Card Swap, Valentine's Day Theme

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that the new year is in full swing. I have been busy with other things and not able to do anything crafty since my very busy crafty December. One of my card swap groups has a meet up next week and I still had not had an opportunity to do anything! My day began feeling forced to be crafty. But, once I got a little ink on my fingers it all came back to me. By the time I completed making my cards I was in full swing and didn't want to stop. But, my toddler forced me to change gears and make dinner. I am very pleased with the outcome of my first crafty time in 2013. As usual, the picture really doesn't do the card justice. It is truly much prettier in person. I realize that one of the reasons why I had fun with this card is because of all the stamping that it required. It feels like it has been a long time since I made a card! This was FUN!

Next I need to create the two projects for the upcoming SU Hostess Club meeting in February! Luckily I already have the ideas I just need to get busy. And, if today was any indication it will be another fun time! Thanks for visiting my blog! See you soon, J

I have posted this post on my family blog but because it also falls in the crafty column I thought I would repost it over here too... I have a LOOOONGGGGG list of crafty "to do's" all thanks to my love of the internet site called pinterest. I have been very very busy trying to get all this done. We have had so much fun with all these projects!! Cinnamon Applesauce Potpourri Can I say, "OMG OMG" well, yes OMG OMG!! This is so easy, smells absolutely delicious & Zachary LOVED to cut the shapes. We will totally be doing this again! All it is: 1 C Applesauce, 1-1/2 C Cinnamon & 2Tb ground nutmeg. OMG OMG!! so so fun!!

Stringing Homemade Garland We have never taken the time to do this before. I think as a child I remember stringing something one time but I'm not sure what it was. I thought the popcorn would be easier than it ended up being- the pop corn cracked and it was very easy to poke yourself. Obviously we didn't want our 3 year old to string with a real needle so I just made a faux one with tape on the end of a string. And, we had a lot of debate over what type of food he could string easily...we initially looked for dry noodles but couldn't find any that were colored so we stuck with the good ole favorite cereal fruit loops. Zachary would string one and eat three. Cranberry

Zach's "needle" fruit loop string

upclose & personal

Mantel

Focus on the garland

Gingerbread House Poppi gave us a gingerbread house at Thanksgiving. We sat down one evening to decorate it. Zachary absolutely loved this!! It sits in the center of our kitchen table and we have a lot of discussion over who maybe inside (Elfie is the big favorite). Zachary looks so proud in this picture :))

Snowman Door. This decoration was so easy, and it's one of those ideas where I think to myself, "why did I not think of this?" I made this with just card stock & punches. And, I hand cut out the carrot nose. Zachary helped put the buttons on the snowman and after we were done he said, "our house looks like Christmas" Now that, is what I wanted to hear :))

Thanks for stopping by! Have a very Merry Christmas!!

December Stampin' Up Hostess Club Projects

A few weeks ago we had our bi-monthly Stampin' UP! December Hostess Club gathering. We had a great time playing with Heat n stick powder. I have to say, before the projects I did not have favorable feelings about Heat n stick. There is a small learning curve to using the product and I had not figured it out yet. After creating these projects & doing my due diligence researching skill of "HnS" I now feel like I get it why several of my scrap booking friends swear by it! Not that I want to pull this tool out all the time but I see it has a purpose in the crafting sphere. If you want small glittered detail, "HnS" is the way to get it! Well, with out further ado , here are the 2 card projects:

The SU Stamp-a-ma-jig was a BIG help in aligning the second glitter stamp over the blue ink stamped image. It took several mistakes to get it right. But, I like the outcome! Thanks for stopping by, Hope you are all having a crafty Holiday Season!

Handprint, footprint...art

Hello Crafty blog friends! I have planned for this post to go up on my family blog next week. But, I couldn't help but share it here as well... This season has just flown by. As does most of the year. However, I have found this year, for the first time ever, that I want to slow the clock down and savor every moment. Having our son home I want to experience holidays (and every day events) to their fullest. Because of this I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the beginning of December...motherhood by itself certainly brings plenty of reasons to feel over whelmed. For some reason, this Christmas season just seemed to start with me already running around chasing my tail. I was determined to get it all done. And, though I didn't get it ALL done, I certainly achieved as much as I possibly could. The bright side to this has been many memories and new traditions have started in our household! I have always admired artwork made from children hand print, foot print (& thumbprints). Whether that is on paper, in clay, on glassware or canvas, anywhere where a moment in time is captured and preserved!! As most of you know, now a-days there are stores where you can paint on canvas or paint a plate, etc. It's hard to get out of the house and go to these places when you have a toddler in tow. So, I thought I would find some projects that I could do at home. I found canvas on sale at my local craft store 2 for $8. And, after choosing colors in the paint isle I spent several days at my kitchen table painting away. It maybe obvious but from left to right the feet are: Matt, Julia & Zachary. And, a little ornament adorns the top right corner with "The Millers, 2012". I had so much fun doing this that I'm already planning making one for Easter too.

