Paper Pie Keepsakes

I've Moved!

I've moved and my new blog is up and running!  Please come visit me at

Birch Street Paperie!

Can't wait to see you there!

Helloooo!

Hello, friends!  I can't believe this blogging break I've taken.  I've never been gone this long from blog land and I miss you all.  February was quite the month, let me tell ya!  We've never dealt with such non-stop illness before.  It really has been the worst winter, health wise.  It even involved a 4 day hospital stay for my two year old, and me right along with him (not sick, just with him).  He got a bad respiratory virus that was just too much for his little asthmatic lungs.  He's all better now though and we can not WAIT for the arrival of Spring!!

Now that things are settling down, I've been enjoying lots of creative time in the scrap room lately and I'm lovin' it!  The relentless rain has been coming down for days which is hampering my photo sessions, so I'm going to have to save the sharing of my newest creations for another day.  I did just want to pop in quickly though to say 'hi' and then I'll be back in a day or so once the sun comes out to share some more :)

I decided to make a mini-album for each child for the year.  I just completed Liam's and will share that soon, but here is Emma's for her kindergarten year:

 

I like the style of the envelope mini for this particular project because it allows for the addition of new photos throughout the year.  All I have to do is pop them into their respective envelope for safe keeping.

Lots of fun to make and the kids are already enjoying them!  Well, I'm off to catch this week's episode of 24, best show on tv!  My hearts pumping already!  Can't wait to do some blog hopping myself this week to catch up and see what you've all been up to :)

~Jennifer

14 Days of Valentine's Tags

At Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, we're celebrating 14 Days of Valentine's Tags!  I'm up today and have prepared a little tutorial to share with you.  If you'd like to see the tags from the past 9 days, visit the SNR forum.

Always Tag

Supplies Cardstock: Coredinations, Neenah; Key: Making Memories; Flower: Prima; Twill Tape: Wrights; Glimmer Mist: Tattered Angels; Stamp: Papertrey Ink; Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger; Embossing Folder, Die Cut Machine: Provo Craft; Edge Distresser, Sanding Block: Tim Holtz; Pinking Shears: Fiskars; Other: Tag

Step One

Start with a pre-cut tag base and cut a piece of colored cardstock to cover the front, leaving about 1/4 of the tag exposed at the top.

Step Two

Emboss the cardstock. I chose to use Coredinations for this to really make the embossed image pop.


To enhance this effect, simply run a sanding block over the embossed area so that the core color comes through.




Adhere to tag. Distress edges with a distressing tool and ink.

Step Three

Stamp sentiment onto cardstock, trim with pinking shears and ink edges.




Add a piece of vintage sheet music to the bottom of the tag and adhere the sentiment. Add some machine stitching to the top edge of embossed cardstock and piece of sheet music.


Adhere vintage sheet music to the back of the tag to give it more of a finished look.

Step Four

Before adhering the flower to the tag, I chose to add some sparkle and a bit of distressing. Start by gently lifting the top petals and misting the entire flower with glimmer mist.


While the flower is still wet, scrunch up the petals in the top layer and let dry. As it dries, the glimmer mist will hold the petals in this position.


Adhere the key and flower.

Step Five

Finish by tying a piece of tea-stained twill in a bow at the top and distress the twill with a few touches of ink.

Happy Anniversary Papertrey Ink!

Papertrey Ink is celebrating their third anniversary!  I couldn't be happier because I just adore PTI, really, head over heals adore them!  These are some of the best quality, most versatile, fun stamps to work with.  There are fun contests and challenges going on every day until this month's release, so I encourage you to join in the fun on Nichole's blog.

Today, the stamp designers are each offering an image to download and use on a project.  How fun!  If you participate, you'll be entered into the contest to win a $159 prize package!  Here's my entry:

The image on this card was designed by the talented Heather Nichols, love everything she creates!  Check out this adorable cupcake!  It was really fun to use!  I also used some Aqua Mist ribbon and twine from PTI, patterned paper from My Mind's Eye, and an American Crafts button.

I recently purchased the Green Thumb stamp set and have been playing and playing with it.  I'm longing for spring in the midst of these arctic temps we've been experiencing! 

 

I love the image of the little rain boot!  It's so adorable in itself that I didn't want to overwhelm it.  So I kept the rest of the card pretty clean and simple with only the addition of some rain drops with stickles and a bit of water on the boots and puddle, created with glossy effects but difficult to see in this picture.  

So, Happy Anniversary to Papertrey Ink!  Here's to many more fabulous stamp releases!

~Jennifer

Are we there yet?

