Documenting December...

Since there's no December Daily for me this year, I let myself record random Holiday memories, the ones that are happening now as well as some older ones. I've spend some time last night going through December photos from past years... Hopefully they will be turning into pages soon!

Today, I've a layout to share with pictures that were just taken this week. It's a very simple page with a record fast transition from photo to layout! There was a lot to say from all three of us, so I'll be including handwritten journaling in the pocket on the back of the page.It's a hybrid layout - all photos are printed on a piece of white cardstock and embellishments were added to page on top.

Still loving 8.5x11 format!

I used some of that DCWV paper with foil accents here and really love how silver looks on this Holiday related page!

Since girls were having fun shopping together, I included a few real tags and a gift card on the page to go with the theme :)

Hope you enjoy your December, whether you documenting it or not! But don't forget to take some pictures - they become even more precious with years!

Thanks for stopping by here! Always love hearing from you!

Until next time!

Christmas box...

Девочки привет! Всё спешила выставить свежеиспечённую работу с самого утра но так и солнце село... Столько всего хочется успеть - и открыток праздничных хочется доделать, и странички меня заждались, и куча идей в голове которые хотелось бы воплотить, но на всё никак не хватает времени!

Не буду вас утомлять долгой писаниной, лучше сразу перейдём к коробочке! Она сегодня к Рождеству:

Делала из бумаги фирмы DCWV. Просто восхитительный набор! Правда на страничках я редко использую бумагу с foil или glitter, но для открыток и других рукодельных подарочков это просто находка!

Для тех кому интересно, размер коробочки 3.5 на 3 инча высоты. А вот она в развёрнутой форме:

И со всех сторон поближе (что то я никак не могу подобрать идеальное место в доме для фотографирования работ - то слишком темно, то не могу добится натурального цвета):

На этот раз пока без конфет, а то боюсь что они всё равно в нашем доме в этой коробочке до Рождества не доживут...

Я уже размечталась похвастаться нашей новой комнатой, но совсем забыла про ковёр. Уже заказала, а теперь будем надеятся что он прийдет скорее чем через пять недель как прошлый :( Так что с желанием похвастаться придется повременить.

Спасибо всем кто зашёл! Огромное спасибо всем, кто оставляет доборые слова - они меня вдохновляют на новые подвиги в искустве! Желаю всем прекрасного дня (или вечера) и до новой встречи!

Scrapbooking on a Budget - secrets 12 &13

Hello December! Can't believe "The most wonderful time of the year" is finally here! I wish everyone this December to really be that most wonderful time! It's cold and busy, but there's always something magical in it!

I have two more little secrets to share today in Scrapbooking on a Budget series.

Secret 12: Use your favorite product.

I know, at first it doesn't sound like a money saving tip, but believe me I have a good point behind it. Scrapbooking industry continuously provides us with new products, new lines and other new stuff. I remember a while back, getting a few pieces of paper that I really loved. But I wasn't using them because I loved them too much. I didn't want to ruin them and kept waiting for a perfect moment to use them. I always thought there will be a more special project I can use these on. But as time has passed, my likes have changed, hundreds more of beautiful papers were released and I still have that paper in my stash. Plus, it's not in the "favorites" section anymore.

So now, whenever I get new paper, I cut into it as soon as I get a chance to scrapbook. Sometimes it's the same day. This way, I work with the stuff I like today and enjoy doing so! I know there will always be more new and special paper I will love.

During the last CHA release, there were two lines that I liked the most: Santa's List by Teresa Collins and 'Tis the Season by Echo Park.

In my last order from TwoPeas I got a couple of pieces from each collection and enjoyed working with them right away. I made two cards using this piece of papers from Echo Park:

Here is the first one, using a tag with a deer:

And here's the other one mixed with a few pieces from Teresa Collins collection:

Covered white rose with glitter for snow effect:

Obviously, we can't use all the new stuff at once, but I never wait for a perfect moment or a perfect project anymore! I use it now because I love it, unless I've ordered it for a specific project.

Now, you probably have a question, what to do with those papers that we fall out of love with? I guess, there could be a number of different options like giveaway, share, mix old with new, but my favorite is - re purpose it. And that's our next little secret:)

Secret #13: Re purpose.

I get through my supplies periodically and put aside not-so-loved-anymore papers, or the papers that were in the paper pack that I never liked in the first place. I don't throw them away. I like to use them to make little gifts, getting double joy doing so - I don't feel like I wasted money and I am able make someone happy!

