Shutterfly Holiday Cards

I'm getting my holiday cards through Shutterfly again this year, I was so thrilled with the ones I got last year. I picked not one, but two different designs, it was so hard to choose!

There are some great new designs this year, I'm looking forward to seeing how our snapshots from this year look in these layouts:

 

I love that you can add text AND pictures to the backs of these!

Notice a theme emerging? Looks like I'm a fan of B&W photos with the light blue and red color scheme!

I'm excited to give away 25 cards of your choice to THREE different people (not just for bloggers)! Just comment below letting me know you'd like them, and I'll email you the code!

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own. Do you blog? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here.

Boo to You!

 I have a huge button stash. Seriously, HUUUUUGE! My Grammie is a collector at heart, and she somehow amassed a ton of buttons, which she has given to me. I was totally overwhelmed when I first received (over a year ago) the TWO boxes full, packaged in various jars and cigar boxes, envelopes and baggies. I think a lot of them were picked up at garage sales or flea markets, because it's as if I have not just one grandmother's collection stored in a dusty attic, but literally dozens of individual collections. Slowly I have been sorting through the button pile, arranging some by color, some to give away, and some for (yet to be determined) projects. There are some really old, interesting ones that I may someday try to figure out the origins to.

But in the meantime, I have completed my first button project, just in time for Halloween! It's just a piece of cardboard covered in patterned paper onto which I very lightly printed the outline of the word BOO! Then I glued my buttons on using glossy accents, added a paper ruffle, Pink Paislee satin pleated trim, and some cool orange tinsel (thanks Cass:). Finishing touches included a couple of glittered skulls with orange crepe-paper ruffles and some hemp twine to hang it all by--tada!

What Halloween decorations have you made this year? Check out Paper Issues link party for loads of inspo!!

I got a scrapbooking kit...

...for the first time in SO long, and it gave me just the creative burst I've been needing. I made six layouts and 1 card--I don't think I have ever used a kit quite so thoroughly. It was nice not to have to think about what to use, I think it enabled me to get a little more creative than usual...

 The AC chalkboard stickers are so fun!

 

The pics are instagrams from our 5th anniversary back in September--they're the first I've ordered from Postal Pics, love them!

Here are a couple layouts from our apple picking adventure at the beginning of October--I got a lotta mileage out of the pictures I took that day!

And a page with pics from Easter:

 Let's just take a moment of silence for Sassafrass' beautiful patterned paper designs...

You will be missed, Sassafrass, you will be missed. 

Okay, moving along. This last one is my fave, more instagram pics of my twinnies: She's the Peanutbutter, He's the Jelly.

I'm loving the Pink Paislee mistable scallop trim, yummo! 

And because I couldn't throw away the pretty scraps--the card:

Phew, I think I got my money's worth outta that kit! Thanks for stopping by :)

Paper Pumpkins

The following post is a re-do of my previous Paper Pumpkins post, that I created for a guest post at Everyday is a Celebration, a blog check in at regularly for ideas and inspiration! All October she is posting awesome Halloween inspiration, make sure you check out the other posts!

These super cute paper pumpkins are a cinch to whip up:

1. Punch or hand cut about 10-12 circles from your patterned paper. I used a 3" punch for my smaller pumpkins, and traced a lid for the larger round one. 

2. Fold your circles in half, making sure that the side that you ultimately want to show is folded in.

3. Coat one side of your folded circle with glue (use a strong, quick drying liquid adhesive like Glossy Accents), then put another folded circle on top.

4. Repeat with remaining circles, until you have a stack of semi circles. Glue the last half circle to the first half circle so that you have your pumpkin shape. 

 5. Cut off about 1/4 of an inch from the bottom of your semi-circle if you want your pumpkin to stand. You can do this before gluing, as in the step-by-step photos above, or all at once at the end, as seen here.

5. I used Stickles (glitter glue) along the edges of one of the pumpkins for a finishing touch. 

6. For the taller pumpkin, I drew the shape on a 6x6 piece of patterned paper. Then, I folded it in half, cut it out out, and used that shape to trace 11 more just like it.  

7. Finally, it's fun to get creative using brads, pipe cleaners, ribbon, and leaves to embellish your pumpkins. I like the way each of mine came out differently!

Thanks for reading! You can see more of my ideas for Halloween here--and I'll be posting more through the month. If you make some paper pumpkins, leave me a link in the comments--I'd love to see them! 

Also, check out Paper Issue's October Linky Party--tons of great Halloween Inspiration to be found there--AND there are prizes!!

I took new pics...

Of those 2 layouts in the previous post, man what a difference!

and a close up:

I have a couple more layouts to share, now that I have finally gotten around to taking pictures of them!

D. grew this beard the first few months after the babies came home. It got crazy looking, and I love that pic of Peter's tiny fist clenching it!

Chloe on her last day of pre-school last year. She was so cute playing with her little classmates, I love that she made such good friends!

My parents gave us a little picnic table this summer, and it was the best for eating outside (and made for MUCH less cleaning up afterward)! Chloe learned the term 'al fresco' from a Fancy Nancy book, and it was cute to hear her say it.

This is my favorite of the bunch--I just love the pic of Sadie, and had fun just playing around with various bits and pieces...I lifted the title from a page I saw in Scrapbook Trends.