Now that it's here, aren't ya just itching for CHA to get on over with so the stores can start getting in some of the goodies?  I sure am!  I've got my shopping list going and know just what I'm looking for!  So many great products coming out and some beautiful paper collections.  It's funny, I went to the lss this week to stock up on a few embellies and things, telling myself that I didn't need to buy a single sheet of patterned paper because I really needed some other things.  What do you think I walked out of the store with too much of?  You got it- paper!  Oh well, no sense fighting it.  I'm hooked, head over heels in love with paper.  Cosmo's Earth Love collection is no exception, actually none of their collections are an exception to this.  I love 'em all!

Especially the one used on the background of this card!  I'd wallpaper a room in it if I could.  Love the Early Bird Collection too which is used in the yellow polka dot squares.  It's such fun stuff, so inspiring.  So I really can't wait until their new collections are available, among others!

I also used some Papertrey stamps from the Bitty Baby Blessings set which I use time and time again, some felt, Making Memories safety pins, Bazzill ribbon, May Arts trim, A Muse pearls, and an American Crafts button.

How about you?  What are you looking forward to most from the manufacturers?

That's it today, just a quick pop in to let you know I'm drooling for new goodies :)  I'll be driving the owner of our lss crazy over the next few weeks like a little kid on a car trip, "Are we there yet?", except I'll be saying "Is it here yet?", "Is it here yet?", "Is it here yet?"...

Hope you're having a lovely Sunday!

~Jennifer

We have a winner!

*Okay, we have a new winner since we never heard back from Jennifer M.  Congratulations to cdziuba who said:  

I have donated to Samaritan's Purse, and hope others will too. Thanks for the chance to win.

Since you left your email address, I'll send an email your way with the details!  Thanks so much for playing along.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the CSN stores giveaway for a Farberware skillet!  It was so nice to read about how everyone has been helping to assist in the relief effort for Haiti, a country that will continue to be in our hearts and prayers.

We have a winner!  Jennifer M. has been chosen at random through random.org.  This is what she had to say:

"I have donated to the Red Cross. FYI, many loyalty points groups--MyPoints, various hotels/airlines, credit cards, etc.--are offering to transfer your points into Red Cross or other Haitian relief donations."

Congratulations, Jennifer M.!  Please send me an email (grab the link from the sidebar) with your full name and address so that CSN Stores can get that shipped right out to you.  

Just poppin' in quick today to announce our winner.  I'm trying to keep the kids busy since we're stuck in the house on this snowy/rainy vacation day!  I'll leave you with a Valentine:

This card has a bit of Making Memories paper, May Arts ribbon, a stamped border from PTI's Simple Valentine set, a heart created with a Martha Stewart punch, and an embossed kraft background made with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.

Give with your heart (and a giveaway for you!)

Hello friends!  Hope your week has been good to you personally because it sure is a hard one, isn't it?  The devastation in Haiti is quite hard to fathom.  We have to put our emotion into finding ways to help. 

Well, I have a giveaway for you today!  The wonderful folks at www.csnstores.com have offered up a great prize for one lucky winner!  Before I get to that, you've just got to take a few moments to head over to their site to check out all that they have to offer.  There are some fabulous products and great deals available on many things from baby products to home decor and many, many things in between.  You'll also want to check out  Bar Stools because they are offering some really great limited time offers right now!

Okay, we'll be choosing one lucky winner from the comments section right here on my blog to receive this Skillet/Frying Pan with Lid by Farberware!  It's a non-stick aluminum 11" skillet and I love that it has a lid!  I've been wanting one myself! 

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, January 17 to leave a comment to this post to be entered to win.  **Here's the catch:  you must tell me in your comment that you have located a charitable organization collecting donations to aid in the Haiti relief efforts and are willing to commit to making a donation of any amount, small or large, as every little bit helps.  You do not need to indicate the organization or amount, just your promise to help.  If you're looking for more information, check with well known websites and organizations only, such as CNN, because unfortunately there are scams popping up.  Our church will be collecting donations this Sunday and I will be contributing in that way.

The winner will be chosen at random through random.org .  I'll see you back here Monday afternoon, January 18th to announce our winner!

I'll leave you with a card that I've created for Valentine's Day with one of the most beautiful sentiments used on the inside from Papertrey Ink's Heartprint Sentiments set:

The sentiment inside reads: "In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities." 

Warm up time

I'm feeling quite chilly this winter Sunday morning, so I thought I'd share a few things to warm us up! 

Just a fun little card created with Coredinations cardstock, love this stuff, and some Cosmo Cricket goodies, Creative Cafe Buttons and and Martha Stewart heart punch.

Next is a layout using Coredinations combined with gorgeous products from GCD.

