A Scrappy Design

{Chevron & Polka Dots}

2012-02-13T23:45:00.001-06:00

Howdy! Can I ask a favor? If you’re still reading this blog, can you leave me a comment? All you have to do is say ‘Hi'!’ I’m only asking this because I have been debating on whether or not to combine my blogs or if I should keep them separate.

I’ve finally started adding more printables to the shop. I did a custom for a good friend of mine and I liked it so much I thought I’d put it in the shop. It’s a good neutral theme of Aqua, Red, Chevron and Polka Dots that can be used for any type of event/party. Each component is currently listed separately. I can also add/design any components you would need for your party/event.

The banner can be changed to wording of your choice (not to exceed 15 characters).

Text can be added to the Food Labels/Place Cards for a small additional fee.

I’m constantly trying to work on new things and hope to eventually add some of the embellishments I previously sold in digital format.

{Monster Mash}

2012-01-12T07:18:00.000-06:00

I’ve had some design orders come in the last couple of days and I’m very excited about them and can’t wait to get started on them! Before I received these orders I had been working on putting together a party pack using the Little Monsters that I had in my Etsy shop before. I had several requests for them and am just now getting around to finishing these printables. I am sooo happy with the way it is turning out! I hope some boy moms out there will like them too!

I’m still taking orders/requests so if you are interested, you can email me or contact me via convo through Etsy.

Thanks for stopping by!

{Printables Now Available}

2012-01-10T22:47:00.001-06:00

I promised you they were coming and now they’re here! I’ve started stocking {embellish*ology} with a couple of Valentine printables and hope to add more in the coming days.

Valentine’s day is just around the corner and these party circles would be perfect a top those cupcakes you are planning to make for that special someone.

Also available, are these coordinating chevron labels that you can use as food labels or place cards along with or exclusive of the party circles.

I’m also taking custom orders so if you have a party or event coming up and want some DIY printable décor, I’m your girl! Just shoot me an email or convo me through Etsy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sale! Sale! Sale!

2011-12-30T06:01:00.000-06:00

I’ve got a sale going on over at A Scrappy Design. Right now I have Christmas stuff stocked so if you want to stock up for next year, now’s the time! I will be adding more in the days to come!

Use coupon code YEAREND to get 20% off your total purchase (before shipping). I also have flat rate shipping so buy as much as you want for one low price!

Sale ends Jan. 6th.

Happy Shopping!

{Transitioning}

2011-12-26T22:13:00.001-06:00

I see that I’m losing followers. :( I don’t blame them since I haven’t blogged since October! My two precious little girls have just kept me so busy that I have trouble keeping up with 3 blogs and 2 Etsy shops!

Anyway, after much consideration, I have decided to transition {embellish*ology} to printable items such as invitations, announcements, cupcake toppers, etc. Don’t worry though, I will also have some of my current items as printables too! While I am in this transition phase, to keep my creative juices flowing, I am currently taking custom design orders.

This month I have done a couple of Christmas themed orders…

This is a canning jar label that I designed for a customer who was using them on jars of home made salsa. YUM! (The wording in this one has been changed to protect the customer.)

And here is a set of prints with Christmas quotes that I designed for a customer who framed them and used them with her Christmas décor.

In the past, I have also designed some scrapbook goodies, invitations, cupcake toppers, banners, etc. that I will share in the days to come.

If you are needing something, I would be more than happy to do a custom design for you! Just shoot me an email with what you are wanting (just click on ‘Contact’ up above).

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

{Back to Business}

2011-10-18T23:04:00.001-05:00

Hi! Is anyone out there still reading my blog?

Sorry I’ve been gone for so long but these two little munchkins have kept me very busy for the last 3 months!

Having twins and them being my first children, there has been A LOT of adjusting in our household. But after a pretty long maternity leave (I was on bed rest for a month) I think we are adjusted enough to where I feel like I can do a little bit of work again so, I have re-opened Embellish*ology and hope to re-open A Scrappy Design soon!

I am working on a Grand Re-opening so stay tuned!

{Spring Break}

2011-03-23T20:32:00.001-05:00

Did you think I wasn’t coming back? I was starting to think so. Growing 2 babies is a lot more exhausting than I had imagined! I’m still having trouble keeping my eyes open in the evenings but I have been able to get some stuff done.

For example, I have several items complete for my Spring collection that I’m calling Spring Break. I’m not ready for a full reveal so I thought I would give you a little sneak peek just to get your curiosity going.

Wanna see more? Keep checking back because I will likely be posting more sneaks over the next week or so.

Happy Crafting!

{Checking In}

2011-01-27T21:20:00.001-06:00

Believe it or not, I’m still here! I’m slooooowly working on new stuff for the shop. I say slowly because I work when I have bursts of energy and with this pregnancy and everything else that’s been going on, those bursts of energy are few and far between. And right now I am also fighting off a sinus infection.

Hope to be posting regularly soon!

Miss you!

{Where have I been?}

2010-12-28T20:33:00.001-06:00

To learn where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing, check out my other blog Just Wait til You Have Kids. I’ll be posting non shop related things over there.

{M.I.A.}

2010-12-22T20:51:00.001-06:00

Sorry that I’ve been M.I.A for so long. I promise to be back soon (hopefully next week). Have had a lot going on and haven’t been focusing on the shops as much as I should be.

{Black Friday through Cyber Monday Sale!}

2010-11-27T13:01:00.001-06:00

{embellish*ology} is having a sale! Now through Monday receive 15% off your total purchase!!

Top 5 reasons to shop the {embellish*ology} sale:

#5 You’re getting top quality handmade items made just for you.

#4 Our products aren’t just for scrapbookers & paper crafters. Most of our products can be used for parties, gifts, and organizing.

#3 You will receive your purchase wrapped and ready for gift giving! We can also send directly to your recipient, with a personalized gift card included!

#2 Christmas is just around the corner and you need gift tags for all those gifts! Our tags look great on wrapped packages.

And the #1 reason to shop the {embellish*ology} sale:
FLAT RATE SHIPPING! Buy as much as you want and only pay $2.00 for domestic shipping ($3.00 International)

HAPPY SHOPPING!

{A Mini Photo Shoot}

2010-10-25T21:08:00.001-05:00

So, I have been chomping at the bit to work on my photography skills. Right now, I don’t have too many cooperative subjects so I had to bribe my niece to pose for me.

For her 5th birthday, my sister fixed up her room in hot pink and zebra so I thought it would be cute to get some pics of her in her room.

{Bicycles & Monsters, Oh My!}

2010-10-21T07:52:00.000-05:00

As promised, some awesome projects from DT Lovey, Diana!

How lovely is this card?! I just love the colors and that trim! Diana used one of the bicycle tags in the Enjoy the Ride Bicycle Tag set and can you guess the other {embellish*ology} product she used? If you guessed one of the tags from the Fright Night Journaling Squares set, then you are correct! She simply cut away the patterned part of the journaling square and added the ‘Thank You’. Genius!

Check this out! On this card, Diana cut out one of the little monsters from the Little Monster Embellishment Tags and popped him up on a wood grain/faux bois tag from the Wood Grain Tags in Halloween Colors.

So, you see, there are many ways to use even holiday themed products for non-holiday themed projects!

Have you used any {embellish*ology} products in any of your projects? We’d all love to see! You can share them over in the {Inspired} Flickr group!

XOXO,

{DT Lovey Project}

2010-10-20T07:31:00.000-05:00

Hiya! Just a quick post to show off Susan’s latest projects using {embllellish*ology} products!

How cute are these? For these cute birthday cards, Susan used the Kraft Cupcake tags. Buy a set of these cupcake tags and you could make a set of birthday cards to have on hand or give as a gift!

I just love this by Susan, don’t you? For this project, she used the Flying Beauty tags on kraft.

Check back tomorrow for some more ideas from another DT lovey, Diana.

XOXO,

{Stir Fry Chicken Fajitas}

2010-10-14T19:43:00.001-05:00

Another recipe I’ve been asked to share. Haven’t heard from anyone who’s tried any of my recipes so if you have, speak up! I’d love to hear what you thought. :)

2-3 Chicken Breasts, cubed or cut into strips
4 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
Green Bell Pepper, sliced
Red Bell Pepper, sliced
Med. Onion, sliced
1-2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Put chicken in a Ziploc back with Liquid Smoke, set aside.

While chicken is marinating, heat wok or skillet with butter on med-high and sauté onions & peppers. Remove onions and peppers from skillet. Add olive oil and chicken to skillet (carefully, since skillet will be hot). Brown chicken on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.

Add onions & peppers to skillet, mix with chicken then cover. Continue cooking on low heat until chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes).

Serve with all the fixins!

YUMMYLICIOUS!

{Halloween Dinner Party}

2010-10-06T22:28:00.001-05:00

Hi! How is everyone? Been a while, huh? Well, I have a little treat for you from one of the DT lovies, Tessa!

