Live Healthy Fridays

Does anyone else love Larabars as much as I do??? These healthy snack options are a tasty nutritional choice full of natural goodness. They are gluten free, kosher, all natural and made from raw foods. My favorite is the Coconut Cream Pie bar. Here is a little description about Larabars.

Our Food Philosophy: Simple. Pure. Delicious.™

LÄRABAR firmly believes that the foundation of a sound mind, body and spirit is derived from what you eat. And what you eat is healthiest and most satisfying when it's in a whole, natural state.

Our company name comes from an ancient belief that food falls into two categories:

BECKONING FOODS
which beckon consumption again and again, sapping the body of energy without any real health benefits, Today, they're called "junk foods."

HUMM FOODS
on the other hand, resonate with energy in a whole, natural state. When consumed, they cause you to feel vibrant and alive.

You can expect an unmistakable urge to humm after every LÄRABAR bar you eat.

Let the humming begin!

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Paper Poppy May Sneak Peeks

It's almost time for The Paper Poppy Kit Co. REVEAL and you cannot believe how absolutely YUMMY this month's kit is. Aphra has created a masterpiece by coordinating Jillibean Soup and GCD goodness. Please visit the Paper Poppy store to sign up for a kit. Below are some sneaks of my May projects. I'll be posting the full reveal of the projects next week.

Thank you so much for stopping by -

Tuesday Mornings

Pebbles and American Crafts go together like Peas & Carrots. We are hosting a product swap at both the American Crafts and Pebbles blogs. If you leave a comment any or each day this week, you will be entered into a drawing for a goody bag full of these two manufacturer combined products. Check out below to see what I did with the Pebbles May Bouquet and American Crafts Abode collections.

I like things that coordinate and it is so much fun when you can combine totally different product lines and come up with something that just works. These photos were taken at my son's 1st birthday party and he was very interested in eating his cake, thus the journaling, "You can have your cake and eat it too." I thought it was a fun idea to mix the Pebbles May Bouquet collection with the American Crafts Abode collection. The color palettes compliment each other perfectly. There is a large strip of the Abode striped paper at the bottom of the page, but to change it up a bit at the top of the page I cut the polka dotted May Bouquet paper into 1.5 inch squares and then varied the heights. I also added pop dots to three of them to make them stand out and added buttons for more interest. I created a large bold title with the Dear Lizzy Thickers and then added a May Bouquet journal tag decorated with a little My House chipboard piece and a May Bouquet sticker flower. Overall the layout has a bright birthday feel, but is grounded in some nice earthy tones.

I had so much fun making this little Congratualtions card for a new homeowner. I just love the little My House chipboard pieces from American Crafts and combined with the congratulations 3x3 journal card from the Pebbles May Bouquet collection it made the perfect card for a new homeowner. To give the card a "window" appearance, I cut a circle in the top paper and then pop dotted it from the rest of the card. I used my Cricut to cut the little blades of grass and then added the neighborhood houses for a newly moved in feel.

That's what is going on all week at the Pebbles and American Crafts blogs.

Thank you for stopping by -

Paper Poppy Kit Co. Winner

Thank you so much to those of you who made the hop this weekend over to The Paper Poppy Kit Co. and checked out the amazing banner class that Aphra and Frances were hosting. I could have used a random number generator, but I went a little old school and asked my daughter chose a number between 1-17 and she chose 7, because that is how old she will be on her next birthday.

Congratulations to Dara Lynn - you are the lucky winner for one of the Amazing April Project kits from The Paper Poppy Kit Co. Please email me your information and I will get the kit in the mail to you.

Make sure you stop by The Paper Poppy Kit Co. next weekend for our National Scrapbook Day Celebration. There will be challenges to play along with and prizes to win.

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Sunday Sketch and Guest Designers

For this week's sketch I tried to incorporate the popular trend of little squares a.k.a. inchies. I see them everywhere and they look so interesting to add to layouts, because you can decorate them with all kinds of fun things. Hope you enjoy it

Diana Gonzalez has been following my sketches for some time and she really did some fabulous work with the sketch this week. Here is a little bit about her, "I live in Miami, Fl, with my husband of 8 years Stan, my 2 kids Daniel and Monica our one child Natalie and one of my four step kids Tyler. Having a blended family can be rewarding and challenging at the same time. But I would not trade it for the world. I started to scrapbook eight years ago when I watch a scrapbooking show on QVC it got hooked immediately. I found that through scrapbooking I can tell my stories, showcase my photos artistically in my scrap books. I love to scrap the good, the bad and the ugly, is the story or our life that will be here for generations to come and learn what life was like, what we were like. I don’t have a particular style I would say, I love to try different things, I love thinking outside the box."

