I have a winner!

I put all names in a bowl and drew Carrie B. Yeah! Congrats to you Carrie. Please email me your address so I can send you your goodies! Thanks to everyone who signed up to follow my blog.

In other news, Scrap-Mart.com announced our search for our 2010 Design Team! How exciting! Click HERE to read the details. Please feel free to email me at Katie@scrap-mart.com if you have any questions regarding the Design Team search.

I hope everyone had a great Monday! I'll be back soon with some projects!

Katie

Black Friday Blog Candy

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did. We had a wonderful meal and spent the day together. What else could I have asked for? Oh, and I did some shopping too, of course. Seth and I headed out to wait in line at Toys R Us at 8 pm...they opened at midnight. We were numbers 11 and 12 in line so it wasn't too bad for us. I did a bit of online shopping and took advantage of free shipping. All I have left is to get Seth's present(s). He wants a Sony PSP. Geez!

In honor of Black Friday and the good deals I found I thought it would be fun to do a little giveaway! Everyone loves a little blog candy, right? Here's a pic of what the winner will receive:

There are 7 vellum quotes from Quick Quotes, 2 12" Felt Borders from Queen & Co., a 5 page acrylic album, a sample pack of adhesives from Scrabpook Adhesives, a pack of Chipboard Thickers, a pack of Making Memories ribbon trims, a pack of Halloween clear embellishments from Making Memories and a set of retired Stampin' Up! stamps! What a loot!!

To qualify for this blog candy all you have to do is sign up to be a follower of my blog! That's it! I will randomly choose a winner from my followers and announce that winner on Monday, November 30th.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you then!

Katie

icaved...

Thursday I was standing out in the shop with my husband and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket only to see if slip from my fingers and go slamming into the concrete. The LCD screen went completely black. Immediately I felt lost. I couldn't see who was calling, couldn't read any text messages and worst couldn't access my calendar OR contact list, which I rely on HEAVILY! I felt panicked and I know how crazy that may sound. All day Friday I researched phones. I had decided that I would purchase the LG Neon simply for price reasons. It was only $99 and I could buy it without signing a 2 yr contract. Then I spoke with my father-in-law (who is the person that covers our phones; we're added to his business account) and he told me that he and my brother-in-law had also broke their phones over the last week. He okayed me to do an upgrade because he had already renewed and was "stuck" anyway. Then, I realized that if I upgraded that same $99 would buy me an iphone. So, icaved! I love my new phone! I did lose lots of contacts for failure to periodically save to my SIM card but really, it could be worse. I already have my eyes on the ihome docking station and Toys 'R Us has them 50% off on Black Friday! (hint, hint Rocky :)

We had our Scrap Pink crop over the weekend and it was great! There was 19 croppers and we had a blast! Door prizes were donated by Quick Quotes, Cosmo Cricket, Scor-Pal, Unity Stamps and Craft Mates. A company named Bell Automotive donated small pop-up trashcans which I stuffed with vellum quotes, American Crafts Ribbon, Queen and Company Felt borders and a gift certificate from a local scrapbook store and more! ALL items for the goody bag trash cans and door prizes were graciously donated and made for an amazing crop! I'd like to thank everyone who attended the crop and all of our donors for helping to raise $190 for breast cancer research! You all helped to make a difference in the search for a cure!

I spent my time preparing for the card class I'm teaching Tuesday at The Scrappin' Pad. You can see one of the cards I created for the class on the Scrap-Mart blog today.

I'd better get movin'...gotta work! Thanks for stoppin' by! Hope you come back again soon!

Katie

911 woes!

Did you know that dialing 112 on a cell phone is the same as dialing 911? I didn't, but I learned last night! Cody was playing with dad's phone and he handed it to me and said someone was there. I said "hello" and the voice on the other end said "Ma'am, this is 911. This is the third call we've received from this number." Ouch! So, after a short scolding from her I placed the phone on top of the fridge. Yikes! I knew Cody was playing with the phone but he was dialing numbers then telling me what they were. I was thinking, cool, he's learning while he's playing and didn't give it much thought. Guess I was learning too. {blush}

Last week Quickutz released their new Holiday Gift Set, Santa's Workshop. This gift set is packed with three different mini-albums, a lowercase font with numbers and about 18 cookie cutter die shapes! It's a really great set! The first run sold out in less than 24 hours but they're back in stock and ready to ship so if you missed it then you better hurry before they're all gone again!

I used Wintergreen from the gift set to make this gift card holder...

For the front I used the Wintergreen coverset and mat along with the Santa's Workshop font that comes with the gift set. I added the label-shaped spine from the Spine Set then I stamped the poinsetta from the Unity Hodge Podge of Happiness set. The poinsetta was stamped twice and layered to get the petals and leaves then misted with Dew Drop Glimmer Mist. Before I moved on to the inside, I used my Scor-Pal and scored the front cover 1/4" from the spine. Then I adhered it closed at the spine inside so it would open like a card.

For the inside, I adhered a Folder Page (sold separately) to the back page and tucked a gift card inside. I used one of my SU! stamps to stamp to:/from: on a piece of cardstock, cut it with one of the rectangles from the gift set then mounted that on a small label from the gift set.

This gift set has soooo much versatility! You can make a mini album for ANY occasion and as you see here, you can also use it to make cards and more.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I have lots of projects I've completed and haven't shared with you yet so hopefully I can get them all posted! Hope you had a great weekend! See you soon!

Katie

Just the other day....

I was trying to get Cody, my 4 year old, to give me a kiss. I asked him twice and he turned to look at me and said "I'm too old for that now." Half of me wanted to laugh because that's such a big boy statement. But the other half of me wanted to cry! Too old to kiss your mom? Seriously?! Even my 13 year old still gives me kisses...even when I drop him off at school! After a few minutes he caved and gave me sugars but I fear that this may just be the beginning. My Cody is very independent! He loves to do for himself and seriously things he's a big boy now. He LOVES to ride the school bus and he has told me "sorry mom but you can't take me to school 'cause I have to ride the bus there." Sigh. I'm so thankful that he knows how and enjoys doing for himself but it is so bittersweet. He's so kind and absolutely hilarious. He cracks us up...all the time! The faces he makes are priceless. He came home from school Friday and, I don't even remember the conversation we were having, but he rolled his eyes, shook his head, gave his dad a half grin huffed as he turned to walk away. All we could do was laugh! He is a character.