When Tessa sent me her projects, I immediately thought of a Halloween dinner party…

How about this for an invitation design? Tessa used the chandelier tag from the Fright Night Halloween Cut-Outs.

Now that the invitations are taken care of, how about some place cards for the table? For these, Tessa used the Fright Night Labels and mounted them onto black cardstock.

Ok, so we have invitations and place cards how about some favor tags? How cute are these?! To make these tags, all you need are the Fright Night Journaling Squares and some dimensional Halloween stickers

Want an alternative to the invitation above or thank you cards to send home with your guests? Whip up some of these using the Happy Halloween tag from the Fright Night Halloween Cut-Outs.

Also, don’t forget in the shop we have these Spooky Halloween Tags that would be perfect for cupcake toppers…

Or these Halloween Wood Grain tags that could also be used for favor tags or labels for your menu items.

So there you have it…a complete set for your Halloween dinner party!

Thank you to Tessa for her great ideas! I’m so glad to have her as a part of my Design Team. :)

{Belated Giveaway Winner Announcement!}

2010-09-24T17:34:00.001-05:00

Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t believe it was almost a week before I realized I forgot to announce the winner of the LiveTeachCreate giveaway! I. Am. So. Sorry!

I numbered all of the comments and used random.org to get our winners. So, without any further delay, the winner of the Teresa Collins Documented Envelope Album Kit is……

Mamatha!!

And the winner of the Teresa Collins Family Matters Clipboard Cover Kit is…..

Carrie Duvall!!

Congrats ladies! Please click on Contact at the top of the page and email me your snail mail address to receive you prizes!

Thanks Everyone for participating!!

{Operation Reorganization: Kitchen Pantry}

2010-09-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

Remember this post where I ranted about my pantry and told you that it was all going to change? Well, the next day I thought about how I was going to tackle the reorganization and when I got home from work, I emptied out the entire contents of my pantry, filled my dining room table and sat in the middle of my kitchen on a step stool trying to figure out how to put it back together. My first thought was that the contents in my dining room could not go back into the same cabinet they came out of so this is what happened.

I relocated my bake ware to the pantry and moved the pantry contents to where the bake ware was. It was closer to the stove microwave so it made sense to me. Also the cabinet is not as deep as the pantry so hopefully food won’t get lost in it’s new location. :)

This is the contents AFTER I sifted through and pulled out the food that was expired. Forgot to take a picture of all that but I filled an entire garbage bag (and felt extremely guilty for throwing out that much food.) There were things in there that expired in 2006!! Eeewww!

Ok. So I did a little switcharoo and you would think that would be the end of it, right? Well, it wasn’t. I also had spices and ingredients for baking in the pantry and when I went to put those items in their proper places, I was again sickened by the lack of organization there too so I emptied the cabinets where I had the spices and baking stuff.

The before pic is after I sorted through my spices. I had 5 of some things! Seriously people, it was ridiculous! Those racks in the after pic pull out & down which is great because that cabinet is above our microwave that’s over the stove and I’m short so any little help I can get so I don’t have to use a step stool is wonderful!

Before I show you where the baking supplies and spices were mixed together, let’s check out the “overflow” pantry that we have in our laundry room.

Well, it looks just as crowded but it’s a little more organized than before. My hope was to move the doggie stuff to a cabinet above our dryer but those bins didn’t fit. Plan B is to put it all in the cabinet under the sink in our laundry room but hubsy is going to have to go through that stuff because well, it’s all his crap under there. Remember how I said the paper plates, cups & stuff was suppose to be in this cabinet? Do you notice in the after pic that it all made it to it’s originally designated place? :)

Ok, now let’s go back to the kitchen and check out that cabinet with all my baking supplies. Before, all my spices, baking supplies, some random dishes & disgusting bugs were residing in this cabinet. After a thorough cleaning, I managed to put it all back together. I so wish I had taken a pic of the before when it was all in the cabinet.

This is, hands down, my favorite part of the reorganization project (even though I had no intention to touch this cabinet originally). In the after pic, on the top left are all my extracts, food coloring, baking spices (like nutmeg, pumpkin spice, etc), and cupcake liners. On the right are all my oils and cooking sprays. The middle shelf is all my dry goods like sugars & flours. If I had extras, I placed it behind the jars. The bottom isn’t baking stuff, it’s pasta, beans & tea bags. All my pasta was where the spices are now so I had to relocate them somewhere.

Ok, so if you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen my tweet about how giddy I was that I got to use some labels from my {embellish*ology} shop! Many of you wanted to see them in action so here ya go! All I did was add the ingredient of each jar, printed & cut them out and ran them through my Xyron. Want some customized labels for your organization project? Let me know, I’d be happy to customize some for you!

So what do you think of Operation Pantry Reorganization? I hope you are inspired to use {embellish*ology} products now. :)

XOXO,

{My First Sketchy Thursday Challenge}

2010-09-13T22:17:00.001-05:00

Ever since Diana became one of my DT lovies, I was determined to participate in one of the challenges on her Sketchy Thursdays blog. Since I was on a digi scrapping kick this weekend, I thought now was as good a time as any.

Here’s this week’s sketch:

And, here’s my take on the sketch:

Hope your Monday was a good one…mine kinda sucked. :(

XOXO,

{LiveTeachCreate Giveaway and a Coupon Code!}

2010-09-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Jenn, one of my good twitter friends and vendor of {embellish*ology} has put up some goodies for two lucky readers to win! YIPEEE!!

One lucky winner will win this Teresa Collins Documented Envelope Album Kit. And another lucky winner will win this Teresa Collins Family Matters Clipboard Cover Kit!

For this little giveaway, we are going to do a scavenger hunt through Jenn’s online scrapbook store.

To Enter the Giveaway:
BE SURE TO LEAVE 1 COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY/ITEM FOR MULTIPLE CHANCES TO WIN.
*Participate in our little scavenger hunt. 1 comment per clue.
*Follow Jenn on Twitter @liveteachcreate.
*Follow her blog.
*Blog about this little giveaway.

Are you ready for a little scavenger hunt?

Ready. Set. Go! http://shop.liveteachcreate.com/

1. Name one adhesive carried at LiveTeachCreate?

2. Name 1 die cutting machine Jenn carries in her shop.

3. Name one {embellish*ology} product that LiveTeachCreate currently carries?

4. What is your favorite item on this page?

5. If you could have anything from the LiveTeachCreate store, what would it be?

Winners will be announced Monday, September 20th. Good Luck!

P.S. If you don’t want to wait to win the goodies, Jenn has also offered a coupon code for 10% off purchases of $25 or more!
Use coupon code 10EMB25.

{It’s a Pantry Raid!}

2010-09-09T22:06:00.001-05:00

This post was inspired by Katie over at Cleared for Takeoff.

Ok, so tonight I went grocery shopping….which is bad enough but what I dislike more than grocery shopping is putting up the groceries once I get home. Tonight was no different. I strongly dislike putting up groceries because I am not happy with my pantry situation. Let’s take a little tour and I’ll show/tell you why.

(Pics aren’t going to be pretty because I snapped them real quick with my iPhone)

Ok, this is my official “pantry”. Doesn’t look so bad, you say? Well, can you see that stuff in the back? No? well that’s because it’s like 2 feet deep! There is probably stuff back there that has been there almost as long as we’ve been in this house (10 years). There’s a bottom part to this pantry but I have things like plastic containers, appliances we never use, etc.

Because the pantry in our kitchen is so inadequate, we purchased a free standing cabinet to catch the overflow. Not being utilized very efficiently, huh?

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?
This is the top two shelves. The top is mainly Ziploc bags because I bought them in bulk at Sam’s due to the fact that it seemed like we never had any when I needed them. That shelf was designated for things like that along with paper plates, cups etc. Notice that some other things have snuck up there and the paper plates have decided to party with the chips on the second shelf.

Ok so you’ve seen the top two shelves of the “overflow pantry” lets take a look at the bottom two shelves. These shelves have been designated for the dog stuff. That’s a lot of stuff for a dog that does nothing but lay around and sleep! Oh, and no, those aren’t really dirty dish rags & towels…I just haven’t re-labeled that basket yet.

My little tirade tonight while putting up groceries has led to my weekend project….organizing this pantry so figuring out what to make for dinner doesn’t give me a headache LOL.

Now that you’ve seen my pantry in all it’s glory, head on over to Katie’s blog and link up your pantry.

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-09-08T12:03:00.001-05:00

{Make it up as I go Chicken & Pasta}

2010-09-03T21:33:00.001-05:00

So, today I spent all day cleaning and was still in cleaning mode when hubsy came home from work. I wasn’t too worried about having dinner ready because he likes to do his P90 workout before dinner so I pulled a couple of chicken breasts out of the freezer to thaw having no idea what I was going to do with it. About an hour later, this is what I came up with.

Here’s what you’ll need:
Chicken Breasts
Rotini Noodles
1 can Crushed Tomatoes
1 Squash – Sliced,diced or however you like it.
Italian Seasonings (Garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram)
McCormick Garlic&Herb Seasoning
Olive oil
Garlic Breadsticks

In a saucepan, warm the crushed tomatoes & Italian seasonings (to taste). Add squash & zucchini. Cover and let simmer.

