Ninja Farewell

I am so sad to announce the demise of the Pink Ninjas blog.  Read more about it here. 

I am so grateful to Ally and Nely for embracing me and my sometimes weird layouts.  Before joining in on their fun I felt like I needed to conform to a certain way of scrapping.  Thank you so much, girls, for showing me scrapping is as individual as the person!!  I have made some of my favorite layouts for the Ninjas.

I'm also so grateful to have made so many awesome, sweet and wonderfully talented friends during my time on the team. 

I wish Ninja Masters Ally & Nely much continued success with their Ninja Addicts kits, which will become their sole Ninja focus.

You At 4

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Hope yours is going well.  Not too stressed.  Not too much glutony, LOL. 

I make the T-giving dinner every year.  I've got it down to a science.  I've got a time schedule and everything!  Hey, it's the only way I can do it without resulting in a colossal freak out.  And, trust me, I can freak out with the best (or worst) of them!! 

My favorite thing is the leftovers.  Love cold turkey with warm gravy, and all the other fixins.  Mm mm good!  And, of course, there's attacking some leftover pie straight out of the refrigerator. 

Since it's Thanksgiving, it must be Thursday.  And if it's Thursday, it's Sketchy Thursdays!!!!

Supplies Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Brads & Cord: Stampin' Up!; Rhinestones: K&Company; Staples: EK Success; Hardware: Hillman; Ink: StazOn; Paint: Delta; Glitter: Martha Stewart; Pens: American Crafts, Sharpie; Tools: Dymo, EK Success; Other: metallic paper, metal charm, chipboard, stamp, dictionary page, drywall tape. 

I had a blast making this layout.  I included lots of fun texture, things from the hardware store, and yummy paint and glitter. 

Did you know you can run strips of paper through your Dymo labeler to create custom colored labels?  I used some metallic silver paper for my journaling here. 

I must admit I made this layout a few months ago for Scrapbook News and Review (September 2010).  But it just worked so well with this week's sketch.  I must've been subconsciously thinking about this layout when I created the sketch. 

And I'm so honored that Diana said she loves this one and will be using it again and again!  ~beam!~ 



Yep, I'm no good at daily blogging.  It's been almost a week since I posted my Attitude of Gratitude.

I am so thankful today for my wonderful, loving family!  We may get loud and impatient at times, but in the end, we just love each other. 

Have a great Turkey Day and try not to spend too much tomorrow on Black Friday! 

- Heidi

Is it weird?

Is it weird to be thankful that UTEE can be remelted again and again? 

Heavenly Hash

It's funny the little things which trigger the strongest feelings.  I associate my Grandma Madeleine's Heavenly Hash with family gatherings.  It's such a simple recipe.  Nothing fancy.  But having it there, among all the other dishes, for whichever holiday we're celebrating, makes it like she's there with us. 

Supply credits to come...

I've always wished my kids could have gotten to know my Grandma.  Especially my daughter for whom she is named after.  But, instead, I hope making the dish together brings them just a little bit closer to her.

I decided to try my hand at a digi layout again.  You know, I always hear digi scrappers proclaim how much quicker they scrap digitally.  Uh, nope.  Still takes me for. ev. er.  Although, I do believe it has a lot to do with my snail of a laptop. 

This layout is based on this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch.  I'm making up for all those very clean and simple sketches I made the last couple months, eh?

Well, I've managed to miss another 3 days of the Attitude of Gratitude challenge.  I'm going to have to catch up later this week. 

Today, I am grateful my kids did have the opportunity to get to know my Grandpa despite however brief their time together was.  Or moreso, I'm glad he got to meet them.  :o)

Gratitude

Today's Scrap That Poetry poem is "Prayer for the Great Family", a Mohawk Indian prayer. 


Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through night and day—

and to her soil: rich, rare and sweet
in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing, light-changing leaf
and fine root-hairs; standing still through wind
and rain; their dance is in the flowering spiral grain
in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift and silent
Owl at dawn. Breath of our song
clear spirit breeze
in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets,
freedoms, and ways; who share with us their milk;
self-complete, brave and aware
in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers;
holding or releasing; streaming through all
our bodies salty seas
in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through
trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where
bears and snakes sleep— he who wakes us—
in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Great Sky
who holds billions of stars— and goes yet beyond that—
beyond all powers, and thoughts
and yet is within us—
Grandfather Space.
The Mind is his Wife.
so be it.

What a perfect poem for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and the Attitude of Gratitude challenge. 

