I’ve never used packaged die cuts until this week, and I’m a new fan. I got the summery/travel Citronella package from K & Company and have loved using it because it makes my pages go lots faster. Having all the designs and colors already done for you makes choosing a color scheme lots easier to because you start with something to work around.

I came up with this simple page (that still needs journaling), and I love how easy it was to slap some of the die cuts on there. The double border on the left side is made with another Ek Success edger punch. (I went to Michaels yesterday and saw that there are some new edger punches out from Ek Success, and they’re beautiful!)

I would definitely say that using packaged die cuts are a great way to save time and create your pages faster. Sometimes I don’t want to have to think about what kinds of embellishments to use, and it’s nice not to always have to.

I also got the Citronella journal pad with tons of cute little journaling cards that I can’t wait to use. I’m still a little afraid to use my own handwriting on my pages, but I’m going to try and get over that and use this journal pad. My handwriting is all part of the whole essence of my life that I’m trying to scrapbook, right? Right…

What products do you use to speed up your creativity?

• Ek Success Edger Punches
• New Products from EK Success
• CRAFT GIVEAWAY! Tools & Supplies from EK Success (CLOSED)
• EK Success & Cuttlebug Spotlight
• Scrapbooking Captions on Vellum

1. Swiss Cheese Edger Punch

2. Beach Edger Punch

3. Dinosaurs Edger Punch

Some of my other favorites include Scallop Diamond, Candles, Parisian, and Dotted Wave. I probably use one of these punches on almost every card or page I make!

What’s your most recent favorite scrapbooking tool?

• EK Success & Cuttlebug Spotlight
• New Products from EK Success
• Ready-to-Use Die Cuts
• Creative Memories Shape Makers
• Not Your Mamma’s Hole Punch…

So I’ve been making collages like crazy, and maybe I’m daft for not thinking of this sooner, but you can also print your collages! Duh. I’ve always looked at scrapbooking magazines with all those tiny pictures and wondered how they did it. Cropping, sure, but I think they also have non-standard picture sizes as well. I was racking my brain trying to figure out how they did it, and a week or two ago it hit me that I could print my collages to get smaller pictures in lots of different sizes. Brilliant!

Here are a few I’ve done recently:

I love that I can now fit way more pictures on my 8 1/2″ x 11″ pages and I can arrange them in so many more and different ways. What size photos do you like working with, and how do you print them?

• Scrapbooking Captions on Vellum
• Scrapbooking Help
• Make Your Own Envelopes
• Scrapbooking My Way
• Blog Giveaway - Creative Memories & Gorillapod

Shade is giving away a swim suit (winner’s choice) to one reader!

MY REVIEW

Can you believe it’s July already! I can’t believe 2009 is halfway over - where has the summer gone? The warm weather has passed me by too quickly so far, and I am going to make up for it in July and August with some more time at the pool in my Shade swimsuit.

You all know how I feel about Shade, and this summer I got to try out my first Shade swimsuit. Just like all of other Shade clothing lines, they carry a handful of basic and classy styles in a few different prints, so it’s easy to find something that you’ll love.

My number 1 favorite thing about Shade swim suits is the honest to goodness bra in the tankini. I’m not overly busty, but I like me a supportive bra in a swimsuit, especially when I’m nursing. And the fabric is thick and just feels substantial, like you’re really covered with fabric that will hold its shape and won’t disintegrate after a summer at the pool.

I got the gorgeous plum suit up there, but it was a tough choice. Those are my 5 favorites. Can I have 5 favorites? I can’t wait to see what Shade’s swim collection looks like next summer!

Thanks, Shade!

GIVEAWAY RULES

• Visit ShadeClothing.com
• Leave a comment telling me your favorite Shade swim suit before midnight Thursday, July 9.
• A winner will be selected and announced in a new post on Friday.
• Only one comment per person unless you earn extra entries.
• Giveaway open only to residents of the continental United States…sorry.

