Scrapbooking Dreams

We've Moved

2010-09-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

We are excited to announce that our blog has moved to our own presence on the web. We will be posting more often and with a wider variety of subjects.

We have some exciting things in store. Please join us at

http://www.passionatepriorities.com/

where we are passionate about the priorities in our life.

Concentration science experiment

2010-09-14T15:06:00.002-04:00

My 9th grader is doing Apologia Physical Science this year. We have been really pleased with Apologia products in the past. This experiment was on concentration. Concentration is the quantity of a substance within a certain volume.

Here he is set up and ready to begin the experiment. His little brother is watching on.

dropping the Tums tablets into the vinegar

Watching the results. This was not one of the more exciting experiments but it was still a good lesson.

If you are still looking for a science course, I highly recommend this one. We have done Apologia astronomy, general science and are currently working through botany & physical science.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-09-12T15:48:00.000-04:00

I wanted to show you the easiest peanut butter cookie recipe ever. They also taste delicious too :-)

You will need:
     1 cup of creamy peanut butter
     1 cup of flour
     1 egg

That's it. Really. You will mix all of these together in the bowl like shown below. You might want to double or triple the recipe so you have lots. They taste great straight out of the oven.

Next you will drop them by teaspoon fulls onto your cookie sheet. Then I like to sprinkle the tops with sugar. Use your fork to smash the cookie flat and at the same time give it that criss cross look.

Bake them at 350 for 10 minutes. You may have to adjust this temp/time to your oven.

Enjoy your delicious warm cookies. Make sure to grab a glass of milk because you WILL be thirsty after these.

Apologia Science Project

2010-09-11T08:33:00.000-04:00

My 6th grader is working through Apologia's Botany course this year for science. This is the first big project we have made this year (all 3 weeks of it so far).

He had to make a light hut from scratch and then plant seeds to try and force them to grow indoors. He planted 3 different types of herbs which we will use after they grow to make homemade soap.

Here here is in the middle of building his light hut.

Here he is showing the inside of the light hut covered in aluminum foil.

The seeds for planting

Here is the completed light hut with the herbs inside

The cute little pots of herbs

He has been taking such good care of his plants so far. He has to mist them with water several times a day so they don't dry out. I will update when his plants start growing so you can see the results.

Book Review: The Thorn by Beverly Lewis

2010-09-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

This book is the first in the brand new Rose Trilogy series. Follow along in the life of two sisters, Rose & Hen. Rose has a close friendship with the Bishop's son but is being courted by another. Her sister Hen has married outside her people and is concerned for Rose.

I will confess, this was the very first time that I have read a book with Amish as the characters. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not but was willing to give it a try. I must say that this book was really good. I almost couldn't put it down until I was finished with it. The story was gripping and kept my interest until the last page. The only negative thing about this book is I have to wait until April 2011 to read the next installment. Beverly Lewis is one of my new favorite authors.

Bethany House publishers graciously provided this book to me for review. I was not compensated for the review and the opinions are my own. I was not expected to give a favorable review.

First day of school

2010-09-03T19:56:00.003-04:00

Even though we actually had our first day of school on August 23rd I decided to go ahead and post these pictures now. I know I know, I'm really late at posting them.

How do you do school?

Here is my oldest, the thinker, reading on the front porch. Something about those rails called to him.

Here is my youngest, doodlebob, putting together a new desk for our laptop that we will use for math (Teaching Textbooks), spanish (Rosetta Stone) and typing.

Where do you do school?

The great Coke experiment

2010-09-03T19:38:00.003-04:00

WARNING - If you love soda and don't want to be grossed out then don't read below.

The great Coke experiment

This was the first of one of our fun experiments. I had heard about all the bad things that soda does to your teeth so we decided to see for ourselves.

We started with a bottle of Coke (no offense to Coke, all cola products will do this) my sons tooth that he offered up for experimentation and a small bowl.

Put the tooth in the bowl and slowly pour the soda in.

The tooth sinks to the bottom and starts fizzing at this point.

Here is my son, Doodlebob (his nickname) checking on the progress of the tooth.

What else do you do with the leftover soda but drink it.

The tooth 2 days later. Lots of chuncks of the tooth broke off and were in the bottom of the bowl. The whole tooth turned a nice shade of cola brown. We decided it was pretty disgusting. Maybe we won't drink soda for awhile now. Ah, who are we kidding. :-)

We survived

2010-08-27T20:06:00.002-04:00

Hi all. Sorry for all the posts in one night. I love to review books and was a bit behind on that so I decided to catch up.

Well, we survived our first week of our new homeschool year. This is my fifth year teaching but my first year teaching high school. Our work load is really intense. Our week actually went quite well. We did a fun experiment with Coke and teeth. It was pretty gross. I hope to post pics of that this weekend.

I hope all of my homeschool readers had a great start back to school too.

Have a great weekend!!

Book Review - The Lord's Prayer by R.T. Kendall

2010-08-27T19:57:00.002-04:00

This book is about the most known and misunderstood prayer from Jesus himself. The prayer is covered line by line and goes into quite a bit of detail. The author lists versus to support what he is saying which I always appreciate.

