For the Love of Cupcakes

If you have followed my blog for anytime, you will have seen that I love to bake, maybe even more than scrapbooking. It is just another creative outlet for me. While I like to try my hand at all kinds of sweets, cupcakes have become my signature dessert within my family. I try all kinds of flavors to please each family members taste. My homemade carrot cake with cream cheese and marscapone frosting is a favorite of my Dad's. My sister loves turtle cupcake which is a version of her favorite candy. And these below, vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean marshmallow frosting is a favorite of small children, which is why I made these for the kiddos at the daycare where my daughter worked.

So to tie my two loves together, I decided to create a page documenting my desire for the sweet treat. I used a Pink Paislee paper for the background and since it was already pre-printed, I just went with that design adding just a few touches to complete my page. I sewed additional doilies at the top corner to match the ones in the bottom. I stamped a few embellishments, cut them out, and adhered them with pop-dots for added dimension. The title is some old Making Memory puffy letter stickers and the new Doodlebug letters from Two Peas. They are so stinkin' adorable that I picked them up in every color. I finished off with a few drops of mist and called it a day.

Thanks for visiting!
Dani

You Mean the World

I am feeling kind of under the weather today, so I will keep this post short. I worked on this layout for the better part of yesterday. I was tired of waiting for the Dear Lizzy gold dot vellum to come back in stock, so after reading a post on Two Peas, I decided to make my own. The results: love it! You just have to be careful not to melt the vellum. I achieved this by keeping the heat gun moving.

My husband and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and my daughter took a few photos before we headed out. She is not the best photographer, but it was getting pictures that counted. She has a difficult time with focusing the shot. This one turned out to be one of my favorites.

 

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Ohana means family

I have been working on an album for my niece who will turn one in March. I am trying to keep it simple since that is how her Mom used to scrap. I am leaving out most of the journaling so that my sister can fill it in with her own stories. I am hoping to have it done for her birthday, but we will have to see.

Today's layout is from our vacation this past summer to the beach. It was Sophia's first trip since she was born. My sister had asked me to take a few pictures of them on the beach, but since the baby was ready for supper, we decided to just take a few on the balcony. This one turned out to be my favorite. I love the colors and the blue sky and just a touch of the ocean in the background was perfect.

I used a quote from the movie Lilo and Stitch. It is one of my favorite family quotes of all time and I say it often. The title is a mixture of glitter Thickers and Jillibean letters. The blue oval is a place for her to journal. I know she won't be writing much, so I felt that this was adequate space. If not, she can use the top or bottom of the layout to add a few more lines.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Dani

Introducing Auntie Kelso

My daughter doesn't have any living siblings of her own, so she knew that she would never have the chance to be an Aunt. (at least not by blood) She is very close to my baby sister, so she convinced her to let the baby call her Auntie Kelsey, but because of a childhood joke, my sister's husband quickly changed it to Auntie Kelso. While my daughter hated this name as a child, I think right now she doesn't care as long as she can be considered an aunt.

So for this layout, instead of introducing the baby to the world, I present to you Auntie Kelso. The smile on her face says it all. I wanted to use a lot of hearts on this page to show the love that Kelsey has for Sophia. The background hearts are tinted molding paste pushed through a heart stencil which I cut on my Silhouette. The other hearts are wood veneer that I misted. And one is a chipboard sticker. I used strips of washi tape and stickers from a paper collection to complete the embellishing.

 

My journaling is written directly on to the page, a technique that I am getting really used to doing, even though I don't care for my handwriting. And the title is a combination of a sticker, alphabet stickers, and Thickers.

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

Dani

First Day of College

Good Morning! Today's layout was inspired by this Memory Keeping Monday's video, over at Two Peas. I liked the use of multiple papers and the fact that I had two similar photos that I wanted to use made this layout a good choice for this page. I am getting really comfortable journaling right on the layout, thanks to Shimelle.

I am happy to report that I have survived the start of college and that she is doing well in her courses. She even starts a new job at the end of this week. I am feeling really grateful that she is starting to adjust to her life here. And that she still allows her Mom to take first day of school pictures.

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Turquoise Place



Over the summer, we took our first vacation in over ten years. It was wonderful! My mom and dad, along with my baby sister and her family also joined us. It was a week of pure bliss. And after this 6 week kitchen remodel, I sure am wishing I could be back there now. Or at least in a hot tub.

 

I did get a chance to scrap a bit this weekend and these pictures were the ones I was drawn to the most. I think it was because the trip was so relaxing and I could use some relaxing right about now. I can't get to the beach, but scrapping helped do the trick. I wanted to include quite a bit of photos, so I created a collage in Picasa that was 8 x 10. I then kept the rest of the design simple by using my embellishments in clusters and adding my journaling in strips to fill the bottom of the page.

