So as you know, I have been working on a Fall 2009 mini-book for awhile now and finally got around to taking a few photos! Here is just a sampling of what I've been up to. There are MANY more pages to follow! In fact, last night I was showing John what I had been working on and he told me it's not going to be a mini-book, it's going to be a freakin' MEGA-book! What a wise old owl he is. HA!
Additionally, I was so psyched to find these two silver trays at the Goodwill, aka "The Willy" according to John's family. They are just bursting at the seams with the killer one-liners these days, I'm tellin' ya. Haha! Anyways, I took one look at these fabulous trays and snatched them up immediately, for a grand total of...$1.98! SOLD! They make perfect holders for my various scrapping embellishments!

Oh, how I love other people's discarded possessions...

Finally, I just have to show you how ridiculous California weather is. The above photo was taken on Wednesday, after the most amazing rainstorm (or heavy drizzle, to be completely honest). Gorgeous, right? I was really digging the Fall vibes and the coziness of it all. But then...

I go outside to take photos on Thursday morning around 9 AM, and what do you know, it's already 90 freakin degrees out! Oh, what I would give for a cold spell of low 70's. Maybe a week of rain? Maybe some cumulus clouds every once again to remind me that it's almost November? Lest, dreams be dreams...

Such a cozy day...

This is the day I have been impatiently waiting for the past 5 months. No, it's not a long-awaited holiday or someone's birthday. It's simply a perfect fall day: rainy weather with no plans. I am living up each and every second of this weather. After all, Southern CA is not exactly known for it's rainfall. As I write this, I am listening to the Ella Fitzgerald station on Pandora, sipping a hot cup of coffee, and wearing my coziest sweater. It doesn't get any better than this...
As you know, I've been on a mini-book kick these past couple of weeks. This one is the Fall 2009 book I am happily tinkering away with everyday. I have a feeling this one is going to be quite the chunker, hahaha. More photos of the insides to follow.
I have loved gathering all my little supplies, such as this vintage bingo card, tickets, trims, and even bottle caps! They are my newest obsession. I take all salvaged bottle caps to the garage where I hammer them to flattened perfection. I think they add such a nice dimensional touch to any page and best of all, they're essentially free! I have also loved making die-cuts with my beloved Slice that I purchased last year at Cool Scrapbook Stuff. I really enjoy being able to take scraps of paper and turn them into fabulous artisan labels for all my pages. It's the little things that make the biggest difference, as we all know :)

Happy Autumn!

Lots of happy things as of late. A few things I've been up to...

Working my way back into the creative mode (and making a big happy mess in the process).

Long, wonderful bike rides with good friends.

Finding insightful and inspiring blogs to delve into.

Autumn has officially arrived (and brought along the Santa Ana's)!

Cooking yummy and healthy dinners with friends.

Laughing hysterically over Jimmy Fallon's dance moves during the Emmy's.


Seeing another live taping of our beloved Conan. This time with Charlize Theron and Dave Matthews Band! So. Much. Fun! (P.S. How cute are his wife's red shoes?? LOVE!)

Going with the flow and having faith that this is where we are supposed to be.

Planning a knitting lesson with John's super-crafty Grandma.

Getting ready for a huge garage sale this coming weekend.

Enjoying lots of time outdoors.


Savoring my Fall magazines. Especially Sunset Magazine. Reading about travel immediately sends me to my "happy place."

Trips to Trader Joe's. Stocking up on low-priced produce and wine. Yum.

Planning on going to yoga tonight. Loved it before and can't wait to do it again.

Cleaning the house today. Love the satisfaction I derive from a clean living space.


Finally finishing this layout. It has been in the works for at least a month and I finally decided to complete it.

Have a wonderful first day of Fall! I am off to clean while listening to my favorite podcasts and then hit the gym later for some happy workout time :)

Busy Weekend!

Oh man, I am so happy to be back home after a VERY busy two days, spent furiously making more hair accessories and then organizing and selling them...phew! Paper Tales' Junque and Trunk Show was fun and inspiring and seriously exciting to shop at (see above and below)! It took my mom and I SIX hours to get to San Diego when in reality it should have only taken 2! Reminds me of going home for Thanksgiving this past fall - holy moly! But we made the best of it and I rekindled my love for San Diego.
The little details are always my favorite part of scrapbooking!
I was lucky to get a booth outside in the fresh air (I just wrote "hair" instead of "air"...is that a Freudian slip in marketing terms? haha!). So many vendors, such beautiful things.
Lots of Double Your Fun headbands!
All in all, it was a great experience and I got to see my favorite customer Gen!

