Yep, that's me!
I am officially a "hunter's widow" now that deer season is in full swing here in Alabama.

But don't worry, I am making the most of it!
This layout is an account of my weekend happenings during the first weekend of gun season.
;)

I made this one with the fabulous Hudson Valley kit from Noel Mignon and a couple bits of ephemera I collected over the weekend.

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I hope yall had a great Thanksgiving!
Have an even better week!
:)
gretchen

Happy {belated} Thanksgiving!

Oopsy!

Thought I had scheduled this post!

Oh well...

Now it is a very happy {belated} Thanksgiving to ya!!

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For the occasion I made a couple of cards using the gorgeous
Finally Fall line from Bella Blvd.

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My belated-ness isn't all bad I guess.

It gives me a chance to tell you about a fun giveaway over on the Pebbles blog!!

Leave a comment on this post {here} for a chance to win some goodies!!
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And I guess this is appropriate now too!

:)
gretchen

Have you defrosted your turkey yet??

Well it is not too late!

Sure Thanksgiving officially starts in like an hour and you will probably be stuffing your face in 12-18 hours from now.

But if you have a bathtub you can still get that turkey thawed!

Trust me...

{this is actually an older layout I made with last year's Christmas kit from Noel Mignon but I thought it was kind of appropriate for right about now!}

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Speaking of Christmas kits from Noel Mignon, this year's kit is up for pre-order and they are shipping out Monday!!

You can get yours {here}

:)

Happy Thanksgiving (a wee bit early)!!

gretchen

Midnight Rooster + Crate Paper = GIVEAWAY

Midnight Rooster is the guest blogger over at Crate Paper today!

It is only fitting since the new kit from Midnight Rooster

{the November kit is called "A Random Story"}

is stocked full of the awesome "Random" line from Crate Paper!

How fun!
The best part is that Midnight Rooster is giving away 2 {yep, 2!!}of the November kits!
Wanna win??
Go to the Crate Paper blog and leave a comment {here} for one chance to win!
Then go to the Midnight Rooster blog and leave a comment {here} for your 2nd chance to win!

It could be a very good early Christmas for you!
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In other news, tonight I begin my fast in preparation for Thursday's feasting!

Bring on the casseroles!

:)

gretchen

Sharing a card

I was watching football on Saturday when I made the layout I shared on the post below.

I had so much fun cutting those flowers out of a sheet of Crate Paper that I just kept going!

And so they didn't go to waste, I made this card...
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OUT

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PUBLICATION
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{all supplies from the "Hudson Valley" kit from Noel Mignon}
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That's all I've got!
Have a great day!!
:)
gretchen

Thankful

I thought a layout like this one would be appropriate this week!

So much to be thankful for...

I used the gorgeous "Hudson Valley" kit from Noel Mignon to make this layout.

{there are still some available}

Have a great week!
:)

gretchen

Saturday Sketch

Twice a month there is a cool sketch posted on the Bella Blvd blog.

And I got to make a card with the sketch that went up yesterday!

We are not going to see my side of the family on Thanksgiving this year.
I pulled out some Finally Fall to make a card to send home saying that we are sorry we can't be there.
I think I am going to use the journaling spot on the inside of the card to write, "But we sure are looking forward to Christmas!"

Head over to the Bella Blvd blog to see the sketch and the incredible layouts & cards that some of the other Bella designers made!
{they made some seriously great layouts!}

:)
gretchen

Midnight Rooster NOVEMBER!!

Whoop whoop!!
The November kit from Midnight Rooster is up for sale!

This one is called "A Random Story" and it is a good lookin' kit!

It's got a fun mix of Crate Paper, American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, and more!

And the layouts I made with it are some of my favorites to date!
Wanna see??

:)
This one is about my fun, new bike-riding hobby with my lov-ah!
(aka the husband)

This next one is for my sweet friend Lindsay.
I got on a heart kick with this kit!
:)

And this last one is just a fun one!
I used a bunch of scraps to frame the big collage of pictures.

