Welcome!

This blog as been primarily created as a place for me to record and organize my scrapbooking thoughts and ideas. Hopefully, it will inspire other scrappers in their endevours! Have fun!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I've Been Busy...

...as a little bee! I have 3 of the prizes for the January contest made!!! I have two mini altered comp books and a mini album! I am super pumped with the mini album because I got to use my BRAND new Cinch. I am loving it, so far I have used it on two projects and it is fairly easy to use. The only thing I'm having a slight issue with is the oil. I've heard that some of the first ones that were released were having issues with excess oil but I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is excessive or normal. All I can say is I'm not happy about the extra oil getting on some of my projects. Despite wiping it off right away there is sometimes still a residue left on the paper. I'll head over to Google and see if there are any quick tips for getting rid of that oil. Anyways...My January Journal is also coming along beautifully. Right now I am working on the layout of the pages. I cut 3 pieces of paper that fit together on each page. It's taking a bit of time, and TONS of adhesive might I add, but hopefully I will get it done or mostly done in the next day or so because pretty soon it will be time to start writing! I really don't want to get behind...like I've said before I really want this project to be successful so I have the motivation to keep going. If January goes well I think the plan is to maybe keep it going on through out the year; an album every month about what life brings my way that month. Now the hard part is going to be keeping my album interesting. Doreen brought that up the other day on her blog. I told her the two of us will just have to think of some interesting things to do together! So anyways, what started as a little update on my productivity and the prizes I made and it turned into a tangent on this and that. Well, I guess the only logic thing to do is to go to bed!
Happy Scrappin'! SB

Saturday, December 25, 2010

January Projects!

Well it's not even the new year yet and I am already starting to plan out new projects! One of the things that I will be working on right away on January 1st is a mini album all about the things that go on in my life in the month of January. Now I've done swaps on Swap-bot where you journal everyday for a whole month but I have never done a mini every day for a month. I got this idea from Doreen who made a similar album for December. Click HERE to check it out. Anyways, I thought it was so cool I decided I wanted to do one for December and that we could do it together so that's the plan. Because I'm up in Williston visiting Josh over my Christmas break, I decided to get started on the design and even helped myself out by purchasing an already pre-assembled album. It's tough crafting up here because I'm not in my usual space and there's only so much of my stuff I could bring with me! One other thing that I decided to do with this album, which I've never done before, is limit myself to the supplies I'm using. WHAT?! AM I OUT OF MY MIND?! Here's my thinking: I am only going to use products that are blue(any shade), white or silver in color and I HAVE to use majority of the stuff I already have. No buying new stuff until the old stuff is gone. Sure I can say that now because I bought some stuff for this album on Thursday...hahaha. Okay but to give me some credit the only things I bought was some paper and the actual album. I'm really looking forward to this album and can't wait to see what Doreen and I come up with at the end of the month.

Okay another thing I should probably give a little update about is this contest I talked about earlier this month. The details are still in the works but pretty much all of what I said in my last post will be the rules but I will elaborate in a post later this week. As far as prizes, this is what I'm thinking. A set of greeting cards (various for all seasons), a set gift tags (again various holidays), an altered comp book, and...hmmm....maybe I'll make one BIG prize as a secret! The goal here for me is just to get more exposure for my blog (no I did not mean it that way!) and get a few more followers. So even if I just get 10 or even 20 more followers that would be worth it to me. So I will work out the details and then I will make this topic my first post for the new year.

As a side note, I know this post is super boring with no pictures. I actually took a bunch and realized that Josh's computer, the one I'm working on, doesn't have an SD card reader like mine does which is sitting next to me with a dead battery and the power cord is four hours away. What did I say about not being able to bring...or should I say remember everything? Well, I guess this is all I have to say in 2010. I hope your year brought you many blessings and I'll see (really? see?) you all in 2011! Until then, Happy Scrappin' and MERRY CHRISTMAS! SB


http://doreenscrapbookstoo.blogspot.com/2010/12/december-daily-2010-mini-book.html
http://doreenscrapbookstoo.blogspot.com/2010/12/scrapping-with-samantha.html

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas Presents!

