DVC # 33: Humor

Good afternoon! What a crazy month...so glad it is just about over! I forgot all about the new Dream Valley Challenge!!! The DT was given some Bugaboo Stamps images to play with, and let me tell you, there's no better place to turn for humorous images. Play along with us for a chance to win the first place prize, $21 to Bugaboo Stamps, or the second place prize, a voucher from Crafty Emma's Store.

Here's what I came up with, using an image that describes me and my scatterbrained life to a T.

 I turned to my May Faded Jeans Scraptastic Club kit for this, I love the colors of the Authentique papers. Colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers, adding some Glossy Accents to the coffee and her glasses. Jenny Bowlin border stickers. Queen & Co blue pearls.

 See that Glossy Accents? Love it!

Head over to Dream Valley Challenges and enter your own humorous creation today!

xoxo
Khristen

Just. For. Me.

Lately, I've been turning off the computer and scrapping with no sketch or inspiration. It's been amazing, and such a change from last year, when I was always at a loss and turning to sketches or challenges to jumpstart my mojo. This year, I'm leaving it up to me to come up with the page design. It's tough sometimes, and I think it's why I haven't done as much (although a crazy schedule at home isn't helping any.) Yesterday however, I pulled out these pics of Rileigh opening presents on her 6th birthday and decided I would do something crazy: include all of them on ONE PAGE. Yes, normally I'd break these up over two pages, but decided to try it out. I will have to say, I didn't think I was going to post this at first as I didn't like where it was headed, but it finished nicely. Tell me what you think:

 Using up the last pieces of some Scraptastic Club kits here. The papers, buttons, banners, sayings, and Thickers all come from various kits (I believe the I Feel Pretty kit and the February Heart's A-Flutter kit). AC Neapolitan patterned papers (Hazy Horizon and Lucky Laugh, both sides of each). Pebbles Show & Tell journal card.

 Those word elements are Authentique Notables - Uncommon. MME Lost & Found Blush "Better" buttons. (There's Rileigh with her new frog, which didn't live for very long. She has the worst luck with water creatures.)

 The awesome heart/crown patch: don't really know where that came from...but I love it! October Afternoon Mini Market in grey and cream. AC Amy Tangerine Sketchbook dotted ribbon (so glad I got this ribbon pack, love all of them!)

Those fun banners (Jillibean chipboard banners) are misted with a combo of Key Lime Pie and Yellow Daisy Glimmer Mist. Amy Tangerine Hello Thickers. Glitz black type Teeny Alpha.

I love how the layout turned out in the end, and it proves that you can make a multi-photo layout with ease. It's all about balance, and I think the layered patterned papers in the left corner really make the jumble of photos in the right corner work perfectly. It was nice to come out of the "white space" bubble I'd been living in. Are you a multi-layout scrapper, or do you like to use one or two really great pics to showcase?

xoxo
Khristen

May XOXO Challenge: COLOR!

Wow, has this month been hectic!! I realized today that I had yet to post my XOXO scraplift challenge layout...whoops!

This month, we are asking for your layouts in unconventional colors. Maybe it's a color combo that doesn't work so well normally, or just colors you rarely use in a layout. Whatever your interpretation of "unconventional color" is, show it to us!

Here's the direction I decided to go:

I wouldn't normally pair the blueish-greens of the embellies and alpha, the burgundy, and the yellow together, but I must say I like how it turned out. The papers and elements all come from the Scraptastic April I Feel Pretty kit (well, all except for the kraft mat.) I misted the background paper (Neapolitan) and then matted the photos on the kraft piece which was border punched. Add some random elements and there you have it!

 Red jute accented with a greenish-blue spectrum Noir marker. Jillibean journal spot with a red and greenish-blue Spectrum Noir marker for the saying. That fun burgundy/kraft strip is MME Funday.

 MME Funday strip, Neapolitan green/white stripey strip, and MME Miss Caroline label.

 Simple Stories Fab-U-Lous alpha/flower sticker, more red Spectrum Noir.

