Charity Auction for Stone Family

On February 6th, Melissa Stone, along with her baby boy and 2-year-old daughter, were in a horrible car accident in Utah.  Melissa sustained critical injuries; Baby Edward only had a couple of cuts on his head; but 2-year-old Ethne didn't survive.

Lawrence Stone, Melissa's husband, grew up in my neighborhood.  His sister is currently running a charity auction on Facebook to help raise funds for their medical and funeral expenses.  If you are interested and can help, please go to Facebook and take a look at all the wonderful items people have donated for the auction.  She is taking bids until Wednesday, February 22nd.


Here are some of the items I donated through Lucky Lark Designs, but there are so many other items as well, including hair bows, inspirational posters, gift baskets, Mary Kay and Avon products, handmade hats, aprons, socks, and jewelry.  The list goes on and on.  If you aren't interested in the auction, or don't have a Facebook page, you can still donate money on the family's blog here.

"Baby's First Year" Auction Link

 "Family Ties" Auction Link.

 "Love" Auction Link

"Family Favorite Recipes" Auction Link

Thanks for your help and prayers in behalf of this wonderful little family! 

A Week in Our Lives Mini Album

I haven't made a mini album for awhile, so I thought it was time. I decided to document one week of our summer just for fun. I used this super cute layered album by Bo Bunny. It has an acrylic cover and chipboard pages.

I decided to keep the pages fairly plain and just use accent pieces to embellish. I used more of the Tree House Pebbles collection that I showed to you yesterday.

Journaling cards from My Mind's Eye "So Sophie" collection worked perfectly in this album.

I started with Saturday and Sunday...

Pebbles clear embellishments are really fun to layer and they have the cutest little flower brads ever! Check out this flower:

Yes, that's me pretending to play Guitar Hero. I don't do so well...My kids, of course, rock!

There was a big wildfire on Tuesday of that week. The sky was so smoky and I thought it would be interesting to include a picture of that.

Isn't that little owl sticker the cutest ever??

Wednesday was the busiest day ever! We had work, 4-H, and piano lessons. Travis started digging trenches all over the yard for a sprinkler system. AND we had to build a covered wagon for the kid's "Around the Block" parade in celebration of Pioneer Day. (I will have to post more on that later).

The one thing I DIDN'T get done this week: Washing the car.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Things Sisters Do Together

A couple of years ago I made a mini album with little pictures of my sister and I from a long, long time ago. It's called "Things Sisters Do Together." I was trying to come up with an idea for my next class and decided to turn the mini album into a layout.

I started with some yummy new product from Little Yellow Bicycle's "Fresh Print Clothesline" collection and some 2x2 photos. Here's what I came up with:

Although purple and green are not normally colors I use, I love, love the nostalgic feel to these papers.

I wish I had some close up shots, but I don't because the layout is currently hanging in the store. But here's a look at the album I made that was the inspiration behind it:

Things Sisters Do Together

Go shopping.
Share secrets.

Enjoy a girl's day out.

Sometimes, on the other sister's birthday, she steals the spotlight.

Protect one another.
They laugh and dream together.

Borrow each others clothes.

Have dress-up days.
Play "Mommies" together.

Love each other from the start.

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend!

Mother's Day Mini Album

As promised, here is one of the mini albums I was asked to make for a client for a Mother's Day gift. I used the newest Cosmo Cricket collections "Girl Friday" and "Lil' Man." I really like how they turned out and thought I would share.

The album was made from a 5" tin with an accordion album inside. It ties shut to keep everything tucked in nicely.

I love hiding little elements on a page like this teeny tiny note tucked in the teeny tiny envelope.

I made a pocket to hide 3 photo tags shown below.

And yet another hidden element...a small file folder which contains 3 more photos.

All stretched out...

I love how this album turned out and my client was very pleased! I think I'm going to put a kit together for Etsy. Although it's too late for Mother's Day this year, it would still make a great album for any occasion.

Quick Idea for a Mini Album

Making a mini album can be fairly simple, especially when working with a coordinating line such as Just Dreamy 2 by My Mind's Eye. Try using their pre-made embellishments and double-sided papers for a quick and easy project.

Just because a product is designed for a certain theme doesn't mean you can't think outside the box a little. When seeing the title "Boys Only," I naturally thought about creating a mini book about my boys. However, as the project evolved, I decided to take it one step further and journal about my experience of growing up with just boys as friends. I used to joke that since there were never any girls my age in my neighborhood, I was doomed to only have boys when I became a mom. Well, that proved to be true! And although at one time I yearned for a little girl, I have decided that having all boys is pretty easy so far. That's what this mini book is about.

I backed a pre-cut frame with thin chipboard to make the album cover. The title fits perfectly in the opening of the frame.

Using chipboard as the backing for each page increases the chances of it surviving rough handling by little fingers.

Pre-designed journaling blocks are a fast and easy way to include a short story.

Get creative with the binding! Use rings, ribbon, a ball chain, or string.

Make small embellishments pop by placing them on foam squares for added dimension.

Use a journaling stamp or rub-on to create a place to sign and date your mini album.

I love the idea of a quick and easy mini album! It can tell a short story in no time and is something fun to display at home on a shelf or coffee table. Sometimes one can be completed in just a couple of hours (yes...even by me...the world's slowest scrapbooker!) Go ahead...give it a try!