Here's a layout I made recently of pics I was able to get of him at school.

The papers are from the Scenic Route Garden Grove collection and the books and school house are stamps from Unity's Hodge Podge of Happiness kit and Unity's August KOTM. I used the BossKut Boy Scout font for my title...LOVE this alpabet!

Every Friday on the Scrap-Mart blog we share a new sketch and the design team creates layouts based on that sketch. Our readers have one week to create their layout and send it to me and it's posted the following week along with the new sketch. Visit the Scrap-Mart blog to see today's sketch. If you participate you can send me a photo or scan of your project to katie@scrap-mart.com along with your supply list and I'll be sure to share your layout next week as well!

Do you have any special plans this weekend? I am attending the Quick Quotes Tulsa Private Reserve. It's a weekend packed full of cropping, Quick Quotes classes and tons of fun! They held one last year in Washington and the feedback to have others across the nation was so intense they decided to have 5 this year across the US. I'm so glad they are coming to Tulsa! Tonight is the kick off crop so I'd better run and get packed up! You can check out the Quick Quotes site to see if there's a Private Reserve coming to a town near you!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you soon!
Katie

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family!

Don't get too excited, it's a puppy not a baby! LOL! My friend, Marie, is a breeder of Schnauzers. One of their neighbors dogs got a little comfy with one of their lady's and Jack was born...along with 5 or 6 brothers and sisters.

Isn't he cute?! He's a really good puppy! He is doing really well with the potty training too! The kids are so excited to have Jack around. They actually fight over him constantly. Cody, our 4 year old told Shelby (3) that "Jack is not your puppy, or Daddy's, or Brian's, or Seth's OR Mommy's. He's MINE!" LOL! Rocky and I were listening from the other room and we were cracking up. Unfortunately for the kids, learning to SHARE the puppy is a must because 4 kids and 1 puppy is ENOUGH! No more. LOL! Here's a pic of Shelby loving on Jack when we went to see him a few weeks before he came home.

And here he is with Cody...

Jack has a good home with lots of people who love him. He is already spoiled too. I went to the store the other day and came home to find Jack perched up on Rocky's shoulder like a baby, covered by his blankie...IN THE SHOP!!! LOL! Rocky was helping a friend put a new water pump in his truck and took Jack out with him. He also loves to snuggle.

How 'bout something crafty? I went to The Scrappin' Pad over Labor Day weekend to celebrate my birthday. While I was there, I made Seth a bookmark using my Gazelle. Here's a peek at the front...

I used the BossKut Bookworm digital design, which is also available in die form HERE. First, I dropped my Chocolate Chip SU! marker into my blade holder on my Gazelle and wrote the quote. Then, I replaced the pen with the blade and cut a rectangle around the quote. After the bookmark front was cut I added the bookworm.

For the back, I took a piece of American Crafts cardstock and stamped the images on it. The stamps are from Unity's Hodge Podge of Happiness kit. Then I cut his name with my Gazelle, glued the two pieces together (for added strength) and that's it! I had it laminated so it would last longer.

Thanks for stopping by today. Sorry it's been sooooo long since I've posted. I do appreciate my readers. I hope you're Fall is off to a great start. I took Shelby and my niece, Rylee, on Cody's field trip to the Pumpkin Patch last week so I'll have some layouts to share soon!

Katie

Even though my birthday...

is still a few weeks away, I arrived home the other day to find this on my front porch!

...Rachael Ray's Porcelain Enamel Cookware. My mom ordered these for me. Last year I became a huge Food Network fan and I've been experimenting alot with my cooking. It has become a real passion for me. My mom knew how much I wanted these new pots and pans so she thought she'd surprise me...and boy did she! She was actually surprised that I got them so quickly because when she ordered them they told her it would be at least 10 days before it shipped from the warehouse then 3 to 5 days shipping time...which was actually perfect and would've landed it here probably the week of my birthday. But hey, I'm not complaining! ; ) I LOVE the oragne color on these pans and the silicone handles are great too. I have found a few accessories my dh can get me to match them!

On another note, tomorrow the Tulsa Creating Keepsakes Convention (CKC) starts so today we'll be setting up the booth. If you are in the Tulsa area and will be attending the convention be sure to stop by the Scrap-Mart booth and say hi!

Gotta run...promised Shelby donuts before I drop her off for her first day of Head Start and I'm hoping to pop for a surprise breakfast with Seth at his school before I head to the convention. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon with convention pics and a project!

Katie

Change is good...

right?! This year, alot has changed for our family. Of course there's the obvious...we're all a year older, some taller, some wider (*wink*). But along with that growing up comes even more change. This year, my baby boy started pre-k...ALL DAY! He went from a half day Head Start program (where I substituted and got to see him much throughout the day) to an all day class. I think I was more nervous that he was. On top of that, he gets to ride the bus to school too! GASP! My little boy, on that BIG 'ole school bus. Geez. I was comforted by the fact that big brother Brian is still attending the same school and would be with him on the bus. Then came today when Brian had a doctor visit at 8 am and he wasn't going to be there for Cody. No problem, I didn't have to work until 930 or 10 so I would take him to school today. NOT! Cody all but demanded he be allowed to ride the bus. He was not at all afraid to ride without big brother. Cody went out and sat on the front porch, head dropped and arms crossed. When I went to him he said in the sweetest and most direct tone "Mom, I can ride the school bus all by myself." Now, I have fought back the tears everyday but this got me. He can ride the bus all by himself. Reluctantly, I gave in reminding myself that I need to let go. So, out to the bus stop we went, hand in hand. And, as he got on the bus he turned to tell me goodbye one last time and I snapped this photo...