After painting the canvas I just couldn't stop. I saw this idea on pinterest of making a cloth banner. The fabric is very cheap but the outcome seems priceless to me :)I couldn't help but pull out my sewing machine and add a little extra trim. I love love these!

Hello friends! I have some exciting news to share, I did it!! This past Monday I accomplished a BIG goal of mine, I reached the 50 pound loss mark with Weight Watchers. To celebrate I took a picture with my class leader. And, I whispered in her ear that we will take pictures again when I reach my 75 pound mark. I am so proud!! I have never loss more than 30 pounds and I feel like I am going strong and I want to continue. I am not sure where my final scale destination is. But, I will know it when I get there. Until then I am taking it one day at a time, visualizing my future and enjoying the journey along the way!

Notice that we are both wearing 5K shirts from Sunday's Lake Lanier Run with the lights 5K! A lot of friends and WW participants walked/ran the race. It was a fun but tiring evening! And, I actually ran (a little) during the 5K. The course was VERY hilly and I was unprepared. Because of a previous injury I only run when the ground is flat. So, there wasn't as much running as I would have liked but just being able to run at all during the race gave me a sense of accomplishment for sure!! Now I can't wait to find my next 5K! Any ideas?

Hello! I thought it was a good time for me to share a little of what I've been up to. I may not have been posting as much on my blogs in 2012. But, I have been busy crafting and bettering my over all health. My focus this year has been on myself. And, I've made quite an accomplishment & I would like to share a little detail with you, my devoted :)) blog readers. Inspired by my friend and weight watchers partner, Monica, I thought I would post a few pictures http://mybusybusylife.blogspot.com/. We both joined WW the first week of January 2012 and will have lost 50 pounds this coming Monday! I am able to confidently say this because in my mind it has already occurred :) I believe in the power of visualization. We are both only a few pounds and or ounces away so it's a given if it doesn't happen for us this week it will the following. Either way, I would like to share my before and after (current) pictures. I noticed it is not easy for me to see the change in myself. And, some could say I am having "success amnesia". But as the saying goes, a picture says a 1,000 words. So, drum roll please.......

This coming Monday should be a celebration for me at WW. I hope to be earning, another 5 pound star, my 50 pound charm & a 5K charm. Sunday we are walking/running in my 2nd 5K!! I hope to be running parts of it! Wow, how my life has changed. :)) With the weight release I have found the confidence to mark a few things off my bucket list: Ride a Mechanical Bull, Complete 5K, Run, Zumba Dance Classes & Take a Gun Safety Class. Since I'm quickly checking off bucket list items I've also added a few to the list for the future: Ride a motorcycle, Zip Line& Karaoke. I wonder what 2013 will hold!

Welcome back to my craft blog, I am glad you are here! I've got some scrapbook layouts to share with you. I have been busy working on the completion of our China trip. I think the scrapbook is going to end up being two very large albums! I've been focusing on it a lot lately because I am almost done!! I saved these pictures for the last of my scraping this trip because they are so important to me. I feel like they could not be perfect enough, no matter how hard I try. I put so much importance on the pictures that I may never be pleased with them.But I realized there has got to be a day that I scrap them and move on to more recent pictures that are quickly piling up, creating a different kind of stress :)) . Gotcha Day was one of the most important days in my life, I will never forget it. I hope to express my love in these pages for my son. SO, enough already, on with the layouts! Gotcha Day. The very first moments with our son. Wow, they bring back all the emotion!

Nap, Zachary quickly fell asleep in my arms on the bus ride from Gotcha Day to the hotel!

Page 2, this is the complimentary page to the nap above. It shows us getting off the bus headed to our room & then our first official family picture for the VISA.

Our Boy, this picture so reminds me of all our day excursions. Zachary would stay awake as long as he could. He would keep his eye lids open until he could no longer. No matter where we were he was happiest when we were out and about. And, he is like that even to this day!

Forever Family, these pictures were taken in the lobby of the orphanage. I was so wrapped up in my son I didn't even notice the wall. Luckily my Father directed us to stand under the Murial. These are some of my favorite pictures of Gotcha Day.

There is a certain joy from a warm homecoming! So Happy together. These pictures are absolutely precious to me. They capture the first moments that our entire family sees Zachary for the first time!!

Home of the free, land of the brave. This land was made for me and you!

USA, Let's go HOME!! Perfectly captured, us relieved to be in familiar surroundings and anxious to get home!

