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A New Publication

I picked up the new Autumn Leaves publication, "The Designing with Recipe Book", about a week ago at my local scrapbook store. I'm a big fan of Autumn Leaves  publications. I love the photography and all the colorful imagery that goes into their books. They're always beautiful and inspiring. I think most of the credit though has to go to their designers. They've always had a very talented design team on board. Some of my faves include Margie Scherschligt (p.91 in the new book, showcases the layout that inspired me to create the layout above), Danielle Thompson, Ashley Calder, and so many more. I'm all about the details. The more, the better. I'm constantly looking for new ways to "create details" on my layouts. Every time I refer to my Autumn Leaves book collection, I always run across a small something I didn't see before...whether it be a handmade flower made of pattern paper or a rippled border made with stitching and glue, I'm all over it. These are the sorts of things I usually seek out when I buy a scrapbook publication. Not all publications focus on details, but Autumn Leaves does and that's what I love about their books. Now if only they would release Rhonna Farrer's new book, "Enjoy the Process". It was suppose to be released in December of '07...give or take 6 Months. Smile.

Here's a few close-ups along with a few new ideas:

I have a knack for cutting up small pieces of paper and recombining them to create something new.  A mini collage sort of obsession. It's all part of that "detail" habit I can't seem to shed. One of the things I really liked about creating this layout was having these "mini palettes" to play around with. Irregular Rectangular spaces to turn into mini works of art. These are the light green border areas. There are four of them. Note how different each one of them looks. At the same time, to keep them feeling connected, I used the same paper and color combination with each one. I then embellished each one differently with stickers, die-cuts, rub-ons, etc. It provided me opportunity to experiment and try new ideas. I didn't feel like I was risking "ruining a layout" by trying something new, which I know all of us worry about when we're creating a layout.  I would create the mini collage before adhering it to my layout. I really enjoyed the process. No pressure. Here's a few more of those "mini collages" from the above layout:

Of course, I can't create a layout without some doodling. It's the ol'quilter in me...I used to make these funky, eclectic hand dyed contemporary wall quilts. I would draw a quilt design before implementing it on fabric. I was into scenic imagery; birds, trees, houses, small towns, etc. I've carried this over into my scrapbooking. I'll take a few pics of my quilts to show you what I was doing two years ago...they're very me. Lot's of color and detail, but with fabric.

Have a good night everyone. Take care. 

Studio Calico's February Kit

It's that time of month..I get to share a few layouts with you using Studio Calico's February kit, "Sherwood Forest". I actually finished these layouts a week or two ago, but as always, I have to wait for their final debut at the "Studio" before sharing them with you here. You've already seen some close-ups, but not the layouts themselves. Take a peek below:

The "Sherwood Forest" kit has sold out. No surprise. The place has been hoppen' lately as new member's sign up for subscriptions at the speed of light. The kits are always beautiful. Scarlet and April have really great taste and a good sense of style for combining product. Their vision is fresh and sophisticated. The website itself is like shopping for scrapbook supplies at the Pottery Barn. The gallery is always inspiring and the community is inviting and warm. I love designing for this kit club. I won't forget to mention the cute kraft packaging and Studio Calico printed boxes that are used to ship kits to their customers- every detail is fine tuned and hand tailored, including the kits themselves.

It's a Monday. My day pretty much started at the local post office with a missing box. I left the item I was suppose to mail out on my garage bench. Mrs. Clueless forgot to grab it (that would be me) before driving out of the garage. Go figure. Ethan and I visited my mom in the afternoon, but could only stay a short while because she had a meeting with a business friend. We ended up trekking back home after having made little progress on anything. Ethan took his afternoon nap and his uncle, Peter, came over to visit for an hour or so once the nap was over. I also took a nap. It was soooo wonderful :) I haven't been sleeping very well at night. New bed. New room. Highway outside my window along with a horn loven' train station. Not exactly ideal sleeping conditions. It's going to take some time to get used to the changes. After Peter left, we went back to my parent's place and hung out for a few hours. Ethan and I filled up on some Swedish Pancakes during our visit. By the time we got home, 6:30 had already rolled around. I gave Ethan his bath and put him to bed. It was a fairly uneventful day, though I did receive some special photos in the mail from Krysten Halek (a good friend of mine who also happens to be a very talented photographer). They were the last photos taken of "our family" (Ethan, Eric, and myself) before Eric died. They were taken a month before Eric passed away. I purchased 3 large 8.5" x 11" pics to hang on my wall in my scrap room. They're beautiful and with permission, I will try to post some of these pics at my blog in the near future. That was truly the highlight of my day. Thank you Krysten!

