Remember me mentioning my desire to dive back into scrapbooking? To rekindle that love affair for it when I was a design team member for an online scrapbooking site. To revisit the passion I shared with so many others...back when attending scrapbooking conferences was cool and I met this superstar.

Scrapbooking conferences and retreats have been replaced with blogging-focused events over the last five or so years as a direct result of scrapbooking having taken a backseat to creative pursuits. I've watched so many of my favorite scrapbooking stores close down over the years and have sadly watched the scrapbooking aisles in my favorites craft stores shrink from 3 to 4 full aisles down to only one - maybe two.  

But change is coming friends!  I'm seeing a clear shift and it's been

CRAFT | Amy Tangerine Plus One Paper Crafting Collection

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This project post is a part of a paid marketing campaign with Snap. 

Although this post is sponsored the project idea and all opinions expressed are my own.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I'm super excited to be sharing lots of eye candy today!

I was fortunate enough to have been selected to try out some of the new adorable Amy Tangerine Plus One Paper Craft Collection.

Before I show you what I ended up doing…I want to show you how seriously cute these products are! 

Amy Tangerine Whittles

(adorable decorative  mini wooden clothespins)

Amy Tangerine Alphabet Embroidery Stencil Kit

for incorporating easy stitching elements into your paper crafting, t-shirts, tote bags, scrapbooking, etc.

More pieces of the Amy Tangerine Alphabet Embroidery Stencil Kit
orange pad to protect surface when using the poking tool to pre-punch holes into your craft item 
along with some cute thread and needles.

Amy Tangerine Thread Kit
Extra thread colors to be used with the embroidery stencil kit

Amy Tangerine Roller Date Stamp and Mix Tape
A quick fun way to add a date and sentiment to any paper crafting project. 
And who doesn't love mini washi tapes in fun colors and cute designs?

Amy Tangerine Letter and Number Sticker Book
A fun way to add names, words, sentiments to your paper crafting projects

Amy Tangerine Roller Date Stamp, Mix Tape, Adhesive Bagdes and Fabric Brads
The adhesive badges are like those buttons we all know and love except they stick on instead of pin on.
Fabric brads are a simple way to add a pop of color to your scrapbooking page.

An even closer look...

Amy Tangerine Rub-Ons
Use the wooden popsicle stick to transfer these rub-ons onto your 
scrapbooking or other paper crafting projects. How fun are these?

Now that I've gotten your attention…before we dive into what I ended up making you need to know

the Amy Tangerine Plus One Paper Craft Collection will be for sale on HSN, on March 24th! Mark your calendars! This collection was the top selling signature line released in Winer 2014 and sold out in most stores and online. I'm telling you this because when the Amy Tangerine Plus One is up for grabs on the 24th at HSN there will be FIVE discounted bundles starting at just under $20 bucks…so I have a feeling they'll be selling like hotcakes.

The bundles will include a basic kit, embroidery kit, embellishment kit and a stamping kit.

BONUS: The sold out Plus One Project Life Mini Kit will also be available at a discounted rate.

Let me show you what the kits look like…

Amy Tangerine Plus One Kit

Amy Tangerine Stamp and Marker Kit

Amy Tangerine Embellishment Kit

Amy Tangerine Embroidery Stencil Kit

Amy Tangerine Plus One Project Life Kit

If you are into paper crafting and scrapbooking you've got to be completely excited right about now!
So again…DON'T MISS THE SALE ON MARCH 24TH ON HSN!!

OKAY...TIME TO REVEAL MY PROJECTS

For my first project, I was inspired to use the beautiful coordinating Amy Tangerine Plus One 12x12 acid-free paper to create this…

"XOXO Before You Go" - 15x30 Canvas Art Print

This is a new little sentiment we have started saying around our house…inspired by the "Hands-Free Mama" book I've been reading. It's a gentle reminder to kiss and hug each other before leaving or going about our day.