Luckily, one of the neighbors, and Brian's good friend, offered to keep an eye on him for me and help him get to the cafeteria for breakfast. Thanks Loyd!

Cody isn't the only one who's experienced change this year though. After being at home with the kids for the majority of close to 4 years I returned to the workforce. My long-time friend, Marie, helped me land a job as Office Manager for the cleaning company that has the contract for our new arena, the BOK Center. I know what you're thinking but you're wrong. No free tickets or major celeb spottings...YET! LOL! I did get to meet 3 of last year's American Idol conetestants but that's as close as I've come. I really love it because it's part-time and VERY flexible...which is absolutely necessary with 4 kids. My boss is very good to me and extremely understanding when it comes to my family. Actually, Seth got to come to work with me most all summer. And, when my actual work was done I got to sit in the office and play games with him...on the clock!!! Seriously, it doesn't get any better.

Brian is now in the 7th grade. Wow! So hard to believe. He is still into his sports and will be starting basketball soon. Seth began 4th grade and is lovin' it already. Shelby will return to her Head Start program next Thursday.

Now, I can't leave you without showing you a project can I? Here's a layout I made using Scrap-Mart's weekly sketch challenge sketch.

I started with some delicious Pink Paislee papers from the Enchanting collection. Behind the photo, I added in the Scrap-Mart exclusive Flourish border. The tree is from the Slice Fall/Back to School Design Card, the pumpkins are from the Spellbound design card and the title is a combination of fonts from the Fonts design card. To give my pumpkins dimension, I inked the edges then added some chalking. To document the date, I used the little journal block from the Unity Retailer August KOTM. You can go HERE to view the sketch this layout was based on. And, if you're feeling adventurous you can make your own project based on the sketch and email it to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com and I can share it with our readers next Friday.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stoppin' by!

Katie

31 to 31

31 days 'til I turn 31. Age really isn't a factor with me...yet. I've been told that'll change as I get older but it hasn't yet. I still can't believe I'm 30. It doesn't seem like it. I feel like I'm 5 years out of High School, not 12!!! Oh well. Age is just a number. I just thought 31 to 31 was funny. Yeah, I know, my sense of humor is sometimes off.

I have a project to share with you today. I created this layout for a class I'm teaching in September. The bagkground was made using my Gazelle. I simply welded the little spider webs to a square and expanded it to 12x12. I really like how it turned out.

The papers are from Teresa Collins and the embellishments are Glitter Clears by Making Memories.

BossKut also released some Paper Dolls this last CHA and I am working on a fun project that will be ready by next Monday to share.

On another note, we've been getting ready for back to school. Cody starts all day pre-k and Shelby is moving to a new Head Start. They had dental appointments on Monday for their checkups. Here's a few pics from their visit...

They both did a great job and got a thumbs up on their brushing!

School starts for all 3 boys next Wednesday so mom will be all kinds of emotional for Cody's first day! Okay, I'm at work so I'd better get going for now. Back soon with more! Thanks for stoppin' by!

Katie

LOOK what I found.....

on my porch when I got home from work yesterday!!!

I was so excited! This machine is HUGE!!! If you're not familiar with the Boss Kut Gazelle it's a digital die cut machine. The Gazelle can cut 12" images so you can create your own background papers!!! But it doesn't stop there...you could create borders, boxes, bags, envelopes. The list goes on and on. But the best part is this machine can cut a multitude of items such as light and heavy weight cardstocks, patterned paper, chipboard (lightweight), shrink plastic, magnet material, stiffened felt and more! Oh, imagine the possibilities! I already have a laout planned and am working on the background paper design. As soon as I get it done I'll share it! If you're interested in a Gazelle you can purchase one HERE!

In other news, the American Idol Summer Tour came to the BOK Center in Tulsa where I work. After I got off last Friday I grabbed Seth and brought him to the arena for the Idol meet and greet. He was able to meet and get a picture with Kris Allen, Michael Sarver and Matt Giraud. He was sooooo excited! Everyone was super nice and I know it is something Seth will never forget. Here are the pics I took of him...



Thanks for stoppin' by! I'll be back soon with a Gazelle project!

Katie

CHA

It's that time of year again where all our favorite manufacturers congregate in one place to show off their newest lines! This time it's in sunny Orlando, FL! I'm sorry I'm missing this one!

Making Memories is hosting games and giving away prizes on their blog during the CHA show. Be sure to stop by and check out all their new goodies too! You WON'T be disappointed!

Take care and I'll be back soon with a new toy and a project!

Katie

Post-It-Note Holder

Since I started my new job I've been looking for ways to add a bit of personal touch to my space and spruce up the office a bit. I use tons of Post-It-Notes so I thought I'd make myself a fun holder for my pads. Here's a peek at the one I made for myself...

And here's a peek at the insdie...

I used Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 1 to cut chipboard squares for the lid and bottom. Then I cut the patterned paper and glued it to the pieces. The ladybug stamp and inside sentiment are from Unity Stamps Little Buggers set then cut out using Spellbinders Petite Circle Nestabilities and mounted on Spellbinders Labels 3 Nestabilities. The ladybug was colored with my Copic markers then I masked it, put it back in the die and misted it with Glimmer Mist. Misting it inside the die left the white border around the edge. The flower on the lid is the BossKut medium Daisy and the leaves were cut from the Sizzix Stems and Flowers border. I just cut off the small pieces to size to fit where I wanted them. I added the Kaiser Pearls to the flower center, a few Primas and a touch of Stampin' Up ribbon. The sentiment was stamped inside and added a few flowers. The border along the bottom was created with the Fiskars Effervescence border punch. I used my Scor-Pal to make the sides of the box. I will, hopefully, be shooting a video tutorial on how to create one of these shortly!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I am finalizing some details on the Scrap Pink crop and will be posting the details. A local designer has created a t-shirt and I'll have those up for pre-order soon! The proceeds from the sale of the shirts will be forwarded to the Susan G. Komen foundation along with the crop donations! Have a great day and I'll see you again soon!

