just b.

carrots in love

2012-02-11T23:05:00.000-08:00

Hey! Sorry about the absence......again.

So, I haven't unloaded my camera for about a month. I had quite a few miscellaneous pics on there and I won't show you them all but, I did want to show you these:

About a month ago I pulled my carrots. And trimmed back the chili plants. Those are Poblanos. I planted 2 different kinds of carrots this year. They both tasted really good. In fact I had cooked some for dinner and the Hubs said, "they taste carrotier." Okaaaaaaaay.......

So do you see those ones on the far left there?

If you don't thin your carrot patch when they are small, you might get this. Hmmm........and now I'm speechless because anything I think of saying right now is inappropriate. So I'll just leave it at that.

I am taking 17 on a college tour out of town tomorrow and we won't be back until really late Monday night so I knew I needed to get Grace's teacher Valentines done before I left.

Then I thought I'd make a point of posting them here so maybe you might get inspired to make some teacher Valentines too.................well, if you needed any, that is.

I {heart} Hearts set. Crumb cake, whisper white and real red cardstock. Real red and pretty in pink inks. Lable Framelits, polka dot embossing folder, big shot, cherry cobbler twine, small heart punch.

These were pretty darn simple to make. For the smaller ones, I just cut one of the largest Framelits. For the big ol' Hershey bar I had to cut 2 of the large ones, cut them down and glue together.

After I cut the Framelit, I embossed it with the polka dots. The tag is just the smallest Framelit. Love that baker's twine!

This is one of those peanut butter Snicker squares. They are about 1" thick so I scored 1/2" of either side of the middle of the die cut and folded. Doesn't get much easier. Let me know if you have any questions.

Alrighty then, I haven't had much, if any, computer time lately and I have a squillion emails to go through. But its going to have to wait until Tuesday. I hate having a clogged inbox. Or maybe Wednesday. I forgot that I have to make Valentine's for my family when I get back. It would be very unlike me to be ahead on too many things.

Thanks so much for your continued patience and visiting even though I've been very inconsistent. Things will smooth out.......promise.

Blessings, b.

if its not one thing, its another...........

2012-02-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Sorry for the absence. Our computer monitor went out. So I have borrowed one and can now get back to chatting with you. At least it was only the monitor and not something else. Although new monitors are like $100! Shheeesh!

I'll be posting a new card for you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

up, up and away........

2012-01-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

.......in my beautiful balloon.........

Hey there!

Before I show you my card today I have a little story to share. I wanted to show you the card set I made for my awesome SIL for Christmas. I used the set Up, Up and Away for it.

Well, everytime I look at this set, the song Up, Up and Away by the 5th Dimension comes to mind. Just like how everytime I go onto the Bank of America site I end up singing the words "Bank of America" to the tune of Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine which coincidentally is also by the 5th Dimension. I didn't realize I knew so many 5th Dimension songs. I can remember going to my friend's house when we were kids and playing the record and lip syncing for our parents................

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because I wondered if I had the lyrics right because I wanted to use them for the title of this post. So I Googled them. I didn't remember who sang this song so I just Googled "Up Up and away". Well, a certain artist (if you can call him that) came up and I thought, "hmm....maybe he redid it" and I clicked on the link to see the lyrics....................HOLY COW! How are these people allowed to put this kind of stuff on the radio? I'm not embarrassed to say I was shocked. It explains alot. Don't Google it. Just don't.

Alrighty then. Let me show you my cards.

Up, Up and Away and Fabulous Phrases. Crumb cake and whisper white cardstock. Tangerine tango, pumpkin pie, bashful blue, early espresso, black Stazon, poppy parade and daffodil delight inks. Brights DSP, scallop border punch, bakers twine, sponging and dimensionals.

I love my SIL. She is such a funny person and we have a blast together. So I wanted to make a card that was more her style. I liked the design I used on Mother's card and figured, "why reinvent the wheel?"

Dark picture again......sorry. You can see here how to do the clouds. They're easy.

You can see here where I fluffed the scallops. Fluffy Scallops!

After looking at the finished cards a few days later, I decided it would be better if they had a little more color. So I did the balloons differently. What do you think?

So did you watch Downton Abbey? I wanted so bad for Mary to just run and give Matthew a big hug and tell him that she loves him. Oh well.........

Alrighty then, after rereading this I think maybe I shouldn't try and blog when I'm home alone. I'm much too wordy. But there it is...........just keeping it real.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

Simple is as simple does.......

2012-01-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

......and I'm pretty simple. But you knew that already ;)

Hidey Ho! I hope everyone is having a super duper Wednesday.

Today I want to show you a gift I made for Mother (my MIL) for Christmas. I have the best MIL in the world. She never has a bad word to say and will do anything for you. She sends out lots of cards and so I make her a little set to have on hand every once in awhile.

But then she always sends me one of the cards as a thank you. Its really weird getting your own card in the mail. Kinda like when you fill out the reminder card at the doctor's office and a year later you get something in the mail with your own writing on it? Yeah, anyway..................

Simply Soft (hostess set) and Fabulous Phrases. Crumb cake and whisper white cardstock. Black Stazon, regal rose, melon mambo, daffodil delight, old olive and tangerine tango inks. Brights patterned DSP, scallop border punch, aquapainter, bakers twine and dimensionals.

Sorry about the dark pic. I made her a set of 5 with different sayings on them. These were super fast and easy to put together. See? Simple.

You know if you say simple enough times it starts looking and sounding weird.

Simple......simple.....simple......simple

I really like the yellow one.

I like the pink too. If I remember right these were a smaller size. I think 3.75 x 4.5. I had stamped the flower and words first and then sized the card around it. I like the white space.

I colored the stem and leaves with an aquapainter and the old olive ink. Now, if I had a nice old olive marker, I would have just used that. But mine has been a little too well loved.

You can kind of see here where I fluffed the scallops so they weren't laying totally flat. It gave some more dimension. It was the first thing you want to touch.

Okay, for those of you watching Downton Abbey with me, I have a question;

In the first episode of season 2 you see Sir Richard threatening Lavinia in the garden. In the 2nd episode she tells Mary what she did and why. So okay, Lavinia isn't such a bad person.....I guess.

