MyImaJENNation

House to Home: Backyard Baby Steps

2012-02-02T19:13:00.001-06:00

Woohoo! The landscapers are done and gone and we have a yard!

The neighbors are probably cheering too.

Waking up to a jackhammer (digging sprinkler lines) at 7am really doesn't make for the best morning. Especially when you're not the one getting something for the trouble. Sorry guys, it won't happen again =/

What a difference right?!

Funniest not so funny thing ever. We can't physically enjoy it for 2 months.

He told me the sod has to root and get strong, and we have to baby it until then. Which involves overwatering it (hello water bill), not setting foot on it, and two whole months of walking the dogs on a leash in the fenced in back yard to avoid any urine burns and damage from them galloping over it on their daily early morning wig outs. I really should video tape that one day. So funny!

I'm pretty excited. In fact, I sat down this afternoon and came up with this:

Why yes, I do have too much time on my hands today =)

This is an idea of what I want the yard to look like eventually. We're planning on building a pergola out back when hubby gets home. Ok....I'm planning on hubby and the neighbor building a pergola when he gets back. It's not that I'm lazy....ok I am lazy, but trust me, you don't wanna stand under anything I build.

The two feet of mulch surrounding the patio will be replaced with light gray pebbles, which will have 12 or 18 inch concrete pavers spaced evenly across the length of it.

Ideally I'd like a Sago Palm in the square to the bottom right, but I've heard Sago seeds can be poisonous to dogs, so I'm going to have to look into that a bit more. The rest of it just involves random shrubs and drought tolerant plants around the perimeter of the yard and maybe a shrub or a potted plant or two in the area next to the house.

That's the plan so far at least.....let's see what hubby says when he gets home......and no, you cannot have a pool, honey =)

House to Home: Backyard Beginnings

2012-01-31T10:19:00.008-06:00

Backyard landscaping starts today!!!!

I guess I could have named the post something besides Backyard Beginnings considering it was "begun" quite a few months ago with the addition of the patio. But we all know grass is what really turns a dirty, dusty mess into a yard.

I sure am going to miss that weed garden I've been tending. All that time and neglect to see it all disappear. =P

Now, any suggestions on training my dogs to pee in the mulch so I don't have have ugly burn spots all over the yard?

House to Home: Living Room/Paint Drama

2012-01-21T16:20:00.004-06:00

Well, I hate to do this so early in the game, but this post is going to start off with a little drama. Or BIG drama, if you're looking at it through my eyes. I painted the entire downstairs of my house, and my bedroom, before I decided I did not like the color.....rookie mistake, I know. Here's the thing though, it looked great in the model! And, I had a similar color in my home in Florida, so i figured it was all good.

Little did I know there were so many variations of beige.......

There's pinky beige, golden beige, grey beige, green beige.....and pretty much everything inbetween. And apparently it's a no-no to combine them in the same room....oops. Observe exhibit A, my living room: Cute couches huh?!

sidenote: it took me FOREVER to decide on these babies! I love love love them! I will elaborate on my adoration in another post though =) Back to whining! But as you can see, the sofas have a bit of a rosy brown tint to them, and the walls are definitely showing a green tint. WEIRD, because during the daytime, the walls are the perfect neutral, but in certain lighting, they turn on me, and go skivvy shirt green as seen in this outtake:

Gypsy girl is a pro at the puppy eyes. She was jealous the couches were getting more attention than her so she had to up her begging game a couple notches. Puppy eyes plus a head on the lap with a cute little growl thrown in for good measure = a good scratch behind the ears from me!

Drama right?!?! The worst thing is (other than the time and money spent on painting the entire downstairs) is that I have picked a thousand swatches of tan, and NOTHING seems to fit right. I still have blue tape left up from October and a funky stripe where the brown walls meet the white walls heading upstairs. I swear, I am THISCLOSE to hiring a color consultant. So what do you say? Do you have any color suggestions for me? Do you have a tan/taupe/greige that you love? Or any tips on choosing one? I could sure use it.....before I go bald from pulling all my hair out!

Change of Pace

2012-01-19T20:02:00.000-06:00

Okay that's it. Enough with the lack of blogging. I have made a decision, and I hope you all will be willing to go along with it. So, as I've lamented to you all numerous times, I am not finding time to craft, and therefore, finding no time to post, which has left my blog nearly abandoned. Well now that it's been over 6 months since I've left Florida, it seems I should be settled enough at this point. However, if you've read any of my last few posts, you will know life has been anything but settled for too long.

Fortunately, 2012 has brought with it a sense of calm, and things are finally starting to fall into place for me. Yet I still have not picked up crafting again. Why, you ask? Well, I have finally gotten into the swing of making this house a home and I am on a roll!!!! Which leads me to explain my decision. I have decided to document the progress of this house, and bring you all along on my journey to watch this blank slate transform into my family's home. While I am not leaving behind the craftiness for good, I will be focusing on this adventure for a while. I have a feeling it is going to be amusing to say the least, because as crafty as I am, I STINK at interior decorating!!! So stick around for the humor, the drama, and hopefully maybe a little inspiration!!!

