Currently - Nov 5, 2015

Hi friends!  I hope that you are doing well.  We are ok.  It is finally cold here!  Woohoo!  I'm looking forward to having some cool weather type experiences.  I'm sure other people are sick of fall by now but it just stopped being hot here so I'm excited!  Bring on the sweaters, apple cider, and crunchy leaves!  

I didn't really know what I blog about today and then I remembered I had these cards from urkristin.  I got the opportunity to meet Kristin at CHA a couple years ago.  She is a lovely person with some AMAZING ideas!  She came up with these Currently cards and challenges people to fill them out to journal about themselves.  I don't usually journal about myself.  My Pocket Scrapbooking album is mostly about my kids.  I keep meaning to put in more of what I'm doing, what I'm thinking, what I'm watching, what I'm reading, etc...  I've had several friends say that they wish they knew what their mom was thinking and doing in their baby books.  I think as the memory keepers, we need to learn to inject ourselves more into our albums.  

Have a great day, friends!

Eat Cake!

Hi friends!  I hope that you are doing well!  We are ok.  Just going about life.  I cannot believe it's November!  Can you?  

Today, I wanted to share this fun filler card I made with you!  I bought a Pebbles paper pack from Michael's, it feels thinner than a regular collection pack but whatever.  It's the Birthday Wishes collection.  I really like the colors in this one!  I always appreciate when people use black on their cards and layouts because I don't really do it a lot so here's my attempt.  This is a 3x4 pocket filler card.  I cut all of the elements out of the patterned papers then I added some sequins and a glittery enamel heart to the cherry on the cupcake for some added pizazz.  

Another thing I wanted to blog about today is a link that my husband shared with me.  It's an article about this little girl who got diagnosed with cancer just after turning 3.  She used her Make a Wish to have a cartoon made to help other kids with pediatric cancer when they were scared.  Part of her wish is for the video to spread to raise awareness about pediatric cancer.  You can find the article and the ADORABLE video HERE.  Please share it!  It is so important!

Have a wonderful day, friends!  

It's Monday, Where's the Coffee?

Hi friends!  I hope you are doing well!  Happy Monday!  (Is that an oxymoron?)  We have RAIN today!  California is in a horrible drought if you didn't know.  Most of us have let our lawns die and have given up washing cars and other things to help conserve water.  I'm so freaking excited about this rain and I hope it keeps up.

I'm blogging again today.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  We'll see how far I make it into NaBloPoMo.  Today, I have a card I made at the same time as the pocket card I made yesterday.  I used the Pebbles Happy Day collection which is still one of my very favorites.  It just has tons of awesome stuff that I love like coffee, cameras, Instagram, takeout, and more.  I added some alpha stickers from the Target Dollar Spot to spell out my sentiment.  

I hope you all have a GREAT Monday!  And thank you to those who are leaving comments!  It's very encouraging as a blogger.

NaBloPoMo and Another Pocket Card

Hi friends!  I hope you are doing well!  We are ok.  Guess what??  Something super exciting is happening here in Northern California.  Can you guess what it is?  FALL!  I joke every year that summer lasts until after Halloween and sure enough, it is HOT up until Halloween each year.  I'm excited to feel a little bit of chill in the air!

I was talking to my friend Carole today and we were talking about how I've been told A LOT recently that I need to get back into crafting.  Carole suggested I try NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and I was really really reluctant.  But Carole mentioned that I don't have to blog something crafty everyday, I could really blog ANYTHING.  So, what the heck?  Let's give it a shot.  Did you know that I used to actually blog every single day?  That seems like a lifetime ago.  I think I've actually done NaBloPoMo once before and I'm not sure I completed it.  Who knows what will happen?

A weird thing happened to me when I stopped religiously creating and blogging.  I would make things and forget all about them.  Sometimes, I would even take a picture of them, mean to blog them, and forget.  Three years ago Ashley would be SO appalled!  Today, I'm sharing a card I made back in August.  I was having a hard time when I attempted the 100 Days Project (which I failed at) and I decided the best thing to do was to take out something I just LOVED and try to make something using those materials.  I used the Pebbles Happy Day collection which I just LOVE and I added a few enamel dots.  This is a 3x4 card and it is completely my style.  I feel like I'm a scrappy style card maker and I've tried to resist it but no longer.  ;)  

Have a great day, friends!  And wish me luck with this whole blogging thing.  Maybe I can get back into it?  What do you think?