Katie

10 Minute Layout

I think we can all agree that life is, well, *BUSY*! We have jobs, kids, sports and our hobby! I have 4 kids, 3 of which played baseball/weeball this season. One is speech twice a week, two that bounce back and forth between houses. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it. But I still want to scrapbook. Having a job in the scrapbook industry is a bonus for me. I don't look at my deadlines as issues, I look at them as opportunities! Having the deadline is nice for an excuse..."but honey, I HAVE to have this done for the blog for tomorrow!" That helps. LOL! But, seriously, no matter what deadlines I'm facing life for my family doesn't stop. Most of my scrappin' is done late in the evening as the kids are preparing for bed, or already in bed. I do have the opportunity to visit The Scrappin' Pad every once in a while and I can usually get 3 or 4 layouts done overnight then. But, I still need my time throughout the week. The layout below is one I created with mostly scraps, which I have to admit, I don't do very often. It took only about 10 minutes to assemble.

I used papers from the Just Chillin' boy collection by Making Memories. I'm not usally a fan of the busy background papers but this one added just the right amount of oomph for my page. All I did was color in the word "POW" with my orange Copic marker. I added a piece of coordinating paper with some foil stars on it then matted my picture on a piece of orange paper. After adhrering the photo I added a crumpled piece of paper to the bottom of it. By using the crumpled paper in place of ribbon it helped keep to the boyish feel of the layout. I cut the "DUDE" with my Slice and the Just Chillin' Design Card and added the metal signage to the side of the pic. That's it! A 10 minute layout!

Well, that's all I have to share today. Thanks for stoppin' by! I hope you're enjoying your summer so far. It'll be over before you know it. Take care and I'll see you again soon!

Katie

Unity Stamp Co.

Unity Stamps is a fairly new stamp company. They have been in business just over a year. Based in Minnesota, this company is run by family and friends. I had the privelege of meeting the Unity group at CHA in Anaheim earlier this year. They are wonderful people and they really do care about their customers! Angela Magnuson is the founder and she has a super big heart. Her staff is equally as caring! Scrap-Mart picked up Unity as a new product line in January at CHA. Their stamps are red rubber cling mounted so you can use them with acrylic blocks and they also offer some red rubber wood mounted. Unity has their own blocks available that are acrylic on one side and have grooves on the other to slide their wood mounted stmps into. Here's a video we shot at CHA of Angela telling us about Unity stamps.



I have not been much of a stamper in the past, while you can't tell by my ever-growing collection of stamps! LOL! Here's a card I made with Unity Stamps set Little Buggers.

I just LOVE that little worm! He's the reason I bought this stamp set to begin with. I think he would look adorable on the bottom of a notepad set. I stamped him in Stampin' Up! Wild Wasabi ink and mounted him on Spellbinders Square and Scallop Square Nestabilities. The patterned paper is from Scenic Route's Sonoma line. The green cardstock is Stampin' Up! Wild Wasabi. I added some sliver brads from The Paper Studio and stamped the sentiment onto Spellbinders Double End Tags. I LOVE how this card turned out.

I mentioned before that I am hosting a Scrap Pink crop to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation. I contacted Unity to see if they could send some stamps for door prizes and they were very happy to do so! I received a box full of wonderful stamps yesterday! A HUGE thanks to Unity for your gracious donation! We appreciate it!

If you aren't familiar with Unity I urge to check them out! Their tag line is "we'll change the way you stamp" and I agree! You can find Unity stamps at Scrap-Mart.com. If you have any questions about Unity stamps or you don't see one you're looking for email me at katie@scrap-mart.com and we'll get you taken care of.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you soon!

Katie

Yesterday was Father's Day.

We really didn't do anything special to say. Rocky bought some tires and a new riser for his handlebars on his Harley. Brian had a baseball tournament over the weekend too. They played hard and won 2nd place. Unfortunately, 2nd place didn't sit well with the boys. They were undefeated all season...until now. They played a team from Muskogee and I think they really met their match! They have one more tournament before they end their season and they're on a mission to regain their 1st place title.

Dad and I took turns at the ball field. I had to work early both Saturday and Sunday so he took Cody and Shelby to the first game both days. When I got off work, we traded places. That way we both got to see Brian play but Cody and Shelby weren't out in the heat all day. It worked well.

Brian has been storm chasing with Grandma and Grandpa since school's been out. He's wanted to go for years and they finally felt he was grown up enough. Now, when I say storm chasing I mean real live storm chasing. Wall clouds, tornadoes, the whole nine yards. I think they're insane but I guess someone has to do it. Brian had an awesome time and you know, he's quite the photographer! Kathy let him use her Nikon since she got a new Cannon. You can see some of his photos HERE. That's my mother-in-law's Facebook and yes, we have the same name! Ironic don't you think?! What do you think of Brian's photos? Amazing aren't they?! I'm so proud of him. I am however, glad he's home. We missed him but I'm so glad he got that opportunity. He told me last night when his professional baseball career is over he'll be a full-time photographer. Gotta love that!

Cody and Shelby made dad a Father's Day card at school and Brian bought him one when he was out with Jeff and Kathy. But, I couldn't let the day go by without giving him a hand made card. Here's the card I made him....

The stamp is from Stampin' Up!'s Loads of Love set. I colored it with my Copic markers (E37, E29 and C-2) then cut it out and embossed it with my Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities. After embossing the edge, I left it in the die and used my Stampin' Up! chalks to dab some blue-gray chalk on the background. This gave the sky the smokey color. The card base is made up of a few simple layers of Scenic Route's Garden Grove patterned paper. The sentiment was stamped using my Making Memories Magnetic Stamp set. Rocky LOVED the card, however, he contested the fact that he's a classic! LOL!

Well, that's all I have for today. Thanks for checking. I'll be back soon with more projects!

Katie

Do you love Queen and Co?

I know I do. They have some fabulous products! I love their ribbon buckles and they now have rhinestones and pearls too. And their packs of rhinestones and pearls are only $1.29!!! Can't beat that price! It just so happened that the Queen and Co. booth was right next to us at the Arlington convention and of course, I HAD to do a little shopping.