Hey all! Well, it's close enough to Christmas so I took pictures of one of the Christmas gifts I am giving to some of the ladies in my family. I made this recipe box from scratch...yes from scratch! I got the idea from Marion on YouTube. Click HERE to check it out! She originally designed this box to hold photos but I thought I would turn it into...a recipe box. I found the cutest paper kits at Hobby Lobby. The paper line on used on this box is Mom's Diner designed by Gwen Gunter. I love the colors and the old fashioned look. I'm going to make myself one of these boxes after Christmas! I also used Gwen Gunter's UR Cookin' paper line for another design but sadly I am still working on those so pictures will be yet to come. Anyways, enjoy the pics of this box and try not to spoil the surprise...if you know who this is for!

Okay so these photos got uploaded backwards but I know you'll understand my laziness or should I say my 'I don't have enough time' attitude to fix it right now...lol! Anyways this is the back of the box.



This is the top and front of the box.








This is the inside of the lid and a view of one of the recipe cards that came with the kit. Cute huh?!









This is the front of the box...LOVE IT!








Alright, as soon as I get the other designed box done I will try my very hardest to get pictures up. Until then, Happy Scrappin' and Merry Christmas! SB

Thursday, December 16, 2010

After Christmas Surprise...!

So I've been thinking about doing this for a while now to try and lure, what I really mean is BRIBE, people to come on over to my blog but I think I am going to host a little give away on my blog in January. The plan is to make some super cute projects while I'm in Williston visiting my husband, I mean really what else am I supposed to do up there, and then hold some type of drawing. I'm thinking that my followers prior to this post will get their names put in five times. If you refer someone to my blog and they follow, the person who referred will get their name put in two more times and the person who was referred once. Now if someone referred you to my blog and you are now following you may be thinking that's not exactly fair that your name only goes in once. Well if you keep referring people your name will go in another two times for ever person you get to follow my blog. That's the most important part! You have to become an 'official' follower. This is just what I am thinking so I will try to have the details finalized by the 1st of January. So if this is all sounding a little confusing don't worry....more details to come! Well, I think that's all for now. I'm pretty sleepy and my pillow is calling my name! Until we meet again, Happy Scrappin' and Merry Christmas! SB

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Busy Busy Day!

Well, today I spent some time with my mother-in-law, Doreen, working on some scrapping projects. I was finishing up my Christmas cards and she was working on the coolest scrapbook album. I have to say I'm a little jealous...mostly because she is using the My Mind's Eye Christmas paper that I have boon drooling over! I'll put a link to her blog at the end of my post. Anyways, I got at least 6 more cards done so I'm thinking I will be able to have them ready to send out on Tuesday after I get the Christmas letter from Josh.

Hopefully early next week I will be able to show you the Christmas presents I have been making this week. I can't show you until they're done because there are some people who read my blog who are getting the gift I am making. What I can say is it is so cute that as soon as Christmas is over I am going to make myself one!

So I guess that's all I have for today. I'll try to take some pictures of the cards I made today...they turned out really cute! Until then, Happy Scrappin' and Merry Christmas

http://doreenscrapbookstoo.blogspot.com/ Doreen's Scrapbooking Blog!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Christmas Tag Swap

Hey Scrappers! Here are some Christmas tags that I made for a swap and I thought I would share them with you!

The tag on the left and the right I made by gluing tissue paper to manilla tags. I'm telling you it is the coolest technique I have discovered! I think it give the tags a softer look that just covering the tags with patterned paper. Anyways, then I did a little stamping and put some stickers and tinsel through the top hole.




Here is a look at all the other tags I made. The large pointsettia stickers are soo cute! I bought them at Hobby Lobby in their Make it Christmas section.




Hope you enjoy these tags...my partners sure did! Happy Scrappin' and Merry Christmas!
SB

MORE Christmas cards!

Hey all! Here are some more of the Christmas cards that I made to send out this year.

This one I made using Paper Studio sheet music paper, holly stickers from Make it Christmas from Hobby Lobby, and I think that's what the other stickers are too. I've gotten into a bad habbit of ripping stuff out of the packages right away and then I don't remember what line they come from!


