Along Came Dani

Moved my blog :)

2011-06-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

I started a new website/blog to bring together all of my hobbies in one. It covers crafting, but also money-saving and other topics. If you would like to follow me over there, my new place is My Penny Pocket. Hope to see y'all there. ;)

ABC's of Me - 'R'

2011-05-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my day to post a challenge at Scrapbook Challenges! The prompt is 'Remember when...' and I'm asking that you include yourself in the phone and use the word 'remember' somewhere on the layout.
I realize that this picture is pretty horrible, but I was in a rush! haha Hopefully I can get around to taking a better one soon. I'd hate to document this and bright and washed out!

I'm no longer designing for Creative Inspirations, but I'm still using those paints like crazy. I used garnet and copper on the background of this page. And I'm pretty excited about these chipboard letters. They are old Heidi Grace and they come in a gigantic package. I found them at Big Lots for $4. Can't beat that!

I decorated my first cake!

2011-05-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to take the Wilton cake decorating courses. I finally decided to when we got here to Texas because I don't know anyone here... and I don't really have the chance to meet anyone either. I mean, we're only here for 3 months, so it's not a big deal. I just need to get out of the house. Sooo cake decorating class it is!

I am currently taking Cake Decorating Basics, and this is my first cake that I decorated!
We learned how to do a transfer and pressure techniques. I'm really excited about next week though! We finally start learning how to make a few flowers and we ice cupcakes! I will say... I'm HORRIBLE at icing cakes... well, at least I was before this class. Hopefully that will change! :)

I've always wanted

Thank you Pamela!! SC Blog Hop

2011-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Scrapbook Challenges' Thank You Pamela blog hop! Thank you Pamela for all that you've done for us and for inspiring us for so long! If you just happened to stop by and didn't realize there was a hop, you can join the fun at Brynn's blog.

I'm Dani, and I've been around at SC for quite a while. I've really enjoyed my time there and Pamela will be missed greatly! Also, thanks to Brynn for carrying on Scrapbook Challenges!

I picked Sketch 169 for my layout.

My take (this is the first 8x8 layout that I've done in a LONG time):

There are lots of great RAKs up for grabs this weekend from Fancy Pants and Tim Holtz and more!

Now hop on over to Deb's blog to continue the hop!

Coupons and Deals.

2011-02-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

This isn't scrapbook related, and I'm sorry. :)

For those of you that don't know, I LOOOOVE couponing and finding good deals. A lot of my friends and family have asked me tons of questions about getting started and finding deals. I started a group on facebook for friends and family, and I wanted to extend an invitation to my blog readers as well. The group is called Coupons and Deals. You are all welcome to join! :)

Also, I started a blog for me to post the deals that I find. I post them along with the coupons that I used to get them. You are all welcome to check that out as well.

My diet.

2011-02-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I hope Monday is treating you all well! I am hosting a challenge at Scrapbook Challenges this month as a part of the ABC's of Me going on there. My letter is "D". I thought about it long and hard because I knew that drink, dessert, dog, etc were easy ones. Then it hit me.. DIET! I know not all people are on diets, but everyone has a diet! So I challenge you all to scrap it! Head on over to Scrapbook Challenges and enter into the challenge. Posting your page for the challenge will enter you to win the prize from our sponsor this month!

CI Paints + Texture Builder!

2011-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

It's my day to post on the Creative Inspirations blog again! Today, I'm sharing a layout that I made for a family friend featuring her niece and nephew. I used CI sky blue to 'wash' the background. I realized that CI paints are PERFECT for that! Doesn't the sky blue go perfectly with this line of Sassafras??!I mixed CI sunshine with texture builder to get the effect on the dragonfly. I LOOOVE mixing paints with different mediums... :) For more details, you can see my post on CI here. Also, don't forget about their giveaway! You can win FIVE jars of paint!! :)

Who wants to win some paint?!

