Carta Bella Layout

Good afternoon. I'm excited to share with you a layout I created using the Bundled Up by Carta Bella and a few Carta Bella shapes from the Silhouette store. I love Winter collections especially Winter collections that contain bright colors. The Bundled Up collection has tons of beautiful blues and reds. I used this collection to document the only snowman my kids got to make last year. There wasn't much snow so there was only one snowman at our house. My kids were being so silly and their faces add a lot of whimsy to the page.

I love using basic die cut shapes to add a little bit of extra detail to my layouts. I used some basic shapes cut out of red patterned paper to add some extra layers for my details. I added lots of extra tabs and background shapes to this layout.

Are there die cut shapes that you use over and over to create layers and details on your layouts? File tabs and basic shapes are some of my favorites to add to almost all of my projects.

True Scrap 6 Individual Classes on SALE

As I've previously mentioned I set a goal to become an instructor for a True Scrap event. I came very close to achieving that goal when I did a Make & Take for * True Scrap 6 in October. All the classes went on sale today. I wasn't able to make it to the entire event but I have watched all of the replays of the classes since then and they are fantastic! Every class was amazing but I do have a few personal favorites.

Kelli Crowe's class: (Saw This, Made That: Bringing Ideas to Life), in this class I was amazed at what Kelli used for inspiration and turned into a scrapbook layout. I'm always a huge Kelli Crowe fan. Her classes are always inspiring and make me want to create. When I take a class and it ends with my fingers inching to create, I know it was worth the time and money I spent on it. This is definitely how I felt after Kelli's class.

Another favorite of mine is Jen Gallacher's class. I love Jen to pieces. I've been lucky enough to meet Jen a few times and spend time chatting with her. She never ceases to amaze me. Her class was incredible! In this class Jen teaches not only how to create your own mood board but how to find inspiration and create projects from your mood board. The thought to create an actual physical mood board in my scrapbooking space never crossed my mind. I've thought about creating a mood board virtually or on Pinterest but the thought of actually creating one in my scrapbooking space was a new concept for me. I love love love her mood board and the projects she created with it. 

Noelle Hyman blew my mind with her organizational skills as far as what photos/memorabilia she puts into her scrapbooks and what photos/memorabilia she puts into her Project Life albums. I wish I could be as organized as she is and put as much thought into the organization of my memory keeping as she does to hers. She's amazing! 

Because I don't do Project Life (in the traditional, day to day method). I loved Nichol Magouirk's class on using Project Life cards on 12x12 layouts. She has some amazing ideas. Nicole always does such a great job putting her classes together. She can layer embellishments and patterned papers like nobody's business. She even die cuts a journaling card with an electronic die cutting machine, really. You'll love this class!   

Last but not least, I think you'll love the Make & Take classes too. For the make and take with Alice Boll you'll learn the coolest technique to make an adorable interactive layout. Until True Scrap 6 I'd never met Alice. She's so sweet and is an amazing designer! In my make and take you'll learn (step by step) how to create a mini album. The album I create in this video is a Halloween album but the tips and tricks I share can be applied to any mini album. (FYI the collection I used for this mini album is the * Bella Blvd Halloween Magic collection. If you don't have this collection, get it now. It is a must have!) Here's a sneak peek of the album:

Lain has a sale on these classes until the end of November (only 4 more days). You can get these classes for only $9.99 each or the entire event (all 9 classes for $74). I think the make and take classes are an especially good deal because you're getting 2 classes for the price of one. Hop on over to * layoutaday.com for all the details. Have fun, I'm sure you'll enjoy the all the classes. Come back and let me know which one is your favorite.

(This post contains affiliate links, by purchasing items through these links you will not pay more for any of the items I will just receive a small percentage of the sale. These affiliate links help to keep my blog running and to support my family. Affiliate links are shown with an *)

The Ultimate Giving Guide for the Papercrafter

If you're like me the thoughts of "what am I going to get 'so and so' for Christmas?" started a few weeks ago. It seems from the end of October until Christmas Eve I'm plagued with that thought. Today I'm joining with a few other bloggers to help you answer that exact question. I'm helping you decide what to get for the Papercrafter in your life (maybe that's you). If that is you, maybe you'll find a few suggestions for Santa to leave under your tree. 

