Organizing Paper

Paper is of course the staple for scrapbookers and it is often the thing that we hoard yet get so much of that we can't find a sheet to save our life. There are many different ways to organize paper based on how you use it and how much of it you have. This is how I have found storing paper works for me. In my previous room it was all together but I needed the extra cubes to support my extra countertop so they had to be moved. Here is where the majority of my paper is...
These cubes are the big ones that I ordered from Oriental Trading Company. They are sturdy and a really good quality. I am considering getting the dividers so that I can store my cardstock over here again, but I'm debating. Organization is something that needs to evolve with you and your space and because I have only been in this room for a few months I am still figuring it out. The top cube is for my cricut and silhouette supplies including my vinyl. That cube isn't very pretty and now that I look at it, I should move all of that! The one under my printer is all of my printer papers, this works very nicely to have them so close. And that bottom one is my in-process albums. All We R Memory Keepers 3-ring binder faux leather albums that I now get on Amazon.
Here is a close up of that middle cube. I use these Cropper Hopper 12x12 vertical paper holders and I need to get one more. This is where all of my everyday patterned papers go and they are organized by manufacturer because that is how I see papers, by who made them. American Crafts and Echo Park are also divided by collection because I have so much of their products.
Right below my everyday paper is the pull out file drawer that holds all of my scraps. I love my scraps all being here separated in hanging files by color. In the back is one for all patterned paper and then one just for American Crafts papers because I go to those a lot especially for cards.
In the middle of my countertop right in between my two work stations is the two cubes that hold all of my cardstock. I do like having it right next to me and yet I kind of miss it being with the other papers. I told you, I'm still debating.
Lastly, in my closet on the bottom left there is this sterilite unit from Target. I really need to get another one but haven't gotten around to that yet. These boxes actually come out and have lids so they are not just drawers. This is where all of my theme based products are. The top two have several subjects in them and that is why I need another set of these. Everything from New Years, Valentines, St. Patricks, Birthday, Baby, School, Fall, Halloween, and Christmas are all in here. That way when I need to scrap that subject I just pull out the box and take it over to my work station. I love it!
Well, there is a peek into how I organize all of my paper in my room. If I think of something better, I will be sure to share!

Storing My MM Slice

It seems like somewhere on people's calendars it is written that this is Organizing Week. It is no where to be found on my calendar but it is everywhere I look right now. So I decided to go with the flow and make it Organizing Week here on my blog too! It only seems to fit, right? I often get asked how I organize all of my scrap supplies and some have said that I should charge admission for tours of my room! haha... maybe I will when it is finished but for right now you are not going to be seeing full pictures of my room until I get a couple more things done because the Disney Princess sheet that is currently tacked over my window is embarrassing! I have a plan for a curtain I just have to buy the stuff and jump in, and get the last 3 feet of my countertop installed then I will be showing off my room to anyone that walks in the door.

Today I will share with you where I store my Making Memories Slice Elite. One, because I LOVE this thing and use it all the time. And two, because I just got the unit that I am storing it in and I am so excited about it.
I found this piece at an awesome little antique store in Hesperia that my friend and I found and have fallen in love with. I would tell you where it is but then you would probably go there and take all of the good stuff! I saw this piece and immediately fell in love with it and knew that it was destined to house my sweet little slice machine and then I saw the price tag... $19.95! That was it, it was a done deal.
Here it is open and I can't tell you how perfectly everything fits. The tools case was a little snug but those dividers slide out really easily. My spray adhesive even sits right next to the machine and you saw in the earlier picture that I keep my slice inspirations recipe box and the cute little squeezie slice I bought on ebay sitting there on top along with my box of current pictures. What I love most about this desk organizer is that the door slides down and I can keep the dust and stuff off of it.
Here is the drawer opened. This is a very nice, big drawer that holds my embossing tips, drawing tips, wrench, blades extra glue and brush and the button that I received last year. Needless to say I LOVE IT!
So there is one little piece of my room and the newest addition. Tomorrow I will show you some more fun stuff and how I organize it!

Some Christmas Pictures

I thought that I would share just a few of my Christmas pictures as I am editing them and planning out that December Daily album that I will finish at some point! haha. I promise that I am going to start collecting things for next years album and I am starting on it in October when Ali Edwards starts posting ideas and instructions! Someone please hold me to that okay? Alright, enough getting down on myself for unfinished projects, here is my tree to start off with...
So this Christmas for us was not ideal. Although we had lots of fun and enjoyed having our family around us in our new house and I personally loved watching the kids all open their gifts. Neil ended up with a migraine by 10:30 in the morning and went to bed until 1 or 2 in the afternoon and I for some reason got a fever that caused me to sleep through Christmas dinner as I slept it off! But here is the one picture of me and the only evidence that I was actually there that day...
The boys tore through all of their gifts with lightning speeed... and Great Grandma tried to keep up with the destruction that they left behind... hehehe....
Neil and I got the girls their own iPod shuffles. Pink for Kaley and blue for Madison, Nanny got them these American Girl bathrobes and slippers plus matching ones for their dolls. Let's just say, they were two very happy girls!
Here is just a glimpse of the crazy chaos that I love about our Christmas mornings... we love it!
Thanks to our family for such a great Christmas Day (more pictures will come later) and thank you for putting up with us! Have a great holiday Monday!

