Cute Cards

First off, I would like to wish my brother, Jim, a BIG happy birthday. Today is his 30th!!! Tonight we are going to his house for supper to celebrate the special occasion :) I thought I would show you all the card I'm giving him. He's a big fisherman, so I thought I'd play that up.



Then, after we get done there, we also have a couples' shower for a great friend of mine. She will be here from Colorado, so it will be so great to see her :) I also made a cute little card for her and her fiance as well that I thought I would share.




So, Jesse and I have a pretty eventful evening to look forward to. Good time with family and friends...it doesn't get any better than that :)

Beauty All Around Us!

It is so great to finally have nice weather here in Iowa for a few days. With all the rain and storms we've been having, it has made me realize how much I love getting outside in the beautiful weather. On my jog this morning, I started to look around and notice all the beauty right in front of me. Everywhere I looked there were beautiful flowers. I also saw some pretty wild cats and a deer. Nature is so great! And the jog alone is just so peaceful in the country :)

After I got back from my jog, I knew I wanted to get some pictures of the pretty flowers I had seen. I decided to get a little more exercise and take my dog for a walk to see the flowers. I thought I'd share them with you as well :)



These may just be weeds to some, but this quote came to my mind the whole time I was out today: "May all your weeds be wildflowers!" So next time you have the opportunity to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, take time to notice all the wonderful things around you...and don't forget to grab that camera!

Father's Day Albums ON SALE!!!

Father's Day is just around the corner. Is your dad a hard one to shop for? Mine sure is! Why not get your dad something he can cherish for years to come. Yes, even men love scrapbooks. Especially when they are filled with photos of their loved ones.

Right now I have these two FATHER albums in my shop. Snag them up quick, they are on sale right now :) And they even come with a matching card!!!

Get your dad a gift he will remember forever! Get him a scrapbook :)

June-Featured EtsyBlogger

June's featured EtsyBlogger is AliciaMae. She is a very ambitions crafter with THREE etsy stores, a blog, and a website. I wish I had time to do as much as she is able to accomplish!

I have chosen 1 favorite from each of her stores.

First, from her http://aliciamae.etsy.com/ store:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7863282

With everyone so Eco-friendly here lately, I think this necklace is a good way to make your statement :)

Next, from her http://aliciamaeprints.etsy.com/ store:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6019287

I love this print because the red is so pretty against the dead of winter. Sometimes we need this little bit of beauty to get us through the winter months :)

And lastly, her http://randomsupplies.etsy.com/ store:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7582923

I chose these beads as a favorite because I can totally see them on a scrapbook page. I'm all about looking "outside the box" for scrapbook supplies and I think these would look so cool hand-sewn on a page :)

Also, don't forget to check out her blog: http://www.xanga.com/aliciamae_8

and her website: http://aliciamae.com/

Now, don't you agree that her ambition is one to strive for :)

School's Out For Summer!!!! Crafting-Here I Come :)

I finished up my final yesterday for my fourth MBA class!! It wasn't too bad, but I'm sure glad to be done. Now I'm taking a break for the summer. These classes just get harder and harder! I think I deserve a break...and now I'll have more time to my crafting :) Life really does get busy, doesn't it! With working full time, taking classes and running my Etsy shop, that doesn't leave much time for other things in life...like good old fashioned relaxing! But now that classes are done, I'm going to take some of that time and relax. I love to go canoeing, jog outside in the warm sun, play with my dog, and just hangout in the shed with my boyfriend :) It really is a good feeling to not have one more thing on my plate right now! I have SO many ideas I'd like to start on and now that I'll have more time, I might actually get them done :) So here's to enjoying the warm weather, more crafting, and more relaxing! Now get out there and enjoy life :)

Organized Chaos

My scrap room is quite the mess right now! I have projects upon projects started that I can't seem to find time to finish. I get started on something and then get a custom request or need to make a gift for someone. I enjoy creating this way though. That way I never have scrappers block. I always have something to work on :)

Here are a couple of pictures of my scrap room as it sits today:

I'm kind of a piles girl. I tend to stack everything up...and then it falls over. I have started putting individual projects into pizza boxes. They are the perfect size for 12x12 projects and they're easily stackable. The best part is that I got them for free :)

Here are a couple of photos that show my better side when it comes to staying organized:

These paper storage cubes are great for storing 12x12 paper (or paper of any size, really). I have my cardstock organized by color and my patterned paper organized by theme. (i.e. baby, christmas, etc.) The second photo is a storage rack I made using left over pieces from my paper racks and some spools of thread...how easy is that :) It stores all my paint by color and it's right at my scrapping table.

Even though it usually is a HUGE mess! I love having a space to call my own and create in. I have a chair on wheels that scoots me from my computer to my scrapping table...and back...several times a day!

What does your "studio" look like? Drop me comments and let me know I'm not the only one who loves organized chaos :)

What A Week!!!

It has been quite the busy, exciting week here! My parents got back from Michigan last Saturday and just left this morning. It was so great having them back! I hadn't seen them since Christmas :( We did a lot of shopping, eating out, shopping, and eating out! We were on the go almost everyday. It was also nice to enjoy some warm weather and grill out a couple of times.

Here is a layout I made a while back that reminded me of this week. This is our first dinner on our new patio. We got to grill out at both my house and my brother's house this week. So nice to sit out and enjoy the start of summer!



I also got to go fishing with my dad...and forgot my camera! How does a scrapbooker do such a thing! It was our best fishing day together yet, and I had no camera! I guess I will just have to remember that one in my head. I definitely won't have any trouble remembering the taste of fresh fish and hand-picked mushrooms that we had one day!!!

It's been a great week, but an exhausting one. I hope I don't have to go another 5 months without seeing my parents. That part just isn't fair. But that is why I spend every possible moment with them when they are here :) Remember to tell those you care for how much you love them everyday :)