 Lots of fun Miss Caroline goodies (doily sticker and rub on), Jillibean journal spot, Simple Stories Fab-U-Lous "sweet", and Crate Paper Random brad.

Head over to the XOXO blog to show off your interpretation of our challenge for a chance to win a guest DT spot. Hurry, 9 days left! (I know, I dropped the ball here. I hang my head in shame.)

xoxo
Khristen

Week 3 Winner!!!

Week 3 has come to an end during the Crafter's Companion May Giveaway extravaganza, and winners have been chosen. Random.org has selected

CLM-Cindylu2u


as my winner. Congrats! Email me with your address so we can get your prize sent out to you.

If you didn't win on my blog, there is still hope. Head to the other DT blogs as well as the Crafter's Companion USA blog and the Crafter's Companion Challenge blog to see if you've won there. Also, don't forget to enter the week 4 drawing!

Have a great day!

xoxo
Khristen

Crafter's Companion Giveaway Week 4!!

The giveaway extravaganza is wrapping up, how sad! Check back here on the blog tomorrow morning when I'll announce my winner for week 3's giveaway, the Boxer and Envelobox Creator bundle complete with the Advanced Techniques DVD. If this is the first you are hearing of it, check **this post** and enter! Entries will be accepted until 8PM PST tonight.

This week, the ever-generous Crafter's Companion is giving away the CleverCut 3-in-1 Mini Paper Trimmer. This little workhorse cuts 3 different types of edges (straight, scalloped, and perforated) and is perfect for traveling to crops.

How to qualify for entry:

1. Be a follower of the Crafter's Companion USA Blog
2. Be a follower of the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog
3. Be a follower of MY blog.
4. Go "like" Khristen's Craft Room on Facebook.
5. Comment on this blog post.

That's it! For **5 ADDITIONAL ENTRIES**, refer a friend to enter the contest and have them tell me you sent them when they comment.

This giveaway ends THURSDAY MAY 31st at 8PM PST (that's a few extra days to get your friends to play along hehehe). The winner will be drawn and announced on June 1st. Lastly, don't forget to visit each and every DT blog on both Crafter's Companion blogs and the CCB and CCCB. they are all giving the same thing away! Increase your chances to win, and if you happen to make a purchase in the Crafter's Companion store this month, there are daily drawings for the Ultimate Tool. So many prizes (good thing this is a 31 day month, eh?)

Have a great day, and good luck!

xoxo
Khristen

Winner week 3 redraw

Apparently I goofed and picked a person who had already been picked, so according to the rules, I've redrawn my winner.

TERRIAVIDREADER...email me your addy at kfossandfour(at)gmail(dot)com and your prize will be on its way!!

xoxo
Khristen

GIVEAWAY!! Week 3 Crafter's Companion May Giveaway Madness

Good morning! It's time for another Crafter's Companion giveaway. Don't forget that each and every DT member on both the USA and Challenge blogs are giving away this prize, so increase your chances by hopping over to everyone's blog (all of them are listed on each CC blog), including both the USA and challenge blog. Also, if you make a purchase in May at the Crafter's Companion store, you are in the running for the giveaway of an Ultimate Tool!

This week, we are giving away the Boxer and Envelobox Creator and Advanced Techniques DVD! I just love these tools. I make custom boxes for gifts rather than having to buy them, and it makes envelopes for those big and bulky cards I just can't help but make.

To win my prize, you *MUST* follow both the CC USA blog and the Challenge blog, as well as my blog. Leave a comment here telling me why you need this tool.  Good luck, the contest ends on 5/22 at 8PM PST.

WINNER of week 2 giveaway!!

Ok, the moment you've all been waiting for...the winner for my Rock-A-Blocks and Popcorn the bear stamp giveaway is...........

Rufus!!!!!!!!


Yay, congrats! Email me at kfossandfour(at)gmail(dot)com with your address. You have until the 22nd to do so, otherwise you forfeit your prize.