Resist-Paper Tutorial

Hello everyone! I wanted to put together this tutorial for you, explaining how you can create a resist texture for your backgrounds. It's a similar concept to Heidi Swapp's new Invisibles Collection but handmade instead! So let's get started...

For my project, I'm using VersaMark ink (but any ink pad designed specifically for embossing will work), a Prima "Grate Kit Club"stamp, Glimmer Mist in "Sunflower" (but any sort of paint or spray will do), clear embossing powder, a heat gun, and white cardstock paper. Make sure you have a cover for your work surface to catch runaway embossing powder and Glimmer Mist spritzes.




I found that it's easier to stamp and emboss half of the paper first. Once that dries, do the other half. It makes it less likely that the ink will smudge or become distorted in the handling process.







Finally, make a layout with your new textured paper! Isn't it so much fun? I love finding new ways to customize my paper, since I love a rough, textured look. You could seriously make a million different backgrounds using this simple concept. I already have plans to use my woodgrain stamp, letter stamps, butterfly stamps...you get the picture! I hope you enjoy this technique! Be sure to share your layouts if you decide to try it for yourself! ;)

Happy Mess

I have been in such a scrapping mood these past few days - it makes me so happy! I love to use all my fun products and tools and just jump right in. This is seriously my "happy place." Here are some examples of my happy mess that turns into fun layouts!
iPod, Slice, rub-ons, stamps...I am ready to go!

Here's one of my newer layouts...I've been on a multiple photo layout kick lately, using up all my photos and supplies which makes room for even more photos and supplies, haha! I have received some touching messages from my etsy customers and they really make my day! I am so grateful for their kind gestures. Today I read such an inspiring article on etsy that really gives me hope for my future, despite the grim economy as of late. I have faith that things will work out for the best! :) I hope everyone is having a wonderful, creative week!

Back in Action

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. I had a nice relaxing day, spent scrapbooking, shopping, working out, lounging in the pool and hanging out with family...just how I like it! My family has been painting the interior walls of the house all weekend, so when I don't have a roller in my hand, I'm sneaking off to work on scrapbook layouts because I can't seem to get enough! :)
Today I took advantage of Jo-Ann's 40% sale on clear stamps, so I bought two new sets that thrill me to no end! It really doesn't take much, I swear...hahah! You can see one of the ticket stamps on the layout above. By the way, driving a Smart Car is so much fun! I thought that a VW Bug was pushing the limits of smallness, but the Smart Car takes the cake. Just FYI, in case you were wondering, haha...Here's a layout I did for the challenge group. The goal of this challenge was to incorporate 80% Hambly in your layout, so I did my best! I tend to be a Hambly hoarder (so I've noticed!) mainly because I'm in love with anything they make and also because, well...they're not super cheap. But I am DETERMINED to use my stash! I figure, there will always be something new and exciting just around the corner so I might as well use it up and enjoy it!
My boyfriend and brother were somehow capable of convincing me to buy them these raccoon skin caps at Disneyland last month. The photoshoots that ensued were worth every penny! I swear, these boys have me rolling on the floor with all their crazy antics...Finally I have been creating headbands/ hair accessories like CRAZY! I literally filled this basket! I just took photos today, so be on the lookout for an etsy update in the next two days - wahoo! :)

Inspiration for Your Thursday

Well hello there! I am so thrilled that the weather here in Southern CA has been so nice and summery! Not too hot, not too cold, not too June-gloomy...perfect! Today I want to share some links to things/people/ideas that are totally inspiring me these days!

First of all, I love Ali Edwards and all her fabulous ideas and such. So I am especially thrilled about her new "Tuesday Tutorial" series! My favorite thus far is this one from Heidi Swapp!

This blog packs a huge visual punch in the home decorating arena! Check out Desire to Inspire if you are in the mood to see some serious eye candy!

Some gorgeous layouts: love the arrangement, love everything she does, love the clustering, love the simple color scheme, and love how magical it is

Ever since my boyfriend taught me how to put YouTube videos on my iPod, I have become obsessed with finding awesome crafting tutorials and then watching whenever and wherever I want! Kristina Werner has an amazing library of card-making videos that I definitely recommend for your viewing pleasure.