I have been contemplating purchasing Photoshop CS3. I still need to do further research on pricing..is it the same price no matter where you purchase the software? I need some advice here..if any of you have experience purchasing Photoshop CS or CS3, send some info my way. Thanks!

Till tomorrow, take care.

A little house cleaning...

I was inspired by another blogger to "clean house". I needed to freshen' up this place. Give the blog a new banner and move things around a bit. Let me know what you think...thanks everyone.

Three Weeks...

It's been three weeks since Eric passed away. I thought about this as I sat in my car with my son to run errands. The seat next to me was empty. An obvious reminder of his absence. We used to go every where together. Actually, every Saturday, we would spend our afternoons at the local bookstore and stop off for a bite to eat at one of the various local restaurants. While in the car together, we'd joke around, listen to alternative music, and play the license plate game. We'd choose the closest license plate and use the first three letters printed on the plate to come up with quirky, funny phrases. For example, if a plate's first three letters were JLO, I would remark, "Jimmy, look out!" We would work at this game till we got to our destination. The  goal was always to see who could come up with the weirdest, funniest phrase. I usually lost. Laugh. Eric had a great sense of humor and he was always thinking outside of the box. He came up with dozens of phrases for each plate we passed. He was a fast thinker. I didn't mind cause he always made me laugh every time he shouted out a new phrase. We used to have a blast together in the car. Of course, we used to have the occasional fight in the car, but the car was a place for me and Eric to catch up with each other. It was a place where we spent long periods of time being physically close to each other. You can't exactly open the door midway while driving some where and step out of the car without being seriously injured. When I look at the passenger seat now and Eric is no longer sitting next to me, I feel his absence immediately. No more license plate games, singing, fighting over radio stations, or weekly updates. That part of my life has changed...the car is just a means of transportation...a reminder that Eric is gone.

The car did manage to get me to Michaels today without issue. I ran into a new line from Making Memories; "Chelsea's Place". I wasn't expecting to find a "full line" of something at Michaels. I know they updated their scrapbook supply collection some time ago with the whole Martha Stewart product introduction and K & Company inventory increase, but I wasn't totally impressed..at that point in time. Well, when I saw this new line today, I was giddy with excitement. Was there some secret little deal going on between Michaels and Making Memories? I wasn't even aware that this line was under production. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out new product debuts before they reach store shelves. So, where did this line come from? I was totally surprised...I started to wonder if my life had become more sheltered. Laugh. Anyway, I put a few of the items in my basket and brought them home. Here's a few pics:

Very shabby sheek. Like it a lot, especially the blue & red combination on these embellishments. Reminds me a little bit of some of their earlier releases.

I don't post pics of Ethan often enough at my blog. I just never really know which photos to post. He seems to be growing by the minute. Every hit of the camera button and the kid is doing something different. I can't keep up with his developments. Lately, he's been focusing a lot of his energy on mechanical things. He wants to know how things work. He'll play with just about anything as long as it has wheels and dials. If it lights up, even better! He's so hilarious. I'm really enjoying this phase. It shouldn't surprise me then that he takes great interest in my vacuum (when it's not on). He likes to play with the cord, the buttons, the light, and every other movable part on the thing. For him, cleaning time is fun! Not for mom...so here's the little guy with mom's vacuum:

One last photo of Ethan..he's growing up and is 15 Months old.

 

The Mighty Cold

I woke up this mornen' with swollen tonsils. Figure it was no big deal cause it wouldn't be the first time I've had this problem. My allergies are usually pretty bad in the mornen' vs. the evening. By the time eleven a.m. rolled around, my whole body started to ache and nausea set in. I thought to myself, "no, this is not happening." Well, it is happening. I got a cold. I haven't had one of these in ages. I've forgotten how miserable they make me feel. I can't be totally surprised though that I picked up cold seven days ago. I've been spending a lot of time with people and the cold virus is rampant right now. Everyone has a cold. Why shouldn't I get it? Laugh. I called my MIL to tell her to come and pick up Ethan. She came right away (what an angel). He's spending the evening at her house. I actually had arrangements to crop tonight. Had to cancel. I was bummed about it cause I really wanted to meet up with friends and have a good'ol time. Now it's just me and the bed. No scrappen' tonight. Frown.