EARN EXTRA ENTRIES

You may earn 1 extra entry each for doing the following (make a separate comment for each thing you do):

• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about this contest with link back here (copy and paste http://www.vanillajoy.com right into the text box)
• Subscribe to my feed
• Sign up for my newsletter
• Add my button to your sidebar
• Comment on any non-contest post (must contribute to the conversation)
• Facebook about the contest

GOOD LUCK and THANKS, Shade!

• Bright Side T-Shirt Giveaway from Shade Clothing
• Baby Giveaway #7 — Buzz About Baby Nursing Covers
• Summer Kickoff Giveaway — Sport-Brella from SKLZ
• GIVEAWAY - Pattern from Bugga Bugs: “Heart Felt Fun”
• Kids’ Gear Giveaway #21 - Water Rush Quarry from Step2 (CLOSED)

Here are the winners of this week’s giveaways:

#6 - BabyBorn Original Carrier Spirit: Linda Geertsen, who said, “I like the Active in brown/beige.”

#7 - Buzz About Baby: Virginia G, who said, “I am having baby #2 in December and left my last nursing cover on an airplane - this would be great! Thanks!”

#8 - Nowali Moccasins: Andrea Burt, who said, “This seem like they might actually stay on my baby’s feet. I think the confetti ones are really cute. These are great!”

#9 - Redmon Pacifier Sanitizer: Katie, who said, “I would love to win this because I’ve always been very wary about the sanitation of pacifiers. They are constantly dropped, thrown, or lost. I’ve never heard of this product, but I think it’s something every parent should have!”

#10 - Packin’ Smart: Juliet, who said, “I love the idea of using these for scrapbooking embellishments and of course for kids snacks. Each section is like a little bowl, which would be great for portioning things out for my kids.”

Thanks to all our sponsors this week! And congratulations to the winners. Come back next week for a fun summer giveaway. Happy 4th!

• Baby Giveaway #9 — Redmon Pacifier Sanitizer
• Baby Giveaway #10 — Packin’ Smart
• Kids’ Gear Giveaway #12 — Fridge & TV Guard from Parent Units
• Craft Giveaway Week Starts Monday!
• WINNERS!!! - Digital Scrapbooking & Tool/Storage Giveaways

I love summer desserts, and berries are the perfect colors for patriotic treats! I found lots of fantastic 4th of July treat recipes and ideas from Better Homes & Gardens that are simple and refreshing - perfect for this 4th of July!

1. Red, White, and Blueberry Ice Cream Dessert
2. Out-and-About Cheesecake
3. Berry-Lemon Napoleon
4. Red, White, and Blueberry Shortcake
5. Red, White, and Blue Parfaits
6. Chocolate Berry Meringue

I’ll take one of each, please…HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

• Halloween Muffins
• Pie Making Series Part III: Cream Cheese Pie
• Day 5: Goody Plates
• Selecting Fruits and Veggies Part 2: Berries
• Valentine’s Treats

Want to get a free Shade cami? Sign up for the Shade weekly email through July 9 and you  can get one for free! (You do have to pay shipping, but $5.95 for a cami isn’t bad.) You can also get $10 off your next purchase if you get 5 friends to sign up. Good deal, huh?

• Shade Swim Giveaway
• Spotlight: Shade Holiday Graphic Tees
• Craft Organization
• WINNER! - See Kai Run Giveaway
• Super Saturday

SUPPLIES

• clear glass rocks (round on top, flat on bottom)
• 3/4″ disc magnets
• pretty paper
• glue gun
• craft glue

1. Put a large dollop of craft glue on the flat side of the glass rock. Place the rock glue side down on some pretty paper and rub in a circle to spread the glue out so there’s only a thin layer between the rock and the paper. You don’t want the glue to be too thick.