The fun flags are pre-made embellishments in the kit!
{you get 3 in the kit!}

You gotta love the special touches that Tobi adds to her kits!

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I made a card too of course!

I am sure you are shocked to see that I used another heart.
:)

OK go get your kit while there are still some available!!

{click here}

And have a great weekend while you are at it!
:)

gretchen

Check this out!!

Head over to the Bella Blvd blog today to get your hands on some fabulous stuff!!

There are some great FREE printables you can download!

And Stephanie has put together an incredible tutorial to show you how to make a 5x7 Thanksgiving-themed mini album using them.

Go ahead and get a jump on your Thanksgiving scrapping!

Awesome!!

Happy Friday to you!

:)

Scrap your Christmas cards!

Do you know that there are only 37 days left until Christmas?

This tutorial was up on the Pebbles blog back in September and I figured it was a good time to {finally}share it here too!

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It's time to get started on those holiday preparations!

For instance, do you know what you are going to do with all the Christmas cards you are going get once Christmas is over??
I finally took down the 2010 Christmas cards on the side of my refrigerator in September!
I hate taking them down.
They are so fun to look at through the year!
And I surely could never throw them away!
For the longest time I just kept all the Christmas cards I had collected over the years somewhat organized in a couple of shoeboxes.
Then a couple of years ago I discovered a way to scrapbook them.
And today I am going to show you how to do it!

What you will need:
cardstock
patterned paper

strong adhesive

embellishments
{I have used the "Welcome Christmas" line from Pebbles to create this layout}

OK let's get started!
Use a piece of cardstock as the base of your layout
Don't "waste" a piece of patterned paper when you are going to end up covering it up anyway!
For the first & top pocket on the layout, cut a piece of patterned paper or cardstock 12 inches wide x 4 inches tall.

Adhere this piece of paper across the cardstock about 3 inches down from the top of the layout.

Remember that we are making a pocket, so only apply your adhesive along the bottom and sides of the piece of paper.
No adhesive should go across the top!
And make sure to use strong adhesive!

This will let you slip your Christmas cards inside the "pocket" you have created.

For the second and middle pocket on the layout, cut another piece of patterned paper or cardstock 12 inches wide x 4 inches tall.
Once again, don't use your favorite piece of patterned paepr as a lot of this paper will end up being cover by cards.
Adhere this piece of paper across the layout about 6 inches down from the top of the layouts so you are creating another pocket under the first one.

Remember: adhesive only along the bottom & sides of the piece of paper.

No adhesive across the top so you create a pocket!

Tip: if you use cardstock for this pocket, embellish it by using a border sticker!

Now do use a pretty piece of patterned paper for the bottom pocket on your layout.
This piece will actually be seen!
Cut this piece of patterned paper so that it also measures 12 inches wide x 3 inches tall.
Adhere this piece of paper across the bottom of the layout.

Remember: adhesive only along the bottom & sides of the piece of paper.

No adhesive across the top!

Now embellish the bottom pocket!
I used another border sticker here, a fun dimensional sticker, and cute toothpick flags on my layout.
Don't forget to add a date to your layout so you can remember when you got all these cards!

Tuck your Christmas cards into the pockets and you are done!
{you could always turn this into a 2-page layout if you have more cards you can fit into a single-page layout}

I hope this gives you an idea for what to do with all those Christmas cards you are going to get this year!
And, hey, a layout like this would work for birthday cards, Mother's Day cards, or any cards you get for that matter!
And Merry (early) Christmas!
:)
gretchen

Typical

I've got another layout to share from a new special issue from Creating Keepsakes!

This is from the "Scrapping Holidays & Celebrations" issue.

My layout is in the "Budget Tips" section.

And the tip is basically to use a die cut machine and corrugated cardboard to punch out your own embellishments.

I used my handy dandy (and almost 8 year old) Sizzix machine and some cardboard scraps to punch these stars.

