*Oh Snap with Soda Shoppe*

Hi everyone! Happy New Year's Eve!
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and are ready for 2013.
Wishing you and yours ALL the best for the new year!

Today I'm stopping by to share a layout I made
using January's Soda Shoppe kit.
When I received it, I couldn't WAIT to break into it & make something.
This kit is amazing. It really is! It's full of such fun, bright colors & details!

You will love it.

Here's a layout I did of my kiddo's. This is from a series of photo's I took of them
when they came home from college for Thanksgiving...

Check out the STRAWS! I love those. I couldn't wait to use them once I saw them!

If you're wondering "what am I going to do with them?" Think outside of the box.

They don't have to go on a layout. How cute would they be decorated and in a small
vase, or on a card, or any project?
I decided when making this layout - to make it fun & a bit whimsical, mimicking

the kids and their "shooting" me shooting them. So I added my straws as stems
to my "whimsical" flowers. Or lollipops. I couldn't decide what they looked
more like - ha!

I love how it all came together.
That Heidi Swapp trim - YUM.
The washi - fabulous. I'm addicted to washi's lately!
The only thing I've added here is the jute.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today!
I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I did with Soda Shoppe.
If you'll check below this post you'll see Virginia did a video recap of all

the gorgeous details of this kit. You don't want to miss out!

Before I go, I'll share a couple of close up shots!
I hope you have a VERY happy New Year's!

Celebrate big!

Soda Shoppe Kit

The January Kit, "Soda Shoppe", is now available to purchase!  CLICK HERE to get yours! 

Soda Shoppe Contents:

PAPERS:
5 American Crafts Cardstock: (Kraft, Salmon, Mustard, Leaf, Turquoise)  Crate Paper On Trend (Swanky, LaMode) Glitz Hello Friend (Clouds, Bokeh, Polka) Lawn Fawn Bright Side (Bright Eyed, Jump for Joy) Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic (6th and Main, Bowtie Boulevard, Simplicity Circle, 7th and Sunshine, Little Moments Lane, Sweet Street)  My Minds Eye The Sweetest Thing (Cutie Pie, The Best, Reasons Why, About Me), Basic Grey Serenade (Bustle, Half Penny, Shilling)
EMBELLISHMENTS:
1 sheet Elle's Studio "The Sweet Life" pennants, 1 large Elle's Studio Journaling Card, 2 yards Heidi Swapp Sunshine Trimmings, 1 sheet My Minds Eye "The Sweetest Thing" label stickers, 1 package Dear Lizzy assorted buttons, 1 roll Glitz "Hello Friend" washi tape, 1 Dear Lizzy roller date stamp, 3 My Cute Tape paper straws (turquoise/gray/lime), 2 small My Cute Tape chevron striped bags (yellow and gray), 1 Dear Lizzy feather accent sticker, 3 Heidi Swapp trimmings flowers, 1/2 sheet of Basic Grey mini flags, SEI chalk ink pad in coral, SEI chalk ink pad in greystone, 1 package My Minds Eye "The Sweetest Thing" enamel dots, 1 Glitz transparency, 3 Glitz die cut shapes (assorted), 1 My Minds Eye "Fabulous" journaling card, 1 package Glitz "Hello Friend" glitzers, 1 sheet Studio Calico gray alphabet stickers, 1 package Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Stickers (2 sheets), 1 package American Crafts "Rainboots" glitter thickers, 1 Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic large shipping tag (not pictured).

And here is Virginia going through the contents for you in her monthly video:

2013 Pocket Calendars for my Kiddos!

One of the things my kids asked for this year was calendars. They are all getting a grasp on the sequence of time, counting down to special days, etc. and the visual of a calendar is really important to them! 

I found these little pocket calendars in the Dollar Spot at Target, but they don't particularly reflect my kids' personalities, so I thought I'd personalize them. 

I used the new Soda Shoppe Kit (now on sale!) and selected two papers to just simply cover the outside of the calendars. 

One of my girls like simple, feminine things, so this one is for her. 

The other one is more spunky, so I thought this fit her a bit better! :)

I used my decorative tape collection to put a strip of tape on pages that had important dates, like birthdays, vacations, holidays, etc. 

It helps them to see how much longer to those special days! :)

Have you checked out Soda Shoppe yet? It's a beautiful kit that you won't want to miss!