This card I used making the same same paper as above, red and silver cord, and a wreath sticker.






This card is one of my favorites that I've made so far. I found this really awesome holly trim at Wal-mart for only $2.50 a roll! It is way cute! The snowman sticker also came from Wal-mart and the chipboard sentiment I bought at Runnings in their dollar section! It came with two full sheets of chipboard pieces.



This just goes to show that crafting does not have to be expensive! Well that's all for now. Until we meet again, Happy Scrappin' and Merry Christmas! SB

Monday, December 6, 2010

I'M BACK!!!


I am so excited! I think I am finally ready to start blogging! In the month of November I was really busy with swaps on Swap-bot. Of course I was in such a hurry to get them in the mail I didn't take very many pictures of them but hopefully I can get a few posted. Well, today I tackled task of figuring out how I'm going to do out Christmas cards this year. We haven't sent any out in a few years but I have so much Christmas product (I kinda went a little overboard!) that I thought I could make my own.
This is the first one I made. I want to re-work it a little but it's not bad for a first draft! I'm thinking of punching holes in the top and looping ribbon through the holes so that the card can be hung. Oh, I printed the pictures out at Target. I found out that you can now make 2x2 in pictures by selecting the ID option on the main menu. I love that I can now use these smaller pictures in my minis but I don't have to select a sheet of the same picture. I can pick one of

many different pictures and they print off 6 2x2's on each 4x6 page. Well, enjoy the card! Until next time, Happy Scrappin' and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
SB

p.s. I'm starting small so the goal is to get one blog post a week at a minimum and if I get in more fine. I have pictures of some Christmas tags I made for a swap a few weeks ago so I'm thinking that's what the next post will be!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Sadly It's Time

Hey scrappers...with a heavy heart I have an announcement to make. Sadly it's time for me to take a break from blogging. I found out this last week that my husband and I are moving. With that comes many of hours of packing, of which I am not looking forward to but it must be done. And even sadder news, I STARTED PACKING UP MY CRAFT ROOM YESTERDAY! I have been putting this off all week because it means I have to stop crafting and that breaks my heart.

Another reason for my temporary leave of absence is that I no longer blog for the reason I wanted to start.



Enough of the sad news, on to the good! The good news is I still have some photos of about 5 Halloween projects that I will try to post by the end of the month. Hopefully by mid-November I will be settled in enough to start crafting and blogging again.

Until then, Happy Scrapping! SB

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Halloween Meets the Flu

Hey crafters! So I woke up this morning and when I tried to wish my husband a good morning...nothing came out, not a sound! The flu bug that I caught earlier this week has finally hit its peak. So until I start feeling a little better I won't be adding any posts. However, I am feeling well enough to type so I've been writing my posts and then as soon as I feel better I will make my projects and posts pictures. Thank you for being so patient with me as I heal. Happy Halloween! SB

Friday, October 1, 2010

31 Days of Halloween Day 1

Where did the time go? Today is already October 1st! So here is the first of many projects to come! Here is a Halloween project I did for a swap on Swap-bot. I made some cute little Halloween tags. The tags I used are size 2 3/8 x 4 3/4. They are just the right side to decorate one side and add a wallet sized photo to the other.
  1. Cover both sides of the tag with patterned paper.I put adhesive on the tag and lined up the tag to the paper to make sure that the entire tag was covered.

  2. Ink the edges of the tag for a worn look.

  3. Embellish with stickers.

  4. loop ribbon through the loop.

  5. Add a photo or journaling to the back.








































I received the idea for tomorrow's project in the mail on Thursday. I joined a swap on Swap-bot called Halloween Inspiration where we had to make a little Halloween project and send a kit to our partner so she could make the project. Well, I'm not going to give the project away just yet but it will certainly light the way when trick-or-treaters come bounding up your sidewalks!
Until then Happy....Halloween! SB

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Quote Mini Book

Hey Scrappin' Peeps! I don't know if any of you have a relative or a friend that just says the funniest things but I sure do! My brother has the quickest wit I have ever heard...I often end up laughing in tears from the things he says. So I made a quite book to keep track of all the funny things that get said in our family. It was really easy to make. I just cut some papers 6x6 and binded with a Zutter Bind-It-All. I decorated the pages after they were bound. Let's take a closer look!
The front cover I decorated with some quote stickers, a journal sticker, and I added a stamped image.










