WOW!!! LOOK AT THIS CANDY!!!

Can you believe this $150 gift certificate to your favorite store!!! This is probably the best blog candy ever!!! Check it out and make sure to leave a comment. http://stephaniecastrodesigns.blogspot.com/2009/08/some-thank-you-blog-candy.html

BLOG CANDY!!!

Make sure to check out the various blog candy links that are on my blog. There are so many great goodies to win!!!

Making your own patterned paper

If you visit the great group of ladies at the APOS forum you will be able to find the complete list of instruction under Terrific Technique in the post titled Technique Tuesday- Making your own patterned paper.
I followed all of the steps but made various modifications. To start of with I didn't have glossy paper and experimented with various things that I had around the house. After a few trials and errors I found the perfect solution. I've always been one to save cards (birthday, Christmas, etc) and found that the glossy back of most cards worked perfectly.
For my second modification I didn't have re-inkers and at this time I can't afford them so I used food colouring instead. For two dollars for a box of four different colours it worked very well.
This technique also called for clear embossing powder. Something that I didn't have... since I have a ton of silver embossing powder I used that instead.
I really like how it turned out. If you would like the full tutorial got check out the APOS forum and remember my substitutions!!!

http://apileofscrap.1forum.biz/forum.htm

Technique Tuesday

On the APOS there was a new technique that was posted for technique Tuesday. With this new technique we could make our own patterned paper. I really wanted to try it out since I always love trying new things. The only problem was that I didn't have half of the required equipment to complete the challenge. So I came up with a solution. I ended up substituting a lot of the equipment for things that I had at home. I'll share a picture of my patterned paper and will share a tutorial later on in the day...Here's a sneak peak.

Scalloped Flower Tutorial

Thanks to an APOS friend lending me her scalloped puch I was finally able to make these flowers and ended up making a tutorial for those who want to know how to make them.What you'll need is:

• Scallop circle punch (I used a 2")
  
• Cat's Eye Chalk Ink Pad (I used chestnut roan)
  
• Adhesive
  
• Buttons
  
• Scissors
  

You need to punch out two circles. I like to used two different coulors but it's up to you.

I don't really know how well you can see this but you need to make a cut at every second "dip" in the scallop. Do this until both circles are finished.

Since you made those slits in the circle you will have two "pedals" together. Take the two parts of the petal and fold them together to create the pedal. Repeat until the whole flower is done.

Now take your Cat's Eye and ink around both flowers. Since you can only really see the top flower choose which one you want on top and ink that one even more if you want

Now all that's left is to assemble them. What you want to do is glue the two parts of the flower together so that the bottom one had the petal folds facing up and the top one has the petal folds facing down.

Update

Wow I hadn't noticed that it had been this long since I updated my blog. A lot has happened in the almost month that I haven't blogged...Where to start.



On June 13th I got engaged!!! I have to admit that this has kept me really busy I've been making a lot of flowers for my invitations and making all the various arrangements for the big day.

About a week ago we set a date for our wedding. We will be getting married on August 21, 2010 in my home town. So far everything is set the only thing missing is my dress. Since my grandmother is making my dress we will be shopping soon for fabric.



Other then that I really can't think of anything else that has been going on lately. I've just been really busy with wedding this and have been scrapping like crazy lately. So far since that begining of July I have completed 10 or so LO's and 4 cards.

Long day...

Although today was a very busy day it was really nice to be able to catch up with a high school friend of mine. Although we have been living in the same city for over two years now with University and everything that we have going on in our lives we never have time to see each other. Since I'm starting my new job next Monday we figured that today would be the perfect time to see each other.
We went to lunch at Lunar Rouge and it was super good. I then went to get my hair cut at the Majestany Institute. For those who have never been before it is really worth it. For 15$ I got my hair washed, cut, and straightened. At first I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about get my hair cut by a student. But it was worth every penny and would highly recommend it to anyone. We then went to her apartment and talked for awhile. Hard to believe how fast time went by...before I knew it it was almost 6:00.
On my way home I told myself that I would work on finishing two LO's that I started the night before. All was going well until I had a mishap with a tube of pink paint...in the end I never finished my LO's but had quite a few good laughs when the girls on the APOS forum.

Blog Title

I was talking to some of my friends tonight and they were checking out my blog when one of them asked "why scrapbooking on a budget for a title?" Really I should have answered this in my first post but it totally skipped my mind. As some of you know I am a student and as with all students I am on somewhat of a budget when it comes to scrapbooking. I have to admit though that I love the challenge. One of my favourite things to do is yard "saling". Although I hate waking up early on a Saturday morning I love finding great bargains. A lot of people have been asking me over the past few weeks how I find so many great deals and I do have a lot of tricks. Some of which I am going to keep secret...I can't give away all of my great spots!!!
One of my favourite things to do is look in the paper on a daily basis to scope out who is having a yard sale. Another one of my favourite techniques to getting more out of my time is actually mapping out the various places that I want to visit. This is a great time saver since you don't have to ask for directions and get loss in the city. Usually the night before I will sit down at the computer and Google map all of the locations that I want to go to. I find that this saves a lot of time. Also I always leave the house with a set amount of money. Usually this is $50 dollars but I always like to keep some extra money hidden in the car for a great deal.
I went yard “saling” with my bf last weekend and hit the jackpot. I got 22 sets of Stampin Up and 8 tin cases for…$55. I still can’t believe it. I also bought two sets of spice racks and altered them for my eyelets and buttons. Once I get more ribbon I will post pictures.
Here’s a picture of my find of the century all for $55!!!

Blog Surfing

So I was doing some blog surfing over the past few days and noticed that a lot of people have this list on their blog. What you are suppose to do is highlight the various things that you have done out of the 99 listed. I have 38 out of 99.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

First Post!!!

This blog is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time now. I've never been able to sit down and take the time to try and figure out how everything works. To be honest I really thought that it was going to be complicated. Geesh…was I ever wrong. Other then trying to figure out which colours looked better together it was a breeze. I’m really happy with how it turned out although it did take me over 2 hours to figure out how everything works. Tonight I went to the Dollarstore to get a treat for my puppy and of course I had to take a walk down the craft isle. I was so happy to find that they finally got some packs of envelopes. As much as I love making cards it takes me forever to make envelopes and most of the time I get so fustrated that I end up going to the store and buying a card with a matching envelope just so that I can use the envelope with my handmade card. I bought a few different colours so that I can finally put the final touches on the various cards that I have made in the past few months. I'm also hoping to finish a few various layouts that I have started in the past few days and haven't been able to finish.