June 1st? Really?

I can't believe May is over already. The first of the month means a new challenge at The Paper Variety.. and it's one that will push some of us out of our comfort zone.. lol!

Thats right... create any project that includes paper - but it can't be a layout or card. This challenge's prize is a Crate Paper "Pretty Party".

For this challenge, I embellished a frame for my Mom.

That beautiful "ruffled blossom" is from the Precocious Paper etsy shop. I just love all that bling!! I cut the "mother" title from cardstock using my SCAL program and my cricut.

Thanks for stopping by today! I can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge. Stop by The Paper Variety to see the rest of the design team inspiration throughout the month and link up your own projects! :)

TGIF! Have a great weekend!

Precocious Paper *Blog Hop*

TGIF!! Am I the only one who thought Friday would NEVER get here! Oh how glad I am I have a few hours before the weekend starts ;) But first, let's get to the Precocious Paper blog hop!

If you are coming from Elisa's blog, you're in the right spot. If not, you'll want to start back at Tessa's blog to get started.

I *love* Tessa's embellishments!  It's REALLY hard to pick a favorite, but it has to be her brand new ruffle blossoms!

I even made time tonight to make a layout with one of these beautys.. amazing how American Idol can spark my creativity.. lol!

One of the things I love about these blossoms is that the centers are left blank for you to coordinate with your project. For this blossom, I used a sweet spot from the For Like Ever set. Here's the whole layout:

(click to view larger)

Did you say "awww"? Because I do every time I look at it on my desk, lol!  That's our adorable niece Alexandra - who just ADORES her Uncle Dave (my hubby). I took these candid pics with my cell phone camera of her hoppin' on his back and giggling.

A few close ups of my title "This girl totally adores you" which was made with several different leftover alphas! There's another sweet spot, too :)

This layout was inspired by the last sketch challenge at Page Maps. As soon as I saw the two small photos, I knew it would be perfect for these. All patterned papers are from Echo Park's "Victoria Gardens" collection.

I hope you've enjoyed my "precocious" project and are taking advantage of the amazing specials/deals/giveaways going on this week. See THIS post for all the details. I'd also like to wish Tessa a happy Etsyversary! :) 

Your next stop on the hop is Cassie!

Have a great day!

Precocious Paper Features

Thank goodness it's the weekend! Yesterday I was featured on the Precocious Paper blog :) I'm so excited to showcase the "For Like Ever" add ons!

I altered a wooden monogram with papers from new My Minds Eye "Miss Caroline" collection and the "For Like Ever" felt roses:

It looks so cute hanging in my scraproom :)

Maybe I should start making a few more "decor" items.. 

Second, are the butterfly doilies. I just LOVE these unique embellishments. I decided to use them on a pair of "just because" cards:

This card uses some leftover patterned papers from Simple Stories' "100 Days of Summer".

The second features leftovers from my Fancy Pants' "Love Birds" line.

Both sentiments (aren't the adorable??) are from the Paper Smooches set "Giddy Bugs"

And the last project I wanted to share was a layout is another layout for my Colorado album, for my sister-in-law's wedding:

I paired my favorite DCWV "Lemon Flower" stack with the For Like Ever "Sweet Spots" :)

You can find all these fabulous embellishments in the PRECOCIOUS PAPER etsy shop and see more inspiration on TESSA's blog :)

Have a great weekend!!

A Precocious Paper Sneak Peek :)

Good evening! I'm SO happy to have tomorrow off school for Presidents Day. This weekend has been fun, relaxing AND even productive.. I don't want it to end just yet. I was able to complete quite a few projects for design team work - one of which I received permission to post tonight.

Are you ready for a Precocious Paper sneak peek?? You will LOVE these new embellishments from Tessa! They are called Ruffle Blossoms and they rock!

(photo from Precocious Paper blog)

They are made of fabric and I love how they are spun and sewn with frayed edges :) Tessa has left the centers open for your personal touch - so they may coordinate with any project! Here's what I did with my pink one:

I used it on a super girly layout of our niece, Alexandra, and my sister in law Kelly - from her wedding in Colorado last summer.

I just love their smiles in this photograph and really wanted to showcase it :)


I used the Authentique layout sketch for my design. I substituted the faux paper lace heart for the square mat.

The patterned papers and diecuts are from the "Uncommon" collection, which may be my favorite of their previous releases.

I'm also sharing this layout with My Craft Spot (girly) and Burlap and Buttercups (my style). My style is pretty clean and simple, with patterned papers and a cluster of embellies. I love big titles, too!

Thanks for stopping by tonight; stay tuned for lots of  projects this week! 