I was looking quite forward to this book because I always love to learn more about scripture. I was a bit dissapointed because I felt the book was redundant. I had a hard time trying to get through the book. I felt like I did not learn much from this book after all was said and done. That being said, I plan to pick this book up again at a later time and see if I can learn something from it then.

Bethany House publishers graciously provided this book to me for review. I was not compensated for the review and the opinions are my own. I was not expected to give a favorable review.

Book Review - Love is a Flame by James Stuart Bell

2010-08-27T19:47:00.005-04:00

This book is a collection of short stories about Love and what happens when it is rekindled. We all know as married couples that it isn't always easy. I think we all go into marriage thinking that it will be a fairytale but soon realize that you must work to keep your marriage healthy.

This book contains true stories of how other couples were not only able to save troubled marriages but to make them wonderful. If you marriage is good you might think this book isn't for you. I confess, my marriage is great so I thought I wouldn't need much from this book. This book however proved to me that everyone can learn something. I was so inspired by some of the stories that I have changed the way I do some things in my own marriage.

I think this book would be excellent if you are struggling in your marriage as well. The author did a fantastic job of collecting a wide variety of stories that are sure to reach out to you.

Bethany House publishers graciously provided this book to me for review. I was not compensated for the review and the opinions are my own. I was not expected to give a favorable review.

Book Review - No More Christian Nice Girl by Paul Coughlin & Jennifer D Degler

2010-08-27T19:36:00.002-04:00

I love to read books and I like sharing them with you. This is because I love to look at other people's blogs to get a good idea of books I would like to read. That way I can go into the book store armed with a shopping list.

This book has such a cute, fun cover. The title drug me right in. What this book hopes to explain is that being "nice" is not good enough. Being "nice" can hurt your relationships more than you know. They explore how you can become an authentic, powerful woman of faith. Who doesn't want that?

This book was really engaging. I read the book pretty fast. One of the things I loved about the book is that at the end of each chapter you meet CNG (Christian Nice Girl) Nicole. The authors apply what you just learned into the life of Nicole so you can actually see it played out. The chapters end with study questions so you can use this as a stand alone or group Bible study. I can't wait to go back and do the study questions while reading the book a second time. I have more dog eared corners in this book. I would recommend this book to all women. I think it is a must read.

Bethany House publishers graciously provided this book to me for review. I was not compensated for the review and the opinions are my own. I was not expected to give a favorable review.

Book Review - Flight To Heaven by Capt. Dale Black

2010-08-27T19:19:00.004-04:00

This book is about Capt. Dale Black, who as a commercial pilot has flown all over the world but focuses on the one flight that changed his life. As the front of the book says, A plane crash.... a lone survivor.... a journey to Heaven and back.

I wanted to read this book because like alot of Christians I long for Heaven. I am always interested in reading anything that might offer a glimpse of that. I was a bit hesitant when starting the book because you never know what is true or not. I was pleasantly surprised that the book seemed more about the authors experiences here on earth and how his life was changed. The book was a very quick, engaging read. I was challenged in my own life by a few things the author shared.

I think this book is worth reading, I am sure you will be glad you did. I am glad that I was able to read Capt. Dale Black's story.

Bethany House publishers graciously provided this book to me for review. I was not compensated for the review and the opinions are my own. I was not expected to give a favorable review.

School has started

2010-08-24T16:55:00.002-04:00

We started school yesterday. My oldest started high school. I don't even know where the time went. It really does seem like just yesterday that I was holding that sweet baby boy in my arms. My youngest just started middle school. Again, where did that time go?

We have had a great first two days. We have already had science experiments and fine arts projects. I will post pictures in the next few days.

I hope school is going well for everyone else as well.

Book review: Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

2010-08-24T15:43:00.004-04:00

Wow. That pretty much sums up what I thought about this book.

This book is a true story about the friendship that forms between two men who you would never expect to be friends, and the woman who started the whole thing. One is a homeless drifter who grew up in virtual slavery. The other is an art dealer with money and influence.

I was excited to read this book but I had no idea what to expect. This book by far has been the best book I have read recently. I read while working out (which is not one of my favorite things to do) and seriously I was sad when my work out time for the day was over. The book was that good. I did not want to put it down. I love how it is written from both of the mens point of views. The chapters are short and easy to read. If you only read one book this year, MAKE SURE IT IS THIS ONE, you will not be dissapointed.

This book was generously donated to me as part of the Booksneeze review program. The opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Homeschool planning.... Full Speed Ahead!!!!

2010-08-04T12:09:00.004-04:00

Homeschool planning is under way here. This year I have a 9th grader and 6th grader. We plan on using the following for curriculum....

9th grade

Tapestry of Grace year 1

Apologia Physical Science

Teaching Textbooks Pre Algebra

Easy Grammar grade 9

Write Start A

Rosetta Stone Spanish year 1

Foundations in Personal Finance - Dave Ramsey

Electives

cooking around the US

logic games

typing

state notebook

6th Grade

Tapestry of Grace year 1

Apologia Botany

Teaching Textbooks grade 6

Easy Grammar Plus

Write Start A

Rosetta Stone Spanish year 1

Foundations In Personal Finance - Dave Ramsey

electives

Alice computer animation software

logic games

typing

state notebook

It looks like we have our work cut out for us. We will be very busy this year.

