You learn something new every day...

Homemade marshmallows. wth? I can honestly say I had never thought of that one! I can further honestly say that I will probably not think of it again! lol. Well... for those of you sick puppies (lol) out there that want to bother with it, here's the link

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html

yikes. Let me know how that works out for you... :)

OK... I should get to work now.

Love Christmas!!!

Who else is sooooo excited about Christmas?? I am so into the spirit this year. Poor Hubby... my crafts have overtaken the house! I just can't stop making things! I can't wait to post them all here.... Snowflake ornaments, beaded garlands, jingle bells with bows, icicles, ice cube ornaments, tiny snowmen, and coming soon.... Mason Jar Snowmen! As soon as I can find some Mason jars that is! I haven't gotten to do much shopping, but I have enjoyed the little bit I have been able to do. I have been waaay more interested in making things for home. I have really been in the warm, fuzzy, make home a shiny, sparkly, lovely place to be kind of mode. I know that a lot of you understand the wonderful feeling that comes from surrounding your loved ones with things you have made. It's like homemade chocolate chip cookies.... only NONFAT!!! I don't think the DH gets it... I think he just sees the incredible mess I make! Oh, well... after 11 years of marriage, he should NOT be surprised. So... if you see any adorable Christmas decor that you think I MUST make, then send me a pic!

Johanna.... would you post your yummy Snowman project on your blog??? Too cute.

PRODUCT PICK and TIP OF THE WEEK

Right now I am seriously in love with making home made Christmas Ornaments, so I am quite taken with beads and all things shiny. Ok, so that's nothing new...

However.... Ranger has some new DISTRESSED Stickles available. Very classy. Not sparkly, but still shimmery enough to keep my inner Tinkerbell happy. lol - those of you who know me will understand that COMPLETELY.

Of course, you can get them at Mimi's Trunk in Berryville. She has a few left. Something else you should check out there is the American Crafts and Imaginisce Christmas Paper. Very cute, and plenty of shiny to go around.

As for the tip of the "week" lol, just challenge yourself to create something that your family can enjoy for years to come. I made a Karen Foster Countdown Calendar for my kids - using Imaginisce Snowy Jo paper... (Calendar, paper and embellies available at Mimi's Trunk, and Scrapbook Junkie for the Houston shoppers.) I will post my pics soon. :)

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Ok, I digress.... I can't keep up with the weekly thing.... JOHANNA... So here is the quote of the MONTH. As great as it is, it should really be the quote of the YEAR!


There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries. ~W.J. Cameron

Ok, this was cute. And pretty accurate too. I saw it on another blog while googling for handmade ornament ideas. Take the test and post your results/comments!

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

You Should Have a Purple Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent a time of creativity and expression. There's no way you'd do something bland simply for tradition's sake. You are an independent person, and you definitely do the holidays your own way. And you're decadent enough to go way over the top with any unusual holiday ideas you have. Your purple tree would look great with: Purple lights and ornaments You should spend Christmas Eve watching: A Christmas Story What you should bake for Santa: "Kitchen sink" cookies - with a ton of things in them

Weekend Inspiration Project

This is definitely one of those things that makes me smile. I love my "new" chandelier in my scraproom. It's so funny now that I stood forever staring at this old, dusty, brass $3 fixture laying on the grass at a yard sale, wondering if I could make something of it. I couldn't be happier with the results. Of course, I had to share. And since it's been ages since I posted, I thought I owed some yummy eye candy to my one once loyal reader out there. lol. So, hereit is, in all it's glory. Lavished with Krylon Ballet Slipper Pink paint and 108" of shining pink, brown, silver and clear acrylic, glass and metal beads. I love that in the end, I have this beauty hanging above my favorite seat in the house. Talk about an inspiration piece!

Chandelier $3.00

Spray Paint $2.97

Mounting Crossbar $4.76

Fishing Line - 13 lb test - $0.00 (swiped from hubby) Chandelier Crystals $1.00

Beads $15.00

Ceiling Medallion $8.96

Stiff neck from the inablility to remove my eyes from my new prize: PRICELESS

Yeah, you knew it was coming... lol. Now, go make something!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."

~Franklin P. Jones

Antsy for Adjectives!

I need input. I am working on layouts with adjectives to describe each of my children. The catch? They have to start with their initial. So, all of you vocab junkies out there, weigh in on this. I need adj's for Brooke (blonde and boisterous), Peyton (Precious and precocious) and Noah (Neat and non-stop). Those of you who know them will find this easier than those who don't, I am sure. So, bust out those dictionaries and get to work!

PRODUCT PICK AND TIP OF THE WEEK!

My product pick this week is KOKUYO adhesive. I have been a hard core HERMA DOTTO user for a few years, but I have made the switch. It's reasonably priced, easy to refill, adheres really well, and goes on like butta'! Besides, I got REALLY SICK of having to de-gunk and refeed my HERMA dispenser. You can get your stash of KOKUYO at Mimi's Trunk in Berryville and Croppin' Bug in Texas City. AND... I can even offer a celebrity endorsement... lol. Ali Edwards uses KOKUYO, and as so aptly put by my dear friend Heather.... "If it's good enough for Ali..." :) happy scrappin'

As for the tip of the week...

When you create a scrapbook page, why not make a sketch of it and include the measurements for the pieces of paper and photos? (Look for some of mine.... coming soon.) This way you will build your own library of sketches, and it makes packing for a crop super easy. Since I scrap for 3 kids, myself and my mom, I find it makes scrapping a LOT faster! Sometimes, I make the first page, sketch it out and pack eveything I need to duplicate it into page kits. This way I am always ready to go crop with a friend! (And I don't have to concentrate on scrapping so hard, so I can YAK more!)

