Happy New Year Giveaway!

I have super exciting news to share today - MightyCrafty is participating in an awesome giveway with I Gotta Try That. Marcie has put together an incredible opportunity for you to win some amazing prizes, all donated by other bloggers - including myself! It's the Happy New Year Giveaway!

The prize I'm donating is a beautiful set of handmade jewelry in blue-green and red-orange ceramic beads - made by my own talented mom! She's an amazing jewelry artist and creates the most beautiful sets of jewelry.

The giveaway runs from January 1st to January 14th. There are lots of ways to enter. To find out how, just visit I Gotta Try That to sign up. Good luck to you!

Boys Room Decor with Maps and Globes

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Today, I'm sharing a little update for the boys' room. We moved in just 3 months ago, and with all the fall and Christmas decorating, I haven't gotten much else "arranged," decorating-wise. With my mom's visit earlier in December, we were inspired by a little shopping trip to do some decorating for the boys.

We found this beautiful booth at The Barn - an amazing store in downtown Castle Rock, Colorado. If you get the chance the visit, you must stop here. We got lost for hours in this store. Each booth is fabulously decorated in every style you can imagine. I wanted to take everything home with me. But this particular booth full of maps and globes really struck us as a great inspiration for the boys room.

Our boys are big readers but didn't have true nightstands for their beds. So, the stacks of books ended up on the floor. We finally put a small table next to one guy's bed, and the other guy was relegated to using a large gallon bucket (hey - I was just using what I had on hand). Not an ideal solution.

The nightstand in the bottom left corner of the photo above is now resting proudly next to the original-bucket-side of the bed. A much better solution. It's a repainted piece with maps decoupaged on the drawer fronts and inside the drawers. The boys both loved it.

They both loved it so much, in fact, that my mom and I quickly realized we needed to find another nightstand to appease the other boy. Luckily, mom's weekend visit involved not one, but two trips to IKEA - our new favorite store. There, we found another nightstand, which my mom decoupaged with maps to create a coordinating but unique nightstand for the second boy.

The boys' room was already painted a nice shade of blue when we moved in. So, to finish up the decor for now, we added in a few globes and a map clock. It's not a completely finished space, but the boys love their Super Mario Bros. bedding too much right now to be forced to change.

The boys love their updated room - functional and comfortable enough for them and just fancy enough to make me happy.

Until next time...

   

MightyCrafty Mondays - Round 27

It's time for the 27th round of MightyCrafty Mondays...

Here are the Pin-up Party rules:

1. Share your crafty project in the linky list below. Anything goes! Recipes, home decor, scrapbooking, cards, knitting - anything you've made with your own 2 hands and want to share with us.
• Link directly to your original post - not the homepage of your blog.
• You *must* be the creator/owner of the project you're linking up.
• Don't link up to a store or a giveaway.
• Don't link up to a post that's just a collection of someone else's photos from Pinterest or Google. 
2. Link back to this blog in your original post. Grab the link party graphic below. (I'd also love it if you'd leave me a comment here too...)
3. Visit the projects in the linky list and pin them to your Pinterest boards. (You can also leave some comment love if you have time.)

<a href="http://mightycrafty.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nfNouaZALh3m7t9sa5obJXKmhguwNMMnjTGT5jccb0EzvtfH4ajjO_EArVR25SkA4jD0RUzAhW36A5W_snfOr5hfk4ElrMN7KCf4TlrMmtdU7RlkVKFpQL8tW1YYWwF7NWg5/s1600/MightyCraftyMondaysButton.jpg" alt="MightyCrafty.me" width="125" height="125" /></a>

I'll be visiting / pinning / commenting on all the blogs who participate - and featuring the top views too. This is a fun way to share what we're working on and get lots of new ideas. I love to see all the creativity going on. Have fun and pin on!