I will be so happy when all the planning is done. See you again when I am able to unbury myself from these stacks of books.

Yummy stuff!

2010-07-21T09:17:00.002-04:00

I decided to try making some yummy chocolate chip brownies. They were so good. The recipe is at the bottom of this post.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Here are all of the things you need to make the brownies. Well, everything except you don't need my bamboo plant and candles that are in the background. :-)

Any recipe using this much brown sugar has to taste good right?

Ahhh, ready to go into the oven.

I think they were a hit.

You will need:

4 cups brown sugar

2 sticks butter

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

melt 2 sticks of butter and combine in a bowl with the brown sugar

then add 3 eggs, vanilla and flour slowly

stir in chocolate chips

bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes

enjoy!!

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

2010-07-15T16:31:00.006-04:00

I was excited to be able to review The Hole in Our Gospel book by Richard Stearns. He is the president of World Vision. In this book he poses the question, "What does God want from us?" He states that he believes the hole in our gospel is from lack of following through with people once they are saved. He focuses on the poorest of those in our world and tries to show that we need to be doing more for them.

I enjoyed reading about his personal calling and what got him to where he is today. The book was hard for me to get through because he used alot of statistics that seemed to be repetitive. He most definitely has an agenda with this book and seems to want you to believe what he does rather than have a feel for yourself. I did not like this part of the book.

Overall I thought the book was worth reading. It made me rethink a few things and also made me appreciate all that God has done for me even more.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of the Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive reveiw. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Brand new Cricut carts!!

2010-07-07T07:49:00.007-04:00

Here are some pics of the brand new Cricut carts due out in August. These have not been announced anywhere yet. These pics are thanks to MarshaT on the Cricut message board. www.cricut.com

I hope you enjoy them. Again, I must say that PC has outdone themselves. I can't wait to add these to my collection.

Winter Frolic

Happy Hauntings

Country Life

Rock Princess

Video #28 Cricut Lite cart Block Party

2010-07-02T14:41:00.002-04:00

Here is my latest video using the new Block Party cart. This cart is exclusive at Walmart. They have 24 different ones.

I hope you enjoy the video.

Busy summer so far

2010-07-02T13:00:00.003-04:00

This has already been an extremely busy summer. I don't know where all the time is going. It seems like we just finished school and I am already planning and purchasing books for next year. My kids will be in 9th and 6th. I have alot in store for them. We are going to be slam full with stuff to do.

I will post soon what we plan to use for school. Check back for that.

There are lots of neat things happening this summer. I have more videos coming up using more cute stamps by Victorine Originals. http://www.victorineoriginals.com/ I also have several books to review as I have now become a blogging for books reviewer as well. I also hope to be able to announce very soon about a great opportunity to work with another company. Keep checking back.

I guess this is long enough for now. I will be posting a new video shortly using the new Cricut Lite Block Party cartridge. I hope you come back to check it out.

If you are interested in seeing any particular videos or posts then just send me an email. Go to view my complete profile and then clink on contact me.

Have a great summer everyone!

2010-06-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

H2O Seasonal cart

2010-06-17T15:40:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Carving Seasonal cart

October 31st Seasonal Cartridge

2010-06-17T15:29:00.002-04:00

This is the new October 31st seasonal cart. Wow, people have been waiting a long time for a Halloween cart. This looks like a fantastic set of images.

3 Birds On Parade Handbook

2010-06-17T15:04:00.002-04:00

If you go to the following link you can see the entire handbook for this cartridge before you buy it. I must say it is the cutest one to date.

It comes with a complete font and tons of word art. You can't go wrong with this one.

Check it out.... www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/20003743BirdsOnParade.pdf

New Cricut Cart

2010-06-17T14:59:00.003-04:00

Wow, PC is super busy. They just released 24 carts called Cricut Lite's which are exclusive to Walmart.

Now they have released more. How's a girl to keep up :-)

3 Birds on Parade

New Disney Layouts

2010-06-15T12:46:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone. I have been super busy around here trying to finish up our school year. I have also scrapped a ton of layouts. I am up to 105 layouts for the year which is a record for me. I plan to keep on going. I wonder how many I will finish the year with.

Here are some more of my Disney World trip layouts. Sorry for the funky pictures. I blocked my kids faces out on these. I am still trying to find out what works best for me.

I hope you enjoy them.

Totally unrelated

2010-05-28T22:03:00.003-04:00

This is not really related to anything on my blog but I was just so excited I had to share. I called in to the Dave Ramsey show today to give my debt free scream. It was alot of fun getting to speak with Dave. He is amazing.

If you are interested in getting debt free the simple way then go to his website at www.daveramsey.com to find out more.

You notice I said simple but not quick. He lays the steps to getting out of debt out for you and makes it very simple to understand and follow. You just have to do the hard work of getting it done. Boy is it freeing though to realize that you are debt free.