(and some super sexy "I'm doing housework and I didn't even bother to brush my hair" shots of me!)

I'm Still Here (rant!)

2011-12-30T11:55:00.000-06:00

Not dead guys, not dead. Just feeling a little......frazzled lately. I go through these phases where even the simplest tasks are overwhelming. And not in a "poor me, I'm so sad I can't do it" kind of way. No, been there, done that, fought it off like a ~~ninja~~ knight (my son got mad at me the other day because when he posed the question as to whether knights or ninjas were cooler, I said ninjas. Apparently it was more of a multiple choice question as opposed to him asking me to share my opinion). No it's more like there are too many things running around in my brain and I can't seem to organize it all overwhelming. This is me , this too (guys go read it.....she is hilarious, and spot on!) I have determined California simply does not like me. Since moving to CA I have dealt with:

-BUYING A BRAND NEW HOME, which sounded great in theory. Who doesn't want to start with a blank slate? ME, that's who! This place is more work than an old fixer-upper, and it lacks ANY character a preexisting home may have had. BLANK slate! Oh and I painted the walls the wrong color.....the entire downstairs to be exact, before I decided I didn't like it. So now I have blue tape that has been hanging on my ceiling for about 2 months because I am TRYING to like it and I feel bad because my sister in law's husband and mother did all this work and now I want to change it. And I have this jagged brown to white area right before my stairwell, and all white walls upstairs. Did I mention I have no furniture downstairs either? And my front door is in my living room? So when people come in and see the tape and the lack of furniture, they assume I just moved in. Yeah....umm, actually it's been almost 4 months, I'm just indecisive. That's my other dilemna. Furniture. We moved from a 1400 sq ft home to a 2400 sq ft home. Sounds great again, in theory. Yeah not so much. Because now I have to go buy all this furniture to fill it. My old living room set is in the loft because it is far too small for this gigantic space downstairs. And the model had these gorgeous white couches I wanted so bad......until I realized I have dogs and boys. So I move to the opposite end of the spectrum and shoot for dark brown leather couches. As I'm patting myself on the back for making a decision and sticking with it, I get cold feet. Now I want the white again, or maybe this big comfy sectional I saw at my neighbor's house. I am torn between comfort and style, since it IS the room people see first. Ohhh, the drama! Did I mention stairs? I am officially a single story kind of girl.....too bad I'm stuck vacuuming stairs for at least the next 3 years!

-BUYING A NEW VEHICLE, ok, I realize at this point I'm sounding a little pretentious. I have had this fear that friends are going to say "you've changed", since I've never been the materialistic type, and now here I am in a new home, new car, carrying around a gigantic Coach purse (thanks Brother!). So now I always feel the urge to explain myself. New home, all the homes we were interested in were going for around the same price, both new and resale. Or maybe the resale was slightly lower, but their average utility bills were between $200 and $400! Do you want to know what I pay for electricity? Between $25 and $45!!!! Our home has solar and all these awesome features that help to keep our bills low, PLUS it's all new, so it's all warrantied. How could we pass that up? And the car.....well, hubby likes shiny things, he got a substantial bonus for completing his MOS school, and well, he earned it. Plus our old Jeep was falling apart.....literally. We were holding the windshield from whistling with duct tape. OK, but the real stress with the car....it's been damaged.....twice already, at less than 8000 miles. The first time.....um the windshield was hit by a golf ball. Yeah a golf ball. My brother lives in a golf mecca, and yeah.....golf balls flying over the roads, one decided to zero in on my car. And the latest, I was rear ended on the freeway. The SoCal freeway I was deathly afraid of that I managed to learn to brave that I am now deathly afraid of again. I'm alright, aside from a little whiplash that a few weeks of physical therapy should remedy, but my car was SMASHED. 3 weeks in the repair shop and she looks brand new, but now I'm stuck negotiation the injury claim and filling out DMV papers, all the fun that comes along with an accident. Did I mention hubby hit a turkey in the truck when we first got here? And had to replace the windshield in it when a rock hit him in Texas? This is all since June people!

HUBBY DEPLOYING, enough said.

