Snow Pages

Last night I was really in the mood to craft so I scraped some recent photos of Christopher enjoying our winter snowfall. I really like the way these pages turned out so I wanted to share them with you! The previous two pages I made, I wasn't so crazy about! The national weather service says we might be in for some more snow next Tuesday, so there maybe another opportunity for some more snow fun and photos. :)

Making Valentine Cards

Do you make Valentine cards for anyone? Do you help you child make some for their classmates? Maybe this Valentine's day you could roll up your sleeves and give it a shot. I've been having a ball making cards this season with all the gorgeous new papers available.

The above cards are made from a line called 'Heart Attack' by We R Memory Keepers. They are so bright, cheerful and full of inspiration. So perhaps its time to make a trip to your local scrapbook store or craft center and remember what it was like to make Valentine's cards as a child!

A New Valentine Tradition

Start a new tradition this February with a Valentine mailbox. From February 1st through the 14th, set out a little mailbox each day and fill it with notes and goodies for your little ones. Imagine the excitement they will feel when they've got mail!

I made this mailbox with a plain red tin that I got from Target's Dollar Spot and decked it out with this gorgeous paper from Scenic Route. To further embellish it I tied this wide grosgrain bow around it and added some felt hearts to the flag and front door. Too fun! If interested, the mailbox photographed above is for sale in my Etsy shop at http://www.cardblanc.etsy.com/.

Ready or not...

here comes Valentine's Day. Do you have a couple cards for your sweetie and for a few of your closest friends? And what about your child's teacher? It's not to late to log onto http://www.cardblanc.etsy.com/ to pick up a few things. Cards like this are in listed along with some pretty little gifts. Enjoy browsing!

Lizzie Jane

It doesn't get much cuter than this! I love Etsy! Not just because I'm a shopkeeper, but because my fellow Etsians are some of the most talented folks around! Imagine this sweet little bunny as part of your Easter decor. And if you think this is precious, you should see the adorable handmade critters Lizzie Jane tucks into a little box and calls them a "hug in a box!" This is a must see shop at http://www.lizziejane.etsy.com/. Enjoy! :)

Snow Day Two

No new snow today, but because some of the snow got slushy late in the afternoon yesterday and we had teen digits overnight, everything was icy this morning. Schools were closed again today due to hazardous road conditions. That makes it a five day weekend for Christopher! He and I went outside this morning to play and I made this wee snowman. Again, the snow was so powdery so it was awfully difficult just to make these few snowballs, but I was determined! After putting the body together I ran up to my scrap room for the ribbon and buttons. Scrap supplies come in handy for all sorts of things! Cute, huh? He's sitting on our deck railing where there's no sunshine so maybe he'll last through the day and part of tomorrow. He'll be toast for sure come Friday as it'll be close to 60 degrees.

Snow Day!

It's about time for a snow day! We moved to the Raleigh, North Carolina area just over four years ago and today we're getting the most snow we've seen during that time! We're supposed to get an average of eight inches a year, but two of our winters here had no measurable snow and the others had a half inch and an inch. We're expected to get up to seven inches today and we're thrilled! Christopher is beside himself with excitement and can't wait to go out again and do some more sledding. It's real powdery snow, hard to make a snowball or snowman, but it'll be easier to shovel from the sidewalk and drive. Here's a picture of my guys taking another trip down the driveway.

A Bit of Inspiration

I love browsing web sites that are colorful and artistic? Whenever my creative spirit takes a leave of absence, visiting my favorite blogs, flipping through some cool idea books or discovering unique websites, helps give me the jump start I need to get going again. This morning I happened across a couple cool web sites, Art School Girls at http://www.artschoolgirl.com/ and Pikku at http://www.pikkuwares.com/ and thought you might enjoy them too. The sites showcases beautiful fabrics made into throw pillows, fun and functional calendars and machine sewn greeting cards. Enjoy!

Latest Creation

I bought this little unfinished wood trinket box at A.C. Moore a good year or more ago and it has been sitting around my office waiting for me to gather an idea or two on how to finish it. It came in handy as a mini tripod on more than a few occasions when I needed to photograph supplies for my Etsy shop! Oh, but it longed to be something more! :)

Then the other day when I was reorganizing my patterned paper and came across a line called Urbane Prairie from Basic Grey, I realized they were the perfect match for my little trinket box. Originally, I had the frame of the box painted yellow, in between the drawers, but it didn't look quite right so I changed it to white. Ah...now it looks lovely and will be listed on Etsy to find it a good home. If interested, log onto http://www.cardblanc.etsy.com/. Hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing Sunday.

New Treasures

Look what I bought today for under $10 including shipping! Isn't this little owl a hoot? Too cute! And the hankie, how feminine and pretty! I purchased these sweet little treasures from Serendipity Treasures, an antique shop on Etsy. This shopkeeper, Ali, always finds the sweetest goodies for her store and prices them and shipping fairly. Go see her today at http://www.serendipitytreasures.etsy.com/. Enjoy!

Take Note

Why carry a plain pad of paper around in your purse or glove box when you can deck one out? I purchased this mini composition book from Staples and added some lovely patterned card stock to the front manufactured by Scenic Route and then embellished it with a row of stitched buttons and a cool little rub-on quote. Now when I reach into my purse or across my nightstand for a piece of paper, I feel like smiling! Please note that this mini composition book is for sale in my Etsy store at http://www.cardblanc.etsy.com/ for those of you who don't have the time to dress one of these little guys up.

