So it’s itty bitty in this photo, lol, but thats my Ethan in the layout on the new Adhesive Transfer Sheets packaging. He thinks its cool and considers himself a celebrity. Shelby was in this months Michigan Scrapbooker so I promised Dylan the article I write for the next issue will have a layout of him. He is thrilled. Apparently it doesn’t take much to make his day. :p

I’m getting all my stuff done, or trying to anyway before I leave on vacation. I’ll be gone for most of next week, (leaving Tuesday), so I need to get though the to-do list. Thankfully, I’ve moved along pretty darn well today. I’ve been cleaning out my office and put a few things on freecycle. Gotta love freecycle… I seem to hang on to things that I don’t really need to, like magazines. I don’t know why I even bother. I never look at them. Frankly, I hardly look at the books I have either, if ever. I have some I’ve never even opened. I only hang on to those because most of them are autographed, so thats my justification… who wants a book with an autograph made out to me.

My Dad sold one of his cars this past week and I’m super sad about it. I’m mean really sad. Denny and I drove to our wedding reception in that car, so I’m emotionally attached as is Denny. It was so hard to see it go. All the kids got one or two final rides in the car and I cried. I suppose it’s kind of silly, but what can I say.

Not much else going on around here. We’ve been working on the house over the last couple weeks. I know it seems like we are always doing that doesn’t it? At least we are now onto the exterior for the most part, so the living in construction era has pretty much come to an end. I’m loving that really.

A few weeks ago while cleaning up the yard I ran across a nest of bunnies. Super cute, however now that they are all over the yard they are becoming a real pain. They have managed to eat a ton of plants right down to the ground. I don’t mind grass, but those flowers I won’t see again until next year. So, we are being invaded by rabbits. They are everywhere… it’s not odd to see 4-6 of them in the yard at a time. They have gotten to the point that they are hardly affraid of me. I was sitting outside yesterday and looked down to see a baby right next to my foot looking up at me. Little turkey… I’m sure I was interrupting his afternoon snack. The bunny issue is compounded by the ducks we have, which have also taken up residence in my yard - both front and back. Monday they found the pond in the yard. At least they aren’t eating all my plants, and they don’t eat fish so I guess I can’t complain. At least they aren’t geese. I don’t do goose poop.

There is a chat tomorrow night at MyCreativeClassroom.com. I’d love to “see” some of you there, so drop in if you get a chance.

That’s all for today. Happy Wednesday.
~j

For all card kits purchased from my blog in the month of May I’ll be sending along a free package of American Crafts Trademarks Alphabet Rubons. (msrp $10.99)* The kit cost is $20.00 plus $2.80 for shipping via fist class mail. Contact me for international shipping rates.

All card kits include select adhesives, all materials needed to complete 12 assorted greeting cards and envelopes. The kit also ships complete with color photos of all the cards for easy assembly!

Purchase your kit today via PayPal!

*free rubon pack will vary between several fonts and colors! Image displayed if for sample purposes only.

Michigan Scrapbooker Magazine comes out in a few days. I’m pleased to say that I have a layout in the mag. I have yet to see the print copy, but I’m really looking forward to it. I could go pick it up anytime now, but sadly the cost of gas seems to be a major factor in every travel decision I make…

I got an email last week that Scrap Tales in Brighton is closing. They started an invitation only closing sale today. I’m not sure when the sale swaps over to a free for all but if someone is interested drop me a line and I’ll revisit my invite email and get you the details. I’m sad they are closing. It’s a nice store really, and the owner was always friendly. I haven’t been in there in awhile just because it’s a hike from me. I was trying to work out my schedule to get there for the sale and just couldn’t work it out. Then as I got to thinking about it… with the cost of gas I wouldn’t be saving anything in the long run. LOL, see how this all comes back to gas??

I swear everything I do now comes down to that little thing called MPG. Sadly, my Buick gets awful gas mileage, (when it starts), so that really makes me not want to go anywhere! (Don’t get me started on the new Buick I have that spends more time at the dealership than it does in my garage.) Anyway, card classes have basically transitioned into mail kit subscriptions because apparently a lot of other people feel that same way I do about gas. Shipping on a kit is $2.80… so do the math on that. Ok so enough of my gas price rant, lol.