ALL KINDS OF FINANCIAL MISHAPS AND MIXUPS, did I mention I got a parking ticket literally 20 minutes before my accident? I still swear it was a terrible spot to have a fire lane, looked just like a parking spot, and there were cars on the angle from it, but I contested it, and apparently CA needs $$ so badly that it can't be bothered with even reducing my fine before Christmas when I was expecting to pay my deductible for the accident, buy Christmas presents, and I had photos to prove my case. Oh well, lesson learned, watch for red curbs, whether it looks like a legit parking space or not. And I'm getting debt collection notices for bills I have long since paid, a new bank card every week it seems due to security breaches with my bank, and trying to keep up with a Mary Kay business even though I'm an antisocial hermit who cannot STAND pushy salespeople. What was I thinking, deciding to work with a bunch of perky, smiley, pink wearing, perfectly manicured salesgirls? Granted, it's great product. I swear by the skincare, which is part of what got me interested, but I wear makeup maybe 2x a month, and don't want to drive any friends I have away because I'm always trying to push it on them. With that.........interested in Mary Kay? LOL, no for real, if you are, here is my website.

NO CRAFTING TIME, I'm going nuts. Aside from a few things at Christmas, I have not gotten to sit down and do what calms me most since June. Life is just so rushed here, and I never find time to just relax. Well, that and I decided during one of my "stylish" phases that a beautiful guest room was more important than a craft room of my own. Yes, it is quite beautiful, and holds all of my crafties away nicely, but that's just the thing. They're out of sight, and when I do manage to break them out, I feel terribly guilty for the mess I've created in my loft, which is not hidden away behind a door like my room was in Florida. Not to mention, I miss my girls at A Scrap In Time beyond words!!! The highlight of my day was driving up the road to sit there with whoever was there that day and just chat and craft and ogle the new product.

All complaints aside, I guess I should try and end this with a positive paragraph, so I don't freak out too much about all these crazy things working against me in this new place. Can I go back to Florida? Ok, for real, yay for living closer to my family, yay for a new place to explore, yay for a great school system and safe place for my son to grow up, and yay for wine country!!!!!!!

Here is wishing you all a Happy New Year and hoping that that 2012 brings nothing but the best! Send a little back my way would ya please?!

Hobby Lobby Winner!!!

2011-12-13T10:44:00.001-06:00

Hey guys, just thought I'd stop in to brag for a second =) I submitted my Christmas contest tags to Hobby Lobby's 5 Days of Christmas Tags contest and I WON! Woohoo! My tags will be featured all day today as their profile pic. Go check them out!

Homemade Glitter

2011-11-22T11:24:00.001-06:00

Happy Holiday crafting everyone!

100 Followers and a Giveaway!

2011-11-14T06:00:00.002-06:00

What IS that you say? My fellow glitter fiends will spot the shiny, sparkly pieces immediately. What you don't see is just how small these actual pieces are! My dad is out visiting and shared a tool he uses for work with me. It's used to see wear and tear on machinery that would be invisible to the naked eye. So what do I ask to take photos of with this highly refined piece of equipment???? Glitter of course. =) My daddy truly loves me, lol.

Now on to bigger news.....MyImaJENNation's followers have officially reached the triple digits!! 100 cherished readers =) In celebration, I have arranged a little giveaway for you all. In fact, I have a FEW giveaways planned in the next few weeks. Here's the catch. I recently opened a Facebook page, to offer my creative talents to those who don't necessarily have the time or desire to make handmade gifts and mini albums and such. Simply like MyImaJENNation on Facebook, and leave a comment under the giveaway post to be entered in the giveaway. I realize many of you are FAR MORE talented than I am, and don't necessarily plan on making any purchases any time soon, however, it's a great way to get the word out. In fact, if you share the page on your own Facebook, simply post a second comment under the giveaway post letting me know and it will qualify you for a second entry. Want a THIRD entry? For those of you who blog, all I ask is that you spread the word. Create a blog post with a link back to this entry, and leave a comment on my Facebook page with a link back to your post.

Yes, this first givaway is something many of you could do yourself. Trust me, I say that all the time at the stores....and then I never make it, lol. But keep in mind, as MyImaJENNation builds, I will also be offering a small selection of embellishments for you crafty types, so stay tuned for more giveaways.....if that wasn't a hint I don't know what would be =)

PS, this photo is a super close up of something in my giveaway......can you guess what it is???? Go look at the photo on my FB and tell me what part you think this belong to =)

30 Year Anniversary Box

2011-11-09T17:20:00.000-06:00

This project was actually completed QUITE some time ago, but with the move and all, these photos sat on my camera's memory chip the entire summer. I am being bad.....of course I have stuff to complete around the house still. Am I doing it? Nope. It seems like I will NEVER get to craft or blog again if I continue to live by the motto, work first, play later. There is ALWAYS something I need to get done around here, and at this point, I NEED a break from this place. I will actually leave my house and run errands just to relax......crazy if you know how much I love being home usually.

So this is a box my mother and I created together to honor my parents' 30th anniversary. Note the Vegas wedding chapel =) My parents....such rebels, lol. My mom covered the box with some beautiful paper and embellishments found at ASIT, and then I took on the collage on top. I wish I would have snapped a few photos of the inside as well because we used this GORGEOUS brown patterned paper and added a few embellies in there too. I've got to say though, the key on the top is my absolute favorite piece. I have just got this thing lately for keys and lockets.....and birds and birdcages, clocks, lace....ok, I have a "thing" for a lot of things =) Like this rhinestone and lace border....drool.