I'm BAAACK!! :))

Hello my crafty friends! Thank you for being loyal to my blog. Though I obviously have not been blogging I have totally been crafty! I've been taking pictures along the way with thoughts of eventually sitting down to share some creations with you. Today, I have a VERY long blog that should catch you up on everything I've made sitting in my craft room! My Stampin' UP! Hostess Club is still going strong. With out them I may not take as much opportunity to create cards and craft projects. These following Halloween pictures are of projects from my last two SU club. Pumpkin Treat. I always enjoy paper piecing and using my punches to make cutesy figures. So, when I saw this idea on pinterest I knew it was perfect. I changed it up a little to make the pumpkin more 3 dimensional by using both sizes of the SU scallop punches for the pumpkin.

Halloween Card, this card uses the SU Googlie Eye Kit. And, the little mummy moves from side to side. I adore the colors of this card! SU Grey card stock matches with so many colors!

Another project using the SU Halloween Googlies Eye Kit, this one is a Treat Bag. What makes it unique is the goody bag was dry embossed with an embossing folder & the big shot. The SU Kit comes with everything to make this. Total cuteness!

Onto Christmas Cards. I made this card to be a project in my most recent SU Hostess Club. The Christmas ornament is heat embossed & then cut out with the matching framelits die. In fact, there is currently a special at SU for the stamp set & framelit dies. check it out here:http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/juliacmiller/promotions

For the first time ever, we held a card swap with the hostess club. The theme was Christmas cards. And, this is what I came up with (inspired by split coast of course)

Another card I created for the club was this beautiful vintage collage card. Club members decided if the card would be a birthday or anniversary card. I made mine for a friend who will be turning 40 soon.

This card is out of my comfort zone. But, the technique I was playing with was distressing. Which is something I do a lot of in my scrapbooking. But, I tend to make cards with a cleaner look. Also, the flowers are pretty cool. They can be colored, stamped, embossed, distressed, you name it! On this card we stamped in the center.

Also, somehow I found the time to make Easter Cards. I absolutely adore this card. It is so cool that the back ground embossing folder on this card is actually a Christmas poinsettia folder. But, just add a few yellow dots to the center of the flowers and they look like summer daisy's!

Father's Day Card. I did not have a chance to use this card this year, but I certainly will this coming year. It was fun to make and so easy! It's supposed to look like a dress shirt. I love the ties. Which are very versatile. I totally plan on using them as a banner sometime on a scrapbook layout!

And, finally, a birthday card. I enjoy making shape cards. It takes me out of the box from the usual square/ rectangle card. to make the shape card in the below picture, I used the framelits SU die. It was easy to do & I plan on doing it again soon.

Thanks again for visiting, take care & "see you" soon!

Hello & welcome back! For my latest Stampin' Up! Hostess Club we created these two beautiful cards using the Language of Friendship Stamp Set. I'm always intrigued at how one stamp set can look so different. As usual I was inspired to create these designs from the split coast stamper gallery. I'm not sure what I would do with out those galleries! They are full of unique ideas.

We played with two techniques, masking and coloring with chalk & the blender pen. Lot's of fun!

Here comes Peter Cotton tail, hopping down the bunny trail, hipoty, hopity Easter is on its Way!! I have been on a roll with my Holiday cards! In fact I believe it has been many many years since I have made Easter Cards. The Chocolate Easter bunny stamp is from Stampin' Up and was a single stamp that I purchased several years ago. It feels GREAT to be using it!! The most exciting thing about this card for me is that the embossing folder flowers is a Christmas Poinsettia flower. But, with a little yellow center to each flower they become a spring daisy! Well, maybe daisy's are really summer but they look spring to me here.

just adorable! simply adorable! I'm in love with this card. As my friend Monica would say, "I wanna Marry it" :)) Many Blessings to you and yours!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Well, I am obviously late posting this card, but I did manage to get them in the mail on time! I had so much fun with the card. Mostly because it was a good memory....I found the hat/clover stamp this year at our local Stamp Show and with out it I don't think I would have even considered to make St. Patrick's day cards. I just love it when a stamp inspires me to get crafty! And, inside each card was a lucky penny. What made them lucky? Well, the year on the penny was very special. It either was a birth year to the person receiving the card or the year was 2011 which is lucky to our family because that his the year our son came into our lives!

I was inspired by the lucky penny from Pinterest!

Our front door was adorned with Shamrock Luck too. The basket was sitting in our basement for years, and I just thought of it to hold our lucky four leaf clovers. I suspect that I have been more inclined to celebrate every little holiday, no matter how small, because of our son. I hope one day he will understand the little touches that we put around the house celebrating American holidays.