Featured Posts from MightyCrafty Mondays

Hello all...It's time to see what amazing projects you posted during MightyCrafty Mondays Rounds 24 and 25. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. We had so many great projects these last 2 weeks. It's so fun to see everyone's new creations each week.

Our link party is still growing, so please share it with your friends and followers. I would so appreciate your help in getting the word out. You can always join up in the latest link party as well...

First up from Round 24, Linda shared a great project to create now that we're getting ready to take down the Christmas decor - a super cute Glowing Snowman Hat...

Next, Dana gave us a great recipe to try - Extra Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas...

In Round 25, Lauren shared a tutorial for her beautiful Punched Tin Ornaments...

And finally, Dana gave us another great recipe for her Comforting Meatloaf...

Thank you everyone for posting your projects. If you were featured, please feel free to grab the badge below and post it on your blog.

<a href="http://mightycrafty.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZssJHJ9UGPiMkAmASJkryhsar2l27PG2-PkiTLSQd4sDqGzNOeTyfrdrXbgdY5PbsLafzmnhLSWoYXi8dkWjtoCDAv1i8syswTJ-JMwxvbuWfFcsoB9NGKcXb7djMaIddUjl/s1600/MightyCraftyMondaysFeatured.jpg" alt="I was featured at MightyCrafty Mondays at MightyCrafty.me" width="175" height="175" /></a>

Thank you all - and have a great week...

Family Memories Storage

I'm sure you have the same problem I do - what to do with all those years of memorabilia that build up: ticket stubs, brochures from places you've visited, random drawings from the kiddos, greeting cards you want to save. I'd been saving ours in plastic drawers labeled by year, but the drawers were getting pretty full. With space at a premium, I knew I needed to do something that would get all that stuff in long-term storage and out of my craft room.

So I created the Family Memories tub:

I started off by purging the memorabilia so that I was truly only keeping the items that would matter 20 years down the road. I bought a pack of 12x12 plastic envelopes with a string closure at Michael's. Then, I cut out the year labels with my Silhouette Cameo (love). I made enough envelopes to last us well into the future. Everything now neatly fits into a single tub.

Along side the envelopes, I added in our family calendars - the ones we hang on the fridge and the ones I create each year for our family. This is the ideal place to store them so we can look at them in the years to come.

I need to go back to do the years prior to 2003 - the year my boys were born. I don't have as much stuff from those years, but I do have some stuff stashed away that I can sort into these envelopes for easier storage (and later retrieval). I'm sure this means I'll have to add another tub to store the items in, but I'm okay with that. Keeping these tubs in our storage area is much better than having everything take up space in my craft room.

What do you do with your long-term memorabilia storage?

Sharing at...

   

November Layouts

Today, I wanted to share a few layouts I created last month. As usual lately, I used my beloved Kiwi Lane designer templates to create these layouts - plus my stash. I'm also using my Silhouette Cameo a whole bunch.

First up is a layout from my husband's vacation to Montana several years ago. Love the printed skiis on this paper, and that using a Kiwi Lane template allows me to cut out the printed design to feature on my layout.

Next up, a very fun layout I made with a scrapbooking kit. I miss the days when my baby boys were this young...

I love the colors in this layout - from another scrapbooking kit in my stash.

My favorite season is fall, so it was very fun to put this layout together. I used a paper piecing pattern that I've had in my stash for YEARS - like since before my kiddos were born. Crazy how long we hold on to stuff. I have done a lot of stash-purging over the years, but I've held onto this paper piecing pattern. I figured it was time to finally use it up.

Another fall layout...I love using the Kiwi Lane templates to create the little accents. The fall pieces are so lovely.

And finally, just a fun layout with colors I love but never get to use - pink and green. Luckily, I was able to use them on this layout for a girls' trip I took with my friends last year.

Thanks for looking! I'd love to see what you've been creating. Please share it in this week's MightyCrafty Mondays Pin-Up Party...

MightyCrafty Mondays - Round 26

It's time for the 26th round of MightyCrafty Mondays...

