Holiday Scrapbooking Layouts

Going to plenty of scrapbook expo's, I've come to really love the paper that SEI offers. At expo this past summer, I signed up for SEI's monthly club called Club Sei. There was no sign-up fee and every month, you can purchase (at a really great discount) a Mega or Mini Kit, depending on the month. Here's their website link to see what the different kits look like: http://www.clubsei.com/

Here are pictures from the December Mega kit that I bought. I just LOVE the pretty blues, greens, and reds that this kit uses. The kit also came with pretty glitter cardstock pack, ribbon, brads, puffy letter stickers, rub-ons, and an acrylic album. (Be sure to click on each picture for a close-up...they are much prettier close-up.)

Now all I have to do is take pictures this Christmas to add to these beautiful pages.
Happy Holidays!!!

Holiday Tags Swap

Last November, I held a "holiday" themed tag swap. It was great because there were about 12 people that participated. And everyone ended up with a variety of handmade tags to use on their gifts for that holiday season.

This November, I held a 2nd holiday tags swap. Mom, Tricia, myself, Nickalli, Michelle and Sheri made 2-3 tags each. Since I made two different tags, I ended up getting 2 sets of each tag. Plenty of tags to use on all my Christmas presents. I love the special touch that a handmade tag adds to my gifts.

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays!!!

Hi Everyone!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday! And all my best to you in the new year!

Love, Traci

My Creations Memory Keeper Box

I'm holding a workshop to decorate and embellish Close To My Heart's My Creations Memory Keeper Box. It is versatile enough to hold your photos and treasures until they're scrapbooked or just to hold your favorite items that you'd like to keep to remember those special moments. The sturdy white stampable paper material with hinged corners and magnetic flap is 10" x 9 1/2" x 3" in size.

Here are pictures of the completely decorated box. I've already filled it with my ba-chan's (japanese for grandmother) old photos...which one of these days, I'll be able to put into a scrapbook to preserve them.

Brand New Blog - Ask Creativetraci How She Made That...

Due to popular demand, I made a "how to" blog. This is where I'll keep all my instructions on how to make some (if not all) the projects that I make and/or present at my workshops. Take a peek now by clicking here - I've added instructions on how to make this bag...from an envelope. Enjoy...

If I do say so myself...the new CTMH Acylic Mini Album is so much fun to put together!!!

So today, I couldn't wait to work on the new CTMH Acrylic Mini Album. I have a workshop soon and this is what we'll be creating! Except that everyone will be able to use whatever paper pack they like. Here, I used the Simple Pleasures Lvl 2 Paper Pack. I used a wide variety of different stamp sets (too many to name, haha!) and I embellished the album with Just Blooms Paper Flowers, white rub-ons, brads, cocoa and twill ribbon, and circle window charms. I just love the color combination: twilight, desert sand, cocoa, and bamboo.

Serendipity - I LOVE this paper!!

I made this 2 page layout to remember my older brother, Tim's, birthday. And I have to admit that I just LOVE this paper pack called Serendipity. At first, it sat in my paper holder forever because I liked it so much and didn't want to use it. I finally just decided to go for it and use it. The brown and blue color combination makes it a good paper to use for guys or girls. For this layout, I used our new clear acrylic tags, stamped words on the twill ribbon and used lots of embellishments (brads and flowers). Enjoy...

My Try at 1 Page Layouts

Here is my attempt at making 1 page layouts. I think they came out really cute.

The left one is made using a sheet from the Whoops-A-Daisy paper pack and watermelon card stock. I stamped the monkeys from the In the Wild Stamp Set and also stamped the words "Life With You is a Barrel of Monkeys" from the Life's A Jungle Stamp Set onto a Dimensional Element. My niece, Alysia, is so cute. In these pictures (which you can't really see) is her stacking Mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups in piles according to their different color wrapping. Too cute!

On the right is a layout that I "lifted" from a website. Again, I used a sheet from the Whoops-A-Daisy paper pack and (mom) sponged the Just Blooms flowers for me with Hydrangea and Watermelon colors. They came out cute! I also used something I never have used before...I bought some adhesive transfers (they come in different fonts, sayings, shapes and flowers). In this case, I used the word "beautiful" and stuck it onto my layout like a sticker. Then I peeled off the front which made it sticky and I used flock to "cover" each letter. It came out good and its so easy to use. I'm going to try using glitter next time. :-) These pictures of my oldest niece, Samantha, are from one of our recent camping trips to the lake.

