Scrapbookgraphics News

Lots of fun stuff is going to be going on on the Studio Matters Blog! Daily give-aways for everyone, coupons, gift certificates, and as always- lots of scrapping inspiration! Don't miss it!

PrimaHybrid News

It has been a while, but PrimaHybrid is finally getting up and running again! They have reopened the doors and are selling hybrid scrapping kits that will knock your socks off. I got to play with one of them- Sweet December- and I created this layout with one of my favorite portraits from Sarah's newborn photo session.
and here are a couple of close-ups of the page. I crafted the butterflies from the beautiful chartreuse lace flowers that are included in the kit.

There is going to be a monthly hybrid sketch challenge, and this card I made for Megan (close yours eyes if you are reading this, Megan!) from the kit is inspired by this month's sketch by Di Hickman.

If you like hyrbid crafting, go check it out!

Thanksgiving 2008 photos

We had a nice time at Marta's house for Thanksgiving. I promised to take photos this year, and then I went and forgot my camera LOL It's a good thing Marta had hers! We all just grabbed the camera when we wanted a picture and as I had taken my laptop with me I just downloaded the photos before we left. It worked out rather nicely ;) So, here are some photos of the day for your viewing pleasure....
One of the things we do is sit and go through all of the sale ads, planning what it is we need to get out and go shopping for the next day.
Marta working on the mashed potatoes.
Sam carving the turkey, which Marta thoughtfully smoked for us this year ;) The pan the turkey was in was a bit small, and the drippings started overflowing near the end of the baking time. They started smoking up the house after a few minutes and we had to bear the chill of the outside temperature for a while to keep the air clear. All was good in the end, though we determined that she needs a new battery in her smoke detector as it didn't go off even when there was visible smoke floating in the kitchen air.
Kristen and her boyfriend, Kevin- who we got to meet for the first time.
Buddy looking for a handout while the turkey was being carved.
The masses descend on the Thanksgiving feast.
The adults sit at the dining room table, and the kids get to take over the kitchen. We had 13 kids and 8 adults for dinner this year!
Mark and Brenna sitting and enjoying a showing of The Spiderwick Chronicles after we had eaten.

CD Case Calendar 2009 free QPs

It's become a tradition of sorts for me to make my family a set of CD Case Calendars for the coming year as one of their Christmas gifts. This year I used all sorts of Saxon's beautiful kits to make my calendar and agreed to share the pages for everyone to use too. I hope you can get some use out of them and it makes your holiday season a little less stressful.

The calendar is broken up into several DLs and will be posted over several days. Don't worry if you can't make it back right away, I'll leave the links up for a while. Go to Saxon's blog to get them. Merry Christmas!

Catching up on some layouts

I evidently haven't been very good about posting everything here as I get them done- oops! so, here are a bunch of new layouts for you to see.

My friend, Jess Gordon, is opening up a store over at SunshineStudioScraps and I got to play with her new kit, Christmas Heart. It's a gorgeous kit- great job, Jess!

journaling: We bought this hand-crafted pyramid in Rotenburg, Germany, and this was the first year I had put it out during the holidays in a while. The girls were fascinated with the nativity characters spinning by candlepower.
credits: Christmas Heart by Jess Gordon at SunshineStudioScraps; Worn Overlays by Manuela Zimmerman at scrapbookgraphics.com; fonts: CK Script and CK Becky

and here's the layout I did last month for Jess with her Cozy Sweater kit
credits: Cozy Sweater by Jess Gordon at CRD Block Party; Fall Colors by Dianne Rigdon at scrapartist; Scruffy Stitches by Amy Hutchinson at After5Designs; Rubon action by Atomic Cupcake; Pencil Lines Template 106 by Michelle Filofonts: Persimmon

Brenna and Sarah playing with my old baby doll we found in Grandmama's storage unit a couple of weeks ago.

journaling: I found my old baby doll in a box in my mom’s storage unit, and brought her and her bed back to the house for the girls to play with. Sarah was instantly enamoured of my old toy and carried her around, fed her and placed her in her bed for naps. The other girls got a few minutes with the precious baby every once in a while too. It was difficult to convince Sarah that Baby Doll needed to stay with Grandma where she would be safe and could be played with the next time we came for a visit.
credits: Phil & JayMay from the Young Love Collection and Everyday Basics Classic Frames by Chere Kaye at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns; stitched alpha freebie by Syrin; Templates With Attitude blog freebie by Tracy Blankenship; fonts: CK Becky