Anyways, I hope you all are having a great week. I guess it's back to scrubbing toilets and vacuuming stairs. It's funny, as a kid, I LOVED multi level homes. Now that I have one of my own......not so much =) I have lost 5 pounds since September and I am pretty sure I owe it all to forgetting something downstairs when I'm already upstairs. Thanks for stopping by!

Deployment Countdown Jar

2011-10-30T20:32:00.000-05:00

OK guys, let me start by saying I cannot take credit for this fun idea. My sister in law and her family came to visit this weekend and brought along the goods to make two of these. One for my son, and one for her daughters, whose dad is also deployed right now.

All it is, is a jar, a yellow ribbon to honor the deployed parent, and as many gummy bears as estimated days left. Yeah, there are NO definite dates in the military, but it gives the kids an idea of when the time is getting close. For each day down, the child takes one gummy bear, and when the stash is running low, daddy is close to being home!

Hmm......I sure do wish there were a lot less bears in there =(

Green Halloween

2011-10-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

Yes! Unpacked at last! Ok.....so not all the way, but enough to take a break and allow myself at least a little crafting time. My craft room looks like it exploded all over the upstairs, and it is in no particular order, so none of that yet, however, a sharpie marker, some string lights and a couple of empty milk jugs can go a long way for someone suffering from craft withdrawals. I found this idea on Pinterest and knew I had to do it. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know I cannot resist finding a way to recycle "junk" into a craft project and this one was just screaming my name.

Here is what you'll need:

empty milk cartons

black Sharpie marker

white string lights

sharp craft knife

How to do it:

Simply wash and dry out a few milk or bottled water cartons. Draw faces on the front with a Sharpie marker (my son had fun with this part). Next step is best left for the adults. Cut a hole big enough to fit the string lights in on the back of the carton towards the bottom with your craft knife. Then, divvy the lights up between the ghosties, plug em in, and give yourself a pat on the back....whew that was hard work huh? =)

Another Chapter

2011-09-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

Well well, long time no see. Remember me? I'm that weird chick that was always rambling on, page after page. Well, I'm back in action! Almost anyways, once this dang house is unpacked. So wanna know what's been going on with me the last 4 months or so? Let's start with the most important change in my life, because I am going to ask you all a favor. Although hubby just checked in to his new unit back in June, he has already left for a deployment to Afghanistan, and will be gone until the spring time most likely. Here is where I ask you for a favor. Say a prayer for him and his unit. Well, really for all our service members over there, but especially hubby. It's a scary thing, knowing what he does, and where he's at. I think I probably pray like 10x a day for God to shield him from danger and keep him in high spirits. If any of you happen to think of him throughout your day, please say a little prayer for him.

And since I can't dwell on that too long without getting a little emotional, let's move on to the exciting news. We are officially homeowners!!! After 4 months of being essentially homeless, and over 3 months of living in a one bedroom apartment with nothing but air mattresses and a $20 set of pots and pans, we have finally moved into our very own home.

Isn't she beautiful?!?! If that isn't exciting enough, let me tell you why I am REALLY excited about this place. The company that built our home has really stepped up to the plate as far as energy efficiency and green options. This home has soy insulated walls, a sprinkler system that senses when it rains, drought tolerant landscaping, low flow toilets and showerheads (that suprisingly have the perfect amount of pressure), and an AMAZING solar system that circulates air through our home, heats our water, and lowers our utility bills considerably. Ok, so we have a solar heated water tank, and a tankless gas water heater incase we use all the solar heated water up. Get this, before the gas company came to install our meter (meaning no gas whatsoever), the three of us took showers, in a row, and never ran out of hot water. Awesome! I have to say I'm a bit confused with all the new technology, and since hubby left 4 days after we closed escrow, I'm sort of on my own. Thank God the builder is around quite often and extremely helpful to a not so handy girl.

Now as I promised, I will tell you about all the drama that has been going on with our move, but truthfully, it would probably agitate you all just reading it, so I'll spare you the details and narrow it down to a few words: HORRIBLE moving company, difficulty finding a home that met our requirements, driving straight through to WA to drop the dogs off so we could move into the apartment while we waited for this home (never been so tired in all my life), bank card issues, vehicle title issues (paid off the truck, still trying to get the title, yay SC DMV!), deployment, and now lots of broken furniture thanks to that lovely moving company. I'm sure there are a few more things, but it's all a big blur to tell you the truth.