The warm, sunny colors in this layout of my daughter with her Papa Chip and Nana Nancy reminds me of the hot sunny day it was taken on.  We were celebrating our first annual family tomato fest!  My husband and his brother are quite the culinary experts and can do some amazing work with the heirloom tomatoes found at one particular farm near the end of summer.  They each created several different dishes with these tomatoes and describing them wouldn't even do it any justice!  Luckily, I took a few pics and I'll give you a peek-

 

Grilled pizza with a roasted tomato sauce that was to die for!

Fingerling potatoes with that same sauce

Fresh Bruschetta (no idea on that spelling!)

Focaccia Bread

And those are just my husbands dishes!  We had lots of family and friends over to enjoy with us.  Lots of fun was had by all and everyone left completely stuffed and planning ahead for next year!

Okay, I'm warmed up and very hungry now, so I'm off to get some breakfast!  Enjoy your Sunday!

~Jennifer

Happy New Year!

Hello blogging friends! I hope you've all had a wonderful holiday season.  Thanks to many of you for sending such beautiful, thoughtful cards my way.  Now we're getting ready to ring in a new year!  It's been a wonderful year and I'm very excited for what's ahead in the new year.  I'm looking forward to things settling back down a bit after a hectic, fun-filled holiday.  There's something so comforting and peaceful about the usual daily routine.  It's nice to stray from it a bit every now and then for fun, but then I find myself happy to have it return.  I'm also looking forward to getting back to blogging.  It's been a while since I've been in a routine with that too!  I can't wait to visit my friends and see what you've all been up to and I even have a fun giveaway coming up to kick off 2010, so be on the lookout for more details coming soon!

It's quite chilly here this week, so I thought this might be an appropriate layout to share tonight.  It's one of my favorites and was created for a Technique Tuesday feature at Scrapbook News and Review.

Hope you all have a happy & safe New Year's Eve and a beautiful, happy, healthy 2010!!

~Jennifer

Twelve Days of Christmas

Welcome to day five of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine's Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop!  I'm excited to be the featured blogger for day five.  There have been some beautiful projects and inspiration on all of the blogs so far!  If you're just joining us now, I encourage you to hop on over to the SNR blog to find your way to the blogs of the staffers from the past four days because you won't want to miss them!

Things are tight during these tough economic times and the holidays are no exception.  There are a lot of things to cut back on and re-prioritize.  With so many families struggling right now, there's such a strong sense of urgency to lend a hand, whether it be through service or donation.  We feel blessed to have our basic needs met right now and be able to provide for our children, but so many people right in our own communities can not. 

The holidays are the perfect time to teach our children about compassion and community teamwork.  It's important to point out that there are a lot of "extras" that we can cut back on, things we don't necessarily need and help out where we can instead.  I'm pleased with the results of my efforts thus far with my daughter.  It may only be little things here or there, but these little things add up to great big life lessons.  A few months ago, when we'd head out the door to the grocery store, she'd be sure to pack an extra quarter or two to ride the carousel outside the store or hit the gumball machines.  As we were getting out of the car at the store this morning, you could imagine how proud I was to discover that she was filling her pocket with quarters to place into the Salvation Army pot instead of the carousel ride today.  She's getting the message and I'm so thankful for that.

We can't teach our children anything that we aren't modeling ourselves, in fact, that's the best way for them to learn.  Keeping the dialogue open about your own efforts will have a great impact on your children.  It can be little things in our daily lives that can teach them so much if we explain ourselves properly. 

While decorating for the holidays this year, I'm discovering that some of our decorations are a bit tired or outdated with the rest of the house.  Instead of running out to the store to buy new decor, I'm trying to employ a bit of creativity to bring them back to life.  My mother-in-law had given me this wall hanging.  It was old and had become drab.  I knew I could come up with something to jazz it up if I dipped into my paper crafting supplies! 

A little bit of paint, patterned paper from Making Memories and Webster's Pages, lots of glitter, Stickles, May Arts ribbon, a Doodlebug gem, some pearl stickers, Teresa Collins cardstock crown, Melissa Frances sticker, Maya Road bird, Making Memories mistletoe, and a few treasures from a pine sprig from the craft store and it was good as new!  Of course, I do like most things to have a certain shabbyness to them even if they're new, so some sanding and Ranger distress inks did the trick.

 

A few more inexpensive holiday decorating ideas:

Spruce up an old frame with your paper crafting supplies

Create handmade ornaments for the tree

Add some handmade embellishments to hanging pine garland or a wreath

Take a look around, see what you can do with recycled items and a few of your favorite crafting supplies.  I'll be posting more throughout the month, so be sure to check back!

Thanks for hopping along with us!  I'm so glad you came by.  Be sure to check out the Scrapbook News and Review forum this weekend for a special Manufacturer Spotlight on Jenni Bowlin Studios- FREE classes and lots of inspiration!  The feature goes live at 4pm EST.  Say hello and let us know you're visiting!