Scrapping Everyday Miracles Birthday Celebration Blog Hop

Welcome to the Scrapping Everyday Miracles Birthday Celebration blog hop.  I am excited that you are hopping along with us.  In addition to our blog hop we also have a giveaway on SEM on our facebook group http://www.facebook.com/groups/200817343359030/ we games with some fun prizes plus 5 card challenges where we are making cards for the organization Cards for Soldiers .  I love that we can have fun and give back to some else at the same time.

Each of the DT created a Birthday themed project.  In each of the pictures of the projects there are hidden birthday hats.    As you hop through count how many hats you find.  When you are finished with the hop comment on the blog hop post with the number of hats you found.  

Here is my birthday themed layout... How many hats can you find?

Our hop grand prize has been provided by Blue Fern Studios....

Blog: http://bluefernstudios.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueFernStudios

Ready to see the awesome Grand Prize for the hop...

So are you all ready?  It is time for some hopping!  Have fun and we will see you back here at the end of the hop .  
The hop will remain open until Sunday night, July 14th at midnight PST. 
Remember in order to qualify for our grand prize you must leave a comment on all the blogs and comment on the SEM blog with the number of hats you found (you do not have to have the right number of hats to be entered... just try maybe there will be an extra prize for that get it right)

Nic http://scrapmethis.blogspot.com
Cara http://bitsbaublesandbliss.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth http://www.ejoym.blogspot.com
Christy  http://creatingwiththegirls.blogspot.com
Kelly http://blsd2scrp.blogspot.com
Helen http://byheleng.wordpress.com/
Lisa  http://creativejuicefreshsqueezed.blogspot.com/
Tracey http://gracescraps.blogspot.com
Jessica http://jessica-createandshare.blogspot.com
Roberta http://thepapercraftingleague.blogspot.com
SEM blog http://scrappingeverydaymiracles.blogspot.com/

Make sure you also stop by our Facebook page for games, challenges and even more prizes.  Winners will be posted  on SEM (and on each individual blog that provides RAK) on Wednesday July 17th so don't forget to come back and see if you won any of the fabulous prizes from our sponsors!  

SEM June Main Challenge

Here is the challenge this month over at Scrapping Everyday Miracles.    

Since June is one of the most popular months to get married (my husband and my anniversary is the 19th), I decided to do a challenge on love. Your challenge this month is to scrap about a husband and wife relationship and the love you see/experience because of it.  The scrap twist is that you can only use cardstock, NO PATTERNED PAPER! The couple you choose can be you and your spouse, your parents, grandparents, or any other couple whose love for one another inspires you.

To see the whole challenge make sure you head over to the SEM blog.  You have until June 30th to enter!

Here is the layout I created.

Things arent always easy when it comes to my marriage.  We have our ups and downs... our good days and bad days... sometimes it has felt like good years and bads years even.  Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air and saying that's it I give up!  Deep down I love my husband and I truly meant my wedding vows.  I want to be a loving supportive and caring wife.  I am willing to work on and change those things I can to make this marriage work.  I know that Lars loves me and feels the same.  When those days come that I feel like things are just too much of a mess or I said something horrible and wish I could take it... the days I feel hurt and sad... I pray!  I give God my marriage, I ask forgiveness, and ask God to change my heart... I ask him to help me love my husband no matter what the issue is.  God has done just that... He has been there to get us through some crazy times... some big issues... misunderstandings  and some really hurt feelings.  Both Lars and I have our baggage and issues and are working on those things to be a better husband and wife.  Know matter how much Lars makes me want to pull my hair out... I couldnt imagine not beeing his wife.  I am proud to be his wife.  I thank the Lord that we are both commited to this marriage and are still very much in love with each other even though some days it is hard to focus on that.  I know God brought us together and I am so thankful for that.  

The twist was to not use any patterned paper.  At first this seemed rather hard but actually it wasnt that hard at all.  I really went a bit crazy creating the background and after literally drenching it with mist.  I then took gesso and stenciled on the pattern.  I then added a bit more mist.  Then I dried everything with my blow dryer.  Finally I added a little inca gold over the gesso pattern.  You cant really see it in the picture but believe me it is there and it really gives it a beautiful sheen.  Now at this point the paper was warped from the misting so what I should have done is mist the back with plain water and put it under a heavy book overnight.  But I had an idea in mind and knew just want the journaling on it should say.  I really didnt want to lose my inspiration.  I unfortunately dont know a quick way to get your paper flat.  Some might say ironing the backside but with the gesso I didnt think that was the best idea.  If I had only used mist I probably would have tried this but not with the gesso and other stuff.  I am going to have to do some research on how to get your layout to lay flat after using mists and other mix media.  Anyhow I went ahead and just designed my layout right on the warped background.  You can tell this in the picture... the hand drawing is straighter than it appears.  I havent hand drawn a title on a layout in a long time.  I also do not often doodle.  Usually for wedding pictures people use soft muted colors not black... but I loved the contrast of the black butterflies.  I also drew a lot of the dark tones out of the picture and really made it pop.  Even though it is warped I still really like this layout.  And if you have any ideas on getting mix media layouts flat I would love to hear them.