The stickers I used for the title are mounted on pop dots to give it a more dimensional look.






I really like how the stamped showed up on the journal sticker.







On the inside pages, I stamped various quote stamps as well as boarder images on alternating pages.






Hope you enjoyed my quote book...I really enjoy going back and looking at all the funny things we say! Until we meet again, Happy Scrappin'! SB

Monday, September 27, 2010

It's Almost Here!

Are you ready for...HALLOWEEN! I'm so excited I can hardly wait! I'm working on a series of posts of Halloween projects and ideas for October. My goal is to do and post a new project every day until Halloween...well that's the plans anyways. I can see a few challenges like I only have 17 ideas, rounding up all the supplies, finding the time to make the projects. Well, if I can't do 31 projects, I may substitute some of my favorite recipes or maybe we'll just have to do with 17...you don't mind do you? I didn't think so :) If this series works out okay, I plan on doing the same thing for Christmas.

As you all may know, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is another cause that hits close to home because my aunt was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She is fine now and we celebrate everyday we have her! So, look for some kind of project relating to that.

Hmm...hmmm...anything else....I have a few more posts drafted and they'll be posted in the coming days. Until then, Happy Scrappin'! SB


Operation Write Home Cards Are Off!

Hey Scrappers! Here are some photos of my mom, Doreen, and I making blank greeting cards to Operation Write Home. I don't know if I've said this before, so bare with me if I have, but the reason Operation Write Home hits a little close to home is because my uncle is a pilot for the Air Force and is getting ready to go on his second tour, set to deploy in November. Now my blog is not the place to get into the politics of war and any of my personal opinions about the war but all I know is we will all be thinking of him and praying for his safe return home. Anyways, on to the pictures!
Picture of me putting together some of the kits my mom and I had cut paper for ahead of time.






My mom was in charge of stamping all the cards with and official (lol) Operation Write Home stamp.











Look at that precision!











Here are a few of the cards that Doreen made for the cause.







Doreen and I with our favorite cards we made.







In total the three of us made...119 cards. VERY EXCITING!
If you are interested in getting involved to help Operation Write Home their web address is:
www.operationwritehome.org.

p.s. Sorry I didn't post any pictures of the actual cards...I ment to but I forgot to before I put them in the mail...:(

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Houston, We Have A Problem!

Hey everybody...just have a little update on my lack of posts recently. I have been using a really slow internet connection and I'm having troubles loading pictures into Blogger. I've done it without problems in the past but for some reason this week is giving me a little more trouble. The good news is that I'm going to my parents house tomorrow and I'll be able to work on my blog there. My plan is to create a bunch of posts but just upload the pictures and I'll do the blogging later. So hang with me and we'll get the fun rolling again soon! Until then, Happy Scrappin'! SB

Monday, September 20, 2010

Stamp Image Swap with Doreen

Hello Scrappers! Here are the images I promised from the stamped image swap I did with Doreen last week. If we knew the maker of the stamps I wrote them on the cards I stamped on. If you have any questions about any of the images let me know!

Okay, so I've never been one to follow or keep up with trends. I avoided watching the Twilight movies, even though I heard they were good, because I refused to give into the fad. Well, long story short, my husband made me watch the movies one night. My point? Owls are the news, hottest trend in scrapbooking and as with Twilight, I refused to give in...until this swap. I had bought Doreen a set of owl stamps and well...I couldn't fight it anymore, I stamped some images for my collection. I'm not sure what I'm going to use them for but I guess we'll see!

I thought these stamps were adorable! The ones with the writing say 'between us chicks' and 'a little bird told me'. Again, not really my style but I can't wait to find a use for these.





I'm so glad I got this cute little angel. How cute! It has a vintage feel to it...it really reminds me of something out of the Renaissance era. Not sure if that's really right but that's what it reminds me of!