All I did to create all of those colorful hearts was use THIS HEART CRAFT PUNCH 
and almost every sheet of pretty decorative paper from the Amy Tangerine Plus One 12x12 pad.
(The gold glitter hearts are from my own personal stash)

After letting the "XOXO Before You Go" sentiment dry after painting it onto the canvas using black acrylic paint, I filled the rest of the canvas up with the paper hearts. I layed them out to figure out placement before gluing them on. I then added a little Amy Tangerine Adhesive Badge - the pink one with the house and heart was too perfect for the finishing touch…don't you think?

For some added texture, I pulled the sides of each heart away from the canvas so they looked 3 dimensional. I decided to leave the gold ones flat since the glitter card stock was thicker and I personally think it adds a little more interest. (that's the artist in me talking - ha!) 

Simple, right? Canvas + Pretty Paper Hearts + cute sentiment = Instant Home Decor. I love it.

You could even eliminate the sentiment altogether and just do a canvas filled with nothing but paper hearts!

So then…

it was time for my next project.

Although I was only asked to do one project, I really wanted to get my feet wet again with scrapbooking. It's been awhile and I've had the itch to get going again for some time so this was the perfect excuse to dive back into it!

I decided to use a photo from Ella's birthday photo shoot since the colors from her Rainbow Unicorn Birthday Party blended perfectly with the color scheme of the Amy Tangerine Plus One products. Yay!!

Do you love it? I think it turned out really, really cute!

Here's a bit of my process…

I used an 8x10 piece of white card stock as the foundation for my scrapbooking page because I knew I wanted to actually frame (without glass) and hang this when I was done.

I first figured out where my photo was going to go and then I built my layout/design around it. I used this stencil from the Alphabet Embroidery Stencil Kit to poke holes into my white card stock.

I stitched the thread onto my paper using the colors to match the cute rainbow colors from Ella's party.

I then added two black arrows from one of the rub-on sheets. 

TIP: See the extra pieces of rub ons I accidentally transferred onto my paper? (see below)  Look above and below the black arrows. Those of course weren't supposed to be there. Oops! No biggie. I ended up using a white eraser to remove those. It worked like a charm. I rubbed gently but firmly until they were gone to avoid damaging my paper.

See…the extra rub ons magically disappeard. So then I got my black ink pad and stamped "love love love" right underneath the arrows using the Amy Tangerine Date Stamp.  Just because I thought it was cute!

The words "Look…she's five" are handwritten 

and then I added some gold glitter mini hearts I punched from gold glitter card stock. 

The Amy Tangerine adhesive badge was a really cute accent and the criss cross lines in it matched the word "Look". 

I added the Amy Tangerine Whittles to the layout using Glue Dots and inserted hand cut strips of paper with Ella's name, the date Ella turned five and a couple more stamps from the Date Stamp.

I added some strips of the Mix Tape to two corners of Ella's photo and there you go…my very first "come-back" scrapbooking layout in about 7 years and Ella's very first scrapbooking page EVER - thanks to Amy Tangerine + American Crafts.

I love how it turned out and Ella was delighted to see it when it was finished.

It's definitely been awhile since I've scrapbooked like this.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy it and how relaxing it is to get creative in this way.

I've been inspired to create a birthday album for Ella.

Now…to get that layout framed and hung will be my next project so I can call it officially finished!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

1. I messed up on the first canvas when painting the words on it. I had to start a whole new canvas.

2. Ema was jealous that I chose to do a scrapbooking page for Ella instead of her when she's the one that's been begging me to get back into it for a couple of years now. She just LOVES looking at the ones I made for her and Clara. Despite her jealousy she gave me a thumbs up on Ella's! *wink*
3. My studio is a freaking disaster area right now from these fun projects! Ha! *blushing*

LIFE | Father Daughter Dance

Ella's very first Father Daughter Dance was on Saturday night - the day after Valentine's Day.

She was a bundle of nerves for some reason and did NOT want to sit still for pictures.

I managed to snap a few good photos and I wanted to share with you the adorable handmade corsage and boutonniere I made for her and her daddy to wear for their special night.  The school was selling fresh flower versions for $30 bucks a pop *gasp* so I decided to make my own. I knew immediately I would incorporate the DIY paper flowers I recently shared with all of you and they took me a total of 30 minutes to put together! I think they turned out perfect! and darling! PLUS…Ella can keep them forever as a reminder of her special night with her daddy.

