What's Happening....

Hey y'all! I know it's been a long time since I have been around this ole blog! And I have a lot of catching up to do!!
First, I want to share a gift bag that I recently made & embellished with flair from The Crafty Pickle. By the way, the shop had reopened so you can find all your flair button needs and more there!! And lots of new products have ben added!

 

I added the hearts flair button to the top of the fabric rosette and love the way this simple but sweet gift bag turned out!

 

While it's not a Christmas gift bag, it will be perfect to present to my daughter with a small gift or gift card for her 13th birthday next week! I am at a loss for words as we embrace on teenagehood. I can't believe Leah has reached this stage already!! I must say, for the most part, we are pretty lucky-she's a great kid!

 

Speaking of Christmas & he holidays, are you ready?! I am almost done shopping, however, have not done much in the way of decorating. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the family here this year so we were pretty busy preparing for that. Now I seem to have lost all motivation to get ready for Christmas! Hoping I find it soon!!! We did have a special guest arrive on December first:

Ty was so excited to see "Countdown" when he got home from school the other day! He had been asking when he would arrive for weeks!! The Season is upon us!

Make it a great one!

~Stephanie

  

 

  

Use It Up Tuesday-Pink Paislee

Hey y'all! Yep. it's Tuesday, which means I have a layout to share for my "Use It Up" post! I am so happy that, so far this year, I am able  to keep up with this.
Today I am showcasing Pink Paislee's Hey Kid collection again.

 

I love this piece of patterned paper and have been saving it for almost a year now, just waiting for the right picture to scrap. I came across this one the other day from when Ty was TWO! He put on his daddy's sunglasses & loved how cool he looked!

 

 

All stickers & chipboard pieces are from this fun & versatile collection.

 

 

I LOVE the chipboard glasses!!

 

 

And he black cardboard piece behind my photo, well that something I was able to "use up" too! It's from one of Ty's games that contained cardboard football cut-outs on it. I figured I could reuse it on a page! Here I backed the cut-outs with various patterned papers. I love when I can use everyday items on my layouts & they don't end up in the trash!

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Rock on!

~Stephanie

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Mason Jars

Hey y'all! Happy February, already!!
I am thinking about Valentine's Day, which will be here before we know it! I wanted to do something small for the kids' teachers, so I thought mason jars filled with candy would be perfect. Who doesn't love chocolate?!

 I bought these jars at the dollar spot at Target then pulled out a bunch of Valentine related embellishments to decorate them.

 

The flair buttons are from The Crafty Pickle from the Watercolor Hearts set. This set is great for Valentine's Day & comes with six assorted 1" buttons.

 

 

 

I filled the jars with a bunch of chocolate kisses, a chocolate heart & candy bar. I think their teachers will enjoy them-I know I would! Now I just need to make a few more before February 14th!!

 

Take care & keep crafty!

~Stephanie    

 

 

Celebrate-A Mini Album

Hey y'all & Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

I know it's busy & chaotic today, but I have my last post up over at Paper Wings Productions. I have had so much fun guest designing there these past two months!
For my post today I am sharing a holiday mini album. It is a folio from Tim Holtz that I was sent by Carrie. Here it is I it's unaltered state:
 

And here is a look at what I created:

I started by painting the album white & adding glitter while the paint was still wet. I added a doily that was misted with red mist. Mostly all of my papers & embellishments came from the fun & versatile Well-Dressed kit.

Here is a detailed shot of the cover:

 

Here is a look at the inside of this interactive album:

All of the envelopes hold small cards with my journaling on them.

The inside folder slips out & is a great spot to hold additional photos and memorabilia.

 

What a fun way to document a magical trip that we took to NYC at Christmastime a few years ago! I love that I can add as much. or as little, as I want to this folio to make it perfect for our memories.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. Be sure to visit the store to see this kit and MUCH more!

Have a wonderful day, y'all!

~Stephanie

Tuesday with Lovebug Creations

Hey y'all! Hope you are all well.
I have some sad news to share today. Kimi, owner of Lovebug Creations, has decided to close the shop as of September 30. It was a hard decision for her to make, but the right one for her & her family. She has been an amazing person to work for & get to know over these past two years! She is such a generous & kind, but also cheeky & funny girl!
So, be sure to get your shopping in before the end of September! You are gonna want to grab tons of rumple ribbon to create with!
Today I created some clothespin magnets to try to wrangle all the pictures, invitations & artwork that littler my fridge!

    For the first clip, I adhered the fringe flower from Crate Paper & placed a rumple ribbon bow in the center in the color Ocean View. The circle in the center of the bow is from Basic Grey's Serenade collection.

  For this clip, I adhered the large flower from Jolee's; added a bow in Crushed and the paper flower in the center of that. I glued a magnet strip on the back of each clip & now have two more clips to add to the fridge! I think these would make an awesome gift also!! I will definitely be making more.

Be sure to browse the store  for all your rumple ribbon needs!!
Til next time,
~Stephanie

You Are My Happy

Hey friends! Happy middle of the month. I know, crazy, huh?!
I have a project to share with y'all today that is up on the Lovebug Creations' blog. Are you all as in love with the wooden phrase & quote signs that are everywhere as I am? I really am obsessed & anytime I am in a store that sells them, I stop & read all of them!  You know the ones, right?

These signs were the inspiration for my project today. I always seem to be making projects & altered items for my daughter (it is easier & probably more appreciated), so today I thought I'd make a little sign for my son's room. Here is what I created

I used many colors of rumple ribbon from Lovebug Creations. They include Simply Red & Simply White from the Star Spangled collection; Caddy Blue & Sunset from the Island Breeze collection; Honey Mustard from the Fall For You collection and Shamrock from the Lucky You...Lucky Me collection.

Here are the steps to creating this project: 

 1. I had my husband cut down a piece of wood (this measures about 7 1/4" by 3 1/2" & is an inch & a half thick).
2. I then painted it a turquoise blue.
3. When the paint is dry, I sanded the edges with a rough sandpaper to distress the board some.
4. The alphas stickers were added to spell out the phrase I wanted to express.
5. I used a screw eye to tie the assorted ribbons to. This was screwed into the top of the sign.

I really like the way it turned out! We'll see if a certain 7 year-old boy does too!!

Be sure to check out my 150 follower giveaway here! I have a HUGE pile of scrapping goodies for one lucky winner once I reach that milestone. I'd love you to follow me & tell your friends!!
Thanks for spreading the word!
Have a fabulous Tuesday y'all!
~Stephanie

Door Hanger

Hey everyone! I hope your summer is off to a good start. I know ours is! The pool, ice cream, hanging with friends, smores by the outdoor fire & concerts are just some of the things we have been up to. Love the relaxed vibe of these days!
Today I am sharing my latest Lovebug Creations' project. I made a door hanger for Leah's room. We remodeled in there & I thought she would like this to welcome her friends in.

I used Purpledise rumple ribbon from the "Spring Rainbow" collection to hang the chipboard heart. It also looks great looped through the holes. This chipboard heart was part of a mini album, but I decided to break it up & use the hearts separately. I started by painting it white then stamped the circles on. 

The alphas are Thickers that I misted with Glimmer Mist.  The word diecuts are from Pink Paislee & the chipboard crown is from Maya Road, also misted bit with Studio Calico's Mister Huey's color mist. 

Leah loves purple & this looks great on her door! 

Thanks for stopping by today. Make it a crafty one!

~Stephanie  

   

50% Off!!

...at Lovebug Creations!!!

Simply use this code at check-out....STEP50 to receive 50% off your total order! How awesome is that?!

You can get a cart full of ribbons, Beautiful Blooms, Mama's Mesh & more for half price! 

I know I am going shopping!!

I also have a project to share with you using Lovebug Creations' rumple ribbon. 

Friday was my kids' last day of school & in the madness of getting yearbooks delivered, an illness & getting Leah ready for elementary school graduation, we forgot to get one of Ty's assistant teachers a gift (& her really adores her!) So I quickly grabbed a gift card to a favorite restaurant & made this gift card holder: 

I found an apple pattern & adhered two apples together, leaving a space at the top to slip in the gift card. I then tied the card closed with Shamrock rumple ribbon from the Lucky Me-Lucky You collection. His teacher was thrilled with it! 

Yesterday was the first day with the kids home & we had a great day! I love having them with me (for now). I still need to do a post about Leah's graduation & hope to get to that soon! 

Don't forget to shop the LBC store!! The sale runs through Monday, June 23 & the code is STEP50.

Happy shopping! 

~Stephanie    

    

Star Power

Hey y'all & happy middle of the week!
Today I am sharing another Lovebug Creations' project. I made a star wand for Leah. She was in the school's 5th grade play last week & Friday night was the final performance. We all (& when I say "all" I mean all 12 of us from her extended family) went to that show. Her dad & I presented her with flowers after the play ended and I made this to accompany the flowers in the vase.

I used some of the now retired "Fun Footz" ribbons in the giraffe & zebra prints. I adhered these fun ribbons to the back of the star to look like its trails. My bow is made with "Kisses" Simply Sheer ribbon from the Loves Me...Love Me Knot collection, and Rosebud rumple ribbon from the Spring Rainbow collection.

Leah did a wonderful job and was very at ease on the stage. She is now sad that the play is over. She will be graduating from elementary school in a month now!!!

(Leah with her Mom-Mom after the play!) 

I really can't comprehend where the time has gone! It seems like just yesterday we were playing dress-up & getting excited because I could finally get her hair in pigtails! Now she is evolving into a beautiful, kind young lady (that I couldn't be prouder of) who is growing up before I can blink!! She continues to amaze me and show me how wonderful she really is! I love being her mom!

Take care y'all!

~Stephanie     

LBC Spring Celebrations New Release & Blog Hop!