Happy Halloween with a Ribbon Banner and a Pocket Card

Hi friends!  I hope you are doing well!  We are pretty good!  It's been a really busy day here and I'm just getting around to blogging.  Better late than never, I say!  Happy Halloween!  I hope you had an AWESOME day!  We did a bunch of activities today!  Brady said it was the best Halloween EVER!

Today, I wanted to share a couple crafts I made for Halloween.  The first is a ribbon banner I made.  I was at a crop and a gal was talking about how easy it was to make these banners and after the parties she hosted she would sell these banners for $30 each!  She, however, made her banners with fabric so I think it might be a lot easier and it would take less knotting because you can cut the fabric thicker.  I looked at the project she was making and thought "well, I have TONS of Halloween ribbon and I can make that."  Oh boy!  This baby took me almost 4 hours of sorting ribbon, cutting, hunting for different kinds of ribbon, and knotting.  I had set out to make it 6-8 feet long so it could go on a table for a Halloween event we were going to and I stopped around 4 feet.  I literally could not do it anymore because my hands were so fatigued.  I also thought about trimming some of the ribbons but I kind of liked the special pumpkin ribbon sticking out from the bottom of the banner.

 I also wanted to share this Pocket Scrapbooking filler card that I made at my friend Rachel's crop.  Rachel had these as a make and take but I wanted to change it into a 3x4 card so I could use it in my scrapbook.  (I don't send out Halloween cards and didn't want this to go to waste.)  Rachel used her Close to My Heart cardstock and cut the words for us.  We also used the super cute tiny Close to My Heart Bitty Sparkles which are the tiniest little rhinestones I've ever seen and they are self adhesive.  I have already put this in my album waiting for pictures from today!

Have a great day, friends!  I hope you had a safe and HAPPY Halloween!

Fluttering 2014 Layout and We Need Your Help!

Hi friends!  I hope you are doing well!  We are pretty good!  We kicked off our month long Fluttering project yesterday.  If you haven't heard of Fluttering, you can read my blog post HERE.  In a nutshell, we have committed to moving 12 dragonflies from house to house for the whole month of September to spread awareness for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to raise money for Unravel Pediatric Cancer.

Today, I'm sharing the Project Life pages I made to document last year's Fluttering.  I used Becky Higgins page protectors, Heidi Swapp Project Life cards, tons of Heidi Swapp embellishments, American Crafts Thickers, and a bunch of embellishments I had in my stash.  This is the first layout I've done in mostly black and white and it has a really cool effect.

Our family needs your help!  We set a goal of $1000 to raise in the month of September for our Flutter Campaign.  If you have it in your budget, please consider donating to our page.  All the money goes towards the fight against pediatric cancer which is EXTREMELY underfunded.  The statistics are heartbreaking.  Seven children die everyday in the US from cancer yet pediatric cancer gets under 4% of the allotted federal funding for cancer.  Our children deserve better!  Please help if you can.

Fell off the Crafting Wagon...

Hi friends!  Long time no talk!  A lot has happened in the last few weeks and it's just busy and made me so tired.  The kiddos have finally hit a stride with school which is awesome!  We have small obstacles with that but I'm hoping we'll overcome them soon.

At the beginning of August, I tried to start The 100 Days Project.  I did ok for a few days and then fell off the crafting wagon.  I got some news from a doctor that took me off guard and I kind of just felt knocked on my bum.  I will be FINE, it's a set back and I just have to be proactive towards getting healthier.  However, it took me for a loop and I just didn't feel like crafting for a really long time.  Do any of you ever deal with this?  I just don't feel like I can craft through it when I feel confused or unhappy.  Do you have tips for this?  If so, please let me know!

Here are a couple of the cards I made before I stopped crafting.

I really like this card.  I made it with some Amy Tangerine Stitched paper and stickers.  I think that since I loved this little camera sticker so much that I was going to love this card no matter what.  I really like the generational stamping as well.
 

Then on the opposite side, I did not like this card at all.  I used Crate Paper Notes and Things for this one.  It's just the layout that I don't like.  I really forced this one night because I felt like I HAD to make something.  Perhaps this is why I feel like I can't craft when I don't feel so good.  I feel like everything I make turns out badly.  I do love the little heart though.

Have a great day, friends!  

Tuesday's Take 1: Washi Pocket Filler Cards

Hi friends!  I hope you are well.  We are ok.  A few of us have a little cold but it seems to pass pretty fast.  However, my oldest son is having a hard time fitting in at school so if you could think some positive thoughts for him, that would be awesome.