But you know, the funny thing is, I'm okay. Maybe a little loopy, but I'm a firm believer in what does not kill you only makes you stronger and if we go by that, I'm probably about Hulk status by now. I've always considered myself weak under stress after the post partum issues when my son was born, but I'm beginning to rethink that. The fact I've made it through all of this without having a complete breakdown is showing me that I can take a lot more than I believed.

So there is my 20 page rant, cut down to the bare bones. I am here, still unpacking, and I'm making sure the craft supplies are last, otherwise, hubby will still be helping me unpack when he gets home, as I get distracted by sparkly things quite easily. Expect a lot of fun posts in the next few weeks. I've been surfing Pinterest and I am overflowing with craftiness. Now if only I could channel that into motivating me to get the rest of this house set up! Unpacking party? Anyone??????

Update

2011-07-25T12:23:00.000-05:00

Hi guys. I know it's been forever and I just wanted to give you all a quick update and let you know I have not dropped off the face of the earth. As many of you know, we moved from FL to CA back in late May and it has been wild to say the least. I am sure I will elaborate on that in a later post.....it's a hoot (yeah, I'm cracking up laughing while pulling my hair out).

Anyways, my internet access is limited until mid-August or so, as well as my access to my craft supplies (still packed away!!!!) and on top of it all, I cannot find an open scrapbooking store around here to save my life. Not that they would hold a candle to my favorite store, A Scrap In Time, back in Crestview, but I need SOMETHING lol!

Say a quick prayer for me that something pops up, and hopefully I will be back with a vengeance in a month or so. I miss blogging and I REALLY miss crafting! Sitting in a 1 bedroom apartment, watching Netflix on my phone all day while waiting on our home to be ready is no way to live, lol!!

Blogger Award

2011-05-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank Sandy at Details By Sandy for this award. I have recently begun following her blog and love every "detail" of it....hehehe. Seriously, she is such a talented scrapper. A visit to her blog is a must. So, now I have to come up with 8 random things about myself....ohhh the pressure!

1. I LOVE coffee. Unfortunately, I am extremely sensitive to caffeine. Seriously, it takes like half a mug to get my mouth and mind moving a mile a minute, and my body bouncing off the walls. I do my best to avoid it all but a couple times a month, and then watch out! PS....decaf just does not cut the mustard, been there, done that, ain't the same!

2. I am moving in less than a week all the way from Florida to California with my hubby, my son, and our two big dogs, and I don't even have a home to move to yet! With my husband's work/school schedule, we have not had the time to fly out and house hunt, so we're flying by the seat of our pants and a whole lot of prayer!!!

3. Incase you hadn't guessed it from that last crazy factoid, my husband is in the military. Marine Corps to be exact. It's a love/hate relationship with the USMC, but for the most part, it has been the biggest blessing to our family. There are ups and downs to every path you choose, but if you learn to roll with it, it can be a lot of fun! Except for deployments......there's no getting around the fact that they just plain S-U-C-K.

4. I am 5'9".....at least 2 inches taller than my handsome hubby, and taller than a lot of women in general, yet I have this obsession with tall, sexy shoes. I'd say I'm probably over 6 feet tall when I wear my favorite pair of wedges, but I have learned to embrace the legginess I was once so self conscious about. Hubby has a thing for tall women and well....I certainly fit the bill! Especially in heels!!

5. I have two recurring nightmares that have stuck with me for as long as I can remember. One, based on a real fear of mine, is not being able to remember where I parked my vehicle when leaving a mall/highschool/wherever. The other......I can't figure out for the life of me. All of a sudden, one leg is shorter than the other and I'm doing my best to walk in....of course....a giant pair of heels....lol.

6. I love thunderstorms. The more intense the better. One thing I am really going to miss about the East Coast. It's funny, I actually worry about not getting enough rain in California. Funny because I lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest, where you're lucky if you get a few weeks of sun during the summer. I was so happy to leave that behind for the sunshine, but being a "grass is greener" personality, I tired of the sun after a while. I am grateful Home is going to be so much closer so that I can go and enjoy a few gray days when I need them.

7. I could listen to Fleetwood Mac 24/7. Best concert ever.....by far. Not to mention the fact I got to sit less than 20 rows from the stage and it was FREE.....thanks Mama!

8. I am Irish/French/German but I constantly get mistaken for being Russian. My brother too. By Russians even, lol. I consider it a good thing as I think a lot of the Russian women in my home town are beautiful, however, I don't speak a word of it and don't have a drop of Russian blood in my body. Funny how the combo of genes mimics another.