I was speaking with Wendy about my upcoming Scrap Pink crop (more details coming soon!) and she agreed to donate some Queen and Co. products for the goody bags for my croppers! How awesome is that?! Each of my croppers will receive a Queen Felt Border!

Thanks Wendy and Queen and Co. for your gracious donation! We appreciate you!

I will be posting more details about the Scrap Pink crop soon so be sure to stay tuned. If you're not familiar with Scrap Pink, click HERE to go to their site for all the official details.

I'll be back soon with more fun projects and more detail on the crop! Thanks for stopping by today! See you soon!

Katie

Happy Friday!

Do you have any special plans for the weekend? We don't really. We'll probably just hang out around the house. Cody's been ditching us every chance he gets for Grandpa Chuck. Oh, I am going to do a little shopping Saturday with my dad but that's about it.

Today is our Friday Sketch Challenge on the Scrap-Mart blog. Every Friday I pick a sketch to share and each of the members of the design team creates a project based on that sketch. Then, the readers have until the following Thursday to complete their projects and send me a picture of it. So, on Friday's I share the previous week's reader's layouts, a new sketch and the design teams takes on the new sketch. It's an inspiration-packed post!

This week I thought I'd share here on my blog as well. Our sketch today is from Scrap-Mart design team member Veronica.

And here's my take on this sketch.

Cody and Shelby played wee-ball on the same team this year...Sand Springs Stars. I saw this Scenic Route paper in Scrap-Mart's $10 kit bin at the Arlington convention. I knew right away I had to have it because the colors were red, white and blue and it was sports themed! It was like it was made for me! LOL! I used the Scrap Strip page which was perfect for this layout then I added the Revolution Baseball. I remember a few years ago Quickutz conducted a survey to see what their fans wanted. I said a 4x4 Baseball! I was so excited when they released it! I LOVE this die! And between Brian and Cody (I don't think Shelby will play next year) it's sure to get lots of use. Back to my layout. I used my Slice and the Sports Design Card to cut the "Go Team". The chipboard photo corners are from the $10 kit as well.

In other news, Rocky and I were relaxing and watching tv yesterday. While he was flipping channels he came across Home Shopping Network and they just happened to have scrapbook supplies on. He stopped to watch the demo of the Xyron Design Runner. He was actually really impressed with it, especially the Disc Maker. I had demoed a Design Runner a few years ago before I knew anything about the Disc Maker. Anyway, HSN had a bundle on clearance and Rocky asked me if I wanted it. He said it was the coolest scrapbook tool he'd ever seen. LOL! So, he logged on and bought it for me! Yeah! You can click HERE to see the deal. It comes with the Design Runner and base, Disc Maker, Black ink cartridge, Engraved and Fairy Tale font discs, Starter shape disc and a blank disc to maker your own. It's actually $10 cheaper than the price shown! Then I went onto Ebay and bought the Calendar and Travel discs so I think I have enough to get me started! I'll post a review of it when I receive it and try it out.

Thanks for stoppin' by today. I hope you have a great weekend!

Katie

I had so much fun in Arlington!

Don't get me wrong, it was TONS of work but oh so much fun. I left my house at 2 am on Wednesday to meet up with the others. We left Tahlequah at 430 am and arrived at the convention center in Arlington at about 930 am. We immediately went to work setting up the booth. We had until 6 pm to work then we had to stop for the night. We did great, considering our booth was 7 spaces!!! Here are some pics of the booth once we were done setting up.

This is where I spent the majority of my time... the Slice demo table.

This was the Quickutz side of the booth. It also held the Scenic Route and Sassafrass Lass products.

And on this side, we had Spellbinders, BossKut, Copics and TONS of Thickers. Ms. Mary and Kim Hupke from Spellbinders were there conducting demos and teaching classes.

Our first night there, we ate at the Trail Dust Steakhouse. Here's a view of the outside.

And here's a view of the inside...

They have this cool slide inside the steakhouse. It drops you out on a hardwood floor so you just slide! That blur is Madeline coming down!

Friday night we decided to go get pedicures. It was after 8 pm already and every salon we could find was closed. We finally came to one where the lights were still on and people were inside. Madeline checked in with them and they said they were closing. I was not taking no for an answer. I went in and let's just say we got our pedis! I'll spare you the pics of my feet! We had a great time and we were treated like queens! These were not your average pedis! I'm talking HOT towles wrapped around our legs, hot parafin wax on our feet, massages and flowers and bling on my toes! We didn't leave until 1115 pm!!! So, if you're ever in the Arlington area you MUST go see Linda at Super Nails! She'll give you a pedi you'll never forget!

I can't leave you without sharing a project. Here's a layout I created from a Friday skecth on the Scrap-Mart blog.

I love how this layout turned out!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I hope you're all doing well. See you soon!

Katie

I was super excited....

when I received an email from my friend, Terri Mouw, with BossKut asking me if I'd like to see the Summer CHA releases! I emailed back..."YES YES YES!"...because who doesn't love a sneak peek?! So she sent me back some pictures of a delicious looking cupcake with a pretty wrapper and her phone number and said "call me for more info!" Even though it was 10 pm I grabbed my phone and dialed as quickly as I could. She informed me that they were releasing cupcake wrappers! Who doesn't LOVE a cupcake?! The digital designs will be available soon and the actual metal dies will release at CHA Summer 2009. After all that, Terri asked me if I'd like to play with the new designs and release them for BossKut on the Scrap-Mart blog! Of course I said I'd LOVE to! So, here are my creations!

For this one I used the straight edge wrapper and made a pirate flag with the Pirate Flag download. I am totally going to do these for Seth's birthday next year! LOVE it!

This next one would be great for Valentine's Day, an anniversary or any occastion you want to say "I Love You!"

For this one, I used one of the two heart wrappers and backed it with the straight edge one. I love the scallop edge. I lined the heart wrapper from behind with the straight edge one to make the hearts stand out against the patterned paper. Just for fun, I flipped over some of the heart cut outs and put them back in the cut outs to add contrast.

