Another MDS Page

Today is the last day to take advantage of our Nation Scrapbooking Month Promo. If you still want to earn some FREE Designer Brads then be sure to place those order today. Since it is the last day of May, National Scrapbooking Month, I thought I would share one more page from our 2010 Toll family album. This is my Mother's Day page. For Mother's Day I went to Carmel with my family. I just love it there! Love the beach, love the shops, love all the dogs! I also had a thought in mind as I was snapping pictures on the beach. That's right! While I was on my mini vacation I was thinking of My Digital Studio. I snapped a few pictures of the beautiful scenery so I could play around with some MDS features. With MDS you can add in you own pictures to make custom background papers. That is what I did for this page. You will notice I added the beach scenery as my background paper. But then I stamped over it with the texture stamp in Sahara Sand. I wanted the page to look like sand brushed across it. I like the way it came out. And it makes me smile remembering that day!

Meet Up Make n Take

Here is the Make n Take card that the ladies made at our Friday night Meet Up. This card was a case. I saw this idea in one of the new Stampin Up publications (**wink, wink. Can you guess which one??) I love the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set and I loved the idea of adding some dimension to it with the Trio Flower Punch.

Here is an up close shot of the detail. We added a dab of the Crystal Effects to the flower centers and sprinkled them with Dazzling Diamonds. Pretty, huh?

Meet Up Demos

Yesterday was my first MeetUp with my new Stockton ladies group. I had a great time and met some really nice ladies. I have already scheduled our next MeetUp. So, if you are in my area and would like to join us, stop by my Meet Up page and RSVP for our class. Yesterday I wanted to show the ladies a festive card. I used my new July Fourth Stamp set. That set can be found in our current Summer Mini.

Then I wanted to show the ladies how easily our stamp sets can transition from cards to Scrapbooking. Here is a quick progressive page using that same set. Stay tuned tomorrow I will show you the Make and Take card that the ladies made. Have a happy and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend!

Thank You

Yesterday I received this tiny 3X3 thank you card from my cousin. Isn't it pretty? She said it was a case but what a cute idea, huh? I love 3X3 cards. And I love that Vanilla Hardware too!

Be sure to hop on over to Lorraine's blog to check out more of her creations. http://www.lorrainesstampincorner.blogspot.com/

Go Ports!

Well, National Scrapbooking Month is coming to an end. That means that you only have a few more days to earn some Designer Brads for FREE. Today I share another MDS page from my 2010 family album. One of my first thoughts when switching from regular Scrapbooking to Digital was that I wouldn't be able to add in those special extra items that I would if I was doing a regular scrapbook page. But that is not true. As you can see in this layout, I added in our tickets from the game. If you have a scanner then those special items do need to be left out. Just scan them to your computer and add then in as a picture. I added mine into the background and faded them out a bit so they were a subtle accent in the background. I still need to work on this page a bit. But it is a start.

All About Ava

Since Sammie has given me so many great moments to remember lately, I decided I needed to even the playing field. Here is one MDS page that is All About Ava. For those of you that are addicted to MDS like I am, I also came a great find. As I am sure most of you know, I am a fan of Heather Summers and her MDS pages. I love the fonts that she uses on her pages. She shared with me were she gets them from. And the best part is they are free. I used one of those fonts on Ava's page. It is called CK Ali's Hand and you can download it your self by clicking here.

I also found another helpful scrapbooking tool while I was downloading fonts for my MDS. This is a picture check list for the year. Each month has 10 picture ideas for you to be sure to snap each month. This will help you with festive or seasonal scrapbooking ideas. Click here to view your copy.

New Digital Downloads

Stampin Up has released some new Digital Downloads for My Digital Studio. Some new punches to add to your collection. The best part, they are only $0.99 each!

122139
Boho Blossoms Punch

122141
Itty Bitty Shapes Punch

122138
Ticket Corner Punch 122140
Cog Punch

Be sure to check out the complete list of all the newest download by clicking here!

Shower Goodies

As promised, here are some of the goodies from inside the baby shower gift basket. First, I found this great red frame at my craft store. I brought it home and added one of my Decor Elements to the bottom. I added a bit of Real Red Double Stitched Ribbon and some (non-Stampin Up) baseball paper to the inside of the frame. The extra Decor Elements that came with this All Star print I place in the bottom of the basket so Heather can find the perfect place for them.

