[Scrapperday: Colorful Valentine's Day Card]

Today I thought I'd share an unconventional Valentine's Day card that I recently made. While there's still the traditional pink & red combo, there are splashes of other bright and cheery colors that still make it very festive.

I originally got the idea to make this card from Kristina Werner's blog KWerner Designs. [You can view her card and video tutorial HERE.] Of course, like always, I kinda made it my own with a different sentiment, types, of paper, technique, etc. Most of the materials (patterned paper, stickers, letters) were purchased at Target this time last year in their fabulous dollar section. I got a bunch of scrapbooking supplies from their Valentine's Collection saved some of it for this very occasion. :0)

[Want to know how to make this cute little button flower?? I will be posting a step-by-step tutorial on Tuesday, February 1st. Stay tuned and get your scrapbook/craft paper ready!]

Linking up to [these] parties! Come join me!

[Jen]

[Frame Friday: Valentine Frame]

Since love is in the air (literally, since V-day is almost 2 weeks away!), I thought I'd share this little Valentine frame. In the past I never decorated for Valentine's Day simply because I had just finished putting up all the Christmas decorations and didn't want to mess with more decorations.  But this year, I have changed my way of thinking and am now actually looking forward to decorating for this "love"-ly holiday. :0)

[Now, I cannot take credit for making this frame. This was actually something my mom gave me as a gift many years ago. I never really displayed it for Valentine's Day...until now. But I am sure if you wanted to make this frame, you could just modge-podge some red patterned paper onto an unfinished frame, paint the edges, and stencil in the word "LOVE".]

[However, I CAN take credit for the little button heart inside the frame. I just adhered them to some recycled paper with glue dots in the shape of a heart. Originally I wanted to fill the inside of the heart with more buttons, but could you believe these were ALL the red buttons I had?! Must have been fate.]

This is just the first of many Valentine's Day decor projects. Stay tuned for more fun DIY heart-filled ideas during the next couple of weeks! :0)

I will be linking this up to [these] parties!

[Jen]

Happy National Chocolate Cake Day! [Cake Recipe]

Who knew there was a national holiday for all the chocolate cake lovers out there! And there's only one way to celebrate this momentous occasion...by baking a delicious chocolate cake!

Here's a recipe that has been passed on from my grandmother, to my mom, and now to me (and hopefully one day to my daughter):

Chocolate Fudge Cake

1 c. Wesson oil
½ c. cocoa

½ c. water

2 c. sugar

1 ½ c. flour

1 t. soda

1 c. buttermilk

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla

½ t. salt

Directions:

Measure oil, cocoa, water and sugar in medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Cook until bubbles begin to form on side of mixture.  Take off stove and let cool.  In mixing bowl, sift flour and salt together.  In pan of cooled mixture add eggs, one at a time.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk (mixed with soda) alternately.  Mix well.  Add vanilla.  Mixture will be thin and may have lumps. Pour mixture into 9-inch round cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick stuck in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

This cake is delicious unfrosted. But if you would like to add some more sweetness, store-bought or even homemade chocolate frosting is the way to go! I have made this several times, and it is always a hit. :0)

Happy National Chocolate Cake Day! How will you celebrate?

Sharing this recipe with [these] linky parties.

[Jen]

Stylish Blogger Award!

A couple of days ago, Heather at Straight Stitches graciously gave me this: The Stylish Blogger Award!

Thank you Heather!!!

For those of you who have never visited her super cute blog, I highly suggest you go there. She is an amazing crafter/decorator, and I always enjoy finding out all the fun stuff she creates. :0)

Now back to business...