Weekend Fun!

I finally did it! My photos and scrapbooks are FINALLY 100% organized! For those of you who haven't seen the boxes of 4x6 prints and the 12,000 pics on my PC, this may not seem like much of an accomplishment. But it is! I have successfully emptied EVERY box of photos for the kids books, chronologically organized the leftovers, and tagged all the digitals in Adobe PSE!! WOOHOO! I was on such a roll that I completed 3 layouts (with over 30 photos!) last night! So... how are your photos??? MOM???? I have to add that I accomplished all of this, caught up my laundry, cleaned my house AND had two sick kiddos this weekend! Yeah, I feel a little like SUPERMOM right now!

Bad Blogger!

I know, I have been a BAD BLOGGER! The kids just got home, and we have been so busy getting everything back in order. I haven't scrapped a stitch in days! I am feeling very inspired to scrap though!! Brooke made a page for me while she was gone this summer, and I was SO IMPRESSED! Seriously. I was so proud of her design! I was really pleased to see her blossoming into a real scrapper. She hasn't ever really TRIED before. She just threw her pics onto a piece of paper and journaled. Of course, I was OK with that. It still "captures life", right? And now, she is "creating art"! I will post it ASAP, and you can all help me decide what to do with it! I kinda want to submit it, but don't know the best place to do so. I've seen kid's work published once...

PRODUCT PICK and TIP OF THE WEEK

AMERICAN CRAFTS SLICK WRITERS (Fresh stash available at Mimi's Trunk!)

If you looked at (A), Ali Edwards's blog today (the link is to the right), you will see she journaled directly on the photo. I love doing this! It's a great way to squeeze in journaling, fill white space in a photo and sometimes, cover less than attractive clutter in a photograph. Ali used a Precision Pen for her journaling, but I routinely use the AMERICAN CRAFTS SLICKWRITERS, especially for photos. Black and Brown in FINE and MEDIUM points are ESSENTIAL, and at about $2 each, they won't obliterate your scrap allowance! They will write on anything and are GREAT for coloring on stickers. I use them ALL THE TIME to make my alpha stickers match my page or to use up all those Basic Grey Alpha stickers I have hiding out in my stash. They were created for slick surfaces where other ink won't dry. So, for those of you who don't have any... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? And for those of you who have already discovered them, add a couple more colors to your stash.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"With little boys, cleanliness is not next to godliness. It's next to impossible."

CHALLENGE

So, we survived Edouard! Just a lot of rain...
And, no, I didn't make a scrap page with only office supplies. But I am going to. So here's your first challenge. Create a page with only office supplies. I am going to allow you to cheat a little. You may use one 12x12 sheet of patterned paper or cardstock, and one other "non-office supply" item. E-mail your pages to me and I will post them all here.

Stupid Storms, Chemists and Workaholic Husbands!

Ok, so I am whining. (There's your disclosure... if you don't want to "hear" it, you should stop reading right now!) I am mad, dissappointed, and in general IN A BAD MOOD. I was supposed to be scrapping today, but instead hubby decided we should go to the office since the tropical storm took a northern turn. HIS OFFICE, that is (did I mention that his entire staff took the day off???) I was really looking forward to a rainy day at home. Work from home for a bit (my office is closed), then paint and scrap the rest of the day. Instead, I am working remote from his office on a PC with no printer and it must be 50 degrees in here. So, I am reading a gazillion resumes from a gazillion chemists, with a gazillion industry terms that I don't have a clue as to what they mean! I SO had this all worked out! And now, I am stuck in DOWTOWN HOUSTON. And the promise of, "come with me, I'll take you for breakfast" turned into the offer of a McDonald's breakfast sandwich or a taco from the scary convenience store down the road. Needless to say, I AM STARVING!! That crap is SO not worth the calories! So, the worst of the rain and wind from the storm is not here yet, and if we lose power.... I will be stuck here with NO SCRAP SUPPLIES! Somebody send the RED CROSS with a relief package!! lol. Johanna, could you have a box air dropped to me??? lol. Does anybody want to see the page I create with office supplies when I get desperate later? Paper clips and Scotch Tape! So, there is my hostile rant for the morning! Back to the chemistry lingo for me. I feel a little better now. Or maybe not. Have a good one, everyone!

Action Packed Weekend!

We had a very full weekend that started with Heritage Park Baptist Church's First Friday Craft Night (whew! that's a mouthful). The evening was great! I was able to spend several hours visiting and cropping with a group of wonderful ladies. They were gracious enough to invite me to come share some style and technique with them (I plan to post some of the material later). It was a little reminder of how much I love to share with others that share my obsession! I really had a great time, and then got to stay up until 1am cropping with Amy. Saturday was more cropping while Wayne worked on the pool for the 4th day in a row. It all started with changing a light bulb... aarrgghh. $350.00 later, the pump is running again, but still no light.

Now, Eduoard is on the way. Hurricane watch and tornado watches today and tomorrow. Supposed to make landfall tomorrow morning. So, if nothing else, I will be scrapping by candlelight! How romantic, right? lol.

Sunday held photo organization and painting Brooke's room. Going completely Hannah Montana with this one... I'll post pics as it comes along.

Here I Am!

Welcome to My Scrapbook Studio! I created this blog to serve as a network for me, my friends, and all the new wonderful people I am sure I will encounter in the virtual scrapbook world. I'm new to this, but wanted to have a place to share tips, techniques and inspiration. Whether you are here to share or just to browse, I'm glad to have you. I will try to regularly post scrapbook information and welcome your input. Of course, there will be the everyday ramblings of a scrapbooking mother of three!! lol.