Design Your Life

Well, I'm off on my journey to become a better scrapbooker (one of my New Year's Resolutions).  I am taking the online course, Design Your Life on Big Picture Scrapbooking.com  If you're interested, there is still time to register. 

This is the title page of my album that I will be creating for the class.  I will be sharing my layouts from this class for the next 12 weeks. 

What are you going to do for New Years?  We're staying home and watching Everest.  We'll have homeade hot fudge sundaes.  It's our yearly tradition.  Happy New Year!   

A Sneak Peak...The New Simple Stories Line from Memory Works

Memory Works is releasing their own product line!!!  Here is a sneak peak of one of the kits.  It's only $16.99.  There will be more sneak peaks and when I get them, I will share them.  The products should be available mid-January.  Aren't they lovely? 

So Busy!

Hi, everyone.  I just wanted to do a quick post today since, I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up lately.  I hope everyone's Christmas went well.  Ours was nice, and busy.  We've had company everyday.  Erik's brother is here with his two kids so that's kept us busy.  We went to see Avatar last night.  It was so good!  If you haven't gone to see it, I highly reccomend it.  Don't forget about the layout contest.  It's due December 31st.  Email it to me.  Well, I wish I had something more interesting to tell you, but I don't.  I will  post again soon.  Have a great day, and maybe we'll get some snow. 

Merry Christmas

There is a cute little card/gift card holder.  I got the idea from the Hero Arts blog.  The gift card pops up when you open the card.  You can write a message on the inside.  I used Prism Cardstock and BoBunny Patterned Cardstock.

So, there is a little project for you.

Sorry for the long, long time in between posts.  As some of you know, Erik has been out of town.  I had to do all of the stuff around the house, make Christmas gifts, and get stuff ready.  That left no time for blogging.  Then, I went to Albuquerque with Erik.  I got back yesterday.  I couldn't even get online to check my email because the internet access at the motel was worthless at best.This will probably be my last post before Christmas.  I still have so much to do.  I haven't even wrapped half of the presents.  I just want to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas.  Enjoy your families and your children.  Take a lot of pictures.  I hope to get a few layouts done in the next few days.  Then I will share them with you.  Stay tuned to 2010.  We will have a monthly challenge of sorts, and don't forget about this month's challenge.  It's due December 31st. 
Merry Christmas 

Layout Contest Update

Here is my sample of the layout.  Sorry for the poor lighting I took the picture at night.
Below is the Sample from PageMaps

So all you need to do is create a layout using this sketch and submit it to me via email (mariahashbaugh@hotmail.com) by December 31st.  The layouts will be posted and the winner will win this:

 

 A kit to create the layouts and photoholders above.  Everything is included in the kit and the papers are cut to size.  So come on ladies, let's see what you've got. 

Busy, Busy, Busy

Just wanted to drop a quick hello.  Sorry, I've been extremely busy.  I will be back tomorrow, hopefully, with a little bit more info.
Wishing you all the best,
Mariah

Snow Day!

Day 1

Day 2 "Maddie the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Day 3

Day 4-More Snow!!!!

Good Evening Everyone.  I just wanted to share a few of the pictures I've taken so far.  (Remember take one per day)  I'm hoping to get a few projects done so I can post them for you.  I worked on some today, but I can't share them yet.  Well, this is just going to be a quick post.  I'm not feeling all that wonderful.  I'm off to make some more tea.

December Creative Challenge

Good Evening All.  I thought it would be the perfect time to have another challenge.  So, I chose a layout from PageMaps.  You need to create a two page layout using this sketch.  It doesn't have to look exactly like this, just use this one for inspiration.  There is no requirement for the theme either.  So choose, Christmas,  Thanksgiving, Birthday, cute pictures, anything.  When you finish your layout, take a picture of it and email it to me at mariahashbaugh@hotmail.com

Here is your prize:

It's a kit to create the pictured layout and picture holders.  It includes everything you need, paper pieces cut to size, and instructions to put it all together.  It's from my website of course.  

Well, I'm off.  Can't wait to see what you come up with.  I will make my own sample and put it up for you to see.  Good night, I have to go take some pictures to keep up with my Daily Picture Challenge.

It's December...Already!