I did check out the latest issue of Scrapbooks Etc. while laying down on the couch this afternoon. They wrote up an article on Jennifer Pebbles. She designs for Two Peas in a Bucket, American Crafts, Making Memories and more. You can check out her blog here: The Good Life.  I hadn't really noticed her work before..I live sort of a sheltered life. Laugh. Her scrapbooking is very "hip" with a bit of "modern flair". It's not overly complicated (like mine can be sometimes). Go check out her layouts and tell me what you think. I think I'll be linking her up to my blog. Inspiration found. Another nifty little item I found in this months issue of Scrapbooks Etc is the Acme United Laser Ruler. A little laser comes out the side of the ruler to help line up journaling or to position letters. It's about $20. Not bad. Lastly, a little sneak peak of "5th Avenue" from Making Memories was found-love this new line. Can't wait for it's release. I believe it hits the shelves in February along with their new "Garden Party" collection. Create My Keepsake will be selling both collections..and no, I'm not doing any plugging here. I ran into the product at this site and just thought I'd share. It's not for sale just yet, but keep your eyes open.  Studio Calico will also be including "5th Avenue" product in their future kits.

If you're a new mama and looking for pattern paper to show off your little one, here's a line that might be worth checking out: Circus Baby. Saw this today and thought it was the cutest stuff ever. If only Ethan were that little again. Those were the days....

Take care everyone. Be back to update in a day or so. Thank you for continuing to share your kind comments with me. I enjoy reading every single one of them. If you ever have a question, don't ever hesitate to ask. I'll try to respond as quickly as possible..I'm a little slow in the email arena, but bare with me. I do read all my comments and emails :)   

Visitor

I think one of the greatest challenges for a new widow is taking on new responsibilities while going through the grieving process. Often, married couples share responsibilities with each other. When a spouse dies, all the responsibilities are transfered to the surviving spouse. Suddenly, the surviving spouse is left with not only sadness, but a whole list of things that need to be done. Luckily, I continue to receive support from those that love us. I'm very grateful to have such wonderful, caring people in my life. 

Last Monday, my father helped me choose a new health insurance plan. We sat down with an insurance agent and discussed various plans. We found one that we thought was a good fit for me and Ethan. I put down a deposit in hopes of getting an approval. Our medical records will be reviewed by the insurance company over the next week. We'll get the "yes" or "no" in a week in half. Keepen' my fingers crossed.

Last Tuesday, I sat down with a social security agent and discussed widower's benefits. It was my first time visiting the social security office. I had to locate the office in downtown, St.Paul. Not my favorite place to drive, but it needed to get done. I found it after asking a few people for the exact building location. I was able to find the street, but the building numbers weren't obvious. Once I got in the building, I went up to the 8th floor and walked into a crowded room full of people. I did have an appointment, so I was able to get in quickly, though I was still surprised by the number of people there. Where did they all come from? I didn't see them outside the building. Why were they all there? I'm so unfamiliar with this process. I answered all the usual questions. Where were you born? What's your son's birth date? Blah. Blah. Blah. It took about an hour in half to finish the application process. When I left the building and walked back to the parking ramp, I couldn't find my car. It was below zero and I couldn't remember for the life of me where I parked my car. It took me twenty minutes to find it. I kept telling myself that I should of worn my scarf like I usually do. Of course, I didn't. I felt sooo relieved when I found it. 2nd floor on the right. Back in my car, warm, and done with social security. On to the next step please...

Today, I had a meeting with a big'ol company. Can't divulge info here, but I'm excited by the opportunities that lie ahead of me right now. Seeking out a career. It's all part of rebuilding my life, my future, and creating security for my small family.

I've been scrapbooking on and off over this last week. After finishing up my assignment with Studio Calico for February, I started working on a personal layout. I finished it up last night. It took me a couple of nights to complete this one. It's bright and whimsical. KittyKat'alicious. I have one cat in my home (actually, I have five cats...yes, I'm the crazy cat lady, but blame it on the cat clinic I worked at for four years as a vet tech) that follows me everywhere. She's my little stalker. I luv her to no end though, and she's got quite the social side. She loves to cuddle, give kisses, and sleep next to people or "on people" ever chance she gets. Her name is Amber. When I was giving Ethan a bath last week, she sat in the bathroom with us the whole time. She made herself present at one moment by sitting on the toilet. I grabbed my camera cause she looked so funny just sitting there staring at me while I was trying to bathe my little guy. The photo is quite comical. Take a peek:

I want to share a really nifty photo editing technique I found in the latest Photoshop Elements magazine that showed up in my mail box this week. It's quick and easy. If you're looken' to make the colors in your photos "pop" a bit, try this on for size using Photoshop Elements 5 or 6:

• Press "D" to set Foreground colors to their defaults
• Add a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer (don't change anything in this box, just press "ok".)
• Change Blend Mode of the adjustment layer in the Layers palette to either Soft Light or Luminosity.
• Lower the Opacity of the adjustment layer until you get the look you want.