Today, I am sharing a project I made for my friend Cath Edvalson's new blog where she introduced a new challenge called Tuesday's Take.  You can see the first Tuesday's Take HERE.  Cath gives a prompt and you can make anything you want.  It's just about inspiration.

I decided to use the inspiration towards my The 100 Days Project and create two pocket scrapbooking cards.  I covered a 3x4 inch piece of white cardstock with washi tape.  (If you've read my blog for a while you know that I make cards like this all the time.)  I ran it through the Cuttlebug and then decided to make two cards.  I was playing with the idea of making one card but I went with two and I'm glad I did.  The first card I made just has a Project Life gird card adhered to the back and I stamped a sentiment using an Amy Tangerine roller stamp.  This card is for journaling.  The next card is a filler card.  I used the die cut and adhered it to some white cardstock.  Then I decided to go with only the colors that are on the die cut and added some enamel dots.  Now these cards can be used on the same layout or different ones.

Have a great weekend everyone!  

The 100 Days Project Share 1

Hi friends!  I hope that you are well!  We are doing pretty good.  The boys are getting in a groove with school.  Avery and I are enjoying a lot of girl time.  We had some last year but only half days.  Now, we got whole long chunks where we can go out and do all sorts of fun things without having to rush about.

In my last post, I talked about starting The 100 Days Project.  I'm hoping I can make it through this project to get my creativity going and to get in the practice of creating again.  I've started making a lot of excuses for myself.  I'll want to craft but I'll be too tired or I don't want to pull all my stuff out or a million other things.  I decided on pocket scrapbooking cards because they are smaller and they are more relevant to me.  I have stacks and stacks of greeting cards that I barely use but I love working on my albums and looking through my albums especially with my kids.

Here the the cards I've made so far:

Day 1: A very simple patriotic card for my 4th of July layout.  The die cut card is from Simple Stories and is backed with a Project Life grid card.  I added some silver Thickers, some Freckled Fawn stars, and some MME enamel dots.  I wanted to keep it simple because there's a lot going on in the photos for that week.

Day 2:  I was feeling uninspired this day so I figured out I should pull out something that I really liked and try to use that.  I used a line from Pebbles called Happy Day and it's just have favorite!  It has cameras, coffee cups, pizza, Chinese takeout boxes, and more.  All the elements are from the collection except the Recollections white and gray enamel dots.

Day 3:  I worked on a layout today and this is a card I made to go on the layout.  It is for the week my boys went back to school.  We are doing year round school this year so they started mid-July.  All the elements are from the DCWV Edumacation collection.  I don't usually buy DCWV anymore since I just feel like it's way too much paper for me and I don't think it comes with matching embellishments but I just fell in love with this collection.  With the exception of the alpha stickers (from the Target Dollar Spot), everything is from the Edumacation collection.  I fussy cut the scalloped circle and the apple from patterned paper.

If you decide you want to try The 100 Days Project, let me know so we can encourage one another!  

The 100 Days Project

Hi friends!  I hope that you are well.  I'm still dealing with my shoulder injury but it seems to be getting better.  I'm sure it will be fine in a few days.

A gal I follow on Instagram, Natalie Elphinstone, has been doing this challenge of sorts called The 100 Days Project.  Basically, you do a creative task everyday for 100 days and you record your efforts.  She was doing hers with pocket scrapbooking cards and I just LOVE that idea!  I also loved reading her captions about what she was trying, why she made what she did, and what she was learning about her her style.  I haven't been crafting regularly and I need it.  I can feel that I'm not centered.

I made this 3x4 card today.  I don't love it but I think that's part of the process, to figure out what your style is and to experiment with techniques and products.  I used papers from Dear Lizzy Fine and Dandy.  The enamel dots are from My Mind's Eye, the doily is from Recollections, and I used Whisker Graphics Gold Metallic Divine Twine.  

I have a small group of friends who will be attempting this challenge with me.  We have a Facebook group to support each other and share our creations.  We are starting on August 1.  If you'd like to join, please message me on Facebook or drop me an email.  Have a wonderful day, friends!  

DIY Pocket Scrapbooking Journal Cards

Hi friends!  I hope you are well!  We have been sick since Christmas and it's really starting to get old.  Is it spring yet??  This is why I haven't been blogging.  :(  Hopefully, things will turn around soon!

