Layout of the Week #2- Using Maps to Scrapbook

     The theme for this week's Layout of the Week is using maps. I love maps! I usually buy them for a dime at my local thrift store. Recently, I scored a plastic container full of them for only a dollar!
     The object of this tutorial series isn't just to use common items in our scrapbooking, but also to make a page quickly. I think you'll be surprised how fast this one will come together!

First, you'll need to gather your supplies. This layout would work in either 12"x 12" or 8 1/2" x 11".
-kraft cardstock or a brown pattern print
(I chose this piece that looks like cardboard-I've had it forever!)
-blue cardstock or pattern paper that coordinates w/the colors on your map
(you don't need much because this is just going to be the mat for your photo)
-a map of anywhere
-2 sets of letter stickers, one medium sized and one large sized
-something to use for a journaling card (even a notecard would do)
-scissors
-adhesive
-a photo of someone you love

Now, gently fold your map in half (I didn't make a hard crease) and draw half a heart on the folded side and cut it out  (just like we used to at elementary school).

The heart should fit within your brown paper. If not, trim it so it does and adhere it.

Next, you'll want to cut a mat from your blue paper. Mount your photo to it, and adhere it to the center of your heart. Then take your medium size letters and spell out "You Are" above the right corner of the photo and "Here" centered below the photo. (Get it? It's a map saying "you are here" and the map is in the shape of a heart. You are here in my heart. . .:)

The final step is to add your journaling card that says "in my heart forever." I hand stamped the "in my heart."  If you don't have a set of mini letter stamps, I highly recommend getting a set. I use them quite a bit- they really come in handy. If you keep an eye out, you can sometimes even find some in the Target dollar bins! The "forever" I spelled out with my label maker.
This is the final step if you want to keep your layout simple. 

However, if you'd like to beef it up a bit, here's an idea. You could add an embellishment to the upper left corner of the photo and do an embellishment cluster at the bottom right corner of the page. I placed a ticket with a crocheted flower on the photo (a regular flower would have worked, too). Then in the bottom corner, I grouped a restaurant check under my journaling card and layered another ticket and 2 more flowers. Finally, I added a pink paint border around the edges. It kind of looks like it was sewn because I used the handy tool pictured below. I just ran it through a pool of paint and drove it around the edges of my paper a few times. Easy.

Betcha can't guess where I got this - that's right the thrift store! See the price written on the handle?

Here is another layout I did using a map. These photos are from a visit to the local car show. The tire tracks are actually a tire track roller stamp, but the same look can be accomplished by borrowing one of your son's Monster Trucks, rolling the tires through paint or an ink pad, and driving all over your paper.

There are many times that you could use a map on your scrapbooking layouts. The obvious would be a travel themed one, of course. But you could also use them when scrapping about where you grew up, a layout listing places you'd love to visit or even on a layout based on an exotic restaurant you went to (like a map of China for a Chinese restaurant). Maps also make cute and easy embellishments. Grab your punches and create map flowers, circles, or scallops!

Thank you for looking!

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Show and Tell Saturday, Get Schooled Saturday, Brassy Apple, Craft-O-Maniac, Today's Creative Blog and I Heart Naptime.

Recipe of the Week #6- Quick Black Bean Burritos

Recipe of the Week:

Quick Black Bean Burritos

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 cup salsa

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

8 (10 inch) flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Rinse beans in cold water, drain well.

Combine beans, salsa, cumin, and chili powder in large pan. Cook over medium-high heat for about ten minutes, mashing beans slightly with back of wooden spoon. Stir occasionally, adding a little water if mixture looks too dry.

Spoon bean mixture into tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold each tortilla into an envelope shape, ensuring both ends are tucked in. Eat warm or wrap in plastic to take for lunch.

Note: I always use our homemade salsa in this. I also add extra "chunks" like green bell pepper, jalapeno, green onion, and any other appropriate veggie I have on hand. My husband loves these. I usually make these ahead of time for him to take to work for lunch. He loves them. It is a repeat recipe- for him only. My boys don't care for bean burritos:)

recipe from Allrecipes.com

This post was linked to Today's Creative Blog.