7 Things About Myself:

1. I am very project-oriented yet lazy all at the same time. Weird, huh?
2. My favorite household chore is cleaning the toilets. I know some of you are thinking "Yuck!", but for some reason I take pleasure in easily starting & finishing a task. Plus, I have my cleaning routine down to an exact science.
3. I hate to buy anything without a coupon. Coupons are money in your pocket.
4. I cannot have pickles without pairing it with chocolate milk. I love the sweet/salty mix. I swear I'm NOT pregnant! Lol!
5. I have always dreamed of having a decorator visit my house and redecorate the entire house...for FREE! Yeah I know, dream on.
6. I'm super excited about going to a nice fancy restaurant with my hubby on Valentine's Day. We haven't done anything like that in years!
7. Hmmm...last one...I'm obsessed with frames. Shocking, I know.

15 Stylish Bloggers to Share the Award:

1. Buttons & Bling
2. C.R.A.F.T.
3. Embellishing Life
4. Green Door Designs
5. Gwenny Penny
6. It's a Hodgepodge Life
7. Just a Girl
8. Lisa E. Design
9. My Computer Is My Canvas
10. Red Heads Craft More Fun
11. Scrappy Gifts
12. The Paisley Cupcake
13. The Scrap Shoppe
14. The Hanlon Family
15. Young & Crafty

3 Ways To Pass This Award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 interesting things about yourself
3. Award 15 other stylish blogs

Thanks for playing along! Check back tomorrow for a super easy Valentine project! :0)

[Jen]

[How-to Tuesday: Mother/Daugher Valentine's Day Gift]

With all the fun, creative Valentine's Day crafts going on, I was inspired to come up with my own little craft. I wanted to create something special for my hubby that my daughter and I could give to him as a gift. All I needed was a few basic supplies:

• Cardstock paper (in white, pink, & red)
• Black ink (I used charcoal in ColorBox Chalk)
• Rub-on numbers (I used these black rub-ons from Doodlebug Design Inc. in their "All Mixed Up" collection)
• Scrapbook glue or other adhesive
• Frame (optional)

[Step 1: Trace the outside of the hands with a pencil. I really only needed to trace one hand, cut it out, flip it over and trace it the cut-out template to have 2 hands cut out. This is key when trying to keep a busy toddler still while tracing tiny fingers.]

[Top photo: daughter's hands cut out in red cardstock; Bottom photo: my hands cut out in pink cardstock]

[Step 2: Ink the edges of all the hand cut-outs. I say it doesn't have to look super neat. Just want it to have a rustic look. Once both hands are inked, glue both hands together to make a heart shape. See photos above for placement.]

[Step 3: Adhere the heart-hands onto the page. I tried to layer them slightly so that they both fit onto the 8 x 10 white cardstock. Place rub-ons anywhere you like. I put "2011" to date how tiny my daughter's hands were this year.]

[Step 4: Optional: Place artwork inside a frame. Voila! Two hands, two hearts, one very special project.]

Hope you enjoyed today's Valentine tutorial! I will be linking this up here! :0)

[Jen]

[Motivational Monday: Mantel Decor Ideas]

For some people, the fireplace is the heart of the home. It represents togetherness of cozy-ing up by the fire. But for those like me, it's "decoration central". Here are some ways to give your fireplace mantel (or "fantel" = feux mantel, for those that don't have a fireplace) a clean, fresh look.

[I LOVE this idea! Multiple matted frames with similar style art all lined up so neatly really makes this mantel. Gives a "larger than life" feel on an ordinary fireplace. And I love all the flowers in small vases all lined up and spaced perfectly. Fresh flowers are definitely a MUST!]

[I simply adore this distressed mantel. And all the flowers in different pitchers liven everything up. And the vintage silver platters are such a nice elegant touch.]

[Another common, more contemporary way to decorate your mantel is to hang your flat panel TV above it. Pairing that along with some smaller decor, such as candles, boxes, etc. make this mantel multi-functional.]

[Can I just say how much I love big giant iron letters? And they look perfect leaning on this mantel.]

I am also planning on decorating my mantel for Valentine's Day. I will share those ideas on a later post. Happy Monday! :0)

[Jen]

[Scrapperday: Summer Pages]

Happy Scrapperday! Well, I am sure most of us are thinking about Valentine's Day, the cold weather, or even recuperating from the holidays, but I decided to focus on summer. Last summer, to be exact. I had a few good pictures of my daughter from this past summer, so I just had to scrapbook them! 