Alamo Park

When we were in San Francisco for our 2nd wedding anniversary, one of the places I was excited to visit was "Alamo Park". This is the large hill overlooking the row of Victorian homes is in the famous opening sequence of "Full House":

We got there as the sun was setting, so my pictures are pretty dark but still pretty exciting! There will be a 2 page layout to follow this one of more scenic photos. This layout features candids of my hubby and I posing in front :)

I used the sketch from Frosted Designs:

And here's my layout, featuring Authentique's "Blissful" collection:

Authentique is one of our featured manufactures at A Walk Down Memory Lane this month. Which means all paper and embellishments are 25%! You will love this company.

I just love this cluster of embellishments! Along with the diecut quote, I used the Jet Black Lace and Felt Flower and a mustard rolled felt flower (originally included in a fall sampler) from the Precocious Paper etsy shop.

I am also sharing this layout with the My Scraps and More blog hop. The challenge was to create a  layout using elements collected along the hop. 

Thanks for stopping by!

TGIF :o)

Attitude of Gratitude

Happy Sunday! I can't believe we're half way through October already. I love this time of year!

I'm so happy my friend Tessa is hosting her November challenge again, called "Attitude of Gratitude"

Each day in November, she posts something for and shares it in her altered journal.  You can scroll down here to see her posts from 2010 and the mini album she kept her thankful thoughts in. Really cool!

This year, Tessa has an "attitude of gratitude" kit available in her etsy shop, Precocious Paper!

Gorgeous, no?? Pick yours up HERE so you can get started on it. I hope to participate next month and hope you will too :)

{{Precocious Paper}} Blog Hop!

Good morning! 

Welcome to a very special {and picture heavy} post! So grab a cup of coffee and take it all in ;)  

First things first, HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, TESSA!!

Tessa is one of the first scrapbooking bloggers I "met" when I started my blog more than three years ago. She is so super sweet and talented, too!  In addition to being a wife, mother to three adorable boys, and a dance teacher - she runs a very successful etsy shop, Precocious Paper!  I don't know how she does it all.

Imagine my surprise when I received an invitation to join a blog hop birthday BASH for Tessa's 30th birthday! Um.. yes please!!  This girl knows how to throw a party ;) Besides the AWESOME line up of bloggers, with tons of projects to share sponsored by Precocious Paper, she is giving away over $100 in Precocious Paper product!

So, if you've just happened upon my blog today, you will want to start back at Tessa's blog, so can hop from the beginning and not miss a stop.  If you are coming from the fabulous Jan's blog, you're in the right place! Welcome!

I had a chance to create with this assortment of Precocious Paper goodies:

The rolled fabric flowers are the first flowers I fell in love with in Tessa's shop. I bought some for my wedding layouts and I'm pretty sure I've accumulated every color she's made since then lol! They are so fun to work with and really add a touch of elegance and texture to a page.

I used these white ones on a wedding layout from my sister-in-laws ceremony in Colorado. I was inspired by sketch 132 at The Scrappiest. The papers are from DCWV stack "Lemon Flower".

(click to view larger)

Aren't they the perfect touch? Each set comes with one large flower:

And two smaller flowers:

The next layout I made uses both the sweet spots and the chocolate cupcake poppy! The design was inspired by the latest sketch at Let's Scrap. The papers and alphas are from Basic Grey.  I knew I wanted to showcase a bunch of candid photos from our trip. 

(click to view larger)

The sweet spots were just the subtle embellishments I needed to bring these two pages together. I added the cupcake poppy to the cluster next to the title:

I love how Tessa mixes felt, paper, brads, doilies, and pearls to create these fun accents! And you get a bunch..

I had a few sweet spots leftover and made a quick and simple card inspired by the photo challenge at Paper Smooches:

It says it all .. Thank you so much Tessa for including me in your celebration!!

Are you drooling over the Precocious Paper product you saw today?? Here's how to win!

* leave a comment below - Tessa will be choosing random blog hop participants to win credit to Precocious Paper

* become a follower of the Precocious Paper blog - one random follower will win a $20 gift card to Precocious Paper

* become a facebook fan of Precocious Paper - one random follower will win a $20 gift card to Precocious Paper

* complete the hop for a chance to win the grand prize - September, October, November AND December samplers (a $54 value!)

Tessa has added many new products to the Precocious Paper shelves! Treat yourself with this FREE SHIPPING code and receive a thank you gift, as well.

Code: SPBBHFREE

Thank you so much for stopping by today and celebrating Tessa's 30th birthday with us. I would be honored if you became a follower and came back to visit me!

Your next stop on the hop is... the fabulous Diana!!

Happy Hopping !! :)