2011-01-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Creative Inspirations is giving away 5 jars of paint on the CI blog! The winner gets to choose the colors.. and ladies, there's 50 or so colors to choose from! These paints are so fun.. and shimmery! You'll all love them! All you have to do is go here, become a follower, and leave a comment answering one of the questions in the post! It's that easy! :)

Looking for inspiration...

2011-01-21T13:28:00.000-08:00

What inspires me?

My creative juices have stopped flowing. I've been a little preoccupied with life lately, but I reallllly need to go back into the swing of things. I'm hoping that breaking down my journey to find inspiration.. well.. inspires me. :)

The first place I usually look for inspiration is in home decor. I'm sure at least some of you watch HGTV, right? Well, my very favorite designer is Sarah Richardson. Out of all of the things that she has done that I have liked, I still can't get one room out of my head. It's the bathroom from the farmhouse with the yellows and grays.. and that amazing claw-foot tub.

Isn't it amazing?! I feel like it's perfect for me.. lol! It's clean looking, but it's also vintage and comfortable. I love the colors and how calming it is. I wish I could get this through in my scrapbooking.

The second place I look is in online clothing stores... usually for children's clothes. I love the patterns and bright colors that are usually found in kids' clothes. And if you're lucky, you'll come across a store that also has great photography. That's always a plus. I'm a huge fan of finding inspiration on zulily.com. I swear everything on that site is amazing! :)

And lastly, I look at fabric swatches and online fabric stores. I'm not going to lie, usually it's the home decor section. I have some sort of infatuation with home decor I guess. Anyways, looking through all of the patterns and color combinations is like looking through patterned paper at the craft store... only this time, I don't spend way too much money to add to my stash that I barely use to begin with. hahaha!

Combat boots and flip flops..

2011-01-13T06:52:00.001-08:00

Today is my day to post on the Creative Inspirations blog. I will be posting every other Thursday at least through March, so everyone go check out the blog and be sure to follow!! :)

I made a layout yesterday using rustic red CI paint.

You can read the details here :)

Everyone enjoy your Thursday... and if any of you are looking for good deals, check your local Target today because the toy clearance should be marked down to 75% this morning! Sooo.. that's where I'm headed!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!!!

2011-01-12T11:49:00.001-08:00

I hope you all enjoyed the Scrapbook Challenges blog hop! It was lots of fun! Thanks to all of you that participated!

On to the good stuff... Random.org tells me that my winner is....
But now, Amanda, you're probably wondering, "Well.. what did I win?" Yes, I know, life got in the way, and I never did post a picture of the prize. But I can tell you now.. you have won 3 page kits from Storytellers Club.Amanda, email me at tdsmith22@gmail.com with your address please! :)

And in other news.. 2011 is starting out with new things that I've never experienced before. I finally felt an earthquake in the middle of the night last night! Insane.. really. It wasn't a big one or anything so it wasn't scary, it was just weird. So now I can check that off of my list of things to do while we're in California.. LOL :)

Y'all have a great Wednesday!

A new year, a new SC blog hop!!

2011-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Scrapbook Challenges blog hop! I hope that you are enjoying the hop so far! You should have hopped here from Yara's blog. If you are just joining us, you can start at the beginning at Pamela's blog.

My name is Dani, and I am returning to the design team for my third term. I just love SC so much that I just can't get enough! :) For those of you that don't know me, I'm 22 and a stay at home mom and wife. I enjoy anything and everything crafty and anything outdoors. I like getting messy with any and all paint the most! I also love photography and couponing.

For the hop, the entire design team was asked to make a project based on this sketch.

Here's mine!
I used Sassafras Mix and Mend, with a few other odds and ends mixed in there. I love these pictures! I've been wanting to scrap them for a while and I thought that this paper and this sketch were perfect for them!

And now to the good stuff.......