Birthday Card I made

(Really has nothing to do with December or Christmas)

It is December 1st.  Only 24 days left until Christmas.  There are a few things that I would like to do this holiday season to make it more meaningful for my family.  The first thing I've decided to do is count down to Christmas with Bible verses telling the story of the birth of Jesus.  I typed them all up and put them into my old Christmas countdown calendar.  I have them and I would be happy to email them to you.  Just email me and let me know if you want them.  mariahashbaugh@hotmail.com

The next thing  I would like to do is take a picture each day of December.  Then later either put it in a mini-album, or in a layout.  Memory Works has some really cute stuff here that I might use.  It has number stickers for each day.  My first photographs today were of the kids playing in the snow in the backyard.  This does not happen often.

I found the most beautiful Advent calendar here .  Next year, if time allows, I think I will try to make one.  The number stickers I mentioned above would also be perfect for it.

Ali Edwards is doing a December Daily Album.  You can find that here   It goes along with the idea for one picture a day. 

Well, I guess that is all for tonight.  Tomorrow, I will share some more stuff with you.  And if anyone has anything to share please leave a comment, or email me. 

December Hostess Incentive and the December Memory Works Express Kit

With the holiday season not far away this months hostess incentive is perfect for holiday gift giving, creating, or saving for one of those chilly days you're going to spend scrapbooking all of your favorite holiday photos.


Included this month is the Oh Joy Collection from Cosmo Cricket. With any party order totaling $175 your hostess will not only receive a 6 piece paper pack including element strips and journaling cards but they'll also get Cosmo Cricket's Buck Naked chipboard ornaments and ornament fashions as well as a super cute Blackboard album. This is a fabulous hostess incentive that will get your holiday parties rolling!

That (above) is the December Hostess Incentive.  Contact me if you are interested in hosting a party.  mariahashbaugh@hotmail.com

Subscribe Today - Only $29.95*!

Download more ideas and projects from the Idea Express PDF!

Click Here

Patterned Paper

{1} 12x12 Flocked Winter Song (SEI)

{1} 12x12 Flocked Sweet Holly (SEI)

{1} 12x12 Merriest Tale (Fancy Pants)

{1} 12x12 Snowy Serenade Crystals (Bo Bunny)

{1} 12x12 Snowy Serenade Concerto (Bo Bunny)

{1} 12x12 Snowy Serenade Overture (Bo Bunny)

{1} 12x12 Hollyberry Song (Creative Imaginations)

Solid Cardstock

{1} 12x12 Island Mist Medium (Prism)

{1} 12x 12 Blush Red Dark (Prism)

{1} 12x12 Tawny Light (Prism)

{1} 12x12 White (Prism)

Embellishments

{1} 12z12 Blizard Transparency (Fancy Pants)

{6} Windsong Designer Brads (SEI)

{1} Red Glitter Letters (G.C.D.)

{3} White Glitter Florals (Heidi Swapp)

{6} Mini Snowflake Chipboard (Maya Road)

{3} Crystal Trinket Pins (Maya Road)

{4} Page Bird Coaster (Maya Road)

{1} Crystal Flourish (Zva)

{6} White Glitter Buttons (American Crafts)

{1} 8x8 Clair De Lune Rub-on (Fancy Pants)

{1} Yard 3/8" Dark Red Two Tone Ribbon (May Arts)

{1} Yard 1/2" White with Red Swirl Ribbon (Creative Impressions)

Bonus Cards

{4} 5.5 x 8.5 Island Mist Medium (Prism)

{4} 5.5 x 8.5 Island Mist Light (Prism)

{4} 5.5 x 8.5 Tawny Light (Prism)

{4} 5.5 x 8.5 White (Prism)

{4} 5.5 x 8.5 Blush Red Dark (Prism)

{5} 5 3/4 x 4 3/8 White Envelopes

 

I can't say enough about the Memory Works Monthly Kits.  They are a great investment.  I made a dozen Christmas Cards with the November kit.  I still have plenty of paper to do some Christmas Layouts.  I'm getting my December Kit tomorrow.  I'll try to get some projects done to show you as soon as possible.  Enjoy your evening and hopefully we get some snow.

The Day After

The Bird

Kriss and Jodi

JoJo and Grandpa reading the paper

Eating Dinner with Great-Grandparents

More eating (Josh, Joseph, and Ashley)

More eating (Maddie, Kriss, Wolfie)

Erik and Jodi

Leaves of thanks. When I put them in a layout, I will share it with you.

Just wanted to put up a quick post. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving Dinners. We had a good time yesterday. My brothers, parents, grandparents, aunt, cousin, and family friends came. We had 18 people in total. The dishes have all been washed and put away and now we are going to decorate for Christmas! Did anyone go shopping today? We stayed home and recuperated. I also wanted to share this blog post with you by Stephanie Howell. Very beautiful, I think.

