This year for Christmas I decided to do handmade gifts. I got my frames from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I had Free gift cards from my employee award program and I went on Black Friday when everything was 20% off. I probably spent a total of 70 dollars for all 5 frames, paper, etc. Pretty good for 5 gifts this christmas. I used an array of cricut cartridges. I used Sans Serrif and Plantin School book for the fonts. I will list the other cartridges under each frame.

For Jayden's frame I used Sans seriff and New arrival for the butterflies. The paper is textured cardstock and the decorative paper is from hobby Lobby.

This was for my grandpartns. The deer came from animal Kingdom and the trees I found on my community. the font is plantin school book. I used the shadow option to make the brown outline for the letters.

This was for my uncles family. Again I used plantin School book for the letters with the shadow option. The trees again are from my community and the deer heads are from animal kingdom, which has the option of cutting the head only.

This was for my aunts family. I used sans seriff for the lettering and the bodies are a mix from everyday paper dolls and paper doll dress-up. I believe the dogs were also from everyday paper dolls.

This was for my family. This was tricky because there are eight kids in my family plus mom and dad. It still looks a little crowded to me, but my mom loved it:) The cheerleader and the football player not being the same height still kinda bugs me. Anyway the cheerleader I mad is NOT the one from everyday paper dolls. The cheerleader I made, I have made before the everyday paper dolls came out. You can find instructions for it Here: http://somebodyscrapme.blogspot.com/2009/02/cricut-cheerleader.html

I like it better then the one on every day paper dolls. The football player and the faces can be found on that cartridge.


This was for my in-laws. I again used the shadow feature on plantin school book to give the letter the yellow outline. The paper is paper studio paper i found at hobby lobby. I used home accents to create the swirl design on the corners. I used the shadow option for the first cut of yellow and then took fo shadow and used blackout for the cut in white.

I was really proud how these turned out. I am already looking for ideas for next years gifts. This was the first year I went completly homemade. Not only did I feel like my gifts were meaningful, I saved a lot of money. For next year I am thinking of stickign with the last name theme, but maybe some work with vinyl and glass. Was even thinking of candles with each small candle being a letter of their name? who knows!

A change in me.

I am changing this blog a bit. My husband and I are no longer trying to convieve. Not for forever, just not right now. I student teach this fall and the timing just would not be good. However, we are not using Birth Control. Latley I have felt God really speaking to my heart. He has been really speaking to me about letting go of control and handing it over to him. I decided this meant that as far and TCCing, I would put him in control and when he told me the time was right to persure treatment again, I would. For now we will just wait and see. God has told me that I will be a mother, when he decides it.

So much other stuff is going on in my life that it is hard to focus on just one thing. Currently I am recovering from surgery. I had my gall bladder take out yesterday. My mom was there for me every step of the way. I wish I could say the same thing about my husband. I know he works hard and works nights and he is tired, but i need him right now. This is a subject I am still personaly trying to deal with and I am not sure I am ready to blog about it all yet. Just know that my husband spent 14 months in Iraq and the man I married is not the same man who came back. I love him, but it is a rough road we travel to find peace again. I can only hope we can find the help and support we need to be "Us" again.

I also want this blog to be a place I can start sharing my crafts and scrapbooking ideas and such. I would love to find some other scrapbook and craft blogs out there. I want more ideas! I have my cricut and have really enjoyed making things for family and such. I would love to learn more.

I think to wrap up this post I will introduce to you the 3 people in my life that no matter what love me and would do anything to be by my side

In order from back to front: Rusty, Rascal, and Bowser.