PRIZES!!!!
1) For one person who leaves a comment on all the blogs in the hop, they will get the new Spring Market collection from Webster's Pages, including chipboard buttons and twine.
2) For one person who does a layout based on the sketch and posts in the HOP ON section, they will get the Be Mine collection from Echo Park Paper Company.
3) For inviting people to join the group, one person will get a collection of adhesive from Helmar.
4) For one new member over the weekend, they will get some new stamps from Unity and Webster's Pages.

And everyone who comments on this post and becomes (or already is) a follower of my blog will be entered to receive a special RAK from me. I will update later with a picture! :)

And now hop on to Chanell's blog!!

Who's ready for a monster bash..... in July?

2011-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'm already planning my son's second birthday party. He turns two at the end of July. Is that bad? I just want to be prepared. I feel like last year I wasn't, and I think the party could have been better than it was. Soo.. I started on his invitations today!

His party is going to be a monster bash. I got the idea when I was looking at the issue of Taste of Home that had the monster cupcakes in it. They were sooo adorable that I just knew that I had to make them! I thought they'd be perfect for a birthday party!

This is one of the cupcakes (picture from Taste of Home.. I haven't made them yet..lol):
So. I've picked out the cupcakes. Since it's a little hard to find monster themed stuff in the colors that I want, I decided that I'm going to have to make a lot of things from scratch. And guess what paper line is in the exact colors that I want to use?? Jillibean Soup Monster Stew!!
I used Jillibean Soup papers and Making Memories mini alphas. Also, I just received my Creative Inspirations DT box today! So, I used royal purple on the outside scallops and the circles on the monster (that's why they glimmer). I also used sky blue (the hair) and fairy dust (eyes and teeth), but you can't see them very well in the picture. Doesn't this look like a 2 year old's party that you want to attend?! hahaha :)

Sweet Dreams, Baby!

2010-12-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

The new prompt is up at Scrap That Baby! This time, we're scrapping pictures of baby sleeping. It took me a while to find a picture for this one, because Jonah hardly ever sleeps anywhere but his crib. And well, we don't really take the risk of waking him up to sneak in his room and snap pictures of him sleeping.. lol! But, he did somehow manage to fall asleep in his stroller... at the airshow, of all places, with jets zooming overhead. Maybe the big ear protection Daddy made him wear really works? lolI finally got to use the Sassafras Mix & Mend collection, and I absolutely love it! It may actually be my favorite line that Sass has ever made! It's just so absolutely perfect, it makes my heart smile! :) Again, I used burlap on this layout.. are you ladies used to hearing that by now? lol I have A LOT of it! But this time I used it as a mask. :)

Anyways, head on over to Scrap That Baby and submit your layout for a chance to win a prize from our lovely sponsor, Catch the Moments kits!

-Dani

25 Days of Christmas: Sketch 231

2010-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's MONDAY! I hope your week is starting off on the right foot! A new sketch is up at Scrapbook Challenges today.

Sketch 231:
My take:
I used more of the Anna Griffin Christmas paper that I just HAD to have! I love it soooo much! I've been meaning to scrap this picture for a year now, but just couldn't decide on how to do it. It was hard for me to try to make a Christmas layout and still try to add in the blue since it was so important. Can you believe that dang Santa had blue gloves?! LOL HORRIBLE SANTA!

If you ladies do the sketch, head over to SC and post it in the gallery and the sketch 231 thread! You will have a chance at winning a prize from our wonderful monthly sponsor!

-Dani

25 Days of Christmas: Gift Wrap

2010-12-05T18:47:00.001-08:00

I'm always looking for a way to recycle something or save money somehow. Christmas wrapping paper is no different. It's so expensive! And with my money saving, coupon clipping ways, I buy at least 4 newspapers a week to get the coupons. Sooo let's just say that I have a lot of newspaper laying around. Why not turn it into wrapping paper, right?!

I know this isn't the best picture, but I had to take it at night time really quick because my husband was DYING to open it.. lol! He "needed" his new running watch, so I had it shipped 2-day so that I could wrap it and surprise him with it.