I used this photo editing technique on the above photo in this layout. I think the results are great..but be careful, it's good on some photos and not others. Play around and find what works best for your photo. You may have to decrease the Opacity level quite a bit.

These circles were hand cut out from a sheet of Scenic Route pattern paper. I then adhered them onto light blue cardstock and cut around the circles to create a light blue border. I added a Fiskars transparent epoxy dot to each circle after adhering them to my page.

The title on this layout really stands out, even though the background it sits on is busy. How do you make letters pop if the background is busy?  Note the pink ledger square and the orange curvy label under the letters "V" & "I" and "O" & "R". If the background of the layout is a bold, pattern sheet of paper, create a visual border around your title using background elements such as the ones I've used here. You can use labels, simple pattern paper, cardstock, or frames. Anything that will bring attention to the title and separate it from the background.

Combining rub-ons again. These are Hambly made rub-on birds with Jenny Bowlin cream rub-on stars.

I hand-cut these circles and then cut them in half (to get two pieces from each circle) to create a frame for the photo. I intentionally cut them lopsided and not-so-perfect. I combined them with Elsie KI Memories Epoxy stickers (cut them in half too). Gives the frame a little variety and flair. Beware when you're cutting epoxy stickers though..takes a good muscle or two to get one to cut in half.

Got out the doodle pens again. These are actually rub-on swirls from the Creative Cafe collection. I used my good'ol souffle pink pen to color in the loops.I then used a gold gel pen to add dots along swirling path. The pink dotted scallop border along the top is a transparency frame that I cut int pieces to create one long border. I used the amazing Glue Dots Vellum adhesive to get them to stick to the page..it's one of my favorite adhesive products. Use it on all my transparency items.

Along the top edge of the olive color cardstock, I tore it and rolled it. I then coated it with some brilliance ink (using a brilliance ink pad-direct method-pad to paper edge-lightly brush it on) and then topped it off with Ranger Distress Ink in "walnut". I got a little messy with it. Sometimes, it's just fun to let go when the right layout comes around for that kind of thing. This one was all about "letting go".

Last, but not least, I got the stamps out for this layout. Added a seam line to the ribbon to make it look more real. Kept it subtle and simple.

Going to gather some things together to crop this Friday. Really excited about it. Got the last spot cause I signed up at the last minute. That's what happens when one attempts to find a babysitter on a Wednesday, two days before the crop. Guess it's a good time to start packing for the event. Gonna need two days to do it. Laugh. Take care everyone! 

I know, I know...

What the heck is taking me so long to update the ol'blog? Well, I've been on an important task these last few days. With the help of family members (thank you guys!), we've redone the office in the house. Eric and I used to spend lots of time in the office together. He would play World of Warcraft while I scrapped at my scrappen' desk. Since his passing, it's been difficult to spend time in the room. It's my primary place to scrap and hang out on the computer. I decided it was time to change it. Create a sanctuary for myself where I can go and feel at peace. Last week, I went out and bought some affordable furniture at Ikea (thank goodness for that store), decor items (thank goodness for Target), and Paint. We emptied out the room on Thursday/Friday and painted it a mild blue-green color. I found the color in the latest issue of "Creative Home" by Better Homes & Gardens Magazine. They matched it up with these gorgeous dark brown silk curtains. I fell totally in the love with the combination and decided it was a perfect option for the new space. Because there were so many helpful people  assisting  in getting the room completed, we finished it up last night. Below are some photos of the (almost) final results:

The desk and chair sit in the center of the room facing the storage area. I like to bring the furniture away from the walls to create "mini spaces" within a single room. I think it's a great way to create more space for additional furniture pieces.

I stuck this in the corner of the room. By surprise, I saw this chair at "Home Goods". Usually, I wouldn't think to buy big pieces of furniture from this place, but this chair was a perfect fit for the room. Introduces another color into the space. It also adds a little bit of warmth considering the wall color is on the cool side.

This is the first thing you see when you walk into the room. My favorite place to sleep. It's sort of weird sleeping in a twin again, but it's cozy and cute. It's also a safe place for me to be at night and I'm closer to Ethan. That's a good thing for a worried mom.

