New Header!

The new header is finished and installed!!! Or let's just hope it is...

Well, what do you think? I can't even tell you the hours and emails I wrote to accomplish this!

I am way better at creating with actual supplies...not digital ones.

I can digi scrap though...just the computer stuff I am clueless about!

More new bloggy stuff on the way...

Merry Christmas 2010!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and

Happy Festivus for the rest of us!!

We have all opened presents and now we move onto the feats of strength!

(Wasn't Seinfeld great!)

Seriously though, our bellies are full, and the boys are building Lego cities and having Nerf warfare!

And to think I was never going to buy guns for my boys! Ha. That was before I actually had boys and found out they make guns and knives out of everything...

It is so true...Sticks, rocks and even grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Yep, #2 son actually ate his sandwich in the form of a handgun. Quite creative, no? 

Happy times and great memories!! Enjoy the day and hug your loved ones!

P.S. I have been creating so many paper and ribbon roses...I can't stop...

Kathy

Merry Christmas...Almost!

Welcome my blog followers,

I hope you are all snug as a bug! It is quite blistery these days.

That wind goes right to the bone....

Here are some holiday goodies I have been working on...

Most people just LOVE chocolate covered pretzels. They are so easy to make!

I used almond bark (vanilla or chocolate) and the pretzel rods for these yummies.

The secret to almond bark is to cook it very, very slowly, on LOW heat! (You can also microwave it but I haven't tried that for a big batch yet.)

I break it into smaller chunks and start the cooking!

Remember-LOW HEAT!

Next, I added peppermint oil, NOT extract, to the melted almond bark. 

It has to be an oil based flavoring or it won't set up.

The next step is to dip away!

You can dip pretzels, cookies, candy canes, brownie bites,

OR

you can dump the melted goop over popcorn, cereal, smaller pretzels, candy etc...

I often go a little crazy with this stuff! ( I have even made purple and gold covered popcorn for a school bake sale) Purple popcorn??? It sold out!

After you dip, then you decorate!

I sprinkled them with crushed peppermint candies and placed them on wax paper to cool.

This batch was chocolate with creme de menthe bits! YUMMY!

I sprinkle some on the wax paper before I lay the next ones down to get some on the "backside"

All individually packaged for gift giving!

Each brown bag contained 4 different flavors.

Out the door to deliver my goodies...

Thank you Stephanie for the quote!

 The cute heart stamps are from a new set of PTI stamps! 

I may have a new favorite stamp set!

I also have been working on paper and ribbon roses! So easy to make...

More premade albums...or just one!

Hello friends and family,

Here is another Christmas album I wanted to share...

This is an accordion fold album and sells for $12.

The lady in the background cracks me up! (I didn't see her when I took these...)

This is a view of the other side. Plenty of cute embellishments! 

I like using metals, pins, staples, clips, etc. in my projects...AND do not forget the punches!
The tag is a punch and so is the reindeer! You can't see it but his nose is covered in red glitter.
So cute!

I need to make chocolate covered pretzels...Pictures will go up tomorrow!

Have a great evening!

Kathy

Do More...

Hello friends, family and lurkers!

Yikes, it's almost Christmas!

That means the last minute scramble to wrap presents, clean house and clean the craft rooms! UGH!

Maybe the last one can wait till January...or February...he he he

 Plus, Big "J" is coming home for the holiday break!!! 

All 6 of us again, living in one house, even for a little while.

On to the title of this post! There is one blog I visit often and it is usually the first one I go to! I am not a huge computer person and do not spend hours on it like others do, but this site is worth the time! 

http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/    

She does amazing doodles, some people are so freakin' talented! Here is one to chew on:

Yes, it says DO MORE...But more of the good stuff, the kind of things that matter.  

Sometimes in life , we need a reminder of what to do...

Have a great holiday and hug your friends and family!

Pre made Baby Girl Album

Yes, I know I have been gone for some time now...but I am back!!!

I met some of the most wonderful ladies this season at my shows!

You ladies rock!!

Here are some pictures to show the insides of my Tell Me About Me  baby albums. 
This album can be used the entire first year!

This is a little different baby album. It includes a journaling story, along with photos. 

No baby height, weight stuff in this album!

It is made using the Maya Road 6 " chipboard binder. 

I just love working with Maya Road chipboard!

 The first page says, "tell me about the day I was born..."

There is plenty of space to write your memory of that day and the next page is for the cute picture!

 Tell me who I look like...

Tell me about my favorite foods...

Isn't that tooth die cut just the cutest!

Tell me about my favorite toys...

This is the last page of the album, ending with the first steps!!

I know my boys liked to hear their own "stories"...maybe yours will too!

Drink some hot cocoa with marshmallows , it is the best!

Band Aid Tin

Welcome Kathy, what nice comments you leave!

Here is a quick post featuring a cute and easy gift card holder.

I covered the tin with patterned paper using double sided stick tape.