Anyways, I wrinkled the newspaper up and inked it with distress ink and then sprayed it with some homemade glimmer mists. I sandwiched it between wax paper and ironed it on low so that it was flat like normal wrapping paper. Once it was wrapped, I added the bow. And let me just say, I'm horrible at making bows apparently. My friend, Jenny, had to make the bow for me. Thanks Jenny! :)

You can use all kinds of scrapbooking supplies to dress up some newspaper or a roll of kraft paper! So dig into your stash! If you make your own paper, let me know! I'd love to see pics! :)

-Dani

25 Days of Christmas: Gift Tag

2010-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I hardly ever make tags. I just never really have a reason to, but I decided to challenge myself. I've always liked the idea of using pictures on gift tags. It's perfect for kids that aren't old enough to read yet, and also you could reuse them as ornaments. If neither of those, at least it adds a nice homemade touch to your gifts.I really love this paper!! I've been eying the Anna Griffin Christmas papers ever since Halloween, and I finally bought some today. It was 40% off at M's. :)

Also, I wanted to share an awesome idea that I saw the other day. I haven't had a chance to make them though. I think that it may have been in Family Circle magazine, but I don't remember. Anyways, they used cookies (I'd say gingerbread men) for gift tags! GENIUS! They decorated them and piped the name on them. I have to say, I may try that this year for some special gifts! :)

25 Days of Christmas: The Spirit of Giving

2010-12-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

First off, I'm posting this like a lot late.. sorry! :) I had planned on posting a few things having to do with cards. Let's face it though, I'm not a card maker. I'll try to post the projects that I made later in the 25 days. I have something more important that I want to post today though.

There is a program called Holiday Mail for Heroes. We did a small card drive in support of this program at Scrapbook Challenges for Veteran's Day. In this program, the American Red Cross accepts cards and distributes them to our service members serving overseas and the wounded at Walter Reed Medical Center. I wanted to go ahead and get this information out there because the cards have to be postmarked by December 10. Any cards postmarked after the 10th will be thrown out. If you want to participate, your cards MUST be addressed as follows:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD
20791-5456

Head to their website for further information and guidelines.

Also, I want to take this time to get the word out about a fake message that goes around every Christmas on social networking sites and email. I'm sure you have all seen the message saying something along the lines of "While you're doing your Christmas cards this year, take the time to send one to a soldier. Address your card to 'Any Recovering Soldier" and send them to Walter Reed.....". I just want to let you all know that Walter Reed doesn't accept cards that aren't addressed to a specific soldier because of safety concerns. They will just throw your cards out. And I've been seeing this go around for as long as I've been an Army wife.. lol :) So, if you see this, PLEASE let them know about the Holiday Mail for Heroes program!

To all of you that will be sending cards, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support of our troops! :)
-Dani

25 Days of Christmas: Advent Calendar

2010-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday! Only 23 days until Christmas! Can y'all believe it's almost Christmastime? I most certainly can't. We got our Christmas tree last night, and as soon as I smelled the fresh piney scent of the tree lot, I knew Christmas had arrived. It seems like just yesterday I was complaining because it didn't get out of the 60's all summer.. haha!

Anyways, today I'm sharing an advent calendar. At first, I was going to just add daily Christmas activities to the backs of my fridge magnets, but I started looking through galleries and was inspired. I wanted to get a pre-made, plain advent calendar to alter. Of course, my M's let me down again. They didn't even have small trinket boxes that I could use for it. I ended up using toilet paper rolls cut into thirds.
A little bit of paint disguised the toilet paper rolls pretty well, I think. I used a 2" circle punch to make the circles, and they fit nearly perfect over the rolls. The book pages are slightly inked on the edges, but the rest of the distressing is natural. I got lucky a few months ago and found an old 1950's encyclopedia at Goodwill for $1. It makes the perfect accents! I used modge podge to stick them to the toilet paper rolls and to stick the toilet paper rolls to the burlap (yes, I'm STILL stuck on burlap. I have a ton of it left, too!). I weaved a painted dowel through the top and added some modge podge to get it to stay. And lastly, I put some bells on the ribbon and tied the ribbon to the dowel. And voila! A homemade advent calendar comprised of things that I already had around the house and in my stash. Well, all except for the jingle bells. They are 40% off at M's this week though, and I thought that was a good enough deal.

