washi winner

Patricia Roebuck!! Patricia you can send me your address at joshnwillsma@gmail.com :)

Washi Love

Yes, I know, some people are tired of hearing about washi.  However, I am not one of them :).  I made this page and when I was done I realised I hadnt even used any pattern paper. To make the grid I first put the pictures where I wanted them and then traced around the with a pencil.  I took the pics away and added the tape.  Then addded the pics back with everything else.

Its using mostly Amy Tan's Good Life line, which is still my all time favorite line EVER!! The kids were crazy to get at those eggs and the battery on my canon was dead so it was and instax Easter, that story is on the back of the page btw. I love to journal, but I mess up A LOT!  I print it off on the computer sometimes, but usually I dont feel like it so I write it on the back.
     So back to the washi, right! If you are like me and still  LOVE washi then you are in the right place.  I have these two tags with samples of some of the washi I have.  Just leave a comment and you are entered to win :).  I will close this  and post a winner Friday.  Thanks for looking and have a great day.

MOST WANTED, SUMMER 2012

Hello! Well I went on a spending diet this past winter, but winter is over :) and so is my diet.  So I am compliling my most wanted list for summer. 
1. Grey lullaby thickers from the Crate paper little bo peep collection
http://www.cratepaper.com/default.aspx?PageID=252&CategoryID=430&ProductID=3790&RootCatCode=03000

Cursive foam thickers are my ultimate weakness, and these are sooo neutral you could put them on EVERYTHING and I probably will.
2.  I am in love all the new anchor printed stuff at JCREW this summer, but these are killing me

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/ballets/PRDOVR~80539/80539.jsp

are you reading this Christina!!!
3.  This hair cut

right now my hair is soo long, its past the snaps of my bra! Every summer I cut my hair off, and I was like not this summer but yea this summer.  Its hot.
4. Last one

I cant forget about these 2 monkeys!!

So, what have I forgotten? What do you have to have this summer?

Im back!

WINNER!
SWEET SIERRA
Thank you all! sweetsierra you can email me at joshnwillsma@gmail.com










I finally made it back to blog land.  I dont know what to say except things come when they come and go when they go.  Right now I am just happy to be back :).  This page is made with mostly older stash material, and mostly stuff gifted to me by my friend Christina who recently purged.

I have been making 8.5x11 size layouts for  months, I dont know they are just making sense right now.  To say hello and sorry for being such a slacker I also have a giveaway! My friend Stephanie was also doing a purge and sent me some stamps, I know people keep giving me stuff!  Anyway there were some I already had and she said I could do whatever I want with them so I am going to give this one to one of you!

The set I have is used just so you know.  Just leave a comment and you are entered to win.  I will close the giveaway next Friday and post the winner that day Thank you.

blogger's block

Have you ever had blogger's block? I have, I do.  It's not as if there isn't anything going on because there is, tons of it, I just don't want to blog about it.  I thought I would just wait it out, but it's been so long I don't think that approach was working.  So, I thought I would blog about not being able to blog lol.  That is a desperate measure if I have ever heard one.  Everytime something has happened I have thought that I would blog about it, but then later when I would sit down to do it... nothing.  Sometimes I just couldn't get my thoughts together, other times I would think who in there right mind would read this and just delete it.  Worse is that I have been avoiding blogs almost all together because they just make me think of my poor neglected one.  I'm still making lots of things, but photographing and editing and uploading has just not been happening, and I  am no where near as prolithic as I used to be.  I make one two pager a month that is a mix between project life and project 12, but they contain the kind of information I am just not comfortable putting on the net.  Homeschooling has also become all consuming, I can't wait for Summer! This summer we are only doing a 5 week long experiment in the garden because momma needs a break :).  So I would like to know what do you do if you have bloggers block?  Now I am going to read some blogs guilt free, and because I have to have a picture here is our new puppy Hank.

Something old

So, Im not really good at vintage.  I love the way it looks, but Im just not good at it.  So for this weeks twisted sketch 91 the twist was old, and all I could really thing of was vintage.  So here is my very best try at vintage

I think this would be a great wedding or engagement card.  I had dyed my doily using water and food coloring.  I am now addicted to doilies!
    I am sad to say I have broken my no spend January :(.  I just couldn't pass this up

Im am back in the saddle again though and I hope to finish up the month strong.  Thanks for looking and have a great day!

This is not the greatest song in the world

This is just a tribute.

I cut fill to page on the cricut with the sweethearts cartridge, then trimmed to 8.5x11 and backed each heart with a piece of scrap paper.  Then I stitched it to another 8.5x11 piece of cardstock so everything would stay in place.

Well making this page did help me to feel better, even though I still miss him and think about 849750393 times a day.  What is it exactly about putting something on a piece of paper that can make you feel so much better?  It's like a little bit of magic.  Who was the first person to write something down and then be like wow I feel so much better?  These are the kinds of questions I ask that get on my husbands nerves lol.  Like when I went crazy trying to find out why Native Americans had no facial hair, or who took the first hot shower. 
    Any who, I am still holding strong on the no spend January although is has gotten to be a bit of drag this last week as opposed to how uplifting if had felt before.  I even colored my own roots instead of going to salon.  I could see doing this inbetween visits to really stretch some dollars from now on.  I just used the wash out stuff in case it got really screwed up. 
     I am off to take a hot shower and I will try to enjoy it like I am the first person ever ;) , thanks for looking and have a great day.

sketch #89

Hello one and all! Today I have my card for the twistedsketches.org sketch #89 and the twist for this sketch was sparkle.