The stamps are really cute too. The smaller ones are the perfect size to make inchies. Oh new to inchies? Don't worry, me too (I had to google it...lol). They are just that, an inch in size. They are usually used as embellishments or just used in a larger layout...I think...lol. I also like the words that I stamped because to be honest I'm a pretty lazy scrapper and anything to make my life a little easier!

I liked these stamps when I got them from Doreen but for me I can relate a little more after the week I've had!







Thanks for stoppin' by the Sanctuary! Happy Scrappin'! SB

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Operation Write Home Today!

I am so excited! Today is the day that we (my mom, mother-in-law, and myself) are making greeting cards for Operation Write Home. Hopefully tonite I will be able to post pics and talk about all the fun we had today! Until then, Happy Scrappin'! SB

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Swap Images

Hey Scrappers! Here are some of my favorites images I received this week from the image swap I took part in over at Swap-bot.

The mouse is my fav. on this sheet.







LOVE the fairy...except I only have one so she's going to have to go on something REALLY special!






In case you didn't know, chocolate isn't JUST for breakfast.








Watch for a post on the images I got from Doreen, my mother-in-law, at our stamp image swap from yesterday. Until then, Happy Scrappin'! SB

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Monday's Mail

I can't believe I didn't blog about this earlier but I received some very exciting mail on Monday, which might I add, our mail lady (no disrespect, I don't know what else to call her!) snuck it into our mailbox after she had driven to a different street and I had already checked the box. Well for some reason when I let Bella out Tuesday morning, I decided to check it and VIOLA there was a ton of stuff in there!

Well first things first...I got a pen-pal letter from my pen-pal swap. Her name is Carolina and she is from Seattle, Washington. We like a lot of the same things like she is going to school to be an elementary teacher :), Yes Man (movie), and Law and Order SVU. I think I will keep writing to her...should be fun!

The other items I got in the mail were my stamped images. They are soo cute! I really hope that more swaps like this turn up because it's such a great way to get some new images into your collection without actually having to buy the stamps because really, unless you are a serious stamper how many times do you really use your stamps? If you're anything like me you have them still sitting in their original packaging just waiting to be used for something special. Oh one of these days, I tell them, you're day is coming. Wow, I just got philosophical with my stamp collection...lol! Anyways, as soon as I get a chance I'll get some pics up!

So thanks to all the lovely ladies for sending me such wonderful goodies. Oh and a special shout out to Tess for sending me an ATC kit. Now I finally get to make some!

So I liked the idea of swapping stamped images that my mother-in-law are having a stamped image swap of our own this afternoon. If I'm feeling really up to it I'll post another tonite of the images but if I don't get to it tonite then definitely Thursday! Until then, Happy Scrappin'! SB

My Obsession with Journals

Hello fellow scrappers! Well sorry to say I don't have any pictures of any projects and that is because I have been stuck on my computer for the last few days surfing You Tube for new videos, sifting through new swaps on swap-bot, and of course staying connected to my Facebook! Anyways, what brings me to this post is yesterday I was looking at my dashboard on Swapbot and I am signed up for two journal swaps and have two on my watch list. Okay for the record this blog is as close as I've ever come to journaling. I mean, what would I write? Not to mention if I missed a day it's all down hill from there which I think is why when I don't blog, my absence is usually weeks or months long. I think the factor that's getting me hooked on these journal swaps is I really like altering composition notebooks. I blame it on the ladies at Leah's Scrapbook Room on You Tube. One day they did a video on altering comp books, with dimentions and everything, not to mention they used My Mind's Eye paper (that's another obsession for another day!) on their creations, and ever since then I have been looking for a reason to alter comp books. Well I definitely found that reason. Thankfully my husband is keeping me from going totally overboard and reminded me to take it slow...I mean, I don't want to get in over my head a become the dreaded...da da da...FLAKER! Sorry just a little Swap-bot humor there...lol. Anyways, one swap that I'm participating in all you have to do is fill the book with 50 journaling prompts and decorate the book. I have all the prompts in the book and I'm just waiting for our partners to be assigned so I can decorate the book to my partner's taste. The other book is going to take a little more work. I have to decorate the book and fill it with 25 journal entries. I'm treating the entry pages as sort of a combination of scrapping and journaling. The outside is covered with, you guessed it, MY MIND'S EYE paper. Last week I bought three of their paper collections that I will have to do a post about...they are WAY too cute!