I'm thinking I can use one for a border on a scrapbook page. In addition to these, there's one with different size circles cut out all over and one that has hearts that pop out! You can visit BossKut Designs for the digital files you can cut with your Gazelle, Silhouette and/or Cricut. Or, the actual metal dies will be available shortly after their July release.

I am leaving EARLY Wednesday morning for Arlington, TX. I'm headed down to the Great American Scrapbook Convention with Scrap-Mart. If you're in that area, be sure to stop by the booth and say hello. I'm thrilled because my cousin and best friend, Heather, is driving up from San Antonio. I haven't seen her in over 3 years and cannot wait! I hope you have a great week! Be back soon!

Katie

A happy little "toot"!

Most of you know that I LOVE Making Memories products. Since I work for Scrap-Mart and they carry MM stuff in their convention booth (and Slice product online here I get to play with even more MM! So, after I completed a layout that I posted on the Scrap-Mart Blog, I submitted it to MM for their ideas section on their website! I'm excited to say they accepted it and you can see the layout HERE. It says to have my friends vote on it although I'm not sure I get anything more than a self-esteem boost for having my project voted on. I'd love it if you'd take a moment to view it and if you'd like, vote for it!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! See you soon!

Katie

Hey all!

I have a real quick post for you today! This coming Saturday is National Scrapbook Day and we're hosting a NSD Kick Off Week of challenges on the Scrap-Mart blog. Monday, Tammy issued a Unity Stamps challenge. All you have to do is make a project with Unity Stamps. Simple enough. Here's the card I made...

I stamped the Retro Bubble Frame on a piece of white cardstock and colored it with my Copics (R29 Lipstick Red and B24 Sky). Next I layered the white cardstock onto red, blue and a white card base and cut the center out of the image using my exacto knife. Then I stamped my sentiment inside the card so you could read it through the window. Using my Crop-a-dile, I punched out the large holes in the stamped image leaving the white from inside the card to show through. I found the matching polka dot ribbon in my stash but wanted something more. I didn't have any coordinating red embellishments so I grabbed a clear button and my R29 Copic marker and colored it to match, ran my ribbon through it and viola! I'm sending this card to my aunt who fell and broke an ankle over the weekend. I'm hoping the bright colors will cheer her up a bit.

Tuesday's challenge is a Scrap-Bingo challenge from Veronica. Just visit the blog for all the details! And, just to give you a heads up, I will be hosting Wednesday's Slice challenge. You have until Wednesday, May 6th to post your projects on your blog, in an online gallery or email them in to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. We are giving away some great prizes for participants so check it out! Thanks for stoppin' by today! I'll see you soon!

Katie

I'm still lovin' my new...

Making Memories Slice. So far I have all the cards that have been released. My newest is the Just Chillin' Teen Design Card. Even with "teen" in the title, I've found it works just fine for my smaller kids too. Here's a layout I recently created for the Scrap-Mart Blog.

I used patterned paper, a notebook page from the spiral journal notebook and metal signage from the Making Memories Just Chillin' collection in addition to the Slice Design Card. I really love the vibrant colors! The title says "1 silly dude" which is so my Cody. The layout was based on a sketch drawn by Veronica, a member of the Scrap-Mart design team. Every week we post a sketch along with the design team's projects and our readers have the week to create their interpretations. They email them to me and I share them on the blog the following week. If you're looking for some inspiration or you'd like to participate in our weekly sketch challenges join us on the blog. We'd love to have you!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I hope your Spring is warming up. I'll see you again soon!

Supplies: Patterned paper, metal signage, journaling page: Making Memories Just Chillin' Teen collection; die cuts: Making Memories Slice Just Chillin' Design Card; cardstock: Stampin' Up!: Chocolate chip and Bashful Blue; Inks: Quick Quotes Powderpuff Ink; ribbon: Hobby Lobby

Katie

If you like...

Quick Quotes products, you MUST go to their site! They are offering FREE PRODUCT!!! All you have to do is pay the shipping. You can add more you want to buy and not pay any extra shipping charges! Here's what you get in the Free Product Package:

(6) Quote Strips
(6) 4.5x11" Quotes
(1) Mini Accordion Book

Click HERE to get your Free Product Kit!

That's all I have for today! Glad you stopped by and I'll be back soon with some more projects!

Katie

Hello Kitty

I've never been much on character stuff. I don't buy licensed character clothes for my kids even. But, Sizzix is changing my mind! Scrap-Mart has the new Hello Kitty Sizzix dies in stock and I couldn't resist. Shelby loves anything pink and is totally a girly girl so I made this basket for her to play with...with Easter in mind.

I used my Scor-Pal to create the simple 4x4 box then cut two 1/2" by 12" strips to use as the handles. The grass and egg border were cut with the Hello Kitty Easter Egg Decorative Strip Sizzlits Border. The main image is the Hello Kitty Bunny Costume Sizzlit. I shaded and colored them with my Copics. I found a stash of leftover plastic eggs from last year and decided to add some cuteness to them too. I used the Hello Kitty Loops w/Hearts and Bows Sizzlit Border to create the wrap around the egg and one of the little bunnies from the Hello Kitty Bunnies and Chicks die for the main image. These Hello Kitty dies are too fun and Shelby is loving them!

In other news, we were hit by a freak Spring snow storm yesterday. We ended up with 8" of snow! The power was out for a few hours so we loaded up and crossed the yard to Grandma's house. Fortunately, we're on separate boxes so she still had power. We loaded up the wood burning stove and we were set. Just as we settled in our power was restored. Today's forecast, sunny with a high of 55! As they say in Oklahoma, if you don't like the weather wait ten minutes and it'll change! I hope your weather is enjoyable wherever you are!

Thanks for stoppin' by! I appreciate you! You can check out more projects on the Scrap-Mart blog.

