Repairs Complete

With flooring & toilet repair experience under our belts, we tackled the guest bathroom fairly quickly yesterday. I made Trent take this photo of me cutting the flooring to prove that I do the work too. ;) Although, I guess at this angle it is hard to prove anything....


And here is a shot of the completed room minus a little caulking we will do today. It's a small room and hard to get a good angle, but at least you can see the floor is complete and toilet in place. I also managed to add cabinet hardware in both this bathroom and the master one. Amazing the difference that simple detail can make.

Flowery Birthday Card

For my mother-in-law's birthday today:


Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; American Crafts patterned paper; Prima flower; Making Memories brad; Scenic Route label sticker; K&Company rub-on.

Here We Go Again

No, this isn't a repeat post. After the wax seal in our master bathroom split causing the toilet to leak in July, we decided we should replace the seals in all 3 bathrooms. On Sunday (why do I always find these things on Sundays??), I noticed what I thought was proof the guest bath toilet was leaking. We were not interested in giving up our nights for a second week so we turned off the water, emptied it and let it sit until today. A short bit ago, Trent pulled up that toilet and, sure enough, we have another leak. The good news is this time the subfloor looks savable.


Now it's off to Home Depot for new flooring, wax seal and a few odds & ends. Nothing like a little labor for Labor Day weekend.

Friday Freebie - 1st Snow template

I made this 8.5 x 11 traditional page last year for Trent's childhood album. It's a scraplift of "Sand Car" by emmakate at Two Peas. I love the simplicity and clean lines of the design.


This week it inspired the digital template I used to create my Rehearsal Dinner layout.

Click here to download the 1st Snow template

Enjoy!



Have you missed one of my previous digital freebies? Click HERE to find them. And, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; Paper Salon patterned paper; Die Cuts with a View adhesive backed strips; QuicKutz Moxie & star fonts; Micron black pen; Making Memories snowflake & pink brad. Inspired by May 16th and 30th of dw2007.

Play Ball

Colleen shared this sketch on her blog a few days ago:

I haven't worked on Trent's childhood album in a while and this gave me the perfect inspiration to jump back in:

Supplies: miscellaneous cardstock from my stash; American Crafts patterned papers; EK Success sticker; Miss Elizabeth's foam letter stickers; Uniball Signo white pen.

Floral Card

Close-up:

Supplies: black cardstock & flower from stash; Making Memories chipboard letter; American Crafts ribbon. Inspired by Aug 29th of dw2008.

Rehearsal Dinner

For Week 3 of the Two Peas: Eight Weeks to a Wedding Album class: Rehearsal & Rehearsal Dinner, I created this digital layout:


Supplies: Charcoal Rose patterned paper from Elegant Valentine paper pack at Peppermint Creative; label & butterfly wings from Elegant Valentine elements at Peppermint Creative; Vivaldi & Caflisch Script Pro fonts.

Roxy

We lost a furry member of our family today. Roxy was one of my dad & wife's two dogs. She was a sweetheart and will definitely be missed.


I found this poem shared on Two Peas and felt it fit perfectly:

They will not go quietly,
The dogs that shared our lives.
In subtle ways they let us know
Their spirit still survives.
Old habits make us think
We hear barking at the door.
Or step back when we drop
A tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place
The food dish used to be.
And sometimes, coming home at night
We miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends
And a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our heart
Belongs to them
And always will.

~Leslie Barnes

Scraplift

Yesterday I realized that I need to read the Peppermint Creative blog more often. My Borg Assimilator layout was lifted and shared as part of The Art of Scraplifting post on July 11th. I love knowing that my designs have inspired someone else. Take a peek for some great inspiration and simple tips to lift a page and still make it your own. :)

Paint til I Drop

My father & I spent Friday and Saturday visiting my sister & brother-in-law in their new home. And, helping paint their living room. I'm trying to figure out why this has never happened in my house. Hmmm.....next time. ;)

I completely forgot to take any before photos of the full room. Here's a shot of their cat, Sinatra, relaxing on the back of the loveseat. The walls were all the taupe color.

After we finished painting and putting all of the furniture in place. (Do you see Sinatra enjoying the new room?)

My sister picked out 2 Freshaire paint colors - Rushing Stream for the top and Winding River for below the chair rail. The pairing looks really good together and gave the room a more open, brighter feel.

