Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Top Blog Posts of 2014

If you're looking for the Top Ten Blog Hop you can find that HERE

Well, this is it, the final day of 2014. It's been a great year for our family. We've had so many wonderful memories, successes, failures, good times, and bad times...although, the good outweighs the bad by a LONG ways. All in all, we've had a great year! It's been a great year here on the blog too. There have been a lot of "firsts" and so many successes. As many bloggers are doing I thought it would be fun to share my top posts of 2014. When I started looking into what my top posts were I was thrilled to find that the project I spent the most time on and that I put my heart and soul into is my top blog post!
Restoring Old Photo Albums into Pocket Page Scrapbooks (Part One)
Restoring Old Photo Albums into Pocket Page Scrapbooks (Part Two)
Restoring Old Photo Albums into Pocket Page Scrapbooks (Part Three)
If you haven't already, it will be worth your time to look at these posts. (I promise!)

The second most popular post was the gelatos tutorial this a simple tutorial. I just went through the basics of gelatos. You'll love this one too!

Here are a few more posts that were popular too:
Homemade Gain Scented Laundry Detergent
Thanksgiving Banner
and last but NOT least
61 Everyday Page Titles (with a printable list)



I cannot thank you enough for being a part of my little ole blog. It means the world to me. I love my readers! I cannot wait to share with you what I have in store for 2015!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Monday, December 29, 2014

Top Ten Scrapbooking Projects of 2014 Blog Hop

As 2014 comes to a close I'm joining forces with 23 amazing bloggers to bring to you hundreds of fabulous projects from the past year. I'm so excited! I know we were only supposed to show our 10 most favorite projects but I couldn't narrow it down to 10. I've got 12 projects to share with you!
  1. Happy Halloween. This layout is created with the * Bella Blvd Halloween Magic collection...Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Bella Blvd?!?!
  2. Little Critter Love, I have a fun story to tell about this layout. Somewhere Mercer Mayer (the author of the Little Critter series) saw this project on my Facebook page and commented on it. It made my day! I'm kind of a nerd ;)
  3. I created the layout "Childhood Memories" for a Lets Talk Tuesday post about documenting Childhood Memories when you don't have any photos. I used *
    October Afternoon's Public Library collection...it's a must have for a family full of bookworms.
  4. Lil Stinker is a Halloween layout that I created using a Valentines kit (Gossamer Blue). I never would have guessed that I could use Valentines themed products with a Halloween photo. I love the results!
  5. "Hello" was created when I challenged myself to use every letter of the alphabet on one layout. A back to school themed project was the perfect place for lots of letter stickers. I think everything on this layout is from American Crafts
  6. She Loves Horses was created from a Paper Camellia kit. This layout has tons of the * Maggie Holmes Style Board collection on it. I'm a sucker for all things Crate Paper.
  7. Christmas Program is another Paper Camellia project. I love the photo of my little girlie on this one!
  8. Family Time is created with the * Bella Blvd Hello Autumn. This collection is ah-mazing! It has the most adorable elements. I've used it over and over again. While we're talking about using things over and over, this is a sketch that I love and have used many many times.
  9. Storytime is the 2nd layout I created for a Lets Talk Tuesday post on being inspired by layouts that you see on Pinterest. The layout that I used as inspiration for this project has been pinned almost 2,000 times...just from my board (you can find the layout HERE). Wow, that's a LOT!
  10. Mustache Smiles was created for another Lets Talk Tuesday post about using ALL of your letter stickers. This layout is one of my post popular.
  11. Our Kids is the first layout that I created for my Inspired by Pinterest post. I LOVE how this turned out. I used the * Family Forever collection by Bella Blvd. (Another one of my favorite Bella Blvd collections.)
  12. Little Man is created with the * Tiny Tots collection by Bella Blvd. It's about my little man turning 5. I'm still a little teary eyed about this little man growing up!
That's a wrap for my 2014 scrapbooking/blogging projects. It's been a great year but I think 2015 will blow it out of the water. I have so many fun things coming up!

The ladies on this blog hop have teamed up to off one lucky winner a $75 gift certificate to the Paper Issues store. I LOVE Paper Issues and I'm crossing my fingers that one of my readers gets to cash in on that $75! All you have to do is comment on this post for your chance to win. The winner will be chose on January 4th 2015 and announced on January 5th 2015.

Wait, there's one more thing...I have a little something to giveaway too. I've put together a little stash of Christmas supplies. I know all of you have a bunch of Christmas photos that need scrapped so here's your chance to get a few free supplies. All you have to do for this giveaway is tell me which of my 12 favorite layouts is your favorite.
 For those of you that are new to my blog, please, take a minute to sign up for my newsletter. You don't want to miss what's coming in 2015.



Now, you're off to the amazing Suzanna Lee. I know her review of 2014 will knock your socks off! 

Just in case you get lost along the way, here's the full Blog hop list:

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope to see you back here very soon!
Happy New Year!