I'm pretty proud of it.. mostly of how cheap and easy it was. :)
-Dani

25 Days of Christmas: Fridge Calendar

2010-12-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hey! I'm alive! :)

I've been neglecting my blog, and I apologize. But for the next 25 days, I'll be posting daily! I'm going to be posting something Christmas related every day starting today until Christmas day. The great thing about most of the projects that I'm going to be posting is that they're made using things from my stash. I hope you all will check in daily for Christmas ideas.

Today's project is a calendar for the refrigerator. I LOVE this idea! I was inspired by an advent calendar on a frugal blog that I read. I love it so much that I plan on making one for each month of the year, so keep an eye out for that!
I'm finally putting my Cricut to good use. I've had that thing for over two years, and I've used it more in the past two days than I have the whole time I've had it. All of the squares measure 2"x2" (the green inside measures 1 7/8" x 1 7/8" and the houndstooth measures 1 3/4" x 1 3/4"). Also, all of the products used came from my stash except for the magnets on the back. I found a roll of magnet at M's for $5.99, which I thought was a pretty good deal. I still have enough left for 2-4 more calendars!

Check back tomorrow for another project.. I'm really excited to post it!

Birthday Bash for Scrapbook Challenges!!

2010-10-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Scrapbook Challenges' Birthday Bash blog hop!! If you hopped here from Pamela's blog then you're in the right place!! If not, then you can start the hop back at her blog.

So, Scrapbook Challenges has been on Ning for one year! I can't believe it! And what a great year it has been! Before Ning, it was a Myspace group. But who uses Myspace anymore, right? I think SC has found a great home at Ning!

Anyways, for the hop we are all posting this sketch designed by the fabulous Pamela!
I really love this sketch! It's so creative and really did inspire me! My layout is a really simple one though. :)

Every year, I take a picture of our "family" of pumpkins while they're still in the wagon at the pumpkin patch. I just love it! And for some reason, I'm really feeling the burlap lately! I found 10ft of burlap garland at M's for like $4 and couldn't pass it up!

And now to the good stuff.. RAKs! Everyone who does a layout based on the sketch above and posts it in the Hop On section at Scrapbook Challenges will be entered to win one of Cosmo Cricket's most popular collections... The Early Bird Collection!! Also up for grabs is the It's Your Day collection from Fancy Pants (how fitting, right?). To be entered to win it, you have to comment on all of the blogs in the hop. If you join SC during the Birthday Bash, you will be entered to win Echo Park's Merry Christmas collection. Also, if you invite people to join SC during the bash, you will be entered to win October Afternoon's Road Map collection. To see pictures of these, check the Hop On section of SC!

And now to your next stop.....the fabulous and very talented Jowilna!!

Sketch 218 - Santa Cruz, CA

2010-09-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Howdy everyone! I hope everyone has been enjoying their Monday, if that's possible! ;) The worst part of my Mondays are that DH is always grouchy in the mornings because he has to get up so early after sleeping in on the weekend. And even then, he's still not SO bad, so I don't really mind Mondays.

Another thing about Monday is that it's sketch day at Scrapbook Challenges! Who doesn't love a good sketch, right?! This week's is an awesome one!!

Sketch 218:And here's what I did with it:

I used mostly scraps on this one. I hardly ever do that, but I've been trying harder lately. I hate being wasteful. I also flipped the sketch because that worked best for me. :)

Don't forget to stop by Scrapbook Challenges and post this sketch to the thread if you try it! You could win an awesome prize!

-Dani

Scrap that Baby... and the Grandparents!