Thank You Cards

     Well, last week I showed you some of the cute stuff I had gotten for my birthday. With gifts comes the need for thank you cards! I used small coin envelopes, a few paper doilies, and papers from my scrap pile and whipped these up. To add a special little touch, I got out a few stamps for the edges of the envelopes. I cut down shipping tags to fit inside the envelopes and punched the edges of them, too.

     Usually I just use store bought thank yous, but this time I put a little time into making some. I love the look of office supplies covered in pretty paper:)

Post-Valentine's Day Craft

Now that Valentine's Day is over, do you have bags of the kids' Valentines left over or do you maybe have Valentine's strewn throughout the house? Here's a quick craft in which you can use them.

Just grab a punch- heart, circle, or even an assortment- I used a star- and punch shapes out of the Valentines. Then sew them into a garland. 

All you have to do is sew each one individually and pull some excess thread in between each one. Then tie both ends off. 

This would be cute for different holiday decorating and would be especially cute to decorate for a birthday party!
Thanks for looking!

Thrifty Thursday #5

This past weekend, my husband and I went to 2 estate sales. We had a great time! I got 2 large plastic containers of wine corks, 1 large container of maps, and 2 small reels of film. I get pretty fired up for old cheap stuff that I can use for crafting! Stay tuned for upcoming projects:)

I fell in love with this corner chair. I've never seen anything like it! It was marked 45 dollars- I got it for 10! I think I'm going to sand it and spray paint it white and maybe sew a colorful pillow for it. My mom thinks I should keep it the way it is. Hmmmm. . .

I also got this rockin' chair- it was a jury chair. Scored it for only 7 dollars!

I usually don't drop this much on one item when I go to yard sales, but I thought these 2 chairs were so unique!  I have to admit, we're running out of room for chairs at our house. I'm going to have to practice some restraint when it comes to chairs!

Scrapbook Layout of the Week #1

     This is a new feature I'd like to share: Layout of the Week. I plan to show a different layout every week. The layout will be able to be completed in 30 minutes or less and will be low cost. This week I'm featuring how to use sheet music on a scrapbook layout.
     I get my sheet music books at the thrift store for 25 or 50 cents. One book will provide material for several projects. If you are not a thrift store shopper, you could look for sheet music at yard sales, check Craigslist or Freecycle, or ask at your local high school and see if they have any that is outdated or that they're not using.

For this layout, you'll need an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of kraft cardstock. Trim the piece of sheet music so it will fit on the cardstock with a small border and adhere it.
I used a 5"x7" photo although a 4"x6" photo would work.
Next, get some sort of trim to wrap around the bottom of the photo. I used Baker's twine, but embroidery floss, thin ribbon, narrow twine or any other trim that's not too thick would work.
Adhere the photo to the bottom right corner. If you choose to use a 4"x6" photo, you don't need to put it as close to the bottom as side as pictured above.
Put your title towards the top of the page. I chose these letter stickers because I thought the black background would make them stand out on top of the sheet music.

Either print or write your journaling and cut it into strips and adhere it. I just cut mine out freehand with scissors. Once you ink the edges, it's really not noticeable that the edges aren't perfect. Besides, I really like the handmade look:)

Finally, you can add a set of three embellishments at the bottom left corner. My son has a punch to make his own guitar pics, so I borrowed it and punched three different types of paper (corrugated cardboard, shiny red, and a gold metallic piece). You could use circles, stars or another punch to make embellishments or you could use stickers. I added one line of journaling at the bottom right corner of the photo.
This layout is very simple to do and you can use products from your stash.
When you use sheet music, you don't necessarily have to make a music themed layout. You could use it for a family photo page, a trip to a concert, or even on a heritage layout.

Here is another example of a layout using sheet music- this one is a 12x12. The sheet music didn't cover the page, so I slid it over to the right. The red strip around the page is narrow decorative tape (you could use thin strips of a different colored cardstock or pattern paper). The drumsticks I cut out of wood grain paper after tracing one of my son's drumsticks. I used some letter stickers I had on hand for the title and cut my journaling into strips. I added 3 word stickers to the top right corner and a couple pieces of masking tape to the corners of one photo and the top of the other. I used distressing ink around all the elements of this layout.

So, here are 2 examples of using sheet music on layouts. You don't have to use an entire sheet at one time. You could cut the sheet music into tags or use your shaped punches to make embellishments. You'll definetly find plenty of uses for this inexpensive purchase. Good luck and happy scrapping!