I would love to hear any of your stories about becoming debt free. You can already be debt free or on your way to being debt free.

5 New Cricut Carts

2010-05-20T19:45:00.002-04:00

It's official. The pictures I posted earlier are the 5 new carts posted today on Cricut.com.

The new carts are

Toy Story
Cindy Loo
Wall Decor & More
Mini Monsters
Freshly Picked

With another trip to Disney World planned this year I am really excited that Toy Story is coming out. Wouldn't a villain cart be cool? My boys would love that.

Video #27 Cricut Cars McQueen

2010-05-11T18:02:00.005-04:00

This video was a request by a Cricut message board member. My camera died near the end of the video so I posted a picture of the completed project. I hope you enjoy it.

Sneak Peak - New Cricut Carts

2010-05-08T20:46:00.006-04:00

I am so excited about these carts. They are not even officially announced yet. I can't believe that Provo Craft keeps outdoing themselves. These look amazing and I can't wait to add them to my collection.

Freshly Picked

Wall Decor & More

Mini Monsters

Cindy Loo

Cricut Cart Challenge!

2010-05-05T07:41:00.002-04:00

Well, I haven't been scrapping much lately. Things have been very hectic around here trying to finish up my kids school year on time. To get myself back in the mood I am starting a challenge.

My challenge is to use all of my Cricut carts at least one time in a project. It can be for a scrapbook page or a card/other project. Let's face it. I have tons of carts and haven't used most of them yet.

I will be back later in the week to post a list of all the carts I have so you can see which carts you will be seeing projects from. If you have a certain cut on a cart that you would love to see me use then just send me an email and I will try to do it for you.

Have a great day!!

The Everything Homeschooling Book Review

2010-04-21T13:58:00.006-04:00

I picked this book up recently because I thought it would be a good read. I have been homeschooling for 4 years now so I wasn't sure if this book would help or not.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was quite a bit of useful information in this book, even for someone who is not new to homeschooling.

I like that it covers just about everything to do with homeschooling. You can find links to laws for your state, curriculum choices, the different types of homeschooling explained and tons more.

I would recommend this book for an enjoyable read, especially if you are new to homeschooling.

Disclaimer... I did not receive anything for this review. I am not compensated in any way, this is just my personal opinion.

Homeschool Update

2010-04-20T17:32:00.002-04:00

Well, we are getting close to finishing our homeschool year. I have a 5th and an 8th grader right now. We had a rough homeschool year this year with my parents becoming ill. Several months were devoted to helping them so we have been really hitting school hard to catch up.

This is one of the nice things about homeschooling. You can take time as a family when needed.

I am starting to think about the curriculum I want to use next year for my kiddos. I'm pretty sure we are going to be using Tapestry Of Grace year 1 and Apologia for science. Other than that I have so many ideas running around in my head but no solid plans yet.

I would love to hear of any great products you use from all of you who homeschool. Just send me an email.

?? Toy Story Cricut Cart ??

2010-04-16T08:07:00.003-04:00

Can it really be true???? An International site is showing this picture of Toy Story and calling it a soon to be released cart. I really hope this is released in the US too. This looks like an amazing cart. To infinity and beyond!!

Cricut Sneak Peak!

2010-04-15T15:28:00.002-04:00

Wow, Provo Craft has done it again. Here is a sneak peak of new carts coming out soon. We don't have names of them yet but just look.

It looks like we might possibly be getting
Halloween cart
Man cart
Winter Sports cart
Cat cart
Girly cart
Food cart
Misc Holiday cart

Who knows.... all I do know is that I am going to want lots of these. What about you?

Craft Coupons: Week of 4/11-4/17

2010-04-15T08:09:00.007-04:00

Here are some more new coupons for you. Enjoy!!

Scrapbook Layouts

2010-04-09T12:26:00.002-04:00

These are a few scrapbook layouts that I completed recently. I am still trying to complete my Disney scrapbook. We are going back later this year so my goal is to have this one done. I probably have about 75 more pages to do.

I better get working on it. :-)

What A Mess Part 2: Update

2010-04-09T12:21:00.004-04:00

Wow, I finally got it all done. I think it looks much better. What do you think?

I should be able to get lots of work done now. Homeschool planning should go much smoother as well now that I can spread everything out.

What A Mess Part 2

2010-04-05T15:56:00.002-04:00

OK, I can't believe I am sharing this mess. The following pictures are the complete mess that my office is in. I run a business out of the home and plan all of my homeschooling here. How do I get anything accomplished in this mess you ask? I do not have any idea. All I know is I can't stand it any longer.

Thankfully I have a very supportive husband who does not complain about the mess but am I really offering him my best by having this mess around all the time? I don't think so. He deserves better than this and so do I.

I am working on this mess today and hope to be able to post a clean version in the next few days.

Are you brave enough to post your mess for all to see? Put a link to your mess in the comments.

What A Mess!!

2010-04-02T12:16:00.002-04:00

WHAT A MESS!!

Seriously, how can we make such a mess in such a short amount of time. This isn't even the true before picture. I had already moved several bookcases out of here. These books are homeschool books that for now are going to be living upstairs. We needed to clean this room out because we had a new surprise coming for our boys.