So here is my question: Why was Sir Richard threatening her? Lavinia said he was threatening to tell Mary all about it but, why?

I'm thinking there is something Sir Richard wants from her and if she doesn't do it then he would tell Mary her story.

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by and keeping me company. You're such good friends.

Blessings, b.

I have a dream.........

2012-01-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

When I was a kid we always studied Dr. King and Lincoln and Washington during this time of year because of the holidays. I mean we get the day off to celebrate these guys, shouldn't we know a little about them?

Nowadays though, the kids don't study them. They have no idea who MLK is, ( well the kids at my school that I talked to about it anyway). Sure they know Lincoln and Washington were presidents but not what they stood for. Kinda sad I think.

So tonight we were discussing why we have today off of school and work and specifically the "I have a dream" speech and it turned into the perfect teaching moment.

Grace has been invited to audition for Honor Band. A pretty big deal. I was surprised (but I didn't show it) that she wanted to go for it. I'm so happy she even joined band much less try out for Honor Band.

Tomorrow is the big day. She has been practicing for a month now..............and she is freaking out.

Anybody who knows Grace, knows that she is a sensitive child. Much to my dismay sometimes (alot of times). She can cry at the drop of a hat and worries about EVERYTHING. She hates new experiences and tries too hard to please.

So, we were talking about the vision Dr. King had. That he let people know about his dream and that he did something about it. He wanted to change the world......and that he asked God for help.

I encouraged her to have a dream too. Not that her dream would change the world necessarily but it would change her world. By having the courage to try, by asking me to help, by asking her teacher to help, by asking God to help, that she could do this.

I'm so proud of her whether she gets the position or not, but I think I need to practice what I preach. There are a few comfort zones I need to step out of.

"......with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

You know I had a totally different post in mind when I sat down to write tonight but this is what came out. I think I'll let it be for today and I'll have something stampy to show you tomorrow.

I hope nobody is offended or put off. This was not my intent. I hope that you feel encouraged to DREAM BIG. I do. Go MLK!

Blessings, b.

Dec. daily 18 - 25

2012-01-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

Before I get started today let me just say one thing, Downton Abbey.

OMG! Its even better than last season......and longer. 2 hours! I'm loving it!

Okay, let me say one more thing, Matthew.........sigh.

Alright I'm done. Go watch it. Trust me, you'll love it too.

Day 18

Day 19

This page is a slightly different size. I wanted to scallop the edge and use the round tab punch but didn't want it to stick out farther than the other pages. So I cut off 1/2". Since I didn't have a picture for the day it worked just fine.

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24 left side

Day 24 right side

Day 25 left side

Day 25 right side

Day 25 backside

All pages use a variety of these products:

Classic Numbers (retired) and Fabulous Phrases. Garden green, riding hood red, crumb cake and natuals white cardstock. Riding hood red and garden green inks. Big shot, label framelits, hemp, round tab punch, black journaler, scallop border punch, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, wide oval punch, and dimensionals.

This is what it looks like from the side. I used book rings to bind it.

So what did I like this year and what do I plan on changing for next?

I liked the size, 5.5 x 8.5. I like being able to make one cut and have 2 pages. No waste that way.
I like that I stuck to just a few colors.
I'm not so sure I like using just 1 pic per day. Then again, there were quite a few days that I took no pics.
I didn't like how so inconsistent I was in keeping up with it daily.

Next year:

I plan on journaling EVERY DAY. No matter what. This year I did write down a subject to write about but not the story. Since I had to go back and play catch up, I know I missed out on a bunch of stories I would have liked to tell. bad, bad, bad.
I'd like to be a little more creative in adding more pics. This will take lots of pre-thinking/designing on my part, but it will be worth it.

Overall, I love this project. I really do. Even though I didn't get to tell as many stories as I would like, it will still be a family treasure.

I hope next year you join me.

Thanks for stopping by. I have some non-holiday projects up my sleeve coming soon.

Blessings, b.

Dec. daily, days 9-17

2012-01-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, lets continue shall we?

For those of you who didn't do this this year, I hope my little album inspires you to try it next year. Not that mine is all that wonderful but when its done, its a magical little slice of life that you will treasure.

Promise.

day 9

I sewed a pocket! I didn't even cuss at the sewing machine! Again, see that groovy die cut? That is one of the Label Framelits in the Occasions Mini. Love them!

In the pocket are everybody's wish lists. And my final list of what I bought everyone. I have to keep track or I WAY overspend.

day 10

Since this is the backside and it already had the stitching on it, I thought it would be cute to stitch a little date tag. Nifty eh?

day 11

Oh the garden.......I have loved my garden again this year. I just last weekend cut back the cherry tomato. The onions are the most delicious onions ever! I only like onions when they are cooked to smithereens and these ones are like onion candy. So good. We are getting ready to plant the broccoli and more carrots.

day 12

This picture is so HIM! He hates for me to take it.

day 13

Big big day for Grace. She made that star last year and I've kept it just waiting for the perfect use. There ya go..........

day 14

day 15

day 16

day 17

All pages use a combination of these products:

Classic Numbers (retired) Headline numbers (retired) and Fabulous Phrases sets.
Crumb cake, naturals white, garden green or riding hood red cardstock.
Black Stazon, garden green and riding hood red inks.
Big shot, label framelits, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, round tab punch, dimensionals, bakers twine, hemp, black journaler, scallop border punch and Frostwood lodge DSP

Thats it for today. I will have my final thoughts on this years process when I post the last pages. Its always a changing and growing experience for me.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

back in the saddle again..........

2012-01-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

Hey there! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Day! Ours was a sign of times to come. Both big kids went to parties where they slept over. So it was just me and the Mr. and Grace. Talk about quiet!

I've been thinking about resolutions and what I'd really like to focus on this year.

Most importantly I want to quit procrastinating so much. I don't even realize I'm doing it half the time. Simple things like, paying the bills on the day we get paid, cleaning the toilet before I see its getting a little...........you know, sweeping and mopping the kitchen at least weekly, etc.

Can anyone relate?

Hello?.........hello?.......moving on.....

Alrighty then, I know its already January but I still want to show you the completed Dec. Daily. I'll just do 8 pages at a time so I don't bore you to death.

The cover:

Grace said she wanted to do the cover. I like it.