So yeah, that's my random facts that probably took me way long than it should to come up with. Especially considering I should be packing all the necessities for the move right now, lol. I now am required to share this award with 15 other bloggers. Although I apologize, as I've only got the time and patience to nominate five of you lovely ladies. I think I'm going to do what Sandy did and nominate my 5 newest followers (with personal blogs). I appreciate each and every one of you and love that you all enjoy the blog enough to become followers. So without further adieu, I pass this award on to:

Beatriz at Amazing Grace

Justine at Cardiology

Samantha at Expression of a Craftaholic

Angie at Angie's Blog

Shelly Anne at Basement Crafts

Crepe Paper Flower

2011-05-05T08:55:00.002-05:00

(my apologies for the poor lighting. I couldn't wait for my camera to charge so I took the pic on my phone)

I gave my best shot today at making a crepe paper flower from a youtube tutorial and let's just say.....I'm going to leave this one to the pros. Too messy and my hands are not steady enough to keep that fragile paper from ripping. If you have the skills though, you could make some beauuuuutiful flowers! Hint: don't go the cheap route and use dollar store crepe rolls. I learned that lesson the hard way. If you are chomping at the bit to have a go at this beauty, I have included the video below, as well as a link to the original creator's blog. Stop by and show her some love!

Click here to visit Terri at Artful Affirmations!

Disney TP Mini

2011-05-03T09:15:00.001-05:00

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all my teachers out there (especially my favorite teacher, Mrs. Santos!). Ladies, I don't know how you do it. More than one child talking at the same time and I'm pulling my hair out. I don't want to think of 20+!! I have a lot of respect for anyone that can do it, lol. I have been torn as to what to make/buy my son's teachers and was fortunate enough to sit with them on our recent class fieldtrip to Tallahassee. After sitting in on a conversation, I discovered these gals LOVE Disney! We had some of the cutest Disney paper just calling my name at ASIT, so I decided to make a mini TP album for each of them during ASIT's National Scrapbooking Day crop this weekend. I was so proud of myself. I NEVER actually work at crops, lol. I always get distracted and end up sitting and chatting the entire time. I just usually work better by myself, in front of my computer for some reason. But I completed three of these babies (except for the covers) in one day! I guess I should have taken pics of the inside, but they're all bagged up and ready to go. I just made them really simple, with a few cute stickers, pop dotted and accented with rhinestones and Mickey heads. Lots of fun and I hope they love them!

Speaking of ASIT's NSD crop. Keep an eye out here and on their blog. I hear Essie has got a GREAT tutorial in the works!

Rainbow Cupcakes

2011-04-27T07:03:00.001-05:00

I'll start by telling you, I am so motivated by good looking food. I almost ate a roll of sushi this weekend with 4 different colors of fish eggs on the top just because it looked nice, in an almost artistic way. Yeah, luckily when I told the sushi chef it was pretty, he explained what it was to me, mentioning the words "fish eggs" like 20 times! Narrowly escaped that one! I am also not a huge cake/cupcake fan. I don't think they're gross or anything, but meh, I'm more of a pie kind of girl. But I have eaten my weight in these cute little cupcakes my son and I made Easter Sunday! I can't resist! I swear they're delicious just because they're rainbow! Otherwise, it's just plain old white cake mix. Wanna know how to make them? Let me share!

You simply make one box of white cake mix according to the directions on the box. Then, divide the batter into six separate bowls. Color each one generously with gel food coloring. I had blue, green, yellow, and red, so I was also able to combine a few and make purple and orange. Now I adapted this from a cake recipe I found online, but it's just in smaller form, so instead of dumping them all on top of one another in a cake pan, I placed the cake batter in silicone cupcake "wrappers" spoonful by spoonful until all the colors were in there and the cups were about 2/3 full. Bake according to the cupcake directions on the cake mix box, cool, and then carefully peel the silicone away to reveal the pretty colors underneath! Frost them however you like. I preferred the look of a good sized dollop of cream cheese frosting on the top.

Last step......ENJOY!!! (and boy did we ever!)

Mother's Day Card Tutorial

2011-04-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, just a quick and easy Mother's Day card I made for a tutorial over at ASIT. Click here to check it out! I absolutely LOVE how this came out and even made a second one to give to my mother. If you are in the local area, all supplies can be found at the store. Have a great weekend everyone and a Happy Easter!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things - 2nd Installation

2011-04-09T05:00:00.003-05:00

Woo! You mean this wasn't a one time thing? Yes! I managed to continue a blog feature, although a bit late and two postings doesn't really necessarily count it as a solid feature quite yet, lol. But! I am on my way, and since there are so many new things that I fall in love with on a daily basis, I have a feeling there will be more of these to come =) So without further adieu, let's get to the favs!