 

I did get a few more pages started that I will share once the journaling is done. I also pulled supplies to start my December Daily base pages, but I need to decide which papers I will be using first.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a blessed week!

Dani

Silly Girl

Morning All. I hope you had a lovely weekend. A front came in and we had gorgeous weather full of sunshine and chilly temps. It was great! While the cabinets were being painted, I sat in my scrap room for a few hours and managed to get some pages done.

The layout below is one of my daughter from this summer. I had the camera outside to take a few nature pics and of course she had to get a few in too. She was such a character yelling, "Do me, Mom". So we had a quick, impromptu photo shoot. She is so silly and can brighten even my gloomiest of days.

Thanks for visiting. Have a blessed week!

Dani

Checking In

Morning all! I have been MIA the last few weeks due to lots of things going on around here. First, my computer did some automatic updates and somehow downloaded a virus to the motherboard, so the keyboard would freeze up and start typing on its own. Really freaky, huh? Evidently, this is a problem going around according to the HP website. Then my dh and I started a major kitchen remodel a week ago, starting with the removal of tile. What a mess! YUCK!!! I feel like I even have dust in my teeth. Fortunately, the new floor is starting to go in today. Next up, cabinets, paint, backsplash, and new fixtures. Trying to get it all done before the holidays.

So as you can see, I haven't had much time for a lot of scrapping. I did manage to get a couple of pages and a card done before we started. Todays layout is from the Fourth of July, which just happens to be my birthday. My dh loves to grill and this is one day I don't mind letting him do so. I get the day off from cooking and cake too!

This layout was created using the Simple Stories Summer collection and inspiration was taken from from a Pagemaps sketch from Becky Fleck.

Well, I hope you are all having a good week! Thanks for visiting and I hope to not be away for such a long time, again.

Dani

WOYWW 173

There is not much going on here, today. My desk looks exactly as it did after finishing yesterday's layout. I really need to clean it up so that I can start on a card or two that needs to be done. Can you see the photo of Nanan's beautiful baby having her first lollipop? She so has my heart!

The layout below is one that I created last week. It is the last photo of us as a family before my father-in-law passed away of cancer, last year. It is not the best picture, but it is so treasured.

That is it for this week's show and tell. To join in, please visit our hostess, Julia.

Have a blessed week!

Dani

College Bound - Allison Davis Class Review

I know a few of you were wondering if the Allison Davis 6x6 paper pad class was worth it. In my honest opinion, yes!

First, let me say that I am NOT affiliated to them in any way. I just happened to see this class and wanted to give it a try. I own quite a few paper pads and I wanted to see if I could get my money's worth out of them. The class contains 11 double page sketches, plus samples. I downloaded the whole class handout as is to put in my online class binder. I also printed out just the sketches to go in my sketch binder. Yes, I have a lot of binders.

The layout below was created using one of the sketches from this class. As you can see, I only used one side of the sketch. I scrap mostly one page layouts and most all of her sketches from this month are conducive to turning into one pagers, which I love. I followed the sketch exactly as it is, even down to the stitching, so that you can get a feel for her layouts.

Like I said before, this is just my opinion of this class. If you were on the fence about getting this one, I hope this helps you a bit.

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Hello Mac

I just love football season. It is the only time of the year that I can scrap at night and not feel guilty about not spending time with my DH. Monday night football and some new Amy Tangerine resulted in a couple of pages being made.

Below, is a layout of my daughter with her new MacBook before she started college. She was so excited that it arrived a week earlier than predicted. I was excited that she actually paid for it by herself and is learning the value of buying big things on her own. I guarantee she will be more careful with it at school since the money came from her own pocket.

I wanted to keep the layout simple since the photo collage was from her IPhone and the quality wasn't that great. I tried to print the collage larger, but it became very pixelated, so this size is what I had to work with. By keeping the embellishments to a minimum, the photo and the journaling are still the focus.

 

Thanks for visiting and I hope that you all use your football/baseball/basketball/etc... season wisely!

 

Dani

Best Buds

Today's post is just a quick shot of the layout that I was making on Wednesday. I used a Scrapbook Generation sketch for the base and I loosely added in the rest with my title, journaling, and a few extra embellishments.



 

The layout came together quickly, which was good because I had other obligations for the day. This is why I really like to use sketches or starting points for some of my pages. I can get in a bit of scrapping without having to waste valuable time creating the main design of the layout. I can then add my own style by what I choose to embellish with and how and where I add the title and journaling.

Have a great weekend!

Dani

WOYWW 170

Well, I have survived the start of college and hurricane Isaac all in the last two weeks. I finally have Internet back and couldn't be happier. I am still praying for those who are without power as yesterday we were in a heat advisory and it was really HOT!!!