So in conclusion (what am I writing and essay now instead of a blog post?), I just wanted to leave a few links to the places I talked about and until we meet again, Happy Scrappin'! SB

http://www.youtube.com/user/LeahJohanna#p/u/53/UBA0_meVQjo
www.swap-bot.com

Sunday, September 12, 2010

The latest

Hello! Welcome back to the Sanctuary! I've been pretty busy so here is a short post on the latest. I am thoroughly enjoying my swapping experiences over at Swap-bot. Previously to joining Swap-bot I had been feeling like I was stuck in a rut and was having trouble getting out of it. Now I feel more inspired and creative than before. It's a change of pace and I like it a lot. I got my 8x8's sent out successfully and my partner liked what I sent so that was a relief! I am currently working on an altered journal swap and a couple Halloween swaps as well.

I am almost done with a 6x6 mini album that I started making a couple of weeks ago. I just need to do the cover and I will try to get some pics up of that as well.

Next Sunday is my card making party for Operation Write Home. Sadly to say I think it is just going to be my mom, my mother-in-law, and myself but at the same time it will be nice to bond with them both :)

I can't believe I managed two posts in one night! That's quite an accomplishment for me. Tomorrow I have the day off of work and I'm now sure how crafty I will be...I think I'm starting to get a little burn out. I plan on cleaning the house because while my husband was out of town last week I kind of commandeered the dining room table and the living room with crafting stuff. So after that we'll see what happens...maybe I'll just take some more pics and post...yeah that sounds like a good plan to me!

Before I end this post I want to give a quick shout out to the Swap-bot visitors that will be stopping by the Sanctuary in the coming weeks. I truly appreciate all the comments and nice things you have to say about my blog, and while I am no Martha Stewart, all the kind words really make me feel like my blog means something to someone other that just me :)
Until we meet again, Happy Scrappin'! SB

p.s. If you're neighbor living in the basement of your duplex is cooking food with curry in it, spraying Fresh Linen does NOT make the smell go away. Now my house smells like 'curry scented linen'. Random I know, but it was too funny not to mention!

Wedding Paper Bag Album

Hola! I know it's been a while since my last post so here we go. This is a paper bag album that I made as a thank you for my Pastor and his family for helping with my wedding last summer. For instructions on how to make this type of paper bag album please visit Laura at www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com. You can also search followingthepapertrail on Youtube to see her videos. I really encourage you to check out her work, she is AMAZING!

The title I cut with my Cricut using the Storybook cartridge. I also used some pink satin ribbon on the left side which is actually left over from the ribbon that was used in my wedding.





This is one of the large tags I made for the album. On this side I glued down a dolie. I thought about glimmer misting them before I glued them down but I actually like them plain so it's not so distracting. On the other side is a picture from the wedding. One other style of tag I made consists of a picture of me and say my pastor and then on the other side I stamped a large journal image and journaled a special message to him. I did the same for his wife and their two kids (who were all a part of my wedding) so they all had their own special tag.


This a tag I made using my Cricut cartridge George and Basic Shapes. The lace across the bottom holds the tag in place.










Here is another tag created the same way as above. The paper is Paper Studio and the sticker are Me and My Big Ideas. I know it's kinda hard to see but along the bottom there is a piece of gold ribbon holding the tag in place.









On the bottom left hand corner I used basic craft flowers to make a little bouquet.









