordinating envelope liner carries on with the color scheme and, on the back of the envelope, that special day is front and center.

Here's where it gets really fun. Tucked inside these large envelopes is a large banner that spells it all out for your ladies.

The banner is crafted from quality heavy weight cardstock in the chosen color scheme. Each piece is die-cut by hand and the main color is embossed with a pretty basketweave pattern. The script letters are cut in glossy gold and look so pretty in person.

Such a unique way to ask those special friends to share your day with you.

And once they accept your invitation, ask them to take a photo while holding the banner. This would make a great entry into your wedding album! I am so in love with how they turned out and I can't wait to see what color combinations my customers choose.

P.S. Future additions will include invitations for Maid of Honor and Flower Girl.

Assembling the Felt Bow

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 17:29:00 +0000

One of the coordinating add-ons for the monogram embroidered gift toppers is the 100% wool felt bows in white.

They come packaged unassembled in two pieces like this. It's super simple to put together, but pictures do make things so much easier to explain.

How to Assemble the Felt Bow

1. String your button onto the stretch cord.

2. Starting with one of the ends, string the cord through the holes, putting it through the "legs" first before finishing up with the middle.

TIP: It works best when you push the cord through the same side of the "legs". It lays down nicely. You can also assemble starting from the center first and then the legs, but the final product looks fuller when you start with the legs.

3. Repeat with the second section. Adjust both pieces so they form a circle around the button.

4. Tie a knot, joining the two ends of the cord together. Hide the knot underneath the felt bow and wrap around your package.

Simple right? Honestly, it's harder to describe the process than it is to actually do it. Assembly takes maybe 2-3 minutes, and that's even after messing up the first time.

Here's a photo showing the different sizes. Pretty right? You can also layer the two bows to make an even fuller bow, but they're pretty enough on their own.

Product Introduction: Handmade Gift Toppers - Embroidered Monogram Buttons

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 00:39:00 +0000

I am so excited to finally be able to introduce my newest packaging product line...Handmade Gift Toppers! Just to give a little background on them, I first had thoughts of this line back in 2013. Over two years ago! I spent a lot of time scribbling on paper trying to come up with designs and dreaming up accessories to make things even more fun. I don't know exactly what was holding me back on finishing these up. I knew this was something that was good because it was an idea I just couldn't let go. Don't you every have one of those, a project of some sort that requires a little more extra work than you expect and it sort of intimidates you to really get started on it, but that idea just sticks around no matter what? I finally gave myself the push I needed to finish the very last button in the first set and they turned out exactly how I envisioned them!

Welcome to my hand-embroidered monogram buttons! They are hand-embroidered onto cotton fabric using monograms I have personally designed. They are also mounted by hand onto buttons which include a small metal shank for easy attaching. I include a length of cord in either silver or gold and in either 12 inch or 18 inch lengths. Simply loop it through the shank and tie a quick knot.

When I wrap it around the boxes, I like to hide the knot behind the button instead of under the box so the box doesn't get all wobbly. A 12 inch cord can wrap easily around small boxes, or stretch to accommodate a 21 inch circumference box. An 18 inch cord can stretch to wrap around a 32 inch box. If the cord is too long, simply snip off the excess!

I have also designed several coordinating add-ons that work great with the button topper.

First up are the Colorful Doilies. You can choose from a large assortment of colors and, since they are made out of quality 110 lb cardstock, they hold up so well to all your handling while you're putting things together. I love using doilies in my packaging, but they're always so delicate and typically only come in white. Now you have a choice of 35 colors!

I offer them in small, large, or heart shape. I really like how sweet they look by themselves, but they look even better layered.

Next are these sweet Wool Felt Bows. They come packaged flat, but are super simple to put together. Just string all the holes together onto your cord and they fluff up so cutely around the button.

Even better, since they are made out of 100% wool felt, they are very durable and can totally be reused again and again. Right now, they are only offered in white and will complement any packaging color scheme.

And lastly, I have the Paper Rosettes. These also come in the same number of color choices as the doilies so feel free to mix and match here! Create a monochromatic scheme or use different color combinations. They are also made from the same quality 110 lb cardstock as the doilies and hold up very well even under tightly stretched cords. So simply and yet so cute!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my new products as much as I enjoyed finally being able to present them to you. This was truly a labor of love. Happy Wrapping!

Products featured in this post can be found at my Etsy shop, ink & scissors.

Branding Restyle

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 17:28:00 +0000

Since my entire life has changed by becoming a mama, I've been itching to do a little restyle of my branding. I was happy with the ribbon style font of my main logo, but I wanted a little more color. I am in love with the results! Slightly different fonts with more romantic scripts and a soft color palette are what make up my restyled branding.

