Citrus Tree Studio Crop

Have you heard? Citrus Tree Studio is hosting a Scraptoberfest Crop! There will be all kinds of challenges and prizes - so stop on over and check it out! A great time to be inspired and get some pages knocked out!

Hand Tree from Momenta Papers

I would first like to say that this project was not my idea. I found it done somewhere (I'll look for the link to add) with fabric and of course, I had to turn it into a paper project. :)



I really thought this project would be MUCH harder than it was. As it turns out, it was really easy - except tracing G's hand/arm.

• He is 2
• He doesn't get that he should stand still EVER
• He wanted to do the tracing
• He wanted the 'hand'
• He wanted the ink pen once we finished (smart choice mom)
• He then drew all over his belly
• He had to be cleaned up

But, it's all in good fun ... so it's no biggie and if that is the worst that happens today, after yesterday I will count my blessings.

Now, onto the project.

For this one, I used the following papers from Momenta:
Earthtones Textured Cardstock PA-0659
Relax Textured Cardstock PA-1035
Occasions & Celebrations Paper PA-1992
Metallics Paper Pad PA-1161

Other supplies include an old frame, Helmar 450, a burlap scrap and my Xyron Cheetah.
All these things I had on hand in my overstock room (have I mentioned I'm trying to clean that out?).

So, here's the tutorial, which probably isn't needed at all since the project is so simple.

1. Pull apart frame and discard any unwanted materials (the paper picture, the mat, etc).

2. Apply adhesive to the front side of your frame back board (this is where I used the Xyron Cheetah for a wider coverage area).



3. Lay burlap over the 'sticky' and be sure to smooth it out.


4. Turn piece over and trim next to the edge.

The finished back board piece should look like the picture below. Go ahead and set it to the side for a few mintues.



Now... onto the actual tree...

5. Trace your victim's hand & arm up to the elbow (sorry, no picture as it was hard enough to get the tracing down).

6. Place the traced hand onto your brown cardstock and cut it out.
* If you are good enough to do the tracing directly onto you cardstock I go ahead and bow down gracefully.
* And my son's forefinger is really not deformed and that much skinnier than the rest - he just likes to squirm.

7. Cut all of your leaves from the various patterned papers/cardstock. I went with freehand, but you can easily do this with your cutting system.

*If freehand cutting, stack your papers and staple in one or two corners to keep them from sliding as you cut.

8. Using your glue (I used the Helmar 450 for the following steps) begin attaching your leaves in an upward & outward motion. You may want to leave the hand sitting gently on the burlap so you have an idea of where to start.

9. Finish attaching your leaves and then attach your hand.

10. Reassemble your frame and hang it up! And, if your child is like mine... smile at the fact that he recognizes it is a tree (and a hand) as he tries to climb the wall to exclaim and share his knowledge!

Stencil Painted Magnet Boards

This was a fairly quick & easy project - so I thought I would share it with you guys. Since we recently repainted Grayson's room, I am looking for new things to hang on the wall. I've already created a name plaque to hang above his closet door, but that is all he has. Since he likes robots (and I used them on his name plaque) I thought I would do this quickly to have at least something in there. And then, since I had the stencils pulled out, I decided to grab a butterfly and create one for the little girl who is on the way.

I picked up these magnetic note boards at Target in the dollar spot a few years ago - and they have been sitting in my to do bin (cleaning that out is also on the to do list). So I figured I would put them to use here...

I even skipped the painting of the frame for the butterfly since it was already a girly color! I used Momenta Stencils for the robot & butterfly (Robots BL-350 & Cheyenne’s Butterfly BL-345) and Plaid Acrylic Paints.

Super easy, and now at least I have something to hang on the walls in the bedrooms of my kiddos. :) And, I have some other ideas stirring about how I can creatively use these stencils for other decorations in their room - so stay tuned!

I've taken a hiatus

I took a hiatus from blogging, but I have been busy elsewhere. The carpets got cleaned this morning so I've spent all of this week trying to get furniture moved and get the rest of the house cleaned up. I haven't done too much crafting wise, but I did manage to make part of Grayson's Halloween costume and I tried my hand at sewing some diaper covers. They are cute, but I believe my homemade pattern might need to be perfected before they can actually be used. Who knows though, I might just try one on him and see if it flies.

Then of course, I've had the dreaded case of poison ivy on my face. You know, it has to be bad when your husband looks at you and says "uh....." with nothing to follow. In his defense, his shock & awe was a valid response. I wound up looking very monster-ish for a couple days and I'm sure some people at the grocery store were convinced I was a domestic abuse case. Thankfully it seems to be healing well, despite the fact it still itches on occasion. I'll spare you the pictures for now, but I'm sure I'll scrap them at some point.