Nail art. OMG.....so fun! There are SO MANY things you can do with your nails, and I had no idea up until a month or so ago. I have never been one to paint my nails. As much as I love the look, I am really no good at it, and being a paper crafter, the manis never last long. However, I am at the point right now where there are so many new things I want to try, that if I've got to repaint 2x a week, I really don't mind. And after speaking with a few friends and doing a little research, I realized 75% of my problem with my nails looking crappy was the cheap polish I was using. That was a problem though, as you all know, I am CHEAP! You want me to spend over $5 on nail polish?!?!?! Fortunately for me, Sally was having a buy two get one sale on polishes, so I snagged a few of the nicer ones and boy was I impressed! Unfortunately for hubby =) Yet another obsession that's going to cost him, lol. Actually, he came along and was surprisingly excited to pick out a few colors for me, which just thrilled me to no end. Girls, there is so much out there if this is your kind of thing. Airbrushing, holographic polishes, taping, and even overlays that go on your nails to give them some wild designs! Ummmmm, note to self though (see photo above) do not apply white over any color without a top coat in between. It WILL absorb the color. Helloooooo green and neon yellow nails! Oops!

And to go on those wild nails, how about a gaudy, oversized ring? I'm talking rings that will cover half your finger. My favorite place to find them, Forever 21. Well, that's my favorite place to find just about anything honestly. But their jewelry is especially fantastic! Maybe it's my fascination with all things sparkly, or maybe it's just that I'm only a few years away from 30 and I've only got a short while before I'll have to start dressing like a grown up....blech =) Well, probably not actually. I'll be that 70 year old woman boppin down the street in a pair of sky high wedges and a bright floral sundress. I enjoy dolling up too much to give it up any time soon!

Speaking of crazy old ladies, Maw Maw......need I say more? As you all know, I am huge Glee fan. And the show that comes after Glee....I think I love it even more!!! Raising Hope is certainly not for everyone, but if you like the offbeat, trashy humor of My Name Is Earl, you will LOVE this show! It's actually from the creators of MNIE, so it's no shock to me that I loved it immediately. Stupid? Yes. Hilarious nonetheless? OMG yes! If you feel like catching a few episodes to see what it's all about, I highly recommend the "Say Cheese" episode. I mean, starting at the beginning is best of course =) But Maw Maw yodeling out Roger Miller's "Do-Wacka-Do" makes my cheeks hurt just thinking about it!

Hehe, I love that song. I am starting to realize I am into some really BAD music. *deep breath* My name is Jenn and I am a Ke$ha fan. There I said it. Oh, and you've got to say her name like the principal on Glee does to make it cool, "Kee dollar sign ha". Okay, so there really is no making Ke$ha cool, but man, that music just gets me moving! In the beginning, I was so determined to hate it. The intros are annoying, the lyrics are horrendous, ugh, the valley girl voice....I could go on. But the beats and the tunes are so catchy! If you can manage to tune out the annoying-ness (invented another word) of it, it's pretty fun! Love it for working out (when I actually DO, lol) and even more enjoyable is watching my big, tough Marine rock out to it in the car, singing it in his highest voice.....bah I love that man!

Which brings me to my last item in this post. I LOVE where I live!!! Snapped this pic on our way back from Destin on Tuesday. Hubby had the day off and was sweet enough to take me to sushi and nail polish shopping. The town I live in, while a wonderful place to live, doesn't have much to offer besides a KILLER scrap store (shout out to ASIT!). However, we are maybe an hour from Pensacola and like 45 minutes from Destin. Since hubby has been in the military, we have been fortunate to get stationed near some BEAUTIFUL resort areas. While Beaufort, SC was not one of my favorite places to live (that would be an understatment), we were right close to the beaches of Hilton Head Island. And now, ahhhhh Destin!!! I have always found it beautiful, but never been too impressed since I'd been to The Keys and found it no comparison. Until last week. I clearly haven't ventured far enough into Destin, as I just knew the stores and touristy type spots. Well, my parents were in town last week, and decided to visit where they had honeymooned almost 30 years ago. We went off the beaten path and ended up right by the shore, sandwiched between luxury resorts and 30+ year old beach condos. As much as I admired the resorts, I'd take an old condo on the water any day. I just think it really adds to that calm, mellow feel you search out when you're at the beach. Too much going on at the resorts, and I couldn't feel that calm vibe knowing how much money I was dropping there! LOL! It's a shame we'll be leaving here so soon before we really get to discover the area, but I guess that's the way it goes. On to yet another beautiful place!!!

First Banner Card Attempt

2011-04-07T12:42:00.000-05:00

A bit strange? Yes. Liquid pearling needs a little practice? Oh yes. Fun, colorful, and different? Most definitely! Verdict: I think I could use a little practice on a few areas like the pearling and "stringing out" my banners, but you can't really go wrong with Craft (Kraft? Why can't I ever figure that one out?) paper and lots of color. Add a few gold touches and well, you're golden!

Pleated Card

2011-03-23T20:54:00.000-05:00

Can I just jump on my high horse for a minute and say I absolutely LOVE how this card turned out? I love the elegance and dimension and how embellished it is. Stepping down now, I can't say this was my own idea. I follow an incredibly talented blogger named Becca over at Amazing Paper Grace who first introduced me to paper pleating on cards, and I immediately fell in love. This card was heavily inspired by one of her creations and if you love it as much as I do, I suggest you hop on over to her blog and see just how talented she is! Funny, the name of her blog, as another huge inspiration of mine, Beatriz, blogs at Amazing Grace.....hmmmm, coincidence? Great minds do think alike!!! TFL and I hope you all are having a beautiful week!!!