Today, I'm sharing a fun and simple way to make your own coordinating journalling cards to go in your pocket scrapbook.  For my cards, I used the Becky Higgins grid cards for the base.  I really like writing on the grid since I tend to slant my words as I write.  I used Pebbles Home For Christmas collection for these cards.  (Yes, I'm still scrapping Christmas.)  Confession time: all my weeks in my pocket scrapbook have their own paper collection.  I'm HORRIBLE at mixing and matching.  Also, I don't like to buy full kits of cards (like the Becky Higgins) for holidays since I feel like I don't use that many cards since I only make one layout for the holiday for each year.  I started making my own journalling cards and I thought I'd share the idea in case anyone wants to make their own too.

I really like making these because I use the printed bottom strips of 12x12 paper that I used to throw away.  I always said I was going to use them then I would leave them in the bag and they would get crinkled and I would toss them.  After adhering the strip, I either use chipboard, stickers, or cut out images from a paper in the collection.

 These are super fast and easy to make!  They match with all the papers I used and I can do tons of journalling on them.  No need to go out and buy matching journalling cards!

Have a great day, friends!

Pocket Scrapbooking Tips and Giveaway (Collab with Ellie Augustin)

Hi friends!  I have a special post for you today!  My friend Ellie Augustin and I decided to do a blog collab.  We will each be sharing 5 tips on how to stay caught up on your pocket scrapbooking along with a giveaway!

Here are my 5 tips to stay caught up:

1. Use the Momento App.  This app allows you to sync all your social media into one place.  Personally, I tend to forget to use my journalling apps but I always post exciting or fun or memorable things to Facebook or Instagram.  I also use some location based apps.  With Momento, I can pull up any day and see the highlights.  This jogs my memory about what I want to write and any pictures that I wanted to print out.

2. PRINT YOUR PICTURES.  I feel like the most daunting task for me is to sit down and choose and edit my pictures.  I try to sit down once a week and pick out the pictures I want to print.  I put them on a folder on my desk top labeled with the week number.  I also change the names of the pictures to the date.  If I have several of the same date I'll do Nov1-1, Nov1-2, etc...

3.  Slip your pictures and momentos into place.  I go through and look at all my photos from the week once I have them printed then I choose a page protector.  I slip everything into place and put it in my album.  If I have a few minutes here and there, I will start working on my cards but at least I have everything in place.

4. Have your family help.  Have an empty pocket?  Ask your kids to draw their favorite memory from this week.  Or grab a piece of schoolwork and cut it down to fit the pocket.  Or take a minute and ask a family member a few of their favorites from this week.

5. Stop striving for Pinterest worthy.  You heard me.  I do it too.  I want everything to look like it does on Pinterest.  Guess what?  I don't have time for Pinterest.  I have time for maybe a card, a few lines of journalling, and maybe if we are lucky a sticker.  That just has to be ok.  What's important is the memories, not the matching enamel dots, washi, wood veneer, watercoloring, stamps, etc...

GIVEAWAY
I put together a small giveaway and Ellie has too!  You should check out her giveaway too!

To enter: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

7 for 7: Bossy Joscie

Hi friends!  I hope you're having a great day!  We are pretty good.  We started decorating for Christmas today.  The kids are excited.  Guess what I'm excited about?  GIVEAWAYS!  I have 12 other giveaways so be sure to scroll through my blog to check them out!

Giveaway Rules: Join me each day this week for a TWO new giveaways.  (There *might* be some bonus giveaways too.)  To enter the giveaways, you'll need to use the Rafflecopter that I post at the bottom of each blog post.  Each giveaway will be open for 14 days from the day it starts since it's a holiday week and I want to give people a chance to enter.  All readers are welcome, US or international, unless a giveaway specifies.  Winners will be announced on my blog and my Heart Hugs Designs Facebook Page.  Winners will have 72 hours to contact me or a new winner will be drawn.  Good luck to everyone!

My next giveaway is from Bossy Joscie.  Joscie and I have been crafty friends for a while.  She's so nice and really really creative!  Her store has flair buttons, regular and personalized rubber stamps, and supplies for digital scrapbooking.  All the things she designs are so trendy and fun.  You need to check out her shop, it's awesome!  She offered up this fabulous Modern Christmas Flair to one winner.  (US shipping only.)

I've ordered a bunch of times from Bossy Joscie and I love my flair!  There are tons of different colors and designs.  I like to use them on my pocket scrapbooking pages.  Here are some examples of how I've used the flair.

To enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway