My newest endeavor...

I've been playing with some photo's on a canvas this week. I recently saw this done at the Crafty Scrapper and thought it was a very cute idea. I created my own original design/layout, but in the theme of their aged canvas, paper, photos and embellishments. I think it turned out cute for my 1st try. I've got several more to play with and a few more ideas up my sleeve!

Yummy Dinner!

Last night I made a amazing new recipe, shared with me by a friend, Vicki. It turned out really well...so I thought I'd share it will you all.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole - from the Kitchen of Vicki M.

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1 can cream of corn
1 lb. ground beef
1 can Rotel - drained (I used traditional)
1 can whole kernel corn - drained
2 cups grated cheese


Mix Jiffy cornbread according to box instructions, add the cream of corn and set aside
Brown ground beef in pan (I added 1/2 a diced onion and 1 clove of garlic) drain of fat
add whole kernel corn
add Rotel

Using 9 x 13 pan, pour 1/2 jiffy & corn mix into pan...to cover bottom (will be thin)
next add beef, corn, rotel mixture
Top with remaining Jiffy & corn mix
sprinkle cheese all over top


Bake at 350 degree for 20-25 mins

We did a little {SHOPPING}

Our first stop was Delightful hands in Celine. She sells both yarn and scrapbooking supplies. Very friendly gal...pretty big selection, separated by theme (I personally hate that), she had alot of complete lines including ribbons too! I only spend $20.00 - but got quite a bit of stuff, including 2 of the luggage tag you cover/make. This location was only about 10 minutes from Memory Lane Inn.

Our second stop (and most costly) was Remember When in Whitesboro. This store was amazing! They had so much inventory - I was in Scrapbooking Disneyland! This type store is a thing of the past for most scrappers today - most of us are lucky to have a store within 50miles - and seldom are they stocked like this one. They man (yes MAN) working that day was Josh...he was so nice and friendly. He was very helpful, showing us products and just friendly. (his wife was there also, but she NEVER spoke. she sat at a crop table barefoot reading a book- hope they weren't paying her, she need to go home to read - that part was just strange!)

I bought WAY to much - and all I'll admit to was it was over $100- but I felt better when my friends all went over that too!!! They had just so many amazing things to not buy it all! They also have a website/online store....which one employee said was at least 50% of their sales income. I will certainly be ordering from them now too, check them out HERE!

I'm baaaack!

The retreat was so fun! The 3 course gourmet meals were amazing and the accommodations were very nice. When you attend something like this, especially with over half of the 12 women in attendance, being strangers to each other, there is always a certain amount of "drama"...but it was pretty low on the drama-meter! (thank Goodness...I'm about drama-ed out lately)

I got alot of work done...

This is a luggage tag for my Camera Gear Bag - using Love Elsie paper line

Last minute update...

I finally got pictures take and some more pages loaded. I still have a few more to do, but I'm leaving in a few hours to my wonderful scrappy adventure for the weekend at Memory Lane Inn. I will take lots of pictures and share those next week!

Weekend of Cropping ...

In less than 48hours I will be relaxing in the comfort and fun of the Memory Lane Inn.

I'm going with a group of friends, and we've been counting down the days!

Memory Lane Inn is a new, upscale scrapbooking and paper crafting retreat nestled in an undisturbed part of McKinney, Texas. Our meals will be cooked by a personal chef and we will be provided snacks and drinks throughout the day. The crop room is full of the essential scrapbooking tools, snack, lots of windows and we each have a 6ft table to ourselves.

I won a contest!

I recently made some felt embellishments for a Challenge on The Everyday Scrapper website...and I won!!! Woo Hoo! Be sure to go check it out here!
I get $50.00 of product from the Love Elsie line...can't wait!

Crazy week!

Katie has been attending Color guard camp all week from 8am to 5pm - and I have been helping deliver the girls lunches each day --- sure has cut into my sleeping time, but it's been alot of fun.