Inside the front cover:

Do you see that groovy die cut shape? Thats the new Label Framelits. Super neato dies in the Occasions Catalog. Love them!

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

I didn't get permission from my friends to post their pics. Really, they have beautiful faces.

Day 4

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

Day 8:

All pages use a variety of the same supplies:

Classic Numbers (retired) and Fabulous Phrases. Crumb cake, naturals white, garden green, riding hood red cardstock. Riding hood red and garden green inks. Round tab punch, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, bakers twine, hemp, black journaler, Forest Lodge DSP, scallop border punch, leaves #2 die, big shot, and dimensionals.

The pages are 8.5 x 5.5, just 1/2 a piece of cardstock. No waste that way. I'm all about making things simple.

Alrighty then, its back to work tomorrow.

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking in.

Blessings, b.

Are you there?

2011-12-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

Once again I'm sorry about disappearing on you. Things got super hectic again and I got caught up in too many things.

So I slowed down....................well, as much as the kids would let me.

I played LOTS of Christmas music (love my Johnny Mathis) and cooked and shopped and visited and ate way too many goodies. Way too many.

I hope you were able to enjoy the holiday with your loved ones.

Now a new year is going to start and I'm thinking of what I want to do differently this year. There is so much room for improvement. Leave a comment here or shoot me an email and let me know what your 2012 goals are and I'll share mine as soon as I narrow the list down.

So for today I want to show you a few things I worked on for Christmas. The Dec. Daily is really behind but I will be showing you that also in the next few days.

Delicate Doilies. Garden green, crumb cake and poppy parade cardstock. Versamark ink. Whisper white embossing powder, simple letters die, big shot.

Remember 17 had that Secret Santa thing in yearbook? Well this was another little gifty for the girl.

Quick, simple and cute. I used the Coluzzle to cut out the circle.

Loads of Love stamps. Crumb cake, whisper white, old olive and riding hood red cardstock. Black Stazon ink. Leaves #2 die, big shot, 1/2" circle punch, cropodile, Brights Patterned DSP, old olive striped ribbon, cherry cobbler bakers twine.

Teacher gifts. I had some really old kraft boxes that SU! used to sell and are selling again in the Holiday Mini, to box up some crackers and cookies.

The tags have a Starbucks gift card in them. We had the idea to make the leaves look like holly but I kept thinking they look like antlers. I didn't tell Grace that though :).

Loads of Love and Woodgrain. Crumb cake, riding hood red and whisper white cardstock. Garden green and choc. chip markers, crumb cake ink. White taffeta, Frostwood lodge DSP, Designer frames embossing folders, big shot, wide oval punch and dimensionals.

Here is THE Christmas card. I really like them. They seriously only took me a half hour to design. That is super fast for me. I don't send that many out so I got about 18 of them done in a few hours. WooHoo!

My desk was too messy to take a pic on.

This was the first time using the Designer Frames embossing folders. I kinda dig them! I don't have any Christmas stamps so I searched around for what would work. The tree from Loads of Love fit perfectly!

I used markers to ink up the tree. I sponged everything, which I don't normally do. Too much work. I've become a lazy stamper.

Loads of Love and Delicate Doilies. Crumb cake, riding hood red and garden green cardstock. Garden green and choc. chip markers, whisper white craft ink. Frostwood Lodge DSP, wide oval punch, Designer Frames embossing folders, corner rounder and dimensionals.

This is a gift card holder. Super easy to do!

I made a belly band to go around it to hold it closed.

And here I am working hard to get things done. Just keeping it real................

Thanks so much for keeping the blog cozy while I was gone. I have plans to be much more consistent.

Blessings, b.

Dec. Daily?

2011-12-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

Nope, not yet. I did get my pics printed out today and started with some journaling but then, 17 needed some help.

She is doing a Secret Santa thing in her yearbook class and needed an idea of what to give tomorrow. They are supposed to do a little something everytime they meet and then a bigger something on the last day before vacation.

So I suggested a cute little packet of fruit snacks.

She didn't like that idea.

What if I make a cute little tag and ribbon, like a present?

Yep, that would do.

She picked out the bow and so I tried to match the color. Welcome in Pear Pizzaz!

Holy Cow! I thought this would be a cute/fast/easy tag to make.

HA! I was wrong. This sucker took me 2 hours! I just wasn't feeling it. Or I should say, I could think of things to use.........things I didn't have.

So here is what I came up with.

Elements of Style. Crumb cake, whisper white and pear pizzaz cardstock. Crumb cake ink. Big shot, scallop square duo die, simple letters die, rhinestones, brights patterned DSP, 3/4" circle punch and dimensionals.

It measures 2.5 x 3.75. I'm happy enough with it. Considering I don't know a thing about this girl and for all I know she'll chuck it in the trash.

And here she is all gussied up. I'd be happy to receive this. Wouldn't you?

Alrighty then, its past my bedtime. Everyday I get one step closer to getting the Dec. Daily done. Tomorrow I should have something to show you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I love it when you do that.

Blessings, b.

Oh Geez!

2011-12-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Nothing ever goes as planned.

I have no December Daily pages together........yet. I do have pics, well, except for one day (ahem....Michele, just when you get around to it ;)) and stories picked out, I just haven't had time to sit down to do it.

I'm going to "getRdone" tonight........I hope........I think.......I'm going to try.

But, I do have another Christmas card to show you. This one was fairly quick. I got 3/4 of it done in about 25 min. while waiting for a buddy to come pic me up last night.

Now see, I did sit down to work on the Dec. Daily today but, this card was sitting on the desk unfinished so I had to finish it first. And of course I got nothing else done.

NO STAMPS!!! Whisper white, old olive, pear pizzaz, wild wasabi, garden green and real red cardstock. Bird punch, cropadile, hemp, jewelry tag punch, black journaler and misc. button.

Cute eh? I saw an idea like this several weeks ago. I don't remember what they used exactly (because of course I don't remember when or where I saw it) but I thought the wing from the bird punch was perfect.

With a pencil I lightly drew a circle and used that as a guide. Then I just went for it. I used the large hole punch on the cropadile to make the little holly berries.

I decided to wrangle some hemp to do my will. Hemp is not always user friendly. It started out looking like a hemp spider on my wreath....but I tamed it. I found a red button in my stash and used the jewelry tag punch for a little "joy". I had no joy stamps so I had to wing it.