Here are a couple of pages I'd like to share with you:

[This was just a simple yet fun page to create. I am attempting to get out of a funk of using the same layouts over & over again, so I tried the "less is more" strategy. And, I gotta say, I am really liking it! There's a lot of empty space (which is not typical of me since I usually try to use up every inch of a 12 x 12 page), but it really draws your attention to the photos. Which is really the point of scrapbooking, right?]

[Yes, my daughter is quite the super model. Always posing for the camera! A couple of material used: the glittery chipboard letters are Thickers from American Crafts. And the little flowers you saw in the first photo are Vintage Daisies from Jolee's boutique Parcel dimensional stickers.]

[Another super simple, easy page to do. Totally captures summer since all we did was swim. I decided to hand-write the journal on velum to still capture the "airy" background, and then adhered it to the page with a brad.]

[I love pennants! And these were extremely easy to make! Just cut out little triangles out of different patterned paper and adhere them onto the page with dimensional adhesive. Easy peasy! I also drew some dashed lines with a white gel pen around a few clouds to add some interest.]

Linking these pages to these fabulous parties! :0)

[Jen]

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

We have a winner!!!

Via Random.org, the winner of the $35 CSN Stores Gift Certificate is..........

#37 - Tim who said "I follow with google friends. I would get a fire extinguisher."

 http://www.csnstores.com/KIDDE------------KID466112-UFK1003.html

Congratulations, Tim!! I will email you all the details & instructions on how to redeem your prize!

[Jen]

A Little Tea Party & Giveaway Reminder

[photo courtesy of my daughter]

Tea anyone? While taking photos of my upcoming projects, my 2-year old daughter snatched up my camera and took this very "artsy" picture of her little tea set during our daily tea party. She is quite the photographer, don't you think? :0)

REMINDER: The $35 CSN Stores Giveaway ends TOMORROW at 11pm PST!!!

Have you entered yet?? If not, click [HERE] to enter!!

[Jen]

[GIVEAWAY: $35 CSN Stores Gift Certificate!]

I am so excited to announce that CSN Stores is offering all of you a chance to win a $35 gift certificate!! Yea!

I know some of you might be asking yourself: "what's CSN Stores?" Well, CSN Stores has over 200+ online stores where you can find anything from stylish home decor, fine cookware, or even some amazing multifunctional tv stands to add to your living/tv room.

So basically whatever you want, they've got it! And they've got a ton of sales & promotions going on right now, and there's FREE shipping on just about everything!

[LOVE this apothecary-like tv stand!]

[Wouldn't this stylish bedding make you just wanna crawl into bed with a good book?]

[I desperately need this 10-piece OXO Pop Container set. My pantry would look so organized with these.]

[This adorable adult/child matching paisley apron set is something that I've been keeping my eye on for a while now. This would be perfect when my daughter starts baking with me!]

How to ENTER: (leave a comment for each entry)

Mandatory:

1. You must be a follower of [Frame Fanatic] to enter! (if you don't have a Google account, please leave your email address in at least one of your comments)

2. Head over to CSN Stores & tell me how you would use your $35!

Extra Entries:

*Follow [Frame Fanatic] on twitter (click on my twitter button in my sidebar) - 1 entry

*Like [Frame Fanatic] on facebook (click on my facebook button in my sidebar) - 1 entry

The giveaway ends on Thursday, January 20th at 11pm PST!

I will post the winner on Friday, January 21st so stay tuned!

Good luck! :0)

[Jen]

[Tuesday Top 10: My Favorite Blog Posts]

Since I've seen so many of you post about your "Top 10 of 2010", I figured I'd hop on the bandwagon and post about my favorite posts this past year.

