christmas card ideas

it's that time of year when i just start thinking about getting started on my Christmas cards. i applaud those of you who are pre-planners and have already gotten your cards ready to go. for the rest of us, i have gather a couple ideas to jump start our creative process.

heidi swapp and jessica sprague just introduced their digital winter wonderland kits today and they are delightful :) i absolutely love the teal and red. i think i will end up making a card from the kit and having them printed professionally.

martha stewart has a whole list of gorgeous card tutorials, from simple to complex, they are all pretty.

of course, if you aren't able to make your cards yourself or you are crafty challenged, etsy is the perfect place for you :) handmade is the best way to go. it makes receiving your card extra special!
(first card source, second card source)


i hope these help you out this holiday season!
xoxo,
megan

a crafty break

one of my favorite ways to take a break from other crafty things is a simple kids paint by numbers :) it really lets you take a break from coming up with new ideas, layouts, and such and let you breathe; to clear your head. i love it. you should try it sometime.
xoxo,
megan

turkey day!!

happy thanksgiving everyone!! i hope you enjoy your time with family and friends and some really good food :)

xoxo,
megan

turkey pops tutorial

turkey day is just around the corner and i'm here to show you one super cute turkey day tutorial! these little turkey pops are so much fun and the kids will love them. they are fairly easy to make, so if your little helpers are old enough, they would have a blast making them!


supplies...
golden oreos
mini nutter butters
candy corn
vanilla frosting
black frosting gel
lolly pop sticks
ribbon (if desired)



if making the bouquet of turkey pops, you also need...
mini basket or a flower pot
foam core
moss or covering for the foam core
pretty accents


1. stick the lolly pop stick inside of the oreo. it helps to add a bit of frosting to make it more secure.

2. stick the candy corns in the frosting and add frosting to the other side of the cookie.

3. stick closed :)

4. with the mini nutter butter, dab on two circles of frosting for the eyes (i like to use a piping bag or plastic bag with a corner clipped to add the eyes). 5. use the black gel to add the blacks of the eyes. 6. cut the white tip off of the candy corn and stick this on with a bit of frosting for the beck.

7. with frosting stick the whole face onto the cookie.

8. decorate with ribbon, twine, or make a bouquet :)

these are perfect for kids and also makes a cute gift for the host!
happy turkey day!!
xoxo,
megan

sketch to scrapbook page from shimelle

each week shimelle posts her sketch to scrapbook page. i am always inspired to create after watching her videos or seeing her simple sketch turned into a beautiful page. for this week, i decided to back track to an older sketch of the week because i was inspired by her wedding photo.

and here is my inspired page...

feel free to leave a link to your created page--i would love to see it :)
xoxo

hate into love

recently i was having a bit of a scrapbooking rut, where i was feeling that i was doing the same techniques on every page and every page was looking the same. so i decided to scraplift a design from miss shimelle (one of my favorite scrapbookers). when i first made this page, i hated it. like really did not like it.

but then i needed to use a page design for one of my classes and i needed certain colors, which happened to be the same as the one i used on this particular page. i ended up using this page for a business card, letterhead design, and cover art for my website home page. the more i looked at it in all these projects, the more i fell in love :) i suppose in the moment i made this page, i was so frustrated with my scrapbooking skills that i hated anything i made. but now, i step back and look at all the details, and now it might just be my favorite page.

i love when my pages end up becoming a story themselves :)
xoxo,
megan

breaking dawn excitment

now, before i start gushing about twilight, i would not consider myself a "twi-hard'. but that does not mean i don't go crazy over the books and get excited about seeing it on the big screen. i fell in love with the books right when they first came out. i was the person eagerly waiting for the next and staying up until 4am reading. i love stephaine meyer's style of writing and how she captures the characters and draws you into the story.

now, i am not the biggest fan of the movies. i think the acting is poor, the characters don't look like how i see them in my head, and the script is way cheesier than in the books. however, that does not stop me from seeing the midnight showing of all the movies :) there's no way i could not see them, even when they are so poorly made. so tonight, i am going with all the crazies to see part one of breaking dawn. and i am pretty dang excited!! i just can't wait to see how they depict the most intense book of the series. i hope they do it justice.

xoxo,

megan

(sorry for the non-scrapbooking post, but i couldn't help myself :) )

10 things

it’s the tenth of the month and that means a bunch of us share ten things. any things, as long as there are ten of them! you’re welcome to join in! this month i decided to share ten scrapbooking techniques i want to try...

