The One with the Scrapbook Goodie Boxes

I've made 17 flat rate goodie boxes with SO MUCH STUFF in each one! Here's how they came together:
First, I sorted and divided the patterned papers. I've got brands like American Crafts, Crate Paper, Studio Calico, Pebbles, Jillibean Soup, Jenni Bowlin, Basic Grey - all the bigwigs :)

Then I piled on the embellishments.

Then I stuffed all that in the boxes and started NEW piles of embellishments to fit in large freezer bags!

Finally, I filled 17 flat rate priority boxes and stacked them against the wall.

IN EVERY KIT:
- at least (35) sheets of patterned paper (some have bits and pieces punched/cut from them, but most are whole)
- (7) packs of Thickers (1 is whole, the rest may or may not have letters missing)
- (4) stamp sets; 2 are American Crafts, the other two could be Basic Grey or Heidi Swapp or Close To My Heart or another brand)
- at least (1) sticker book and letter sticker sheet
- (1) ribbon spool
- some baker's twine
- a journaling or envelope template
- at least (1) spool of glitter tape
- a few pieces of handmade paper
- a pair of decorative scissors OR additional sticker packs
- (2) 12x12 sticker sheets or die cut pages
- a pack of dimensional layered embellishment stickers and/or accordion paper flowers
- a random assortment of other hand selected embellishments (i.e. Mister Huey's spray mist, glitter glue, brads, chipboard packs/shapes, rub ons, buttons, bling, and more more more!)

UPDATE: THERE IS ONLY 1 BOX LEFT! 

I'm selling each box'o'goodies for $40 (that includes priority shipping!).

If you're interested, please email me at paigetaylorevans@gmail.com and I'll send you a PayPal invoice.
International purchases are welcome, but please note that shipping will be added.
Questions, comments, concerns? Email me! (paigetaylorevans@gmail.com)

Believe it or not I still have two full boxes of stuff leftover that I'm donating to the YMCA right around the corner. Thank you so much for all of your feedback and suggestions! You rock!

continue reading

The One with the Layout Featuring Thickers

I had a layout up on the American Crafts blog the other day featuring one of my most favorite scrapbooking products ever - THICKERS!

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Journaling says: The pictures say it all - they are most definitely father and son!

How to: Notch the corners of a gray cardstock base, drop white mist across it, and draw a border using a black pen. Adhere two photos on the bottom using pop dots then create a "subway art" style title using assorted letter stickers above and below the photos. Sew a straight line with white thread between each phrase. Line up tabs down the edges of the title. Back chipboard frames with light gray cardstock and adhere them on the edges of the page. Embellish the frames with brads, a button, the date stamped, and journaling.

Supplies: Cardstock, brads (epoxy, fabric), button, letter stickers, tabs, chipboard frames, date stamp, pen, ink, adhesive: American Crafts; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Circle punch: Fiskars; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

And just for fun, here's a layout I made eons ago when I was an In-House Scrapbooker at American Crafts with an entire background made of Thickers:

Fun stuff!

PS - Update on all the scrap crap: I'm going to do everything! I have a giveaway scheduled on Saturday, I'm going to donate a bunch, and I've made 17 flat rate goodie boxes that I'm going to try to sell here and there. Just gotta do some research to see the going rate of goodie boxes these days. Stay tuned.

continue reading

The One with the Scrapbook Purge

I have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much scrap crap :)
I've been hoarding it since I was 16, so 11 years now (wait, lemme double check my math, 27 - 16 = 11. Had to think about it - my brain is getting rusty!). I get most of it for free from being on various design teams, publication product compensation, guest spots, etc. With more new stuff coming in, it's time to let the old go. And this time I'm getting rid of anything I haven't used that I've held onto for over two years. Out with the old, and in with the new! Plus, we're moving in 9 months and I'd like to pack the least amount of stuff as possible. Goodness knows where we're moving to though, we haven't heard from the Army about anything. Maybe they've forgotten about us, ha!
Now the question is, what to do with all this STUFF!?

I have about 100 packs of retired Thickers (most are missing some letters),

dozens of pieces of patterned paper, even some entire collections!,

about 20 packs of unused stamps (stamping just isn't my forte!),

a couple of Mister Huey's spray mists that I had doubles of, countless packs of stickers, chipboard, die cuts, punches, flowers, embellishments, and more and more and more! It's all a mess right now as I'm purging so sorry there aren't better pictures.