Well, I'm off to decorate.

Gearing up for the Big Day

JoJo looking a little upset.

Wolfie loves to climb stuff. Sorry for the dark photo and I didn't photoshop it.

Yesterday at lunch for Erik's Birthday.

I just wanted to share a few fall pictures with you. I love the one of Maddox. I didn't crop it, and I should have before I posted, but lack of time did not allow. Yesterday was Erik's 30th Birthday! We went to lunch with the family, and then Erik and I had a nice, quiet evening to ourselves. Okay, I am going to give you a few recipes for some Thanksgiving dishes. I will be making these and hosting at least 20 at my house.

Spinach Artichoke Dip-this is available in My Veteran's Day Post below.

Ham Rollies

1 package of thickly sliced ham

1 package of cream cheese

Green onions

All you do is spread the cream cheese on the inside of the ham. Then put the green onion inside and roll it up. Then slice into 1 inch pieces. Very simple and delicious

Wild-Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Pecans

There is the link for that one. It is from Martha Stewart

Holiday Citrus Punch

This is also from Martha Stewart and this is the link.

I'm so glad I decided to subscribe to Martha Stewart Living again. It's such a beautiful magazine with a lot of great ideas. The other thing I'm going to do for Thanksgiving is this (also from MS). I am going to make a bunch of leaves from different color paper (green, brown, orange, red, etc.). When people come in they will have to take their leaves and write what they are thankful for on it. Then, I will photograph everyone and make it into a scrapbook layout. I hope this makes sense and if not email me and I will try to do a better job of explaining.

Also, like I said before I am doing the Holidays in Hand course from Jessica Sprague and I will share with you too. I don't know if I will post before Thanksgiving. We are going to be very busy getting the house ready. I have to finish all of my orders and laundry. We are going to have a photoshoot on Tuesday. I can't wait for that. I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, please enjoy your families, your week, and all that you have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Turkeys are Calling

Good Friday Evening to you all. There are a dozen things that I want to share with you today. Well, probably not a dozen. That was an exaggeration. I will make a bullet list.

• Sorry for the long absence. I have been so busy. I would like to thank all of you who have ordered gift cards or Christmas Cards. Thank you and I appreciate all of you.
• I had a slight computer disaster. My old computer crashed. Why? I have no idea. It still had some old pictures on it that I didn't remove. I took it in to Best Buy for repair, but they couldn't repair it. I have to get those pictures off of the hard drive. They are of JoJo's first year. So according to Best Buy, my options are to send the hard drive off to ABQ. to a clean room. This is probably going to cost in the neighborhood of $1,000. So, lesson learned back up your stuff. I bought a hard drive that automatically backs up your info. Really, people, back up this stuff up. I'm going to have to pay because I can't loose those pictures. I guess, that will come after the first of the year.
• Tomorrow is Erik's 30th birthday. He will officially be old (No offense to the other 30 year olds or older out there). I guess it means that now we have to buckle down and be adults. Ha!
• Next, I've joined a Holidays in Hand class. It was free from Jessica Sprague's website. So, I will share some of the stuff with you. One of the things I have to do is to share or write down my goals and values for the holiday season. Well, my goal this year is to be more spiritual. To celebrate and teach my children about the miracle of Christmas. They already know the reason for Christmas, but I want to expand on that. Starting December 1, I want to use an Advent Calendar with them. Each day, we will share scripture together.
• The next thing is that I wanted to share Ali Edward's blog with you. She is doing a Daily December Album with all of her holiday ideas and you can get a lot of wonderful ideas from her.

So, I guess that is all for now. I will try to post this weekend with some recipes I will be using for Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family time.

Laundry Day

So today is dreaded laundry day. I save all of my laundry until Sunday. So after this post, I will begin on about 10 loads of laundry.

The layout I'm sharing today is the one I did for Erik's elk. I used my sewing machine to run a zig zag stitch around the page. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I thought this layout would be fitting since we will be eating an Elk roast for dinner tonight. Also, as I am typing, Erik is making jerky (with my cake icing tips). It's going to be interesting. I'll let you know how it went. Sorry for any sensitive people out there. I think I will have to drink some Margaritas today or something so I can handle this situation.

On another and less gross note, I am going to give you a link to the Memory Works Blog. There are some cute project ideas on there with instructions. Click here

Well, I am off to do some laundry, drink some Margaritas, and eat a lovely dinner. I will let you know later this week how it all turned out.

Happy Veteran's Day

Hello Everyone. Hope you are all enjoying your Veteran's Day. Thanks to all of the Veterans who have proudly served our country. My grandfather is a veteran of World War II.