This was Ella getting irritated with the photo-taking...

and here she is…done with photos and ready to head to the dance!

I've never been to one of these things, obviously, but I hear it's all about the dancing and desserts! Come to think of it, isn't that what life is all about? *wink*

KEEPiNG iT REAL
J doesn't like his picture put on the blog…
just so you know why his head is cut off in every photo! *wink*

CRAFT | Ella's Rainbow Unicorn Birthday :: Thank You Cards

If you were wondering how I put together the Rainbow Unicorn Thank You Cards I first showed you last week…I've got all of the details for you today. It's not a complicated process at all but I wanted to share with you some insight into the reasons I packaged it just in case you decide to recreate these yourself.

Along with the Rainbow Unicorn Thank You Cards I gathered all of my supplies:

Ditto Dots washi tape // Tissue Confetti (info below) // Birthday Photos

Blank Business Cards (just something I happened to already have) // Pen // Clear Envelopes

I knew I wanted clear envelopes because I wanted the coordinating confetti to show along with the fun graphic of the Thank You Card - and Ella's cute signature.

However, because I didn't want Ella's photo to show for everyone at the Post Office to see I just put it face down against the backside of the Thank You Card. (If you are concerned that the ink from your handwritten personalized message on your Thank You Card will transfer to your photo during the mailing process you can insert a thin piece of tissue paper trimmed to size to put between the ink and photo to help protect it). I didn't need to do that because I wrote the cards at least a week before I finally inserted the photos and got them mailed out - so the ink was good and dry.

MAKE YOUR OWN TISSUE PAPER CONFETTI

Making the tissue paper confetti was one of the fun steps of the whole process! It's super easy too! Simply make sure your tissue paper is folded several times and use a paper craft punch. If you have never tried this I bet you are thinking it's going to get all jammed in your craft punch. Trust me…it cuts like butter. Now…if your tissue paper isn't thick enough - not so much! *wink*

I chose to use a 3/4" Paper Punch for the Thank You Card Confetti but you could use any size you want! The tissue confetti used to fill the inside of Ella's Birthday Balloon was created with a 1" circle paper punch - which was just a little bit bigger and to be honest…I bought the balloon confetti pre-punched from Shop Sweet Lulu. I also happened to purchase the bundle of assorted tissue paper seen below from the same place and then made my own for the Thank You Cards.

Choosing which photo of Ella to include with the Thank You Card was the hardest part for me. I ended up just letting Ella decide! Which helped keep her involved in the whole Thank You Card process. Originally I was going to just use shipping labels for addressing the envelopes, (and you could totally do that), BUT…I wanted to use a little washi tape as an accent and I wasn't sure if it would stay attached to the outside of the envelope. So, I had a really old package of leftover blank business cards (the ones that you use for printing your own business cards from home - does anyone do that anymore?). If the Thank You Card was being hand-delivered then I only wrote the person's name. (as seen below). I taped the addressed blank business cards to the back of Ella's photo using the cute washi tape. I slid it into the envelope and then added the confetti. I liked the size of this confetti because it wasn't too small - which would have more of a potential to cause a mess upon opening…if you know what I mean!

I LOVE snail mail, people! It's absolutely one of my favorite things. And I especially love preparing invitations and the such in a fun, fabulous way. It will never get old for me. Seriously.
This technique is simple yet significant. (if you saw my Instagram post today you'd know exactly what that means). I hope you'll get yourself some clear envelopes for mailing out your next set of invitations or thank you cards. Love them!

SOURCES:
Rainbow Unicorn Thank You Card
Solid Tissue for DIY confetti
Tissue Confetti pre-punched
Clear envelopes
Washi Tape


KEEPiNG iT REAL
I had a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend by the way. I hope you all did too.
Aside from being spoiled with gift cards to some of my favorite places, J and I enjoyed a last-minute dinner at a local Italian restaurant that proved to be exceptional. While we were out, Ella was at the church fully engaged in making cupcakes and cards to present to us when we returned. So sweet.

