Happy Birthday Day #6

I've rambled on enough in the past couple posts, so we'll make today short and sweet.  I did complete my card for yesterday, I'll share tomorrow.  Today you get to enjoy these adorable cards from Sous Chef Nancy Longo, using scraps from the February Smaller than a Breadbox kit.  The cards themselves are from the Jillibean Soup line, she's mixed her leftover embellishments.  These cards are the right size to tuck into school lunches, stick to a rearview mirror or plop on someone's pillow for Valentine's Day.  So sweet.

For those without Bingo Cards, today's challenge is to use and envelope on your layout.  Layouts are due Sunday evening.

Happy Wednesday!



Happy Birthday Day #5

First let's start with a little clarification for those with Bingo Cards.  I can't count, nor apparently do I understand the basics behind the Bingo game, because the Cards I created aren't square.  Somewhere during my editing I neglected to remove a row, so there are six rows and five columns.

For those of you who asked, you will work one square a day, for a layout or card, using whatever the item is in column/row you chose.  For example, the first column starts with "Stamps."  To meet that challenge, simply use a stamp on your layout.  From the "Stamps" column you can go across and complete four more, or go down and complete five more.  If you choose to go down a column you have the choice to stop at five, or do all six.  If you complete all six, you'll get a bonus entry for the week (this is where my not knowing the need for a square or being able to count works for you.)  It's a layout a day using a square a day.  It works out the same if I were posting without Bingo Cards - you'd get a challenge a day, the difference is you can work ahead if you have the time.  All layouts from this week will be due Sunday evening.

Today's challenge, for those without a Bingo Card, is to incorporate three tags on your layout.

And finally, the first five cards from the class I've mentioned just a few times at BPC.  I'm pretty happy that 1) I actually am participating in the class 2) my participation coincided when the class started and 3) that I'm still keeping up with it almost a week into it.  I love the fact that the cards are easy; seriously, they've taken me about 20 minutes tops, even the one I misted!  I'm using really old kits, well leftovers from kits that I re-kitted, and I've gone through three and a half.  Once I've used what I use the kits are gone - tossed; I know a couple people would be horrified by what I throw away.  They've been sitting for years, so I'm okay with tossing the leftovers or passing the larger sized papers into my giveaway box.

Happy Tuesday.

And Then There Was Monday

My day started out good, but I think that going back to bed after making lunches is where I might have gone wrong.  I lost a critical hour.  I got up, stumbled to the kitchen to make lunches and then dragged myself back upstairs to try to sleep a little longer.  It was going well; chores getting done, baking a batch of cupcakes when my phone buzzed to tell me I had a text.  It was my daughter.  She has a pretty long off-block - about two hours -- I mean really?  What administrator thinks that giving a Freshman a two hour block of time in the middle of the day a good thing?  Do they really think they're going to use their time constructively?  Anyway, she wanted to go to lunch.

Okay, I can do this.  I mean it is her birthday after all.  I now have a 15 y.o. soon-to-be-driving girl in my house.  There are so many things in that sentence that scare the bejeezus out of me if I think about it too long, I can't tell you.  So, I text her back, I'll pick her up about noon, which gives me time to finish her cupcakes (Butter Cream Frosted Cupcakes with Lime Curd filling.  Oh.  My.) and still get her back to school, while making a quick run to the grocery store to get the remaining piece for the cupcakes and a few things for dinner (Sesame Chicken - the one on my Pinterest board is amazing - even though I did it wrong.)  Somewhere in here it would go downhill.  I came home to rush and make the Lime Curd and get the chicken marinating.  My 3 y.o. had made a couple comments about his neck, but he was still running around so I didn't think anything of it - off we went to do pick-ups.  The complaints about the neck increased, the whining increased, the wails when he moved his head wrong. . .We think at some point while playing with the dog he pinched a nerve.  Fun. 

So this post is a little late and the holy moly, four - YES FOUR - cards I did over the weekend for the BPC 28 Cards in 4 Weeks class, will have to wait until tomorrow.  If I'm lucky, I'll have five to show you and I'll remain current with the class WOOHOO!

This week we're using the Bingo Card.  I know several of you have a copy of it; if you still want one just email me and I'll send it out to you (lori@apronstringsdesigns.com).  There are two things going on this week with the Bingo Card - for those of you with the Card you will select a row; horizontal or vertical.  You'll work your challenges from the blocks in the row you select, in whatever order you wish, so long as you complete the row by Sunday evening.  All Bingo Cards are the same, so start where you want in the row, but work the row over the course of the week.  

For those of you without a Bingo Card, I'll be selecting random blocks from the Bingo Card and you'll complete the challenges as they are posted, as usual, and upload your layout to the corresponding post.  Because the cards have six blocks a row, layouts will be due on Sunday evening.  Today's challenge for those without a Bingo Card is include a self-altered piece of chipboard.

I've got a few things to do since I sat most of the evening after dinner with my 3 y.o.  Good night.

Happy Monday.

Happy Birthday Day #3

If I enjoyed the cold in the least little bit - like in the being out in it kinda way, not the looking from my cozy perch on my couch, hot drink in hand way - I'd totally be dancing in the 12" and counting snow falling and blowing beyond my windows.  Totally crazy, we have that 12+" stacked on our patio table, but there's barely any on the roof-tops.  The high winds have blow most of it off.  Which means we got our snow-day; my daughter and I that is, boys were already off.  Have I done anything productive with said snow-day?  Ah. . .no.  Do I have plenty to choose from?  Ah. . .yeah.  I mean I just finally got dressed.  I did get dinner in the slow cooker, emptied and reloaded the dishwasher and made a batch of these. . .