Supplies: Patterned paper (Crate Paper, Little Yellow Bicycle, Studio Calico), Border stickers (KI Memories), Alphabet stickers (Basic Grey)

Want to win a copy of this new magazine??
Then head on over to (this post) over on the Creating Keepsakes blog for a chance to win one!

And happy hump day!
:)
gretchen

CK giveaway WINNER!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6 

Timestamp: 2011-11-15 04:26:59 UTC

____________________________________________

And that means our winner is:

Melinda AKA medialady said...

I haven't tried anything with fabric on my layouts but I would love to give this a try!

November 12, 2011 10:08 PM

Yay crazy girl!!

Email me your address and I will get your magazine out to you ASAP!!

___________________________________________________
And good night!
:)

Playing with Hudson Valley

As soon as I got my new Hudson Valley kit from Noel Mignon last

Thursday, I dug right in!

There is so much goodness in this kit and I could not wait to play with it!

So I made some stuff!
:)

*****
Here is a layout about a run I did last weekend with my brother.

I used a bunch of bits & pieces from the kit to create the border at the top of the page.

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And because you can never have too many "thank you" cards on hand...
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OUT

FOR

PUBLICATION
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OK that's all I've got for now.
But I can guarantee there will be lots more created with this kit!

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The giveaway below is still going on.
I will pick a winner later tonight!

Happy Monday!
:)
gretchen

Creating Keepsakes GIVEAWAY!!

Have you seen the newest special issue from Creating Keepsakes??

It's called "Scrapbooking with Fabric & Notions".

And it is packed full of cool, out-of-the-box ideas for you to try!

And if you don't really want to get that crazy on your pages, it still has lots of great ideas for layout designs for
one and two-page layouts!

Guess what??!
I have an extra copy to give away!

Want it??

Just leave me a comment here and I will pick a winner Monday evening.

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Here is the layout that I have in this issue.

I cut the hearts out of fabric from a Midnight Rooster kit

and hand-stitched them to the page.
Then I also hand-stitched a primitive frame around the focal picture on the layout.

Fun!!
*****

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win this magazine!
And have a great weekend!!

:)

gretchen

Cards on Thursdays

It's cards on Thursdays over on the Bella Blvd blog today!

And I have a couple up!

Here is one where I combined the striped paper from the "Christmas Wishes" line with flowers cut out of a piece of patterned paper from the "Family Dynamix" line.

And the sticker is from the new "Spring Fling and Easter Things" line.

I love how Bella stuff goes so well all together!

I used the "Spring Fling and Easter Things" line to make this next one.

I just had to do something with the fun umbrellas!
:)

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OUT

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PUBLICATION
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Check out the Bella blog for more great (and better) card ideas!!

:)

gretchen

Mix & Match

It was Mix & Match Monday over on the Pebbles blog yesterday.

That basically means that I got to mix different Pebbles lines to create a project.

Fun!

I knew I wanted to use a lot of pink on this page about running the Race for the Cure.

I was also anxious to use some of the super new With Love line! Basically I rummaged through my Pebbles products to find all things pink and then paired some of those things up with bits and pieces of the With Love line.

It was so easy to coordinate products from a few different lines and make them work together on this layout!

I love that!

Pebbles supplies used:

With Love Sweetheart (751204)

With Love True Love (751202)

With Love All Mine (751209)

With Love Adhesive Notes (732088)

With Love Toothpick Flags (747159)

With Love Gift Tags (747160)

With Love Ribbon (780014)

Floral Lane With Delight (751124)

Floral Lane Chips (747108)

Fresh Goods Embossed Borders Stickers (732077)

Pink ABC Stickers (732057)

OK that's all I've got!

Happy Tuesday folks!
:)

gretchen

psssssstt!!

Hey!

OK if I tell you a secret will you promise not to say anything??
I have a bit of insider info I am willing to share with you.
Here's the scoop...

There is a new challenge going up next week over at Noel Mignon.

And it is a tough-y!

But I am going to give you a head start.
It is going to be a "recipe" challenge.

That means you have certain "ingredients" you have to use to make your layout.
Wanna know the ingredients you are going to need??

