Custom Sorority Albums-New In Store

I have added another style of my Custom Name/Word Albums to my Etsy shop. This time they are Sorority Albums. I have had a few requests for these so I thought I would add them for sale.

Here is a sample album I did for Alpha Delta Pi.

I used their colors, motto, flower, and symbol to make this album extra special :)

For this one I used letters, but I can also do Greek symbols.

I have been told that Sisters like to give little gifts to each other from time to time and I thought these would just be perfect. They're small in size, but large in thought :) What more could you want in the perfect gift!

Do you have an idea for my next series of Custom Name/Word Albums? Let me know, I'm trying to add lots of variety for these albums :)

Mickey Theme Collection

I've been on a Mickey and Friends kick lately, I guess. I've made 4 new albums with the Mickey theme! I guess maybe it goes back to my childhood as I was a HUGE Mickey fan. I had Disney clothes, Minnie roller skates, matching Mickey and Minnie head-shaped pillows, Disney blankets, a sleeping bag that was shaped like Mickey...complete with hands and feet sticking out and a pillow in the shape of his head. I even had my entire room decorated with Mickey and Friends...wallpaper and border, bedding, a rug and some Disney pictures. I was a fan til the end :) When I was 16, my parents finally took my to Disney World. I had to have my picture taken with every character I met :) Though I would have much rather gone as a child...it was a trip to remember! So here is my new Mickey and Friends Collection: Hopefully I will be getting them added to my Etsy shop soon. I have another craft show on Nov. 8 and thought maybe I would wait until after then to list them...if I can wait that long!!! Do you have any Disney childhood memories...I'd love to hear them :)

Facebook

I finally took the plunge! I joined Facebook. For some reason I have been fighting off the urge to join...I guess I was just trying to be old-fashioned. I'm just getting started and still trying to navigate everything. I can't believe the number of people I know on there! I feel so behind on times :) I've added some pics and made friends, now I just need to stick with it and keep everything updated! I even learned how to do a screenshot to add :) I love learning new things! Here is a link to check out my page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1641211284

Blog Carnival: Recipes

At my family gatherings, we always do potluck style feasts. The funny thing is, every time, everyone brings the same dishes :) This way we know what to expect and know we'll love what's there. Last year at Thanksgiving I gave everyone recipe cards I had made and had them fill them out and bring them back at Christmas with their dishes. I photographed every dish and have a corresponding recipe card to go with it. My plan (eventually) is to put them all into an album...and hopefully make one for every family.

One of my favorite dishes is my Grandma's ham balls. They are just great :)

Ham Balls

• 3 lbs. ham loaf
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. dry mustard

Form ham loaf into walnut sized balls and place in a 9x13 pan. Mix sauce and pour over ham balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The best part about these ham balls is the fact that they are so easy. They don't just have to be made for special family gatherings. They can be whipped up on a busy week night. Just mix everything, pop 'em in the oven, and go get some work done for an hour :)

Here are the cards I made:

And here is the pic I took of Grandma's ham balls....YUM!

Featured EtsyBlogger: bfbeads

The wonderful Jen is the owner of two shops: Baby Friendly Beads and Mamas Magic Studio. Of course she also has a blog at Mama's Magic. I just envy anyone who can run two shops and still find time to blog...oh yeah, and have a life too :) Here are some of my favorites from her shops: Dorothy Baby Friendly Beads Reminder Bracelet I just love these colors together! Lapis the Dragonfly And I think this would just look gorgeous in my kitchen window catching light! Stop by her shops and take a look or leave a friendly comment or two on her blog :)

Multi-Photo Layouts

Some things I hear a lot of scrappers complain about is never being caught up and wanting to scrap all of their photos of an event. Well, if you're like me and take about 100 photos of every major event and at least 50 of the not so major events, scrapping all of these photos can be quite difficult. My solution...multi-photo layouts! I hardly ever scrap just one photo on a page unless it is a really important photo...or I'm just in the mood to play. Multi-photo layouts help you get a lot of photo scrapped in a small amount of space. Just look at the layouts here. I fit a whopping 10 photos on this layout and still had room for a large journaling area. The key here is to use a grid format. I printed two larger photos at 4x6 and then formatted all the rest to be 3" tall with varying widths for variety. I like this multi-photo layout because of all the white space I was still able to leave. I fit 8 photos on one 12x12 layout and still leave room for the eye to rest. ( It is hard to tell here, but there is about a 1" border around the outside of the red frame.) This one is a combination of photos and embellishments in a grid. I fit 8 photos on the front as well as journaling and the main photo in the middle opens up to show three more photos underneath. This layout has by far the most pictures on it than any other layout I've done. I'm proud to say that I fit 26...that's right, count 'em...26 photos on this two page spread! I kept the embellishments to a minimum and used one photo as the main focus to keep this page from being too busy. So next time you find yourself with a pile of photos to scrap and little time to do it in...think multi-photo layouts! You will be happy you did :)

I've Been Tagged!

I've been "tagged" by http://www.dorothywyn.etsy.com/, a fellow Etsy shop keeper. The reason for the game is to learn about people, so I need to list six things about myself...and I need to tag five others. I have chosen to tag five of my fellow EtsyBloggers! Because they rock! miapella: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6232787 totally love her cute necklaces...and how couldn't I at such a great price omshanti: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5574742 love the original take on items like foot spray and bug spray julieantinucci: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5701486 I especially like her daisies...I could see myself using these on a layout WylesStyle: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5230356 great bags for every occasion PoorRobin: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6113901 such great combinations of felt and buttons Okay, now my facts: 1. I have lived in the same town for all of my 25 years. 2. I think about scrapbooking 24/7...I have to keep a notebook by my bed so when I get a great idea I can write it down right away so I won't forget! 3. I'm a bit of a tomboy. Some of my other hobbies include snowmobiling and mud dragging. 4. I may be the messiest crafter out there! I am a hoarder and I work on multiple projects at once, so messes tend to pile...sssh, don't tell :) 5. I didn't own a single piece of pink clothing until I was 21 years old...now it is the main color of my entire wardrobe! I even bought a $90 pair of hot pink cowgirl boots! (A major splurge for me.) 6. Christmas is my favorite holiday...and I can't wait for it to get here! There is just so much to love about that time of year :) I even made a scrapbook page about why I love it so much!

shophandmade.com

Have you heard about the great new place to sell your handmade items on the web? It's called shophandmade.com. The best part is, there are no fees unless you want there to be! How cool is that. There is no listing fee, no selling fee, and you help the rainforest in the process! You can sign up for galleries and put in a bid. When you are the highest bidder, you enter the gallery! I've gotten in for 25 cents! It is so easy to sign up and set up your shop. I will be selling all of the same products in my shophandmade store as my etsy store, but this is just one more way to get my scrapbooks seen on the web. You should give it a try. The more of us that sign up and get the word out, the more sales we will see! Take a peek at my shop and see what you think of the new site: www.memoriesforlife.shophandmade.com Let me know what you think and if you are going to start a shop. What is your impression of the site?