After I was done, I decided it needed a little something something. So I drew the black line around the border. Now it seems finished.

Alrighty then, thats it for today. The Boy just came home on his dinner break and announced that we had to go to Target when he gets home from work because he needs something for school.

Yeah, great.

So, no, I won't be working on the Dec. Daily tonight. But, tomorrow is another day....................

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

today..........

2011-12-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

......is the day.

The first day of the December Daily journal. Did you get at least 1 picture today? Have you thought of 1 story to tell? I will get my page together tomorrow and I'll show you then.

Tonight though, I have a card to show you. Can you believe it? I stamped!

I wanted to make a Christmas card. I have our family card all sketched out but I need a family pic........that may take an act of God.

So I got out all my stamps that are Christmas related. Yeah, I have 2 sets. Not much to work with here.

So I started with Tree Trimmings. I don't like this set. There, I said it. I don't like it.

Stampin' Up! sent it to me to create display samples with a few years ago. Because I don't really like it, I thought about how I could use it for non-Christmas things.

When I opened the box tonight I found that I had started a project but didn't finish. So I decided to finish it. I did make it Christmasy though.

Tree trimmings and Teeny tiny wishes. Very vanilla, red riding hood, crumb cake and garden green cardstock. Riding hood red, garden green, black Stazon, and Versamark inks. Clear embossing powder, big shot, top note die, stripes embossing folder, antique brads and stampamajig.

I made a poinsetta!

Nope, this would not make a good production card. I made the striped flower a few years ago and I remember it was a challenge to get the petals lined up. I had to use my favorite tool; the Stampamajig. Love that thing!

The stripes embossing folder is new to me and I think its pretty groovy.

HA! Get it?

Groovy?

I bought these antique brads during the summer and this is my first time using them. They are so cool! They are pretty heavy duty and I love how big some of them are.

Alrighty then, I guess thats it. Unless you want to see what an A+ state report looks like.

A big cookie in the shape of New Mexico. She even labled Grampa's house.

Okay, thats all. I be back tomorrow with my Dec. 1 page to show you. See, you're going to get sick of me now.

If you are doing the December Daily, I would love for you to link up a pic in the comments section here. Or you can email it to me since the comments section has been having problems. I would really like to see your project.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

turkey owls

2011-11-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hey there! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went down to the in-laws house for a yummy turkey dinner. I'm still full.

I have no Thanksgiving day pics. I know.........you're disappointed. Me too.

There were only 9 of us for dinner. We decorated gingerbread houses. That has become a Thanksgiving day tradition. We leave one for Gramma, one for Uncle Danny and take one home for us. Grace gave us a little concert on the flute. So cute! I wish I had taken a video. I'll have to learn how to do that.

I do have something stampy to show you today though. Can you believe it? Earlier in the week I had made a couple of Thank You cards. They should have been received by now so I can show you.

Woodgrain and A Word for You sets. Soft suede, more mustard, crumb cake, old olive, cajun craze, early espresso, whisper white, pumpkin pie, basic black and bashful blue cardstock. Black Stazon and crumb cake inks. Big shot, top note die, owl punch, fun flowers die and dimensionals.

Its a turkey owl! Isn't he cute?

I sent these as a thank you for a couple of online orders I got. I think they were friends because they both ordered the owl punch. I wanted to make a card using the punch so they would have an idea that they could copy and since it was close to Thanksgiving I thought it appropriate to turn him into a turkey. HA! I crack myself up. Its probably been done a million times but humor me here.

I cut off his little ear tufts and used the Fun Flowers die to make feathers. I couldn't resist giving him some baby blue eyes. I think he's adorable. Gobble...Gobble!

Oh yeah, and the top note? Just cut out a top note then turn it sideways and run it through the machine again. You'll get this groovy square. Gobble.....Gobble!

Alrighty then, thats it for today. I have some more craftiness up my sleeve to show you later. I hope you're getting geared up for the December Daily journals. Come on........get ready.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate it more than you could ever know.

Blessings, b.

December Daily

2011-11-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I said I was going to be on here more often but, .............. I've learned that once you step away from blogging, its easy to stay away. Same can be said for stamping..........darn it!

Not that I don't have things to share with you (not much stamping anyway) but when I do get time to sit down and write to you.......I just don't feel like it. Hmph........

This will rememdy that situation............December Daily.

And like right now, when I do have things to show you.......the dryer just sang to me. I'll be right back.........................................................

Okay, December Daily. Its time to stop thinking about it and start getting ready for it. I've got a pretty good start:

Grace saw me getting this together and said, "Can I do the cover Momma?"

I couldn't say no. Besides, ultimately these books are for the kiddos anyway. So here is her creation.

Groovy huh?

I went with a half sheet ( 8.5 x 5.5) of cardstock for the pages. That way I don't have any waste. And since I don't have a fancy photoshop program I can just print 3.5 x 5 pics from my regular program.

The patterned paper I'm using for this is the Frostwood Lodge DSP from the Holiday mini. The colors are Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler (which I don't have so I'm using riding hood red), Whisper White, and Marina Mist.

So I made the pages Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red and Confetti White. I chose Conf. White just because its a little more sturdy than Whisper White. I just rotated them throughout. Right now I'm thinking of just having one page per day. But I can always add more for those days when I have more pics.

I used the same binding as last year since that worked pretty swell.

Here is a running list I've got going of things I could include. There are always going to be those days where I don't have a story to tell. Ali Edwards has a great post talking about things you could include check it out here. That will give you even more ideas.

So I feel like I'm ready to go. My other embellishments are going to be very simple; some hemp, Forest Lodge DSP, punches. I don't really have a stamp set to go with it this year. I'm keeping it flexible so we'll see what I end up with.

I hope you decide to do your own Dec. Daily. You can look here at my 2009 album and 2010 album for some more ideas.

Everybody has enjoyed going through the old ones. Funny how quickly we forget little things. Even The Boy got a kick out of them.

So I hope you do it with me. Everybody has a story to tell.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Blessings, b.

10 things

2011-11-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I've missed you!

How I've missed stamping!

I've been in a funk. Too many things swimming around in the ol' noggin that were bringing me down. BUT, I've sorted things out and I'm getting back on track. So here are 10 things from the past month that I've been doing.

