BBD Question??

I have a question that I hope someone can answer.....I am getting ready to start the Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers "Summer", "Autumn" and "Winter" (all on one piece of linen) and was wondering if one skein of Manor Red (used to stitch the alphabet) was enough. I will be stitching this on 32 ct. linen. I don't want to risk not having enough and then having a dye lot issue but I don't want to buy more if it really isn't needed.

Thanks in Advance!!

Project Life 2012

Happy New Year Everyone! It's been a while since I posted. I have enjoyed the holidays and now I'm ready to tackle 2012 with "delight". Delight is my one little word for the new year. I want to use "delight" as a sense. I want to delight in every little detail whether it be tasting food, seeing the seasons change, hearing my teenage son giggle....I want to not only savor the moments but I want to experience them with delight.

As the new year approached, I knew that making resolutions (as I have in the past) was just a waste of time if they were unachieveable. I'm not going to diet (maybe watch more closely what I eat) and I'm not going to exercise (who knows - I may WANT to get out and walk some so I can take photographs). But I did set a few goals for myself this year......
1) participate in Project Life 2012 - details below!
2) get my photos organized on my computer (which means - sort, delete, print, etc.)
3) doing #2 means I need to scrapbook more
4) get some sewing projects completed
5) visit the lake a lot more this spring/summer
6) sew/quilt a scrappy picnic tablecloth

I want to talk about Project Life 2012, for those that are not familiar with it. I know most of my blog readers are cross stitchers and believe it or not, I still stitch every now and then (maybe I need to add that to the list above - to stitch more LOL). This may be a project you will want to start (BTW - you can start ANY time). I know you "think" there is no way you could ever add another hobby to your day but this is so simple!!!! Almost everyone has a camera phone so take some photos and get started! Document your life!!!

Project Life 2012 is a concept that Becky Higgins began 4 years ago. Becky is WELL KNOWN in the scrapbooking world for her contributions to the Creating Keepsakes magazine as well as authoring some wonderful sketch books. This concept allows scrapbookers to get pictures in their books before the memories fade and to capture the day-to-day details, besides the holidays and other big yearly moments, in a flash. The products she designed are available through Amazon and consist of picture pocket page protectors, journaling cards, albums, etc. Everything a scrapbooker needs. So, why have I just now decided to do this?.........

Well......
1) The concept originally was to take a photo each day. A photo that represented that day or a moment that happened that would probably be forgotten in a weeks time but years from now would be a cherished memory. I knew that I would never be able to take a photo each day for 365 days!
2) I really don't like picture pocket page protectors. It was too confining for me. I'm a "lumpy" scrapper and I just couldn't buy into the print the photo and slip it in the pocket and be done.
3) As a "lumpy" scrapper, I love to embellish. I need to add more to my page.

At the end of 2011, as scrappers began to talk about their plans for the upcoming Project Life year, I realized that there were other scrappers like me! They wanted to embellish, they could not take a photo every week, they needed to scrap the way that was their style. I also realized this was MY album. I'm in charge so let's tweak the concept and do it!!! The main purpose is to capture the little details and moments - I can do that!!

My Project Life 2012 album...
1) does not contain picture pocket page protectors. I am scrappin' my photos onto 12x12 cardstock and doing a 2 page spread for each week.
2) probably will not consist of a photo for each day. I am focusing on the week, itself. I may take 5 photos in one day or something similar. But, I will focus on capturing little momemts, nature, things........I want to be able to look back in 5 or 10 years and see the furniture, see how the trees have grown or are gone, what was on TV, how electronics have changed, etc.
3) lets me embellish! I'm adding my die cuts, buttons, my snippets of life, etc.

This in NO WAY says that the way Becky, or other scrappers, do their albums is wrong. What Becky has designed has been a life saver for so many scrappers. People are documenting their lifes. The small stuff becomes much larger and more important years down the road. It is a great product and if you are a beginner (or advanced for that matter) and you want to get in on this, Becky makes it easy and gives you the tools to take all the guess work out of the equation! It's memory capturing made simple!

So, here it is.....The start of my Project Life 2012 adventure. My week is going to run Sunday through Saturday. My "plan" is to upload and print the previous week's photos on Thursday and scrap my pages over the weekend. I will "try" to post my page updates, here on the blog, on Thursday/Friday.

Title Page:

The 2 page layout (week one/1-1-12 to 1-7-12):

The left page:

And the right page:

Thanks for taking a peek inside my new adventure! If you are interested in getting more information on Project Life, click here. While you are there, check out Becky's design team. They will inspire you! I also have to give a shout-out to Michelle Wooderson for sharing her Project Life 2011 and now 2012. She has a style that I really admire. And if you have a little extra time, visit Glue Stick Girl too!