Ethan starts his bowling league tonight. He’s super excited about it. He loves to bowl which I think its pretty funny really. Ethan has his own “technique” which, as goofy as it looks when he does it, actually serves him very well. For being 8 years old, and only all of 47 pounds, he does pretty darn good getting that bowling ball down the lane. The last time I took him he bowled a high of 90.

So I’m off, Ethan is about to walk in the door and then we have to leave for bowling. He gets a happy meal coupon each week he bowls so I figure that is going to be my dinner.

Cross you fingers for some warmer weather. More catch-up posted tomorrow!
~j

Special Offer: Create Cards! Class

Would you like to win a seat in this months Create Cards! class at My Creative Classroom?

Or how about a discounted class fee, or even free shipping? Well you can! Here’s how…

Rules:
Must be present and participating during the MCC online chat* during my time slot of 10-11 PM EST in the student
chatroom. Must place at least three posts on my blog from April 17-24th with a tip, trick, or technique used on either a card or layout. Feel free to share photos of your creations also! (Continue random postings through the rest of the month and on to May 23rd and win free shipping on your next MCC Create Cards! class kit via a random drawing.

Prizes:
Winners will be determined according to the number of blog posts from April 17th-24th.

1st place: a free spot in this months class at MCC.

2nd place: $5.00 off your class fee for the April Create Cards Class at MCC.

3rd place: free shipping on your MCC Create Cards class kit.

You can find my blog at http://www.scrapbookhut.com where I share card and layout ideas along with sample project sheets you can download and other tips.

See you on the blog and in tonights chat!!!

*Note that you will need to register at MCC in order to get into the chat!

Happy Thursday!!

~j

It’s pretty quiet here right now. Both Shelby and Dylan went with my mom to the library and my mom is going to feed them lunch. I love the sound of silence, seriously, love it. I’ve cleaned the bedrooms already and the living room. Things move a lot faster when I don’t have to break up a fight every five minutes!

I still have to tackle the mess that has devoured my scrap room. If it was clean I think I’d be more able to just walk in and work on something. I tried to bribe Michelle to come pick it up for me and told her she could keep any good scrapbook goodies that she found buried in my mess. She didn’t bite. Oh well… I really need to clean out and reorganize some of the shelves. There is so much stuff on those shelves that it makes the rest of the room look a mess even when it isn’t all that bad. If I can get motivated enough to clean up some today maybe by the end of the week I’ll have some goodies to pass on to another scrapper! Let’s face it, we all have something we bought and just don’t use. Or a pack of something that we’ve used some of and then don’t have any use for the rest.

Denny set up a nice pull out shelf for me to put my Creative Cutter Pro on and that frees up A LOT of counter space for me. If I get a chance and things are presentable enough I’ll take a picture
of my cutter on it’s nice new shelf and post it. Keep in mind that
I’ve been asking him to do this for about 4 years now. Anyway, I love it and would really like to find a good way of getting my sewing machine off the counter too, yet keeping it readily accessible.

I don’t post TOOTS on here much anymore. I don’t know way. I figure if people want to know they will look at my resume right. But I wanted to post this because I’m pretty excited about it and being its a new publication that makes it a even better… The other day I mentioned Michigan Scrapbooker, which will debut in May and how I would be writing articles for the publication. I had submitted a layout for the cover of the premier issue. It was something custom based just on their “call” and a size you’d probably never use for anything else unless you later incorporated it into another layout. So I got an email from the editor yesterday asking me to sign a photo release so that what I submitted could be used in the magazine. (The layout has a photo of Shelby on it, and being she is a minor I have to give parental consent for it to be used in prints.) The email said the layout was being used but not where it was going to be used in the mag. So if it’s cover material I don’t know… but either way, to see it in print is always AWESOME. After it’s been released I’ll post it here.

Tomorrow night there is an open chat going on at MyCreativeClassroom.com and I’ll be on between 10-11pm EST chatting. I’ll be running some class promos and doing some giveaways that will be available to those participating both on my blog and the chat area at MCC while I’m there. I hope to see you there and will offer up more details tomorrow.