While the sauce is simmering, start cooking the Rotini noodles.

In a skillet, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil (enough to cover the bottom. While oil is heating, season chicken breasts with the Garlic&Herb seasoning, add to skillet. Cook on med-high heat until cooked through.

Right before chicken is done, warm garlic breadsticks in oven and mix the tomato sauce & pasta.

Serve to hungry family. :)

If you make this, I’d love to hear what you thought. Also would love to hear any variations you try.

XOXO,

{A Mini Tutorial}

2010-09-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

Hi! Have you been to the shop to see all the Halloween goodies that have been added? What do you think? Got any ideas on how you can use them?

Well, have no fear, Diana is here…..to give us a little tutorial for this super cute mini album!

Diana had a great idea and combined the Little Monster embellishments with the Fright Night embellishments! She used the Fright Night Halloween Cut-Outs, Little Monster Journaling Strips, Little Monster Journaling Cards, Wood Grain Tags-Halloween Colors, and the Little Monster Embellishment Tags.

Below are the step by step instructions.

Step 1: Fold a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper or card stock in half. Glue together for a more sturdy book, or use double-sided paper and leave unglued for more pages to decorate.

Step 2: Cut into thirds.

Step 3: Punch two holes in the top of each sheet.

Step 4: Decorate pages and thread ribbon through the holes.

Step 5: Hang and enjoy!

And for those of you who need visuals, you can download the PDF, HERE.

This is super cute Diana! I think I may just have to make one of these for myself!

If you decide to try your hand at one of these, send me a pic and I may just feature it here on the blog! [Extra points if you use {embellish*ology} products. ;) ]

XOXO,

{A Chance to Win Goodies!}

2010-09-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

Hi ya’ll! Just wanted to let you know that The RikRak Studio is giving away lots of goodies including $25 in products from {embellish*ology}! She’s giving away 3 prize packs each valued at $100!! What are you waiting for?! Get over there and enter to win!

Oh, and spread the word! :)

XOXO,

{Introducing Fright Night}

2010-09-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

Fall is coming, can you feel it? The weather is getting cooler, the days seem to be shorter and college football officially starts this weekend! Halloween is just around the corner and I have the perfect embellishments for you to document the occasion!

Fright Night will be available in the shop this evening. If there’s something you want and it happens to be sold out when you go to the shop, no fear, I will have it re-listed soon.

The Design Team girlies have been working on lots of projects using {embellish*ology} products, including Fright Night, so check back because you are going to love what they’ve come up with.

Tomorrow, Diana has prepared a fun & simple tutorial for a mini album! Here’s the cover. Isn’t it adorable?!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the new products!

XOXO,

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-08-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

XOXO,

{I heart faces: Beach Fun Photo Challenge}

2010-08-23T21:29:00.001-05:00

Ever since I started reading iheartfaces, I intended to submit a photo for their weekly challenge. Finally, I am taking the plunge.

This was taken last October when we went to Disneyland. It was E’s first time to ever see the ocean. I never in my wildest dreams imagined she would have the reaction she did. I knew she would be excited because she had been talking about it non-stop when we found out we were going but I had no idea she would be this excited. As soon as we hit the sand, she went running and screaming (like a crazy child) toward the water….clothes and all. It was around 54 degrees that day but she didn’t care one bit.

XOXO,

{Vintage Car Party}

2010-08-23T19:33:00.001-05:00

Remember this post about the party invitation with the vintage cars? Well, this weekend was my nephew’s 2nd birthday party so here are pictures of the party decorations my sister came up with and the other paper goodies I designed.

I’ve been debating on putting party sets like this in the {embellish*ology} shop and I still haven’t decided but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

{A Weekend Get Away}

2010-08-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

Starting last year, my MIL has rented a house/cabin at the end of summer for all of us to get together for a weekend. Hubsy’s brother and SIL live down in Texas so we meet about half way in South Central Oklahoma. This year we stayed in a nice log house on 70 acres with a pond and access to the river.

While the girls stayed in the cool house, the boys went fishing.

One evening, after dinner, we decided to venture down to the river and explore a bit.

It was a pretty good weekend. Hubsy did get a little bored because there wasn’t much to do…..and it was HOT. I, on the other hand, was smart and packed up my laptop. While we didn’t have internet access, I could at least work on design projects.

I can’t believe that was a week ago. This weekend isn’t going to be as relaxing. We have a birthday party and chores to get caught up on.

Hope your weekend is a good one!

XOXO,

{Custom Designing}

2010-08-18T23:06:00.001-05:00

Remember yesterday when I mentioned that some of the things I’ve been working on is custom designs? Well, my good friend Alicia of FatDaddySweets asked me to design some packaging labels for her new cupcake line. If you haven’t tried FatDaddySweets yummylicious chocolates yet, you MUST! And now she has cupcakes WITH her chocolates in the center! OMGracious they are yummy!!

XOXO,

{A Party for Boys}

2010-08-17T22:19:00.001-05:00

I swear I’m not a bad blogger! Just a busy gal who has a bad habit of putting blogging on the back burner. :(

I have been very busy working on designs for customers and coming up with new designs for the shop. The Halloween collection is done but you’ll have to wait for the reveal on Sept. 1st….if I’m feeling generous, maybe a little before ;)

I’ve also been working on party stuff for a certain cutie patootie nephew of mine. Here’s the invitation design:

Aren’t those cars just the cutest?! I think I’m going to use them on something for the shop.

I’m hoping to do a small shop update sometime this week. I have a couple of new designs I’m anxious to add to the shop.

XOXO,

{New Products!}

2010-08-09T21:58:00.001-05:00

I’ve added new products to the shop! I’ve been busy, busy working on new designs….new tags, new labels, Halloween goodies, Christmas goodies. Seriously, my brain is on overload! So. Many. Ideas.

Here is a couple of things that were added. Be sure to head over to the shop to see what else I’ve added. ;)

(click on pics to view details & purchase)

Hope you all had a great Monday!

XOXO,

{You’ve Got Mail}

2010-08-05T22:48:00.001-05:00

Can I just say that I love my customers?! I get requests for things I really wouldn’t have thought of if it weren’t for those unafraid to ask. ;)

This week I had a request for some of my circle tags to be turned into envelope seals…..Ask and ye shall receive! Envelope seals will be added to the {embellish*ology} shop soon!

Can I get a YEEEEEHAWWWWW!?

XOXO,

{Wholesale Order}

2010-08-03T23:43:00.001-05:00

Well, I’ve been going back and forth on this for a while and last week, I got a convo from a certain scrapbook kit club that turned into {embellish*ology}’s first wholesale order! So, I guess it’s official, I’m offering wholesale prices to retailers & Kit clubs!

I was super excited to get such a large order so soon after the shop’s grand opening. I immediately went to work knowing that I would have many interruptions (life has been very busy lately but that’s another post). Anyway, long story short, 125 of these little babies are in the mail, on their way. Weeeeee!

If you are or know someone who is/would be interested in wholesale pricing for {embellish*ology} products, click on that contact button at the top right of your screen. ;-)

XOXO,

{Wood Grain Love}

2010-07-27T22:05:00.001-05:00

I’m really loving these wood grain tags right now. They are super cute as gift tags and have worked perfectly as journaling tags for scrapbook pages. I would love to do some in other colors and would love to hear your color suggestions.

{Creating & Shipping, Shipping & Creating}

2010-07-27T00:29:00.001-05:00

Hi all! Just thought I’d drop in and let you know I’m still here. :) Since the grand opening of my {embellish*ology} shop, I’ve been shipping orders and working on creating new products. Can’t believe it’s almost been two weeks!

If you haven’t been over to the shop recently, you should head on over there and check it out. I’ve added a few things like these labels (that are also available in primary colors):

I have some file tabs and labels that I’m hoping to get into the shop soon….hopefully, this week. I’m also working on Halloween goodies to be released in early fall.

XOXO,

{Are You A Weiner?}

2010-07-14T22:25:00.001-05:00

Um, oops, that should say *Winner* :)

Thank you to all who have supported me by commenting here on the blog, on the Facebook fan page, on Twitter! I really, truly appreciate all of my customers & fans. Without you, all the love, time & effort I put into my products/shop would be pointless.

Ok, now for the winners!!

Typography Alpha Strips:

Live.Teach.Create said... So cute!

Bicycle Tags:

EileenMV said... My youngest daughter is learning to ride a bike - definitely would use them on those layouts!!!

Flying High:

glynis said... I love the bikes!

Little Monsters:

Cari said... I looooove the farmer one! It's beautiful!

Wood Grain Tags:

A Sarasota said... Pretty pretty colors! Very happy.
My faves are the bicycles. I really need those for my cards. Awesomeness! tftc,
alecia

Congratulations to all the winners! Please send me your snail mail addy and I’ll have the prizes shipped out soon!