1. Work

CELDT testing is finally over! (almost half of our student body speaks a language other than English) This school year has been absolutely stressful. Lots of drama. Lots of extra unpaid hours. But its done now. We were the first school in our district to turn everything in and everything was perfect. Yipee! Yes, I'm sleeping much better now, thank you.

2. Band

The Boy graduated last year and we are feeling the absence of band. Our school hosted a competition a few weeks ago and we had to go. I don't really understand our theme this year but the drumline still rocks! Grace is taking flute this year with her school and I just kept thinking that maybe in 4 years we'll be back in band again.

3. College

17 is applying to colleges. I want her to broaden her horizons and think of maybe going out of state. When the market picks up we are planning on moving out of state. We are thinking Oregon or Idaho. So she has applied to a few locally here but is also going to apply there. Although by the time we move she'll be done with college. The thought of her not living with us just about kills me. (deep breaths)

4. Anniversary

We celebrated our 22nd anniversary a few weeks ago. We did not get to go camping/fishing this summer so we decided to go and stay at the lodge and pull our friend's boat. Such beautiful weather! Really, it couldn't have been nicer. We've never been when all the leaves are changing. The fishing wasn't all that but, who cares? I didn't want to come home.

5. New Microwave

Ours was only 3 years old and the computer died. It would cost more to fix it than to get a new one. We got a Samsung. It had great reviews so lets hope it lasts longer than 3 years.

6. Downton Abbey

Did you happen to catch this earlier in the year? Oh my! I'm not sure why I love the BBC productions but I do. When I happen to watch a movie my wonderful family will say, "Is this a another movie where they wear too many clothes and talk funny?" Aren't they super? I didn't watch this when it first came on but when they won so many emmys they showed the first episode again and I got hooked. I can't wait for season 2.

7. The Good News Club

My good friend has started a chapter of The Good News Club at my school. Its a Bible based club for the kiddos. I'm volunteering to help and its so cool. We get out of school early on Fridays and I really loved getting that extra hour home alone but, this is worth it.

8. The garden

The weather has finally cooled of this last week. It actually rained a few days ago and today. The zucchini are hanging on. The chili peppers are going wild. Cherry tomatoes are super happy and we pulled our first carrot. It was really good! The cucumbers are finally coming around too. I'm getting ready to start the winter garden soon.

9. Halloween

Grace wanted to do Halloween "right" this year. That meant a scary costume. She is a vampire. 17 went with her friends and dressed as a cowgirl. The Boy also went with his buds and dressed as a ......a.........I'm not sure what to call it........he wore his old Gi and a bamboo hat. Old Chinese guy? Anyway, everyone had fun. I'm glad its over though. Bring on the turkey!

10. December Daily (Ali's) December Daily (mine)

I know, I know.......December Daily already Beth? Yep, time to start thinking about it. Ali Edwards has a new kit available to make it easier. But.......when have I ever done things the easy way? I've been thinking about what supplies I'll be using this year. Here is what I have going on so far:

I'm going to do the same size as last year, 8.5 x 5.5
I might do the same binding.....not sure yet
I'm going to use the Frostwood Lodge DSP from the Holiday Mini Catalog
Colors: crumb cake, cherry cobbler and white or vanilla, twine,

Ali really gets her pages set up beforehand. I don't usually do that but I might. Right now my mantra is "Simplifiy, Simplify"

Alrighty then, thats it for now. Thanks so much for putting up with my absence. I just had brain overload for awhile and needed to step away from myself and figure things out. Its so easy to get caught up in the unimportant stuff and lose sight of what is important and what makes me happy. So, you'll be hearing from me alot more often now. Because checking in with you makes me happy.

Thanks so much for stopping by and keeping the blog warm while I was away.

Blessings, b.

birthday boy

2011-10-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there! We had a nice weekend here. Although its still too hot. I'm ready for some fall weather. I hope you had a nice weekend.

Yesterday, my firstborn, my baby boy, my only son, The Boy, had a birthday. 19. WOW! How did this happen?

I'm at that season in my life when time is literally flying by. I really need to make a better effort to slow down and soak things in. You know, don't sweat the small stuff, stop and smell the roses and all that jazz...............I'm trying.

I want to show you the card I made him.

Do the Hula (retired) and really really really old sentiment. Whisper white, old olive, crumb cake and watercolor paper. Poppy parade, black Stazon, soft suede and pacific point inks. Big shot, leaves #2 die, wood sheets and aquapainter.

This summer he bought himself a surfboard. He hasn't really learned how to surf but he now has surf racks on the car. If nothing else, he looks really cool.

I thought I was so clever because I used the wood sheets SU! sells for the surfboard. It actually looks like his board. They are so thin that they cut really easily with scissors. I even bent the excess I had and it didn't break. Tough stuff man! Well, it is backed with paper.

I have to explain the tree. Now picture this, the trunk is off the card. What you see is just the palm fronds hanging into view. The Boy understood that but I had to explain it to the hubs. Just want to cover my bases here.

Alrighty then. I have another sympathy card to make. The husband of one of the ladies I work with died on Friday. Another cancer victim. Thats 5 people in the last 7 weeks. I feel like God is trying to tell me something. I'm not sure what but, I did make an appointment for a physical.

Why don't you make an appointment too.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I love when you do that.

Blessings, b.

bacon love

2011-09-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hidey Ho!

I'm so ready for fall weather. Almost 100 again today. UGH! I had lots and lots of chores to catch up on this weekend so, no stamping for me :(

But, Grace got some stamping in. She was checking out my PaperCrafts magazine and found something she liked. So she decided to recreate it.

Such a crafty girl.

This is the pic from the magazine. A cute little Halloween treat by Jamie Hurley.

Happy Haunting (retired). Basic black, whisper white and pumpkin pie cardstock. Elegant eggplant and basic black inks. White gel pen, misc. buttons, yellow marker, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punch.

Is this kid awesome or what? Who needs fancy supplies and expensive tools? Not Grace.

Check out this button detail. She got in the sewing box to get the black thread and I don't know where she got the idea to stack the buttons. Whats really funny is that, I had no idea she was doing any of this. Clever girl!