A couple more pictures from the Balloon Classic this fall:

journaling: The Colorado Balloon Classic is a Colorado Springs tradition and one we enjoy participating every year over Labor Day weekend. We go to at least one of the morning liftoffs to enjoy the beautiful colors of the balloons against the blue Colorado sky and mountains. It is hard to get up early on a morning when I would rather sleep in, but it is always worth the extra effort. August 30, 2008
credits: Skidamarink by Libby Weifenbach and Chere Kaye; Templates with Attitude 18 and Toolbox 11 Templates by Tracy Blankenship at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns; fonts: CK Extra and Times New Roman

Sarah reaching into her stocking last Christmas to see what was inside

credits: Holiday Fancy and Holiday Fancy Add-on by Dianne Rigdon at Scrapartist.com; Pencil Lines 106 template by Michelle Filo; candy canes and striped bow from Krafty Christmas Collection by Melinda Staley at Scrapdish; scruffy Stitches by Amy Hutchinson at After5Designs; fonts: CK Elsie

and a layout I did for the currrent Hodge Podge challenge to count your blessings. I used Holly McCaig's newest kit for this one.

journaling: I used to wish my family was a little bigger as a kid. We lived far away from our relatives and didn’t see them very often. They say, “be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.” Mark and I had talked about 3 or 4 kids- I always thought 3 would be a good number. I didn’t count on having a set of twins or one last surprise after we thought our family was complete. Things are just about always noisy and messy , but I wouldn’t have it any other way now, of course . Six blessings may be bigger than I originally planned, but it is the perfect size- I should have dreamt a little bigger!
credits: Dream Big and felt heart from Jubilee (recolored) by Holly McCaig at HollyMcCaigDesigns; Hodge Podge Challenge template by Emily Powers; fonts: CK Becky

Christmas Bread recipe layout

I got the third layout I was working on last night finished up this morning.

Credits: Funky Junky Home For the Holidays, Funky Junky Christmas (Christmas title), and Funky Junky (journaling strip) by Kate Hadfield, Michelle Godin, and Rachel Young; All Worn Out 2 by Penny Springerman at SweetShoppeDesigns;
fonts: Typewriter and CK Journaling Condensed

and here is the recipe in a format that is a bit easier to read, if you'd like to give it a try.
Christmas Bread
Original recipe found at BHG.com
Dough:
3/4 C milk
1/4 C water
1 egg
1/4 C Margarine, cut up
3 1/2 C bread flour
1/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. yeast
1 C dried tart cherries or cranberries
Filling:
1/2 C sugar
1 T. flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 T butter

Frosting:
1 C sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
milk
halved candied red & green cherries

Directions:
1. Add the dough ingredients to the bread machine and select the dough cycle. When the cycle is complete, remove the dough and punch down. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.
2. Combine the first 3 filling ingredients in a bowl, and then cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Set aside.
3. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half of dough into a 12x6 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with half of the filling, then fold in half to make a 12x3 rectangle. Cut into 12 3x1 inch strips. Twist the strips and arrange on a greased baking sheet to form a tree shape. Use 10 strips for the branches, placing cut ends toward the center and remaining strips for the top and trunk.
4. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until double in size.
6. Bake at 375 F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.
6. Make frosting glaze, in a small bowl, using 3 to 4 T milk to get a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over breads. Garnish with cherries. Makes 16 servings.

I'm a Studio Crew member at Scrapbookgraphics!

I was asked a week ago if I would like to join the Studio Crew at Scrapbookgraphics, and of course I had to say YES! I'm excited to be working with Robin again and all of the other great gals at SBG. I will be helping organize their tutorials section and writing more for them. They are a really fun bunch, and I've enjoyed getting to know them better this week.
One of the new kits that I've been able to play with a little early as part of The Crew this week is the fabulous new addition to the Funky Junky line by Kate Hadfield, Rachel Young, and Michelle Godin- Funky Junky Home for the Holidays. Lots of fun scrapping goodies in this, and they re-released the first Funky Junky edition and the Funky Junky Christmas too. Here are the pages I've done so far. I'm working on a third one, but something's just not quite right with it yet (I wish I could define what it is that I don't like so I could wrap it up LOL).