Then I added a strip of torn edge green cardstock. The text is a rub-on, 

I don't remember who makes it.

Next up comes a strip of green ribbon added to give the tin a bit more texture.

I then added a ponsettia flower with a brad pushed thru the center. 

Stickles gives the sparkle to the flowers.

Lastly, I tied some cute ribbons to the handle.

So cute and easy to do!

Enjoy!!

Just touching base

Hello friends,

I hope all is well with you!

The craft show season is almost done!! I am exhausted...

It was neat to meet some of my readers in person...

New and exciting things are happening behind the scenes at my blog. I will be getting a blog facelift and will soon be showing videos!! I can't wait...

Stay warm!

Has it froze yet??

Yes, I am finally back with a new post...

Shocking isn't it...

I got rid of my favorite green background because it was hard for some people to read the blog...BUT it is still my fav color, that and red!!

Here are some pictures of our craft fair display at the Marmion Academy craft fair.

It went well but the last day was DEAD...Plus we were down a hallway and up some stairs hidden in a classroom. At least the shoppers who managed to find us were buying!

Here are some of our Holiday albums. The samples are above in clear front shelves with the product hanging below, all bagged up in clear cello bags to keep them "fresh". He he he, not really. It does keep them protected from the elements and sticky fingers!

 A close-up of some of our albums...

These are products hanging on our new rotating rack! LOVE this.

Here is our family section. We really have dozens of different themes and hundreds of albums.

We have been very, very busy!

Our next show is @

Munster High School

Dec. 4 & 5th

9-3

Hope to see some of my locals there!!!

Big "J" at Regionals

Here are the pics of Wabash @ Regionals! 

Way to go Red Pack!

Justin is in the front row with the white hat on...Ugh, long hair and a beard! He will be shaving soon though, Medical school interviews are coming up!

Run Justin Run!

This picture shows the reaction to hearing the news Wabash was going to Nationals!!

WOW!

So proud of you, big "J"...

Fantastic weekend!

Hello again friends and far away family!

Our show at Carl Sandburg High school was fantastic. 

We sold more than last year! Selling more is a great thing right??? 

YES, except we have more shows and not enough time to replenish our product!!  Everything in our booth is handmade and that takes time...

Nathan performed in a play in Chicago called Fat Pig. College plays are NOT like the high school ones that's for sure...He did such a good job and he really appreciates it when the family goes to see him perform. Thanks Becky and Shawn...

Big "J" ran his personal record at Regionals and Wabash ended up in 2nd place! Wooo Hooo! That secured them a trip to Nationals! Justin also ran his best time there! What a fitting ending to a college athletes career...Reaching your goal...Now Justin is gearing up for indoor track season.

I will post pics later...

Next Craft Fair

Hello again...Here is a quick post about my upcoming shows!

Nov. 20, 21

Carl Sandburg High School

13300 SOUTH LA GRANGE ROAD
ORLAND PARK, ILLINOIS 60462

This is a fantastic show. Great food also! It does cost $6 to get in...7,000 people came last year!!

Then I go to

Nov. 27,28

        Marmion Academy

1000 Butterfield Rd.

Aurora, IL 60502

 Hope to see some of my readers there! Stop by and say hellloooo....

Where in the world is...

So sorry my crafty friends. I have been swamped with things over here!! I have 2 of my biggest craft fairs of the year coming up. I have been creating non stop for 2 weeks now. My eyes are tired, back is sore and my hands hurt BUT I have gotten tons done...YAY!

I also have new goodies in my ETSY store. Check it out!

Season's Greetings

Hello my friendlies! Hope you all had a super weekend! 

We woke up to 3-4" of SNOW on the ground. I went to bed at 1:00 AM  and no snow, soooo it was pretty surprising to wake up and find the ground covered in the stuff! 

It had all melted by 3:00 in the afternoon so it is just sloppy outside! 

I need to find the gloves, hats, boots, etc...

Here is another accordion fold album I am working on. The title says it all "Seasons Greetings"

The title was cut using my Cricut! Love that little machine...

This album measures 6" x 18" when opened and uses only 1 sheet of cardstock for the base. 

The pattern papers come from the newest Christmas Stack by DCWV.

I love these papers. AND I love plaid!! I am not really a flowery girl but I love my plaid & stripes.

Each page can hold a 4" x 6" photo. Or sometimes people cut a pic in half so 2 photos 

can fit into that space!

Hey, whatever works for you! The little tag in the corner is attached by a gold brad and can swing side to side. I made the tag using a Marvy punch.

I always use buttons in my scrapbooking and paper crafts. It looks naked without them! 

Well, to me at least.

These make great gifts because everyone has photos! They are easy to mail and can be finished in 10 minutes or less. All you need to do is cut your pics to size then adhere them to the album. That's it. The designing work is done. We found the papers and embellishments, cut it all and assembled it! These are our best sellers, by far!

Enjoy the upcoming week!

Black, white & red Christmas?