Supplies Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Metal Charm: Around the Block; Brad: Bo Bunny; Stickers: Basic Grey, Cosmo Cricket; Twine: EK Success; Pen: Zig

I am so grateful my kids sometimes really like and are grateful for each other.  Sometimes. 

Precocious Paper Fall Flower Tree Tutorial

Yea!  Finally!!!  The Precocious Paper Fall Flower Tree tutorial!!!

This is a tutorial that was originally included in the Scrapbook News and Review Magazine Halloween newsletters a few weeks back.  Be sure to sign up to receive the SNR newsletters...they're chock full of tips, eye candy, and sometimes tutorials!

Supplies Flowers: Precocious Paper; Paint: Plaid; Styrofoam: FloralCraft; Other: pins, ribbon

This is a fun, easy and versatile idea for a holiday decoration. I say versatile because you can switch out the flower colors and patterns by season if you only temporarily attach the flowers.

Begin by gathering a few supplies:

• Styrofoam cone (9” shown)
• A variety of fabric flowers in various sizes (18 used, from 1” – 3”)
• Paint in a complementary color
• Ribbon in a complementary color/pattern
• Pins

Paint your cone with a color complementary to your flowers. I do this so that if any of the cone ends up showing through after the flowers and ribbon are attached it won’t be so noticeable.

Starting at the bottom of the cone, attach the largest flowers with pins to create the first row, lining up the petals with the bottom of the cone. Overlap the flowers slightly. So that the pins won’t be visible, hide them by inserting into folds of fabric or by lifting topmost petals and inserting through lower petals. For this particular 9” cone, I used five 3” flowers for the bottom row.

 After the bottom row of flowers is attached, wrap coordinating ribbon around the bottom, underneath the flowers, to hide any large gaps. Attach the ribbon with pins also, hiding the pins underneath the flower petals. Repeat by wrapping ribbon just above the flower row, tucking it under the petals and securing with pins.

 Continue alternating rows of flowers and ribbon from the bottom up, overlapping flowers slightly. To finish the tree, attach a small flower to the very top and sprinkle additional smaller flowers throughout, covering up any large gaps.

 I like to use pins to attach the flowers because I can easily readjust the flowers as I go along. And, after the holiday decorations are taken down, I can easily remove the flowers and reuse them on layouts commemorating that holiday. Plus the cone is now ready to be decorated with the next holiday’s flowers.

 If you would rather make a more permanent decoration, simply attach the flowers with glue using a hot glue gun.

 This is such a simple and quick holiday project that it’s a cinch to make several at a time. You can easily create an attractive display with trees of different sizes, colors and patterns.

I am so grateful I get to share what I love doing with all you awesome people out there in bloggy land!!!  Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Can someone please tell my immune system?

Quit it already!!!!!

This is getting tiresome.

I feel like I've been sick more in the last year than in the last five. Ugh!

I started with a flu-like cold at the beginning of the week...was down for a day...& then thought I was getting better.

Surprise!! Nope! I started to get worse again yesterday and now today I've pretty much got no voice.

Wth??!!!

So, once again (or more like twice) I've neglected to post the Precocious Paper flower tree tutorial. I will try to get it on on Sunday.

Today I'm grateful for my recently extremely generous technologically husband! Without his gift of an iPhone4 I would not be posting this right now! (So you will understand if there are any glaring typos here. I had to turn off auto-correct already.)

I feel like I've finally joined the 21st century. LOL!

:oD

1 Tuff Chick

Supplies Patterned Paper: Made For Retail, Inc., K&Company; Stickers: Doodlebug Design, Inc.; Flower: Prima Marketing; Ribbon: Stampin' Up!; Pen: Zig; Other: thread

As long as I can remember, The Girl has been one tuff little chick.  If she gets hurt, she cries for maybe a minute and then she's done.  She moves on.  She doesn't milk it or dwell.  (Unlike her male counterpart.  Ugh.)

A day or two before her second birthday she slipped off the arm of the couch and smacked face first into the corner of that table in the picture.  That was the fastest bruise I've ever seen!  I swear it was instant.  And it stuck around for, no joke, more than three months.  And to this day, three years later, her face creases in that spot when she smiles. 

How cute are those chick and mushroom (strip lain over the ribbon) papers? They're from an 8-pack I got in the Target Dollar Spot!!!  So cute!!!  Some of the sheets are glittery, some are glossy.

This layout is based on today's Sketchy Thursdays sketch.  Love it!!!

Be sure to stop by the blog to check out what amazing inspiration the DT has cooked up for you.  And, trust me, you're going to want to check out the prize.  (OK, twist my arm...it's a set of Copics!)