Here is the after picture. We got the room cleaned up and a brand new pool table delivered. Our boys, 11 & 14 both love to play pool. We thought this would be a great way to spend time as a family. The room looks much better too.

Back from being MIA

2010-04-01T17:54:00.005-04:00

Hey friends. I've been mia for awhile. Things have been crazy around here. I'm trying to do too many things at once which is never good. I think I really need to try to focus on one task better until it is done properly.

I wanted to let you all know that I plan on including more stuff on my blog now. For those that don't know, I am a homeschool mom. I also run my own business out of the home. On top of that, I have recently been convicted that I need to do a better job of taking care of my family. Due to some extended family issues over the last year my immediate family has taken the back burner. I am so looking forward to getting us back on track. I plan to be real and post lots of photos of my messes and how I end up organizing them. Basically, I plan on be a better homemaker.

I still plan on posting lots of my scrapbook and stamping projects. I hope you enjoy my new blog and stay around to visit.

Cute, Easy Birthday Cards

2010-03-19T16:35:00.002-04:00

I wanted to just show a couple of super simple Birthday cards I made. These took less than 5 minutes each. I just used some premade cards from DCWV and then added some ribbon, die cuts/stickers and stamped a sentiment.

These are so much cuter than buying a card and are only a fraction of the cost.

New Cricut Carts

2010-03-18T09:16:00.004-04:00

New Cricut Carts!!!

Yes, there are new carts released. They keep getting better and better. The new carts are

Birthday Cakes
Creat a Critter
Elegant Cakes
Holiday Cakes
Independence Day Mini
Nursery Rhymes
Summer In Paris Mini
Summer Vacation Mini

Wow, that's a ton. I am really looking forward to the cake carts. Even though I do not have the cake machine I am hoping the images would be great for scrapping as well. Following are the first two pics of the carts. These are courtesy of the Cricut message board member, thescrapmaster http://www.thescrapmaster.blogspot.com/

Nursery Rhymes

Create A Critter

Contest pictures

2010-02-25T21:44:00.004-05:00

Please ignore these photos. I am applying to be part of a new design team and needed to store the pictures online.

Wish me luck :-)

Coupon Mania

2010-02-25T07:49:00.005-05:00

Video #26 Rose Love Card

2010-02-24T16:27:00.003-05:00

I have a new video for you today. It is using a new stamp I got in. I love the look of this stamp. I hope you enjoy the video.

Supplies used:

rose stamp by Victorine Originals www.victorineoriginals.com

markers by Close To My Heart

paper from Michaels

ribbon by Doodlebug Designs

Cricut Cutting Guide

2010-02-24T07:43:00.002-05:00

ProvoCraft sent out a handy guide to help with your Cricut. It will help you to achieve the perfect cut no matter what material you are using. I hope this helps you!

Scrapbook Paper and Cardstock - Standard Blade Machine Settings: Speed 2 (Low), Pressure 5 (High), Blade Depth 5, Multi Cut 1

Bazzill, textured paper/cardstock - Standard Blade Machine Settings: Speed 1 (Min), Pressure 5 (Max), Blade Depth 6, Multi Cut 1

Fabric (0.023"/0.58mm thick) - Deep Blade Machine Settings: Speed 3 (Med), Pressure 4 (High), Blade Depth 5, Multi Cut 1
Note: Use a thin iron-on interfacing with the fabric, set the iron at its highest temperature setting. Apply direct heat and pressure to flocking for approximately 30 seconds. Peel protective liner when cool. Wash and dry garment inside out.

Magnet (0.035"/0.080mm thick) - Deep Blade Machine Settings: Speed 2 (Med), Pressure 5 (Max), Blade Depth 6, Multi Cut 4

Stencil (0.0155"/0.40mm thick) - Standard Blade Machine Settings: Speed 2 (Med), Pressure 5 (Max), Blade Depth 6, Multi Cut 2
Note: Adhesive is repositionable. Replace liner to protect adhesive during storage.

Chipboard (0.059"/1.50mm thick) - Deep Blade Machine Settings: Speed 3 (Med), Pressure 4 (High), Blade Depth 6, Multi Cut 5
Note: A fresh mat is needed to hold material. Small pieces of chipboard may require tape to stay in place.

Emboss (0.0160"/0.41mm thick) - Standard Blade Machine Settings: Speed 3 (Med), Pressure 5 (Max), Blade Depth 6, Multi Cut 2

Stamp (0.0415"/1.05mm thick) - Deep Blade Machine Settings: Speed 3 (Med), Pressure 4 (High), Blade Depth 5, Multi Cut 1
Note: Use a fresh mat to keep material firmly in place.