Using the baskets for all my various scrapbook supplies. They're almost the perfect size (I may have to go bigger on a few more). I like to categorize everything so it's easy to find. I put my "label stickers" in one bin, my rub-ons in another, letter stickers here, word stickers there, etc. It all makes sense to me and keeps me on track.

Trying to get a head start on storing my Prima Flowers. I have a few right now, but not a ton. I collected them as I ran into them and the colors matched my scrapbooken' needs. I'm sure they'll be quite a few coming my way soon, so I'm trying to make space for them. These glass jars from Ikea are another one of their great deals.

These pillows are definitely my favorite part of the entire room. I'm really into the "orange" thing right now. Who would of ever thought we'd get back into the orange scene? Wasn't that popular back in the 1970's and weren't we all in a rush in the 1980's and 90's to remove it from our homes? Look at us now, we're using it again. This time though it's a little deeper..closer to the red family. Picked up this modern, stylish pillow at Target. They have the yearly "world bazaar" decor sale happening right now. It's on the pricey side, but it will go on clearance in April. I picked up only a few things from the bazaar. This pillow was one of those things...couldn't pass it up. I think it finishes off the space.

Will be back to update some more a little later. Going to scrapbook tonight and relax in the new room. Will have a layout to share when I come back. Take Care.

Treasure

I spent two solid hours in the basement last night looking at Eric's old things. He never threw anything away. He kept everything, including empty boxes and paperwork from years ago. I remember asking Eric to throw some of his stuff away. There was so much of it and I was overwhelmed by it all. He was of course attached to the many things he kept. He thought it was wasteful to throw perfectly good objects away for the sake of cleanliness. Looking back, I'm glad he didn't listen to me. His entire history is sitting in our basement. I started going through it last night and came across some old photos from his childhood. I'd never seen the photos before and was happily surprised to have found them tucked away under a stack of various other things. I looked at all of them. He was passionate about the great outdoors. He grew up around camping and portages. Most of the photos were of gorgeous sunsets, trees, clouds, mountains, and lakes. I did find a small mini album of old family photos. I came across the above photos in the mini album. They literally took my breath away. My first immediate reaction was, "oh my gosh, he looks exactly like Ethan." My two boys are almost identical. I was sort of aware of this, but it wasn't until I saw these photos that I realized just how similar the two of them look, especially as toddlers. I put all three photos on display in my kitchen. I can't bare to put them away. I can hardly wait to share them with Ethan when he gets older. He'll also have an opportunity to see everything else that dad didn't throw away. I guess some things are worth keeping, even empty boxes.

I'm back on board at Studio Calico as a designer. I had taken a small leave of absence during the last phase of Eric's battle against brain cancer. I've been working with February's kit. I'm working on three layouts using this kit. I've posted a few sneak peeks above from two of the layouts. I'll post the actual layouts after January 28th (the day of the reveal-February's kit).

I will be designing for Prima Marketing Inc. over the next twelve months. I have to say it's a true honor to design for Prima Marketing. I never thought in a million years I would hold a spot on their team. I'm thrilled to be a part of their community. Thank you Prima for providing me this opportunity. Congrats to the rest of the new team members below:

Adrienne Looman
Amy Hutchinson
Celeste Smith
Celine Navarro (France)
Christine Middlecamp
Cindy Tobey
Iris Babao-Uy (The Philippines)
Janine Langer (Germany)
Janine Wahl
Mara-May Baca
Nura Keif (Singapore)
Stephanie Howell

Off to try and get some sleep this evening. Ethan was up four times last night and the night before that he slept for only a total of four hours. I'm one tired mom. Here's to hoping for a good night's rest.

Blue

This evening I find myself feeling "blue". It's been a week since Eric's passing and for the first time, I've had moments of feeling displaced. It started this evening. I was preparing dinner for myself and Ethan and out of no where came the increasing sense of panic and anxiety. There didn't seem to be an obvious reason for the anxiety. I started to feel agitated after a while because I wasn't sure what the problem was. It was just there and the only thing I could do was let it happen. I actually have a long history with panic and anxiety disorder. In my early twenties, it nearly took control of my life. I learned to let it "ride" and "pass". So, that's what I did tonight. It hasn't entirely disappeared, but after an insightful discussion with my MIL, it did ease up a little bit. I'm learning that I have a lot of concerns about my future. I'm constantly thinking about my home, finances, relationships, and all the things that used to define me. Right now, everything is in the air and nothing makes sense. It's reason enough to explain why I feel anxious. Much of my life has been turned upside down and to add to that, I miss my companion more and more each passing day. Reality is starting to sink in. Eric's no longer with us. I've been told that it takes a full two weeks for the shock to wear off and also to feel the permanency of one's loss. I think their right. My worry and sorrow is growing. Both contribute to the feeling of panic and anxiety.