Stay tuned, week 3 giveaway to be posted momentarily :) (Well, not momentarily...it's set up to auto-post at 8am EST :)

xoxo
Khristen

"Treat" Jars

Good afternoon! It's been a trying day overall...culminating with my son choking in the backseat of my van at the middle school while waiting for Andraia, me giving him the Heimlich, and him eventually breathing again but swallowing the hard candy into his belly. UGH what a day...I can't wait to have a drink to calm these still frazzled nerves!

Anyway, I promised this post, and must deliver. I attended a seminar on ADHD and some strategies to deal with it. The presenter was fantastic and gave a lot of great information, including this one strategy I knew would be perfect for my kids. She suggested a "treat" jar of sorts, where the child earns tokens for good behavior, leading towards some sort of reward. This was not a new concept to me as I used to work in a preschool, and we were using the PBIS program which may be familiar to some with elementary kids. PBIS = Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies. The preschool kids earned cubes that were placed in a tube, and when the tube was full we would earn a treat...pajama day, ice cream sundae day, etc.

I set to work making some old glass jars into attractive treat jars to place on my counter, and came up with these, made using some newly acquired Basic Grey PB&J. I couldn't resist picking up the collection pack at CKC (and for 10 bucks, it was even more irresistible!) After adhering paper strips to the jar, I added some twine, ric rac along the rim, a cupcake sticker (in the PB&J sticker sheet), and a couple of Prima flowers on the girls' jars.

they are already filling their jars with tokens (poker chips). Patryk is working towards a "spy set", while the girls have yet to tell me what their goal is. I'm hoping it works. It is working so far, let's just hope it lasts!

xoxo
Khristen

A couple of Scraptastic challenges

Before I get to the layouts I created for the first two Scraptastic challenges of the month, I want to remind you to stop by this blog post and the blogs of all the other Crafter's Companion designers at both the USA blog and the challenge blog. You have until 8pm PST to enter to win this week's prize (Rock A Blocks and a Popcorn stamp set). Hurry over if you haven't entered already, and don't forget to check back after 8 when this week's prize is announced. You won't want to miss it, it's a fabulous prize (especially for those of you who may have won an Ultimate Tool *hint hint*

Ok...so I was given the week off from my writing duties for the GPS blog as there is an extra week this month (and my boss forgot to email me topics), and my other boss is off enjoying the sights and sounds of Greece (and tastes...she keeps posting the most delicious pictures, especially when she was in Belgium!! Chocolate and waffles...two of my favorite things.) What did I do with my free time? Besides clean this house from top to bottom, I ended up doing a couple of layouts for the Scraptastic challenges.

Challenge 1: punch it up! I used my square punch to make a quilt-y strip border with the Weathered Spring May kit (which is just amazing, I keep turning to it time and time again.) I love the Lily Bee papers included in the kit! So bright and cheery!

 Pulled out my MM magnetic alpha stamp to put the date on the journal spot included in the kit.

 Challenge 2: a song title and hidden journaling. I had these pictures sitting in my "to-scrap" pile (I am a chronological scrapper) and the first song that popped into my head (and has since been stuck in my head) is the old Gloria Estefan song "Conga." This is Rileigh and Andraia back in the days they went to the same school at their end-of-year celebration. It is a cute thing, where they pass out awards, sign yearbooks, and finish with a picnic lunch. This was directly after awards right before the picnic lunch.

 Weathered Spring kit again, but had to pull out Mister Huey clay mist and moonlight Glimmer Mist for the background page. I also used this gorgeous piece of Glitz teal tulle and some October Afternoon Mini Market alpha in cream and denim. The tag was also misted.

