First Paper Issues Blog Hop!! SNEAK PEEK!

What COULD this particular "favorites page" be about?
Hmmmmm

Hello friends!!!
I am so happy today! It's going to 61 degrees so I am delirious with the possibilities. I will be able to take Miss Lola to the park! She'll get to PLAY- OUTSIDE- FOR MORE THAN 5 MINUTES!
Sorry I've been unable to update in 4 entire days. I've been busy making my first MINI BOOK EVER!

LOOOVE me some of THIS!

YAAAAY! And fitting with the "Favorite Things" theme it has a page for each thing I love beyond reason.
Here are some tantalizing hints on my project's subject- you'll be able to see the full monty of saturday over at Paper Issues:

When I finished this page I literally sat back and was blown away- It's just SO BEAUTIFUL!

My desk is literally under 1 foot of scrap crap. I am no longer able to find my stapler, my glue or my FOUR pairs of scissors. That's why you gotta buy multiples mis amigas!

You know this one right? I use it ENTIRELY TOO MUCH! 

Paper Issues is hosting our first ever blog hop. We have a lot of wonderful crafty goodness for you to look at and be inspired by. What's even BETTER? Paper Issues is giving away a beautiful box of paper goodies for ya'll- all you have to do is COMMENT! Isn't that GREAT?
This is what you could win IF you join in:

Paper Issues Blog Hop Giveaway. New CRATE PAPER!!! Isn't all that spring paper beauty just TOO MUCH? This is a MUST HAVE!

Many of our blog hop hosts will also be giving away indivdual RAK so there will be many chances to win free goodies. Tune in on Saturday at 9am eastern and please feel free to post your own creations to the link party.

Favorite people....

MuChOS SmOoChEs!
M.

Can you feel it? It's SPRING!

Hello Spring!
Materials: My Little Shoebox papers & alphas, Bazzill swiss dotted paper- Fuschia, K & Co pink netting,
Liquid Pearls in pink

OMG NYC just had the most beautiful springlike day and I didn't know what to do with myself! I ran up, I ran down, I ran all around- Lola was happy but soon realized I had gone bananas and put me ON POINT in the middle of the park with a huge SHRIEK so we went home and watched Elmo for a while. I feel a HUGE weight lifting- GOOD BYE WINTER! Little dance little dance...

How much do I love the orange glitter alphas? MUCH dude MUCH!

Here's a new My Little Shoebox page. I got my prize package from 2 Peas with papers, stamps and alphas stickers from Farmer's Market and Home Tweet Home lines. I also bought some Green papers because I really wanted that woodgrain pattern- it's so mod! I feel so free with these papers! They are so colorful and playful that it just dissapates all the obnoxious angst I usually go through when thinking up a page. OFFICIAL MLS fan!!!!
Here are some close ups:

Luscious flowers! Bend up the petals and WHAM! instant texture.

Had "fun" cutting those itty bitty scallops- will need to practice.

Started with red pen but it disappeared into the orange paper so I had to go over it with red marker.

Now about this machine stitching technique:

Left to right: Yellow zig zag stitch- front of stitch followed by Yellow/pink zig zag stitch- back of stitch usually never seen since it's on the inside of your clothes.

Here's what I did:
1. Roughly traced circle and scallop border onto onion skin paper to give general idea of their location.
2. Glued template to the back of the scallop die cut paper
3. Put pink thread in bobbin at bottom of machine and canary yellow in spool on top of machine to get two-tone effect.
4. Using the rough sketch on the onion paper as a guide, I stitched a swirl shape onto the MLS die cut paper using a zig zag stitch so that the BACK of the zig zag stitch (usually hidden in the interior of your clothing) showed on the FRONT of the paper BINGO - instant 2 tone effect!
5. Turned paper over and giggled hysterically at the COOLIO effect.
7. Switched bottom bobbin to canary yellow string.
8. Swirled the FRONT of the zig zag stitch onto the spaces left by previous swirl.

Hope that makes sense- it's just a fun little tweak on the usual.
*Thank you Mary from the Scrapbook.com forum for helping me with proper sewing terminology for this itty bitty tute!

Here's the page again in larger format (and away from all my blogger template madness):

Required Miss Lola shot:

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.

2 Peas In A Bucket- LOVE YA BABE!

I just found out my "num, Num, NUUUM" page won the February My Little Shoebox Challenge over at 2 Peas. So excited! I love the caliber of the work in their galleries so winning is a big deal for me.

Anywhoo- here is a page I finished yesterday for their Studio Calico Challenge. Go on and make your own page and post it by March 31st.

First Birthday Outfit
Materials: Studio Calico Barn Swallow paper, Homefront Die Cuts, Wood veneer Buttons, Homefront Stickers, various exclusive kit club paper bits, Mister Huey in Schoolhouse, Collage Press alphas, Elle Studio "Remember This" tag. 