Oh, and before I forget, (I’m a little late in posting this), Sarah has a card challenge posted on her blog for this week. If you have time take a look. It’s a back to basics challenge and if you consider yourself “embellishment crazy” and always need that extra postage when you mail a card, lol, then this one is for you!!

Enjoy your Wednesday! (Until late yesterday afternoon I thought yesterday was Wednesday, lol, and I must admit I was a little dissapointed to find out it was only Tuesday!)

~j

Never a dull moment around here I tell ya. I am now sporting a pretty black eye after a rough Friday and Saturday. I’m pretty sure this is my first black eye and as much as I’d love to say I was doing something exciting and injured myself, I can’t. Long story short… I took a 1×10 in the face. Yup, you read that right. Later that day Denny fell off the ladder outside while working on our gutters. After that both of us decided to call it a day.

There is a new scrapbook magazine on the horizon. Michigan Scrapbooker is due to debut May 5th. They are targeting the local scrapbook stores and not the big box stores. I know you’ll be able to find it at Scrap Palace too. I’m also very excited to say that I’ll be writing articles for the publication also. The articles will focus around projects step by step with detailed photos. It’s a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it. Woo hoo! That being said, I need a photo to go with my byline information, and unless they can use the one I have on hand it will be a little while before I can take a new one… black eye and all, lol.

A few things… sign ups for April Card Kits/Classes is still open. I have one running online this month at MyCreativeClassroom.com and then the usual local stuff. If you are interested in a home card party let me know.

I know, a boring blog update… what can I say? It’s Monday, and I don’t like Mondays!

~j

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. I’ve been busy around here and a lot has been going on. I won’t go into it, just stuff. Anyway, I’m here, just pretty much in hiding.

It has been spring break around here so all the kids have been home, and if Ethan hasn’t had friends over here, he has been somewhere else. He’s having fun and enjoys the break but goes back to school on Monday. School on Monday is good because Shelby and I have been working on the whole “potty thing” this week, and one less kid to interact with means I can focus that attention on Shelby getting to the potty in time.

I went out with Michelle to Archivers yesterday. I haven’t shopped in AGES for scrap supplies as I’ve been on a self-imposed use what I have rule. It’s worked out well, and I’ve used up a lot of old stuff. I only bought a couple sheets of paper and a few other things… i.e. Bazzill Chipboard Brackets. Gotta love chipboard, it’s just so versatile. I love raw chipboard myself, I think because it really forces you to dress it up and try new things. Trying new things is always a good thing if you ask me. Challenge yourself people, and comment with a link to your creation, I’d love to see it. Here are some of my favorites:

• Paint it. It’s a tried and true method, and I use it a lot. I paint. I paint and ink. I paint and distress. I paint and outline. The list goes on.
• Glitter it. If you are starting from a raw chipboard base I’d paint the chipboard first in a color to match or compliment your glitter color. If the glitter is thin or doesn’t stick well in one spot or another the paint makes up for that and you can’t tell.
• Add some shine. Any chipboard shape or letter looks nice with some gloss added to it. Someone, and off the top of my head I can’t remember who, (it’s 6am gimme a break), sells chipboard letters already coated with a shine. They are a bit pricey if you ask me so do it yourself. Invest in a bottle of Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents and coat it on. For this purpose I prefer the Diamond Glaze, but whatever works for you, go for it. I think I’ll talk more about the difference between the two tomorrow, because they are different believe it or not.
• Ink it. You can cover the entire visible portion in one color or stamp all over it, or both. If you are going to stamp it and it’s raw, you might paint it first in a complimenting color.

I was doing my usual blog reading the other day and came across a technique posted on Jana’s blog using a glue pad to make decorative brads. It’s a good tip, but I’ve got a tweak to alter any brad into a custom brad for your projects in no time.

What you’ll need:
Brads
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Adhesive Transfer Sheet
Flocking, glitter, bitty beads, embossing powder, etc. (to cover the tops of the brads)

How to get it done:
Using an Adhesive Transfer Sheet apply adhesive to the top of the brad. Burnish well. Now remove the sheet and simply dip your brad into the flocking (for a velvet brad look), glitter (for some added bling), bitty beads (try this over a colored brad, painted or otherwise for some sparkle and dimension), even use the adhesive to make some embossing powder stick, then heat it up.