Paper-Playground Scrapbook Kit

So, now that I have some scrapbook kits from Paper-Playground, I thought I'd whip up a thing or two to show off. Here's a fun Valentine I made. If you like the papers and ribbon I used for this project you have to log onto http://www.paper-playground.com/ to see their January kit! It's gorgeous with it's winter theme and cool blue colors. I've got to have it! Look at those adorable Melissa Frances mini frames that come with it!

Trying New Things

Since I'm an avid scrapbooker and paper crafter it will probably come as a surprise that I've never attended a crop or class before nor have I ever purchased one of those ever popular monthly scrapbook kits!

My excuse? I've always thought that if I attended a crop I wouldn't accomplish anything besides talking all day and buying more scrapbook supplies. Nothing wrong with visiting, but do I need to attend a crop to do that? And if you've seen my scrap room, there's no doubt that I need more scrapbook supplies like I need another hole in my head! But my biggest reason for not attending crops is that I wouldn't know where to start in deciding what to bring! I have a difficult enough time packing for a weekend getaway! I always forget something! I'm the kind of scrapbooker that changes her mind 15 times when deciding on the title of my page alone! Do I use chipboard letters, die cut letters, rub-ons, computer printed or a combo of the above?

And about those scrapbook kits...wow! There are some awesome kits out there full of yummy papers and goodies, who could choose just one! I suppose instead of having to make that difficult choice, I thought I'd just go to my local Archivers and pick up all the doo-dads I want. Maybe this is the reason for the overabundance in my scrap room? You think! I'm happy to say this obsession of mine doesn't branch out to other areas of my life. When it comes to things like clothes and home decor, I'm far more sensible.

Well, it's a new year and perhaps it's time to try new things. Yesterday was the first time I scrapbooked anywhere besides my home. I didn't attend an actual crop, but I was required to pack up enough supplies to complete a project and I did pretty good! Even though I don't have one of those fancy Cropper Hopper rolling totes with loads of compartments for all my gear, I managed to bring all the necessary supplies to make this little picture frame. And it all fit in a plastic Michael's shopping bag! I scraped with a new friend I met from the online site Two Peas in a Bucket and she sweet enough to lend me the chipboard tag and the little pink button I needed to complete my frame. I just may be able to do this crop thing yet!

I also had the opportunity to purchase my first scrapbook kit from Paper Playground since my new friend just so happens to be the co-owner. I think I'm really going to like scrapbook kits since there is always something in each kit that I may not have purchased otherwise which will help me branch out into new techniques. As far as adding new tools or supplies to my ever growing stash, not so much! But hey, nothings perfect, right?

Sweet Treat

Looking for a sweet way to thank your child's teachers this Valentine's Day? I found these adorable mini, clear paint buckets at the craft store and decorated them with some sweet patterned papers from Cloud 9 Design. I added a chipboard tag and heart along with this pretty ribbon to the handle. The 'love' sentiment on the tag is a rub-on. I think teachers will LOVE these, don't you?

Where's the Sun?

If you're like me, sunny days gives you energy and puts a little extra bounce in your step. The sun has been missing here in North Carolina for days now and all I want to do is curl up in bed and read a good book and take a winter cat nap with my boys. I guess I will have to create a little sun and flowers to make things around the house a little brighter, like this little Bloom Picture Frame. Easy to make with a little scrapbook paper, an unfinished wood frame, sheet music, craft floss and some buttons. Or, if you don't have the time, this little frame is for sale in my Etsy shop at http://www.cardblanc.etsy.com/. Have a super day and send me some sunshine wishes for tomorrow.

Back to the Daily Grind

As fun as the holidays were, and I really enjoyed our family time, it's nice to get Christopher back into his school routine and clean the house! I spent the entire day yesterday scrubbing porcelain, vacuuming carpets, moping wood, and clearing out dust bunnies. Ah, this house sparkles! Let's hope it lasts at least a day or two! Now it's time to get some work done...for me that means making cards and Valentine gifts for my business and scrapbooking our holiday memories. Here's a page with a photo from Christmas morning. Santa left the train Christopher asked for.

What to do with those Christmas Cards?

Here's a few environmentally friendly ideas for your Christmas cards now that the season is behind us. Recycling them provides companies such as Seventh Generation the post consumer paper it needs to produce their toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels, and napkins. Whole Foods market makes their brand of these products under the 365 label. Even Staples sells printer paper made of 100% post consumer recycled paper. Don't forget to buy these items or it does little good to recycle.

Reusing your Christmas cards and to/from tags is an even better option. If you have to/from tags that open like greeting cards, keep the front of the tags and cut off the writing portion. Most of my tags this year were from the year before which also saves money. As for your holiday cards, you can cut out some of the pretty images and glue them onto a new piece of card stock to send out next year. This is a fun project for the kids to help you with.

If you like to keep your cards and all the photographs that come with them, the photo above is a scrapbook page made of Christmas cards. I saw this project a couple years ago on Two Peas in a Bucket. You cut up some of your cards into 1 1/2" squares and apply them to a 12"x12" piece of scrapbook card stock. This page has a pocket in it to hold all those cards with photos or handmade designs that you want to save. Now you have a beautiful scrapbook page and a safe place to keep those holiday cards and pictures.