Beach Trip Layouts & Cards

Neil had a youth trip to the beach last August and we decided to take the girls with us. It is not very often that we get to take them to the beach and there is no chance of taking the boys right now! (oh the headache just thinking about that!) I did not take a change of clothes for the girls because we were just going down there for the evening to BBQ burgers and roast marshmallows over a huge fire, so I told them that they could not get all wet and sandy... well, that did not work because they went from just feeling the waves against their feet to rolling up their jeans, to full on playing in the sand. They survived the night although wet, tired and covered in sand but at least they had a good time!
So here is the layout for Kaley. She really did spend a lot of time building this sandcastle and I loved watching her.
I knew that I had to use that photo of just the sandcastle and it worked perfectly for the title.
These pictures came out really good even though I only had my point and shoot camera with me.
Here is Madison's layout, she really was cute just standing there watching the waves. And the girls loved hanging out with Bethany and Candace from the youth group.
The Heat Wave line from American Crafts is fun to work with. The colors are bright and fun and the patterns are clean and simple. And one of my favorite things is the coordinating solids on the back of each of them.
Apparently I still haven't filled in what beach we were at since when I did this layout I couldn't remember which beach it was! Oops! I will have to do that before I put this into her album or else it will never get done.
When I get a collection out to work with (which I usually like to work in collections because it makes it easier to match things) I am trying to get in the habit of making at least one card with it before I put it away. It makes sense right? I already have all of the papers, embellishments, scraps, and odds and ends out and spread across my counter. So I made this one and then had some bigger scraps left over and so I made another one too!

It doesn't look like it in this picture but the dots and the brads are brown and the stamp is black. For some reason here it all looks black.
Well, I hope that I made you long for days at the beach! Don't worry, summer will be here before you know it!

A Peek at my Maui book

I thought that I would go completely out of order right now... surprise! I wanted to share a couple of my Maui trip layouts, although later I will share some more and the method to my madness on such a massive project... another day, another day.
I love this two page layout about one of our favorite places in all of Maui, the Nakalele blowhole. It was such a cool thing to sit back and watch and these SEI papers went perfectly with these pictures. But one of my favorite things is the texture net-like paper by SEI. It adds just the right amount of texture without being overpowering. In fact you can barely see it in this picture! It is mostly up at the top, I cut a scalloped edge to it.
These are some of the general pictures from our West Maui drive. Definitely our favorite part of the week. More of those great SEI papers and even the stamps are from their travel stamp set.
Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow I will share some beach layouts and a couple of cards using some great American Crafts Heat Wave. See... I told you, totally random! It's January and I'm scrapbooking the beach. I guess that's where my mind is right now, thinking of lazy days on the beach listening to the waves. Ok that's enough dreaming!

Because Album

This is an album that I recently did that was inspired by one that Maggie Holmes did which I saw in the Creating Keepsakes Fast and Fresh Albums last summer. Hers was 12x12 but I chose to do mine in 8x8 and use the pictures from the photo shoot that we won last summer. This is a very special album to me and it came out just the way I wanted it! I love it when that happens...
The album is from Fancy Pants and I knew that it would fit perfectly with this rose ribbon from Maya Road and the details embellishment from American Crafts and then it was the perfect opportunity to use some adhesive bling flourishes that I picked up at the last Scrapbook Expo.
Each page is a full 8x8 print (from Costco) and the other side is the other photos in 2x3 plus some fun strips and embellishments. For the letters I didn't want to have to go and buy enough letter stickers to do the word "because" 12 times so instead I got to play with the drawing tips for the slice and let me say that "I Love Them!" It did take some time to do but I drew and then cut each letter on graph paper by Scenic Route. The whole album is this format so instead of explaining each thing that I did, I will just share the journaling with you:
"you are such a beautiful and sweet girl Madison and I love to hear you laugh!"
"you love life and can handle anything that it throws at you and you are goofy!"
"we might have a lot of stress in our family but we know how to relax and laugh too! We never planned to have a family this big but we wouldn't change it either."
"you have a heart of gold Gabriel and you love to show how much you care."
"you are creative and inventive although usually used for trouble! And you know how to make me laugh."
"We have been through so much and have remained the best of friends."
"no matter what we will always be a family and seek God's will for everything we do."
"I want to remember this moment forever. Us spending time together, laughing and playing. And know that you still need me a little as you discover and learn. But mostly because I love my big crazy family!"
This is most of the pages but you get the idea... I hope you enjoyed!

Snow Day

First off is a picture of Neil and I at our friends' wedding on New Year's Day. Beautiful wedding with the best food ever! Buffalo Wild Wings bus parked right outside with two awnings where they were making the yummy food! I love my mild boneless wings...
The next day we started getting snow! It continued all night and most of Monday so everybody stayed home and we went outside and played. I love this hat that Madison got me for Christmas!
Zachary was having so much fun trying to make snowballs to throw at Daddy and he even got in on the snow angel action.
Gabriel kept asking Daddy to make him snowballs so that he could then throw them mostly at Daddy... I don't know why Neil kept doing it especially since Gabriel had gloves on and he didn't.
I love this jacket on Madison with that big furry hood. She had a lot of fun playing around and when she made a snow angel Neil said, "okay it looks good, but now you're just making a mud angel!" But she didn't care.
Kaley decided that this thin little jacket was going to be warm enough and she would not admit that she was cold either. I don't know where she gets her stubborness from! Oh wait, yes I do!
I had to get a picture of my honey and I which I took right after he nailed me with a snowball right in the head and neck while I was taking video and not paying attention.
We had a really good time playing outside as the snow continued to fall, then we went inside for hot chocolate and movies... it was a great snow day.