1. Cricut Explore Electronic Cutting Machine * Oh I wish Santa would be leaving this under the tree for me! I saw this machine in action at the SNAP conference last Spring.
2. Home+made Burlap Cardstock * I've used this on so many projects already! I LOVE it! I used it on my Thanksgiving Banner and in a process video.
3. Envelope Punch Board * This just arrived on my doorstep a couple of days ago. I'm so excited to make envelopes with the huge stash of patterned paper that I have.
4. Crate Paper Maggie Holmes Open Book Nesting Dies * That deer head silhouette and those script words are amazing!
5. Pebbles From Me to You Roller Stamp  * I use this all the time. It makes a fun addition to titles and jouranling.
6. Shimelle Slick Writers  * I need the grey, please. Okay, I really need the teal and coral too.
7. me & my BIG ideas Pocket Pages Pocket Cards, Gratitude * I don't remember the last time I used a MAMBI project but these cards are adorable! They're on my wishlist.
8. Shimelle Pow Gold Glitter Album (12x12)  * A POW glitter album?!?! Sign me up, FAST!
9. Bella Blvd Christmas Cheer * I've used this collection over and over. I adore it. (it would make the most adorable December Daily album.)
10. Gift Bag Punch Board * This too landed on my doorstep a few days ago. I'm planning on making LOTS of cute little gift bags for Christmas gifts.
11. Martha Stewart Crafts Large Circle Cutter * My circle cutter is ancient. I'm hoping Santa will bring this new fancy one to me this year!
12. Homemade Decorative Tape Numbers & Glitter  *
     I've already used 2 pkgs of this stuff. I LOVE it!
13. Hazel & Ruby, Wrap it Up Paper Roll, Newsprint Floral  * I think this would make the most adorable background for a layout or for a ton of DIY projects. I'm even thinking of making delicate gift bags or envelopes with it. 

Hopefully, you can find something for that crafter on your list (or add a few things to your list). Thanks for stopping by today! I'll have more gift giving guides coming up! Make sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss anything!

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I've teamed up with 8 other bloggers to bring you the Ultimate Gift Guide Round Up! Click on image to get more details. Let the shopping begin!

(This post contains affiliate links, by purchasing items through these links you will not pay more for any of the items I will just receive a small percentage of the sale. These affiliate links help to keep my blog running and to support my family. Affiliate links are shown with an *)

Homemade Gain Scented Laundry Detergent

Over the years I've tried a few homemade laundry detergent recipes. I've used a few of them for a few months and then I go back to my old stand by, Gain. I simply love the smell. That's all there is to it. The homemade detergents cleaned our clothes, I never had a problem with them, I just liked the smell of Gain. Well, I recently found a way to get the best of both worlds. (Less expensive homemade detergent PLUS I get to have the smell of Gain too.
Here's what you'll need:

 When I took the photos I forgot to put the box of baking soda in the photo. Don't forget to add it when you make your detergent.

* Ingredients:
Baking Soda (4lbs)
(2) Zote Soap Bar 14.1 Oz
OxiClean 1.3 Lb
Washing Soda
Borax Laundry Booster
(2) Gain Fireworks 13.2 Ounce  (optional)


You'll want to start by grating the 2 bars of Zote soap. I did make mistake while making my detergent. The good news about me making a mistake is that you won't have to make the same mistake. I started by cutting the soap into large chunks and putting them into my food processor. I went wrong by grating the soap with the large grater instead of the small one. You'll want to use the small one. (You'll see why in a minute.)

 Here's both of the bars of soap into the tub ready to be mixed:

Now comes the magical time when we're going to make this into Gain scented detergent. Dump both containers (or you can only use one) of the Gain fireworks into the food processor. (I was way too lazy to clean out the food processor twice, that's why there are a few pink streaks in there.)

 This time you'll want to use the chopping blade. After about 2 minutes in the food processor your fireworks will look like this: (almost a powder but still a little bit chunky).

Now, it's time to mix it all together.

See all those huge chunks of pink...that's why you want to use the small grater, not the big one. We had to put this entire batch through the food processor (again) to get rid of the pink chunks. It wasn't a huge deal, just kind of a pain.

That's it! After you get it all mixed together it's ready to use. The best part is that you only need to use 1-2 Tablespoons (yes, tablespoons) per load. I've used it in my HE washing machine for weeks now and it works great!

I decided that I'm going to share my laundry soap with my neighbors as Christmas gifts. I found cute milk bottles at Target and I filled them with my homemade laundry soap. On the tag I'll add the directions for usage. I hope they'll like it. I'm always anxious to give a useable-practical gift, you can't get more practical than laundry soap. Here are a couple of different options I found for milk bottles in case your local target no longer has milk bottles. ( * Milk Bottles or  * Milk Bottles).

The tag says: "Let our family help your family with a few loads of laundry this holiday season" Here's what I used to create the labels: * Pebbles Home for Christmas Chalkboard Envelope Seals and * American Crafts Kraft cardstock

* Ingredients:
Baking Soda (4lbs)
(2) Zote Soap Bar 14.1 Oz
OxiClean 1.3 Lb
Washing Soda
Borax Laundry Booster
(2) Gain Fireworks 13.2 Ounce  (optional)

I hope my neighbors will enjoy this very practical Christmas gift. I know I love it! What will you be giving your neighbors this holiday season?

(This post contains affiliate links, by purchasing items through these links you will not pay more for any of the items I will just receive a small percentage of the sale. These affiliate links help to keep my blog running and to support my family. Affiliate links are shown with an *)