Okay, before I go tonight, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who sent good thoughts/emails my way after my last post. I so appreciate it. {kisses}

I wanted to give you a little extra love tonight too. Some Bacon Love!

I was cooking bacon this weekend and this little piece just made me happy. I hope it makes you happy too. No, I didn't eat it.............the hubs did though. No bacon going to waste around here!

Alrighty then, thanks so much for stopping by and hanging out. Love, love, love that you do that. Have a great night.

Blessings, b.

life is unpredictable

2011-09-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am a planner. I like to know what is going to happen and when and how.

I'm not spontaneous.

I'm not much for surprises. Well, unless they include cash or gift cards..........:)

I don't like drama.

I sound like a ball of fun don't I? I am........I can be........I try to be.......

The past several weeks have been laden with surprises and drama.

Accidents, deaths, work drama, kid drama............blech!

What I'm trying to say is I kinda went into hermit mode. I do that when things become overwhelming. But things are looking better again.

So I wanted to share with you a few things from the last few weeks. I was still taking pictures and thinking about blogging. But when I would sit down to blog, I just didn't feel like it. Sorry, nothing personal.

The garden is still limping along. The heat and the aphids are doing a number on the squash and cucumbers. The sunflowers are super happy and so are the bees.

I think if I ever had any real property, I would like to keep bees. They just seem so happy to discover all this great pollen.

Simply Soft set and old old old retired word set. Crumb cake, baja breeze and whisper white cardstock. Black Stazon, old olive, whisper white and baja breeze inks. Paper piercer, linen thread, bitty buttons, dimensionals, cutter kit, and aquapainter.

In the past 4 weeks, I've known 4 people that have died from cancer. One person I knew very well and that one really got to me. I cried for days.

Even as I was crying I was thinking, why am I crying? I mean, on one hand its sad for her family (and me) that she is gone. On the other hand, she is with God and out of pain. Shouldn't that make us feel better?

Here is something I found in the Bible:

Psalm 30:5 Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Can you see the clear heart Bitty Button? I just love them. See those white splotchy spots? That is another stamp from the set. Its supposed to be a fill-in for one of the flower stamps but I thought they kind of looked like fluttery butterflies.......if you don't look too close.

Now, I didn't start hitting the booze to console myself. I did a little celebrating.

We finished our CELDT (Califorina English Language Development Test), testing on our kinders at school under the deadline, despite all the obstacles we've had.

We had wanted to go out for margaritas but our schedules didn't work out. So we made a date to have margaritas at our respective homes at 7:00 that night and texted each other the whole time. Strange celebration but it was fun.

Our one and only pumpkin turned orange. I'm going to pick it tomorrow. Its been so hot that all the baby pumpkins that try to start, just wither. The aphids LOVE this plant. I've been spraying them with soapy water every few days but they just keep multiplying.

A few weeks ago, I started a new dinner planning system. Another one.... It just goes along with my desire to plan. So far its working out pretty well. Here is what we did: I gave everyone 10 min. to write down all the meals that they would like to eat on a piece of paper. I did it too. Then I took those choices and wrote them down on popsicle sticks. Some wrote down side dishes. I guess they think that is a meal.

Every Sat. night, we pull 6 new sticks. Some come up side dishes so we have to pull again. And if we pull 4 different chicken dishes, we'll pull again. It still doesn't make everyone happy but its made me much happier because I know what I'm making that night. Try it.

These aren't on the popsicle sticks.

Grace and I went shopping the other day and we spotted these. Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts?! YEAH! I mean, Pop Tarts! You gotta love them. But PUMPKIN PIE POP TARTS? Bring 'em home!

Results: they're okay. They taste better warmed up. And I didn't have any whipped cream but I bet that would make them totally delicious. Must try that. I'm all about healthy snacks.

Alrighty then. Thanks so much for stopping by. And God Bless You if you read all the way down to the bottom here. You are a rock star! Regular posting will commence.

Blessings, b.

here I am

2011-09-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to start this post with a happy picture. My sunflowers are blooming!

Hey there! I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day. Labor Day is an American holiday celebrating, "the social and economical achievements of the American worker."

That means we get to take a day off work. WooHoo!

I am very thankful for an extra day off. The last few weeks have been pretty cruddy. I won't bore you with details but I'm emotionally and physically wiped out. I needed a time out.

So I'm going to be kind of quick tonight.

Last week Grace had a birthday:

Delicate Doilies stamps and classic numbers (retired). Crumb cake, whisper white and marina mist cardstock. Marina mist and whisper white inks. Lace border punch, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8", 1 1/4", and 3/4" circle punches, tissue paper, 2 way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter and dimensionals.

Can you guess how old she is? Yeah, I have a problem putting ages on birthday cards.

This is the first time I've gotten to play with anything new. I really haven't sat at my desk at all.

I'm starting to love the lace border punch. Its kind of a tricky little bugger. Make sure you remove the little pieces after each punch.

I wanted it to stand out so I punched some marina mist with the 1" circle punch and added that behind. Groovy huh?

Lets look at this medallion thingy here:

I used my scallop circle punch twice. That means I punched a blue scallop then, took some 2 way glue, (blow on it a little to dry some) and stuck it onto a piece of scratch paper and punched again on the scallops. You get this cute little flower petal , sun, starburst thing.

Then I punched a 1 3/8" crumb cake circle and with the 2 way glue, drew a line around the edge and dunked it in the glitter.

I stamped the doily with the marina mist ink and punched it out with a 1 1/4" circle.

I stamped the 11 and then punched out with the 3/4" circle punch. I ran the glue around the edge again and dunked again.

I had some tissue paper on my desk and decided that would make a perfect little ruffle. I thought of making the medallion detachable from the card so she could wear it to school but I knew she wouldn't.

So there ya go. Here is a picture of my sky tonight:

tonight's sunset

Its been rainy and thunderstormy all day. Which has been a wonderful break from the 100+ temps we've been having. Even though it was 94 today with 94% humidity, it was a nice break. Especially since I stayed inside the air conditioning all day :) The veggies didn't get all wilty today either. It was like they got a day off too.

Alrighty, I hope things are going to be getting to a more normal speed around here. I miss chatting with you.

Thanks for stopping by and checking in.

Blessings, b.

this 'n' that

2011-08-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey Hey!

