Good morning!

Last week I decided to take a little break from scrapbooking, because I didn't want to make another wordless layout, and knowing myself, it will be twice as hard to add journaling to the pages later, that I already shared here without words.

Anyway, I soon as I stepped away from my scrapbooking corner, my new inks arrived, AND... on the very same day my husband found a complete set of 8 cartridges (my Cannon printer requires this much) in the basement. REALLY? All this time I was complaining for nothing?... Now I have 3 sets... 24 cartridges... that should last me awhile.

But this page was done about two weeks ago:

I was debating weather or not it needs journaling. But my daughter's facial expression says it all! I loved this photo and got it printed enlarged to 5x7.

It was the last day of summer. We decided to enjoy this day by doing our favorite things, taking in every minute of it...

And once again, this page was done with 6x6 papers. I like how these papers dictate the design on the page. These were the four papers I used (two of some of them):

So, while I was taking a break from scrapbooking, I enjoyed some sewing. Finally sewing on fabric this time. I was working on a little quilt. It's still in the process. I made a few simple quilts before, but this one is by far the most time consuming (something I could let myself to splurge on). But it was fun to work on. You do more folding and ironing for this style than actually sewing. Here is what I worked on:

Also, I promised a recipe of the cake for Marinushka:

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of granulated sugar

3 eggs (lightly beaten)

4 tbsp of honey

1 tbsp vodka

1.5 tsp baking soda

3.5 cups flour.

I found an instructional video on YouTube that is very similar to how I make this cake. You may watch it here. For the filling, I used 1 can of sour cream and 3/4 cup of sugar, plus 1/4 tub of whipped topping. Happy cooking!

See you soon!

Created in the kitchen...

Hi. Today I have a quick post with a project that was created in the kitchen. I just like to share anything creative. And even though this cake doesn't look like anything special, it did take some time to be created, and that's why I'm sharing it here. For samples, you need to stop by... I know, it may not be very convenient for everyone, but sorry, it doesn't work any other way.

I spoke with one of my friends on the phone this week, telling her that I don't remember the last time I baked a cake, and this thought just stuck in my head. The other thought "Anya why do you need a cake after all the baby showers and other celebrations" was trying to push this one out... but I guess this one was ignoring "the other one". I just had to make it.

This one has only 8 layers (usually I get up to 12), but it is pretty large in diameter. It was almost 15 inches before it was trimmed.

To make all this talking a little useful, let me share a tip. I was asked before, how do I make my layers so even (almost even this time), and the answer is - I don't. I bake them in the closest shape possible, and cut the sides after the cake is being assembled together. Here is the before picture:

I let my cake sit, to get it nice and soft, and then using a large lid, I make a mark on top of the cake, by placing lid right down. Then I cut it straight down with a sharp knife.

Anyway, I was just taking some pictures of the cake and Liana asked me to take a picture of her. She is already creating something. Every morning she will draw something before even eating her breakfast. By the way, her breakfast is usually healthier than today's...

Will be back soon with something created on the paper.

First pink page this year

Hi, I have decided to make a pink page because of a Valentines Day this week. And I realized that blue and pink are my two favorite colors to work with. These pages just come a lot easier. I made one orange page last week, but still didn't share it because there's something about it that I don't like.

I don't usually make one-photo layouts, but this picture was alone and I liked it. Since I don't have a lot of photos of my older girls that age I decided to use it anyway. Then I found a picture of flowering bush, and even though it's not a part of the story, I still used it. Now that photo doesn't look so alone anymore.

Again, most of the papers (except one) are from one 6x6 paper pad. Journaling cards, I believe, from Jillibean Soup. So is the butterfly.

I really hope to get my inks soon (early next week), because I will have some hard time catching up with all the journaling I missed on my pages.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, I should admit that we don't celebrate it. I have nothing against it, but i think love should be celebrated 365 days a year, not just on February 14th. And how special is it to receive flowers when you expect them, and when they are the most expensive too?I think they are so much more appreciated when someone gives them to you when you least expect them.