Thanks again to all who got involved in my Grand Opening!

XOXO,

{embellish*ology Final Sneak Peek: Wood Grain}

2010-07-13T07:14:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? It’s the last sneak peek before the Grand Opening! Don’t worry though because there are many more products than I’ve revealed and will be in the shop tomorrow!

So are you ready for the last peek into the new shop? I’m really liking these wood grain journaling tags and plan to have them in all sorts of colors.

It’s been so long since I’ve scrapbooked so I have really enjoyed playing with my new products. I’m really hoping having this new shop will allow me time to be able to do more scrapbooking. I will still keep A Scrappy Design open…I’m still liquidating all of my current stock and will occasionally add items here and there but {embellish*ology} is going to be my main focus.

I really hope everyone is as excited as I am about this new shop and I hope that you have told all your friends about {embellish*ology}!

LAST GIVEAWAY! Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite sneak peek was or what you would like to see in the new shop (I’m always looking/researching for new themes).

Winners for all the giveaways will be announced tomorrow evening. Don’t forget to check out the shop. All purchases Opening day will include a free gift!

{embellish*ology Sneak Peek: Little Monsters}

2010-07-12T06:15:00.000-05:00

Did everyone have a good weekend? I think it went a little too fast.

So, I did a little scrapbooking this weekend. Digi scrappin’ that is. Here’s the first layout I did:
It’s a pretty simple design but i didn’t want to take away from the photo. I still need to do the journaling. I’m kind of procrastinating on the journaling because it’s not one of my strong points. Also, I seem to be having issues with words lately. For example, while talking to my husband yesterday morning in Sunday School, I told him I could have eaten an umbrella when I really meant granola bar. What?! Where did THAT come from? But anyway, I digress.

Ok, so are you ready for the next sneak peek? Now, I have to tell you that I cheated and did my sneak peek digitally but the products will be sold as a physical product (that’s an advantage of being the designer :P). Anyway, I’m sure you’ll get the idea.

So what do you think? Do you like what you see of “Little Monsters”? Are you ready for the Grand Opening? Only 2 more days!!

Ok, it’s giveaway time!!! Leave me a comment telling me what you think of “Little Monsters” and you’ll be entered to win a set of Monsters for yourself!

Also, if you didn’t enter the giveaways for the other sneak peek sets, you can enter to win the Flying High set HERE, the Bicycles set HERE, and the Typography set HERE.

Only one more sneak peek to go! Are you as excited as I am?!

{embellish*ology Sneak Peek: Flying High}

2010-07-09T06:26:00.000-05:00

Are you getting tired of the sneak peeks yet? I sure hope not because there are more to come! I think the bicycles are the most popular so far but I bet you’re gonna like this sneak peek.

In the Flying High series, you’ll have the option to purchase journaling blocks, embellishment tags and Doodle Cutz!! YIPPEEE!!

Ok, time for the giveaway! Leave me a comment telling me what type of embellishment is your favorite.

AND

For another chance, tweet about any of the sneak peeks revealed so far, use the hash tag #embellishology and then leave me another comment telling me you’ve tweeted. :)

XOXO,

{embellish*ology Sneak Peek: Bicycles}

2010-07-08T06:32:00.000-05:00

So did you enjoy the first sneak peek? Did you leave a comment so you can win some goodies?

This next sneak peek can be used for scrapbooking, card making, gift tags, or even cupcake picks! The possibilities are endless!

Oh, did I mention that most of my items will be available in white and kraft?! Eeeeeeeeeee!!

Ok, here we go again. Leave a comment telling me how you would use these bicycle tags by midnight July 12th and you’ll be entered to win a set of your very own! And if you haven’t entered to win the Typography alpha strips, what are you waiting for?! Go here to win!

XOXO,

{embellish*ology Sneak Peek: Typography}

2010-07-07T07:28:00.000-05:00

Hi! Are you ready for the first sneak peak of the goodies I will have in the {embellish*ology} shop? I’ve been designing since the beginning of the year and still have tons of ideas flooding my brain. This new shop is going to have lots of goodies for scrapbooking, card making, paper crafting, party planning, and more!

This first set of goodies is going to be great for journaling. I’ve had several ideas on how to use these little alpha strips but want to hear how you would use them.

So, how would you use these “Typography” alpha strips? Leave me a comment with your idea(s) by July 12th and you could win a set!

I hope you liked this first sneak peek! I’m so excited to show you more…..hopefully tomorrow! Be sure to come to the grand opening of {embellish*ology} on Wednesday, July 14th.

XOXO,

{Exciting News & A Freebie!}

2010-07-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Long time no blog, huh? I’ve been MIA because I’ve been working on something new and I was on vacation for a bit.

So…..I guess I’ve been teasing everyone long enough. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know what I’m talking about ;) My big news is………. that I’m opening a new Etsy shop! Oh, you mean you already knew that? Huh. Well, do you know the name of it? Or know how to find it? Well look no further!

Please join me for the Grand Opening on July 14th, 2010 of my new shop,

I’m very excited about this new shop that will showcase printed embellishments that I have designed digitally. To give you an idea of what will be in the shop, I’ve decided to give you a freebie just in time for the 4th of July holiday. YIPEEEEE! How cute would these be as cupcake toppers or stickers?!

4th of July Freebie

If you have any issues downloading, please let me know.

Be sure to mark {embellish*ology} as a favorite, spread the word and check back on July 14th because there may be some fun Grand Opening festivities!

Whew! You have no idea how long I’ve been keeping that secret. It was about to kill me! LOL

If I don’t see you before the weekend, have a happy 4th and BE SAFE!

xoxo,

{Just Keep Swimming}

2010-06-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

Luke, my nephew, has always loved the water so when we started talking about opening the pool for the summer, I couldn’t wait to see how he would be when we put him in the pool. I think the following pictures speak for themselves.

What do you think? Do you think the pool was a hit?

{A Treasure Hunt}

2010-06-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

The Minnie Mouse Birthday Extravaganza continues!

When thinking about what we were going to get little missy for her birthday, James came up with the great idea of sending her on a treasure hunt! You see, here lately, Emma is always talking about going on an adventure. She loves walking around outside with me when I have my camera and trying to find things for me to photograph.

After much thought, we decided a simple map would be better than trying to come up with clues for a 5 year old so James set out to create the treasure map. In case you didn’t know, James is also very creative (he’s an artiste) so the map wasn’t just a simple little sketched out map. Ooooh no! He made the most awesome treasure map!

The flashlight & map were her first gifts to get her started on her hunt for the big final gift.

As you can see on the map, her first stop was their car where a set of binoculars was waiting for her.

The next stop was the refrigerator where a hid a Dora thermos.

After the refrigerator, it was off to the flower bed where we hid a net. That little boy is Tyler, the son of a friend of the family. The two of them are only a few months apart….I think their families have them betrothed. LOL

The two of them checked the map one more time to find out that they were off to Luke’s closet (Luke is her little brother, my nephew) where we had a magnifying glass.

After the magnifying glass, her last stop was the final gift. I didn’t get a good picture of her looking under her bed because she was just too excited and moving way too fast!

Here she is opening the big gift from us which was pillows and wall decor for her newly decorated zebra & hot pink room (yes, the 5 year old requested this stuff for her birthday).

So there you have it. Sorry the pictures weren’t that great. As I said earlier, she was so excited and moving so fast that I had a hard time getting my settings on my camera changed each time we went from inside to outside and room to room.

{Birthday Girl}

2010-06-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

Hey there! Did everyone have a good weekend? Ours was full with lots of swimming and a birthday party! Speaking of birthday party, I promised some pictures of the birthday girl, didn’t I? ;)

Before the party started, I arrived early to take some pics of the party girl. There was also an ulterior motive for the photo shoot….we had to prepare her present from HeHe & Uncle James (That’s what she calls us). But that is for another post. Today it’s birthday pics!

This last one is just a snapshot right before she opened her presents. When she saw me pointing the camera at her she told one of her friends, who was trying to talk to her, “Just a minute! I’m getting my picture taken.” Then she did this pose. She’s such a DIVA! LOL

Hope everyone has a great week!

{Minnie Mouse Extravaganza}

2010-06-06T18:55:00.001-05:00

Ever since we went to Disneyland last October, my niece has been obsessed with Minnie Mouse. When we asked her what she wanted to do for her Birthday, she said, “I want a Minnie Mouse party!”

Ask, and ye shall receive. My sister and I are DIY kind of people so we immediately started researching what all we could do. Emma’s birthday was actually last Tuesday but her party was yesterday. The following pictures are what we came up with as far as decorations.

Be sure to check back tomorrow because I’ll have pictures of the birthday girl in her birthday outfit.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

{Miss Me Much?}

2010-05-31T22:35:00.001-05:00

Hi! I have so much to tell you but no time tonight so I’ll leave you with some more storm photos I took about a week or so ago.

And this one is my favorite of this series! As my hubby said, “It’s almost biblical!”

