Halloween Layout #1

So I got sidetracked from the "typical" baby pages for my boys' baby scrapbook and wanted to start working on their "first holiday" pages! This is my first Halloween layout.  I am planning on doing three.  First: Nehemiah's first year at the pumpkin patch.  Second: Elijah's first year at the pumpkin patch.  Third: combo page of Nehemiah and Elijah's first trick or treating adventure.

Here's a fall out box flip book using tabs:

And one last look at the final layout:

Wow! Amazing Challenges!!

Okay, there are so many amazing card/project challenges out there this week!! Thank you all for the inspiration!  Here's what I've completed so far:

This choo choo birthday card's inspiration came from Taylored Expressions' sketch of the week, a challenge to use the oldest thing in your craft stash (those scissors with the edges we have no use for anymore with all this new technology!), a challenge to use coloring/markers, and another challenge to add layers (is six enough?!).

This pretty butterfly pearl card's inspiration came from S2Gs Sketch Challenge, a beautiful color combo from Always Playing With Paper, and a challenge to use a butterfly in your project (and there's 10 in this one!).

For this on the move card, I was inspired by Skipping Stone's Design sketch, using holiday colors for a non-holiday card (totally Valentine's Day colors!), and also using Kraft in your project.

And this last flower birthday card was inspired from the sketch at Card Patterns, using a punch (all of the flowers!), and a beautiful color combo at Instyle Stamps and Cow Girls Sunday (Neapolitan Ice Cream!).

Um, excuse me...do you sew?

OK, this was a funny experience for me.  I was so excited about our craft store's 4th of July sale and went on the first day with all my coupons and my list of what I wanted to buy and when I had too much stuff, including yards of fabric, in my cart so that the kids had to start walking...a lady came up to me and asked if I could sew.  Being the newbie sewer that I am, I told her I wasn't that great, but getting into sewing more.  So she then asked if I could make her some cushion covers for her over sized chair pillows.  I was like, you want to pay ME to sew something.  COOL!  So, after stressing that they weren't going to turn out OK, I finished and they actually fit the cushion! Yea!! I hope I have more of these adventures...

Here's the before:

And the after:

Shell Collecting Thank You Card

The layout from this card comes from MojoMonday and it also went along with Our Daily Bread's sketch!

PS. I am trying to figure out which would be the best die cut system to buy so if you'd like, check out my survey on the right!  And if you pick "other" let me know in the comments which you think is best!  Thanks!

If you haven't been following the gardening portion of my blog, we are redoing our boring typical California track home front yard!  I decided to turn a fountain into a flower pot and grow several kinds of flowers in it!!  Now a new little type has popped up amongst the others who've been around for a few weeks.  So fun!  It's a slow process growing everything from seed, but I think it's very rewarding too.

I also trimmed my bushes for the first time (which will eventually grow into a 1-2 foot hedge).  Did you know that if you trim these more often you will actually get more growth? Seems crazy to me, but I think it's working!!  

A flowering Birthday Card

Loved these colors for Color Throwdown! I never would have thought to add Real Red in there and thought it ended up meshing really well.  I also loved the layout from 2Sketches4you and who doesn't need another birthday card from the Caardvarks challenge?!

Memory Notebook Tutorial

I made this notebook with the idea that inside would be written memorable things that my children do and I want to keep track of.  For example, those hilarious things that only children say and do and makes you crack up for like a week or amazing moments that are so precious you just don't ever want to forget.  

I gathered some fun things accessories and went for a distressed antique feel.  The first step is covering the notebook with your chosen paper.

Then add your ribbon.  I cut up a whole bunch of ribbon and started tying them onto the end until you couldn't see the rings of the notebook.

Then I added my accessories (some lace, beads, title, jewels, a big button...) 

Here's the result--I've already started writing some memories down on the inside too...

Here's one I made for my sister and sister-in-law for their Mother's Day gift:

I entered the first one into DDSB & Cuttlebug Challenge for doiles and lace and this last one into Dutch Dare's challenge! 

My Fourth Of July Garden Decor

Have a safe and happy 4th of July holiday weekend (people in the US) and leave a link to your fun holiday decor if you have any up!  :)

Welcome! And Welcome Back!!

A new plant for the front porch sporting an awesome garage sale pot ($1)!!  It grows pretty white bushy flowers.  You can see one on the branch.  I feel like I've added another member to my front porch fam!

My parsley is back! Yea! How fun that something went away and now is sprouting again. I am a new gardener and this is my first time I've had a repeat.  What a funny joy I have about it :)

I couldn't resist showing another picture of my mixed flowers that are still growing in.  I love the variety even in the greenery!

Eat Your Veggies! Spaghetti

A lot of people know how to make spaghetti, but I wanted to share this recipe because I know a lot of my friends and I have trouble feeding veggies to our kiddos and this recipe my kids love and (shh!) it's packed with vegetables!  Look at all those veggies hiding under the sauce...

Directions: Brown 1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey with about 1 Tbsp olive oil in your skillet.  Add diced garlic, about 2 cups diced carrots, 1 diced onion, and some of your favorite spaghetti spices (I usually do basil, parsley and bay leaves when my herbs are grown in...but fresh from the garden or straight from the cabinet, add how much you like...a sprinkle of this a little of that..).  You can also add pretty much whatever veggies you have in your fridge (bell peppers, celery, ...).  Let your vegetables become soft and flavor the meat (about five minutes).  Add 1/2 cup of cooking wine and let simmer for another five minutes.  Add a large can of diced tomatoes, a jar of spaghetti sauce, and 1/2 cup water.  I add the water to the sauce jar rather than directly to the skillet and then dump that into the sauce.  It gets more sauce from your jar that was sticking to the edges.  Lastly, I add a small spoonful of brown sugar to sweeten it up.  Bring your fabulous sauce to a boil and then simmer for a total of 30 minutes.  That's when I do my noodles, get the table ready and make some garlic bread.  This should feed about six, but if you added another jar of sauce it would feed ten.  

I make a lot of the sauce, eat half with the noodles, and then put the other half in the freezer in a Tupperware dish.  That way the next spaghetti night I only have to heat noodles, drain them, put the frozen sauce in the pan with the noodles, let it heat up, and bam--another veggie filled dinner!