Anyway, I still had to do my everyday things like cooking a meal for the family. But then, just to make my 3 year old a little excited I decided to make some cupcakes and hang a few paper hearts from the ceiling. And, yes, she was so excited to help and as soon as someone called or came in she was running announcing - we are going to have a surprise! Well, "surprise" is another thing I don't believe in. There had been only once that I have witnessed when surprise worked (that's when my sister and her husband told us they can't come to Florida with us, but had the tickets already, and met us there... but that's another story).

Well, we couldn't do even something as simple as "surprise" dinner. My husband decided to come home 2 hours earlier his usual time...




And today, when he least expects it, I'm going to make one of his very favorite dishes - "голупцы". It takes a while to make them, so I better get going.

Usually I would say to enjoy the day... but the weather through my window doesn't look very exciting... If you don't enjoy it just like me, that's ok. Find something happy to concentrate on.

See you soon!

Happy Tuesday!

This past weekend we attended a baby shower "Russian style" - which is celebrated after baby is born. I just wanted to share a few pictures from the party, like these gorgeous cupcakes...

... or this delicious cake...

... or this cutest cake made by a very talented friend of ours:


... I wish I could go fill my plate there again... everything was so yummy!

And here is the reason of the party - sweet little baby boy!

... and here he is with his happy Mommy:
We had a great time! But it was kinda hard to keep an eye on the little one, because every couple of minutes he was stolen by somebody else...

And now I have another page to share for today. I realized it's in blue colors too. Lately I've been drawn to this color a lot. Is there a reason? I remember making pink after pink page last year, but out of 12 layouts I made this year - 9 of them have blue as a dominant color. Here is a "Together" page:

This page looked a little heavy on pictures until I added the title right in the middle of picture collage. I think it helped to soften the page a little.

Working with older photos is not always the easiest part. Colors in pictures are not as bright and picking papers for them was a little challenge for me. I decided to go with dreamy, dusty blue colors, since it was a while back. I used mostly papers from "Lost&Found" collection and added a piece from the "Fine&Dandy" paper pad.

These are both 6x6 paper pads. I have placed my scissors beside them for the picture to underline the scale. I really enjoyed working with 6x6 paper pads last week. This page (except the blue background paper, was made with those small 6x6 papers.

My last winter layout was completely made out of 6x6 paper pads, except one brown strip across the middle. Actually using exactly the same two paper pads.

So, 6x6 paper pads are not just for card making or adding small pieces of paper. You can make entire large 12x12 layouts using just these small paper collections.

Thank you for visiting and I'll see you soon again!

Scraplift...

Thank you February for showing us what winter should really look like...

It seems like we were not the only ones who were confused about the season...

Actually we knew that we always get the most snow in February, but still complained. I guess it's a part of the human nature.

I haven't scraplifted a page in a while, so when I read Stephany's last post (you can read it here ) I decided to try one of her favorite techniques and scraplift her page. It was a color blocking technique. I should admit, I didn't think I'll like the creating part this much, but it was so much fun. I'm sure I will repeat it again sometimes.

My sticker and a journaling spot are glued on temporarely, since I will need to add some typing to them.

The fun part is that in this type of page you can mix and match some papers that otherwise I would've had hard time using together on the same page, but here they seem to go well.

It's a great way to use up some leftover pieces of paper.

Thanks for stopping by and have a very happy Monday! Hope to be back very soon and share some fun stuff like baby pictures. Hope my friend will let me :)

See you!

"Winter JOY" and something edible

Good morning, friends! I've said it before and I will say it again - we love snow! Snow is the only joy in the winter. It makes a whole world look pretty and so magical. This is what my view looks like today...

... our birch tree in the backyard.

I wanted to share a page with you that I made recently. Usually, I don't like pages without journaling (talking about my pages here). I love when every page tells it's own story. But this layout, features some pictures from last month and I feel like they pretty much tell the story on their own.

There wasn't anything that I felt like needed to be recorded. And the joy kids had playing in the snow is captured on these pictures.