And lastly, here are a few Thank You cards that I made. I was playing around with some layouts and designs for cards. But then, I just couldn't decide which one to give Heather. So I decided on both. Just a few of both. I hope she liked the way they came out. It was a really great shower. You should have seen all the detail that her sister put into it: signing the baseball jersey, baseball cupcakes, "Guess the Inning" game, floating baseballs in the pool, the food, popcorn favors, and so much more! I had a really fun time.

All American Boy

Today I am off to a baby shower for one of my friends. As I am sure you can tell by the picture, she is having a boy. The theme of the shower and baby's room is All American Baseball. I think that is because Mommy is a Giants fan and Daddy is an A's fan;) This is one way to keep the peace, right? And we can all be Ports fans, right? They have the right colors at least. But how cute is his room gonna be? The stuff on her registry is adorable. Here is the shower gift I am bringing with me today. Sammie keeps trying to sneak Splash out of the basket.

I added a few different Stampin Up touches to my gifts. Today I will just show you the complete present and my card. Stay tuned for tomorrow and I will show you the individual pieces.

Technique Class

Now is the time to reserve you space for our June Class

Thursday June 24th @ 6:30

in Tracy, CA

Cost of class: One of our New Designer Printed Albums

(choose from two designs. They can be found on pag 24 or 27 of our current Summer Mini)

In this class you will learn various Stampin techniques that can be use for scrap booking or card making. Each technique will practiced on a insert page that you will keep in your new album. This is a great class that you wont want to miss.

Email me today to reserve your space!

Baby Needs Chocolate

Just a quickie little gift for one of my husband's coworkers. She just found out she is having a boy. I wanted to give her a little something to say, "Congratulations." Inside the bag are some Chocolate Belly Bars.

Here is an up close shot of the card. I omitted the envelope and tied it to the bag hand-tag style. I added a bit of the Bashful Blue Satin ribbon and done!

Lavender Sachets-Guest Stamper Alyssa

My friend. Alyssa, recently planned a bridal show for a friend of hers. For the shower favors she wanted to make some lavender Sachets. She asked to borrow my scallop square die for the project. Of course I said "yes." I just hoped to get a picture of the final project when she was done.

I should have known that she would do one better than that. She made one for me. So nice! I love it. These turned out perfect. And the smell is so beautiful. I am sure all the ladies at the shower were amazed and excited to get these. I know I was. What a great gift!

Our Herb Expression stamp set works perfect for these. The subtle look of the stamp on the cloth makes it look like the image was sewn on. I had to take a double-take at these. Really pretty. Thanks Alyssa!

New Meet-Up Group

For those of you familiar with Meet-Ups, I have just started a new group in Stockton. Usually I hold classes on the Tracy side of my area but for those of you that are closer to the Stockton area I have a new group for you too. CHeck out my new Meet-up page. Of course, everyone is open to join the group and hopefully come to some of our meet ups. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with some ladies and meeting new ones too. Click on the Meet-Up sign below to view our new page and sign up for the first Meet-up too.

Just Sleep Anywhere!?!

Ahhh, my little Sammie. She always seems to give me the best (or most interesting) scrapbooking moments. This was too funny. Sam had climbed onto the arm of the sofa and was asking for a peanut butter sandwich. I walked to the kitchen to make it. I turned to ask if she wanted some milk and this is what I saw. Just that quick! Out-for-the-count. I was talking to her 2 seconds earlier. So, of course, I stopped making the sandwich, grabbed my phone (so I could send the picture to daddy), snapped a few pictures with my camera, then layed her in her bed. Just a reminder, this is someone who thinks she doesn't need to take naps anymore;)

Guest Stamper-Jenn

This is a card I received in the mail the other day. Ahhhh, I am so glad Baja Breeze is coming back. I have missed you Baja Breeze. I really wish this DSP would come back too. It was called Sweet Slumber and it was my favorite! This is a really fun card. And it is so exciting getting card that is a surprise. Thanks Jenn! And thank you for all those pictures too;)

Another Little Birthday

Here is another card that I made for the little Birthday party we went to yesterday. I made this card to go with my mom's gift. You know, I just cant bear to let anyone around me buy store bought. Yuck!