New Cricut Carts

2010-02-19T07:29:00.002-05:00

I wanted to post the following links that take you to view the new cartridge handbooks. Check them out.

http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/StraightFromTheNest.pdf

http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/Preserves.pdf

http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/GiveaHoot.pdf

http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/JustBecauseCards.pdf

New Cricut Carts Announced

2010-02-18T15:01:00.001-05:00

Just Because Cards

New Cricut Carts Announced

2010-02-18T14:59:00.003-05:00

Give A Hoot

New Cricut Carts Announced

2010-02-18T14:59:00.001-05:00

Preserves

New Cricut Carts Announced

2010-02-18T14:53:00.003-05:00

Straight From The Nest

Video #25 Valentine's Day Card

2010-02-12T09:21:00.003-05:00

Here is my latest video. In the video I talk about my upcoming surgery. Well, that surgery has passed. I had to have surgery on my right shoulder. I am slowly getting back into crafting but I do still have few videos ready to go. I hope you enjoy this one.

Supplies used:

stamps: Owl set www.victorineoriginals.com item #10547-X

markers, ink, ribbon & paper: Close To My Heart

cardstock: Georgia Pacific from Walmart

pencils: Prismacolor

Monday's Organization Tip

2010-02-12T09:14:00.003-05:00

Uggghhhh. I just realized that my Monday organization tip was never posted.

Here goes.... I have found that the easiest way to store stamp pads is to buy a cassette tape holder. I turned my ink pads upside down, they store best this way because it keeps the ink always at the surface. Then I used a Sharpie marker to write the stamp pad name on the side. This way I can easily see which color I am looking for.

I hope this helps!!

Video #24 Frugal Card Making

2010-02-03T21:03:00.002-05:00

Hi guys.... I wanted to post this new video showing how to make a card using repurposed items. Those things around the house that you normally don't think of using. I challenge you to find something around you that is not meant for scrapbooking or card making and make a project with it.

I hope you enjoy the video!!

Monday Organization Tip!!

2010-02-01T17:18:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone.... I have decided that Mondays are going to be organization tip days. We all need help organizing our supplies better and let's be honest, it's just plain fun to play with our supplies.

I have a small addiction to ribbon. I have tried to come up with many ways to store it and none have ever worked for me. I don't like keeping it on the rolls because they take up way too much room.

This is how I am doing it now. I am rolling all of my ribbon onto doll clothespins found at Michaels or AC Moore. I used to secure the ribbon with a piece of tape on the end but as you will see in the later photos, the tape kept coming undone. Now I am using a sewing pin to secure the ribbon. It works fantastic.

I hope you feel inspired to come up with a ribbon storage system that works for you.

Ribbon on clothes pins and a picture of the sewing pins I am using to secure the ribbon

my bin of multi color ribbon (looks like I need to buy more)
my purples, browns, blacks and whites

my blues, green and yellows

my pinks, reds and oranges

ENJOY!!

Disney Give A Way

2010-02-01T16:57:00.003-05:00

Hi friends... I wanted to share this goodie with you. I have this really cute Matterhorn page element that is perfect for Disneyland. I don't have any use for it (sadly Disney World does not have this ride) so I thought I would offer it up to those who would like it. Just leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you if you win and I will send it out. I will draw a winner on Wednesday the 3rd at 12:00 PM EST.

Video #23 organizing Prima flowers

2010-01-31T09:08:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick video showing my Prima flower storage. I use the JetMax cubes in my scrapbook room. These are the best storage I have found. I hope you enjoy the video.

CHA 2010

2010-01-23T14:53:00.002-05:00

CHA is going on right now in CA. I just found out that Provo Craft is going to be releasing 100 new carts in 2010. 100, can you believe it. I want to scream I am so excited.

Some of the ones announced.....

Robots (yay for a boy cart)
Nursery Rhymes
Halloween (so excited for this one)

and tons more. You can head over to the following blog to see some pics of new cuts.
http://peacockpaperie.blogspot.com/

New Cricut Cart - Once Upon A Princess

2010-01-21T08:00:00.005-05:00

This is a brand new release cart from Provo Craft. It is called Once Upon A Princess. This picture has been very hard to find because it isn't released yet.

This has got to be the cutest cart ever. I only have boys but the little girl in me knows I will be buying this for sure. It is adorable and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I hope they come up with a boy cart just like this. That would be fantastic.

Do you have a product you would like me to review?

2010-01-19T18:04:00.001-05:00

Hello,

I love to review products on my blog. If you are interested in sending me an item to review, then please send me an email at scrapbookingdreams@nc.rr.com

Thank you,

Shannon

Video # 22 Using stamps to make background paper

2010-01-17T15:08:00.003-05:00

I'm back!! I wanted to show how versatile rubber stamps can be so I made a video using them for background paper. I don't know about you.... but I like to get my money's worth out of things. I love that I can use stamps for cards, gifts and even on my scrapbook pages.

I challenge you to use your stamps on a scrapbook layout. If you make something then send me a pic. I would love to see what you create.

Supplies used:

rubber stamps by Victorine Originals
0003-AA snowflake
74110-B let it snow
73018-K button snowman

cardstock by Bazzil & Close To My Heart

markers by Close To My Heart

StazOn ink

pop dots

Video #21 Beaded Id Badge Lanyard

2009-12-30T20:14:00.001-05:00

I love to make jewelry as well as scrapbook. I figured since I was making some lanyards as a gift I might as well make a video too. These are so much fun to make. This video showed me making my first. I couldn't stop at just one. :-) I ended up making 3 tonight. I hope you enjoy the video.