I used some embossing powder on my chipboard star to add the sparkle. I don't use a lot of sparkle so I wanted to keep the rest of the card pretty simple. I made this star first, but it wasn't the right scale for a card.

I used this this cool technique that I read about (wish I remembered where) for no mess glitter.  First you put glue on your chipboard and sprinkle glitter over it, then when it's dry you go over the top with a layer of glossy accents! It's amazing, you couldn't scrape the glitter off that baby if you wanted to.  I have it in my window waiting for the right project, but it looks awfully pretty in my window so it may just live there.  While I was messing around with my chipboard stars I noticed the spokes kind of looked like a banner so I thought I would try something out, what do you think?

I think they are cute as a button! and I have a large collection of stars so I can't wait to get to cutting.  Yes, I know I need a craft mat lol.  Im pretty sure the new one would look like this one pretty quickly so I am no hurry for it.  Thanks for looking and have a great day!

I almost

bought these

but I DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I really want them and they are on my list of things to reevaluate once January is over, but I didn't! I feel really good about it too, really strong.  Which may sound silly but I have been looking for a set just like this for forever, and there they were.  The mini ones which are the ones I want were only $5 on etsy so that didn't help matters lol.  The list keeps growing and growing, but the good news is I have also taken a few things off the list I already decided I didn't really need so I think the process is working.  Our TV is almost out too, it keeps messing up and my husband says if the TV goes there is no way he is waiting until Feb., which is kinda funny because we don't even watch TV shows, he just wants it for the call of duty.  I don't have anything crafty to share today, but come back on Saturday and I will have a new card for twistedsketches.org.

Dedicated craft space semi-complete

First let's get this out of the way
WINNER of the giveaway in the last post is Monica!
Monica email me your info at joshnwillsma@gmail.com and I will get that package out to you!

Ok, now onto new things like my dedicated craft space finally! I now have it in a corner of my bedroom which may not sound like much to some but I have been rolling my stuff out of storage and onto the dining room tabel for three years.  Sometimes just the thought of getting it all out and putting it all back has made me just not make things and that is no good.  I have some pics, but don't judge me just because I have lived here for 6 years and still haven't painted my bedroom yet, lol.  I promise it will be painted this spring.

This is actually a container that one of my son's presents came in and I am using it for my washi, as you can room to grow ;).

am I the only one still using deco. scissors?

I have a sticker addiction.



since I also use this space for sewing I used my atg to glue down this cork to keep my pins.



I am so happy! I have already made a couple of things and it has been so much easier.  I still need something to my mists in, but that will have to wait until I can buy something to go high enough up on the wall so my boys can't reach them lol.  Don't worry I am still going strong with my no spend January, everything I used was recycled from inside of my house.  I am making a list of everything that I think I want and I am going to go back over it at the end of the month and see if it still feels that important.  

Giveaway (again)

Im trying this again.  I posted this giveaway then I lost my post, boo.  but here it goes, I made this little goody bag and if you would like a chance to win it then just leave me a comment

It's full of goodness, some you can't even see! It's got some Crate, Webster's, OA and more.  Anyone, anywhere in the world can enter and I will close it Friday and pick a winner.  I also have a sketch I made from one of my most favorite layouts.  Here is the layout

and here is the sketch, which I turned into a 12x12

I hope you like it, and as always if you use one of my sketches I would love to know! Thanks for looking and have a great day!

No spend January

Today starts my very first "no spend January" and I think it is a great way to start the new year and it might just turn into a tradition.  Im already itching to buy something just because I can't lol, but I am totally committed to seeing it through at least until February and maybe even longer.  I just need to keep my focus on using what I already have rather than on what I want.  One of my main goals is to use up my scrapbooking stash because I have a very small space for my crafty things and it is packed! It's like when I see something pretty I just get amnesia that I only have a rolly cart and a couple of shelves to fit all this stuff on.  First Im going to go through everything with a fine tooth comb to get rid of what I know I won't use so expect some giveaways soon.  I have been crafty for this last week of Christmas break from homeschooling and here is what I have made








Add caption

I made this last card using this sketch on the October Afternoon blog.  As you can see I love to get my girlie on when I make cards.  I think that is why I love cardmaking so much because I can do whatever I want. 

Now onto resolutions! I haven't had a resolution in a few years but I have a few for 2012.
1. I want to have an open heart.  I close my heart to so many new things and people to protect myself, but I have decided I am a big girl and whatever happens I can take it.  I am tired of wondering what good things might have happened.

2. Do things because they were put in my heart and not because of what I expect will happen when I do them.  Sometimes I think if I am nice to this person maybe they will be nice to me, but it doesnt work that way.  I should be nice or generous because it is the right thing to do and that should be enough to make me content.  I want to stop focusing on the expectations I have of others and focus on what I expect from myself.

3. I want my house to stop looking like a disaster area. I used to keep it so nice, but with so much of my time spent on homeschooling I have really let it go.  It's still clean just VERY  messy.  Hopefully with just a little more time each day straighening up I can keep it at more manageable level of chaos.
That's it for me, what are your resolutions for 2012?