Have a great day and dont forget to check out the challenge at SEM... I cant wait to see what you create!

Eyelet Outlet Team up!

Hi Everyone!  Over at the Eyelet Outlet the DT has teamed up with Art Impressions to bring you some wonderful creations featuring Art Impression Stamps and Eyelet Outlet products.  I chose to work with this adorable griszzley bear.... I think he is adorable and I knew there would just be so many different ways I could use the stamp and brads from the Eyelet Outlet together.   So here is my grizzley bear bithday card!  

I  used two different types of EO brads.....mini bee brads and balloon brads-bright.  Here is a close up of the both the stamp and brads.  I know I will definately be creating some other cards featuring this cute bear in the future.  Can see him wearing a hat brad or maybe glasses and a mustache brads.  Oh so many fun ideas!

Stop by the Eyelet Outlet blog all week to see what other creations the DT came up!!!!
Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful day!

Eyelet Outlet May DT work

I really need to get better at blogging again... I have so many projects I have created lately and just havent found the time to put it up on the blog.  Here are three cards I designed for the Eyelet Outlet...

I created this cute little bird house card and used 3 different brads the sitting birds (pastel), the flying birds (pastel) and a 12mm gold pearl brad.  Of course I used one of my favorite EO products and that is bling.  I used two different types Pearl Bling sheets and Pearl Bling strips.  The other supplies I used are Pink Paislee pattern paper, a smalll bit of twine, a small part of a bamboo skewer, two prima paper flowers, and finally I used some stickles on the flowers and bird brads.  I just love glitter!  Here is close up of the brads.

 Here is my second card... totally has some fun british flair!

The Eyelet Outlet is known for its brads and eyelets but did you know there is ribbon, bling and paper flowers also in the store.  This card actually doesnt use any brads but instead features the flag ribbon and blue jewel bling strips.  I also used paper from My Minds Eye and October Afternoon, 2 Maya Road pins, Chipboard from Maya Road, a sticker from Crate Paper, hello stamp from G Studio and from my personal stash cream ribbon and a bus die cut.  I am going to send this card to my neices along with some souvenirs from our recent trip to England.  I think it is perfect!  Here is a close up of the ribbon.

Finally here is the Mother's Day card I made for my mom.

I used the brand new paper flowers from EO as well as some silver stipple brads.  I think the card really truned out lovely.  I also used Webster Pages pattern paper and a stamp from Hero Arts.  Here is a close up  of the paper flowers.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful day!

SEM Hop into Spring Blog Hop

SCRAPPING EVERYDAY MIRACLES

HOP into SPRING BLOG HOP and FACEBOOK CHALLENGE!

MARCH 29th - 31st

Hi Everyone I hope you are having fun so far on our Scrapping Everyday Miracles

 Hop into Spring Blog Hop ! If you came here from Toni's blog than great!  If not you can start at the beginning at Scrapping Everyday Miracles.

We were asked to create a Spring or Easter inspired project.  I realized that I had created very few Easter projects in the past years so this year I have tried to create more and after Easter I plan on scrapping some great layouts.  Today I have to share some cute Easter treat bags I made for my daughter and husband.  I got the idea from the blog The Idea Room and on the blog she offered a free printable.  I printed it out and then decorated it even further with patterned paper, brads, twine and flowers.  If you wanted to make some of your own you could of course just print out the bag toppers use them like they are because they are already adorable straight out of the printer.  Here is the link to the printable http://www.theidearoom.net/2013/03/easter-bunny-cotton-tails.html

I used the new Easter brads from the Eyelet Outlet on the bags.  You can find them here Rabbit Brads- Pastel.

Each of the DT were asked to answer some fun questions about ourselves.

What do you love most about Spring? I love spring because I know that really soon I will be able to garden again.  I love my garden and spend most of the summer outside working in it.  The thing is I have a really small yard but that doesnt stop me.  I have fruit trees and bushes, flowers and roses and both a herb and vegetable garden.  My dream is to have a big yard with a green house one day!

Where do you live? I live in Bodø, Norway which is in the North of the country above the arctic circle.  We have the midnight sun in the summer and the sun never sets!  In the winter we have the Northern Lights.  I am so blessed to have experienced living up here.  I wont lie it is very hard at time but it is also an amazing place to live and to raise my daughter.  However I do miss my home and family a lot.  I am from Southern California and my family all live in Orange County.  It is hard to be so far from my family but I know that God has a plan and a reason for having us here in Norway.