Clara planned a big fancy night out with her girlfriends that don't have boyfriends. *wink* They got all dressed up and had dinner together at Olive Garden before heading out to see the new movie Endless Summer. She even went and got a pedicure and manicure for the big night along with a new dress! I just LOVE that she did that. She had it planned for months and was so excited about it and get this…she paid for every single cent of it! 

I will be sharing the sweet details from the "memory-making event" Ella and J had together on Saturday night! Stay tuned!

WIN IT | Core'dinations Giveaway

You guys KNOW how much I LOVE PAPER CRAFTING so when I heard about this awesome giveaway sponsored by Core'dinations I just had to share it with you!

There are 3 different awesome prizes up for grabs and all you need to do is take THIS brief survey about shopping for paper crafting supplies and you'll be entered to win. That's all there is to it.

I already took the survey myself and I think there were only 14 easy questions to answer. I'm all about giving my opinions and feedback if it's going to make a difference in products and items made available in the stores I shop in. And heck yes! I'd love the opportunity to win something just for participating!

Here are the THREE prizes up for grabs for the THREE winners that will be randomly selected:
1st prize: A basket filled with $500 worth of paper crafts
2nd prize:  $100 Jo-Ann's gift card
3rd prize: $50 Jo-Ann's gift card

Here are the rules:
*Winners must be 18 years or older to be eligible to win. Winners will receive a paper crafting basket worth $500, a $100 Jo-Ann’s gift card or a $50 Jo-Ann’s gift card. No substitutions. No purchase necessary. This giveaway ends February 16th, 2014 Midnight EST. Winners will be chosen randomly and notified via email address provided in entry form, by 2/18/14.

GO HERE TO ENTER TO WIN!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I really do love giving my opinion on things that matter to me. And paper crafting happens to me one of my favorite things. Taking this survey was a no brainer for me!

CRAFT | Easy Handmade Heart Doilies

You guys are soooo going to LOVE me for this super easy Valentine's Day idea!
I'm sharing the details on how make the most sweet and simple Valentine's Day DIY over on the SNAP! blog today!

You can literally whip up 10-15 of these paper napkin heart doilies in less than 30 minutes.
Be sure to head over to SNAP! to check out the step-by-step directions.

I also wanted to quickly mention how fabulous the Pinterest Party was last night in celebration of the launch of Kelly Lyden's brand new book: Stylish Kids' Parties.

There were over 400 pins posted in one hour. The Stylish Kids' Parties Board is now filled with awesome party ideas for kids!!  If you missed it…be sure to check it out! LOVED all of the inspiration that was shared by so many talented party stylists and bloggers!

KEEPiNG iT REAL 
(Wow! This part ended up being longer than my actual post). *blushing*

I was inspired to make these paper napkin heart doilies after seeing them on Martha Stewart. I have to tell you though…the video tutorial from Martha Stewart was less than desirable. She spent the first  full 2 minutes ranting about how employees should be more supportive of their employers during these tough economic times and it really put me off. I interpreted it right away as being passive aggressive and sure enough she ends it by mentioning how one of her own employees misrepresented the Martha Stewart Company on social media. I was seriously embarrassed for Martha. THEN, the next 2+ minutes she shares her MUST-HAVE shampoo and conditioner that she personally uses everyday. The thing of it is…the shampoo and conditioner she is promoting is around $20/bottle and when she admits to also using it on her DOGS I about fell over in my chair.  I don't know…maybe it's just me but mentioning "tough economic times" and then promoting expensive hair products (for canines too) within the same 5 minutes just didn't seem like a good call? Yikes! I have no idea how old the video is but regardless…I was quite stunned and disappointed. I wanted to point all of this out because I wanted to site the original source of inspiration but wanted to also prepare you for the first 5 minutes of the video.

Anyway, on top of that…the actual video tutorial was confusing to me and I must've cut 10 different napkins before figuring it out on my own.  I think the tutorial I put together is much easier to understand! *wink* Ella and I made the heart doilies together and it was so fun to see all of the variations we could come up with! It was like magic. Of course Ella was bored after a few minutes but I just kept going as if I were Edward Scissorhands until I had a ridiculous amount to photograph for the post! Ha!