So, today my Attitude of Gratitude entry is I am thankful for how tuff my little girl is.  She may whine and complain and pull the princess card about trivial things but when the tough stuff arises, when she really gets genuinely hurt, she's a trooper.  And trust me, this is a good thing because I swear the child leads with her face. 

;o)

Wow! Didn't take me long...

I made it, what, five days before falling off the daily gratitude wagon?  LOL. 

Actually, I had a crazy busy weekend with kid activities and then ended up getting sick (again?? really??!!) come Monday.  So I guess I have 5 days worth of gratitude to share now, huh?

OK, here goes, in no particular order...

I am grateful for people who actually like their job and are good at it.  I know that sounds like kinda a weird thing to be grateful for but I've had my share of less-than-perfect kids' birthday parties.  But this past Saturday, for The Girl's 5th birthday party, we went to a local bouncy place and our host "Bear Cat" (I never did get his proper name...I'm assuming it really wasn't Bear Cat) made this the best party ever.  He was loud.  He was crazy.  He engaged and played with the kids.  He was cool with the adults, too.  He generally ROCKED.  Thank you, Bear Cat!

I am grateful for being part of an awesome magazine and forum (Scrapbook News and Review) where I have learned TONS (and learned that I have barely scratched the surface as far as what I know about paper crafting products and techniques).  Seriously, check out the forum.  DAILY you'll find new ideas and techniques and videos.  And people actually participate on the forum so you get lots of info and points of view. 

I am grateful for Puffs Plus tissues.  I don't know how people (my hubby, lol) use the non-lotion kind.  Trust me, I've become quite close with these over the last few days.  Ahhhhh...

I am grateful for my son's piano teacher.  She's also the mom of one of his besties so once the lesson is over, the boys get to play for a while before I pick him up.  She's so awesome.  She makes the lessons fun for him and I think she brings out the best in him. 

I am grateful I learned how to "properly" type back in junior high, I think?  Otherwise it'd take me eons to write all these ridiculously long posts, LOL!  My son's been learning how to type in his computer labs.  I'm not sure if they're really learning how to properly type but if they are, that's awesome!  And in first grade!!!  It's amazing how much they do on the computers already and it'll be great for him to learn now before getting into any bad habits. 

OK, I think that catches me up. 

I know I promised to share the tutorial for the Precocious Paper Fall Flower Tree this past weekend.  I'll shoot for Friday, sound good?

Ain't Fall Grand?

I want to express gratitude to all the wonderful people who have accepted me and my often quirky crafting style onto their design teams. 

Today I'd like to express particular thanks to Tessa of Precocious Paper.  I am so lucky to be a part of her amazing team, getting to work with her gorgeous flowers, and I am especially lucky to have found such a wonderful friend!  My jaw drops at every one of her creations.  The girl just oozes talent and creativity and she just inspires me to no end.  And then to get to actually hold little works of Tessa art in my hands and create with them??!!!  I am soooo lucky!!!!

This particular layout features her Sewing Pattern Petals. 

Supplies Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Flowers: Precocious Paper; Stickers: Jenni Bowlin, Colorbok; Chipboard: Bo Bunny; Brads: My Mind's Eye; Twine: EK Success; Stamp: Autumn Leaves; Ink: Tsukineko; Pen: Zig

I wish you could see this layout IRL.  I used the My Mind's Eye flocked paper and it's just gorgeous.  So touchable!!!

This is a picture taken last month during our trip to California.  My husband's grandmother, 95-year-old Grandma Lu Lu, lives just minutes away from Disneyland so we made sure to visit her.  The last time she saw The Girl she was about a month old!!!  I am so happy that the kids have been able to meet some of their great grandparents during their lives. 

Another project I recently made with EIGHTEEN Precocious Paper flowers was a Fall Flower Tree for the Scrapbook News and Review Halloween newsletter.

Supplies Flowers: Precocious Paper; Paint: Plaid; Styrofoam: FloralCraft; Other: pins, ribbon

This bad boy features Black Lace and Felt Flowers,  Orange Bridal Satin Blossoms, Halloween Shimmer Rolled Fabric Flowers, and the Halloween Bouquet of Fabric and Felt Flowers.

If you missed the tutorial on how to make this little cutie in the Scrapbook News and Review newsletter, stay tuned to this blog this weekend for a rerun.  Click HERE to sign up for the SNR newsletters.  They're full of great eye candy and information.  Of course, IMHO you really should subscribe to the magazine, too.  Especially this month!  It's a special double issue with over 500 pieces of artwork, projects, tutorials, and articles!!!!