We have some fabulous prizes this weekend.  First we have our grand prize offered by

If you hop through all the DT blogs and leave a comment you could win

two Genuinely Jane Wood albums!  You will receive both the dress form album and the flower album.

That isnt all if you head over to the Scrapping Everyday Miracles Chit Chat Group you can enter to win another great prize from Genuinely Jane Studios.

Now I also have a prize for one lucky person that comments on my blog!  You can win a prize from the Eyelet Outlet.  Instead of me picking the prize I am going to let you!  You can choose 3 packages of brads and 5 packages of bling.  Here are some of the fun brads and bling you might pick for your prize.

To win any of the prizes from the hop you must comment on the blogs by Sunday, March 31st at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced on Saturday, April 6th.

Here is the line up for the blog hop... Next you will head to Jessica's blog.  if you missed any of the stops along the way make sure you go back and comment for your chance to win...have fun hopping!

SEM Blog

Toni

Nicole

Jessica

Tracey G.

Helen

Cara

Tracey S.

Kelly

Christy

Elizabeth
Lisa

SEM Blog

Have a very Happy Easter!

He has Risen!

Eyelet Outlet Easter Project

 It is Spring and almost time for Easter.  I am so excited!  Even though we still have 2 feet of snow outside I am still in the spring spirit!  I created for you one of my favorite Easter projects yet.  Here in Norway they give paper mache eggs to the kids instead of Easter baskets.  Many of the crafty ladies here decorate their eggs and make them extra special.  Even though I felt like I didnt know where to start I decided to give it ago... Here is my final result...

 For the card and the egg I used Webster Pages patterned paper and fussy cut out flowers.  On the card I used a piece of Pink Paislee pattern paper.  The seam binding I used to tie the bow is from Paper Loves Glue and the flowers are from Prima and various other companies.  The stamp sentiment is from Unity Stamps.  Lace, ribbon and russian veiling are from my personal stash.

The products you can find in the Eyelet Outlet store are the pearl strips of bling and the dragonfly brads.  . There are several different color choices available for the dragon fly brads  and used brads from both dragonfly brads bright and dragonfly brads pastel  I used them on both the card and on the egg; I simply just poked them into the bouquet of flowers.  I know that they might be hard to see in the pictures above so I have a few close up pictures.

THE CARD-  There is a purple and blue dragonfly on the big blue flower and then of course the two on the creme background.

THE EGG- Below are pictures of all four sides of the egg and then a close closeup of one of the dragon flies.  There are 5 dragon flies total on the egg.  Picture one there is a yellow and pink one on the peach flower right in the front,  a lavendar and blue one on the green curly wire in the upper right hand corner and a blue and yellow on another green curly wire in the left hand upper corner.

Picture 2 has a yellow and blue one on the purple and white flower and a lavendar and blue on right above it over the white flower.

Picture 3 is of the back side of the egg.  Once again you can see the yellow and blue one over the purple and  white flower and then another one that is yellow and pink over the blue flower under the veil towards the right of the picture.

Picture 4 is a very upclose picture which you can plainly see a yellow and pink dragonfly.

Happy Easter!

SEM Challenge #26

I want to share my layout with you that I created for Challenge #26 over at SEM... Here short version of the challenge:

Create a project about a gift you received that really touched your heart or a sacrificial gift you gave. Perhaps you could even make a gift to give (specifically for this challenge). Also...it wouldn't have to be a physical gift, do you have photos of when you donated your time to help out?

The scrap twist is to include some gems on your project.

Make sure you stop by the blog and check out the whole challenge... it is fun one! http://scrappingeverydaymiracles.blogspot.no/2013/03/main-challenge-26.html

Before I even show you my layout I have to say that I had a horribly hard time taking pictures of it.  I took over a hundred pictures over two days and edited about a dozen of them.  No matter what I did I could not stop it from glowing... It looks florescent but honestly it is not.  I wonder if it is the monitor on my computer because it doesnt appear this way on my phone... but then i know the color on my phone is off and appears better than what it is.   Oh well...