New Cricut Carts

2009-12-17T17:06:00.013-05:00

Wow, New Cricut carts for us to enjoy. Check out these great carts. I can't wait to get my hands on these.

HERITAGE

SENTIMENTALS

MOTHER'S DAY

EASTER

LOVE STRUCK

SONGBIRD

TIE THE KNOT

FOREVER YOUNG

Video #19 Winter Peggy Sue Card

2009-12-10T15:45:00.005-05:00

This is a card made using a new stamp I received courtesy of Victorine Originals.

I used K&Co paper, Bazzil cardstock & ribbon from Michaels. I hope you like it.

The stamp is Winter Peggy Sue item #74740-F

Video #20 Am I Addicted?

2009-12-08T20:22:00.001-05:00

Hi guys.... no I didn't forget video #19. That will be posted on my blog soon.

For now I wanted to put a fun video that shows my paper addiction. What do you think? Do I have a problem. If I do, it's a problem I don't want help with :-)

Enjoy!

New Cricut Carts!

2009-12-05T21:16:00.001-05:00

I just had to share the good news. I hear very soon, this month sometime, ProvoCraft will be announcing 8 new full content Cricut carts. The Cricut is a must have scrapbooking item for me. If you don't know much about it I suggest checking it out. I haven't really done videos with it yet but plan to in the very near future. Leave me a comment if there is something special you would like to see me do a video on.

I'll post the new carts as soon as I know.

Video #18 Christmas Gift Note Pad

2009-12-03T20:37:00.002-05:00

This is a fun and quick gift idea. I know we all need quick and easy ideas. This would be perfect for a teacher, mail person, babysitter, etc. Just add a pen and you have a cute gift. I hope you enjoy the video.

www.victorineoriginals.com

Supplies used: K & Co Secret Santa paper pad

Victorine Originals stamps

CTMH ink pads

CTMH note pad

Tombow blender pen

Video #17 Unmounted Stamp Storage

2009-12-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

Happy December 1st! This is my favorite month of the year. I celebrate my birthday this month plus Christmas. It's a wonderful time.

I'm back with another video on how I store my unmounted stamps. Check it out!

Video #16 Mounting Unmounted Stamps

2009-11-30T19:10:00.002-05:00

This video shows how to mount rubber stamps that you might receive unmounted.

This video features an adorable stamp from a new company that I am working with. They have fantastic prices. Check them out if you are interested.

http://www.victorineoriginals.com/

Video #15 Halloween Mummy

2009-11-19T07:44:00.002-05:00

All right.... I know Halloween has passed but I forgot to upload this video earlier. For those of you who are scrapbooking Halloween pages right now, this might work for you. Enjoy.

Supplies used:

Doodlebug Sugar Coated Glitter in white
$1.00 Mummy Stamp from Michaels
Zig Two Way Glue Pen
white cardstock

My attempt to offer coupons to you, enjoy!

2009-11-04T19:21:00.005-05:00

Video #14 Making your own custom match ribbon

2009-10-12T16:26:00.002-04:00

This is fun and quick technique idea. You can make any color ribbon that you have an inkpad for. All I used was the inexpensive white ribbon from Michaels. This ribbon is from the spools that they put on sale for 3/$1.00 and sometimes you can even find them for 4/$1.00. I hope you enjoy.

I'm Back

2009-10-12T16:24:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

I am so excited to be back. I really missed my blog this last month and a half. I started back to homeschooling and my business is busier than ever so I have had alot of adjustments to make. I am back now with lots of ideas though and can't wait to share them with you.

Just a quick video for today though.

See ya soon,
Shannon

Make Your Own Money

2009-08-20T08:15:00.003-04:00

I found the neatest site for making your own money. You can easily upload anyone's picture and make any denomination of money you like. Check it out. I see some great scrapbook pages with this idea.

http://www.festisite.com/money/

Video #13 Making Your Own Skittles Embellishments

2009-08-11T16:09:00.002-04:00

I wanted to try out this project for awhile now. This video is showing how you can make your own Skittles embellishments using hot glue.

I said in my video that I would let you know how they turned out.... I can report that they turned out great. This is a must try technique. They dry really well and the little glue strings that you saw in the video come right off once they are dry. Let me know how you like them if you try to make them yourself.

Video #12 Using Skittles or Dew Drops

2009-08-11T16:06:00.002-04:00

A few people asked me how to use these so I made this video to show how I like to use Skittles on my projects. Enjoy!!

Video #11 Little Monster card

2009-08-09T16:43:00.003-04:00

Here is my latest simple card. I hope you enjoy it.

Video #10 Coloring Skittles or Dew Drops

2009-08-06T10:11:00.002-04:00

I made another how to video. This one shows how to color Skittles. I hope you enjoy it.

Supplies: Decorative Accents (Skittles)
Tim Holtz Adirondack alcohol ink
Ziplock baggies

Video # 9 Homemade xxxx xxxx

2009-08-05T07:26:00.003-04:00

It was requested that this video be removed from You Tube by the company whose product I was referring to. Sorry for any problems.