If you have any questions, just ask!!

edited to add #6 to my 2012 goals

Santa's Coming to Town

It's been such a long time since I posted but I just had to share my latest creation......my Santa Claus Treat Boxes! I put these together using my Silhouette and they are just too cute! They will be filled with Hershey Kisses and will be at each person's place setting on Christmas Day.

With Christmas being only a mere 5 days away, I hope each of you have a wonderful day spent with love and laughter with family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

Spooktacular Goody Bags

I spent the weekend getting the house and treats ready for the big night tomorrow! I couldn't wait to make these treat bags with my new Papertrey Ink die - Front and Center #1. It was cut out of black cardstock and adhered to a plain and simple brown lunch sack. The tag was made using the new tag die #5 and some older Halloween PTI stamps. The bags, after the candy was added, were finished off with a torn strip of fabric tied into a bow, Halloween colored baker's twine and an orange spider ring (ring snipped off). My niece and nephews got their bags this evening and were happy.....and that's all that matters! Happy Halloween!

Fall Harvest Crop

It's been a while since I updated so let's get right to it!


The weekend before last, I spent 3 days scrapbooking and celebrating FALL by attending The Stamping Place's crop in Columbia, SC. It was also World Card Making Day (Oct 1st) so I just had to work on my Halloween cards too.

It was a great weekend and of course the rolling "Coffin Cart" made its rounds. Complete with orange punch, eerie vegetables with mini cauldrons of dip and of course spooky iced sugared cookies. Lisa was dressed for the occasion and would have made any witch proud!

The shop was decorated for fall and Halloween with little cauldrons of scrappin' goodies everywhere.

Some os us even got a little crazy as the witching hour approached Friday night!

Everyone had a great time, especially me, because I got to sit with these two - Peggy and Renee!

Mine and Renee's new traditional pose!

Happy Fall Y'all!

A "Wicked" Good Time

Guess where Chris and I were Saturday..........



That's right! We traveled to Atlanta to the fabulous Fox Theatre to see the Broadway musical, Wicked. We have tried for 3 years to get decent seats for this event and boy, did we - Left Orchestra, Row G!! What can I say? This show was wonderful! The costumes, stage settings, makeup, music - superb! I love the whole story line and left appreciating why the Wicked Witch of the West was "wicked". It had lots of comical parts as well.

Now, seeing Wicked was great but visiting the Fox Theatre is a treat in itself. It has been a few years since I have visited and I'm always in awe when I come back. This historical Islamic/Egyptian style theater is beautiful. The tapestries, the ornate wall sculptures and decor sets the mood for any featured venue.

And once you are seated, you have to look up and see the "sky.... There are 96 crystal "stars" and 1/3 of them flicker. There is also a projection of rolling clouds. (FYI - one of the stars is actually a piece of a Coca Cola bottle!)

It was a wonderful day and a day to celebrate because...........it was mine and Chris' 22nd wedding anniversary!

We did celebrate a little late since our actual anniversary is on September 9th. But, it was well worth the wait! After leaving the theater, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory for a yummy dinner and of course, cheesecake. They have at least 20 different cheesecake flavors to decide from and it is always a hard choice. I go in with an idea of what I want but usually have to let the large window case speak to me - LOL! I went with the White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut and Chris had the Dulce de Leche Caramel. Yummy-O!!

So, now it's Monday and back to reality. Have a great week!

Fun Friday

Here's a little fun Friday Q&A. Things you may or may not have known about me:

A. Age: 43
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathrooms
D. Dogs: None but use to have toy poodles
E. Essential start to your day: Diet Coke
F. Favorite color: Right now it's blue.
G. Gold or Silver: I like both.
H. Height: 5’5"
I. Instruments you play: I played the flute in middle school but couldn't hit a note now if I tried!
J. Job title: Office Manager, Mom, Wife, Crafter, etc....
K. Kids: One teenage son
L. Live: Augusta, Georgia
M. Mother’s name: Katie
N. Nicknames: MiMi
O. Overnight hospital stays: Yes, in fact had one in January for a bad case of stomach flu.
P. Pet peeves: Liars, Bad Customer Service and people who do not put their shopping carts up in the parking lots.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" - Rhett Butler
R. Right or left handed: Right handed.
S. Siblings: One younger brother
U. Underwear: Everyday!
V. Vegetable you hate: Artichokes and a couple more - not really a veggie eater.
W. What makes you run late: Signing school papers that I didn't know about the night before.......
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Many
Y. Yummy food that you make: I only have a couple that I think are the best - red velvet cake, coconut cake, cube steak and gravy, squash casserole....
Z. Zoo animal: I love them all but I do enjoy the Meerkats and Giraffes.

Have a great weekend folks.

p.s. Berit - I would love to share my squash casserole recipe. I will edit this post with it in the next day or two. You will love it!