SSS231 Mary and Babe

Good morning. I was so excited to get my new Christmas goodies in yesterday. I sat down this morning with a vision from a fantastic sketch I saw while blog surfing.

I would like to enter this into The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge SSS231, as well as The Friday Mashup Challenge FM130.

Recipe:
Paper: Sparkle and Shine, Flirty, Cranberry CS, Kraft CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH)
Stamp: Mary and Babe (CTMH)
Inks: VersaMark Black, Honey (CTMH)
Tools: Circle Stax Die (MFT, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Watercolor Pencils, Blending Pen (CTMH), Scallop Border Punch (SU!)
Other: Clear Sparkles (CTMH)

I made 23 cards yesterday for WCMD. After church today, I hope to share more of them with you.

Casandra

Surf's Up Workshop Layouts

I'm back again today with my layouts created for the Surf's Up workshop. First off, I should tell you that when I first saw Surf's Up in the book, I didn't immediately fall in love with it. It seemed too loud and way to 60's for me. But, like other times, the more artwork I saw created with it, mixed in with photographs, I began to see Surf's Up in a whole new way. 

Inspired By Tamytha Jenkins at Paper Heartist

Recipe:

Paper: Surf's Up, Florentine (retired), Desert Sand CS, Crystal Blue CS, Lagoon CS, Surf's Up Gold CS, Sorbet CS, Colonial White CS, Surf's Up Teal CS, Chocolate CS

Stamps: Cricut Artbooking, Surf's Up WOTG, Trinity Alphabet

Inks: Lagoon, Crystal Blue, Honey, Chocolate, Desert Sand

Tools: Cricut Artbooking, 2" Scallop Circle Punch, Micro-Tip Scissors, Paper-Piercer

Other: Clear Sparkles, Surf's Up Complements, Surf's Up Assortment, Chocolate Embroidery Floss

I would like to thank my good friend Heather Jane for so graciously giving me her Surf's Up WOTG stamp set. 

I loved how each one of these layouts turned out, especially the two that I have photos on already. We had a terrific summer, and I've enjoyed looking back in pictures an reminiscing each event and how we truly made the most of it, without spending a lot, either!

Have a great week, my crafty friends.

Casandra

Babycakes Workshop Layouts

Good evening! We have been enjoying some beautiful sunny weather in Northern Michigan. Yesterday, I learned how to run a wood splitter and assisted my husband in getting some of our wood stacked up for the year. I was feeling quite accomplished until he told me that we only had about 25% of what we need for the winter. Eeks.

Today, I would like to share my Babycakes scrapbook layouts with you. (Please forgive the bad lighting. These look so much better in person.)

Recipe:

Paper: Babycakes, Dotty For You (retired), Kraft CS, Sunset CS, Lagoon CS, Buttercup CS, Chocolate CS, Colonial White CS, Saddle CS, Slate CS

Stamps: You Are My Happy, Babycakes WOTG, Capture The Date (retired)

Inks: Buttercup, Sunset, Lagoon, Chocolate, Slate, Desert Sand

Tools: Cricut Art Philosophy, Cricut Artbooking, Micro-Tip Scissors, Paper-Piercer

Other: Babycakes Complements, Babycakes Assortment, Bronze Shimmer Trim, Mocha Pearl Opaques, Chocolate Embroidery Floss

I am working on a baby shower gift and also plan to use a couple of these layouts for a friend that recently lost her baby boy. I wanted to do something to help keep his memory alive for the family.

Have a great week!

Casandra

10 Things I'm Looking Forward To

It is a beautiful Autumn Day in Northern Michigan. The colors are starting to change. Cooler weather is here along with daily frost warning texts on my cell phone. The sun is shining, and the trees are gently swaying in the breeze.

This week's Monday Listicles is:

