I made these yesterday....

.... and they are SO GOOD. Pumpkin biscotti. I got the recipe here. I dipped mine in chocolate. Mmmm.... My Inner Martha is full on FALL this week!

Accordion Album Love...

I sort of find it amusing that the items I love the most in my Etsy shop are rarely the ones that sell. What does that say about me? Take this one for example...

This might be my all time favorite accordion album tin. Butterflies. Velvet ric-rack. Acetate galore. Pockets for notes or pictures... I love it! But the listing will expire in a week and it will go homeless, unloved. What's up with that?

Do I just tend to like and make things that are difficult to accurately photograph? Does it really just look that much better in person that I fell in love with it and can't convey what it looks like through pictures? Do people just not know what to do with accordion albums? I guess if this one goes unloved I'll have to fill it with my own pictures (provided I ever find the time!) so people can see what you do with them. And so I can finally be a good mom and carry pictures of my daughter with me!! Someone asked what she looked like this week and all I had was a lousy cell phone picture. I really need to carry pictures of her!

Have I already blogged this?

This is a card Sheila asked me to put together as a fourth for my transparency card class this week. She really wanted me to use the file folder cut on the diagonal as a template and see what I could do with it. It's not my favorite card ever, but I am happy with how it turned out, especially working with someone else's idea, which I usually have a really hard time with. I love the other cards for the class Wednesday, but I don't have any pictures of those, so you'll just have to stop by the store to see them or use your imagination. They're transparency gatefold cards. =D

Bo Bunny Thanksgiving Album!

When I saw this paper from Bo Bunny, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with it. All of the eclectic journaling blocks just called for me to make them into a mini album for Thanksgiving this year! So that I what I did. It doesn't have any pictures or writing in it yet, but I intend to use it to document our holiday this year, whatever we end up doing (it's still a bit up in the air as far as plans go...). I'm very happy with how it turned out! (So much so that I did a Christmas one using the Christmas paper, but I didn't really like how that turned out as much.) Anyway, without further ado, here is my Bo Bunny Thanksgiving Album!!

Of course, I used the Bind-It-All and tied some Michael's ribbon on the coils. I also added some Prima crystal frames (ovals) for a bit of sparkle, but other than that it is just that one sheet of paper!

Believe it or not....

... I've been getting to craft lately. Hooray! I've been too busy to blog it, but not too busy to do it, and you'll just have to trust me on that.

Just today I made a diaper cake (or 90% of it... it still needs a few finishing touches) and invitations to a baby shower (or 90% of them... I still need a little more information before they're finished).

I've been working on mini albums galore. I've got 4 of them done. No pictures inside yet, but they're all ready for them.

I've been working on cards, too. I've got some card classes coming up and I've been making samples for those, as well as working on my own Christmas cards.

It's good to craft. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of stuff sometime soon. I don't make nearly enough time for blogging now that I'm busy again.

Birthday Gifts....

It's birthday season again.

All of Eliana's little friends seem to have been born in the months of October, November, and December. Of course, she wasn't, so I don't usually think about it until the first birthday hits. And that's Zoe's birthday. This year I was determined to have a great gift and have it made (because I am a believer in homemade gifts!) in time for her birthday party. I started plotting and planning and working on it way back in July. Then the project got stalled and I didn't pick it up again until Sunday.... the day OF Zoe's party. Too late. I didn't get it done in time. *sigh* But I did get it done, and I even remembered to take pictures before I wrapped it to give to her! Hopefully she'll like it, but I thought it would be a great gift for a 3 year old. I sort of pictured it being good in the car (since chalk won't stain car seats or melt in the summer heat) but really it would be good anywhere, I think. It's a chalkboard lap desk with a couple storage pockets....

The pictures are bad because I had to crank up the ISO for low light pictures, but you get the idea. I love this fleece material! The pattern just makes me happy with the little frogs on pogo sticks, and I'm a big fan of the bright cheery colors. I have enough supplies (except for the batting) to make another, so I think I will. Maybe it will be another toddler birthday present. Maybe it will be for Ellie. We'll see. But I like how this one turned out, especially for a first draft of the idea in my head. I love it when that happens.

Scarf and Hat....

Well, now that it's been snowing for pretty much two days straight, I guess it's as good a time as any to post the scarf and hat I made while camping this summer. The yarn is SO SOFT (I think it's called "pajama" yarn) and I love the blue, especially paired with the brown coat I wear so much.

And before my mother has a heart attack at the beautiful white snowy background, this picture was taken a month or more ago, and that is not snow, but a backdrop. So you can breathe easy, Mom, that we don't have THAT much snow on the ground. Only an inch or so, and I'm sure it will all be melted by the time you arrive in a few weeks. =D

Trick or Treat... Smell My Feet...

I love the Heidi Grace Halloween papers, so when I decided to make invitations to our Halloween party, I knew just which papers I wanted to use! The idea had been floating around in my head for a while, and when I sat down to make these the other night it all just came together. I really like how these turned out, too, and I'm glad I got to use the PaperTrey Ink stamps I bought, since I got them specifically for this (and more of this year's Halloween celebration) purpose. The "bags" are made from craft paper and trimmed with zigzag scissors and the "handles" pull up to reveal the party details! I thought it was clever... =D

Monday's Craft Night...

... Here's what I did. Turns out it takes more time to scrap when you're out of practice, but I'm happy to get to play with my SPS kits again AND get some scrapping in, even if it only one completed layout. Hey! It's completed!!

See what I got in the mail today?!

Yes, goodies from Paper Trey Ink! I know, I know, I'm not buying more craft stuff until I use what I have, but I have plans for these!! I have plans for my halloween party and plans for a baby shower, and I NEEEEED these stamps to complete my plans!! Really, I do. =D

I'm so excited to play with the new stamps! I'm hoping to have time to do that.... oh, maybe this weekend? I hope so!

Tonight's Class....

So tonight I'm teaching another class at the LSS. It's a recipe album using the new Theresa Collins recipe pages. I pretty much love all thing TC, so I am really excited about this one! I made mine a Thanksgiving recipe album so I have all my favorite Thanksgiving recipes in one place. The recipe cards pull out (with the exception of 2 of them in mine - class attendees will be able to do the cards however they want to, so I added a variety of ways to do it in mine for example) and I think it will be a fun keepsake to have all my holiday recipes in an album! If I'm really feeling ambitious come Thanksgiving I'd like to take pictures of some of the dishes and incorporate them somehow. But that will have to wait until later. In the meantime, here's a peek at the album!