Be sure to check out the Precocious Paper blog for some additional and very gorgeous inspiration from other members of the DT!!

Hope you have fun plans for the weekend.  Tomorrow is The Girl's birthday party at one of those bouncy places.  I'm liking this having their birthday parties outside the home!!!!

anTINKcipation

April 2011 issue

Disneyland has this adorable little area called Pixie Hollow where you can meet Tinkerbelle and the other Fairies.  It's nice because the meet and greet is private...your party is the only one in with the Fairies at the time so the children can talk to them and get unrushed pictures.  The problem with that...what appears to be a very short line lasts a very looooong time.  We had maybe 20 people tops in front of us and we waited between 45 minutes and a half hour.  Luckily the area where you wait is adorable with lush foliage, a little pond with dancing waters, and little fairies and their homes half-hidden to occupy your time. 

I'll have to share the pics of The Girl with Tinkerbelle and Fawn another time.  (Oh, yeah, all the Fairies are not necessarily there, either.)

This layout is based on this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch. 

I am grateful for the time I got to spend one-on-one with my little girlie girl while we were in Disneyland.  Even when we spend time together daily without anyone else home it isn't anything special, kwim?  I need to make more of an effort to make the every day special. 

Have you been keeping up with your Attitude of Gratitude or following along with Tessa?

As Fair Art Thou

Oops!  I forgot yesterday was the 1st of the month which means another Scrap That Poetry challenge.  This time we have the beautiful poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns.  Check out the poem HERE.

I chose the lines, "As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, so deep in luve am I..."  And, no, I that's not a typo!  That's how Mr. Burns spelled love back in the day.  ;oD

This is a pic of The Girl as Alice in Wonderland at the Disneyland Halloween Celebration a few weeks ago.  I thought this Webster's Pages paper complemented the colors in the picture beautifully. 

I didn't want to cover up any of the gorgeous images so I did a fair amount of fussy cutting.  However, what I did cover up was my daughter's shoes which I thought really made her outfit.  See, in my rush to pack for the trip, Mommy forgot to consider footwear for the kids' costumes so the girl ended up wearing her All-Stars with her costume.  However, I thought it looked ADORABLE because she looked like a little punk Alice.  Man, if I'd have thought to do that on purpose I would've tried to find her a fitted full-sleeve tattoo t-shirt to go under it, too, LOL.

Drooling over that gorgeous flower???  That's a yummy Precocious Paper Bridal Satin Blossom.  Unfortunately, this picture just doesn't do the color justice.  It's a rich, jewel red.

Check out the amazing inspiration from the Scrap That Poetry DT for this poem.  And we'd love to have you come by and play along with us, too!

**

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 2

Today I am grateful for all the wonderful, sweet, and MAJORLY talented people on the Design Teams I'm involved with: Sketchy Thursdays, Scrap That Poetry, Precocious Paper, Pink Ninjas, and the entire staff of Scrapbook News and Review.  These people inspire me daily.  What a wonderful craft!!!

Oct/Nov Double Issue of Scrapbook News and Review online now!! + a birthday and some gratitude

Have to say, I'm quite partial to the cover, too.

~beam!~

My first cover!!! 

This is an awesome special double issue of Scrapbook News and Review with TONS of eye candy, tutorials, articles, and product reviews!!!

If you're a subscriber, you are NOT going to be disappointed!!

If you're not a subscriber yet, this is definitely a great issue to start out with. 

In it, in addition to a bunch of new layouts, I've also got two full-length, step-by-step tutorials (faux wax seals and making an embossed metal picture frame using the Cuttlebug), and two product reviews (Lawn Fawn stamps and the new Cricut Toy Story cartridge). 

Here's a little sneak peek of a project from my faux wax seal article and a gorgeous layout by the talented SNR Staffer Lisa  Valentine!

Faux Wax Seal by Heidi Myers

Always by Lisa Valentine

Hope you have a chance to check out this issue because it is absolutely fabulous!!!

And don't forget, today is the deadline to submit for the Scrapbook News and Review holiday issue!!!!  Hope you see you in there!

***

In other awesome news...today is The Girl's 5th birthday!!!  I can't believe she's FIVE.  That blows me away.

Happy Birthday Girlie!!!

What a good segue into my first post for Tessa's Attitude of Gratitude challenge for November.

Might as well start big!  I am so grateful for my wonderful little family.  They are simply amazing and I love them more than anything.  I don't know where I would be without them.

So, what are you grateful for?