What would you do? 
At this point I'm about to just haul it down to the trash rather than deal with it cuz time is a precious commodity these days! But I'll get some input first before I do something that drastic :)
Give it away to friends?
Give it away on my blog?
Sell it piece by piece on ebay, my blog, or Craigslist (cuz who couldn't use a bit of extra moola?)?
Donate it to a good cause?

continue reading

The One with Jane at 1 Month

Here we go again! Today our little Jane is one month old! I just love her so much, I can't put it into words :)

Length: 21.75" (50%)

Weight: 9 pounds (25%)

Head circumference: 14.75" (25-50%)

We spent this morning at the audiologist because Jane was too squirmy wormy to get her hearing tested after she was born at the hospital. 

Poor girl was sad to have wires hooked up all over her head and a big thingamajig over her ear making weird noises. 

But she passed with flying colors so all's well that ends well.

Jane at 1 Month:

I pretty much just stare at her beautiful face all day every day.

At only 1 month, she doesn't do much but eat, sleep, poop, repeat. 

Fox is getting more and more interested in her and likes to point out her features.

She likes to be propped up so she can see all the goings on.

When it's time for bed she likes to be swaddled up nice and tight and that's when she really looks like a little bean. 

I apologize if you follow me on instagram cuz most of the following photos are from there.

She was born with a crazy mohawk and I can't get it to stay down!

I wish I looked this cute with a double chin!

She can fall asleep almost any way I hold her, like in my lap.

Or in the crook of my arm.

Chris doesn't like ginormous baby bows, but I've been able to get away with a few :)



Every time she wakes up she grunts and stretches as far as her limbs can go.

Too cute for words!



We went on our very first mommy/daughter outing yesterday morning to JoAnn - I thought a crafty store would be an appropriate first store to visit :) Here we are waiting in the car for it to open.

She doesn't really have a routine yet. The most she's slept in one chunk is 5 hours - I'll take it!

Happy first month on earth Jane! We love you oh so much!

continue reading

The One with August 2012 American Crafts Layouts

I printed $30 worth of pictures and let's just say I've been having fun scrapping all weekend long!

Now that baby Jane is here, I have sooooo many things and events I want to scrapbook for her! So, here are my monthly projects for American Crafts. I made FOUR layouts instead of two :)

WATCH ME GROW

Journaling says: Just like with Fox we took a picture of my growing belly every Sunday before church to see Jane's progress. I want to continue to do this with every pregnancy!

Note: I made a very similar layout for Fox for the first page of his scrapbooks, so I wanted to make one for Jane as well. Ta da!

How to: I used an exacto knife to trim out the center of the laser cut paper and then backed it with white cardstock. I backed the hearts in the four corners with dark pink cardstock. Then I added all the mini pregnancy pictures and popped some up with foam squares. I sewed a couple of hearts over the center using yellow thread and then lined it with brads and buttons. Next came the title, a bit of journaling, and the layered flower embellishment.

Supplies: Cardstock, laser cut paper, brads, buttons, sequin trim, chipboard borders, letter stickers, layered flower embellishment, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

*********************************************************

FIRST DAYS

Journaling says: It's so much fun having a little girl! The first few days with you in our lives have been nothing but pure bliss. You are an angel baby - so happy and easy going and oh so pretty!

Notes: I love instagram! I always have my phone handy as opposed to lugging around my ginormous camera so I use it to snap pictures of the everyday moments and upload them to instagram to share with the world. When Jane was born I took pictures left and right - here are just a few of the pictures from her first few days of life on Earth.

How to: Trim a 10" square block of robin's egg blue cardstock and adhere photos in a grid, with empty spaces, across it. Punch butterflies from patterned paper squares, adhere the paper squares in some of the empty spaces, and re-attach the butterflies using foam dots; bend up the wings and add jewels to the middle of each butterfly. Stamp a butterfly using watermark ink in each of the remaning empty squares. Back each edge of the cardstock square with white ruffled crepe paper borders, tuck a piece of ribbon or trim on each side, then sew around the edges using straight and zigzag stitching; leave the thread ends pretty long. Adhere the entire square on a white cardstock layout base, round the corners, then punch a doily border next to each piece of ribbon/trim; add pearls or jewels on top of the stitching by the ribbon/trim. Add a letter sticker title, write journaling in one of the squares, stamp the dates on the bottom right corner, and trim out some sentiments from patterned paper to adhere here and there.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, ruffled crepe paper borders, ribbon, trim, letter stickers, stamps (butterfly, date), pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Jewels: Mark Richards; Pearls: Pebbles; Ink: StazOn (black), VersaMark (watermark); Punches (butterfly, doily border): Martha Stewart Crafts; Corner rounder: Fiskars; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

