December Daily Album (Pages 1-17)

As promised, I am finally getting around to posting my December Daily album. What is it? you ask. Well, it's basically a mini scrapbook album put together AHEAD of time (in November) so that it's ready to be filled with photos, goodies, & journaling from each day in December. It could be done any month or for any occasion, but since December seems to fly by in the blink of an eye, it is a great month to document. None of this is my idea, but the artfully contagious brainchild of one of my favorite scrappers, Ali Edwards. (yeah, I mention her a lot. Have you checked out her blog yet?) Here is Ali's December Daily Album from this year.

The thing I am most proud of is that I DID NOT BUY ONE SINGLE ITEM TO MAKE THIS ENTIRE ALBUM! I raided my stash & came up with more than enough stuff to use.
I can add or take away as I see fit once I have my photos ready to put in. It's meant to be filled each day, so that at the end of the month you have a completed album. However, I don't have a good enough photo printer at home, so I simply wrote down on a piece of paper what happened on each day. I will have my photos printed and when I get them back, I'll slip them into the album & know exactly what to write about for that particular day. Does that make sense to anyone else but me?

Here's the cover & days 1 through 17 (to be completed when I get my photos)

My Scrapspace

In case you didn't know, I used to have a whole scrapbook room. The walls were pepto-pink and black & white Parisian accents filled the room. Eiffel Towers were scattered about & everything was organized, labeled, and ready to inspire a new world of creativity.

Then came Mason. The room was stripped, the pink walls became soft blue & frogs took over. I was banished to create out of a closet in our office.

All kidding aside [I'd MUCH rather have my sweet boy than a scrapbook room anyday!] I've tried to make do with my little nook. I try to keep it organized so that I can get to all my supplies, but it's hard in such a small space. I've wanted/needed a new shelf for a while now, so I was so excited when Wayne told me he bought me a 3 shelf closet organizer piece from Lowe's!! What a thoughtful husband!

Well, it turned out pretty small. A lot smaller than we were expecting. However, I still love it & it gives me more room to spread out my supplies in an area that was hardly being used. I spent all night on Saturday re-organizing my stuff. It was fun!



The new shelf is the one on top of the desk to the left...small, I know. I need to rehang the french memo board to the left of the new shelf, too.

Cozy...

Gimme a W...Gimme an H...

...what's that spell??? Well, nothing.
I have many letters on hand to create custom gifts & decor & made these just for fun. I tried to make the W more boyish, but it would work for a girl as well. And I always have fun making girly pink stuff!

If you're interested, they are approx. 7 inches tall & are raw wood that I've painted & dressed up. Each letter is "shabby chic" style with distressed edges & imperfections to add to the character & uniqueness. They will stand up on their own or can be hung by either the ribbon or the drilled hanger holes in the back.

You can have your custom letter made in the colors/patterns of your choice for a mere $10/letter! ;)
(I also make a larger size like this one that is more like 12 inches & it runs $15/letter. The large letters are thin and will not stand up on their own & must be hung by ribbon.)

I'll be back...

when I'm feeling better. I've been sick since Sunday! (ugg) But I have some sweet projects to share with you when I return...

What Christmas Tree are You?

I promise I'll post about Thanksgiving stuff but I had to do this quick little quiz from Sherri's blog.

You Are a Bright Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays are all about fun and seasonal favorites. You are into all things Christmas, even if they're a little tacky.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

"Tacky?" No, I'm gonna go with "gaudy!" (gotta have my glitter!)

Mason's Handprints

You may remember (or may not) my post from July showing Mason's 2 year old handprint on a canvas. We made it together as a keepsake that I will eventually turn into a wall collage of handprints grouped together in his room.

Thankfully, (since the canvases were an afterthought) when he turned one, I had Mason make hand prints to give out at his birthday party as favors, so I had his little 1 year old handprint saved. I cut one of those into a square & decoupaged it onto a canvas & added the title & date. We're well on our way to having a handprint wall collage!

Recycled Holiday Cards

I'm not one to skip over one holiday to jump to the next~I love Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to it. However, I've gotten started on a few Christmas holiday projects/decorations to try to stay ahead of the game this year. (ya right) I wanted to share these with you~they are Christmas cards we received last year that I saved. They were just too cute to throw out! Just like the Halloween framed jack-o-lantern, I used 2 frames that were put away in a cabinet that I haven't used in a while. Their 5x5 size complimented these 2 cards nicely. I cut them down a little & popped them in the frames. Since they have 3D elements, I put the glass behind them to keep it with the frame & provide stability. I just love them & know they will look good sitting on a little table somewhere for the holidays. I know our friend's the Tyndalls sent us the wreath card~so thanks for sending such a cute card for me to recycle!






Added bonus: thought I'd include these 2 scrapbook pages I made a while back. Not the best picture quality.

Wayne & Mason (May 2007, 9 1/2 months)

Wayne & Mason (April 2007, 9 months)

Mosaic Monday

It's a little late for this, but I still wanted to share my Halloween mosaic. I haven't posted a mosaic in a while & I really heart Halloween!
1. Halloween decor 6, 2. Halloween is in the Air........, 3. Old School Halloween Decorations, 4. Halloween 2006 Decorations - 3, 5. Halloween Decorations, 6. Halloween decor, 7. Halloween decor 1, 8. Halloween Decor, 9. Cauldron, 10. Halloween Wreath, 11. lillian vernon, eat your heart out, 12. Stepping Up, 13. Black bird, 14. pirate skull cookies, 15. Trick Or Treat Smell My Feet, 16. Happy Halloween!

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Spooky Snack Mix

This is my family's new favorite Fall snack mix. It's super yummy and easy to make.

Mix 2 cups of each: (or more, I just sort of dumped it all together & tossed!)

Caramel Popcorn (I used boxed Crunch & Munch)
Reese's Puffs cereal
Waffle Pretzels (I used Snyder's "Snaps")
Mini Nutter Butter cookie bites (they come in a bag)
Peanut M&M's
Toss together & Enjoy!

Jack-O-Lantern Art?

I don't know if you can really classify this as art, but you can call it a cute Halloween decoration! I made this with a black frame that I wasn't using, scrapbook paper, and a Jolee's Boutique (brand) jack-o-lantern sticker that I bought several years ago. It's very 3D b/c it's filled with stuffing. I made one for my mom as well~only it has a different mat and the pumpkin has a different face. So simple & makes me smile!

October Extras

These are some pictures I've taken this month that I like...