I really want to share with you the story about this my daughter buying me this necklace.  She really has such a kind giving heart!  We were at the mall heading towards Subway to buy some sandwiches.  As we passed by the store B-Young one of the mannequins in the window was wearing an owl necklace and I said out loud to no one in particular that I would love that necklace for my birthday.  Karianne my little girl who was just days away from being 4 years old heard me and she thought I will get that for my mom.  So she said to my husband, "Pappa can we please shop that necklace for Mommy."  He said, "What necklace... No not right now we are going to get something to eat.Maybe another day" While i ordered they found a place to sit.  When I finished ordering I took the change I received back and set it on the table.  I went to get drinks and my husband went to pick up sandwiches.  When we got back to the table Karianne wasnt there and realized she had run off... which of course is not allowed. All of the sudden we see her coming out of the store with sales lady from the dress shop that had the necklace.  She had taken the money off of the table and gone into the shop to buy the necklace.  The sales lady later told us that she had come in walked straight to the counter and said I must buy the owl necklace for my mom for her birthday and then gave her the money.  The lady told her that she didnt have enough money but would walk her out to her parents so she could get more.  My husband went up to meet her outside the shop and Karianne said sorry for running away but she really wanted to buy that necklace and she tried to ask.  He went with her back into the store and paid for the rest of the necklace.  Karianne then says to my husband "Okay now you can go and eat... I will wait here while the lady wraps it pretty for Mommy."  The sale lady says that is fine I will walk her out when we are finished.  I am eating when my husband comes back to the table and tells me what happened.  A few minutes later Karianne comes running out of the store with a present and the biggest smile on her face.  She is so proud and says it is for you but you cant know what it is!  When she gets home she hides the present in her room until my birthday.  A few days later when I get my birthday gifts... she wants her present to be the first opened. I smile as I open the present knowing what a giving kind child God has blessed me with.  She smiles huge as I take it out of the box... She asks "Are you surprised?  It is the necklace that you wanted... I heard you and bought it all by myself!"

I love giving because it is a chance for God to use you to bless someone else to be part of a little miracle in their life.  It doesnt matter who or how you give... it is just so important to have a giving heart and be ready to serve.  You never know when the opportunity will show up!

Valentines!!!!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!  

 I am so excited to share with you the valentines and boxes I made for my husband and daughter.... I am especially excited about the pillow boxes because I went green and made them out of toilet paper rolls.  Maybe some of you are in need of a last minute V-Day gift well this just might be the thing for you! 

 It is so easy to do... mash down a toilet paper roll until it is almost flat.  Next you need an embossing stylus (if you dont have one you could use an empty ball point pen).  Take a glass, lid or other round object using it as a guide make a half circle using the stylus on the ends on both sides.  Fold the ends in on score lines and there you have it a pillow box!

Here is my first Valentine and box that I made for my husband.  All the brads and bling can be found at the Eyelet Outlet Store .  On the card I used a 16mm Black Stipple Silver Edge brad and a 8mm Silver Stipple Silver Edge brad.  On both the card and the box I used Clear Jewel Bling. 

I am totally in love with the new puppy brads... They are just so stinkin' cute!  My daughter loves dogs so I just had to make her a dog themed Valentine and box.  For the card I used the Puppy brads (of course) and Clear Jewel Bling and for the box I used Black Pearl Bling and Clear Jewel Bling Strips.

Thanks for letting me share my Valentines with you!

I hope you have a lovely day!

Scrapping Everyday Miracles Sketch challenge and the Eyelet Outlet brads

It really has been forever since I posted here... I really havent been scrapbooking that much... But I hope to be getting back in the swing of things.  If you havent checked out Scrapping Everyday Miracles lately I totally recommend that you do.  We have so many fun things going on as well as a great facebook chit chat group.  The DT is always bringing such wonderful inspiration and sharing so many wonderful things from their heart.  Today we have the January Sketch Challenge....

The sketch you need to use is

The Scrap Twist is to fussy cut something...

Every challenge at SEM has a Scrap Twist that you need to use in your project.

Here is what I created.... I fussy cut the jar...

This is a picture of my daughter and my sister's daughter.  My family lives back in California while we live in the North of Norway so they only get to see each other once or at the very most twice a year.  When they are together they are sooo happy.  God really blessed me with these two little girls... and their happiness is such a treasure!

The butterflies are from the Eyelet Outlet and are a new release!  You can find them in the shop here.... http://www.eyeletoutlet.com/butterfly-brads.html and here http://www.eyeletoutlet.com/mini-butterfly-brads.html

If you would like to enter the challenge over at SEM you have until Jan.31st and you can win  these awesome flair buttons from Paper Loves Glue

The second layout also features a lot of the Eyelet Outlet brads...

This was the first snowman that we built with my daughter.  She was 9 months old  and just so excited to sit and play in the snow.  It was a wonderful new adventure for her.

 I used the foloowing from the Eyelet Outlet  Big Snowflake Brads, Small Snowflake Brads, and a Silver 8mm Stipple Jewel Brad.
I also used all three types of bling that you can find in the store Jewel Bling, Pearl Bling and Bling Strips.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by... God Bless!