Teal and Acetate

2011-03-15T19:19:00.005-05:00

Teal and acetate.....two of my camera's worst enemies. They rank up there with red and white for difficulty to photograph. I guess the acetate is a given. It's a bit difficult to photograph something clear when a photograph is not dimensional. But the teal....ohhhh that darn teal! It kept coming out the blue that you see in these photos. After much photoshop tweaking, I still couldn't get it right, so I decided to find a swatch online to show you all what it SHOULD look like. Yeah, do you know how many different shades of teal there are?!?!? All I can say is ya'll had better appreciate this, lol =)

This is about the color it appears in real life. Isn't that a gorgeous shade!? Now replace the "blue" in the photos with teal.....note to self, talk to my fav photog Rachel and see what can be done if I ever decide to brave placing this color in front of my camera again.

Okay, enough whining. While I am irritated with the photos, I do love the way these cards turned out in person. The colors are very beachy and the acetate was the perfect touch! I am no good with fussy cutting, so the clear acetate is great for camouflaging my rough edges cut around the butterfly in the first card and the flower in the second. But my favorite thing of all.....Stickles in the hue of LAGOON! Oh photos do it no justice! You must go out and grab some and see for yourself. Lagoon Stickles = L♥O♥V♥E!

Altered M's Journal

2011-03-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

I guess I should have called these last few posts my "gifts for Bea" series, lol. OK, this is the last of them....for now. You know this will be far from the last prezzie for you my Beatriz!! I bought this journal around Christmas time from their dollar section. I had been wanting to alter a journal for a while, but this one especially caught my eye because (and I should have taken a pic) on the bottom corner of each page, was an adorable bee. For Bee-atriz =) It was mean to "bee".....okay okay, enough with the puns, lol. I punched the edges of the blue paper with a notebook edge punch, the covered the covers of the book with mod podge so that it would all stick well. The inside of each cover (and again, I should have taken a picture) was covered with a while envelope. To hide the ugly edges and to also provide a space for loose notes, photos, etc. I honestly had plans on really jazzing up the front cover, but once the tulle and ribbon was in place on the binding, it just seemed like it would be overkill. So, I just added some ribbon with a blingy looking slide on it, and added velcro on the front, so all she'd have to do was pull up the edge of the ribbon to open the book. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and happy to say it came just in the nick of time as she was in the market for a new one. Love ya Bea!

Another Oldie but Goodie

2011-03-11T06:00:00.002-06:00

I am so into handmade flowers, so when I saw these, and saw how easy they were, I decided to build something around them. Not to mention, Bea always has beautiful embellishments that she hand makes added to her work. I figured I'd try, feebly, to do a project for her in "Bea style".

The frame for this layout was created from a cutfile I found on the net. I can't figure out the author, but I love them! With all the intricacies, it was a pain for the old E to cut out with a dull blade. I definitely learned my lesson. Any time there is detail involved, a fresh blade is best! I then hand cut some leftover acetate to add to the back of it so she could just slide her photo in. The banner was cut with Blackletter and intentionally left blank, so she could add her own sentiments. The background paper came from a paper pack, but I loved how it all just lined up just right with the bird touching the banner.

As "Bea as I could be", I was sure to include plenty of embellishments and details. I love my sparkly pens and couldn't let that plain white butterfly go without some doodling. Now this is in no way even close to Bea's talent, but it sure was fun trying!

Oldie but a Goodie

2011-03-10T14:06:00.000-06:00

As I was uploading photos to my new scrapbook.com gallery, I came across a few projects I realized I had never posted. These were mostly goodies I swapped with Bea quite a while back, and I'm assuming I never posted them because I wanted them to be a surprise. Well! I'm thinking I won't ruin the surprise now considering they've all been sent and warmly recieved ages ago! LOL!

This birdhouse was for a swap where we agreed to do an altered project and coordinating cards. I guess it wasn't so altered as it was completely created, but hey, I didn't want to alter an ACTUAL milk carton, lol.....eew. These papers were from a stack from DCWV that I just a-d-o-r-e, called Mi Casa (I believe). I don't remember where I got the milk carton template from, but I do remember it was not a Cricut project. It was a good old fashioned printout I had to trace...wow, lol. I simply added a roof, an "opening", and a bird to complete the birdhouse look. I filled the carton with candies before sealing it up on the bottom. Sweets for such a sweet friend!

I am going to see how many projects I have forgotten about and try to post them day by day. I'm excited to see what I'll find. My scrap style is always evolving and it's so neat to look back on older work. TFL and enjoy!