    Tuesday, December 16, 2014

    Titles Die Cut into the Background

    Christmas preparations are in full swing at our house, that's why it's been really quiet here on the blog. We're running from school events to church events and doing a little bit of shopping here and there. (I'm *almost* done shopping...not even close on wrapping though.) I'm looking forward to having the kids home from school for a while throughout the holidays. We're going to spend lots of time baking, reading, watching Christmas movies, and spending time with family. Now, if only my Mr. had a few extra days off work... 
    While I taking it easy a few days ago I was very slowly working on some projects for Elle's Studio (they were supposed to be revealed on the 10th, oops!). For my last month working with Elle's Studio I decided I wanted to do my three projects with my titles die cut right into the background of my pages. This technique works best when you have a title that isn't very long and you use a blocky font.
     I cut "Cowgirl Princess" out with my Silhouette and outlined it with a black pen. I then placed a piece of red patterned paper behind the white cardstock...and I had an easy peasy title!


    This next project is a little bit different because I used 2 fonts. I used a script font for part of the title and I used a blocky font for the main word in my title.
     If you're going to use this technique with a script font make sure the title is short enough that you can cut the letters in a large size.
     Instead of putting one solid sheet of patterned paper behind the "ROLL" portion of the title I put several strips of patterned papers behind the white cardstock.
     This last project was the most difficult. I did a lot of welding and very carefully placed the words in the title on this one. I wanted to make room for the embellishments on top of the white cardstock. I used a script font and a blocky font on this one too.

     Isn't that an adorable little tree? It's a cut file from Elle's Studio. You can find it HERE. I cut the tree out of green patterned paper and added a few enamel dots to make ornaments.

    I love how my background die cut titles turned out. It was an easy (and inexpensive) way to make a big impact using only patterned paper and cardstock. Do you have an easy way to make your titles stand out? I'd love to hear your ideas.

    Thursday, December 11, 2014

    Easy Neighbor Gift Idea

    When I found this cut file in the Silhouette store I fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to make some for Christmas gifts. The cut file was so easy to work with. When it's finished it holds several packets of tea.
    Easy Neighbor Gift Idea by @jbckadams #neighborgiftidea #christmasgiftidea #tea
    I used some * Kraft cardstock (I buy this stuff in bulk), Pebbles Home for Christmas Gift Tags, and the * Bella Blvd Christmas Cheer collection, to make this box. I'm adding my favorite tea ( * Bigelow Peppermint Tea) to my tea dispenser boxes. My favorite thing about this Christmas gift is that I'm putting my never ending stash of scrapbooking supplies to good use.
    Do you use your scrapbooking supplies to create Christmas gifts?
    (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 *)

    Tuesday, December 9, 2014

    76 Holiday Page Title Ideas

    Hi there, I know you're all busy with holiday parties, shopping, and baking this time of year. For Lets Talk Tuesday I thought I'd share a bunch of page title ideas with you for your holiday scrapbook pages. I have listed 76 holiday page titles for you on a printable and Pinnable image.
    Just pin it or print it. You can also keep these in mind as you take your photos during the holidays. These can be used for your December Daily projects or just save it for the quiet time in January when you have time to scrapbook the tons of holiday photos you took! I hope you're enjoying your holiday season!

    Monday, December 8, 2014

    Taking it Easy

    There's been a bit of a lull here on the blog lately. December is filled with so many activities. We're loving the Christmas season. What I'm not loving is that I was hit with either a nasty flu bug or a bit of food poisoning (I'm thinking the latter) and because my immune system isn't stellar to begin with it takes me a little bit longer to get back on my feet than most people. Last night and this morning I've at least felt like cracking open my laptop while camping out on the couch. I've found some fun things you might like while browsing the online scrapbooking world.

     I flipped through the pages of the newest issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine. I now have a huge list of project ideas. Some of them are for Christmas and some of them are just for "everyday" projects. Ali Edwards article on page 50 is my favorite. I love hearing about different ways to document childhood memories.

    I've also watched a few lot of YouTube videos. Here are a couple of my favorites:
    These holiday cards by Nichol Magouirk are so ADORABLE! If I didn't already have my Christmas cards done I would be making these! (Holiday Vehicle Cards)

    Ever since I saw THESE amazing books created by Paige Evans a few weeks ago I've wanted to try making one (seriously, she used the most amazing things to make books out of...I mean a license plate and coasters, really!). I searched YouTube and found THIS great tutorial by Sea Lemon. I think I'm going to gather some supplies and give book sewing a try. Wish me luck!