I had so much fun making this page! Cutting out the birds took about an hour. I am terrible with an Exacto knife but one of my scrap goals for 2011 is to improve technique so I took the plunge. This is meant to be one of my 2 sided projects but I'm wondering how to make the bird print work in a layout - it's going to take a while.

I can't bear to let go of my favorite prints- I just keep using the left overs till they are gone. I have a teetering stash of paper but if it's got woodgrain or grids on it, it gets used first.

I love those new SC die cuts- they are PERFECT- bright, funkily retro and modern at the same time. The actual design for this page came together in about 2 hours- I just dumped a whole bunch of leftover bits on the page and started moving them around.

I love those photos of Lola in her Alice tutu! They printed super dark so I don't think this page will win  but I wasn't about to chuck the photos out- printer cartridges for my crappy HP cost 50 bucks!

Fun times at mini golf party.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.

Summer Lovin'

This is not a post where I extoll the virtues of that admittedly fabulous movie "Grease". It's just another post where I use yellow paper to try to remind myself winter is almost over. TGIM (March)!!!!!

A Day With Papi
Materials used: Crate Paper/Studio Calico exclusive paper, Sassafras Lass Foldies (Sweetly) and Sweetly Smitten flags, Maya Road star pins, Crate Paper and Studio Calico paper strips, Prima Donna Downey Sculpture Flowers, American Crafts Aquatic paperback fabric alphas, AC pink fabric alphas, Studio Calico Country Side Die Cut tag, red and pink ribbon.

Your Scrapbook Stash sketch challenge 4/4/11.

I'm submitting this page for a Your Scrapbook Stash.com challenge. Their sketch challenges are gorgeous- check them out. I ordered a "butt load" of stuff over at 2 Peas and unlike my usual M.O. (stuffing it away for later) I broke it out and had some FUN! I didn't know where to begin- the colors in the Crate Paper, Studio Calico and Sassy new releases had me in a tizzy.

Run outta room? That's what THESE are for!

This page is about how much Lola loves Daddy. When 5 o'clock rolls around she starts looking for him and the minute she hears him in the hallway she jumps off whatever she's currently trying to scale (her latest "wonderful" habit) and runs to meet him. She gives him a little scream and jumps up for her hug- my husband is Bono to our kid. It's nice.

That tag- pink AND a grid??? LOVE IT!

I used to get jealous of these moments- why doesn't she give a little scream for ME? But she sees me everyday- I'm furniture (literally- she's constantly trying to climb me). Daddy leaves AND returns so he gets rock star status. It's ok- I'll take this life over my previous one working 14 hour days for EVIL bosses anytime!

Lola BREAKS!!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

MISSING: SCRAP MOJO

Missing: Scrap Mojo
Materials: Woodgrain embossed paper (store brand), We R Memory Keepers Energy stamp (lightbulb), Studio Calico lightbulb & library stamp,  Elle Studio Hadnmade layers Date strip, Glitz Design Mini letters, Studio Calico Home Front Fab Rip, Making Memories Paper Reverie Gems (brad, rose and bling), Sassafras Lass,  Mister Huey- Schoolhouse and cream, Crate Paper and Studio Calico paper borders 

Your Scrapbook Stash Sketch Challenge 2/25/11

I really like how this page turned out. I went in totally blind with no design or subject idea in mind. I put in some of my favorites- embossed woodgrain paper, pink and yellow strips, the Fab-Rip flower and something new: itty bitty micro alphas from Kaiser Craft. Aren't those AWESOME? Found them in my local scrap store- Paper Presentation on 18th street. I've been wanting sticks that size for ages!!! You'll be spotting those in all my pages- guaranteed.

Can you tell I killed my sewing machine while attempting a border on this page? That big clump comes from the spool that goes in the bottom of the machine. I'm still trying to figure out how I loaded it in wrong. I hope Dave can make it work again- I've used it exactly 5 times the 2 years I've had it.

So staying with my theme to keep the page "clean and simple" for this week... My friend Darkpoetess invoked the goddess Coco Channel yesterday when commenting on my habit to throw everything but the kitchen sink at a page- namely how Coco said take one thing off before you leave the house. So looking at this page I would take off....

The numbered sheep. Why is there a numbered sheep there????

She got lost man. Maybe she'll mosey on over to a page about Lola NOT sleeping.

Part of my problem right now is a lack of time for hobbies. Miss Lola is refusing to sleep on her own. She only naps on my chest. Training her has gone out the window- she just cries her head off if I put her in the crib. I even tried waiting her out- I waited an HOUR. She cried for a FULL HOUR rather than sleep!!!   

But she also picked up a cute habit- she drops her food and then looks at me and says UH OOHHH!! I'm getting great arm muscles from all the floor scrubbing I'm doing lately.

I SAID- FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

M.