That's all for now, off to feed the littlest one and then I think I'll be doing a bit more scrapping. Also come back later for another post showing off my latest technique for getting the kids to be more aware of their behavior without punishing, an idea from a seminar I attended. So far it's working fabulously :) If you have a child/children with ADD/HD (all three of mine are affected), you'll want to try it out yourself!

xoxo
Khristen

Mother's Day Gift

I tried to post this yesterday, but my internet was all screwy. Back to normal now, whew! I hope all you moms out there had a fantastic mother's day. Got some cute gifts from my kids and hubby, including the sweetest, yet at the same time most hilarious, cards from the girls. Rileigh would choose me as her mom "even if she could choose from anyone in the world," and Andraia "would give her life if it meant I could live longer." Morbid, but sweet nonetheless! I spent the morning hanging out with my mom while hubby was off turkey hunting, and then we returned home and I planted flowers and veggies for the remainder of the day. I had a bunch of stuff needing to go in the ground for quite some time, so I knew it just had to be done as it had rained all week and is going to do the same this week. Don't want to lose all those yummy veggies that we rely on for food year round. Can't live without my homemade salsa and frozen garden corn any time of year I want it! There's something about food you've grown yourself. Even the kids love it all!

Anyway, to the craftiness! I made this little mini album for my mom for Mother's Day. My brother and his wife welcomed a new baby to the family in April, and as they live so far away, I wanted to give her a little album she could carry everywhere to show him off to whoever wants to see his cuteness :)  I used some Authentique Free Bird 6X6 awesomeness (the Endless & Fair-Weather series I picked up at CKC) and elements from both Scraptastic Club May kits, as well as random things I had in my stash.

The cover: all papers Authentique, edges sanded. Alpha and banner: Lily Bee. Bella Blvd washi. AC glitter tape.

 the accordion album all spread out :)

 Authentique papers, MM metal embellishment. Epoxy sticker on second page: unknown manufacturer.

 Authentique papers. Lily Bee alpha and heart die cut. MM metal tab. MME Dilly Dally doily sticker.

 More Bella Blvd washi on both pages, and I Kan'dee baby themed twist tie, stapled to page. Authentique papers. Lily Bee embellishement.

 The backside spread.

Authentique Paper. Bella Blvd Washi. MME Be Amazing rhinestones. Lily Bee heart with silver Liquid Pearls around the edge. Lily Bee alpha. October Afternoon Farmhouse banner sticker.

 

At this point, I was trying to use up every bit and piece of the patterned paper as I could. Authentique papers and word stickers (from the Celebrate line.) October Afternoon Farmhouse banner. Bella Blvd washi tapes. Jenni Bowlin chipboard button with teal SEI chalkbox ink all over it and a piece of WRMK yellow twine tied inside. Lily Bee flowers/button die cuts, more twine, and some more of those rhinestones.

Another I Kan'dee twist tie with Authentique papers. Lily Bee alpha, and MME Dilly Dally sticker.

 

 WRMK twine and Authentuqe papers.

this album was super fast to put together (only took a couple of hours) and used one of each of the 6 designs included in this paper line within the 6X6 paper pad. Definitely a perfect gift! Another post later after I do some cleaning. This house has been neglected for so long with our crazy spring schedule. I just can't take it anymore! Hope you all enjoy your day!

xoxo
Khristen

Giveaway! Crafter's Companion May Giveaway Madness!

Let the month full of giveaways continue!!

Crafter's Companion is such a generous company...they are giving away a prize a week on each designer's blog, the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog, and their own blog, be sure to visit all blogs to get the most chances to win a fantastic prize :)

This week, I have been given the opportunity to give away:

A 4pc set of Rock-A-Blocks (the only way to stamp, in my opinion...all of my other acrylic mounts have become obsolete, they really make things much easier!)

AND...A Popcorn the Bear stamp set...he's so cute :)

All you have to do to win is follow both the Crafter's Companion USA Blog and the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog, along with following my blog. If you do these three things, you are in to win my prize :) Don't forget to visit all of the other designer's blogs and both CC blogs for more chances!

xoxo

Khristen

Winner alert!

Good afternoon! Messing with Blogger on my iPhone...kind of neat that if I forget to do up a post at home I can do it in the car line at the middle school :) Didn't want to forget this post, where I announce the winner of the Ultimate Tool giveaway! This time, random.org chose

TRISH K.