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Brassy Apple, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, Today's Creative Blog, and Show and Tell Saturday.

Recipe of the Week #5: 3 Ingredient Peach Cobbler

3 Ingredient Peach Cobbler

2 cans of peaches in light syrup
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter

Pour peaches into dish. Add entire bag of yellow cake mix and spread on top. Melt butter and pour evenly on top of cake mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until golden brown.

My husband is the only one of us who will eat cobbler. He gave it two thumbs up.
This certainly is one of the easiest dessert recipes I've ever made!

Some Birthday Gifts

Just wanted to share some of the goodies I got for my birthday last week.

A friend made me these darling book page flowers with vintage button centers. They are sticking out of an old Milk of Magnesia glass bottle. Love this!

My mom got me this awesome typewriter key bracelet. I love anything with a vintage feel and this certainly has one!

gGg

My sweetie got me this rockin' Lisa Leonard necklace. I've had my eye on it for a couple of years; I was so surprised and excited to get it!

Using Old Doors for Decor

     Here's where I used an old door in the corner of my kitchen. It's propped in the corner with a stool, a crate, and some old drawers. This entire arrangement cost me less than $15- I paid a dollar for the large sunflower and  probably a dollar for the tin that the flower is in. The tin sign hanging on the door came from Hobby Lobby.The drawers were purchased for a small price at a secondhand store, the door came from our attic, the crate from my mother-in-law's basement, and the stool from the trash (somebody was throwing this beauty out! It's not sturdy enough to sit on, but I love the color and the wear on the paint job!).

Thrifty Thursday #4 + Tutorial

Recently I bought this box of kraft envelopes second hand for 50 cents. I never pass up an opportunity to buy cheap office supplies! Here's a project that I made using them. (You don't have to buy envelopes second hand to make this project- even a box of envelopes at full price will make a cute project!)

I needed a gift for my brother, so I decided to use the envelopes to make a mini album from a trip he took to San Antonio with the boys and I. The envelopes were #10 and too long for my project, so I cut them down to 6 inches. This way, I could place my 4x6 photos on a page without cropping them (my photo developer actually crops them to a digital image size which is slightly smaller than 4x6).

As I was working on the pages, I put the cut side to the left so when I bound the album , the pages would not be open on the end. If you chose to do an album where you wanted pockets, you would bind it with the open edges to the right side.

On the right side of each layout, I placed a photo. On the left side, I used a strip of pattern paper  (between 1 1/2-2 1/2 inches x 4 inches) from my scrap papers and a sticker strip which I laid along one edge of the pattern paper. I had cut papers for journaling squares to place in the center of the paper- I used things like graph paper, note cards, ledger paper, and lined handwriting paper. Throughout the album I added little stickers for embellishments.

On each photo, I added a tab of some sort because I love the look of  tabs sticking out of my album. I used tickets, stickers, and little tabs.

I used my Zutter Bind It All to bind it, but if you don't have one, you could use binder rings (found in the office supply section of most stores). This is an incredibly easy album to make-you can personalize it for any theme. And you sure can't beat the price!


This post is linked to Show and Tell Saturday, Craft-O-Maniac, Brassy Apple, and Today's Creative Blog and Sundae Scoop

Family Tree

     I painted this "Family Tree" on a wall in our hallway. I thought it would be a cute way to display family photos.
     I looked at different vinyl trees online, sketched one out on paper, then drew it on the wall. I painted it with acrylic paint. My favorite part is the P+L drawn on the tree.


     This post is linked to Today's Creative Blog, My Girlish Whims and

Recipe of the Week #4: Beef-Veggie Chili

This is one of my FAVORITE recipes!

Beef-Veggie Chili
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 sm. onion
1 cup celery
1 med. bell pepper
1 med. yellow squash
1 med. zucchini squash
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can black or pinto beans
1 12 oz. can low fat beef broth
1 pkt. favorite chili seasoning

Brown beef, onion, and bell pepper. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30-40 minutes.

I got this recipe from a friend and I believe it is a Weight Watcher recipe. I absolutely love it and try to make it once a month. It's a light enough chili with lots of veggies, so we even enjoy it in the hot Texas summers!

This time, we added some snap peas from the garden . . .YUM!