My Silly Nieces

Every time my nieces and I get together, at least 2 of us are carrying cameras. I love it! We get to snap candid shots like these ones all the time. For this 2-page layout, I used the colorful and bright Whoops-A-Daisy Level 2 paper pack, Dimensional Elements Fresh Shapes and Flower Garden, Circle Window Charms, and Clear Sparkles. The colors that I used were Ocean, Hydrangea and Watermelon. This fun paper reflects the fun that I always have with my nieces.

Fresh-Grown Veggies

At work, there is a plot of land that employee's are allowed to use to grow vegetables. Talking to my friend today, she just went down to the area earlier in the day and picked some tomatoes and basil (shown below) and shared some with me. For some reason I was totally craving spaghetti today, so it was excellent timing. :-) Here are pics of the fresh-grown veggies and the finished product...very yummy spaghetti. I added some ground turkey to give it some extra flavor along with salt, pepper, fresh garlic and parmigiano reggiano cheese. Mmmm.....it turned out SO delicious!!!

As I Suspected...

Today, was yet another HOT day! Yikes! I went out to the store during my lunch hour and it wasn't too bad. About 91 degrees.

However, when I got in my car just 4 hours later, it said that the temperature outside was 105 degrees!!! Oh my gawd!!! When did I move to the desert???!!

Since I showed you the temperature yesterday, I had to share again today. Man...I like it when its warm but not TRIPLE-digit-smokin-HOT!!!

I hope you kept cool today!!

OMG...It was SO HOT today!!!

The day was any other "hump day". Wednesday, the middle of the week. Only two more days until the weekend...actually a three day weekend. I was walking home, thinking to myself "Man, it's warm!". When I looked up and noticed the temperature (reading) on the side of this building. Can you read the temperature? Did it really say 103 degrees?!?! YIKES!!! I almost started to melt when I saw this! And as soon as I comprehended the temperature, it suddenly got twice as hot. (Yeah, its happened to you before too, I'm sure!) Luckily it wasn't too much further to the nice cool welcome of my place. :-) Hopefully it cools off a bit tomorrow, but I have a feeling its going to be another HOT day!

Another Layout - Scrapbook Expo

Here is another 2-page layout that I purchased from a vendor from Scrapbook Expo. It's a fun summer layout which I added some pictures from a recent trip to Santa Cruz with my family. It was alot of fun that day, even though it rained on us a few times. Just sprinkles... :) It's funny how the lifeguards announce that there is lightning hitting the water and to get out, how everyone rushes out of the water...pause...NOT! I couldn't believe that people just kept on swimming. And even as the announcements were being overheard on the loud speakers, people were going towards the water. Haha!!! Anyways, here are some fun pictures and a really fun layout that I put together.

Scrapbook Expo - More Pictures

Hi - as promised, here are more pictures relating to Scrapbook Expo.

My sister-in-law bought this chipboard "Baby" album kit from one vendor and put it together as a gift for her sister who just had a baby boy. The album came out so cute. And the baby is just adorable!! The only part about this album that she didn't "enjoy" was all the cutting and trimming but after a while, she got the hang of it and it was really fun to put together. It makes me want to work on the "Family" album that I have. Its now definitely on my list of to-do's on my project list because of how cute this one turned out. :-)

Thanks for letting me post your pictures here, Jenn!

National Stamping Month (Sept)

The long awaited kit for National Stamping Month arrived to me last night. I tore into the CTMH box as soon as I finished eating dinner. (I knew that if I opened it before dinner, I wouldn't even eat since I'd be too busy "playing" with this awesome kit!!) The kit is called Just Because. Its primary colors are Colonial White, Cocoa, and Tulip (brand new CTMH color). Everything pictured below (instructions, Stamp Set, envelopes, 16 blank cards, pre-cut printed papers, 2 mini ink pads, cocoa ribbon, sponge and sparkles (not shown) came inside of that pretty Colonial White, Cocoa, and Tulip colored box. I couldn't wait to start putting these cards together.

These cards came out SO GOOD (if I do say so myself - hehe!). The cards on the left in each picture are the way the instructions "told" me how to make them. The cards on the right in each picture is my variation. :)




(BTW, if you want to purchase this kit, just ask me how. Its available from Aug 14-Sept 30.)