10 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Working From Home Again. I was so happy to have 2 of my 4 working days at home with my children. Now, they are back in school, and there really is no excuse for me to work from home. 
2. My All-Day Crop. People that don't eat, sleep and breathe crafting, really don't understand what this means. On World Cardmaking Day (yes, it's a real "holiday"), I am planning my first all-day crop. I'm so looking forward to catching up on some scrapbooking and cardmaking projects and spending time with friends.
3. Volunteering At My Children's School. I consider myself so blessed to be able to have a day off during the school week where I can participate in my kids' classrooms. I met this little girl in my son's class last week that has a learning disability. Each time she would solve a problem, her smile would light up the room. She was so excited and eager to learn and to show me what she could do. I left the school last Friday feeling like I'd met an angel, a true angel, and I said a prayer that this little girl would always have such a positive spirit for all things.
4. Reading Bedtime Stories. Since my son was 3 years old, I began reading to both children at bedtime. It has become a tradition that we all hold very dear, and I find myself counting down the hours until bedtime when we can pick up a story and get lost in the pages together.
5. Organizing My Basement. I long to finally get our basement in order and a "room" set up downstairs solely for the purpose of housing my kids' toys and allowing them a place to run around and create as much noise as they want to. The song that always comes to mind whenever I think of this dream is "Let Them Be Little". 
6. Fall TV Premiers. Survivor and Dancing With The Stars is back on, but I am really looking forward to Grey's Anatomy returning. I miss having a bigger channel selection, but we've found a way to still watch Duck Dynasty on-line, at least.
7. Making Christmas Cards. I've had a lot of changes in my life over the past two years, and sometimes I have major crafting mojo and other times, it seems to have disappeared. I am hoping and wishing it will return soon so I may be able to get my Christmas cards made. Last Winter, I think I made over 100 Christmas cards, and at least 1/2 were individual creations.
8. My Husband Returning From Work. I describe this as phases in our life together. When we first began dating, the thrill and anticipation of seeing him at the end of the day was pretty heady stuff. After we had children, I was grateful to have an adult to talk to, or even to take over so I could have 5 quiet minutes to myself. Now, as the children are moving past the needy stages, I find myself feeling that same excitement that I once did so long ago, half my lifetime ago, in fact. The trouble is beating my children to the door. LOL
9. Christmas. I think this is the one day that I can't wait to wake up for, in the hopes of catching my sleepy-eyed children as they stumble out to the living room on Christmas morning and see their first glimpses of the presents under the tree.
10. Spending Quality Time With My Family. As winter approaches, we find ourselves less busy with work and more time to share with our family. I long for lazy Sundays where we get to do anything we want. Jere usually watches TV. The kids usually play quietly together or by themselves, and I have extra time in my craft room, or taking naps mid-afternoon. 

I love my family so much. They really are my whole world. I can tell you that I am not looking forward to my kids growing up and moving out, or even away. They are 5 and 7, and my head spins whenever I think of how fast time has flown by from the time they were born to now. I love checking in on them before I go to sleep each night and finding my little boy clutching his stuffed animals close in sleep, or seeing my little girl tucked tightly to the wall, usually with the blankets flung off. I cherish these moments that I have with them, and with my husband. 

What Ten Things are you looking forward to? 

Casandra

DS117 Thinking of You Card

I created the following card today for a friend that is dealing with a tremendous loss right now. About 4 weeks ago, she went to wake up her two boys, only to find that her littlest boy, 19 months old, had passed away in his sleep. His name was Jayce, and I will forever remember his dimpled smile and beautiful curls.

I wanted to send her a card to let her know that I am still thinking of her. 

Recipe: 
Paper: Huntington, Colonial White CS, Kraft CS
Stamp: Laughing Lola Card WOTG
Inks: Barn Red, Olive
Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Needle, Corner Rounder
Other: Chocolate Brads, White Embroidery Floss
All products by CTMH.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
1. Deconstructed Sketch DS117 Challenge
2. Color Throwdown CTD259 Challenge
3. Friday Mashup FM127 Challenge 

Thank you for stopping by today.

Casandra

Baby Girl Album is now complete

I finally finished the baby girl album I began working on last month for the Artbooking Blog Hop.

I will share the pictures of the most recent pages I completed and then link you back to the original post where you can see them all together.

Album Cover

Easter Layout

Spring Layout

Summer Layout

Summer Layout

Birthday Layout

If you would like to see this album in its entirety, please click here, where you can see them all in one place. Thank you for waiting so patiently, while I finished these pages. The hand-stitching took forever, but it was so worth it.

Have a blessed day!

Casandra

It's All About Going Back To School

Good morning! My kids are now at school for their 5th full day. I kept thinking how strangely quiet my house is as I cleaned up their toys and prepared for my work day from home. As I look out over my living room area, it's nice to have a clean, uncluttered floor and know it will stay that way until 4pm today. (Blissful sigh.) 

My daughter, Izzy, started Kindergarten last Wednesday. I had such mixed emotions sending my baby off to school, even though it's actually her third year of school (she attended two years of preschool at the same school). As she got off the bus and walked up the driveway with me, I asked her how her first day of school was. Her reply? "I don't want to talk about it." After a repeat attempt to find out, with the same reply, she finally admitted with a sigh "Okay. I cried." It was the cutest thing ever. She said she missed me. 

My son, Jack, just started Second Grade. He is now a big boy at the other end of the school building. He was so excited to see all of his friends, and hammed it up for the camera. His first day of school reply went like this: "I didn't EVEN get into trouble today!" He aims high. Yesterday, he surprised me with his first "Be" ticket. Our Elementary School gives out "Be" tickets for "Being Respectful", "Being Responsible", "Being Caring" and "Being Safe". He had the first 3 spots checked off. This is a big deal, and I'm super proud of him. You could see his pride as he showed it to me.

With all of this in mind, I wanted to share with you a cool video that Close To My Heart as put together to showcase "Back To School" layouts. I wish it was the end of the day already so I could get crafting! 

I opened my inbox this morning to find an email directing me to the "While Supplies Last" section of my website. Some new items have been added, and just in time, too! "Scholastic" papers can be your's for just $1.75 plus tax and shipping.

Whether you have babies back in school, or the all-grown up kind, these memories will be cherished forever. Have a happy day!

Casandra