1. Numbered Jars - I still use these daily to hold all of my laundry needs: detergent, stain remover, and fabric softener. Of course everyone always asks me if I bought them at Pottery Barn. Umm...nope!
2. Elizabeth's Sweet Shoppe Party - This was so much fun to plan & create! People are still buzzing about it! And I am so glad it was fun 2nd birthday for my little girl. I can't wait to plan her 3rd birthday party! :0)
3. Master Bathroom Renovation - I am so pleased with how our master bathroom turned out. And it still looks exactly the same today. I would love to rip up the linoleum & put tile on the floor, but it's not exactly high up on my to-do list.
4. Frames, Frames, Frames - Where would this little blog be without this work of art? Every time I look at it hanging on my wall, it always makes me smile. :0)
5. My Little Creation - This is actually my very first craft I ever posted about. And it's still hanging up in our master bedroom. Who knew what an old frame and a chipboard letter could do?
6. Chalkboard Table - This was the perfect solution for covering up a hideous stain on my dining table. And my daughter (and myself as well) love to draw all over it with chalk. It's become a fun daily activity.
7. Windowsill to Cozy Reading Nook - My most recent project. But it's still unfinished. After taking down the wreath and the "naughty/nice" pillow, it looks very bare. I'm working on crafting up some pillows and window treatments to cozy it up a bit. So stay tuned!
8. The EAT Sign - Yes, it's still hanging in the dining room. Really adds a splash of color to the place. :0)
9. Card-making - I really couldn't decide on a favorite card to put in my Top 10. I made so many cards this past year and enjoyed making every single one of them!

And my all-time FAVORITE blog post is....

10. My Laundry/Craft Room - a.k.a. my second home. This is where I spend all of my time blogging, doing crafts, and of course, laundry. But I still love being in this room! It's so inviting and organized (yes, it really looks like this all the time, I promise!), and I am so happy that I finally have a "mom-cave"! :0)

[Jen]

[Motivational Monday: Resolution to Get Organized!]

There are 2 commonly heard New Year's resolutions: to lose weight and to get organized. Well, for me, this year is to be more organized to help life run just a little more smoothly. I dream of looking at my home and saying "everything's done." Not sure if that will ever happen, but a girl can dream, right?

For starters, you have to have the right tools to get organized. And there are TONS of ideas to organized any space in your home/office. Here are just a few that I found to be helpful:

Kitchen/Office

[Okay, I know we all have 'em: a junk drawer. These handy little dividers designate a place for everything. Now you will never have to waste precious time scrambling for those little items that seem to easily get lost or hidden in a messy drawer.]

[I think this is the coolest thing ever! It is a chalkboard sticker!! Basically, you peel off the backing and stick it wherever you want. How awesome is that?!]

[A plastic bag holder: I actually own this exact one. I know some of you use those reusable shopping bag, and I commend you. I always use plastic bags, but I still recycle some of them when I'm done. But there are times when I will actually reuse a plastic bag, so it's nice to have a place to store them so I can find them ASAP.]

[These little magnetic spice jars are so chic and perfect for easy organization. They can be used pretty much anywhere in your home, not only in the kitchen. I can see these being used to hold jewelry in a closet or even in a craft room to hold buttons, brads, embellishments, etc. You can see how I've used this HERE.]

Bathroom

[Finally an easy-to-grab place to put your hairdryer, brushes, and other hair products! A cabinet door storage is a true space-savor!]

Closet

[I also own this exact drawer organizer. I believe it is called "Dream Drawer". Those separates are spring-loaded so you can easily customize them to any size you want. I used them to keep my delicates separate from my socks.]

[This would be perfect for any baby's closet. Since they grow out of their clothes almost daily, this makes it easier to distinguish the different sizes as they grow. Plus, they are so cute!]

Garage

[Okay, my husband desperately needs one of these grid storage systems in the garage. There are a ton of tools lying around in random places, but this would designate a specific place for just about everything. Plus, hanging everything up on the wall will help us actually park our car in the garage!]

[All photos are courtesy of organize.com]

[Jen]

Happy New Year!!!

3.....2.....1.....

Happy New Year everyone! 2011 is going to be a great year! I can feel it!! :0)

[Jen]