I was asked by several people to make this video. I hope it explains well how I make my own xxxx xxxx. You should try it. They are so inexpensive this way.

Supplies: Aileens Tack It Over & Over glue

sticker backing paper

Video #8 Monkey Business Card

2009-07-30T14:33:00.002-04:00

This is the first time I have used my Animal Kingdom cart. The one I had never worked so I called PC and they replaced it for me. Thanks PC!! Video is below.

Bind It All Journal

2009-07-21T16:35:00.005-04:00

I made this journal for one of my best friends who is moving to the beach for ministry. I will miss her so much but know we will still see each other throughout the year.

This is only my second project ever with my Bind It All. What a fantastic machine.

Supplies Used:
paper from Creative Imaginations
chipboard
ribbon from Making Memories & plain ribbon from Michael's
stickers & embellishments from Creative Imaginations
Bind It All
ATG

This is a close up of the front cover

This is one of the inside dividers.... I made different sections of the book for her to write down different thoughts.

Another inside divider page

The front cover

Sweet 16 Birthday Card

2009-07-18T12:22:00.004-04:00

I had to make a birthday card for a very sweet girl who just turned 16. Here is what I made for her. I hope you enjoy it.

Supplies:

Bazzil cardstock
DCWV Spring stack paper
Close To My Heart stamps - Birthday Bash
Studio G stamps
Close To My Heart Ink
Prima Flowers
Basic Ribbon

Shrinky Dink Charms

2009-07-15T09:18:00.004-04:00

This post shows my newest video on making Shrinky Dink charms. These are really cute and fun to make. You can make your own custom charms anytime you want. Please let me know if you have any questions and enjoy the video.

Supplies used:

Close To My Heart stamp set Love You Beary Much
Close To My Heart stamp pad
Crop A Dile
1 1/2" scallop circle punch
shrink art plastic from Michaels
heat gun

Win $1000.00 at TheCuttlebugSpot.com!

2009-07-10T19:40:00.001-04:00

I have just discovered that The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"! They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (www.CustomCrops.com)! GO NOW and check it out at www.TheCuttlebugSpot.com

Heart Tree Card

2009-07-10T16:26:00.005-04:00

This card was fun to make. I used some new products I purchased this week which is always alot of fun.

Supplies used:
basic cardstock from Michaels value pack
background paper from K&Co 8.5x8.5 stack
stamps from Hampton Art
markers from Close To My Heart
pop dots
threading water punch from Fiskars

Blue Flourish Card

2009-07-09T13:22:00.004-04:00

This card was alot of fun to make.

This was the first video I made with my new camera. I think the quality is much better but I still need to work on my editing skills.

I hope you enjoy this.

Disney Layouts

2009-07-07T17:02:00.004-04:00

Here are just a couple of Disney layouts. We went there the first week of Feb. I have just done these three pages so far. I have over 500 photos to scrap from this trip. Wow, what was I thinking taking so many pics?

This layout is my opening page for the Animal Kingdom park. I used a sheet of paper from the DCWV Safari stack. I love this paper. It is textured and really nice quality. It is also perfect for AK pictures.

This 2 page layout is from the hotel we stayed at. We stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. We have a fantastic time.

Messiest Scrapbook Room Ever?

2009-07-07T16:51:00.006-04:00

Well, I am being brave today and decided to post pictures of my messy scrap room. I am hoping this will motivate me to clean it up and do some of the projects I have been putting off.

I have tons of stamps that have to be unmounted but I just don't have room to work.

So, what do you think. Do I have the messiest room ever?

Bluebird card

2009-06-30T18:01:00.003-04:00

Hi,

I am still new to videos and trying to teach myself as I go. I plan on getting a better camera and learning alot more so I can make quality videos.

Here is a super simple card I made. I hope you like it.

Scrap paper storage

2009-06-14T20:14:00.003-04:00

I wanted to make another quick video that shows how I store my scrap paper. This includes cardstock and pattern paper. I find this system works great for me.

Unmounted Stamp Storage

2009-06-13T16:29:00.005-04:00

This is my first video so please be kind. I wanted to quickly show I store my unmounted stamps and the way I organize them. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Thanks

and I hope you enjoy it.

2009-06-04T08:52:00.003-04:00

I wanted to post something on my blog since it is so new. I don't have any current pictures of scrapping related projects so I thought I would post my kids birthday cakes I made last year.

This first one is Domo. He is a character that my son fell in love with at Target last Halloween. You can see the real Domo and my cake version of him. My son loved his cake.

This next picture was of my other sons cake. He loves to play pool and wanted a pool themed cake. I decided to make cupcakes and make each one a pool ball. He thought this was the best cake ever.

My kids think I am a master cake maker. I know I'm not but it sure feels good to have their approval. :-)

New Blog

2009-06-04T08:08:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, I'm glad you stopped by. I am really excited to start this new (to me) adventure in the blogging world. I hope to add lots of pictures and maybe videos of projects that I have completed and am working on. Please stop by often to see what is new at Scrapbooking Dreams.