Hope you enjoy this mini...this is the second one I've tried of this type. I will try to get pictures of the first one up. Until then, Happy Scrappin'! SB

Monday, August 30, 2010

A little of this, Little of That and an Empty House

This week I will be working on quite the random collection of projects...lol. I recently joined Swap-bot and need to create two 8x8 layouts to swap on hopefully that will get done today so I don't run out of time. My husband is going to be out of town for three days so in my boredom I imagine I might have some time to film a few videos...now if only I could figure out how to edit and upload! I figured out one way to get more photos in my posts...the plan is to take pictures of everything I have ever (ever?!) made and then day by day I can blog about a project until I get more recent projects finished. This will be fun to see the old and new mixed together because my scrapping style has definitely changed over the years :) A few other things in the work that won't happen for a while but I'm brainstorming ideas that can work as a series of posts based on a theme...hmmm still in the works. I would like to also post more tutorials on how to make some of the projects I've made and here's the fun part...gathering some family for some classes! Oh the benefits of being a newbie to the scrapping world...all your family gets roped in! Here's the thing, I LOVE what I do but at some point the radio's not good enough and I've watched all of our DVD's you can't believe how many times. I really enjoy sharing my creativity with others, not only that but it's amazing the conversations that can happen when you're working alongside someone else. My mother-in-law scrap about once a week or so and I look forward to our sessions so much I'm trying to set up the next one before we've even started. Okay okay enough jibber-jabbering for now...I'm off to get some work done! Happy Scrappin' SB

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Hey Everybody! As a special treat I thought I would give you an inside look at my scraproom! Sometime in April, my mother-in-law asked me if I would like her to help me turn our spare bedroom into a REAL scraproom and I was NOT about to say no! We got most of the work done that weekend and I've been decorating and organizing since then. Just a side note, I did clean up my room before taking these pics and even my husband commented on how clean it was when in reality I was thinking it still looked a little messy...lol!
So here we go!

This is what you see when you first walk into my room. On the far right wall I have a little sign in the middle that says 'I may be in my own little world but they know me here'...thought it was very fitting! I got it at Hobby Lobby for around $5. In between the two walls is my storage cabinet for my paper. My husband build it for me out of pine wood and square grates. He drilled holes and used zip ties to attach the grate. I love it :) On the wall to the left, is where I keep all of my printed photos, stickers, and other embellishments. There are plastic drawers that I also use for storage under the shelves.

When you walk into the door and turn left this is what you will see. I have a cabinet where I store my magazines, idea books, and empty albums. On the shelf I have my albums that I'm working on. I don't like to call them finished because in my mind they never will be...lol. I also store my mini sewing machine and my digital images/CDs on that shelf.












This is just the inside of the cabinet.












This is the table in my room. My mother-in-law gave me an ear piercing table which makes up the right side of the table. I love the drawer in it because it has about twenty really small sections in the drawer. Because of that, I decided to make that end of the table my Cricut central. It's also on the same end as my paper storage so all of my paper is in reach. The far left side of the table is an entertainment table. A large piece of pine is connecting the two tables which I painted and placed plastic over the tables for easy clean up.


This is just another look at my storage wall and paper storage unit. I love having these shelves behind my desk because when I sit at my desk everything is in reach.









This is a very small element in my room but for me it sets a mood. I like the candles sitting on the windowsill because they are very calming.










Anybody who knows me at all knows why this sign is in my room! I can't tell you how many times a day this phrase comes out of my mouth!



I hope you enjoyed the tour of my scraproom. I really do love it. Until we meet again,
Happy Scrappin' SB

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The latest

Well, here's the latest that's been happening in the Sanctuary! Still working on a bunch of mini albums, I completed one for m pastor's family as a thank you and one for myself :) I was a little out of commission all last week with a sinus infection but now I'm ready to get back to work. While I was sick my husband did not want me getting out of bed/off the couch so we compromised(him more than me...lol) and I sketched a bunch of layouts for various pages from the couch, so now that I'm feeling better I am able to start working on those.

One project that I have been a little bummed out about is my Operation DB. Every time I take it out to work on it I just end up starting at it...for some reason when it comes to this project, while I have the main idea I just can't seem to get it out of my brain and on paper. I guess time will only tell what happens but hopefully something will spark and I can get this project done (by November!).

On tomorrow's agenda is taking lots of pictures of the minis and layouts I have been creating and if I'm feeling REALLY ambitious I'll clean up my scrap room and take pics of how the remodeling turned out. Not everything is done like I would have hoped but it has been fully functional for the last few months and I have to keep telling myself that's the important part. The rest of the decorating will still be in works for a little while but what can ya do?!