Okay, on to better things. My desk this morning has the starts of a layout of my daughter and her best bud. Last time, I had a lot of questions about my mist storage, in the upper left corner of my desk. It is a three tiered cupcake holder that sits on an el cheapo lazy susan. I bought it during a 50% off sale so the whole thing was under $15; lazy susan included. I love that I can spin it from the front to see all of the colors.

 

 The layout below was the one that was on my desk last time that I was struggling with. I have re-done it and still am not 100% satisfied with it, but with the help of a sketch from Shimelle, in an album it went. I think I just had too high of expectations with those photos.

Well, I hope you are all having a great week! To see more desks, pop on over to Julia's, but be warned. It's addictive!

God Bless!

Dani

WOYWW - College Bound

Okay, so not much crafty business going on here today, but I did just receive a nice box from Two Peas that I need to get in to. No, today is COLLEGE DAY!!! Yes, I did take pictures of here leaving. Only a few tears in my eyes as I was watching her go, but they were tears of pride, not sadness as in the past years.

And just to share a little craftiness, in compliance with WOYWW, here is the layout I completed last week of her senior pics. She is my free spirited, guitar playing, artist/painter of a child. And I love her so!

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

WOYWW 167

This week, I am back to scrapping. Even though blogging has been put on the back burner for right now, I am still creating. The summer is being enjoyed so thoroughly, and these last few days with my daughter before college are being savored. But I do have a desk shot to share with you this week.

On the left is a stack of purged papers that need to be given to a new scrapper in my area. The layout is one that I have been working on for two days, but I just don't like it, no matter what I seem to do to it. I think it is because I do not like those papers and I can't seem to find embellishments to go with it. I am going to toss it and try again later. This is not something I really ever do, but this time for my sanity, I think it is best. And the jar of sour raspberry strings that look like they have never been touched, well, that is my second jar full.

And on to a layout that I really am liking right now. This was a fun day and such a fun layout to create. I love working with collage photos.

That is it for this blog post. To see more desks this week, you know what to do. Head on over to the Julia's and join in on the blog hopping fun!

Have a blessed week!

Dani

Delight

Today's layout is titled, "Delight". And that is exactly what we have been doing around here. Delighting in all the sights, sounds, and tastes that this season has to offer.

I hope that you are enjoying your summer. Have a blessed week!

Dani

Starting Point Layout

Last week, I saw a starting point from Sue Althouse, and I decided to use it as a base for my page below. I kept it as is, except I flipped it to the left side of the page.

I wanted to use only a paper collection without any embellishments other than the cardstock stickers that were in the kit. I used modeling paste that I dyed with re-inkers to match the color of my bricks. I then stenciled the bricks over the layout. Once dried, I applied white paint with a dry brush to mimic the white painting of the bricks in the photo. I inked all of the edges of my papers with brown ink and distressed stained my letters to match. Simple strip journaling was added and done!

Thanks, Sue!
And thank you for visiting!

Dani

Summer Lovin'

I blame it on summer. The lack of creativeness going on, on this blog. Between celebrating my birthday, the Fourth of July, the beach vacation with my family, painting my art room, the rain, the sunshine, etc... The month of July is just going to be a creative bust for me, but that's okay, because I am enjoying this time in my life. The back pain is at a minimum and getting out in between all of the rainstorms that we have been having lately is a must to keep me sane.

I did manage to get one layout done this week, but it is very simple, as you can see below. I feel like I stepped back quite a few years and created this layout. But sometimes, simple is best. The hardest part was doing the photo.

Thank you for your visit! I hope you have a "colorful" week!

Dani

Captured

The layout "captured" does not contain any moldeling paste in case you were getting tired of that. It does however have a lightly stamped background that was misted over. I love the paper collection that I used, but my old mind can't remember what it was. haha! And that was just last week.

The journaling was typed on scrap paper then ran through the printer with a journal block attached over it. I left enough space to pop dot the camera slightly over the photo. The letters are scripted foam Thicker's. And a little tag was added to the side of the photo. And lastly, so stitching was added to a couple of the paper strips. It is not a colorful layout, but it has quickly become one of my favorites.

Thanks for visiting - Enjoy your weekend!

Dani

WOYWW 160

Another week, another Wednesday, okay, Tuesday night in my case. Another peek, thanks to our hostess Julia, into the work desks of fellow crafters from around the world.

On my desk this evening is a lot that needs to be picked up. The new October Afternoon that came in a few days ago. My Thickers and easel from my shopping trip on Monday. And a new mixed media art journal and art journaling book. I know with the light it is hard to see, but the first page has been stencil with modeling paste through a heart stencil that I created on my Silhouette. I am hoping to add some color to it today. This will be my first attempt at an art journal and it is part of my trying new things attitude.

And finally, the layout that I finished tonight. I used the starting points from Shimelle's challenge last week.

Thanks for visiting today! Hope you are having a great week!

Dani