Here are the Pin-up Party rules:

1. Share your crafty project in the linky list below. Anything goes! Recipes, home decor, scrapbooking, cards, knitting - anything you've made with your own 2 hands and want to share with us.
• Link directly to your original post - not the homepage of your blog.
• You *must* be the creator/owner of the project you're linking up.
• Don't link up to a store or a giveaway.
• Don't link up to a post that's just a collection of someone else's photos from Pinterest or Google. 
2. Link back to this blog in your original post. Grab the link party graphic below. (I'd also love it if you'd leave me a comment here too...)
3. Visit the projects in the linky list and pin them to your Pinterest boards. (You can also leave some comment love if you have time.)

<a href="http://mightycrafty.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nfNouaZALh3m7t9sa5obJXKmhguwNMMnjTGT5jccb0EzvtfH4ajjO_EArVR25SkA4jD0RUzAhW36A5W_snfOr5hfk4ElrMN7KCf4TlrMmtdU7RlkVKFpQL8tW1YYWwF7NWg5/s1600/MightyCraftyMondaysButton.jpg" alt="MightyCrafty.me" width="125" height="125" /></a>

I'll be visiting / pinning / commenting on all the blogs who participate - and featuring the top views too. This is a fun way to share what we're working on and get lots of new ideas. I love to see all the creativity going on. Have fun and pin on!

MightyCrafty Mondays - Round 25

It's time for the 25th round of MightyCrafty Mondays...

Here are the Pin-up Party rules:

1. Share your crafty project in the linky list below. Anything goes! Recipes, home decor, scrapbooking, cards, knitting - anything you've made with your own 2 hands and want to share with us.
• Link directly to your original post - not the homepage of your blog.
• You *must* be the creator/owner of the project you're linking up.
• Don't link up to a store or a giveaway.
• Don't link up to a post that's just a collection of someone else's photos from Pinterest or Google. 
2. Link back to this blog in your original post. Grab the link party graphic below. (I'd also love it if you'd leave me a comment here too...)
3. Visit the projects in the linky list and pin them to your Pinterest boards. (You can also leave some comment love if you have time.)

<a href="http://mightycrafty.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nfNouaZALh3m7t9sa5obJXKmhguwNMMnjTGT5jccb0EzvtfH4ajjO_EArVR25SkA4jD0RUzAhW36A5W_snfOr5hfk4ElrMN7KCf4TlrMmtdU7RlkVKFpQL8tW1YYWwF7NWg5/s1600/MightyCraftyMondaysButton.jpg" alt="MightyCrafty.me" width="125" height="125" /></a>

I'll be visiting / pinning / commenting on all the blogs who participate - and featuring the top views too. This is a fun way to share what we're working on and get lots of new ideas. I love to see all the creativity going on. Have fun and pin on!

12-Photo Layout

I'm posting today after a sleepless night. It's hard to know how to go on today after the tragic events yesterday. I read the news about an hour before going to get my own boys from school. After breaking down and crying for those losses, I had to somehow pull myself together and be a mom and put on a brave face for my boys. There are no words to comfort or lessen the pain. My heart is broken for those families. Nothing will be the same for them or for any of us.

So, this morning, I've tried to find some peace in creativity. On one hand, it feels shameful, to try to do something "happy" after yesterday. But I'm not sure how else to face the day for my family without trying to do something "normal." Please forgive me if this seems inappropriate. I'm not sure how else to cope with everything.

Today, I'm sharing a layout I finished up this morning. It's for the Kiwi Lane Picture Perfect challenge this month - to use 12 photos on a layout.

The borders are from the Madison Avenue set. When designing the layout, I used the 12" Strips templates, but then I replaced them with a punched border and a ribbon. I made the eggs using the Shapes templates, combining the ovals and the circles to get a nice egg shape. The title is cut from the Silhouette Cameo.

I do feel a little better able to face the day now. I will be hugging my boys extra tight today...