Hope everyone enjoyed their extended weekend!

{Weathering the Storm}

2010-05-17T00:39:00.001-05:00

We’ve been weathering many storms over the last week. Thankfully, we’ve had no damage here but many in my area have been affected by tornadoes and damaging hail (we’re talking baseball/softball sized hail).

I have had some other things on my mind lately which is why I haven’t been around much. Must be the season….I have been contemplating changes (for the good), working on the house, being lazy and having fun hanging out with the hubs.

How have you been?

{May, Oh May}

2010-05-12T23:23:00.001-05:00

I’m still here. Did you think I disappeared? May is always a busy month for us. Lots of birthdays, anniversaries, & other holidays/events.

As you all know, Mother’s day was last weekend and this year, for us, it included a road trip to see the Hub’s Grandmother. I took several pictures (most of which were taken from a moving car).

Our trip took us out to Eastern Oklahoma to a town of a fairly good size but still has that small town charm. These are some pics that I took….yes, in the car and while it was moving (I think I’m getting pretty good at that). :)

I know this is soooo late but, Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mommies out there. I hope you had a great weekend!

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-05-04T23:51:00.001-05:00

The week is half behind us! :)

{A Tutti Fruiti Mini}

2010-04-27T08:33:00.000-05:00

When Diana sent me her Tutti Fruiti sneak peak, I couldn’t wait to see more. Well, when she sent me her completed project, I was very pleased. How cute is this mini album?!

Diana used the Cherry-Oh Cherries, Strawberry Fields Labels, Watermelon Patch Journaling Spots, Strawberry Fields Stickers, Watermelon Patch Stickers, and Watermelon Patch Labels.

Here’s some close ups:

You can see more of Diana’s & the other team’s projects in the Flickr group. If you have projects using items from The Shop, become a member and add them. You never know, you might even be featured here too!

{A Full Weekend}

2010-04-26T11:59:00.001-05:00

Normally, I have busy weekends but this one was exhausting! It started out with a trip downtown after work to pick up hubby’s race packet. We totally forgot about all the things that were going on this weekend….the Art’s Festival, OKC Thunder Playoffs, and the OKC National Memorial Marathon to name a few. Needless to say, we spent 30 minutes trying to find a place to park and another 15 walking to the place we needed to go. Oh yeah, and I was wearing heels too because when we left downtown, we were headed to a Sunday School party. I. Was. Not. A. Happy. Camper.

Saturday, was a birthday party and dinner with family (my grandpa was in town). Saturday, I actually took some pictures.

Here’s the birthday girl and her Mom & Dad.Do you think these two are related? :)
Love this shot of my Dad & nephew.

After a carb loaded dinner with family Saturday night, we got up at 4am Sunday morning to head back downtown so hubby could run his first 5K at the OKC Memorial Marathon. I was so proud of him! He and all the other runners/walkers totally inspired me to participate in the next one (although I may have to start out doing the Kid’s race. LOL)

Isn’t he a cutie?!

If you haven’t visited the OKC Bombing Memorial, I highly recommend it. Every time I go, I am deeply moved. There are just no words to explain the feelings you get when you walk through it.

So, there’s my weekend in a nutshell. I’m so glad I took off work today….not doing much except laundry.

Hope everyone has a great week! Come back tomorrow because I will be revealing Diana’s Tutti Fruiti project!

{A Walk in the Park}

2010-04-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the hubs and I went to the park to run (actually, he runs and I walk). Since I now seem to be obsessed with my camera, it went with me (that sucker is heavy!). Now, remember back to Monday’s post when I talked about shooting in manual mode? Well, I used manual here too……….and learned an important lesson. You must check your ISO before shooting or your pics will come out overexposed (I had it set at 2000! Mental note: Always pay attention to the details)! Any who, some of the pics turned out ok but I ended up having to do a little bit of editing.

When I started my walk, it was pretty sunny. I love this first shot of the sun coming through the tree. Love the starburst affect that I managed to get!

Then it got cloudy.

When I got home, I went out into our field and snapped some pics of the Indian Paint Brushes before they got mowed down. They come up every year and I love the color it adds to our landscape but unfortunately, they are considered weeds so they get mowed down. :(

Ok, so that’s my little show & tell. Have any questions, tips, suggestions? I’d love to hear from you so leave me a comment or shoot me an email!

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-04-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

{Flattered}

2010-04-19T22:33:00.001-05:00

Can I just say how much I love my customers? I have the nicest & sweetest customers. They (you) are so good to me. Check out some of my products with their corresponding I’ve received recently:

An A+ Seller.....love these colors.....lots of cool and neat "stuff" in this store.....you're going to love it!

Fast shipping. Wonderful follow-up. Super cute stickers! Would happily order again!

I love these tress.....they are sure to brighten my cards!

I love these tags! Thanks for doing this custom order for me. I know I asked for something you didn't already carry! You came through perfectly! Thank you!!

You see what I mean? I just want to let anyone, who has ever purchased from me, know that I greatly appreciate you!

XOXO,

{Manual Mode}

2010-04-18T11:26:00.001-05:00

Since I got my Nikon D5000 camera at Christmas, I’ve been wanting to try to learn how to take better pictures. Through some research, I learned that the best way to take better pictures is to get off auto mode and be in control of your settings. Up until last weekend, I had trouble comprehending the basics (aperture, shutter speed, etc.) Well, last weekend I purchased the Get Me Off of Auto Photography eBook on Designer Digitals and let me tell you, I totally get it now….well, not totally, but I’m definitely on my way.

Yesterday, I decided to play around with my camera (in between cleaning spurts) and got a little courage to try manual mode.
How cool is this?! It was gloomy & rainy outside but look how great the lighting is in this pic!

Here’s a macro shot:

Then I decided to try a product pic (working on pics of my products for the shop seems to be a continuing & evolving process).

I cannot believe the lighting in this photo. For 3+ years I have never been able to get the lighting this great and the color this accurate in pics without a little bit of tweaking. By the way, all these photos are unedited (except for the last one where I did a little bit of cropping).

You can bet that I will be shooting more & more in manual mode from now on!

Are you a photographer (professional or amateur)? Do you have a favorite mode or settings that you shoot with? Let me know, I’d love to hear!

{Tutti Fruiti Winner!}

2010-04-17T20:31:00.001-05:00

Sorry this is a little late. I got on a cleaning kick and didn’t want to stop. LOL

Ok, for the winner….I wrote everyone’s name on a list & numbered them (If you had more than one entry, your name was put on the list for each entry). Then I wrote the numbers on tiny pieces of paper and had my cutie patootie, AKA Cowgirl, niece draw a number.

And the winner is……………………………………………………………………………………………

HEIDI!
Heidi said... wow this stuff is super cute!!!!

Congrats Heidi! Click on the Contact button up top and send me your addy.

Thanks everyone for stopping by the blog to check out all the Tutti Fruiti stuff! It’s all still available in the shop so come on by and pick some up for yourself!

Happy Crafting!!

{Tutti Fruiti Madness!}

2010-04-12T21:47:00.003-05:00

Ok, so this is coming a little later than I wanted but this girl desperately needed a nap when she got home from work! I woke up this morning feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. Don’t you hate that?

I am sooooo excited to show you the projects the DT girls came up with using my Tutti Fruiti embellishments so get ready, there’s a lot to see…..and a surprise at the end!

First, lets start with Susan. Check out this “Couture” layout. I love how she mixed the patterns!

And check out what she did to the fruit! She made them stand out by adding a little sparkle with glitter!
(Products used: Strawberry Fields File Tabs; Pint of Cherries; Watermelon Patch Stickers; Strawberry Fields Stickers; Strawberry Fields Journal Spots)

And check out this banner that she made using all the Tags from the Tutti Fruiti Line! How cute would this be hanging in your house for summer decor?!

Ok, now how cute is this layout by Tessa? I love how she used the Watermelon stickers to make a banner for her title. And did you notice that she used the cherries as a mask for her background?
(Products used: Cherry-Oh Tags; Strawberry Fields Tags; Watermelon Patch Tags; Cherry-Oh File Tabs; Watermelon Patch Stickers)

Check this out.
Can you see that she fringed the edges of the tags? CA-UTE! Oh, and look how she used a glitter flock on the green parts of the fruit! *sigh* I never would have thought of that!

Tessa also made this card using the Pint of Cherries and one of the Cherry-Oh Journal Spots. I love me some aqua & red!!

Ok, now for Diana. She’s working on something that I know is going to be super cute because she sent me this sneak peek earlier today.
Ooooooo, I can’t wait to see the rest!

Ok, so now that you’ve seen what my lovies can do, I want to give you a chance to use some Tutti Fruiti stuff and show off your projects too!

Drum roll, please……………………………………………………………………………………………

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!

One lucky winner will receive an assortment of goodies from the Tutti Fruiti collection. You have 3 ways to enter:
1. Comment on this post. (1 entry)
2. Become a fan on Facebook (1 entry)
3. Make a purchase from The Shop. (2 entries – Be sure to put FRUIT in the Message to Seller)

*Edited* Winner will be announced on Friday!