    I always LOVE Wilna Furstenburgs videos. Right now she's doing a series with her December Daily album. Her album is so beautiful! Here's the link to her videos about days 5&6. 
    Also, if you're browsing YouTube you can find a few videos on my channel. There are more videos to come! This one is my favorite:

    I've also pinned my fair share of scrapbooking projects. You can find my scrapbooking board HERE. I'm sure I'll add a few more to that board today ;)
    Not feeling well during this time of the year has reminded me to slow down and enjoy this magical time of year with the kids. We've watched a lot of Christmas movies on Netflix and read a lot of our Christmas stories.
     Last night we watched the I love Lucy Christmas special on TV and my kids laughed hysterically. It made me smile to watch them laugh so hard. My little girlie has even added the I Love Lucy DVD's to her Christmas list. I want to make time for more Christmas specials, more Christmas stories, and spending more time with the kids enjoying the magic of Christmas. I think we may even forgo a few Christmas parties and just stay home with the kiddos. Are you enjoying your holiday season?  What do you do to keep the magic of Christmas in your home?

    Wednesday, December 3, 2014

    5 Easy Dollar Store Neighbor Gift Ideas

    When Christmas approaches the thing that stresses me out the most when Christmas shopping is neighbor gifts. I want to give my neighbors something nice but not spend a ton of money. I usually plan on getting 15-20 neighbor gifts.
    When looking for neighbor gifts I want gifts that are:
    • practical
    • inexpensive
    • easy
    • a little bit unique
    This year I wanted to keep it simple, get it done early, and I wanted to share a few ideas with you. When I was done shopping I realized that almost all of the gifts I purchased fell into a 'cleaning' theme.

    Gift #1: Dish soap and a scrub brush (cost $2) The tag says: Let our family help your family do the dishes this busy holiday season. Merry Christmas.
    5 Easy Dollar Store Neighbor Gift Ideas by @jbckadams #neighborgiftideas #easygiftidea #neighborgifts #dollarstoregifts
    Gift #2: Dishwasher tabs (cost $1) The tag says: Let our family help your family do the dishes this busy holiday season. Merry Christmas.
    5 Easy Dollar Store Neighbor Gift Ideas by @jbckadams #neighborgiftideas #easygiftidea #neighborgifts #dollarstoregifts 
     Gift #3: Paper plates and cups (cost: close to $1) The tag says: Let our family help your family do the dishes this busy holiday season. Merry Christmas.
    5 Easy Dollar Store Neighbor Gift Ideas by @jbckadams #neighborgiftideas #easygiftidea #neighborgifts #dollarstoregifts 
     Gift #4:All purpose cleaner (cost $1) The tag says: Let our family help your family do the cleaning this busy holiday season. Merry Christmas.
    5 Easy Dollar Store Neighbor Gift Ideas by @jbckadams #neighborgiftideas #easygiftidea #neighborgifts #dollarstoregifts
    Gift #5: This gift is a little more expensive than the others. I paid about $6 for this entire gift. I created a gift basket for a snow day.  The basket includes: two mugs, a bottle of flavored syrup, a card game, a few packages of hot chocolate, and a soft dish towel. The tag reads: Snow Day Kit. Merry Christmas.
    5 Easy Dollar Store Neighbor Gift Ideas by @jbckadams #neighborgiftideas #easygiftidea #neighborgifts #dollarstoregifts
    Do you worry about what to give your friends and neighbors? I'd love to hear about your favorite gift ideas!
    (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 *)
     

    Tuesday, December 2, 2014

    Thanksgiving Projects

    Thank you for being patient as I took last week off of "Lets Talk Tuesday" to spend some time with my family that was here for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a wonderful (and BUSY) week. I was reminded why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, it's all about family and food. I LOVE it!

    Today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite Thanksgiving projects with you. This album I did for Bella Blvd and Paper Issues. It's one of my very favorite mini albums. It was a lot of work and a lot to keep up with during November but as I look back through the album I realized how much it captured about our life at that time. You can find the full post about this album HERE.
    When I created this layout for Bella Blvd I was worried about how it would turn out. The design was a little bit different than my usual style and the photo was less than stellar. In years past I didn't take as many photos. (I remedied that situation this year, with 2 Thanksgiving dinners and having a week with all the cousins here I took about 200 photos.) I won't be searching for Thanksgiving photos anymore!



    I used a lot of the * Bella Blvd Thankful Collection. (One of my all time favorite collections, uh, it is a Thanksgiving themed collection, of course I'm going to LOVE it).

    The next project is using a newer collection by Bella Blvd the * Hello Autumn Collection. It's another awesome collection. It's not entirely Thanksgiving themed but it has a lot of Thanksgiving themed elements.



    We have a tradition in our little family (doing it two years in a row classifies it as "tradition", right?) of taking a few family photos on the front step as we walk out the door to go to Thanksgiving dinner with our families. This last project showcases a few of the photos we took on our front step.
     

     I'm sure that you're an awesome photo taker and that you'd never forget to take photos of Thanksgiving events. Is there a time you've forgotten to take photos that you regret?
    (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 *)
    BLOGGER TEMPLATE BY DESIGNER BLOGS