Katie

Supplies: Cardstock: American Crafts, all dies: Sizzix, Brads(to hold handles on): The Paper Studio, coloring meduim: Copics, Scor-Pal (to create box)

I know it's been a while...

okay, it's been more than a while since I've posted. But, life kinda got away from me. Between working, my kids, and their lives it was just too much. But, fortunately things have settled down for me and I'm so glad. I've actually had some time to create and it feels soooo good. I've felt inspired and have WANTED to create.

As most of you may know, I'm the Blog Editor and Design Team Member and Coordinator for Scrap-Mart. I've been using my Slice alot to make some projects. Here's my favorite recent layout...

The photo of my daughter was taken on her birthday. I used the new Pink Paislee Enchanting Papers. I just LOVE them! All the flowers and the title were cut with my Slice. I used my Noteworthy, Animal Crackers and Basic Shapes 1 and Basic Shapes 2 Design Cards. I added brads, staples, buttons and gems to the flower centers. I was thrilled with the way this layout turned out.

Before I go I want to share a few non-project things with you. There's a new website out there called Paperee. It's a networking site for papercrafters. Once you've signed up (it's FREE!) and created your profile you can join and add groups, upload projects and pics and stay in touch with your long-distance papercrafting friends. There's some super talented people on there and even a few industry celebs like Layle Koncar, Sarah Milne (Scenic Route) and Michelle Grainger (Quick Quotes). There's already groups for Sizzix, Slice, Boss Kuts and Quickutz users as well as Scenic Route and Sassafrass Lass lovers! Check it out, join in. I promise you'll love it!

Also, my amazingly talented friend, Rae Barthel, has created a new blog called Use It! Challenges. The goal is to get you to use the supplies you already have on hand. I'm so excited for her and can't wait to get started on my project for her very first challenge. Take a moment and hop on over. Scroll all the way down and you can add your blog link to the list. While you're there leave Rae a comment and let her know you stopped by. Hopefully, you'll even partake in a challenge or two.

Well, thanks for stoppin' by today. I'll have more for you soon. In the mean time, you can check out the Scrap-Mart Blog. We post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with an occasional special weekend post. Hope to see you around!

Katie

I came home...

from sunny California to this...

I was smart enough to check the forecast for California but failed to worry about what the weather would be like when I returned to Oklahoma! I didn't even have a sweater let alone a jacket. It is pretty darn cold. It took over a half hour just for the car to warm up enough that I could use an ice scraper to knock some of the ice off my car windows. The 20 mile drive home from the airport took well over an hour. But, I made it home safely and that's all I can ask for. It is nice to be home!

I had soooooo much fun at CHA. I met so many wonderful people including (and in no particular order!):

John and Phyllis Parkins from Boss Kut
Vicki Boutin
Michelle Granger and the rest of the Quick Quotes team
Stacey and Jeff Caron with Spellbinders
Layle Koncar
Sande Kreiger
Teresa Collins
and I caught a glimpse of Tim Holtz (as I'm sure you can imagine, there was a line to meet him!)
Carolyn King
Diana Crick with Scor-Pal


I can't tell you how amazing it was to be in the company of these amazing and talented designers. Layle, Vicki and Sande are soooooo sweet...and rather hilarious might I add. I hope I get to see them again...and soon!

There was so much to see and it was rather overwhelming for a first timer. I assisted in setting up the Boss Kut booth and let me tell you, these companies put forth a TON of effort to make sure everything is just right. It's alot of work. I can't wait to begin sharing all the photos. I'm exhausted and ready for bed. I'll be back soon with some great stuff to share. You can see some of the pics and products on the Scrap-Mart blog also.

I had a LUCKY streak on Sunday. We stopped by the Making Memories booth for a drawing and I won a Slice! That was totally exciting. I know, I already have one but it was exciting nonetheless. Then, we stepped over the the Quickutz booth for their drawing and I won 3, yes 3 brand new CHA release alphabets! I got Honey Bee (which was the one I REALLY wanted), Oatmeal and Marigold. Then, we stopped by the Quick Quotes booth and I won a set of 12 new release ink pads! Can you say SCORE?! A huge thank you to those companies!

Before I leave, my friend Rae photo tagged me so I'll share. Here's the rules:

Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.

1. Pick the 6th Folder, then select the the 6th picture in that folder.

2. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.

3. Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

And, here's my pic:

This is my son, Seth. He had a school project to do recently where he had to cook something. We had to take pictures of him and he had to write down the recipe and take it along with the pics to school and create a display board and share it with the class. This was the sixth picture in that folder. He did a great job on his project!

Now, I tag Heidi, Jennie, Patti, Lindsay, Carolyn King, and Kristen.

I'm off to bed. See you next post! Thanks for stoppin' by!

Katie

This is it...

Today is the day! I'm heading out shortly to the airport to board my flight to sunny Anaheim, CA. I can't wait to bring you all the great details straight from the show floor! You can see all the pics and videos on the Scrap-Mart blog. And, who knows there may even be a contest! If there's something specific you want to see leave me a comment and I'll do my best to find it for you! See you when I get back!

Katie

CHA is in the air....

There's a TON of buzz on the blogs about CHA. If you're not familiar with it, CHA is the Craft and Hobby Association. Twice a year there's a show and all the manufacturers get together to release their upcoming product for the next few months. It's a fun time of year! This year, I'm excited to say I'll be attending CHA with Scrap-Mart. I'm super excited! I've been blog hopping trying to find sneak peeks from some of my favorite manufacturers. Here's what I found today:

The Queen Goes Green.

Queen & Co. that is. They are shedding their signature packing and trying something new! They have some cute new Buckets full of embellishments. The bucket, in my opinion, is a much better way 'cause you can store it in the bucket and refill it with other items when it's empty! I'm super excited about these. I'm gonna clear some room on my shelves 'cause these are a must have. There are 7 to choose from so there's sure to be one for everyone!

The next thing Queen & Co. announced is the new lengths of Felt Fusion Borders. I LOVE this stuff and have a nice variety of it. Now, it will be available in 12" strips! Perfect size for a scrapbook layout and you won't have a bunch left over that you may not use again! Love it! And the best part is the retail price is only $1.29! Yep, you read it right! Does it get any better?