I have not been able to spend any quality time with my new goodies. I got some really neat stuff too.

Designer frames (pg. 218), Beau Chateau fabric (pg. 196 super excited to use this, those chickens are so cute!), Frostwood Lodge DSP (pg. 28 Holiday Mini), Cellophane bags (pg. 11 Holiday Mini), Quilted Satin Ribbon (pg. 30 Holiday Mini), and many other things.

In the meantime, until I can get personal with my new goodies, I have another non-winning Artisan Award project to show you.

No stamps! Night of navy ink. Real red, pumpkin pie, old olive, pacific point, elegant eggplant and whisper white cardstock. White craft paint and canvas.

This was a really neat project. It looked so cool hanging on the wall. I spent hours and hours rolling those wrinkly roses. (See here for the tutorial) I lightly mixed the night of navy ink with the white craft paint so that when I brushed it on the canvas it would have lines and look like blowy clouds.

In fact the white roses/clouds were a total last minute idea. We were packing up the projects to mail and 17 suggested white clouds. What a great idea!

I have some leftover roses and am planning on making another one to keep.

Okay, the moment you've all been waiting for...............................a garden update! WooHoo!!

(just humor me..........again)

I took these pics on Sat. and already things are different.

The pumpkin is growing out of the box. I had wanted to plant it in the ground but ran out of time and good dirt. The cucumbers are doing well. Lots of flowers so I hope I'll get some cucumbers this year.

The fallen branch you see behind them is from the neighbor's tree. It got really windy one day and I got a tree branch in my yard. Yipee!

This is the one pumpkin that is growing. I took this pic on Saturday and I swear that it is 3 times bigger tonight. Crazy! 2 others withered and there is another one that I think will grow. I'm so excited to have homegrown pumpkins for Halloween!

The tomatoes are doing great. Lots of cherry ones but they won't turn red. The plant I thought had Celebrity tomatoes is actually a Roma. Oh well. I like those too. The green beans are going like gangbusters but aren't putting on any flowers or beans. What up?

The harvest so far is, 3 zucchini and 2 yellow squash. I have more of each that will get picked this weekend.

I'm always in awe in of how you can plant a seed and a month later you can eat what it grows. Isn't God great?

Alrighty then, I still have to clean up the dinner dishes. Where is the maid? Oh wait........thats me.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

hi ho, hi ho

2011-08-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

its back to work I go...........

Yesterday was my first day back. Actually I went to work on Monday for some meetings but only for a few hours.

My school looks very different. They changed it into a charter school. And I have to say, it was a pretty cool first day of school. These kids get 6 week rotations in art, music, dance, drama and technology. The 6th and 7th graders get ipads to use. How cool? Way cool!

My girls started school last week.

Perfunctuary first day of school pic. Check this out:

She drove herself to school. What a strange feeling for me. For her too probably, although she would never admit that. My big senior girl.......................

Next up........5th grader. Big girl on campus this year. I also got the regular picture of her crying in line when I left. Will she ever stop that? This girl is never very far from me. That umbilical cord just keeps on stretching.

Alrighty then, are you ready for some stampiness?

I have another losing Artisan Award project to show you.

Growing green and A Word for You sets. Early espresso, crumb cake and watercolor paper. Black Stazon, old olive and crumb cake inks. Newsprint DSP, spiral tab punch, round tab punch, neutrals button, hemp, staple and aquapainter.

What do you think?

I struggled with this card. I knew I wanted to submit a card with watercoloring. They want you to submit a variety of techniqes and styles. I was trying to make it look like it was a sketch book or something.

Looking at all my projects I can understand why I wasn't a winner. They just aren't up to snuff. Its because I wait until the last minute and then have to rush. For some people that works but not for me. I usually can get something together but then I have to sit on it for a few days and tweak it some.

So will I plan ahead and start in Jan. next time? Probably not. But you never know.

Okie dokie. You may not hear from me until Sunday. We are having a yard sale on Saturday. I hate having yard sales. Like going to them, hate having them. I'm hoping to sell a bunch of stamping stuff. I've got so much DSP, die cut boxes, ribbon, etc to send to new homes. Come on by if you're in the area.

Blessings, b.

these hands

2011-08-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I've got another losing Artisan Award project to show you. ( The Boy just read that sentence and said, "Well, thats being positive.")

Last year I really struggled with my scrap pages but this year, I love them. I think they each turned out great. I wish I still had them. I do have pics although the pictures are horrible. We actually unpacked the box to take them because I forgot to do it beforehand. So click on it to make it bigger to see the detail.

I {heart} Hearts and Wonderful Favorites. Crumb cake and very vanilla cardstock. Either Baja Breeze or Marina Mist (not sure which) and crumb cake inks. Dotted ribbon punch, Springtime Vintage DSP, clearlits rectangle die, big shot, neutrals buttons, hemp or linen thread, dimensionals, naturally serif alpha die, newsprint DSP, neutrals patterned paper pack.

I loved the idea of this page. We actually took pictures of my hands. I wanted pictures of my MIL hands but we were running out of time.

Looks like I really need to invest in some good moisturizer.

I think I'll do this page again but with her hands. I love looking at hands. If you think about it, they have such stories to tell. I would love to create a reminder of what her hands look like. I still remember what my mom's hands looked like, I wish I had a picture though.

This is a pretty self explanatory page but let me know if you have any questions.

In other news, I ordered a whole mess of Stampin' Up! goodies last week and they are on their way here! Super excited! Wait until you see the Holiday Mini Catalog! WOW! Lots of nifty stuff in there.

Alrighty then, 17 and I are going to watch last night's Next Food Network Star. I want Susie to win.

Thanks for stopping by and hanging out and checking in and looking around and well..........you know. I love when you stop by.

Blessings, b.

cajun butterfly

2011-08-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hidey Ho! Have a good day? I started out good and ended up with a migraine. Not a real bad one this time but, what the heck? I have never found a reason why I get them. This is 2 in 2 1/2 weeks time. UGH!

So to take my mind off of my head, I thought I'd pop on here tonight and show you one of my losing Artisan Award entries.

(if I'm trying to make myself feel better, this probably isn't the best way huh?)

I originally made this card for my card ladies. I thought it was pretty nifty so I saved one for the contest.