We spend Christmas day at home with family. The kids were told they had to wait until 6:30 to get up, so the older ones set their alarm clocks and within a couple of minutes of them going off they were upstairs to see what Santa had left them while they slept. Grandmama was a trooper and here right at 6:30 so that they wouldn’t have to wait to start opening the gifts. After admiring their Santa gifts and looking in the stockings, we ate egg & sausage casserole and Christmas bread with hot cocoa. After we had all been fortified with food and drink, the official gift opening began. Carissa played Santa this year and was the one to hand out the gifts from beneath the tree. We take turns opening gifts so that we can all see what everyone receives. Mother-in-law and Son-in-law gifts are a tradition that began with MommyPat and Richard. This year all of the gifts had to do with animal ‘poop’ in some form of candy. In addition to a toy or two, the kids always receive a new outfit to wear and this year they all received new books to read as well. Melinda was happy to receive a new CD and new Photoshop Elements and Lightroom software to use on the computer. Mark received some new clothes and new music CDs. The kids played with their new toys for a while, and then we headed to Grandmama’s house for Christmas dinner and opening gifts from her.
credits: Funky Junky Home For the Holidays by by Kate Hadfield, Michelle Godin, and Rachel Young; PencilLines Sketch 110 by Michelle Filo; fonts: Times New Roman

journaling: .... and that and that, Mama. The phrase is repeated several times just to make sure that any parent within earshot has heard her. It’s not the same thick Sears and JCPenney Christmas catalogs that I spent days poring over and making my Christmas list from as Wal-Mart and Target provide the flyer sized toy catalogs, but their arrival in the mail and newspaper generate nearly as much excitement now as I remember when I was a kid and mark the start of the retail holiday season.
credits: Funky Junky Christmas, Funky Junky (alpha and journaling strips), and Funky Junky Home for the Holidays (paint) by Kate Hadfield, Michelle Godin, and Rachel Young; Holiday Alpha- Red by Michelle Godin; template by Janet Phillips from Impressions of Motherhood collab kit- all at ScrapbookGraphics.com; fonts: Ziggy Zoe

Sarah's Third Birthday Party

Here are the pictures from Sarah's 3rd birthday party for you to see, finally.



journaling: We celebrated Sarah's third birthday on October 11th with the Tamblyns and Grandmama. It was several days early, but that is what worked for everyone and she was content with having a party whenever it happened. We had sweet and sour meatballs, broccoli and honey-whole wheat rolls for dinner, Dora cake and presents. She received lots of Dora things- a Dora Magical Castle with all of the furniture and carriage and a Dora Big Wheel from Mama and Daddy. Grandmama gave her the new Dora Saves the Snow Princess DVD and coloring book. The Tamblyns gave her a rabbit Beanie Baby. The men took it easy and talked politics while the ladies put together all of the new toys for Sarah.
credits: available at scrapbookgraphics: Sugar Rush by Flergs and Franziska Altmann; Twice as Nice Lots of Photos by Janet Phillips; Vellum Date Dots by Ellie Lash; Random Bits 1 alpha by Corina Nielsen at funkyplaygrounddesigns
fonts: Times New Roman and TXT Annesia

Brrrr.... winter is on it's way

It was pretty darn cold here the last week and definitely feeling more like winter than fall most days. The winter and Christmas kits are hitting the digital shelves, so out come my winter and snow photos from last season.

credits: Jubilee, Manic Monday overlay (Create blog freebie),and Metal Date Tags by Holly McCaig at HollyMcCaigDesigns.com; Election Day Photo Overlay by Holly McCaig at PinkInkStudios; Square Matties by Corina Nielsen at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns; Acryloholic by Traci Reed at SweetShoppeDesigns.com; Cookie Template by Cindy Schneider for SweetShoppeDesigns; fonts: TXT Santa Font

all of the next projects are done with a new kit by Saxon Holt and Tracey Monette at Scrapbook-Elements today- it's called Winter Frost.

credits: Winter Frost by Saxon Holt and Tracey Monette at Scrapbook-Elements; Acryl-O-Holic Alpha by Traci Reed at SweetShoppeDesigns; Worn Overlays 2 by Something Blue Studios at catscrap; fonts: TXT Annesia

and ATC- I haven't done one of these in a long time.

credits: Winter Frost by Saxon Holt and Tracey Monette at Scrapbook-Elements

and a set of hybrid Christmas ornaments that I designed for a little (or should I say big?) project for the Petite Tap ensemble to hand out to the attendees of their holiday dance programs. Myself and another mom and several of the girls from the group sat in the hall during most of the dress rehearsal last night and cut, glued, punched and stamped while lots of people stopped to ask what we were doing. We didn't get them all done, but we made pretty good progress. Renee and I will sit in the hall again Tuesday night during class and keep working on them.

and just because..... I found this photograph when I was looking through all of my winter pictures- a little 'flashback' to Halloween 2002. Can you believe how little Beth and Carissa look in this photo? and how little the tree and bushes in the front yard are? The pink coat that Carissa is wearing in this photo belongs to Sarah this year ;) We haven't had a good snowfall like that yet this year, but there were a few small flakes drifting in the air on Tuesday morning.