I liked this post to My Girlish Whims and Today's Creative Blog.

Valentine Gift Ideas for Teachers

    My boys are taking these to their teachers for Valentine's day. I followed the pattern from here to make this hanging treat box (the directions are very clear and easy to follow).  I decorated them with some vintage Valentine's paper, tickets, and red embellishments. Then we chose their teachers' favorite soda, and put some light candy bars in the paper holders. Quick and easy- my 2 requirements for gift making!

Here's another gift giving idea: chocolate covered gummy bears!

All you need is a bag or 2 of gummies, a brick of chocolate almond bark, some skewers, and wax paper.

Melt a small portion of the almond bark in the microwave. I usually start with a minute, then go for another 30 seconds after mixing. Then, you need to put a gummy on a skewer and dip it. Let harden on wax paper.

Once they're hardened, you can remove the skewers and package them however you wish. The gummy bears somewhat resemble bears, but I thought the hearts turned out cute. And they taste. . . fantastic!!! We actually went through the first batch. I plan to make more tomorrow to give out for Valentine's Day.


Hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day!


I linked these projects to:
Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime
Craft-O-Maniac 
Brassy Apple 

I went with simple packaging for gift giving- just a snack size Ziplock baggie with a paper doily folded in half and stapled over the top of the baggie. Then I used some Baker's twine to attach a tag. Easy- peasey!

Quick and Easy Gift Idea

     Here's a gift I made for a friend yesterday. She seems to love Sonic drinks as much as I do!
     I got a frame from the Dollar Tree, sanded it down, and spray painted it. Then I printed off this delightful sign from here, made a few flowers from fabric, lace, and crepe paper and put it all together. Very quick, very easy, and very cheap. That's how I roll!

Thrifty Thursday #3

     Here is my "Deal of the Day" from my thrift store shopping: a drum set for thirty bucks!! I got all these pieces plus a container of loose parts for this set. I am so excited!
     Sam, my 12 year old, has been taking drum lessons and using a drum pad (which is about the size of a dinner plate). He's been going once a week for nearly 6 months now. When we had signed him up for lessons, his instructor had mentioned that about 6 months into lessons, he would need a drum set. I've been pricing drum sets- even used, they're pricey.
     I figure that even if we have to buy some various parts to make this set complete (like a snare drum, which my 10 year old pointed out that it doesn't have), we still won't put into it what a good used set would cost. It's a good starter set for my beginner drummer!
     Have I mentioned how much I LOVE thrift stores?!?

Recipe of the Week #3- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Here's the new recipe of the week: 

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 tbsp butter

2 cans condensed Cream of Chicken soup

1 onion, diced

2 pkg refrigerated biscuits, cut into fourths

Place chicken, butter, soup and onion in slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover. Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, place biscuit dough in slow cooker. Cook until dough is no longer raw in center.

Next time I'll add more water so it will have more of a "gravy" consistency. Despite the lack of gravy, my family deemed it a repeat recipe. It was quite tasty!

My 2012 Year In Review Album

I finally took pictures of my 2012 Year In Review book.  I love this paper from  House of  Three. I would wallpaper my house with it if I could! I also used some tape from the Smash Book line.

I made a book in the style of Janet Hopkins' Junk Books with the binder inside (loved her class!). The book cover is actually an old encyclopedia. I chose the 12th book and sanded the entire thing except for the #12 (for 2012).

The interior pages alternate with scrapbook paper (mostly K and Co) and 6 x 9 manila envelopes. I love having room to add stuff- and I just love the look of envelopes in my scrapbooks! I put a piece of pattern paper in each envelope for extra photos.

I was so pleased with how it turned out. At the end of every month, I'll get the family calendar down so I can write down what we did for the month, then print photos accordingly. This year I'll probably print my photos wallet size since my album is smaller.




Linky parties I linked to:
Today's Creative Blog
Brassy Apple
Craft-O-Maniac
Your Whim Wednesday

Old doors

     My brother surprised me with this set of six old doors-one of them even has a crystal doorknob!

     I'm coming up with ideas of what to do with them. I just have to wait til my hubbie is available to help since I'm not handy with tools. I'm not too sure where I'll keep these beauties once they're done. Probably can't convince my hubbie to move to a bigger house so I have room for all my old treasures. . .