Be sure to check out the Flickr group for more ideas from the DTeam lovies!

Good luck & Happy Crafting!!

{Reveal}

2010-04-12T10:12:00.001-05:00

My lovely DT girls have outdone themselves yet again using the Tutti Fruiti products. Reveal to come later today so check back this evening to see what they've done!

{Wordless Wednesday #7}

2010-04-07T18:36:00.001-05:00

April showers bring May flowers.

{Ruffles I’d Wear}

2010-04-05T07:08:00.000-05:00

My style tends to be a little plain. I never really wear really girly things but I’ve found some ruffles on Etsy that I would totally wear.

Happy Monday!

{Last Minute Easter Decor}

2010-04-02T11:29:00.001-05:00

Are you like me and sometimes wait until the last minute to decorate for the holidays? Well, Easter is this Sunday so if you haven’t decorated yet, check out these printable options found on Etsy. (click on the pics to visit each shop)

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

{April Showers}

2010-03-31T23:28:00.001-05:00

Spring is here! I’m looking forward to the warmer temps and the sun but no so much the rain & thunderstorms. However, these Etsy finds make me dislike the rain a little less.

Make sure you click on each pic and visit the shops!

XOXO,

{Are You a Hipster?}

2010-03-26T07:51:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to my Twitter friend @Cameron_Crazy.

{Whooo Are You?}

2010-03-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

Did you think you were going to see pipe smoking caterpillars? :)

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-03-24T08:28:00.001-05:00

Happy Crafting!

{What’s Your Flavor?}

2010-03-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

I sure hope summer gets here soon, I’m FREEZING! I’m ready for it to be so hot that I can’t wait to stock up on my favorite flavors of ice cream.

So tell me, what’s your favorite flavor?

{Trend Watch: Bicycles}

2010-03-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

I’ve been noticing a lot of bicycles lately. Could it be the new trend?

{Keep Calm}

2010-03-17T22:37:00.001-05:00

Hard for me to do at times. How about you?

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-03-17T08:17:00.000-05:00

I can hear you!

Happy Hump Day! :) and Happy St. Patty’s Day!

{Meals for a Month, Part II}

2010-03-15T22:26:00.001-05:00

Ok, so did everyone get their master list and recipes together? Did you try to schedule your meals on a calendar? Are you ready for the next steps? If you missed Part I, you can read it here.

(Letterpress Recipe Cards & Box by One Canoe Two)

Once I got my recipes together, I decided that I wanted to actually have recipe cards for each. This way, hubby can have exact instructions in case I have to work late or for some other reason, can’t get dinner started. There are several options online for recipe cards. I’ve seen some printable cards on Etsy.

(Stand Mixer Recipe Cards by Winifred Studios)

However, I used the free printable cards on Skip to My Lou. They have it set up perfectly! All you have to do is enter your ingredients and instructions and it puts in on the card for you to print. You can find them here.

So, I have my menu and my recipes, now it’s time to make the shopping list. I did this on a new tab in my Excel file that contained my menu. On my shopping list I had 3 columns, one for quantity, one for the item, and one to order the items by how they can be found in the store (you have to know your store pretty well for that last one). Then, I went online to the coupon sites that I frequent (couponsurfer & coupons.com) and printed off the coupons for the items I needed. I also went through my coupon organizer to see if I had any coupons there too (I actually ended up throwing all of them away because they were expired). I’m not very good at the coupon thing yet but that’s a goal of mine…..I’ve got to get our grocery bills down! Once I gathered my coupons, I noted next to the item on my list that I had a coupon and how much is was for. Once I had my shopping list complete, I placed a number in the 3rd column that indicated the order in which the store has these items then I did a sort to get all the like items together. Lastly, print your list and get to the store!

Qty	Item
1	Contact Solution (Coupon $1/1)	1
1	Milk	2
1	Dozen Eggs	2

I did my grocery shopping tonight and it went super quick with the way I organized my list. I got to the store and back in about an hour so I think I’ll be sticking with my shopping list format!

I haven’t quite decided how to display my menu and recipes cards for each week’s meals but I’ll definitely share once I do! For now, they are on the refrigerator….who knows, they may end up staying there. ;)

{Meals for a Month, Part I}

2010-03-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

Let me start by saying that I am, in no way, an organization/planning guru. This is something that I have come up with by researching other methods and combing pieces to work for me and my style/personality.

Something that I absolutely hate to do is figure out what to have for dinner each night and my hubby is absolutely no help with this task either. Our conversations usually go a little something like this:

Hubby: What are we having for dinner?
Me: I don’t know, what sounds good?
Hubby: I don’t know, what do we have?
Me: I don’t know, go look?
Hubby: Well I don’t know what we need to make anything?
Me: Well what do you want?
Hubby: I don’t know, what sounds good?

Needless to say, we usually end up going out and grabbing fast food. Ugh!

In the past, I have actually created a menu for the week (in no organized fashion) and found that it made my life less stressful just knowing that I didn’t have to think about what to make for dinner. However, I’m no good at consistency so there have been weeks where we eat out all week.

Today, I actually sat down and was determined to plan some meals and my shopping list for the rest of the month. About a year ago, I first attempted a meal planning system by making a Master list of meals that I typically make. When I started planning today, I referred to that list, did some recipe searches on the web and came up with my meal plan (in Excel).

	Week of March 14th	Week of March 21	Week of March 28
Sunday		Meatloaf	BBQ Brisket
Monday	Tex Mex Stir Fry	Hot Dogs	Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Tuesday	Hamburgers	Leftovers	Leftovers
Wednesday	MacNCheese with Smoked Sausage	Spaghetti	Taco Salad
Thursday	Grilled Chicken Salad	Leftovers	Leftovers
Friday	Beef Enchiladas	Meatball Subs	Out
Saturday	BBQ Monterey Chicken	Out	Garlic Basil Applesauce Pork chops

I started my list by reviewing what I already had and planning meals around that. Once I had my list together, I scheduled it out trying to alternate chicken and beef and mixing in some really easy quick meals. I’ve also added in some Leftover days which are when hubby has school so it’s easier to just heat something up since he’s only home for a very short time before heading off to school. You’ll also notice that I added in a couple of Eat Out days….everyone needs a break from cooking right? However one of those days I know we will be celebrating a birthday by eating out so that’s why I scheduled it for that particular day.

Stay tuned because on Tuesday I’ll be posting Part II which will include making a shopping list and collecting the recipes for the meals I’ve planned.

Until then, check out some of the Meal Planning finds I discovered on Etsy.

If you have questions, I’d be glad to answer them. You can ask in the comments or email me! Also, if you already have a meal planning system, I’d love to hear about that too!

Happy Planning!

{Oh Alice}

2010-03-11T23:00:00.001-06:00

Oy, a week has gone by with no blog posts. So sorry about that. I have had a little bit of writers block and just found out that my thyroid is out of whack again….which explains the fatigue I’ve been experiencing over the last few weeks.

Any who. I saw the new Alice in Wonderland and I. Loved. It. I can’t wait to see it again and will probably own it once it comes out on DVD. The sets, the costumes, I loved it all!

The release of this little gem by Tim Burton seems to have inspired a lot of artists/crafters because a search on Etsy returns almost 10,000 items in the search results! Here are a few of my faves:

Yes, I’m still obsessed and this will probably not be the last time you see Alice in Wonderland inspired goodies…..especially since I just completed a set of Alice inspired Doodle Cutz!

What inspires you? I wanna know. ;)

{We're All Mad Here}

2010-03-05T10:08:00.003-06:00

Eeeeeeee! Today's the day! I bought my tickets last week. I don't think I've ever been this excited about a movie! You will surely be seeing lots of Alice inspired posts after tonight. ;)

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-03-03T07:57:00.001-06:00

(March Free Gift with Purchase}

2010-03-01T22:13:00.001-06:00

Yay, we’re finally into March which means spring is on it’s way!

Sorry, this post is going to be short & sweet. I’m completely exhausted and am headed to bed but I just wanted to let ya’ll know about the free gift with purchases made during the month of March.

Every purchase will receive a mini set of paper buttons!

*Patterns & colors may vary.

Have fun shopping and Happy Crafting!

{Serenity}

2010-02-25T22:50:00.001-06:00

Was browsing through some of my photos this week and came across this one that I took back in August on a mini family vacation.

Enjoy your weekend!

{Reorganization is a Slow Process}

2010-02-23T22:28:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to give an update on how my total re-organization is going……sloooooowly. I did an initial run through of our home office and decided that I had it fairly organized. There are a few areas that needed a little work and I needed some pretties to keep it looking so cluttered.

Here are some before pics:

This is looking in from the laundry room. Thankfully, the desk fit perfectly between the doors that go upstairs and out to the garage. My plan is to get some pretty boxes for storage to show through those glass doors. I also have some canvas baskets that will be going up top that will store some supplies. And last but not least, the desk will be clutter free!