*********************************************************

OH HELLO LOVELY

Journaling says: My dearest Jane - words cannon express how happy I am to have you in my life. From the moment I knew you wanted to come to Earth to the second the doctors put your tiny body on my chest was the longest nine months! Now you're here and every day is just so much fun! I love holding you, nursing you, staring into your beautiful gray eyes, burping you, changing your diapers, getting you dressed all cute and girly every day, bathing you, and watching you grow and develop. I love you sweet girl of mine!

How to: Punch a bunch of doily border strips from assorted patterned papers from the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook line. Layer the borders across a square of scrap cardstock then adhere the block to an aqua cardstock layout base; zigzag stitch around the left, top, and right edges, bend up the borders a bit, then journal around the layout. Place a 6x6 patterned paper block on the middle, add a photo, then start layering on the stickers, die cuts, title, and fabric brads. Drop India ink across the top left and bottom right corners and let it dry before handling.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, fabric brads, stickers (dimensional flowers, flowers, paisley, scalloped border, sentiments), die cuts (leaf, paisley), pen, adhesive: American Crafts; India ink: Artworks; Doily border punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

*********************************************************

I MADE A WISH AND YOU CAME TRUE

Journaling says: I'll be honest, after I had your brother Fox I desperately wanted my next baby to be a girl. I hoped and prayed and prayed some more and my wish came true! Although no one would ever give me a definitive 100% so when you were born one of the first questions I asked was if you were really a girl :) You are!

How to: Trim the edges of a robin's egg blue cardstock sheet with scalloped scissors then straight/zigzag stitch it to a cream cardstock layout base; leave the thread ends long. Splatter gold and shimmer mist across the layout. Water down bookbinding glue, drop it across the layout using a paintbrush, smear some glue between the drops, sprinkle the drops with gold glitter, shake off the excess, then let it dry completely. Check out the tutorial by Rahel Menig to see how to make glitter splatter. Make a 7" circle and trim it into fifths, cover each piece with strips of patterned paper, trim the excess, back the curved edge of each piece with crocheted trim, then adhere the wedges in a star shape on the layout; stitch around the edges using gray thread. Add a photo to the center then embellish with stickers, a badge, and layered flower embellishments. Add a title and write journaling around the star.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, badge, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Crocheted trim: Love My Tapes; Stickers: American Crafts (copper letters, layered flowers, sentiments), Cosmo Cricket (words), Lily Bee Design (white letters); Glitter: Martha Stewart Crafts; Spray mist: Tattered Angels; Scalloped scissors: Provo Craft; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Bookbinding glue: Paper Source

That's all for now!

continue reading

The One with the Pacifier Miracle

Crossing my fingers I don't jinx us by writing about it after only 4 days of success...

If you've read this blog for awhile or scrolled through the pictures you know that Fox is mildly (okay, completely) obsessed with his pacifier. He's been sucking on that thing all day every day since day one. What can I say, he's a sucker :) 

Getting a picture of him without a pacifier is a rare and beautiful thing.
His pacifier hasn't bothered me ever, I think I'm the one who needs it more than Fox. 

But "Chris the Dentist" has been worried about Fox's teeth for awhile now and vowed that we'd put an end to it as soon as we got back from Oregon. That's now. 

It's like Fox sensed that we were going to take it away from him because seriously, he's over it. He's done! On Monday we kept trying to give it to him and he'd chuck it across the room! It's been sitting in his crib ever since and he hasn't touched it. Not during naps, not randomly throughout the day, not when it's time to go to bed. He hasn't pulled my finger and led me into his room to reach in his crib and grab it once. He's played with Jane's pacifier a few times, but always gives it right back when we ask for it.

I'm baffled! Mystified! Astounded! From the boy who couldn't go 2 seconds without it to suddenly not needing it anymore!?!? Maybe he sees that we try to give the baby a pacifier and he doesn't want to be a baby anymore?
Whatever the reason, I'll take it!
Next step: weaning off the bottle...

continue reading