I like to make little journals for little kids. They love them! This simple gift totally made Liana's day! She was carrying it around all day and even took it to bed with her!

I totally adore Webster's Pages paper, but for some reason I have difficult time using it. It's too pretty by itself. I collected a few pieces and now use them as covers for these books! They work perfectly! To protect that cover, I cut a plastic file folder to size (got a pack of 6 for .50 cents at a local office supplies store that was going out of business) and added to front and back of the book.

Here is the simple recipe for a handmade journal:

Collect a few papers form that "not-favorite-anymore" pile in a color scheme of your choice.
I usually gather about 4 to 6 pieces of paper.
Cut each 12x12 sheet of paper into two 8.5x6 pieces.
Get a pack of lined paper from Office supplies store, and cut 1/4 of the pack into 8.5x6 also.
Punch holes in all of them using a few pieces at a time.
Add cover, rings, envelopes, coloring book pages (you can find some HERE to print at home).
Tie a ribbon and deliver a little joy to someone special in you life!

These may work great as Christmas gifts too!

Speaking of Christmas gifts, I did my Black Friday shopping online and LOVED it! No lines, no traffic, no getting up at 6 in the morning! Waiting for a few packages to arrive this week :)

Got to go now. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Here's the list of other Scrapbooking on a Budget related posts if you are interested:
Scrapbooking on a Budget - secret 11, Scraplift!
Scrapbooking on a Budget - secret 10: 12x12 vs 8.5x11
Scrapbooking on a Budget - secrets 6-9: Make your own.
Scrapbooking on a Budget - secrets 4,5: Printables
Scrapbooking on a Budget - secrets 1,2,3.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

See you soon!

Thanksgiving...

Hello friends! I don't usually stop here on Saturdays, since weekends are filled with church and family stuff, but today I'm staying home with two sick kids. While it's pretty nice and quiet here, as both of them are taking a nap, I thought I'll pop in to say hi!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving day. We certainly did! There's so much to be thankful for in our lives that we need to have Thanksgiving at least once every month! Just without the black Friday to follow it.

I have another card to share today. Again, it was made using lovely papers by Les Papiers de Pandore.

One of my favorite techniques lately is cutting a shape with Silhouette and covering it with glitter...

I added a lot of red pearls here to emphasise the star design on the paper.

I guess before I go, I have to share a couple of photos from Thanksgiving day... My girls helped me make a cake, apple filled roll and two salads to take along...

This is our happy family. It's a rare occasion when we are all together on one photo! (Still, two people are missing here, but it's as good as it gets:) Whenever all of us are together, we forget to take a photo:)

And this is what we had on our table. How can you not be thankful? Or how can you not like Thanksgiving? It's one of my favorite days of the year!

This is one of those days when you count your blessings, not calories! Right? Hope you had a great Thanksgiving celebration too! Oh, Irochka, thank you for letting us gather at your house this year! If there was a mess after we left, it wasn't us :))

Thanks for stopping by here! I like to hear anything and everything!

Until next time!

A card for you...

Hello and Happy Monday! I know not too many people like Mondays, but to me they are like a mini New Year! Monday is a great time to begin a new diet, or start eating healthier, or become a better mom and so on. Well, usually, those great intentions don't last until Tuesday, but there's always a hope I'll do better next Monday...

Since I happen to have a very busy Monday this week, I'm going to share a card I made earlier and I hope to be back very soon with more projects including a room makeover!

To make it, I used lovely papers by Les Papiers de Pandore, glitter stickers by Recollections, wood grain embossing folder, butterfly and rhinestones.

I have a few Christmas cards to share too! I'll share them as soon as I get a chance to take pictures. Got to go do the painting now. Not one of my favorite things to do, but I have two great helpers, so I hope we can get that job done quickly!

See you soon!

"Can we take nim home?"

Hello friends! I have another layout to share with you today! This picture was taken last fall, even though page doesn't reflect fall theme:)) For this page I used a 6x6 "Bowties" paper pad by Basic Grey:

 It is a more masculine line, but you can totally use it for girls layouts!

 I used one of the pockets, that I made earlier. It simply serves as a decorative purpose here - no additional journaling or memorabilia. I added a little printable just for fun.