This bookshelf is the first thing you see when you walk in from the garage. As you can see, the entrance into the laundry room is just to the left. (Before we added our garage, that doorway went to the outside). The very top of the bookshelf will hold a charging station for our phones, keys & wallets (the ivy will stay). On the first shelf, I will have a prettier basket for the mail (I’m so tired of it landing on the kitchen counter!). The canvas baskets that I mentioned above, are the ones that will be going on top of the desk. In their place, I plan on putting actual books there! Currently, in that green box on the bottom shelf, are our warranties & instructions for all our appliances & gadgets. That and the other box will be replaced with a couple of file boxes that are more pleasing to the eye.

This file cabinet is on the other side of the entrance to the laundry room. I don’t like it’s current set up at all…who left those Christmas decorations out?! Oh yeah, that was me, hehe. Everything atop that cabinet is going! I want to put a lamp in the corner and leave the rest empty if possible. On the wall, I want to make a framed magnetic board like the one in my studio except I will cover it with coordinating material instead of leaving it silver.

To give the office a finished look, I am adding a new rug in front of the door coming in from the garage and will add some sort of window treatment to the windows (I’m thinking valances or cornices).

As for the stuff you can’t see (like the tons of paper inside that filing cabinet) well, I am slowly going through that. It is my LEAST favorite part of the whole process. So overwhelming!

I can’t wait to finish this room, so I can move on to the next!

{Scrapbooking for Myself}

2010-02-21T22:53:00.003-06:00

This weekend I decided that it was about time I did some actual scrapbooking. I have been thinking for a while that I needed to take a break from making stuff for the shop and do some scrapbooking so I can get a fresh perspective and create more relevant products for my customers. :)
I purchased some American Crafts mini albums a while back and had intended on using a couple to document my girl’s day out adventures with my niece. As of right now, I have two more pages to complete but I thought I’d show you what I’ve done so far (I’m making each of us an album so I’m having to duplicate the pages).

I had a lot of fun scrapbooking again and can’t wait to find some time to do some more! What did you work on this weekend? Show me, I want to see!
P.S. Have trouble coming up with what to have for dinner each night? Well head on over to the Ditzy Duo blog and read about Louise’s “Fix & Freeze” posts. you can find Part 1, here and Part 2, here.

{These Little Owls}

2010-02-19T09:31:00.002-06:00

These little Love Owls by Fruit Fly Pie have been calling my name for quite a while now. I really have no where to put them but I just adore them and will probably one day give in to the temptation. Maybe I could find room in my studio……..I wonder if I could get them in red….

{File Tabs}

2010-02-18T09:52:00.004-06:00

I designed these little file tabs last year to be included in my Cherry-Oh line of embellishments. I think they turned out so cute and would look great on a scrapbook layout or card. I be they would make filing more fun if you used them as actual file tabs! I can customize them in just about any color, theme or wording. This particular set can be purchased here. Also, if you see anything from this line that you like but I don't have it in my shop, shoot me an email or convo me through my Etsy shop and I'll set up a listing just for you!

Don't forget to take advantage of my BitterSweet Sale going on now!

Everything Etsy is having an "I made it!" Blog Party so head on over there and check out all the other lovely handmade finds on Etsy!

{A Bittersweet Sale}

2010-02-15T20:47:00.002-06:00

For me, this is a year of change. I am trying to SIMPLIFY around here and clearing out my inventory is one of the things I have been thinking about for a while.

What does this mean for A Scrappy Design?

It means that I will focus on fewer types of products rather than having a huge assortment of things in my shop*.
It means that the “manufacturing” process for these products will be easier for me.
It means that quality of product will be better for you.

*I tend to have a bit of ADD so all of the above is going to be a little tough for me so prayers about this would be much appreciated.

In the the last couple of months I’ve lost my only two consignment contracts which has forced me to take a good hard look at what I want to do going forward with the shop. One shop decided to no longer do consignment and the other shop, my local scrapbook store, is closing. I am extremely sad about the latter and don’t really want to talk about it. :(

So why bittersweet you ask? Well, BITTER for me because I lost two contracts and am losing my favorite scrapbook store but SWEET for you because I now have more inventory than I know what to do with so…..I’M HAVING A SALE!

*Use the following code: BITTERSWEET in the message to seller at checkout. I will refund the discount via PayPal when I process your purchase.

P.S. I would love your feedback. If you could give me some insight as to what your favorite products are currently in or have been sold from my shop I would greatly appreciate it.

{Never a Dull Moment}

2010-02-14T22:09:00.004-06:00

So, it’s been a pretty crazy weekend and not just because it’s Valentine’s weekend. Yesterday, while hubby was studying and I was working in my studio, my grandma, who lives next door, called me. I answered the phone and all I heard was hysterics. Finally, I was able to make out a few words: Fire, barn, 911, and your grandpa won’t listen to me. I told her we would be right there and hung up then phone. I then proceeded to run up and down the hall looking for and yelling at my hubby that there was a fire. He was the first one one out the door and once I found some shoes, I followed shortly after.
When we got over there, the south west corner of the barn was engulfed in flames. Complete strangers had stopped and were helping pull stuff out of the building as my grandpa was trying to get his tractor out. As he was backing the tractor out of the building, the fire trucks arrived.
The fire fighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly and were great with my grandpa (did I mention he is 89 years old?). Everyone was a little shaken up but there were no injuries, thank goodness. Unfortunately, with all the chaos, I forgot to grab my camera until after the fire was out and the fire fighters were gone. Here is some of the aftermath:

I’m really hoping we go without drama for a while. I was exhausted after all that.
Hope everyone had a good weekend and a Happy Valentine’s Day!

{Etsy Find: Pretty 'n' Preppy}

2010-02-12T11:04:00.007-06:00

My sister's birthday was a few weeks ago and I was in search of the perfect gift. She's kind of picky which makes it hard to buy for her but I was determined to find something because I'm tired of giving gift cards.

While browsing on Etsy, I came across this shop. Unlike me, my sister is a water drinker. She always has a bottle of water with her no matter where she goes. So when I saw this shop I knew that this would be a perfect gift for her.

She really liked her watter bottle and received tons of compliments at work (she's a nurse). Mission accomplished!

If you haven't been to this shop yet, you should definitely stop by, you won't be sorry. They have different types of bottles and colors/patterns and the best thing of all, they're eco friendly!

Thanks Pretty 'n' Preppy for your awesome customer service and super speedy shipping!

{Wordless Wednesday}

2010-02-03T09:29:00.004-06:00

{Surviving Winter}

2010-02-01T22:26:00.003-06:00

I don’t know about your part of the world but it’s been crazy cold here. We’ve had an unusually cold and wet winter. We are not use to getting this much snow or having our temps this cold. This past weekend was our 2nd winter storm in the last two months and this is how we got through it.

We played.

We took pictures.

We did crafts.

We baked.

We acted silly.

And we made messes.

All in all it was a good long weekend. Today we had to go back to reality, except for all the kiddos. They cancelled school today and now have cancelled school tomorrow. They’re saying that more storms are coming, they’re just not sure how bad they will be.

Hope you all are staying warm & surviving winter!

{Recycle, Reuse}

2010-01-26T22:52:00.002-06:00

I often save things – papers, coffee sleeves, packaging – thinking that I’ll use them to make something really creative. More often than not, those things get passed along or trashed because I never actually make anything. They usually just clutter up my studio. Until now.
I have this ~~obsession~~ addiction to Starbucks so I decided to start saving the coffee sleeves. I collected them for a while and then one day I just stared at them trying to come up with something to use them for. I love the fact that they are flat on one side and corrugated on the other. After several ~~minutes~~ hours of pondering I came up with the idea to make these cute little embellies.
The set above is an everyday type set made with plaid pattern paper and paper that has cupcakes and other sweets on it. To purchase this set, click on the pic above.
I’ve been working on some Valentine themed sets too!

I hope you like them as much as I have enjoyed making them. I still have lots of sleeves and lots of ideas so keep checking the shop for new designs!
We’re expecting a huge winter storm tomorrow night so maybe I’ll have lots of time to spend in my studio . . . after I do a little bit of organizing, of course. ;)
Happy Crafting!