Wednesday...I went to an ALL DAY crop with my Scrap-A-Doodle friends and got 13 Layouts completed. It's taken me until today to finish them up with journaling and embellishments and finally get the photographed. So here are a few...

Yes, I drew Cheese...I think it turned out okay

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Today I finished a project I got an idea for last week. I was killing time in a Dr.'s office brousing my CB2 catalog, when I saw this amazing mirror...

Well, at $99.95 plus tax & S/H...I wasn't about to buy it...but while drooling over it, an idea came to mind. I bought an unfinished pictures frame for a 12 x 12 photo, with a border of 3inches. I then found myself a 12 x 12 mirror tile (I was afraid they stopped making them back in the 70's). I put 2 coats of white paint on the unfinished frame to seal it and make for nice edges. I then went through my cardboard recycle pile (yes, I'm a bit green) and cut squares to fit the border of the frame from foods that are family favorites. I used Modge Podge to adhere them to the painted frame and then top coated 3 pretty thick layers to really seal it well and make it shiny. I put my mirror tile in and...Viola! My entire family is now in love with our $15.00 copy-cat frame...and we're gonna hang it in the kitchen!

Fun Challenge

A fellow blogger started a new Scrapbook Challenge site, So tell me your story...and in effort to support her new endeavor, I participated in her first challenge. It was to scrap your "Beginning".

This was a really great challenge for me, because I have alot of small old Polaroid square photos my mom passed on to me in frustration of not knowing exactly what to do with them. They were from when Polaroid's would print one 3 x 3 print and 2 small 1.5 x 1.5 squares along the side. I realize tomorrow is the deadline to enter the first challenge, but I encourage you to enter another one...I think you will enjoy it!

I'm a swappin' fool...

OK, well...at least the fool part is right! My group of friends from the Scrap-A-Doodles and I are doing a ribbon swap and I'm up to my eye balls in ribbon right now. I got it all cut and package for the big swap day - WEDNESDAY July 16.

The other thing I've been working on is a challenge from The Everyday Scrapper. the challenge was to purchase one of Love Elsie's embroidery patterns from her Etsy store and make and embellishment from the pattern using felt. I chose the Junk food pattern and made the hamburger and fries. I think they turned out pretty good for my 1st try.

More junk I probably don't need...

NOT TRUE....I need it ALL!


Ivy helped me pick out a few essentials for some projects we have planned this week. A bit of felt, some lobster claps for a charm swap, you can never have to many random monkey head hooks for the wall {lol}.

It's been a Fun Holiday weekend...

For 8 years we've spent July 4th with the Martin family...and this year was to be no different. We smoked a brisket all day, headed over around 5pm and ate and visited with friends, watching fireworks till about midnight Friday night.

These are our friends children, above Nicole and below Ethan.

They were loving the sparklers!

Celebrate with Cupcakes

A few days ago an email arrived in my box from Joann's with a cute idea for firecracker cupcakes. Well, all those who know me, I am a sucker for cooking projects, the more labor intense the better - LOL! Here is the picture from the Wilton Idea Center

Mine didn't turn out exactly the same...of course my family says they are better -lol! I think they are cute enough to take to the annual 4th of July party...our host of 10years has young children still - so I thought they would really enjoy theses! Can't wait to see them covered in frosting (haha!) So here are my version...

I also bought an awesome new cupcake/cake holder by Wilton while shopping for my cupcake supplies! I LOVE Tupperware, but this thing is MUCH better than any of my Tupperware cake takers! IT hold each cupcake in it's spot - it works for mini cupcake if you flip the base over and you can completely remove the base to use it for an entire sheet cake! LOVE IT!

Baby & Prego cards...

Went to a friends yesterday with our Scrap-A-Doodle group and made some baby cards while I was there. Used those $1.00 stamps sets that are so popular right now (from Micheal's & Joann's). Thought they turned out pretty cute...

A few new Layouts

Turning Ivy loose...

This weekend we let Ivy ride the go-cart by herself for the 1st time. She had alot of fun and was a very good driver.