I didn't mean to add anything red onto the page, but I feel like as long as Suzanna wears that red winter jacket, I would have to add red elements to all the scrapbook pages with her wearing that jacket:)) I remember a season when Alyona had her purple jacket, and all of my pages ended up being purple. I just can't ignore the colors on the photos:).

Finished my layout with lots of stitching. As always. I do love tags too! I don't by them, I just cut them out of paper that matches my page:)). (Made another page yesterday that has three tags on it. Will share soon. That one has to have a story. That was the whole point of making that page.)

A few posts back I talked about making some "vareniki s kapustoi". I was craving them so much, that the very next morning I prepared cabbage for the filling - using fresh cabbage and sour kraut.
 

But my vareniki didn't quite happened. I found these in the fridge:



And decided to make pirozhki instead. It was so quick and easy! And lasted a little longer then vareniki would have. They went pretty well with tea!




So, the page is done, but that will not feed my husband. I promised him to make some chicken enchiladas. Anyone wants to come for dinner? Or do you need to see a picture first? Hopefully I don't forget to take a picture of it)).

Enjoy this beautiful day and I'll see you soon!

How to finish long projects...

Hi. I'm back with another long post and this time it's because of the number of pictures in it. There was a Vacation mini book that I worked on last year that I never shared.

I just wanted to share something that helps me in getting long projects done. It's not like I know a lot or have a lesson to offer, I'm learning myself, but it's when I find something that works for me, I feel like I need to share with others. The irony is that the item I based this post on is not even finished to the end. Yeah... But this is the one of quite a few that got almost done.

I was listening to one of the PRT episodes when they discussed a similar theme, and one of the PRT members, I think it was Angie Lucas who said that the key in finishing one of those longer projects is having a FORMULA or a detailed plan, and I can't agree more with her.

So, back in the summer, just a week after out trip to Florida, I decided to make a mini book about it and I started with a formula for the album. I took my toddler to the park, and while she was enjoying swings and slides, I was writing out that formula. To be honest, it made the entire process SO MUCH easier. Basically if you decide on a few things like:

1. Theme of the project.

2. Size and type.

3. Colors.

4. Design.

5. Journaling.

You are good to go. I knew I wanted something very simple. I've seen a couple of Amy Tan's mini books and wanted to have mine done in a similar way. What helped me is deciding that all of my pages will be the same size. I never had to think about that again. Eliminating colors was a huge thing too. I decided to have browns and creams for all of my background pages and it saved tons of time. Knowing the theme, made it so much easier to decide on pictures I needed to print. And having a design in mind helped a lot too.

On a design I went a one step further, which required just one more trip to the park. I grabbed a notebook and a pen, and sketched out about forty page layouts. Then I went ahead, and labeled which design will work with what pictures. All I had to do now, is order pictures accordingly.

And now was the fun part of putting the whole thing together. One thing I wish I included in the plan is journaling. This trip had so many great stories and memories that were fresh in my mind when I just started working on the album. I wish I had printed journaling before even my pictures came... but that's the part I missed on and still haven't done. Well, since my printer is out of order right now, I have an excuse to post an album without journaling.

Here's an album in detail:

... cover front and back.

... first page. I used stamps for front and back of the inner part of covers.


... you'll see some white spaces that were left for journaling. I guess I did have it somehow in the plan.

... I've included a few brochures that I picked up along the way.

... that tab is sticking out because we actually bought something at that store. Someday, there might be a story about that.

... added a picture to the back side of the brochure.

... tags and stamps are repeated elements throughout the book.


... pop up tag at the top of the page here.

... another brochure here.

... and a few more pop up pictures on this page.

... more white space for journaling left at the top.

... last page.
And this picture shows how big full the album looks. I didn't take the pictures of a couple of pages that were either not finished or too dark for the photo.

If you've visited me during month of December, you've probably noticed that my DD also had it's own formula. The base of all of my pages was white, which took away the guessing part of what paper should I start with. And I had previously chosen some red and cream papers that were repeated throughout the entire album.

I hope you start with a formula on your next mini book project of you didn't before. If you have any questions regarding the mini book, I would be happy to answer any of them.

Than you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day.