This is what Diana had to say about working with my sketch, "I LOVE Liz’s sketches, I use them often, since they help me get my mojo back when I just can’t get myself to scrap. This sketch was a bit outside my comfort zone, linear, clean and multi-photos. The multi-photo part is a good thing since I always have to use a sketch when I put more than 1 photo on a page. I was able to use some of my scraps which it’s always a good thing. I used some, Basic Gray, Dream Street, lemonade, Angel Heart, Bella Blvd, Family Tree, American Craft, Thickers, Adorn It, letters and some Primas. Thank you Liz I had a wonderful time with this sketch."

Some close ups of her work.

Please visit Diana's blog All the Days of our Lifes for more information about her and details about her work.

Lisa Hidy is another fresh face and I just adore this clever layout she created with Hats. Here is what she had to say about working with the sketch, "When I saw this sketch, I felt as if Liz had designed it with me in mind. I love clean and simple lines and this sketch fit my "style" perfectly. I loved using the boxes at the top to add simple embellishments of buttons and stickers. Instead of adding a circle of paper at the top I used a button and extended the line of the circle to draw the eye towards my pictures by using a strip of ribbon under my button. I love how this sketch can allow a great mix of patterns, the flexibility of it is just awesome!"

Please visit Lisa's blog My Creative Endeavors for more information about her and details about her work.

Barbara Lochridge did such a fun take on my sketch. I just love the colors. Here is what she had to say about working with the sketch, "At first glance I thought this would be an easy sketch to copy. I soon learned I was wrong, because I don't do a lot of multiple picture layouts. I searched through many different papers, but kept having a hard time with the top blocks. I had to cut the photos down to three, and I substituted the circles with flowers. All in all, I am happy with the end result - especially considering the challenge of the multiple photos."

I'd say that Barbara hit a home run and we would never have guessed that she struggled in the least. Sometimes a challenge yields some very nice surprises.

Please visit Barbara's blog Scrap Happenings for more information about her and details about her work.

I'll post a challenge link later this week for any of the sketches you have used this month. Stay tuned...

Thank you for stopping by -

Paper Poppy Give Away

How would you like to win this adorable little project kit from The Paper Poppy Kit Co.??? Those chipboard banners from Melody Ross & GCD are super hot right now. Would you like to play along...

All you need to do is head over to The Paper Poppy blog this weekend (starting today) and check out the banner classes that Aphra and Frances are hosting and leave them a super sweet comment. Then pop back over here and leave me a comment to tell me what you saw. Love to hear what those talented teammates of mine have been up to...

I'll draw for a winner on Monday, so get hopping.

Have a great weekend -

Live Healthy Fridays

Done much camping and hiking lately? That's what the family and I will be up to this weekend. We are headed to Moab, Utah - which is close to Arches National Park, and are expecting warm weather and lots of fun. I'll post some of my own photos when we return - hopefully with a wee bit of a tan (not too much sun) and a more relaxed outlook on life.

More to come when we get back. Thanks for watching the place while we are gone -

Happy Earth Day

For Earth Day I wanted to send the message that our planet is just as important to the animals as it is to humans and since animals cannot voice their concerns, humans need to be better advocates for our furry friends. I snapped this photo while hiking a few summers ago and was surprised that the little guy in the photo did not have much fear of us, but then he lives in a national forest where he and his environment are protected. I used my circle cutter to make the square 3x3 journal tag into a round one and if you look closely, you can see that instead of saying so sweet like the original tag, it now says SOS. I made the message on the tag come from the fox's point of view, "I need this planet as much as you do. Please keep it clean for all of us. - Mr. Fox."

These are the new Pebbles Tree House papers and embellishments. The paper flowers are a very unique shape and texture and not only beautiful, but really easy to work with. I also love the 3x3 journal tags.

Thank you for stopping by -

Imaginisce Purse Invitation Tutorial

Thinking about getting a bunch of your girlfriends together for a night out? How about kicking it off right with a wowser of an invitation to set the mood. This little purse invitation is sure to get the girls, cleaned up, looking good and out of the house for an evening of fun. The Imaginisce To Love and Cherish collection is a great black and white line that can dress up any occasion.


Step 1 - gather your materials:

Step 2 - take the template and trace it onto cardstock. Carefully cut along the solid lines and include the dotted lines to guide you with the folds. The template above should print as an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Just click on it to print.