2010-09-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

There's a new prompt up at Scrap That Baby! This time, Sarah is asking us to scrap the baby and the grandparents in honor of Grandparent's Day. When I saw this prompt on the list waaayyy back in April, I was excited! I knew that I'd have the opportunity to have the perfect pictures for it because my parents were coming all the way out here to California to visit. And I got some good ones. The one I used on this layout is one of my favorites! Jonah loves his Paw Paw!
Isn't it just the sweetest?! And how about those hot air balloons? Sassafras rocks my world!

Well, what are you waiting for?? Head on over to Scrap That Baby and play with us!!
-Dani

Crackle medium, marry me please!

2010-09-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

So lately, I've been watching technique videos and live shows. I think I've decided to challenge myself to try a new technique every week. Well yesterday, I tried crackle medium for the first time. I've used crackle paint before, but never crackle medium. And boy, was it awesome!! I did all of the steps and when it came down to just watching it crack, I stared at it for a good 15 minutes just in awe. It's really awesome stuff!

Anyways, to the project. You know those thick piece of cardboard that come in kits sometimes or maybe on the backs of paper pads? Well I've decided that I need to use them. Usually I used them to cover my work space when I paint, but I've recently turned a box lid into my go to paint and misting area. I figured it would be perfect to try out crackle medium though!

I started out with this (after I cut the original piece in half):

I used quite a few different paint techniques on this project. In addition to the crackle medium, I also used texture builder on the house, I used my Tim Holtz mask that I got yesterday to spell out 'Happy Halloween' in the back sprayed with orange acrylic paint and water in a mini mister, I used tissue paper to 'stamp' purple paint on the house, and also stamped 'Trick or Treat' with foam stamps and paint. So lots and lots of paint.. just like I like it!

And for the things that needed adhesive, of course I used my Glue Dots®! I used the Pop-up dots do give my project dimension! I love them soo much! I also used the Craft Dots to hold down the glitter frame.

Supply List --- Patterned Paper: Momenta, frame: Fancy Pants, Adhesive: Glue Dots®,
mask: Tim Holtz, rubber stamps: unknown, house (from chipboard album): Mary Engelbreit,
paint: Apple Barrel, crackle medium: Delta, texture builder: Delta, ribbon: Offray.

Thanks for looking! Everyone enjoy their Tuesday!
-Dani

I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots design team.

I am one frustrated crafter today....

2010-09-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've just got to vent. I set out today to find some Fancy Pants paper, possibly some Halloween paper and embellishments, and some black Thickers. That was all in the world I needed. While I know that finding scrapbook supplies in countries other than the US is very hard (and I promise that I am grateful to even have the opportunity to shop in actual stores for supplies), but I must live in the black hole of the US. I have been to many, many Michael's stores in my day, but I have never seen such a horrible one than my local one. No one knows anything about the products they carry, nor about their store events. And get this... I didn't find any black Thickers. What?!!

So I decided to head to Beverly's, which is the only other craft store anywhere near here. I figured, if anything, I could find some Fancy Pants. They're usually really good about carrying manufacturers that I normally use. Nope. No FP. And hardly any Halloween stuff. I did find some black Thickers, but they only had 3 different sets and I didn't REALLY like any of them. Oh well.

On the bright side, Michaels is having a 50% off sale on their punches!! WOOO!!! And get this... (Are you guys sitting down? You may faint....) I finally bought a circle punch!! I've never, ever had a circle punch in the many years that I've been scrapbooking. Oh, and that circle punch brings my grand total of punches to a whopping FOUR. LOL! Insane, I know.

On a side note, I haven't actually bought any supplies (other than the $30 I spent at the Scrapbook Expo) since May *GASP*. After glancing around 2 whole stores, all I could find that I just couldn't live without was a circle punch, 2 sets of CC Tiny Type, a Tim Holtz mask (which was on clearance for $1.99 at Michaels), 1 set of Thickers, and 3 bottles of acrylic paint. That's it. Out of 2 whole, entire stores that's all I bought. Sad. Sooo I gave up and spent the rest of my money on McDonalds.. hahaha! =)