We had such a great time yesterday. The party was at a park and it was such a beautiful day. The party hosts had tons of activities for us to do and I also really enjoyed visiting with friends I hadn't seen in a while. The best part was the kites. Ava and Sam loved them. I think I need to make a trip to the store today;)

Simple Birthday

Today we are off to a little birthday party. I needed something quick because I was running out of time and creativity this week. I hope to find my creative Mojo soon. So this card if fairly simple, not much to it. Luckily the Daisies Flower #2 Die is so cute you don't have to do much with it. Now I have to run, still haven't wrapped my present. Have a great day!

Micke Grove

Another two page spread using MDS. The other day I took a trip to Micke Grove Park and Zoo with some of my favorite mommies. We were missing some moms that couldn't make it and they were missed. But here is a quick page I threw together as soon as I got home (and while the girls were still napping.) We had so much fun! We walked through the zoo. The Lorikeets were hilarious! Just picture all us moms feeding these birds, we were covered in them (I think I had 3 on my head) all the kids were screaming, scared to death, but there was nothing we could do because we were covered in birds. So funny! Then we picnicked, walk thought the Chinese Tea Gardens and went crazy on the FunTown rides. It was a great day!

Sweet Scoops

This is a great new Summer set from our current Mini. I love this set. I see cards popping up all over the place using these cute little Ice Creams. There is so much you can do with this set.

This card was made by my cousin, Lorraine. I love the sparkles on the top of the ice cream scoops as sprinkles. Very cute! Be sure to stop by her blog to see more of her creations.

Scrapbooking with Stampin' Up!

I love this video. Stampin Up put together this great video with some ready cute scrapbooking ideas. Be sure to check it out. I love the little "Back to School" Mini Album.

MDS 2-Page Spread

Here is one of my 2 page spreads from my family scrapbook. Here we are at Happy Hollow with my parents. For those of you who live close by, this place is worth checking out. Happy Hollow has been around for a really long time and was just recently renovated. My parents asked if they could take the girls. So Brandon and I asked if we could come too. It was so much fun as you can see.

Click here to shop My Digital Studio and extra downloads.

Beach Ready Babies!

Oh man! My girls are so goofy. But those are the faces I love! Can you tell we are ready for summer? Come on warm weather! The beach, the pool, the sprinklers. Just about anything will work for them.

I found this cute little bag that I thought was perfect for our trips to the pool. But you know me, everything gets a bit of SU! flare to it before it is perfect. I thought the bag was a little too plain.

So here is my tiny SU! embellishment to make the bag our own. I bought some sparkly fun foam from the store and ran it through my Big Shot. The tiny heart is actually from one of my punches. I squeezed my fun foam through the punch and popped it out. I added one white jumbo brad and offset the heart on top. Now we are pool ready!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day. Today I share with you my first hand made present given to me by Ava. First, she invited me to a Mother's Day Luncheon at her school. No way I could pass that up. We went to school together, read a Mother's Day story, they gave us gifts and we have a delicious lunch. Thank you so much Ava!

This was my gift. A magnet for our fridge with my beautiful little girls face on it. I Love it!

She also stamped me a card with a really nice poem inside. But the best part.......

Look how cute her little signature is! I love my family!! Hope every mom out there has a wonderful day.

Photo Wallets

Here are the gifts that went out to my moms in the mail a few days ago. I have seen these before (so they were not my original creation) but I did make my own template. I wanted them a particular size so I made my own measurements. They were surprisingly easy to create.

The front tab is secured by a Velcro dot.

When opened, the photo wallet folds out into three panels.

Then the tabs open to reveal pictures of the girls. Each wallet I made was a little different and had different pictures. I hope my recipients like then. I thought these would be a good way for them to keep pictures of their little loved ones with them all the time.

Get ready for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is sneaking up on us really fast. If you are a Mother, then Happy early Mother's Day to you! I have so many wonderful mothers in my life that I love. My mom tops that list! She is my best friend, she makes me laugh, she helps me with my girls and she is supportive to me in every way. I love you Mom! I also have an amazing Mother-in-Law and two wonderful Grandma-in-Laws. I love them all. I am truly blessed. I am not sure that I will get to spend Mothers Day with them all so I have spent yesterday making some special gifts to send to them. Today I will just show the card, tomorrow the gift. I hope that will give the gifts enough time to get to my moms.

I went with a clean and simple look. The card is coordinating with the gift. I love this color combo too: Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft), Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay.

Just a little decoration to the envelopes as well. This is the Framed with Love stamp set.