{Organizing the Chaos}

2010-01-25T22:19:00.002-06:00

I’m tired. Tired of my life being nothing but chaos. After having a pretty rough week last week I decided it was time for change. It’s only been two days but I’m already feeling better.
First of all, I have decided to make God #1 in my life again. Hubby and I started going back to church a few months ago but after a near melt down last week, I’ve decided that’s just not enough. I am once again pursuing a relationship with God and I can tell you after only a few days, life has been so much better.
Another change I have made is making family and daily maintenance of my household a priority over my shop. So far, so good. I think this is actually allowing me to be more focused when I actually do have time to work in my studio. I feel like I’ve been getting much more accomplished in the last couple of days.
One last change I decided to make – it’s a big one – is to do a complete overhaul on my house. There are only two people living in a 2000+ square foot house and we have no room for anything. It’s ridiculous! So starting this weekend, I am going to start by organizing drawers, cabinets and closets one room at a time. After all, we do plan on having kids . . . we have actually been working on that, but that’s a different post. My goal is to have everything organized by Summer . . . just being realistic.
Another change that I am debating is my job. Here lately, I have had a bad attitude . . . I am bored and I think burned out. This is something I am praying about and will keep you posted.
Now, for my lovely faithful readers, I am hoping that you can help keep me accountable to making these changes. If you are a praying person, I would appreciate that too!
P.S. The picture above is NOT what my laundry room looks like now. That was taken a little over a year ago. :)

{Winter Blues}

2010-01-13T23:16:00.003-06:00

I’m pretty sure it all started with this:

This day, Christmas Eve, was the worst ~~snow storm~~ blizzard for Oklahoma in a very, very long time. Like my aunt, who was born in 1919, cannot remember ever getting this much snow.

Yes, it ~~ruined~~ delayed our Christmas and nothing went according to plan and yes, I was very bummed about it all but I don’t think the true winter blues hit until this week. This week I have just felt blah. Everyone thinks I’m depressed but I’m really not. I’m just tired and bored and tired. I was having a very quick lunch with my sister today and was telling her about i and she said they were kind of feeling the same way. She thinks we are just stir crazy. You see, we rarely stay home. We’re always making trips to Target & Starbucks, going out to eat and going to the movies. However, it’s been crazy cold here, colder than we are use to, so we haven’t been leaving the house as much so she’s probably right . . . at least I hope so.

With all that said, I totally wouldn’t care if winter just moved on and let Spring make an early appearance.

I’m ready for bright and cheery . . . and warmth. I’m ready for the flowers to start blooming and for the leaves to come back on all the trees. I’m ready to drive my car with the sun roof open and radio blasting.

I’ve been adding Valentine goodies and Birthday cards to the shop.

I’ve also been working on some Valentine goodies for scrapbooking and hopefully, I’ll have them in the shop before Valentine’s Day. :)

Want a sneak peek? I don’t know if this will make the final cut, but here ya go!

How are you dealing with the winter blues? Please share, I’d love some ideas!

{Catching Up}

2010-01-08T07:19:00.002-06:00

It’s 6:45am. I’ve been up since 5:30am . . . not sure why. It’s been a rough week. This week was suppose to be my first full week back at work since November but instead, I got sick. I was attacked by an annoying head cold. It seems like I get sick every year after the holidays . . . to much going on to get adequate rest, I guess.
Before Christmas, I had already made my New Year’s resolution to Simplify and be more organized in my home and with my time. So far, this year is not going according to plan:
I’ve been a bad blogger. I wanted to start blogging more about my life and things I make. I enjoy blogging but I just haven’t ~~had~~ taken the time to do it.
I wanted to scrapbook for myself. During my break, I had planned on scrapbooking some of the many photos I take. Instead, I spent that time with family and taking more photos that I will ~~someday~~ never get scrapped. But, I guess I can’t complain about making more memories, huh?
I had intended on having my shop back up and running in full speed by now but as you can probably see, that hasn’t happened. You see, I wanted to work on stuff over Christmas and have an inventory built up for the first of the year so I could have more time to spend on other things like cleaning my house and spending time with family. Instead, I spent time with family over Christmas and am now scurrying around to get stocked for Valentine’s day. It will be here before we know it.
What is your New Year’s resolution and how is it going? Got any tips for a gal that works full time and has a little business on the side? I could sure use your help because as you can see, I still haven’t figured it out after 3 years.

{Taco Soup}

2009-12-29T19:11:00.002-06:00

Now that it’s winter, I love making soups & stews. Every time I mention having Taco Soup, I get lots of requests for the recipe so I thought this would be the best place to share. (I wish I had a picture, but unfortunately, I don’t . . . maybe I’ll add one later when I make it again.)
Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can corn
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can chopped green chilies (or Rotel for a little spicier soup)
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
Brown ground beef with chopped onion & add salt & pepper to tasted. Mix together all other ingredients & simmer. (Do not drain any of the canned ingredients). Serve with chips, sour cream & cheese.
Yummylicious!!

{Deck the Halls!}

2009-12-23T09:20:00.001-06:00

Believe it or not, my house in the last few years was totally decked out at Christmas time. It was like a winter wonderland. This Christmas I’ve decided to Simplify a little bit so I went through all my decorations and am sending about half of them to charity.
Yeah, I’ll probably end up having a whole new collection of stuff but for now, I’m going with less is more.

A couple years ago we had icicle lights and they looked AMAZING that is until the Oklahoma wind blew them up on the roof. So, this year, we switched to red & white. My goal is to eventually make it look like a gingerbread house.

This little guy greets you as you pull into the driveway.

Wreath on my front door.

Headed up to the Man Cave now.

Last minute, half-off purchase at Hobby Lobby. I’m usually horrible at vignettes/centerpieces but I was pretty pleased with this one.

This little tree is a new addition and I love how it turned out. I actually kinda like it more than our big tree downstairs.
Well, that’s it. If you want to see more, I’ll have some pics on Flickr.

Merry Christmas!

{It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas}

2009-12-22T20:23:00.003-06:00

Well, it has for some time now but I’m just now getting all my pictures uploaded. There are lots of pics so I think I’m going to have to do this in more than one post.
Enjoy!

These little guys greet you when you walk in the front door.

Tree in the daytime. My tree use to be light blue, white & silver but I’ve added some red and turquoise this year.

Centerpiece & Snowman Dishes in Dining Room. Can you tell I just threw a bunch of leftovers together for the centerpiece?

The string of lights broke on this Acrylic Snowman. :( I have quite the collection but didn’t want to show you my messy kitchen in the background :)

How cute are these guys?

My snowman village. My mom bought me the set on the right. It’s one of my favorite decorations.

Ok, that’s all you get for now. Come back tomorrow and check out the rest of my decor.

{A Little Break}

2009-12-15T17:50:00.002-06:00

Some of you may have noticed the big white rectangular box in my left sidebar. Well, that would be my Etsy shop. It’s empty. “Why?”, you ask. Well, in getting ready for the craft show last Saturday, I decided that after 3 years of running the shop, it was time for a break. So, from now until the first of the year the shop will be closed. During this time I plan to re-group and work on coming up with some new and fresh ideas.
Now, don’t worry. I’ll still be around, blogging, Twittering & Facebooking so if you are involved in any of those, let’s be friends!
Also, during this time, I would love to hear any comments/suggestions for the new year!
One more thing, so you don’t have to look at the big white box, I’m going to replace it with my Etsy Favorites!

{Christmas Gift Tag Freebie!}

2009-12-14T21:26:00.002-06:00

I’ve been wanting to create something to give my readers for a while now but haven’t had the chance, until now.
I was creating some gift tags tonight to use for our Christmas presents and thought, “hey! why don’t I share these with everyone else!” So, here ya go! Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

{Are YOU a Fruitcake?}

2009-12-05T10:55:00.001-06:00

Browsing Etsy, I came across these fun Fruitcakes.

{Frosty the Snowman}

2009-12-04T10:26:00.001-06:00

So, everyone that knows me knows that I am obsessed with snowmen! When I decorate the house for Christmas, it is literally a winter wonderland! (I’ll be doing a post a little later of my decor ;D)

Check out these snowmen found on Etsy!

Did you enjoy the frosty little clan? Be sure to click on the pics to visit the creators’ shops!

{Thanksgiving & The Aftermath}

2009-12-03T09:38:00.001-06:00

I’ve been a bad blogger again. I have a good excuse though . . . . . . . Thanksgiving.
Here was my schedule starting Monday the 23rd:
Monday: Work until 4pm / Go to store / Go home & work on cleaning house
Tuesday: Work until 4pm / Go home & work on cleaning house.
Wednesday: Work until 1pm / Go home work on cleaning house / Set table for Thursday
*I was soooo excited to have everything done early enough to get the table the night before! It was a first for me! :D

Thursday: Thanksgiving All Day . . . . . . . it was a good time.
Friday: ~~Rest~~ Get up / Go eat breakfast / See what was left from the morning madness / Spend more time with family
Saturday: Get up early / Drive two hours to visit Grandpa & family / Take pictures (it was the perfect setting . . . learned a lot about my new camera & what I need to do going forward when taking pictures) / Drive two hours home / Go to bed

Sunday: ~~Rest~~ Get up, go to church / Go to lunch / Go to store / Get out Christmas decorations to decorate / Prepare & eat dinner with family
Monday: Get up & go to work (remembered I had to work late) . . . worked until 10:30pm ---- Ugh, will I ever get some rest?!?!
Tuesday was better, I didn’t do much after work and last night I didn’t do anything so here I am, back to blogging! Did you miss me?
Stay tuned because I have lots planned (that’s what happens when you take an extra long break)!
Hope everyone else’s Thanksgiving was more relaxed than mine.