I like the Adhesive Transfer Sheets for this versus the glue pad for a number of reasons. First, I’m an instant gratification kinda girl and I don’t want to wait for glue to try. Secondly, in my experience the “grip” of the Adhesive Transfer Sheets is a lot stronger making for less “shedding” of the glitter, flocking, or whatever it is that you are using.

FYI… for those of you that are big Adhesive Transfer Sheet
fans… they are now available in 6″x12″ and 12″x12″ size. These work
great for those of you with electronic cutters and die cut machines!!
The 6″x12″ is perfect for the Cricut!!

Now for a layout share, and keeping with the Adhesive Transfer Sheet
theme I’m going to post some with layouts where I used them. First up, some glittered chipboard…

The word “girl” is plain chipboard covered with a light pink glitter. Sadly, it doesn’t show up very well in the photo. To get this look, place your chipboard FACE DOWN on the transfer sheet. (If you are looking at it all the letters should be backwards.) Burnish well and remove the chipboard from the backing. Now dip or sprinkle the chipboard with the glitter.

Next in line, this layout where I die cut part of the title using a Cricut with the adhesive already on the back of the letters. (The word “BUZZ”)

And one more… Here I used the Adhesive Transfer Sheet to apply transparency items. Specifically the Heidi Swapp Ghost items, (grin, chuckle, smile).

Hopefully that gave you some ideas! Try those sheets, you’re gonna love them. They can be hard to find, so if you can’t track them down let me know and I’ll help you out.

~j

First, I’m still looking for a Stampin’ Up gal… please contact me if you sell it.

Secondly, Shelby and I have been working on using the potty. So far so good. Things are progressing and she seems to be really getting into the “potty party” we all have for her here each time she goes. All the kids dance around and sing… some of the adults too. Shelby thinks it’s fantastic! Hopefully this will keep the ball rolling. All three are going out to the movies tomorrow so she will have some time off from the potty structure, so I don’t know how that will go. Time will tell.

I’ve been prepping for cards. For those of you that needed the kits on the 25th I am sending them Priority Mail vs. First Class so you certainly get them Tuesday in the mail. I had wanted to go first class as I usually do to keep everyone’s shipping costs down, but couldn’t get it all coordinated in time to ship Saturday. (Ethan was off of school on Friday and had a friend over all day, soooo, you know how that goes.) Anyway, I’m good to go now.

We had Easter dinner here again this year. I think Denny and I have always had Easter dinner really. It went well. Food all worked out ok an everyone seemed pretty happy with it. The kids had fun. The Easter bunny brought each of them a season of Sponge Bob Square Pants on DVD. I’m not big on TV so it was a reach for me, but with a big break coming up and the fighting that has been going on here, sometimes I must admit I need it on, I escape to my office, slide the door closed and just sit for a moment and take a deep breath. Then I’m good and can revisit whatever the conflict was. The kids get so little of it that when a tv goes on around here they are so totally in the zone it is as if nothing outside the tv even exists.

I’m sitting here now at 11:30pm waiting for an Ambien to kick in, which I think I feel coming on now. I don’t usually take on unless I know its going to be a bad night… and it is going to be a bad night. Denny has been all over the bed already and given the kick/nudge several times now to stop the snoring. It isn’t working.

Does anyone have a good scrappin technique they want to share? If I can get enough people to post a technique I could send out a prize, woo hoo. Who doesn’t want a prize??? So post a technique in the comments, I’ll find one and use it then award a groovy prize. How about that?

Ok the sleepy haze has started to hit me… no off to scope out a good place to sleep. I’m pretty sure my room is out of the question. Maybe the downstairs couch, it’s always colder down there, which for me makes it more appealing. Although the only time Dilly likes to be close to me is at night so I might go hang out with him in bed. It is all going to depend on how wobbly I am when I stand up here in a second.

Night-ooo

~j

I’m looking for a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator! So if you are one, post a comment, I need a spiral punch! Notice I said, NEED, and not WANT, lol. It’s important to note, that I’m only saying Stampin’ Up because I’ve heard they make one. If you know of someone else, or someplace else, give me a shout.

~j