Christmas Don't Be Late- tap dance preview

Hit the play button and then scroll down to see a few pictures from the dress rehearsal this evening. You can't see it all that well in these, but I spent probably an hour and half over the last 24 hours brushing up on my hair-curling techniques. Ms. Toni wanted the girls to have curly hair, so I rolled their hair up in curlers last night and then this afternoon had to get out the new curling iron I bought as the curls had started to relax by the time the evening rehearsal rolled around. Beth and Carissa were quite enamored with having bouncy hair, and I'm sure Brenna would have jumped at the chance to wear sponge rollers in her hair last night too the way her envious looks were flying across the room. LOL






We were missing our 'Alvin' as Derek, the seventh member of the group, was out of town with his family for the weekend. The official holiday performances start next weekend, so I'm sure I'll have more pictures for you then!

RAKscraps November newsletter

is up now at RAKscraps and not only do I have a tutorial in it this month, but I'm the team member interview (again- this is my third time I've been interviewed for the newsletter! LOL) Here's the 'all about me' LO I did for the newsletter. It's kind of fun to do these every once in a while - most of the things are the same, but there are usually a few new things too ;)

credits: Crush by Krystal Hartley; by Bren Boone: At One With Nature, Naturally, Smitten, Teacher's Pet, Type Key Minis; Love Bites by Dani Mogstad, Traci Reed and Shawna Clingerman; Twilight Flair by Andrea; pumpkin from Be Thankful by Sophia Sarducci; Glass Pebbles by Rina Kroes; Shabby Geek by Amy Knepper; leaves by Bannerwoman (Scrapdish Oct2007 Designer Collab); Felt leaves by Kim Jensen (Rich Autumn); Hang a Shining Star and A Very Merry Addon by Dani Mogstad; Build Your Own Border 2 by Amy Wolff; Owls by Kate Hadfield (Woodland Whimsy), Krystal Hartley (The Sky is Falling), and Amy Hutchinson (Spiced Rum 08); Tree from Spiced Rum by Amy Hutchinson; actions by Atomic Cupcake; fonts: tweed, CK Becky

A few Halloween photos

Beth and Carissa were the official family pumpkin-carvers this year. I cut the top off of the pumpkin for them, but they did everything else themselves. It turned out great!

The smaller pumpkin in the photo is one that Bryce and a classmate carved at school on Thursday. His turned out great too!

Brenna had her first school party on Friday morning to celebrate Halloween. The kids were all so cute in their costumes! We had a small costume blip at school. Because they only have a half day, they were allowed to wear their costumes all during their school day (full day students had to wait until afternoon party time to put theirs on.) Since Brenna was a black cat, she of course had a tail that clipped to the back of her pants. The tail fell off somewhere outside during recess, and that made Brenna very sad. We looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it. We let the ladies in the office know we were looking for it so that if it showed up by the end of school they would know who it belonged to. Brenna was so sad that she had lost her tail :( We hung around the front doors a little longer than usual after school was over taking a few pictures with her friends, and just as we were getting ready to leave the custodian, Mr. Joe, came out of the school and handed us the missing costume appendage. She was so happy and I was relieved I didn't have to try and figure out how to make a replacement for her.

credits: Spookie Ookie by Dianne Rigdon at scrapartist; Black alpha from Rustic Provence and Skribble Alpha by Wingefluester Designs; Sketch Collection 27 by Jen Caputo at scrapbookgraphics; fonts: Century Gothic, CK Chocolate Sundae

and all of the kids in their costumes before we headed out to go trick-or-treating.

journaling: The kids had lots of fun with their costumes this year for Halloween. Sarah’s costume came from the dress-up box in her room- she was so cute as a ladybug! She called the antenna headband her “ladybug ears.” Brenna was a black cat, just like she saw in the Dora Halloween storybook she has. Elizabeth and Carissa wore the costumes from their tap class and were 80’s girls. The sparkly skirts shimmered in the night as the walked down the streets trick-or-treating. Bryce got a new costume this year and he chose to be Darth Vader. He accompanied Sarah and I to Brenna’s Halloween party at school and got several “cool!” statements from the boys in her class and in the halls. We spotted lots of Star Wars costumes this year, but he was the only Darth Vader costume that we saw.
credits: Friendly Spooks by Kate Hadfield and Tiff Brady at The-LilyPad; Sketch Collection 27 by Jen Caputo at scrapbookgraphics; Rhinestone heart and heart button from Mix Tape by Traci Murphy and Jaime Young at FPD; ladybug from Strawberry Delight by Annie Manning (DST Gold Member kit); fonts: Star Jedi, CK Extra

I'd like to do a couple more layouts with the rest of the Halloween photos I took- the pumpkin carving and going trick-or-treating since we saw some neat decorations- but I've got a bunch of CT commitments that have to come first. We'll see I guess how productive I can be!