With four of us working, we finished fairly quickly. But I think I'm definitely through with painting for a while. Count me as dropped. ;) Time for a new DIY home project.

New Home

My sister & brother-in-law moved into their first house last week. I'm visiting this weekend and made this card to go with a small gift:



Supplies: Doodlebug Designs patterned paper & token; Bazzill cardstock; Fiskars Threading Water punch; Making Memories Tiny Alpha letter stickers & stitches; Basic Grey chipboard letters; Heidi Swapp ghost heart. Inspired by Aug 27th & 29th of dw2008.

Amplified Floral Card

Playing around with a sheet of the new American Crafts patterned paper I bought last week:


Supplies: American Crafts P-Funk Amplified patterned paper; Bazzill cardstock; Fiskars Threading Water punch; Prima flower; Autumn Leaves A Rhonna Christmas button; Making Memories stitches.

Birthday Card

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law, Jon! :)


Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; EK Success patterned paper; Making Memories Scrabble tile stickers; misc. cardstock; Uniball Signo white pen; Stampin' Up Happy Everything stamp

Cupcake Card

Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; Making Memories patterned paper; Studio G stamp; Jolee's sticker; American Crafts ribbon; Fiskars Threading Water punch

Painting Completed

On Saturday I finished painting our master bath. I absolutely love the color - Freshaire's Hidden Sea Glass. Combined with the new flooring, our bathroom is starting to take on a more serene spa-like feel (before photo here).


Next on the list - hardware for the cabinets and a new light fixture.

The Proposal

For week 2 in the Two Peas: Eight Weeks to a Wedding Album class, Laura challenged us to scrap about engagement and festivities leading up to the wedding. Here is the two page layout I created detailing how Trent proposed.


Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; American Crafts patterned paper; 5x7 Foliage frame by Kate Teague; Angelina font; QuicKutz heart die.

This Fence is Made for Walking

Earlier in the week we caught a neighbor's cat perched on top of our fence. He was just hanging out on one of the front corner posts. My best guess is he was bird watching or interested in the catnip I was growing on the backside of the fence below him.

Thursday morning I glanced up from my kitchen sink thinking I saw a squirrel out of the corner of my eye. That is a normal scene near our bird feeder as the squirrels come stuff their cheeks at breakfast. Instead, there was the cat again. I managed to grab the camera and snap a photo as he came around the side yard - walking on top of the fence the entire way. It was rather amusing to watch him walk half on the pickets and half on the 2x4.


Yes, buddy, you've been caught. LOL He paused long enough for me to snap a couple photos and then continued on his way - on top of the fence.

Friday Freebie - Journaled Circle template

This week's freebie is a template I created several weeks ago from a sketch I drew. Last night I used it to make a page about my niece's baptism in 2006. I didn't have a lot of photos so I replaced one photo & the journaling with a scan of the invitation.

Click here to download the Journaled Circle template

Enjoy!


Have you missed one of my previous digital freebies? Click HERE to find them. And, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

Supplies: Purple Floral paper from Kate Teague's It's in the Air kit; Funky Clear Border from Rhonna Farrer's Magic Rainbows kit; 2ps Stained Glass font. Inspired by Aug 5th of dw2008.

Alpha Coffee Table

This caught my eye in the fall Crate&Barrel catalog:


I love the warm colors and the wood lettering set into the metal frame. While it's a bit too modern for my living room style, I do see this as an inspiration for a future scrapbook page.

Photo credits: Crate&Barrel - Alpha Coffee Table

Get Well Soon card

I made this card last night to send to my grandfather. Very simple, but I love the pop of color.


Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card and adhesive backed cardstock; American Crafts rub-ons; Cosmo Cricket die cut; QuicKutz Studio Classic. Inspired by Aug 6th & 12th of dw2008.