The Simply Handmade blog has such great crafty ideas, not to mention a FREE mini-book download (Gen, isn't just heavenly??)!

This cute little jewelry display

Seeing people's workspaces is almost more inspiring than seeing the final product! I also love this one and this one too!

The teacups and carousel make me want to create another Disneyland album! Speaking of Disneyland, John and I need to renew our annual passes soon! Eek! It is always a huge investment but in our little world, it is worth every penny! We are such Disneyland-aholics and have now become spoiled for life! haha!

Right now I am reading How Starbucks Saved My Life and I have to say it is such a good read. Very inspiring to someone who is quickly becoming disenchanted with the job market...

Joann's is currently having a huge sale! I've already been there twice this week, where I bought some gorgeous tulle for all my tulle needs (hahah) and this because I have a sudden urge to incorporate paper into my jewelry :)

In other news, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has so kindly purchased hair accessories from my shop. You have no idea how much it means to me to know that other people "get" what I'm all about! So thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

Wahoooo!

So I am feeling newly inspired. I've been organizing and re-organizing my craft supplies and it just makes it THAT much better to actually create things when I can find them easily. Novel concept, I know, haha! I have not forgotten about the challenges, Gen and Cherie, I've actually been working on weeks' past challenges, as seen below:



The layouts above all pertain to the challenges. Using scraps, using a die-cut machine, etc. So much fun to try new things! But now it's my turn, so here is this week's challenge: Find a layout of another scrapper (online, in a magazine, wherever), and without scraplifting, get inspired by it to create your own rendition. I often get so inspired by layouts for no reason at all. Sometimes it's the color scheme, sometimes it's the way product is being used, sometimes it's the theme...you get the picture. Be sure to post the inspiring layout when you post your own. I can't wait to see what you gals come up with! :)

Challenge #1

So my dear friend and co-worker Gen invited me to join her weekly scrapbook challenge group recently and I must say...I am SOOO excited! How fun is that? Not to mention the fact that we seem to gravitate towards the same style and products, she has a great design sense. So thank you, Gen!

Anywho, the challenge this week is up to me, so I decided it will be to use your favorite technique of the moment. For me, it's Glimmer Mist masks. Glimmer mist is nothing new to me, but I have recently rediscovered why it is so irresistible! I love how the results are never the same and it's just so satisfying! Of course, the beauty of this challenge is that we can do it again in a few months and have a completely different favorite technique at that time. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Sometimes it's fun to change things up.

So I decided I wanted to start over and create a whole new blog! The name Ribbon and Rhinestones just wasn't living up to the way I view my work and my life. The Cozy Farmhouse, on the other hand, better embodies the warm, vintage-inspired cozy life I want to live in every way possible! I'm not really sure what sparked this desire but it has been fun formulating new ideas and notions about what I want for a blog. I was thinking about what I love to see, as a reader of many different blogs, and it all comes back to the notion of lots of visual and creative inspiration. Nothing is more exciting than lots of fun images and ideas relating to scrapbooking, decorating, design, and life in general!

Currently, I am inspired by the loveliness of
Jennifer Johner and all of her gorgeous layouts!
Maggie Holmes' scrapbook style always gets me excited to play with lots of different embellishments!
Lizzy Kartchner of Creating Keepsakes' fame. I especially love to see her scrapbook room! Gorgeoussss...
Decor8 because where else can you find so many inspiring home decor ideas in one place? My flickr favorites are dominated by images from her!
Creature Comforts her photographs always have the warmest, coziest light imaginable. It's a visual dream come true for my eyes!


Last month 2Peas hosted a promotion where if you posted 20 layouts, you would receive a $20 credit to the 2Peas store. Nobody had to tell me twice! If there are free scrapbook supplies to be had, you better believe I am on it! haha! So, yesterday I finally got my order in and it was so fun to open a box of goodies! I can't wait to dig in and get to work...

I am now in my last semester of college, highly anticipating its end! I can't wait to start a new chapter in my life. Maybe make some real money? :) Even with the job market looking grim as ever, I am confident that things will work out. There are adventures to be had! I'm really looking forward to it. Stay tuned :)