This will be a quick post today. I have a lot of things to accomplish before tomorrow. I wanted to show you my Christmas cards. I am making them. I will have three different designs, but this is the first set I have gotten done so far. If you are interested email me (mariahashbaugh@hotmail.com). Let me know as soon as possible because I have several orders, and I want to get them done so they can be sent out.

This November I was hoping to share with you a few ideas for getting ready for the Holiday season, and to help you with scrapbooking. So first things first, here is my recipe for Spinach Artichoke Dip. I usually make it for Christmas. I am giving you a double recipe because I find that one batch is not enough for a large party.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Makes 4 cups

12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

2 packages (9-11 oz size packages) frozen creamed spinach, thawed

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cloves garlic

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Chop the artichokes, and garlic.

3. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and pour into a Baking Dish

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes

5. Serve with chips or pita bread

Hope you enjoy this recipe. It is a great one. Next time, I will try to post some scrapbooking ideas. Enjoy your day.

Gift Card Holders for Sale

Shown above: Ribbon Tied Gift Card Holder. $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00


Shown below: Small Envelope Gift Card Holder: $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00

The inside of the holder

The inside of the holder with the gift card.

Shown below: Pocket Gift Card Holder

This measures 3 1/2" x 6" The ribbon can be made longer so you can hang it on the tree.

$2.00 each or 6 for $5.00

FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON THE PICTURES ARE CUT IN HALF. IF YOU WANT TO VIEW THE ENTIRE IMAGE, JUST CLICK ON IT :)
Good Afternoon.

I just put a few pictures of the gift cards I have available for sale. I can make them for any theme or occasion (birthdays, baby showers, Halloween, etc). Let me know if you are interested in purchasing these or pass this on to someone who might be.

I do have dates available for parties. Let me know if you are interested in hosting. We can make some of the holders as make and takes.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I enjoyed mine. We redid our bathrooms. They look so much better. I was so tired of looking at the same stuff over and over again. We had the same bathroom set since before we got married. I think we deserved a new one. Maybe, I'll post some pictures.

Well, this was just a quick post today. I am off to fold laundry. I always have a ton to do on Sundays.

Right Now

Happy November. I can't believe how fast October flew by.

For this post, I got the idea from Stephanie Howell's blog. She did a post called "Right Now" where she featured 5 things that each member of the family was doing right now. I will eventually make one page for each person, but this is what I have done so far. This page is for JoJo and it is made from the Sassafras "Monstrosity" line. I love those papers. So here it goes for JoJo:

Right Now

1. You are in your terrible 2's and boy are they terrible. You try to throw tantrums by gently throwing yourself on the floor and fake crying (it's not very convincing).
2. You cross your arms and tell me, "No!"
3. You are talking so much. I love when you tell me, "Help me, Momma."
4. When you get in trouble, I tell you, "You're in trouble." And you say, "Sorry," and give me a hug.
5. You make us giggle so much when you try to say words like hideous, or Nickelodean. We love you so much.

I hope this inspires you to create your own page about your children, or yourself, "Right Now"

Good Night.

Frosty Fall is Here...and a November Sneak Peek

$29.95 to subscribe to the monthly kit. To view the contents and the Ideas Express PDF click here

Well, fall has officially blown in with chilly weather. I can't believe how incredibly fast October has gone by. The kids are ready for Halloween. Wolfie is going to be a Clone Trooper, Maddox is going to be a vampire, and JoJo is going to be a skeleton.

Sorry for the long absence. We have been so busy around the house. As you all know, I redid the craft room. After that we moved to JoJo's room. We got his bed and toys in. Now all we need to do is paint, and get accessories. I'll post pictures when that happens. Don't hold your breath. You might have to wait awhile. After JoJo's room, we moved to the garage. We cleaned it out and now we are ready for a yard sale. We'll have to try and fit that in between soccer games. Thank goodness we got the garage clean right before the freezy weather hit.

The month of November, I hope to be posting more. I have just been soooo busy. Soccer will be over soon, and that means more time for me to get stuff done. In November, I will post ideas for an album all about you. Also, I will post some cute gift and card ideas to help you prepare this holiday season. If you know anyone who is interested in purchasing a custom scrapbook, handmade cards (Christmas, Thanksgiving), let them know about me or send me an email. I will post some of the products and prices soon.

Good Evening.

A few things...

Happy Sunday.