Welcome to LoveBug Creations Spring Celebrations 

New Release and Blog Hop!!

If you stumbled upon our hop and want to start with our blog hostesses, then click over to
LOVEBUG CREATIONS blog. 

Spring is a time for Easter and Mother's Day events but it also signals weddings, graduations, family reunions, and more.  LoveBug Creations has some new awesome products to unveil today for your spring celebrations.

  So do you want to add something special to your handmade projects?? If so, consider these new springtime collections for your crafting arsenal of rumple ribbon delights:

And for something different, we are releasing the beautiful Mama's Roses.  
Each rose is hand-formed and hand-dyed; each has dimensions of  2"x 2" and can be used as is or inked, painted, stickled, and more - your imagination can provide lots of possibilities for these beauties - and they are feather-light so you can create lots of projects from layouts to cards to tags to mixed media creations to 3-D creations and more and not feel there's an anchor on your project, weighing it down!

And if that isn't enough... We've got 4 NEW Mama's Mesh Colors: Kraft, Ivory, Light Blue & Light Pink!!!

Also Mama's Mesh is now being offered to buy by the yard as opposed to in collections!

So settle back as we take you on a tour of spring celebrations and invite you to visit our LBC ONLINE STORE.

I altered these take out containers that I have been hoarding for ages! I thought they would be great to fill with candy & a gift card for a birthday, Easter or Mother's Day treat!

I adhered the sentiment cards (made by MAMBI) to the front & added a beautiful bow to each. I also thought a bow on the top of the containers looked like just the needed, special touch!

On the blue container I used the new rumple ribbons in "Buttercup" (yellow) & "Blue Bells". On the lavender box I used "Spring Lilac" & "Dahlia". All of the colors are so gorgeous & I can't wait to create more projects with them. The colors are just what I needed after a long, cold winter.You certainly won't want to miss out on these beautiful collections!

Now, how about some delicious LBC Blog Candy!
LoveBug Creations is offering a $10 gift certificate to our online store and several other items as well.

What do you have to do to be a possible winner?

1.  Become a follower of each crafter (if you're not already)

2. Leave a love note at each blog spot with your contact info

3. For one extra chance to win like our Facebook Page and leave a comment at

LoveBug Creations

4. Check back on Wednesday for the announcement of the winners

The full spring line up is:

1. Kimi & Pamela: http://lovebugcreations3.blogspot.com/

2. Stephanie: http://www.stephanie-eaken.blogspot.com/

3. Dawn Mercedes: http://dawnmercedes.blogspot.com/

4. Connie: http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com/

5.  Katie: http://www.craftykhandy.blogspot.com/

6. Tanya: http://scrappinkymomma.blogspot.com/

7.  Kristi: http://littlepapersprinkles.blogspot.com/

8.  Christine: http://scarletcalliope.wordpress.com

9.  Kathy: http://kathyand3kids.blogspot.com/

10. Stacey: http://staceyscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

We hope you enjoyed your visit and wish you happy spring celebrations!

The next blog spot on this spring tour is the fabulous Dawn Mercedes!

Have a wonderful Sunday y'all!!

Treat Box

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday again.
Today I want to share my Lovebug Creations' project with you.
The secretary at my kids' school has been so helpful (& tolerant) to me with various projects recently, that I wanted to give her a little token of my appreciation. I bought these cute little pillow boxes at Target.

I took a chipboard flower & covered it in Panther Pink rumple ribbon, then topped that off with a bow in William rumple ribbon. Both of these colors can be found in the store. The little button in the center is made of thick cardstock.

I figure I'll fill this box with some chocolates!  Hopefully she'll enjoy it!

Have a great day y'all.

~Stephanie 

 

Long Overdue

Hey y'all!
I am sorry I have not been around here for a while. We went out of town over the weekend to celebrate my oldest brother's 50th birthday!
We all rented a house at a ski resort not too far from here & went snowboarding. Wow-had no idea how difficult that would be! But we had a great time & enjoyed being together for the weekend!
So, I never announced the winner from the Lovebug Creations' blog hop from last weekend. The lucky commenter is Debbie Rodgerson. Congrats Debbie! Send me your address to dreweaken@comcast.net so that I can send you your goodies.

Now I want to (quickly) share some recent layouts that I made:

 Both if these use scraps from my January kit from Memorable Seasons, October Afternoon's Silent Night. I loved this fun collection & wanted to be sure I used every piece of it!

The next layouts were made using my January kit from Memorable Seasons, Pink Paislee's Snow Village. I had so much fun creating with this kit!!

 I am sad that Christmas is behind us now, but am excited that Valentine's Day is just around the corner!!
I love it! I have started working on some projects, have you?
Here is one I made using Lovebug Creations'  newest ribbon "Crushed" from the Loves Me...Love Me Knot collection

 I used both the rumpled ribbon & the sheer ribbon.
This is a treat jar for a friend-a little early Valentine's Day gift!

Hope to be back soon with more to share.
Scrap on!
~Stephanie