I seem to be a little abscessed with Cameo lately. It becomes a lot more fun to use it when you know all the little tricks you can do with it. This time I used a little Queen Anne flower, to add just a little green color to the page:)

That completes my post for today. Actually, there was this soup I made earlier last week, that I wanted to share with you too. Remember those Chinese postickers? Yeah, they made into soup now:) Same recipie for the potstickers, and A LOT of greens for the soup.

Basically it started with this:

 And ended up looking like that:

It may not look as appealing, but my kids, one after another (and I have many:) came to me telling how great it tasted! Plus, it's a healthy one! Definitely making it again! You may adjust it to your liking, but don't substitute kale! It's one of the most important ingredients here.

Now, I'm ready to say good by. I'm glad you come over! Thank you for taking time to say hi and I'll see you soon!

Have an awesome day!

"Every single day"...

Good morning! We were blessed with more gorgeous weather this weekend! It was too nice to stay indoors, so the kids spend most of the day outside...

But whenever the weather is not that great, we like to make art. Different types of art. I don't remember a day that Liana didn't do something art related. She LOVES to draw (just like her sisters did... and her mom when she was young... and her grandmother... and her great-grand father). I guess it was inherited... That's what my page is about today - Every Single Day...

I used a big circular design on one of the papers from Les Papiers de Pandore collection as my inspiration and a focal point of the page...

Added a few arrows to point at the words - I love to create.

I also made a card in similar color combination. There was this 3x4 card with nitting needles that reminded me of grandma. I used it to make a "Thank you, Grandma" card, because there's always something we can say thank you to her!

We just have to sign it and send it. I'm surprised how something as simple as a card can make a person's day a little brighter :)

Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon!

Holiday card and a FREEBIE!

Hi everyone! I just LOVE making cards this year! I don't know why, but I started liking to create cards just as much as like making layouts! That is really weird, because for some unknown reason, I didn't let myself make one card for years!

For this card, I used two snowflakes (my own design:)) layered on top of each other.

 Cut out tag from Teresa Collins holiday pack from last year:

And a rub-on that I had in my forever...

Finished up with ribbon, stitching, pearls and a piece of cardstock on the back for stability. 

I was looking through the box of items that were set aside for DD last year and found a few memorabilia pieces, among which I found a flyer from Gymbore, and it had this "Happy Holidays" tag on front cover. Well, you know, as scrapbookers, we see embellishments everywhere :))) So, I've cut it out to use it on a card, but then a better idea came. I took a picture of it, adjusted the color, and made a collage :) Now I can print it and reuse as many times as I like!

Also, I wanted to share this piece with you too!

Click on the picture for larger resolution.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I wish you have a great weekend! Btw, one of the radio stations has Christmas music already on! We actually enjoyed listening to it today. It kinda fills your heart with warms and great memories...

Until next time!

"Hello 1991" ...

11-12-13... I know that's yesterday's date, but it looked pretty cool. I was planning to be here yesterday with the new page, but by the time I went to finish that journaling, it was already dark outside and that means I cant take a picture of it. I'm thinking about a light box more and more often lately...

I've made a new layout! And it's a Holiday related one as I promised. Honestly, I had so much fun creating this one and recording a memory that is more than twenty years old! Ouch... I feel really old now... Anyway, here is "Hello 1991" page:

It was just one of the moments from my childhood that I remembered so vividly. Of course I didn't have pictures to support the story, but that didn't stop me from recording it. There's such thing as Google. I found a few images that were pretty close to what I remember, and made a collage. I printed them b/w - that's how most of the photos looked back then (that old feeling again) and printed this photo at home. I also created that skyline in the Silhouette studio.

I used a clock, Christmas Tree and a calendar - items that support the theme for this page.I didn't want to bring attention to the bottom of the page, but that right corner seemed a little empty, so I added a very subtle numbers and a triangle that was covered in glitter to add some sparkle.

That's my page for today. I stayed up last night and made a few cards. I'll be sharing them soon. I'm not saying tomorrow, because who knows, we could get snowed in and I'd spend the day shoveling snow...

Hey girls, are you up for a challenge? I loved those times when we could share our pages of the same theme. I know we are all busy and stuff, but how about recording any Holiday memory and share it here with everyone on December 1st? I know, sometimes we need just a little push. That would be a great way to start a Holiday season plus, believe me, it will put you in the mood for Christmas! Let me know if that's too much.

Thank you everyone for stopping by and have a great day!

I'll be back soon!