This used 2 Sale-A-Bration sets, I don't remember the names. I think one was Bliss. Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, Basic Gray and whisper white cardstock. White Stazon, Versamark and basic gray inks. Beautiful butterflies die, big shot, pearls, window sheets and glue dots.

This is a 4.25 x 4.25 clear card. The base of the card is a window sheet, or you could use a transparency. Window sheets are thicker though. I got the color combo off of the Most Super Wonderful Color Coach. I love that thing! Do you have one yet?

I stamped the clear butterfly with the White Stazon and put both pieces together with a glue dot. The pearls down the middle hide the glue dot.

The gray piece is stuck to the inside of the front and the white piece is stuck to the outside front. That way you don't see any adhesive at all.

See? Nifty huh?

I really liked this card. I thought it was unusual. Even though these stamps aren't available anymore I think it would be easy to duplicate with others.

Alrighty then, I'm keeping it short tonight.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

thinking of you

2011-08-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks! I hope everyone had a fantastic day.

Several weeks ago I heard some bad news from one of my stamping buddies. She has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Now this lady, I met through stamping. She is also a demo. One of the best things about this hobby is the wonderful people you meet. And she is definitely one of the best people I know.

She is very generous with her time. She is the SU! lead at the Ronald McDonald House. She is always adopting orphaned demos. She has always been there when I needed advice or butt kicking. She has been an inspiration to me in many ways.

One of the best ways we cardmakers show love for one another is, to send a card. So a few weeks ago I made one for her.

A Word for You and Sincere Salutations. Crumb cake, whisper white, lucky limeade and vellum cardstock. Black Stazon ink. Polka dot embossing folder, big shot, fun flowers die, neutrals buttons, linen thread, 3/4" cirle punch, scallop square duo die and dimensionals.

While you got the supplies out, you might as well make a couple right? Thats what I was thinking anyway.

These are 4.25 x 4.25. I used the bigger of the scallop squares from the die. I really like these. I know its alot of white space but I wanted them to be kind of simple.

I embossed the vellum layer to mimic the card base. It makes me think of a gardenia. The leaves are just the biggest flower in the die that I cut up.

Alrighty then, the lesson to learn here is; don't wait for bad news to send someone a card. Let people know how you feel.

Love them? Let them know.

Sorry about something? Let them know.

Thankful? Let them know.

Miss them? Let them know.

Things are alot easier to say in a letter/card. And if its in a pretty handmade card, then all the better.

So go ahead, make and SEND someone a card. I dare you to make someone's day.

Blessings, b.

week in the life?

2011-08-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

It is finished! Yippee! I just love this project that Ali Edwards dreamed up so many years ago. This is a big project, no doubt about it. Well, I guess its as big a project as you make it. My problem? I didn't take enough pics. The more pictures you take the easier it is to put together.

Lets go throught this shall we? I started mine on a Wednesday. That was fine. It really doesn't matter what day you start. For me the important thing was just starting.

I used a regular ol' 8 1/2" x 11" binder. I know I'll end up doing this project again at some point and I can just add more weeks in here until its full.

Current stamps: Woodgrain background, I {heart} Hearts Retired stamps: Schoolbook Serif alpha, Well Worn Alpha, Classic numbers, Wonderful Favorites, Headline numbers. Early espresso, crumb cake and baja breeze ink. Crumb cake, whisper white and early espresso cardstock. Small heart punch, Scallop rectangle clearlits die, big shot, early espresso satin ribbon, 1.25" circle punch, basic black journaler, Neutrals Patterned DSP, Nuetrals buttons, linen thread, and dimensionals.

Here is the title page. I cut an 8.5 x 11 piece of crumb cake in half to 4.25 x 11 and then used the sewing machine to stitch the page protector to the size I wanted.

I used the computer to type out the title.

On the back of the title page I just wrote a little about each of us and what was going on with us right now.

I started out my journaling with a half page of notebook paper. I like having the lines so I write straight.

I used a baseball page protector that has 9 slots for my pics. Which means 18 pics for each day. Yeah, I didn't do so well with that. I think I averaged 7 pics a day. That meant I needed to fill the empty slots. You can see on this page I included the grocery store receipt.

Another 1/2 page journaler.

On Friday I gave up on the 1/2 page journalers and just went for it. I still managed to fill up both sides with chit chat.

You can see my days' title is not very straight. I was okay with this. Its not perfect, just like me.

I found that I took quite a few pics of the tv. I thought it would be an interesting reminder of what we are into tv-wise. I may do a scrap page on just tv shows. I know, that sounds kind of dumb but I have an idea............

I found the easiest way to fill empty slots was to just write about what was in the pics.

Okay, so Tuesday was the last day for me. It was also a mentally busy day. So busy in fact that I never once took out my camera. I didn't remember about it until after 4:00 that day. So I decided that it would just be a journaling day. I'm fine with that.

Yes, I wish I had a pic of my Bible study group and a pic of The Boy golfing, of 17's friend that came over and the oven that decided to blow its igniter when I was trying to cook dinner, of Grace reading out loud to me, but thats okay. I did write about it all. And maybe thats more important. In fact I filled 1 1/2 pages of journaling that day.

Anyhow, its all done and I love it. What would I keep/change for next time?

I liked the notebook paper. I liked having lines and it was easy to just keep out.
I would really pay more attention to taking pictures. So many things we see everyday but don't really see. You know? Laundry, the inside of your car, your desk, your kitchen/living room/ dining room/ bedroom etc. I brought home from my dad's, a picture of our living room from the house I grew up in, and it was so fun to look at and remember.
I don't think I'll fuss with the 1/2 page protectors next time.
I liked keeping it to just a few colors. This one was Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Whisper White and Baja Breeze. Made it flow.
I really like the look of the baseball card protectors.
I didn't like cutting all the pics for the baseball protector pages.
I think next time I'll worry about taking pics and writing the journaling each day. Then worry about getting it all together the next week. Trying to do it all at the same time was a little hard.
Next time I need to get more pics of me in there.

Alrighty, thats all I can think of for now. I hope you were/are inspired to do this for yourself. Like the December Daily I think it will be a treasure in the years to come. Let me know if I you have any questions. You can look here too at Ali Edwards page for great ideas.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings, b.