Another aspect of my blogging that I am still developing is recording videos. Most of the ideas that I get I find on You Tube and various other websites so I when I do get around to recording more I most likely post videos talking about the project that I have made rather than tutorials. One of my role models is Laura from Following The Paper Trail here on blogspot. She is so creative and posts so many videos OF HER OWN CREATIONS consistently and I recently found out that she has only been blogging and doing her videos for about a year. Now I highly recommend that if you are into scrapbooking especially minis you check her out...she is AMAZING! I thought she'd been doing this a lot longer. So my goal is to post more frequently with pictures and videos....wish me luck!

As a side note, I realize that at about this point most of my followers(all 3 of them :) are my family members, however, please feel free to link my blog or pass on a link to others in the scrapping/crafting world and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave comments about really anything from suggestions of what you would like to see me do, likes and dislikes, is my blog easy to use or anything I should add or delete...all of this is very helpful to me as I seek to grow and develop in my blogging journey. Okay enough of that until I post again...Happy Scrappin' SB

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Operation Write Home

Hey Scrappers! I have a very special challenge for you! On September 19th I will be hosting a card making party at my house. We will be making blank greeting cards to send to on organization called Operation Write Home. They send the cards to soldiers in Afghanistan so they can send them home to their families (can you imagine trying to find a happy birthday card in the middle of nowhere?). For those not able to make it to the party I still have the same challenge for you...

Operation Write Home is an organization that sends blank handmade greeting cards for all occasions to deployed service members to write home on. They’ve mailed approximately 500,000 cards so far—and are still going strong! Our challenge to you is to make cards to send to them for our nation’s heroes.

Please read the basic guidelines here; it’s important especially to remember that glitter is NOT allowed (it’s a safety hazard to our heroes), handmade cards only, and OWH needs A2 sized cards. “Operation Write Home” needs to be on the backs of your cards—it can be stamped, handwritten, or printed on labels. Please include a packing slip inside your box or envelope, and mail them to any of their shippers listed on the Mailroom page. In your package, you can also include notes written to a deployed service member.

As far as sending in your cards here are a few options:

-Send the cards to me and I will send them in to OWH, I need them sent to me NO LATER THAN Monday September 20th.
-Send the cards to OWH yourself. If you plan on sending the cards in yourself, go to http://operationwritehome.org/mailroom.html to find the details. They need to get to the shipper by September 30th. Keep in mind the closest shipper to the Dakotas is in Kansas.

Whether you're sending the cards in yourself or to me please take pictures of your cards and add them to the gallery. Oh a few other things I forgot to say...the cards should be half Christmas/Winter and the other half should be Birthday/Thinking of You. My challenge is for you to make 20 cards. That is a piece of cake! 10 Christmas and 10 Birthday and feel free to make the SAME 10/10 or 20 different cards the option is yours! Well I think I remembered everything but watch the blog for updates! Happy...Cardmakin'! SB

Hunting Album

Hey Everybody! Hope you are all having a great summer! I know we've been super busy, which is why my blog has been getting a little neglected but I promise I am still scrapping so once we slow down I will have plenty to write about. Here is a hunting album I made for my dad for Father's Day. He was very happy with it! Enjoy :)


The is the intro page that I made by cutting up the photo indexes to get the mini pics.































Last year our dogs bred for the first time and had a litter of puppies about a week after I got married. They are hunting dogs so I did a few pages on their hunting training.























When we go hunting there is at least a group of four or five. Very rarely does someone in my family go out hunting alone, not only for safety reasons but it's a great time and place to really bond with friends and family (bond? the girly side of me showing..lol).








I don't know why but every time we go out there has to be a picture taken with the kill hanging off the back of the tailgate.

















The next two pages I did as a tribute to some of our past hunting dogs and the legacy the still continues.









This was one of my more challenging albums to make because there really isn't any books or layouts for really manly subjects. Yes I did find some hunting stickers and camo paper but I have to say I truly struggled so I am pleased at how the album came together.

There are plenty more pages I made that are not shown so if you are planning on doing a hunting themed album and are struggling, like I did, feel free to contact me and I can share those layouts as well as the processes I used to make this album. Until then, Happy Scrappin! SB