2. Let dry for several hours.

3. Cut the excess paper off so you can’t see any paper sticking out from the front side.

4. Using a hot glue gun, glue the magnet to the back of the rock.

5. Let dry several hours before using.

My 2 year old helped me with this little project, so you can definitely include your children. I put the glue on and let him stick it to the page - he loved it!

I love seeing my pretty magnets every time I open the fridge! Happy 4th!

{photo taken with a Canon Rebel XSi}

• How to Make a Jewelry Organizer
• This to That - Glue Advice
• Milk Jug Containers
• Pretty Clipboard
• CRAFT GIVEAWAY! DOTnGO from Glue Dots (CLOSED)

To get ready for the 4th of July this year, we made pipe cleaner stars! This was a fun and very simple kids craft that my toddler and I did together. You’ll need pipe cleaners (we didn’t have red or white ones, so they’re not exactly patriotic colors, but that’s okay!) and string/twine.

When you’re finished, make a banner to hang from your window, or hang them separately from the bedroom ceiling or on the front door. Happy 4th!

{photo taken with a Canon Rebel XSi}

• Day 3 - Make Paper Snowflakes
• Day 4: Make Paper Snowflakes
• Birthday Bunting/Banner Tutorial
• Fleece Blanket Binding
• Canon EOS D Series

Giveaway #10 is for a set of 3 Packin’ Smart storage containers:

• 4 Tier Stack-N-Seal
• 5 Tier White Essentials
• 5 Tier Green Butterfly Essentials

MY REVIEW

If you were to look in my diaper bag before Packin’ Smart, you would have found several different types of containers (bowls, little tupperware and other plastic containers) spread all throughout the bag, some with stale and maybe even moldy snacks. Gross. I know. We had snacks buried and hidden like you wouldn’t believe. It was truly a pain, but when you have kids, you have to have snacks and I had no better solution at the time!

These Packin’ Smart containers have really cleaned up our diaper bag and have made those snacks easier to find. I love that you can carry 5 different kinds of snacks around in once little tower of snacky goodness. It’s brilliant and makes my job as a mother lots easier. The compartments are easy to separate but keep snacks fresh at the same time.

These handy stackable food storage containers make snacking fun for kids - my son loves to have all his little containers to choose from and eat out of. It has really made a difference in our trips to the store for sure since snacks are the way I keep him occupied while I’m shopping!

Packin’ Smart is great not only as a food container but also for small craft items like brads, buttons, beads, eyelets, etc., hair bows and barrettes, hardware (screws, washers, nails, etc.), small toys like marbles, and much much more. I’ve had a great time organizing all the different areas of my house and life with Packin Smart!

If you have kids, you have snacks, and if you have snacks, you need Packin’ Smart!

GIVEAWAY RULES

• Visit Packin’Smart.
• Leave a comment telling me what you would put in your Packin’ Smart containers before midnight Thursday, July 2.
• A winner will be selected and announced in a new post on Friday.
• Only one comment per person unless you earn extra entries.
• Giveaway open only to residents of the continental United States…sorry.

EARN EXTRA ENTRIES

You may earn 1 extra entry each for doing the following (make a separate comment for each thing you do):

• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about this contest with link back here (copy and paste http://www.vanillajoy.com right into the text box)
• Subscribe to my feed
• Sign up for my newsletter
• Add my button to your sidebar
• Comment on any non-contest post (must contribute to the conversation)
• Facebook about the contest

GOOD LUCK and THANKS, Packin’ Smart!

• GIVEAWAY - Pattern from Bugga Bugs: “Heart Felt Fun”
• Kitchen Giveaway! - Cansolidator Pantry by Shelf Reliance
• Kids’ Gear Giveaway #9 — 9″ Portable DVD Player from Audiovox (CLOSED)
• RANDOM GIVEAWAY - Dr. Mom Essential Oil Kit from doTERRA
• Kids’ Gear Giveaway #10 — Scenera Convertible Car Seat from Cosco (CLOSED)