So no scrapping from me, but I have been slowly whittling away at my to do list (which is still huge). Can someone say nesting? I know Jeff can - and does on a regular basis - right before he rolls his eyes. But, it makes me feel better and that is all that matters. :)

I'll be scrapping next week though, so be on the lookout for some projects to come!

But, in the meantime, consider this your PSA. If you get poison ivy on your face (especially near your eye) ... GO SEE A DOCTOR!!!

Star of the Party (Treasured Hunt Page)

Yesterday was the deadline for Round 3 of the Treasured Hunt at Treasured Scrapbooking. We had to focus on one technique, so I chose painting. I used orange & green shimmerz as well as regular acrylic craft paint on the chipboard, picture and cardstock.

I like how the layout turned out, but looking at it now I wish I had added a few more details to it.

Journaling:
You are such a happy little guy, you definitely make people happy and so far have proved to be the star of the party.

Supplies:

Cardstock - DCWV

Paper Stars & Bling Flourish - Prima

Shimmerz Paint

Misc. Chipboard

Adornit & Momenta Alpha Stickers

Crafter's Warehouse Stencil

Acrylic Craft Paint

Treasured Scrapbooking Treasured Hunt {Round 2}

I was lucky enough to make it to Round 2 of the Treasured Hunt! The challenge this round was lots of fun. You needed to use a book title, use a particular phrase in your journaling, have at least 3 layers of paper somewhere and use something school related.

Here is my lengthy journaling...

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease somewhere around the age of 20. When the diagnosis finally came in I was convinced I would spend the rest of my life alone. I mean, after all, who would want to love someone with a bag on their side? Luckily, with the help of medication, I have been able to hold off that procedure. I am now a wife and a mother, which is something I was convinced I would never get to do. These two things have been the far most rewarding events in my life thus far, and I am thankful for every minute I get to spend in those roles.

For me, significance has come mostly from being a mom. It has been one of those things that I didn’t know what was missing from life until it was given to me. As a mom, the things I’ve learned about myself never cease to amaze me. The moments when my son says ‘bless you’ after a sneeze, ‘thanks’ when you hand him something or ‘sorry’ when something doesn’t go the right way make it easier to handle the harder moments (like when he is pounding his head on the floor because I told him no).

I can’t say that I am the best of the best at being either a wife or a mother, but I can say that I try to give it my all. Yes because of my disease there are days that we can’t go do something – but hopefully, through time, my son will learn that having a disease does not mean a person cannot continue to live life to the fullest.

Supplies: SEI Bridgeport Bordeaux, Love Elsie Toby Culture, KI Memories Pop Culture Feather Boa, AC Thickers & MiniMarks, Kaiser Pearls, Martha Stewart Glitter, Flowers, Leaves & Butterflies - Prima (I believe), Brad, Hat Pin & Ribbon - Unknown

For my school related item - I made the compass point out of paper and I also have a paper clip near the title.

Back to the Grind

Well, after a week of vacation we are back to reality. I have to say though, it was loads of fun. We had a blast watching Grayson experience stuff and have fun while doing it. So here are a few pictures that encompass our week...

A great view...

LOTS of road construction...

Plenty of pointing out body parts while waiting in lines...

Riding on Daddy's shoulders...

A box of sidewalk chalk (oops, I'm a bad mommy for letting him draw on the table - good thing we don't have one at home)

Everyone pulling their hair out to get out of the car...

Giggles Galore!

And plenty of 'what in the world' faces from me...

And lots and lots of trains {Choo Choo}!!

But, after all was said and done we had a great time! If you are bored or just want to see more pics, I have added them to my gallery.

Now I need to get scrapping all these pictures!

Sympathy Card {Momenta}

Another quick project created with Momenta supplies. I needed a quick sympathy card, so I pulled out the black tie collection and made this in about 15 minutes.

And can I tell you how much I LOVE these pre-cut card packs? They rock and are a steal at only $1.49!

Supplies:

Card Pack NC-1270
Metal Paper Pack PA-1502
Chipboard Icon Stickers ST-3087

Laugh {Momenta Digital}

I absolutely love quick projects. With a toddler around, the best thing is to have something on and off my table in a heartbeat (which also includes my computer since he can reach the keyboard). That said, I created this digital page using the Sweet Talk Collection from Momenta.

Quick and painless - this layout took me about 30 minutes (with multiple interruptions I'm sure) to complete. The perfect project for me!