Step 3 - begin to fold the purse starting with folding it in half. Then fold down the front and back of the purse along with the side flaps. Finally fold down the tab on the front side of the purse for a more polished look on the final product.

Step 4 - all of the folds should look something like this. Now glue the front tab and the side tabs to assemble the purse. You may have to make a few trims here and there.

Step 5 - add some faux stitching with a white gel pen.

Step 6 - add a flower clasp, a hand strap and a bling flourish for some decoration.

Step 7 - compose your message, print it right onto your patterned paper and assemble your invitation by mixing and matching patterned papers. Then add some ribbon and a bling brad to finish it off.

Voila - Now you are ready to get the girls together for a memorable night out with a keepsake to remember the event and maybe even include on a future scrapbook page. Let me know what you think, especially if you plan to make one.

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Tuesday Mornings

Here are a few tips for maintaining your iTop. It's important to tighten the tool regularly with a small allen wrench to keep it working correctly. See the instructions above.

Don't forget to leave a comment on the Imaginisce blog or facebook page for a chance to win some of the new To Love and Cherish Collection.

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Imaginisce To Love and Cherish Release Party

We are so excited that the new To Love and Cherish collection from Imaginisce is shipping to stores this week! I will have a few projects to share this week including a tutorial, which I will post on Wednesday, so be sure to check back. To Love and Cherish is a gorgeous black and white collection with some really fun possibilities. For this layout, I added just a touch of red using Core'dinations cardstock, red bling and red Tombow Dual Brush Pens. The little hint of color really shows off the graphics in the beautiful papers. This is a very different collection for Imaginisce, so be sure to check it out.


Would you like to be the the first to receive a sample package of the new To Love & Cherish Collection? Simply leave a comment on the Imaginisce blog and you will be entered to win. A winner will be selected at the end of the week and the winner's name will be posted on the Imaginisce blog a week from today. You are welcome to comment each day, but only once per day!! You can also post a a comment on the Imaginsce Facebook page as well...a winner will be awarded on Facebook at the end of the week too!!

Thank you for stopping by -

Sunday Sketch and Guest Designers

Something I absolutely love about this project with all of the guest designers is not only working with friends I have known for a while, but all of the new designers I am meeting. It is such a treat to see what people create with my sketches and this week's sketch is really fun and all of the designers rocked it.

Pearl Liu has been a friend and supporter of my sketch site for some time now. I really appreciate how she pushes the boundaries of my sketches and creates the most amazing projects. Here is a little bit about her, "I reside in a tiny, sunny island called Singapore, along with my husband and our two kids. I first discovered he world of scrapbooking after my wedding in 1993 (before the industry became what it is today) and as a result of that change, have become the scrapper I am today! Since October of 2006, I have been enjoying the new product possibilities and it is safe to say that I am completely hooked, if not a little obsessed at times."

...a little more about Pearl, "Currently my three favorite scrapbooking supplies are adhesive, buttons and punches. I feel the most creative thse days during the day when everyone else is out at work or school! Before I had children, I used to be in the field of marketing communications and sales. I miss business travel, now that I can't do it anymore!"

Close ups of Pearl's work-

Please visit Pearl's blog Pearl's Paperfections for more information about her and details about her work.

Heather Robertson is a fresh face to me, but I am digging her work. She does such a fantastic job with bright colors and I love how she took my formal sketch and made it whimsical and fun. Here is what she had to say about working with this week's sketch, "I really loved this sketch! I used paper from Bo Bunny and Bella Blvd, the clouds are cut from Nikki Sivils paper, misc ribbon and buttons, unknown flowers and Jenni Bowlin Butterflies, Zva bling. Sassafras Lass glitter stickers and atg acrylic title sticker."

Please visit Heather's blog Unleashed!! for more information about her and details about her work.

Sandra Dunne is another fresh face and her work is really delightful. Here is what she had to say about working with the sketch, "I was excited when I saw this sketch and I knew that I would follow it closely. I just fell in love all the different elements and the placement of each one within the sketch. I also love to use flowers and butterflies so this sketch was perfect for me and my style of scrapbooking. I didn't want to change a thing about it. I used a mix of My Mind's Eye and Crate Paper Inc. and my Martha Stewart scallop dot punch. I also inked the papers with distress inks. Lace is another favourite of mine and I add it when I can. The stitched lines at the top of the sketch reminded me of twine and I was lucky that I had some in cherry twist, which matched my layout. The pictures of my daughter were only taken last week and I was delighted to have the opportunity get to scrap them to such a wonderful sketch."

Please visit Sandra's blog Papered Memories for more information about her and details about her work.

Thank you for stopping by -