Good evening friends!

I didn't have the time till later to show you what I have been working on...So busy...

Shows are starting very soon!

I was shopping @ Michaels today and these pencils caught my eye. 
They were in the $1 bin of course. 

That's the first place I look! The colors kinda threw me a little! 
Red, black and white for Christmas?

But I got them anyway.

When I got home, I remembered a paper pack I bought last year on clearance,
from Hobby Lobby! 

It was 70% off-what a deal!! I try to never buy things full price, especially crafty things.

Stick with me and you will find the good deals!

And now I have matching papers and a pencil...What to make, what to make?

I made scratch paper holders. (I made the post-it notes holders last year so I needed something a bit different.) These were very easy to do and quite cute if I do say so...

This shows the inside of the cover. I plan on putting in a personal note from me in here.
The scratch pad comes from Staples. The cardstock is Bazzill and the papers are from Hobby Lobby.

 This shows the outside of the holder. You can just barely see the score lines.

Here are the measurements that I used:
Refer to the photo for my placements


Cover:  6 3/4" x 5 1/2"    (I rounded the edges)
Score @ 3 1/8" and 3 1/2"   ( I use the Martha Stewart Thingie)
I glued my ribbons using glue dots. I placed one behind the pattern paper on the front 
and one behind the scratch pad on the back.
Pattern Paper for the front cover measures 3" x 5 1/4"

Decorate as you wish...
I made school ones and sport ones and kitchen ones, I can't stop!!
 If you have any questions about this project, just contact me!

Get out the warm blankets-Fall has arrived!!

Bumper Sticker

Today coming home from my morning class I saw a bumper sticker that said:

Mean People Suck!

How true that is! I have dealt with some mean girls lately and it's soooo true!

Here is my short list of other things that SUCK!

long lines of anything...

divorce or break-ups...

being peri-menopausal...

Things that DO NOT SUCK!!

getting packages in the mail

family that lives nearby

Olive Garden

motivated, energetic teachers

good weather

knowledgeable coaches

bus drivers

volunteering

great friends

finding your soul mate!

Enjoy the day! Avoid the mean people!!

Happy November!!

Hello, my blogger friends! Happy November! The month of cooler temps and plenty of food. Turkey, stuffing, mashed and sweet potato casserole...yum.

Phew, we almost ran out of candy yesterday! Total disaster if we do...

I think I have a chocolate or maybe sugar headache today...bummer

Onto the crafty stuff!

I made a breast cancer album using the Maya Road T-shirt chipboard book. 

I really like using chipboard, especially the heavyweight kind that Maya Road has!

(We have all been touched by this disease, some of us more personally than others.

Early detection is the best defense, get your mammograms, ladies...)

(OK, no more preaching...)

For this album, I used a variety of pink papers and ribbons and embellishments. I also added in some inspirational quotes to lift the spirit! 

I am not a girlie girl but pink is starting to get on my good side...

Who knows maybe next I will start wearing shoes with heels on them??? Yikes!

Hug your sister, mother, grandmother for me!!

Costume Contest Winner!

Halloween is the perfect time for a crafty gal like myself! We have NEVER bought a store costume, I have always scrounged up something unique with supplies here at the house. Now that the boys are older they tell me what they would like to be! Collin is obviously stuck in the "box" phase. This year he went to the dance as a Tic Tac container!

 I would just like to add how hard it was to find plastic Easter eggs in October! I had a huge rummage last spring and got rid of most of mine...The Tic Tacs are eggs covered in green duck tape. The plastic container is a storage container we got at Wally World.

I removed the lid and duck taped a piece of poster board to the container. I left about 4" from the bottom to leave room for the eggs. I also cut it about 3" too short from the top so I could fit in the eggs...I mean Tic Tacs! White duck tape was used to make the top and the opening. I punched 4 holes and tied 1/12" elastic trim to hold it to his body. They criss cross in the back so Collin could easily slip in and out! As always, the costume won FIRST PLACE!!

On another note, here are some pics of my newest nephew.

He is also in costume. 

He is a pumpkin. 

I mean in a pumpkin!!

Doesn't the look on his face say it all!!! I laughed so hard I was crying...

SOOO CUTE!

Halloween decor

Hello all,

I can't believe it is almost Halloween! Didn't school just start!?! We are having a terrible wind storm outside...Garbage cans are rolling down the street and I saw an overturned porta-potty! GROSS! I wonder who gets to pick that up?

Here are a few scary pics...We have a haunted yard set up and people walk through it...We have had hundreds of scared "victims"...Some have even turned back and didn't finish the maze. Awesome. 

I love Halloween.

BOOOO!

This is the entrance, if you dare...

Spider webs and skeletons are a must for any haunted home!

Don't you just love the leaves stuck in the webs?

Here we have the crazed butcher, (my father) and the evil witch, ( my mother)!

And of course, some zombies hiding in a corner....Can't tell which ones they are...

Happy Haunting!