Happy Thursday!

Hi guys!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas Day with their families and that they made Santa's nice list :)

Well, today is my last post and I have to say that I have had soooo much fun creating projects with Noel's AMAZING kits!!  I mean really, her kits are quite possibly the best that are out there and I'm not just saying that :)

For today's lo, I of course used the fabulous Glad Tidings kit because of course it is absolutely perfect for scrapping the holiday photos.

We just got our tree up last week (eep!), so it'll be nice to enjoy it a lil bit longer in a layout.

I hope you guys have a wonder new year and that 2013 is absolutely amazing for ya!!

xo

Twas the night before Christmas

Hello everyone, it's Diane here to wish you, my scrapping friends, a very Merry Christmas! I hope you have a fun-filled day planned with family and friends!

I wanted to share one more layout I made with the Glad Tidings kit. For me, Christmas Eve is just as fun and exciting as Christmas morning and opening presents. I just love the excitement and anticipation of Christmas morning and a tree surrounded by presents.

This layout showcases a photo of my kids several years ago right before bedtime on Christmas Eve. So much fun!

Here are a few close-ups:

Thank you form coming by everyone! Merry Christmas...I'll see you next week in 2013!

*A Jolly Merry Christmas*

Scoot over Adam...
It's Eve's turn!
Happy Christmas Eve, everyone!

Just dropping by for a quick post to share a layout I did using December's
Glad Tidings kit:

Our Christmas card this  year - I love how it turned out & it's perfect

with Glad Tidings!

I adore my kids - they were so sweet for pics!

Here's a couple of close ups:

 

Just a tiny quick tip:  Don't cut off and throw away your strips at the bottom of your
patterned papers. Not only do some have CUTE designs on them - they also have GREAT words
that apply to your project! I used to strips here on my layout.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve today and
a  wonderful Christmas tomorrow!

~Leslie

December Memories Album Update

I'm slowly adding things to my December Memories album, but I so love the lack of pressure I have from having to keep up with each day in it! I'm adding things organically- ephemera as I receive it, photos as I print them, and lists as I need to make them. It's lovely and really a reflection of our month! 

Here's a sample of what a lot of the pages are looking like- I used the pages already in the planner to make a template and cut out new pages from patterned paper in the Glad Tidings kit. 

It's simple design, but all together is so fun! 

Happy Thursday!!

Hi guys!!

Can you believe that we are just a few days away from Christmas?!?
I can't believe it.
AT.ALL.

I'm so not prepared but I keep having to remind myself that what get's done, get's done...lol.

I'm still chuckling over today's layout.  The story behind it will forever be a favorite memory of mine from our Disney trip and I look forward to us laughing about it every Christmas from here on out.

And to be able to document this story like this is exactly why I scrapbook :)

I used the Glad Tidings Kit and especially used a lot of the embellishments that came in the kit.  For this layout, I really wanted the journaling to be the focus of the layout itself and even used the pictures almost as embellishments as well.

Here's the layout:

And here's the story: 

The story behind this year’s family ornament is quite the funny one. 

While we were at Disney, we attended “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party”.  It was great, almost everyone that attended was dressed up and even the characters themselves were dressed up.  In Tomorrow Land, we noticed the Grinch (walking pretty fast I might add).  I desperately wanted the kids’ picture taken with him.  I mean, I couldn’t believe it!  Disney even had the Grinch roaming around.  So we started to jog and I waved the Grinch down and practically begged him to wait for where ever he was going (a photo area I presumed since special Disney characters were going to be located at different areas in the park for the special party guests).  “Please!” I said, and then motioned with my hands to my phone to let him know that I wanted to take a picture and pushed the kids in his direction.

I snapped the photo and thanked him over and over for the opportunity.  “How cool was that??” I asked the kids as if I had just accomplished some large feat in their eyes by chasing down Disney’s Grinch to take a picture with them.

And then it hit Michael and I!

Wait!

The Grinch isn’t Disney is he?

Hmm….don’t think so.

It was confirmed later when we saw the guy wearing the costume with the head piece off hanging out with his wife (dressed as a witch) and a few of his kids.

We cracked up then and we still crack up now.

So when I spotted the Grinch ornament at Target, I knew it had to be this year’s family ornament!

So yeah.