Wooooohooooo, congrats!

You have until May 15 to email your address to kfossandfour(at)gmail(dot) com or else you forfeit the prize.

Stay tuned, I will be posting this week's Crafter's Companion giveaway after craft club at the elementary school. Hope you are having a fantastic day!

Xoxo
Khristen

More Scraptastic May kit fun!

I just can't stop playing with these kits (probably because I'm working on the boy child's album.) They are perfect, and I love the papers and elements. I decided to do this ridiculously photolicious page (yes, I know I could have said multi-photo, but I like creating new words.) There are so many pics of Patryk playing with this push/ride-on toy, and there were many that I wanted to include in his album. The solution: print out a bunch of little ones and one big one to showcase on the page!

 Included in the kit are chipboard buttons, and they're cute, but I felt the need to cover them in patterned paper circles. I put the Queen & Co. blue pearls in the kit in the center of each, and then added the WRMK twine around the edge. Love the look! There are a total of 10 photos on this page, which I think is a record for me!

 I traced around the alpha with white gel pen to help it stand out against the blue Authentique paper. That little strip is a scrap from another layout, which I inked and stapled, finishing it off with more blue pearls.

 The tag was misted with the OA Sprinkler included in the kit (only for subscribers), stapled on a piece of patterned paper, journaled, and added some Authentique stickers.

Hoping to get into the craft room later, but my bedroom is a disASter. I have a pile of sweaters on my floor waiting to go in the storage box I have neglected to get out of the basement, piles of clothes to go into my drawers, not to mention the wreath we put on our front door at Christmas time is in there as well...I don't think I can take it anymore! Patryk needs a nap though after the fiasco last night. Rileigh had a softball game in the cold drizzle, and wouldn't you know both hubby and I left our keys in the van (which I of course locked.) It was a long wait for the tow truck (thank you, AAA) to let us in, I think they showed up at 8:30! I won't even get into trying to get out of the park, trying to figure out how the gate opened to let us out. I thought we were going to have to sleep at the park! Glad it's over though, it took me quite some time to warm up. Then I helped a neighbor who had to work 3rd shift (he's a military guy and also works as a bird breeder for local pet shops)...he asked me to feed his birds. With over 200 birds over there, it was a chore...and then one of them bit me. Ugh, yesterday was not my day. Here's hoping today is better (although it's still raining. Booooo.)

Hope you all have a great day!

xoxo
Khristen

My favorite baby butt

I know, strange title. It will all make sense with this layout though:

 This Hanna Andersson outfit was one of my absolute favorites! How can you resist a cute little guy with a bear on his butt? You just can't. Made using my Scraptastic Weathered Spring kit (all except the yellow washi...that came from the Faded Jeans kit. Loved both kits so much I just had to indulge!!) Lilybee papers, MME Miss Caroline doily sticker, silver Liquid Pearls, We R Memory Keepers twine. Clay SC Mister Huey.

 Cut that yellow paper into a rectangle and used my Magnetic Multi-Shaper II Isabella punch. Curled up the scalloped edges, and added some pencil lines next to the title, Lilybee alpha stickers from the add-on for the kit. I outlined this journal spot with the Liquid Pearls as I didn't like how the original green color looked. When you don't like it, CHANGE IT!

 This one features the same kit, I took the Lilybee banner stickers and made a unique strip across the bottom by alternating their position. Love how it turned out!

 Love these Thickers!

 Made these cute little twine circles I've been seeing in papercrafty land. Just stuck a big ol' Glue Dot down and went to town spiraling it outwards.

Ok, now I hope to go get crafty, after starting a big pot of corn chowder. It's another dreary, drizzly day here in NH, and since they likely won't cancel Rileigh's softball game, I want to have dinner all ready to go. Nothing better than returning from freezing your patootie off at the field to a big ol' pot of warm chowder!!

Have a great day!

xoxo
Khristen