I'm stilll here....

Well, it seems that just when I get my groove back, something else goes wrong or in this case, down. Our main computer has crashed!!! We are pretty sure we will be able to recover all our stuff but I'm still down nonetheless. Hubby and I are trying to decide we will replace it with another desktop, just get this one a new hard drive or get a laptop. I'm voting laptop...that way I can take it to my scrap space! Oooh, how 'bout a "scraptop"? I like the sound of that. Anyway, until we decide what to do my posts will be lacking as will my pictures. We have some fun classes coming up at The Scrappin' Pad. You can always see the class schedule here. Until next time, take care and happy scrappin'! Katie

Happy Birthday Braelyn!!

One of the funnest things for me is to be asked to teach at birthday parties. This last Tuesday night I joined Braelyn and her family and friends at The Scrappin' Pad to celebrate her birthday. Including the birthday girl there was a total of 6 girls and they each completed 2 projects. The first was an altered notebook and then an acrylic hanging picture frame. They had tons of fun and they all did a great job.

Here's a picture of me helping Braelyn finish up the edges of her notebook:

Thank you Braelyn for allowing me to partake in your birthday celebrations! I heard a few of her friends talking about coming back to The Scrappin'Pad with me for their birthday party too. I look forward to seeing you girls again!
Katie

Back to School

Wow, it's hard to believe but it's back to school time already. Brian, our oldest, starts back next Thursday...August 7th! That's insane! Seth has yet another week, not starting until the 14th.

With August being full of all the back to school tasks I thought we should do a class on it. So, on August 19 at The Scrappin' Pad we'll create 4 layouts and a card with the new Scenic Route Appleton kit. I LOVE the colors and the patterns. Reds, blues, greens...all colors I think of when I think of school. The kit we'll be using is chock full of double-sided paper, chipboard embellishments, alpha stickers and die cuts and much more. With all the embellishment choices, this kit is perfect for kids of all ages...and even the teachers too!

Here's one of the layouts for the class:

This layout is of my son, Seth, and his 2nd grade teacher. It was taken on the last day of school last year. The chipboard square in the upper right hand corner reads "last day of school" and I completed the page title with the "my teacher" chipboard tile and a mix of the alpha stickers and die cuts. I even added the date and Ms. Williams 2nd Grade in my own handwriting. I finished off the page with my Stampin' Up spiral punch. Stay tuned to see what else we'll be creating in next month's class.

Thanks for stoppin' by! Katie

My first video tutorial!

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by. Today, I have my very first video tutorial for your viewing pleasure. The following video will show you how to use the Quickutz 12" Border dies in a Cuttlebug machine.
Please excuse the background noise and the camera movement. My DH was trying to corral my two toddlers in the other room while my 8 year old shot the video with my cell phone! LOL!




If you watch the video, please take a moment to leave me a comment with your thoughts, comments, etc. Thanks, Katie

Supplies: Patterned paper: Daisy D's; Die machine: Cuttlebug; Dies: Quickutz Scallop Border die (CC-BDR-009)

Making Memories Slice

Okay, have you seen the Making Memories Slice yet? This little electronic die cut machine is soooo cool. I think by now everyone knows that MM is one of my top favorite manufacturers. I love the colors and textures they use, the shaped papers, all the coordinating 3-d embellishments.....So I was thrilled when I heard they came out with their own machine. Now, I'll be able to cut that classic MM artisan shape I LOVE so much out of anything. I will be able to make my own layered 3-d embellishments and to top them off I can add glitter, flock, foil, or whatever my little scrappy heart fancies at the time. You can read all about the Slice here.

The Slice will begin shipping on August 8. I will be hosting a Slice release party at The Scrappin' Pad in Tahlequah, OK. At this party I will show you how the fabulous Slice works and each attendee will complete multiple projects using the Animal Crackers and Noteworthy Slice design cards. Since we are not yet sure how far up on the shipment list we are, I'm holding off on scheduling a date. So, stay tuned here for more information.

If you'd like to pre-order a Slice you can go here. Be sure to tell 'em Katie sent ya. Mr. and Mrs. Doss are dear friends of mine and they have MANY of those cool gadgets on the way to their store. (Disclaimer: I receive no payment of any sort for my endorsements. I simply LOVE MM products and happen to know that Scrap-Mart can get 'em for ya. I'm just a craft lover sharing my info.)

Thanks for stoppin' by. I will be back later this week with sneak peeks of the upcoming Back to School layouts. Katie

My School Boy

Cody is well settled into his "school days" now. He started attending Early Head Start in mid-February of this year. He wakes up every morning asking if he's going to school. I was a little hesitant of a year-round program at first but it seems to be working well. I have my mornings and it also gives me time with Brian and Seth.

Anywho, they took their classroom pics last month and they just came in. Here's the layout:

I had seen this paper and knew right away it would be great for this picture. I layered it over a piece of kraft cardstock. Since the bottom of the photo already said the school name on it, all I needed to add was the year. I used my Making Memories mailbox numbers and added a paper clip in the top left corner with a little ribbon. That's it! Seriously, a 15 minute layou...and I love the result. I will write down the names of all the kids and his teachers and tuck in the paper clip behind the photo.



Thanks for stoppin' in! Katie

Yummy Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Oreo Balls!

Okay, so one day a friend of mine was talking about ordering some chocolate covered strawberries for her boyfriend. She showed me a picture on-line of what she was considering. Looked delicious, no doubt, but the packaging was so plain. So, you know me, I said "Sara, I can make those for you and put them in a personalized box." Sara loved the idea. The first box I made for her was a Harley Davidson theme. It had textured diamond plated cardstock, and a mix of vintage papers. The top of the box said "It's not the destination, it's the journey!" And wouldn't you know I forgot to take pics. LOL!

So a month later Sara ordered another box for her boyfriend and this time she wanted Oreo Balls to accompany her strawberries. I said no problem and whipped out a masculine box and stuffed it full. Yeah, you guessed it...I forgot to take pics again! UGH!

Then this last Thursday she asked if I could whip a really girly one out by Saturday. Of course, I couldn't disappoint my BEST customer! (BIG grin!) I said sure! She was hoping for rainbows but said anything bright and girly would do. She said her best friend is fun and funky. As much as I wanted to do something with rainbows, it didn't quite make it there. But, I did use some bright and funky colors...pink, lime green, teal, yellow. This time I was sure to grab some pics before I delivered it.

The top of the box:


A close-up of the lid:


The front view:


And, the goodies inside:


I really LOVE how this box turned out. I think that is the hardest part of special orders...you just might create something you don't want to let go of! LOL! For the band of the lid, I scrunched up some white crepe party streamer and dabbed it with Mod Podge. This is my new favorite technique right now. I also used it on a recent layout in place of ribbon. A little advice though, if you are using these crepe streamers with a wet adhesive, be very careful because it will tear easily. I really enjoyed making this box...and the yummy goodies inside too! My kids especially love the Oreo Balls.

If you're wondering, to make the Oreo Balls simply crunch a whole package of Oreo cookies (I put mine in my blender), mix in one package of softened cream cheese then roll them into little balls. You can also use a medium scoop (like the Pampered Chef ones). Melt some white chocolate or Almond Bark and simply drizzle it over the cookie balls and add sprinkles or nut toppings. I like to chill mine in the freezer for a few minutes so that the Almond Bark dries quicker. It's that simple...and they're to die for! Hope you enjoy them and if you try 'em, let me know what you think.

If you hung in with me through this LONG post, thank you! Hope to see you around again soon! Katie