Homemade Pop Tarts, the recipe is easy and is on my Pinterest "I Can Cook That" board.  Dang, I'm lovin' Pinterest. . .if you haven't started following, do.  But beware, it's highly addictive.  And are they good?  Oh yes.  Thank goodness they're mini and two pie crusts only made about nine tarts.  I filled two of them with Nutella for my daughter and DH and the rest with homemade strawberry jam, with strawberries from our Berry Patch Farms trip last summer.
Sticking with the whole homemade thing, today's challenge is to create a handmade element to include on your layout.   It can be something you make special for this layout or maybe it's something you made for a swap (remember those?) that you haven't used.  Upload your layout by Saturday evening to be eligible for the 10-sheet Patterned Paper pack prize.

I'm taking the BPC class, 28 Cards in 4 Weeks and I got my first week's assignment yesterday and I am totally excited to get started; in fact once this is posted, I'm heading down to my studio to create the first two.  My plan is to dig out my re-kit'd kits and use them to create the cards.  They are super easy, but so cute and I'll have a nice stash of cards.  I don't expect them to take me more than 20 minutes a card, a day.  Hopefully, I'll have photos on Monday.

Finally, and this is self-serving, but if I call it "advertising" it works for me. :)  Head over to the Apron Strings Facebook page, go to the "Self-serving/advertising" post and leave a little note about why you love Apron Strings kits.  What do they do for you in terms of scrapbooking?  Or staying on budget?  Or using products you may not normally choose?  Whatever it is, you can say it so much better than I can.  Come help me spread the word why Apron Strings is so fun to be a part of.  I'm not sure, but there could be a prize associated for some lucky poster. . .just sayin'.

Okay, snow keeps falling and I'm psyched to create a couple cards.  That would be a strike while the iron's hot kinda thing.

Happy Friday!


P.S.  There's still time to get your Bingo Card for next week's challenges.  email me at lori@apronstringsdesigns.com to get one.

Birthday Party #2

We're under a Winter Storm Watch with a "guess" that we'll get upwards of a foot of snow.  If you heard or read of my lament about no snow, if the forecast holds (and if you live in Colorado, you know what a big, fat IF that can be), I'll be getting snow in spades!  My boys already have the day off, but my daughter would love a snow day; actually so would Mom, it would save the 6:30 AM scrap-the-car-off-white-knuckle-watch-out-for-stupid-drivers drive to take her to school.

I hope you're creating your first layout from yesterday's challenge.  Also, next week's challenges will all center around the Bingo Card.  Email me at lori@apronstringsdesigns.com to get your copy to play along.

For today's challenge, let's use Sous Chef Tomi Ann's adorable card.  Choose anything from it that inspires you:  the color combo, the banner, the theme whatever.

Upload your layout by Saturday evening to be eligible for the prize:  10-sheet Patterned Paper Grab Bag.

My brain is spinning with the to-do list, the every-growing to-do list.  I'm off to do a brain-dump of all of it.  LOL, maybe then I can focus.

Happy Thursday.

Happy Birthday, Challenge #1

The first challenge for the Birthday Party is to create a layout and use seven of something:  seven photos, seven different patterned papers, seven buttons, seven tags . . . well you get the picture.

Upload your layout by Saturday evening to be in the drawing for a 10- sheet Patterned Paper Grab Bag.  If you win and you have a preference on paper "type" or "theme" I can try to accommodate that.

Happy Monday,

Happy Birthday!

Apron Strings is SEVEN!  And we're going to be celebrating all during the month of February - games, challenges, a blog hop and, of course, presents!

Let's start by sharing the love.  A party's not a party without people.  So first go invite your scrappy friends to come join us and play.  Literally.  Have them join us here on the blog and at Apron Strings.  We've got scrappy pals, virtual and in-person, tell them about Apron Strings the kit club, encourage them to join the autoship.  I could list all the great reasons, but you already know.  Share your story.  Then just let me know who you sent on over, and when they've signed-up for autoship, you'll both receive an Apron Strings gift card.  If you're sending yourself, that works.  :)  This incentive runs all month-long.

Next, we're going to play a couple scrappy-games.  One that will recur is Bingo.  I'd like to take credit for the idea, but I can't.  Betty Orr over at Let's Scrap hosted the idea a few months ago.  Anyway, you'll need a Bingo Card to play and I tried to find a place to upload a .pdf, or add an attachment (and I couldn't convert the document to an image file), but couldn't figure it out.  If you'd like a Bingo Card (and who wouldn't, hello, prizes!) send me an email at lori@apronstringsdesigns.com and I'll send you one.

I'll let you know as we go about prizes - both what it is (I'll try to snap a photo) and when you'll need to have your layouts uploaded to be eligible for them.  Also, I won't be sending prizes until the end of the month.

I'm also planning Weekly Specials, over on the website, so watch for the what and when.

Fun stuff. . .all month long.  Watch for the first challenge later today.  Go.  Go round up your friends and your supplies.

Let's get ready to party!!!