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1. misting wood
i recently just watched miss heidi swapp create this beautiful wood album on her craft channel and now i am determined to try too! its amazing how glimmer mists and some stamping can transform a plain jane cover.

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2. divided page protectors
i'm not one to use page protectors to create a page, however after seeing shimelle make this layout i might give it a try. i just love how she stamps right on the protector instead of on the photo.

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3. many layers

i absolutely love this look of this page!! what a great use of embellishments and movement! this would definitely be different for me to use so much on one page, but if i have that one special photo, this would be a great way to treat it.

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4. minimal design
now completely opposite of the last point- a layout with hardly anything on it. somehow the minimalism is very interesting to me. it barely uses a whole photo!

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5. make a shadow box
when visiting my parents a few months ago (it was just in july--doesn't seem that long ago!), my mom and i went to archivers...a magical, wonderful scrapbook paradise (if only there was once here). anyhow, i purchased a divided shadowed box by 7gyspies thinking it would make a great decor item for our hallway. well...it is still in its packaging sitting next to my desk, blank as can be. aftering seeing what shimelle has done with her box here, i'm super inspired to pretty mine up now.

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6. simple grid design
grids make for a solid, simple design. i find them boring sometimes. but using bakers twine and the offset position makes this grid way cute! must try.

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7. using iphone photos
i take so so many photos on my iphone and sadly thats where they stay. i say it is time to print those bad boys out and make pretty things with them! who's with me?!

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8. use mostly journaling on a page
usually i don't put much journaling on a page, if any at all. i just am not a storyteller when it comes to my scrapbook pages. i always think the photos do that for me. well its time to step out of my tiny little box and have journaling be my main feature on the page like this layout here. how gorgeous it that??

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9. embossed patterned paper
 how many of you loved embossing when it first came out?! i certainly did. i loved watching it melt as i used the heat gun and feeling the bumps and bubbles after it was done. but then, like most trends, it went to the wayside and into my bottom drawer. this new technique uses many colors of embossing powder to create a ty-dye pattern paper-awesome!! time to dig out my heat gun :)

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10. rosettes
with my fancy scoring board, making rosettes will be a walk in the park!

if you join in on the ten things this month, share a link in the comments, i would love to see what you list!
xoxo

favorite new tool

just recently my paper trimmer decided to stop doing it's job. so i had two choices, either replace the blade, or try out a new trimmer that i have been eyeing. i went with the new one, of course :)

 i first saw the making memories scorer-trimmer board in my latest copy of creating keepsakes, and i instantly fell in love. i have been wanting to try martha stewarts scoring board, but didn't have an excuse to purchase it (it helps to have an excuse when telling the boy why i spent more money on scrapbooking supplies :) ). but the fact that making memories combined a paper trimmer and scoring board into one pretty package, i was sold! it took me a bit to actually find a place that sold it, after trying michaels and online shops, i finally found it at hobby lobby (last one too!). and my initial review...i love love love it!!!

my favorite features...

-it folds in half for easy storage and traveling

-the blade runs smoothly and cuts wonderfully

-the scoring boards is amazing! it makes scoring perfect lines a piece of cake!
-the included envelope guide and bone folder have their own compartments so you won't loose them
-the color is really pretty :)
i would definitely reccommend trying out this tool if you are looking for a new trimmer solution or just want a new tool (we can never have too many, right?!)
xoxo

a little about me

-i speak in movie quotes most of the time.
-i'm one semester away from finishing my degree in web design.
-i'm completely addicted to diet coke. i have one every morning.
-i've been dating my wonderful boyfriend for almost four and half years (high school sweethearts <3)
-i'm the biggest disney fan you will ever meet. i must go to disneyland every year.
-i make lists everyday. i love love lists (hence the format of this post)
-i love scrapbooking and creating beautiful things :)
xoxo

welcome to love & lace

hello all,
i recently decided to start fresh with a new blog space and new focus. fresh starts are good, right?! i think so too. so you may recognize me from this blog or you may not, i didn't have too many readers which makes the move easier...
anyhow, welcome to love & lace, the home of all things crafty and scrapbook-y (i make up my own words sometimes, don't mind me). i'm going to try my darn hardest to keep up with this blog and make it extra sweet and special with weekly scrapbook sketches and inspiration. (don't let me fall behind like my last space, alright??)
i'll be back later with a formal introduction of myself and new layout design instead of this generatic layout by the wonderful blogger :)
xoxo