Yes, it does! The Queen also has rhinestones for $1.29 and foam letter stickers for only $2.99! I can't wait to get my hands on some of this stuff!

You can read more about it on the Queen & Co. blog. Hop on over and when you're done checking it out, leave 'em a comment. They're giving away 7 Bucket Kits to some lucky readers!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Katie

Copic Airbrush

Hello everyone! I hope you've had a good weekend! I'm back today with another Copic project. This time, I used my airbrush system. One of my favorite new things to play with is acrylic! I purchased some acrylic sheets online and I've made boxes, used them to make die cuts, and even embossed them like I did with the faux stitching strip on this card.

This time, I made a die cut with the acrylic but I didn't want to leave it clear for the card.

I cut the bird from my Quickutz Revolution Birds Die. I have to tell you that the die will not cut all the way through the acrylic...and you may damage your die so be careful if you try this! I trimmed the bird from the sheet and turned it upside down (from the way I wanted it to face...since it's clear it doesn't have a right or wrong side!) and airbrushed it with my Sketch BG09 (Blue Green). I applied one layer at a time and allowed it time to dry then applied two more layers to give the color the depth that I desired. I love the airbrushed look on the acrylic.

There are many uses for the airbrush system. And you can get the compressed cans of air so you don't have to have an air compressor. But, if you do have one, you can get the cans with the adapter on it. Either way, it's great. Scrap-Mart carries a variety of the Copic Sketch Markers as well as the airbrush system(s). If you try them out, I'd love to see your projects! Email them to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com and we may even showcase your project on the Scrap-Mart Blog.

Materials used: Patterned paper: Sassafrass Lass; Cardstock: American Crafts; Dies: Quickutz Revolution Label and Birds; Copic BG 09 and airbrush system; Acrylic sheet: Accucut: Spellbinders Double End Tags

Thanks for stoppin' by! See you soon! Don't forget to check out the Scrap-Mart Blog this weekend for updates from CHA!

Katie

Coloring with Copics

Sorry I've been MIA. Last week Cody, Shelby and I had strep throat and this week I had the flu! Geez! This has been the worst winter for us, by far. And the crazy thing is we've had some unseasonably warm weather. Perhaps that's why I've been so sick?!

Anywho, I have been building up my stash of Copic markers. I have a few of the Ciao's and a few of the Sketch markers. Like them both. I also have the airbrush system which is totally cool! I purchased some Gina K. stamps a while back and haven't really been able to play with them much. I made one card when I first got them and then nothing.

So, I'll start by showing you the card:

I used my a combination of the Sketch and Ciao markers to achieve the colors I wanted. For the giraffe's spots, I colored with Sketch marker R20 (Flesh) then added Ciao E37 (Sepia) and colored yet again with R20 to lighten to the desired color. For the rest of the giraffe, I colored with Sketch E00 (Skin White). I wanted a softer, non-yellow look for her and I'm happy with the results. I'm new to coloring with Copics...for that matter, I'm pretty new to stamping! I've learned alot from Carolyn King and I also read the Copic Blog then of course, there's always trial and error. I think I colored this giraffe 3 times before I got it right!

I LOVE these markers. And, even for a non-stamper, there's uses for them. You can use them for shading and coloring in your die cuts as well. There's no better way to get a custom embellishment! They retail for roughly $6 each. I know it sounds like a lot but I promise you they're worth every cent! If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you and if I don't know the answer, I'll find out! If you're looking for a place that carries them, hop on over to Scrap-Mart. They have a wide variety of the Sketch markers in stock.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! Next Friday I'm heading out to CHA with my friend Laura at Scrap-Mart. It's my first CHA so I'm super excited! I going to be on celeb-watch too! You can check out the Scrap-Mart Blog while we're gone to see all the great new stuff! We'll be bringing regular updates straight from CHA! I will be back Monday with another Copic project!

Materials used: Patterned Paper: Sassafrass Lass; Cardstock and ribbon: American Crafts; Stamps: Gina K. Desings, Just So Hippy; Spellbinders Long Scallop and Regular Rectangles and Double End Tags; Copics; other: rhinestone, Diamond Glaze, string.

Katie

Okay, so Monday came...

and went and I failed to post. I'm sorry! I have no real excuses other than life. My retreat was awesome! I love hanging out at The Scrappin' Pad. Christi goes out of her way to create a relaxing atmosphere with great food and all the ammenities. Thanks Chrisit for a great weekend!

Now, I have to admit that I didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped or planned but I do have projects to share. First up is my niece, Rylee's, birthday card. She just turned 1! Happy Birthday Baby Rylee!

I added lots of layers to this card. The patterned paper is Pink Paislee and the cardstock is the new AC Cardstock. I used the Quickutz Revolution Label, the 12" Scallop Border and the 2x2 Crown. The Crown was cut from Making Memories Shimmer Paper. I LOVE this stuff! Notice the zig zag faux stitching? I cut a small strip from an acrylic sheet and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the zig zag from the Cuttlebug Embossing Borders. Then I turned it over and filled the indention in with pink Perfect Pearls. I love the look! The title was cut with the Quickutz Moolight 4x8 font. As you can see I added some cardstock inside to complete it. I don't always do this to every card but I decided it would be a nice touch with this one.

The next thing I have to share is actually kind of a sneak peak. It's a closeup of another card I made.

You can see the full card and read the details on the Scrap-Mart blog.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! Cody, Shelby and I all have Strep Throat so I will not make any promises on when I'll post again...but I plan on soon! I have more projects to share with you!

Katie

Happy New Year!

I like to wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope your 2009 is filled with family, friends, love and happiness! I'm off to spend the day with my family. Tomorrow I'm heading off for a weekend retreat at The Scrappin' Pad so I'll be back next Monday with some great projects for you. I'm also picking up my Quickutz December release tomorrow so I'll have tons of projects with brand new toys! Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stoppin' by!
Katie