Passing it on...

So, I guess Verizon is giving us a weekend of free HBO, and after watching a Harry Potter movie, a documentary came on.  The documentary focused on a former Miss USA contestant names Abbey Curran.  She competed at the 2008 Miss USA pageant, with one amazing difference from all the other contestants.  She has Cerebral Palsey.  She didn't let that stop her from doing something she felt passionately about...  She then went on to begin the Miss You Can Do It Pageant, which is for other girls with disabilities.
If I said I didn't cry, I would be a liar, at some parts I bawled my eyes out.  So many of these little girls had such amazing hearts. It filled me such a sense of urgency to do something, I had to start googling.  Before I even knew what I could truly offer, I was on the phone with Abbey Curran herself, volunteering to make chocolate bars or cookies or ANYTHING for these little girls.  The pageant is in less then a month, so I may or may not have my work cut out for me, considering I have a wedding cake to make for August 3rd, my opening party for CTMH around July 28th, and my stepfathers retirement party on July 21st....
Oh, and should I mention that this is all taking place in Illinois...  Yeah, so, I am going to have to ship whatever I make there.  :)  Going to be SOOOOO worth it though!

GenerosoPEAS!

Last week I posted on 2Peas about how I get scrap stash envy, and some of the responses where from Peas that felt my pain, while others said they couldn't relate.  I expected both of those types of responses.  What I didn't expect was the responses from some very amazing Peas that where willing to share their stash with me, and weren't expecting much in return. Today, when the mail showed up, I was thrilled and excited to see what was waiting for me in the 2 packages that showed up.  Here are some of what the amazing ladies sent: 

This Cardstock Stack is AMAZING! I love Cardstock, and I LOVE COLORS! So this is an amazing treat!  Looks like I will be making another paper holder VERY soon!!

There was some super sparkly glitter cardstock...

I Textured Card stock easily gives your pages and projects a little added demension without any extra effort on your part!

Some pages had some sewn on flowers and borders.  (This is on my list of things to try!)

And I totally LOVE these funky textured pages!  The 'Whitewash' pages have such a great look, I can't wait to use them!

This package came from another pea, and was full great embellishments!

A great selection of twines, loving the blue and green!!

THE AMAZING WOODEN STARS!!!!  (And an amazing assortment of colors & sizes of foil stars.) I will be using these in my 4th of July layout for sure!)

SEQUINS! A whole mountain of sequins!!

Classic button assortment.  Love the muted colors! There was also a few arrow and ribbon edged clips.  I am going to make some of these soon with some supplies I already own!

Who doesn't love awesome assortments of washi???  

To finish it off there was a super sweet card from the sender saying she hopes I can put this stuff to good use.  Believe me, I sure will!!

I do know there is another box in process, I will certainly be posting when that is received as well.  Thank you wonderful ladies from 2Peas!  You are truly warming my heart!!

Paper Holding Project

So heres my first project upload. As my stack of papers grew, i was running short on options for storage, so I decided to get crafty.  I used the two large flat-rate mailer boxes that the papers & supplies came in, and turned them into an awesome stand-up holder.  Check out these step-by-step instructions to make your own!

 

I cut down the sides of the box, so it looks like this...in hindsight, I could have cut off some of the corners too, but first time tweaks are important.

So I glued the boxes together, then I used masking tape to give the edges a "seamless" look.

I cut the strips from the box flaps, and added them the the edges of the box and reinforced it all with more glue and tape. 

I used self-stick book covering on all of the edges.  Some of it is patchy, but its ok, Ill be covering it all with papers, washi tape & Modge Podge anyway. 

Using leftover pieces of paper, I glued the insides of the box. I used a few larger pieces of paper on the outside of the box.  

I used some different washi tape, and even made some of my own washi with markers and masking tape.  I Modge-Podged the whole thing a few times, so it has a nice Matte finish, and is somewhat water-resistant.  

I think the use of 2 boxes gave the paper holder extra stability.

:) I AM SO S-M-R-T!!!

Getting Started

Welcome to my BRAND NEW BLOG!!  I never thought I would be a blogger, but, here I am.  I am starting this blog because I have a love for crafts, projects, food, fun, and all that good stuff.
The main focus of this blog will be all about scrap booking and paper crafting.  I do a lot of that, and would love to showcase what I do to my friends and family that might not understand what Paper Crafting really is.  I have a hard time staying up to date on the current trends, products, and fads, so I typically get a lot of my stash from other peoples purges.  I hope that I can encourage others to realize they have amazing treasures in their own stash that may be 5 years old, but can be pulled into your current product stash perfectly.  
I also love food, so I will probably talk about that a lot.  Different cakes I am working on, new recipes I try, if I got to eat something awesome....I'm going to share with YOU!
I might also talk a little about my journey to being mentally and physically well.  I think all of these things tie in together, Sound Mind, Sound Body, Sound Soul.  If you eat right and exercise, your head will have more clarity and allow you to 'see' things you may not have seen before.  When you are able to 'see' things with more clarity, it comes out in your pages and projects.  And, if you are like me, creating helps gives you a center, a place to come back too.  
I hope you enjoy my blog and y creations! I am new at this, so please bare with me while I get it all down.  :) I hope to post videos, links to some of my favorite sites, and more!!  Thanks!