I think one of the mistakes I made today was not making plans for the day. I've been trying to make a concerted effort to establish plans for each given day. This usually helps keep me on track. It keeps me focused and busy. I didn't do that today. I figured it was Sunday and I could get away with doing whatever. Living life spontaneously. Well, that back fired. Laugh. I was left trying to figure out what the heck to do with my time. I spent a lot of it on the usual worries. None of my worries have real solutions right now. The only real solution is time. Tomorrow, I'm going to spend time at my parent's place and work on some thank-you cards. I'm also in the market for a new therapist. Another chore for tomorrow's plans.

I've been spending most of my free time (which is usually in the evening) scrapbooking. I know some have wondered how I could possibly scrapbook at a time like this. Honestly, it's my at-home therapy. Creativity is at the center of my being. It's my escape. It's a place I go to seek peace, comfort, reassurance, and joy. It's the one thing I can count on from week to week. It's always there. At any time, I can sit down at my desk and create. So, I've been working on some Studio Calico stuff. Trying to play catch up with next months kit. I've managed to finish two layouts so far. They may be the only two I get done this month, but I'm excited to have them completed none the less. It's a big accomplishment for me. The picture above is a close-up of one of my layouts. It's not the greatest photo, but who cares really?! Smile. I share Ali Edwards philosophy on the "not-so-perfect" photo idea. We should be able to scrap and share whatever photo we want without feeling guilty over it's imperfections. Life isn't perfect, so why should our photography be perfect? Anyway, it's a little something to share for today. I will post more close-up shots in a few days.

Lastly, I know some of you have been asking me about the lens I use for photography. I've posted it in the past, but for those of you that are interested-I use a Tamron 28-75mm 1:2.8 Macro lens on a Canon Digital Rebel XT. Hope this helps! 

 

Holiday Layout & Layering

I wish I would of brought my camera with me last night. I actually took the night off and devoted some time to myself. I reserved a spot at the local Archivers for their usual scrap mania Friday night event. I made arrangements for Ethan to spend time with Grandma. I had a great time last night. I was surrounded by a wonderful group of women. We managed to scrap, talk, and laugh all night long. They really helped me get my mind off things. It was exactly what I needed and I made new friends in the process. It's been soooo long since I attended a crop. I just haven't had the time or energy. This was the first time for me to get back out there and to physically be part of the scrapbook community. I'm hoping "Mary" will contact me (hint, hint, Mary) in the future to get together once again for another round of scrappen' bliss. I even finished a layout in one night....can't share it yet though cause it's for Studio Calico's February kit. Thank you ladies for the good times!!

On the last post, I mentioned that I was going to share a layout today. I feel like it's been a while since I last posted a layout. I finished this one  a few days ago. The picture is of my older sister, Kathy, and her two gorgeous girls, Grace and Izzy. I just love'em.

There's a lot of pop-dots used on this layout. I like to use them to add dimension and depth to my layouts. I think it really brings the snowflakes alive. I then accented them with Heidi Grace green metallic stickers and Doodlebug aqua rhinestones. Lately, die-cuts have become very popular. I'm going to admit, I don't have a die-cut machine. I like to hand-cut shapes from cardstock and pattern paper. It's an easy way to create embellishments and detail. Layer them, color them, sew them, blend them with fabric/felt, etc. The combinations are endless. That's what makes them so much fun..and they're cheap. Love that.

I have a weakness for rub-ons. I'll spend ten to fifteen minutes trying to get a rub-on on a layout. If it turns out I don't like the way the rub-on looks, I take it off with a piece of tape. I also like to combine rub-on images to create bigger, more detailed images. It's all part of the layered look. Here, I used Heidi Grace's blue snowflake and swirl rub-ons. Swirls first. Snowflakes second.

Not sure how many of you guys love "Home Companion" magazine, but I'm addicted to the colorful images in this mag. February's issue is on the shelf. I just picked it up and will be taking a peak at it tonight before bedtime. I can hardly wait to pry the thing open. It's always a fun magazine to read. A small note about this mag-scrapbook companies advertise in "Home Companion", so if you like to see new product or some of the latest product releases, pick it up. They also showcase a scrapbooker in each issue, which I think is pretty cool.