New American Crafts Products

I rarely get new scrapbook products fresh off the press. Fact is, it's new to me regardless and, well, I'm cheap thrifty. LOL I have a very hard time rationalizing paying full price for something I can get for 50% - 75% off in a few months. However, on Sunday while shopping at Archiver's (with my coupons, of course!), I stumbled across the new products from American Crafts and a few found their way into my basket. Nope, I have no idea how they got there. ;)

I bought 2 of the 8.5x11 D-ring albums for the pages I'm scrapping of our childhoods (those were on my list); 2 packages of ribbons; a package of Email Everyday Details Stickers; and a package of rub-ons with IM sayings. The rub-ons are too cute. I especially love the one with a bird and conversation bubble stating "a little birdie told me." :) My only disappointment with the rub-ons is one set of "thanks" has a missing 'k.' I wonder where it ran off to. Hmm...


Finally, I got one of their new storage boxes of 12x12 patterned paper (Amplified) free with purchase. I like the design of the packaging - very easy to store and find the paper in my Crop In Style. Although, the little perforated portion on top took a bit of work to tear off. Worth the effort though and the papers are gorgeous. Each package contains 60 single sided patterned sheets.

I made this tropical thank you card using the new rub-ons & paper along with a few items from my stash:

Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; American Crafts Go-G0 Amplified patterned paper & IM Phrases Everyday MiniMarks rub-ons; Making Memories vellum metal rimmed tag & snap; black stamp ink.

Wedding Title Page

I started scrapbooking my wedding album this weekend after signing up for a class at Two Peas: Eight Weeks to a Wedding Album. This week is focusing on organization and creating the title page.

I used our wedding colors and kept the design simple so the focus is on the invitation:


Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; Making Memories chipboard flourish; Fiskars threading water punch. Also inspired by Aug 29th of dw2008.

Our Saturday in Numbers

1 car
2 Starbucks Grande Iced Mochas
1 lunch at Wendy's
2 visits with 3 Grandparents in 2 states

1 stop for gas
$3.55 per gallon
1 dinner for 4 at Hursey's BBQ
300 miles
11 hours
2 cats happy to see 2 tired people return home

1 Priceless day. :)

Friday Night Baseball

Last night was a perfect night for a baseball game. The temperature was in the 80s and humidity was low. Almost unheard of around here in August.


The Durham Bulls pulled off a 5-4 win against the Richmond Braves. Go Bulls!

Crafting Again

I had fun playing in my scrap room last night. Although I didn't scrap, it was wonderful to have an opportunity to relax and create.

I made a new t-shirt bag to add to my Etsy shop:

And packaged my latest order of Cat Squares. I was asked to send the pair as a gift and include a note to the recipient. Here's a photo of the card & ribbon I added to the standard packaging: Supplies: notecard from stash; Studio G stamp; Staz On black stamp pad; Marvy Le Plume marker; American Crafts ribbon.

Birthday Card

Happy birthday to my sister-in-law, Heather!


Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; Sweetwater patterned paper; Stampin' Up Happy Everything stamps; Staz On black stamp pad; Target felt flower; Making Memories crystal brad. Inspired by Aug 28th of dw2008.

Friday Freebie Winners

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my Friday Freebie Giveaway! The winners are...

Micki and Jess! Congrats to you both! Email me your mailing address to twopawsdesigns@yahoo.com.

Inspiration

Inspire your creativity with a little eye candy from Flickr groups. Here are a few I enjoy:

• pages that inspire
• Etsy.com love
• Pretty Organized
• daily something
• Art Studio
• The Everyday Scrapper

What are some favorites of yours that I should check out?

Friday Freebie Giveaway

I'm switching things up a bit today. Instead of my typical digital freebie, let's have a giveaway. :)

A couple weeks ago I received a package from Autumn Leaves for winning the May Designing with 2008 contest at Two Peas in a Bucket. I had requested the Winter Garden line for my prize. Autumn Leaves was extra generous this time and I want to share my good fortune with two lucky readers.


Winners will receive 4 sheets of each of the 8 pattern papers, 1 pack of chipboard snowflakes and 1 pack of ribbons from the Autumn Leaves Winter Garden line. Plus a few extra goodies.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and let me know if you enjoy my Friday Freebies. Have you used any of the digital templates in a digi page or as a sketch to inspire a traditional one? Is there something you might like to see as a future freebie?

Only one comment per person please. Comments close at 7pm Eastern time on Sunday, August 3, 2008. I'll use the random generator to pick 2 lucky winners and will post them on my blog by Monday morning. Be sure to leave your email address or blog link so I can contact you about shipping. Due to the cost of shipping, please only US and Canada addresses.