SHARE | FREE Valentine's Day Printables :: Skip to my Lou

Hi all!!
I'm sharing another FREE Valentine's Day printable today!
This time, instead of something for a classroom valentine exchange, I've got something to spoil the teacher or someone else you love!

I love how this gift card envelope has more dimension with the addition of the felt heart.
And of course I love the play on words between "heartfelt" and "felt heart". *wink*


I LOVE giving sweet treats to teachers…baked goods, candy, etc. You KNOW that's my thing.
But I know teachers are absolutely bombarded with it and their hips probably don't appreciate it much. *wink*
I think gift cards are the best - even if it's only $5 bucks! I know some people think gift cards are  impersonal but I think creating a DIY gift card envelope like this one helps bridge that gap…don't you?


You can get the fun download RIGHT HERE!
There is lots of other eye candy to get lost in over at Skip to My Lou so plan to visit awhile over there!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Honestly…I think a cute cupcake WITH this gift card envelope using a gift card to my favorite cupcake shop will probably be what I end up doing for Ella's teacher. I can't help myself! *wink* This cupcake box might be just what I need to package it all together!

SHARE | Her Story Begins Art Print :: Kleinworth and Co.

I had the opportunity recently to do a guest blog post for Kleinworth & Co. and I decided to do a motivational art print to kick off the New Year! I had not had the privilege of knowing Gina, the wife, mother and blogger behind Kleinworth & Co.  until our paths crossed from us both being contributors now for...

SHARE | DIY Paper Flowers : SNAP! Creativity

Aside from selecting my One Little Word for 2014...
I've also been having fun getting creative and crafty.

Take for instance these super easy DIY paper flowers I created using some scrapbooking paper, scissors and some hot glue.

Easy DIY Paper Flowers

I've been adding them to mirrors and frames and I plan to...

CELEBRATE | Sparkly New Year's Eve Food Flags

Two days until Christmas everyone!!
Are you ready? I've still got a few more presents to get, how about you?

While you are finishing up your last minute Christmas preparations, be sure to pin this cute idea for your New Year's Eve celebrations that will surely sneak up on you! (or am I the only one that happens to?)

You really don't want to get caught without some sort of sparkle for your NYE plans!? Am I right?
These sparkly food tags I'm sharing on SNAP! today are so easy you can whip these up in less than 30 minutes! And of course - you get the FREE printable too!!

See you over on the SNAP! Blog!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
No lights on the house this year but let's focus on the positive:
We did go to Santa's Christmas Tree Forest again this year (about 3 weeks ago) to get our tree. (although as we were trying to leave, Clara and Ema decided they were too old to go this year which really upset me.  Determined to make them regret their choice for not going, I was all set on coming home with the most scraggly "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree ever but I ended up just settling on a small tree. I also tried to have Ella and I eat the entire bag of kettle corn, (one of my favorite parts of the whole "picking out a christmas tree" process), before we got home so I wouldn't have to share any with the Clara and Ema!) Ha!
The Christmas tree is fully decorated.
Stockings are hung.
Almost all of the presents are wrapped.
Stuart has been popping up in unexpected places every day…keeping an eye out on all of us.
We had our annual Cookie Baking with my aunt Susan and cousins Kalie and Beau. I missed my mom joining us this year because she was up in North Carolina helping out her sister, my aunt Joyce, who's husband had a stroke in October.
The girls and I went to see the Nutcracker together this weekend. (although the mood was almost completely ruined by a heated discussion Ema and I got into right before we left - ugh!! AND this year's performance was called "Clara's Dream" and it actually seemed like more of a recital than an actual "production" PLUS there was never one mention of the Nutcracker? Not even one? Unless you count the nutcracker garland Clara and her mom hung on the tree together? Weird.
We also took Ella to see a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Musical on Saturday afternoon. She LOVED it. It was actually much more entertaining and impressive than the Nutcracker. Hmm?