First things first: We moved the craft room to the dining room. Yes, this was the original plan many moons ago (for those of you who know what I'm talking about). Well, we packed up all of the crystal and other items in the china cabinent. Let me just say. I absolutely love my new room. There are a few pictures of what I have done so far. But, as I progress, I will upload more. There is tons more space. I already told Erik that when we move I want more built in cabinents and that I will be keeping the china cabinent. Here are a few things I learned about Craft Room organization.

1. I have too much blue stuff. Blue ribbon, blue buttons, blue paper.

2. Thank god for organization. I had most of my stuff already organized so it wasn't that difficult to transfer it to a new space. Place all of the things you use most often near you.

3. I don't need any more ribbon. I have so much ribbon it's ridiculous. Maybe if I had other colors besides boyish blues, tans, and browns.

4. I am so glad that now my sewing machine is more handy. I think I will finish Maddie's quilt, and start adding stitching to my scrapbook pages.

5. I'm thankful for my husband. He is always very supportive of me, in whatever I need. He wanted me to have a nice place for my stuff. (Perhaps, he is feeling guilty about the gigantic elk mount :)

Onto other news, I am selling Halloween Cards. They are $3 a piece, or 6 for $15. I will also be making Christmas Cards. I am expecting my order to arrive on Monday so I can make some to show you. I also have a list of items I will sell, or make for the Holiday Season, and I will post that later.

Tomorrow, I have to go back to school...sigh. I am dreading it. If only Fall Break could last forever. I wish I wasn't so burned out.

One other thing...I will be posting montly ideas for making a scrapbook about you. I think it's very important to document stuff that you enjoy, or your beliefs. I look in my kids' scrapbooks, and I don't have very many pictures of me in it. I think that's a mistake. I know that of all the people in this world, I wish I had pictures of... my great-grandmother, Elizabeth. She was the matriarch of the family, and many people looked up to her. I wish I could have met her, or had some insight to who she was and what she believed. Apparently, she was quite the lady, politically, and socially. I think we need to leave our mark behind for future generations. Well, I leave you with that. Enjoy what is left of your Sunday. I am looking forward to HBO Sunday. Curb your Enthusiasm, and Bored to Death. Those shows are hilarious.

Success!!!! And the winner is....

Maddie hiding in the bushes

So finally after many attempts, Erik has managed to get his first elk! We went up to Carrizozo. I'll give you a brief recap of the events.

Night 1: We're all sleeping when I wake up and think our chairs are on fire. I smelled burning rubber and I thought what else could it be but our chairs. I look up but I don't see any orange outside. Well, I'll go back to sleep, I think. Then someone says a skunk sprayed. My allergies went crazy. It was so horrible. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't stop sneezing, and my nose was running. Apparently, I'm allergic to skunks.

Night 2: Mr. Skunky returns. I was so exhausted from the previous night's lack of sleep I didn't hear anything at all. Until some yells, "There's something in the food." My first thought was a bear. "I think it's that skunk, again," someone says. So, Erik got up and knocked on the door. Then he opened it and saw the skunk run off. Apparently, skunks enjoy Doritos and bread, but are not fans of tortillas.

The following day Erik and Rolf went off early to hunt. Erik returns about 8:30 or 9:00 by himself and says, "Dad twisted his knee, again." Not funny. Then he says not really. I shot an elk we need the 4-wheeler. Erik shot the elk and it headed up into the trees and they couldn't find it. So they wanted to take Fanci (the miniature Schnauzer) to track the elk. We had to load up to take the truck and the 4 wheeler. We got to the top and Wolfie says, "What about my shoes?" I swear I could kill that kid. I started ranting about hating shoes. Because I really do. How hard is it to keep track of them? Why would you leave anywhere without your shoes? I do not understand this. We had to hike a mile through the brush to get to the spot where Erik shot the elk. So Wolfie had to ride the 4-wheeler. I was a nervous wreck because it's rough terrain. We finally get to the spot where they shot the elk. Rolf takes Fanci up towards the trees and Kelli decides to look around the bottom of the hill, where she finds the elk. Somehow it went up into the trees and back down without anyone noticing. So basically, Rolf and Erik searched for over an hour and the elk was about 75-100 feet from where they shot it.

So now, we have like 400lbs of meat. We took it to get processed. It better be good because we're going to have to eat it anyway. If it works out, I won't need to buy meat for another year.

All in all, we had a fun time. I'm glad Erik finally got something.

Also, as promised, the winner of the layout contest is......Senika! Congratulations! I will email you the information. Thanks, everyone who participated. I really truly appreciate it. Everyone have a wonderful day!