That's the day that the Grinch became more than just a character out of a book :)

I hope y'all have a fabulous holiday next week!!!

xo

A little "Elf Magic" . . .

Hello everyone!!  Can you believe it is less than a week until Christmas???  The month has flown by so fast for us, but I am enjoying reliving it through my recent pages.   My family has a number of traditions we like to do over the holiday season, but one of our favorites is our month-long visit from Zurt, our elf on the shelf.  My older son LOVES to search for him each morning & see what mischief he got into during the night.  I have snapped some fun pics of Zurt in action & was excited to use my Glad Tidings kit to scrap one :)



You may notice the strip of red chevron on the bottom of this close-up, as well as on the right side of the full page.  I was looking to add a pop of color in both these spots & the washi tape in the kit was so easy to stick across & fold under to the backside of the page :)



There are so many fun little bits in this kit - chipboard pieces, sequins, brads & buttons . . .  I couldn't resist sprinkling a bunch of these across my layout.  The shiny sequins scattered about seemed to go well with the "elf magic" title :)



Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

Dashing through the snow...

Hello everyone!

I am so enjoying the Glad Tidings kit and I hope you are too! The colors of the papers are simply fabulous and so versatile. I've scrapped current and vintage photos with and it works so well with both of them. Love!

When I ran across a photo of my Mom and her siblings playing in the snow I knew it would look great with the Basic Grey papers and the big white snowflake included in the Glad Tidings kit. I took my inspiration from those two pieces of the kit and this is the result.

All supplies come from the Glad Tidings kit with the exception of the wood snowflakes, gold washi tape and flair, which is from {a flair for buttons}. Noel carries a nice selection of flair in the shop which mix and match great with the kits.

Here are a couple close-ups.

I hope you are finding some time to dig into this fabulous kit. Share what you are making over on the message board...I would love to see!

My Fave Snowman

 

Good morning, everyone!

Today I wanted to share a layout I did using the December

Glad Tidings kit - about one of my favorite outdoor Christmas

decorations.
Do you have a favorite? Maybe something that's been in

the family for a few years?
Or something you just added?

I'm a sucker for snowmen:

this guy is my very FAVE. He's been around at least 10 Christmases

on our front porch. We ADORE him. He's quite friendly. Greets our guests

as they come to the front door, shines brightly & is just the cutest guy.

This layout came together so fast. I knew I wanted to do some neutral

colors, yet have some pop of color to showcase how bright

and whimsical our snowman is.

 

Here's some closer shots:

I hope you're digging into your Glad Tidings kit and having a Christmas ball!

Have a great day!

~Leslie

 

Quick & Easy Christmas Gift

You know we all have them- those random little gifts we need to give someone- we don't need to spend a lot of money, but we do want to give them something special. 

I love these wood frames for times like that! They are $1 and easy peasy to customize! 

I painted this one pink and did red polka dots on it, covered in Stickles glitter. 

The sides are given a special touch with the decorative tape in the Glad Tidings kit. I think it's so much more fun to do that than to just paint them! :)

Even though all of these items are from a the Christmas themed "Glad Tidings" kit, they are not necessarily super Christmassy looking! This could be out in someone's home any time of the year, but is using supplies you have on hand right now. 

I love it! So much, that this one may stay with me... and I may make a new one for a gift. Hee! 

Happy Thursday!

Hey Everyone!

If you're anything like me, you would have thought that by now you would have 13 days completed of your December Daily.

But you don't.

You don't even have the cover done and you've decided that because of the hustle and bustle of life that surrounds you, you are going to let yourself off the hook and not done one this year, or think of a simpler way to document the holiday season after the holidays are over.

Last year I did complete a December Daily and of the things that I did was to insert some of the Christmas cards that we received in the mail.

So I decided for today's project, I would just create a cover for a book that will house all the cards that we received this year.

I took one of my kiddos' old board books and covered it in white medical tape (you know what I'm talking about? They sell it in the band aid aisle) and then gesso'd it.  This is a super quick way to cover a book and still get a distressed, natural feel to it.

Using various bits and pieces of the Glad Tidings Kit, I created a simple and non-traditional cover for my album.  I also used some chipboard letters from a past kit and of course the Heidi Swapp Color Shines.

Had so much fun creating this and can't wait to fill it with all our Christmas cards.

xo