I just so happen to know them!
Here they are:

2 sheets of card stock
3 sheets of patterned paper
1 ribbon
1 twine
4 stickers
2 different alphas (thickers or stickers)
A pinch of stitching
A dash of rub ons
a smidgen of fabric

And here is another secret for you.
I've already made a layout with the recipe that might help you out a little!

Here is how I used the ingredients:

2 sheets of card stock: pink & kraft matting the photos
3 sheets of patterned paper: background paper, pink paper that I punched the butterflies out of, stars cut out of a sheet of pattered paper
1 ribbon: scalloped
1 twine: pink/white
4 stickers: the pink circle stickers (i cut the largest circle in half & used it on the top & bottom of the page
2 different alphas: "Grandpa and Grandma with Thickers and "with" with My Mind's Eye tiny stickers
A pinch of stitching: around the pictures
A dash of rub ons: the "&" in the title
a smidgen of fabric: burlap

{I used the Study Hall kit to make this layout! However, everything pink I pulled from my stash of Pebbles products. The round stickers are Jenni Bowlin and the "&" is Hambly}
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Does that help at all??
OK one more secret!
I am pretty sure there is going to be a prize involved with this one!
But you did not hear it from me!

Mums the word!
:)
gretchen

FYI

OK here are some things you need to know about so you do not miss out!
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The Cards that Care blog hop is still going on through this weekend!
See the post below!

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The new kit from Noel Mignon is shipping out on Monday!

If you order yours by this weekend you will get these 2 free gifts thrown in!

Order yours now and get your free gifts!!
(order here)
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There is a sweet giveaway going on on the Bella Blvd blog!

Leave a comment {here} about something you are thankful for to have a chance to win 1 of 3 new Bella lines (Finally Fall, Winter Wonder, or Spring Flings and Easter Things)
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Check out {this post} on the Pebbles blog and leave a comment for a chance to win some of their fun layered embellishments like these!

*****
OK I think that is about it.
Have a great weekend folks!
And ROLL TIDE!!
:)
gretchen

Cards that Care blog hop!!

Welcome to my stop along the Cards that Care blog hop!

You know about Cards that Care right??!

Jennifer McGuire and Vera Yates have teamed up to do a card drive to collect holiday cards for the elderly who live in nursing homes.

And they created Cards that Care!

The fun part is that you can participate!

Make some holiday cards, send them to Vera or Jennifer, brighten someone's day, and have the chance to win some prizes!

Yippee!!

Learn all the details about the card drive {here}.
There are lots of great companies sponsoring the card drive.

And you can win some of their great prizes 2 ways: 1) make some cards and 2) visit the blogs along this hop, leave comments, and they will pick winners randomly from comments left on the various blogs.

You have until Sunday at midnight to leave comments on the blogs!

Check {here} for a complete list of all the participating blogs.

Then get to card-making!
Here is a bit of inspiration to get you started:

Supplies: patterned paper, chipboard (Bella Blvd), jewels (KI Memories)

****

Now head on over to the fabulous Loredana Bucaria's blog for your next stop!

And after Loredana, hop on over to the lovely Deanna's blog!

{for a complete list of all those participating in the hop click here}

Don't forget to leave a comment and get to making some cards!

:)

gretchen

Falalalala

I usually have a very strict "No Christmas until after Thanksgiving" policy around here.

Buuuuuuuut
I was just flipping through my Nov/Dec Creating Keepsakes

and I remembered that I had submitted a layout for the sketch article in there.

So, yeah, it is only early November, but I am sharing a Christmas layout anyway!

Supplies: Patterned paper (Making Memories, The Girls Paperie),Glitter paper (KI Memories), Corrugated alpha & numbers (Jillibean Soup), Holly embellishments (Making Memories), Rub-ons (Fancy Pants), Tag (We R Memory Keepers), Pen (American Crafts)

There you have it...a Christmas layout in November!
FALALALALA

:)

gretchen

P.S.

there is already a radio station here playing continuous Christmas music already!

i may have listened to it a bit today.

:)