I used Corel Draw X7 to play around with the graphics and this amazing font and image bundle pack from The Hungry JPEG. It comes with a bunch of different fonts and images and the best part is that it includes a commercial license as well.

Creating stickers is my favorite. I think this is my favorite part about packing up orders. I get to put some pretty stickers on the products and packages. I know I'm always looking forward to getting orders from Etsy because of the unique packaging that I can expect from handmade sellers.

I can't wait to start using these on all my new items in the shop!

On a Lengthy Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 16:54:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've made my presence known on the web. Right here...here is my reason for taking my long break. A beautiful little boy named Aiden whom I lovingly call Aideroo or Baby Roo. Seven and a half months he has been in my life and he is my world.

But, even so, I'm starting to find a few quiet moments at night and during the weekends where I can do my own thing. My own thing...I had almost forgotten what that was like. As much as I love this little boy, I need to do something for just me every once in a while. He is starting to nap at consistent times throughout the day and it really helps a lot.

And so...this new collection for the shop was born! I've been slowly working on a collection of hand-embroidered packaging, full of fun colors and pretty stitching. Aren't they so pretty? What's especially nice is that I can prep everything while he naps and it's no big deal if I need to put it down once he's awake.

This set of leaves is also really nice. Just me wishing for some cooler weather to come my way. Have I mentioned how much I love autumn? It has got to be my favorite season. These would look so cute as wedding favors in the fall, all pretty and stitched up. The back is blank so there is an option to add personal text or even one of the stickers I've included as an optional add-on in the listing.

So there you go! My first post and new shop listings in almost a year. Has it really been that long? I hope to be able to continue making and posting new things, but like with all things having to do with babies, nothing is ever predictable.

P.S. I finally set up a shop facebook page! Check here for mini updates and special deals!

making some birthday cards

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 21:56:00 +0000

Because I own a shop that makes paper goods, I found that a lot of my crafting involves shop production and very little of it was for personal reasons. I felt much too unbalanced with this approach the last couple of years, and in keeping with my OLW, complete, I didn't want to continue being this way. So today, I decided to craft for myself!

My sister-in-law's birthday is coming up next week so she was the ideal choice. Of course, I already missed one sister-in-law's birthday so I couldn't miss the other one right? This card was a lot of fun to make. It looks very simple, but it took a surprising amount of time to figure out since it involved some techniques I wasn't familiar with.

First technique was heat embossing on velum. I've seen it done so many times, like the card I found here, but I never worked up the guts to actually do it. I kept imagining the heat would just melt the velum? But being better at what you do is all about trying new things.

I die-cut the large feather from gold velum that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. Then I rubbed my embossing buddy all over it to help prevent static cling. I think I was a little skimpy on some of the edges. Stamping the feather image with versamark, I sprinkled white detail embossing powder all over and heat set it with the heat gun. It was so easy! I did notice that it took a little longer for the embossing powder to set than it does on regular cardstock.

Second technique was doing a geometric style. I love the look, but I never could make it work. After am embarassing amount of time, I finally landed upon a configuration that was pleasing to the eye. Mostly used this card as an inspiration on the layout. Having the right sized piece was helped by using the Tipped Tops dies. It made it really easy to play around with layers that already fit perfectly on an A2 card.

I stamped the aqua mist panel with Background Basics: Retro using versamark ink for a subtle look. I stamped the sentiment in smokey gray using a combination of Happiness in Bloom and Everyday Happiness. The white panel was textured with the Woodgrain Impression plate which is a little hard to see, but looks amazing in real life. Final touch was adding three tiny pearls above the aqua panel.

The inside was one of my favorite little things on this card. I used Happiness in Bloom for the main sentiment, but I thought it was missing "something". That tiny feather from Fanciful Feathers was the perfect thing! It ties it to the front and makes it look too cute.

Hope my sister-in-law likes it!

Right Now

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 20:11:00 +0000

Right now...I just finished a day of teleworking, watching the snow start to fall outside. Thankful that I had that option today. It's going to be a cold one tonight.

Right now...I am in the middle of reorganizing my craft room yet again. Organization is fun because I feel like I rediscover my craft supplies again, but it does feel neverending.

Right now...I am trying to decide when to start dinner. I'm seriously craving my version of Panera's chicken and wild rice soup. This time, I'm thinking potatoes will be a welcome addition. Too bad I didn't have a chance to grab some leeks from the store yesterday. Definitely will post the recipe here.

Right now...I have a new box of PTI stamps to play with tonight. Can it be called an addiction when I find myself ordering every month even when I promise myself I'll hold off just this one time?

Right now...I am loving this quote by Pablo Picaso: "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." This is exactly how I feel when I walk into my craft room.

Right now...wishing a very happy birthday to Nestor's youngest sister, Erika.