February Card Swap, Card

Hello, hello!! Welcome back!
I made this little beauty of a card for the February card swap group. Our theme was "Primary Colors". We were supposed to use Red, Blue & Yellow.

The first thing I thought of was a card for a toddler or child. But, then I thought that would be too obvious. I wanted to think a little more out of the box. So, with the help of my friend Monica (whose also in the group and is a wiz with colors & patterns) I picked out the papers & fabric at Hobby Lobby. The Fabric was her idea and we spent well over an hour just browsing and trying to make decisions. My whole idea started with the Prima stamp set of the little boy fishing. Generally I tend to make cards with a feminine flair. So, this card is well out of my comfort zone! But, I absolutely love the finished project!

Fairy Dust party crown

I am delighted to be able to share with all my blog friends my newest item up on thebabygarnder.com website!

My sister makes the Fairy Dust Birthday party line for the Baby Gardner. And, I make the matching party crown! Just this weekend the crown went up on the site! Oh how pretty and oh how much fun I am having making them! Here's the link to the website! http://www.thebabygardner.com/productpages/birthdays/bdaygroups/gfairy.html Thanks for looking :))

I might have already mentioned that one of my top 3 favorite holidays is Valentine's day. I adore everything about it...love, chocolate, flowers, friendships, hearts, red, pink, doilies... hmmm the list just goes on and on. As I went through my stamp sets I had a hard time figuring out which ones I wanted to use to make my cards with this year. I ended up playing around with quite a few before I got tired of making Valentine's day cards and moved on to my Christmas card.

OMG, yes, I have picked out my patterned papers, my stamps set, spellbinder shapes, designs, etc already for my Christmas card 2012! Okay, maybe I am boasting (??), but I am so thrilled I HAD to share...I just hope I am able to finish way before Christmas. Unlike 2011 where I was kinda last minute. 

Okay, back to Valentine's Day. My first card was inspired by the SU demonstrators catalog. The front cover has a picture of a very similar card. I had so many issues getting the deminsions just right and it never really came together. I loved the idea of making a non-traditional Valentine's day themed card-- and being a tea lover, the doilies spoke to me! And, the colors of pink & orange is my Bestie's favorite color scheme. So I was playing around with it here. It is much prettier in person, I promise :

I just winged this card. I was trying to make a background out of one stamp set. I do like the way it came out. Again, it is prettier in person. Maybe I should stop taking pictures for my blog with my iphone. But, it is so much easier!!

Using the same stamp as above, I just made a few different changes. It's a cutie!

And, finally. This one took me forever! I mean FOREVER!! My husband didn't think  I would finish in time to send it out before Valentine's day! But, a late night is all it took to complete it. The main struggle I had was figuring out what size to make the base card to fit into a medium size envelope. I wasted so much paper! And, good paper because my supply of "crap" paper has dwindled. Also, this card uses my NEW favorite accessory-- it's the pearly dots on the green scallops. Its from a pen and I purchased it at our Heirloom stamp show a few weekend's ago. I have used so much of it I need to find a place to buy it online to replace my pearl & possibly choose a few more colors! :))

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 
xoxo

More Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking, YES I've been scrapbooking :)) I've been busy making lots of cards - Valentine's Day, Easter & Christmas!! I haven't had much desire to scrapbook. I think I am feeling stress over how quickly our first year home with our son has gone and I'm still doing China pictures! My picture pile is ever growing!! How can I keep up? Any tips??

I'm learning how to use the new Blogger changes. I hope these two page layouts actually show up side by side, even though I am pretty sure they won't. Below in the 2 page LO "Entering a Time gone by" was one of our favorite excursions while in Beijing- The  Summer Palace- We are at the entrance standing in front of several of the Dragons.

   I turned 40 while in Beijing, bringing our son home from China! It was a glorious trip for many reasons. I couldn't resist making a page about "Julia at 40"

Beijing Zoo, Giant Panda (2pg lo)
My friend Monica helped me with this particular LO. She let me scrap lift the page design from a class she took at CKC. I was so out of practice with sbing but with her help I managed to make my way through it! We went to the Beijing Zoo on my 40th Birthday. It was my request to go see the Pandas. After the Panda Exhibit the guide said let's go, I said, no way! And, looking confused he asked, "What other animals do you want to see?" I said "Everything, Lions, Tigers, Bears, Elephants..." For some odd reason he was surprised but he took us around the rest of the zoo. We were disappointed to see the state of the zoo. The animals had horrible living conditions (mostly in small cages) and there was all kinds of trash thrown in by the crowds. However, that said it was a lovely day. I was 40 (urgh) and had my son in my arms and my husband by my side. A GREAT day!