I Heart Digital Scrap Booking

I started scrapbooking when I was 12 years old.  Back in the day, I scraped 8.5 x 11 pages and and used bright neon paper.  I get a good laugh at myself when I looked through my first scrapbook.  I continued scraping until I graduated from high school, but fell a few months short of finishing my senior year scrapbook :(  The main reasons I stopped scraping was time, money and creative burn out.  As I got married and started having kids, I really wanted to get back into the habit of scrapbooking, but time and money were still an issue.

In 2008 a friend introduced me to Photoshop Elements (PSE).  I saw the layouts that she was creating and I knew I wanted to start using the program.  My hubby gave me the program for Mother's Day that year and I was so excited to get started.  I loaded the program, downloaded my first digital kit and was ready to create.  I sat down at my computer but had no idea where to start.  After many failed attempts, I gave up. 

After a few months, I was ready to try again.  I watched what seemed like hundreds of PSE YouTube tutorials and slowly I started to get the hang of it.  Then I recruited my friend to show me the ropes and watched her create a layout.  Finally, I knew just enough to start creating. 

Here is the very first layout I created.  I started out small with each page until I learned and more. 

Now, my pages look more like this.  Here is my most recent layout for my little guy to help celebrate his first year of life.

To make sure that I utilize my time and creative juices more effectively, I limit my scrapbooking.  I scrap one 2-page layout that highlights our year as a family and one 2-page layout for each of my 3 kids for their birthday.  By the time my kids grow up and leave for college, they will have have fun family and self history to take with them along their journeys.   Well, that's my goal anyways!!!

I want to be able to "pay it forward" what I have learned.  I can remember feeling lost and overwhelmed when I wanted to get started.  So you will start seeing more posts of my scrapbook layouts that include tips that I have learned over the years to help you all get started.

The Golden Ticket Reward System - NEW RELEASE

My sister in law called me about a month ago with this great idea for a new "rewards system."   She wanted to be able to give her kids a  reward for good behavior.  She asked me if I would create some kind of "coupon" to give to her kids and wanted one that was a little more special, "like a golden ticket."   What a PERFECT idea!!!  I couldn't wait to get started for her sake and mine.  I wanted to use this system in my house as well.  This system's concept is easy:  the kids do something good or kind for someone in the family and they get a reward ticket in return.

I created 4 different color designs so each child in the family could choose their own tickets, in addition to the GOLDEN TICKET. 

This system is easy.  Once you have printed, trimmed and laminated the tickets, simply use a Sharpie marker to write the reward.  When the ticket has been cashed in, simply wipe clean with some window cleaner and be on the look out for some more good behavior. 

My hubby and I have decided to keep the rewards simple.  Here are a few we are using

• Stay up 15 minutes late
• 1 extra dessert
• 1 more book to read at bedtime
• Manicure
• 15 minutes of Mommy/Daddy play
• Date to the Movie Theater - Golden Ticket
• Dinner Date with Mommy/Daddy - Golden Ticket

The ideas are endless and can be adapted to each child's likes and needs. 

To get your GOLDEN TICKET REWARD SYSTEM - click HERE

A special THANKS to Just So Scrappy and her digital kits!!!

Someday Crafts,  Passionately Artistic,  Seven Thirty Three,  Who's Got Talent,  Lil' Luna,  The Trendy Treehouse,  Paisley Passions,  Katie's Nesting Spot,  Its Sew Stinkin Cute,  The Shabby Nest,  Fingerprints on the Fridge,  Simply Sweet Home,  Chic on a Shoestring,  A Little Knick Knack,  Home Sweet Farm,  Frou Frou Decor,  It's a Hodgepodge Life, Tatertots and Jello,

Keeping It Simple,  Craft O Maniac, I Heart Naptime,  Under the Table and Dreaming,  The Creative Girl, Skip To My Lou,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  Sew Can Do, Today's Creative Blog,  Tip Junkie, All Thingz Related,  Not Just a Housewife, 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We celebrated our Valentine's Day a little early by having our Family Valentine's Dinner last night.  My hubby works late on Mondays and we didn't want him to miss out on all the fun.  It was so awesome to see my kids eyes light up when they saw the table.  Just a few simple embellishments went along way to make my table look so festive. 

I used the hearts from my "Heart Attach" game, along with silk rose petals and blue Sweet Tart candies.  I loved having the pop of blue on the table.

We finished off the night playing, Don't Eat Val, Valentine Tic Tac Toe and Find the Heart Attach.  I was the big loser for the night.  I got schooled in Don't Eat Val and got beat a time or two by my 4 year old in Tic Tac Toe.  However, unlike my kids, winning was not the most important thing to me last night - it was seeing the smiles on my family's faces.

Want to have the same fun my family did?  - click HERE

Valentine Gift Tag - You Melt My Heart

 Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but I have one more gift idea for you.  This gift tag can go with so many ideas, but here are a few I came up with this afternoon.

Give a container full of chocolate candies.  Who wouldn't love chocolate on Valentine's Day and chocolate "Melts" 

I also made some heart shaped Rice Krispy treats.  After I molded the hearts using the Wilton 6-Cavity Silicone Heart Mold Pan, I sprinkled colored Wilton Candy Melts over the top with a fork and topped with Valentine colored sprinkles. 

Finally, using Wilton Candy Melts, I made free form hearts shaped suckers.  After I melted the candy melts, using a large spoon, I made a heart shapes over small sucker sticks.  And once again sprinkled with Valentine colored sprinkles. 

I went with something different today and used toile to attach the tag to all my gifts. 

Click HERE to download this FREEBIE

Tatertots and Jello

YW Manual 3 Lesson 7 Handout

Here is the handout I created for my lesson at church on Sunday.  I love spending time preparing the lessons to give to these young girls, but I also love creating something from the lesson for the girls to take home.  My hope with my handouts is that my Young Women will look at them throughout the week and be remember the keys points to what they were taught. 

Click HERE to download!

Included in this download: 
Handout
Quotes from the lesson
Scripture used in the lesson

Thanks to Just So Scrappy!  I used her "Summer Breeze" kit to created this handouts

Chase Birth Annoucement - NEW RELEASE

My baby turned 1 today!  My precious baby has turned into a busy little guy that loves push buttons, pull out all my sandwich baggies onto the floor, crawl under the table and play with with sister and brother.  He yells at me all day long and his yell means many different things - change my bum, I need a drink, I'm stuck, snack time and so on.  The hard part is trying to decide what he exaclty means.  He has been a complete joy in our family and it is hard to say which one of us loves him more. 

To celebrate his big day, I am releasing his custom birth announcement in my Etsy Shop for purchase. 

Tatertots and Jello

Valentine Gift Tag - You Knock My Socks Off!

My kids love "crazy socks" as they like to call them so I decided it would be a fun gift for Valentine's Day.  I picked these socks up at the Target $1 Spot.  I had to go Batman for my little dude, no girly socks for him.  As for my daughter's there were too many cute ones to choose from so I closed my eyes and grabbed.  Then I printed, trimmed and attached the tag below with red raffia.  I think that I am in love with red raffia as I have used it quite a lot this Valentine season.  Embellishments have always been a weakness of mine.  I can't get enough of them. 

Click HERE to download your FREE printable tags!

I used Just So Scrappy for this digital creation!

Tip Junkie,