CLOSED {Giveaway} My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software

Congratulations to Robin! Check your email! :)

Wow, I have an amazing new giveaway for my awesome readers! Seriously, you guys are going to {love} this!

My Memories is the #1 rated digital scrapbooking software available on the market today, and trust me, their stellar reputation is well deserved. It's afordable, fun, packed FULL of design options, and best of all it's incredibly easy to use! Whether you're a seasoned design pro or a newbie who is just beginning to think about getting started with digital design, this software is sure to satisfy everyone with its user-friendly interface and loads of creative options and inspiration. There are even options to add audio and video to your layouts - perfect for sharing your memories online with family and friends!

My Memories includes thousands of pre-loaded templates, background papers and embellishments (including my favorite - pre-designed "quick pages!"), and if you're still craving more they also offer close to 2,000 more kits on their website! My Memories even offers photo book printing so you can take care of everything in one convenient location! Impressed yet? I hope so! My Memories truly is an all-in-one digital scrapbooking suite to meet all of your needs.

Not interested in digital scrapbooking? There is SO much more that My Memories can do for you - your only limit is your imagination! I whipped up this cute little Mom's Crafty Space layout in under five minutes. I'm going to print them on to 4" squares to hand out as oversized business cards. LOVE it! 

My Memories is also fantastic for creating quick and easy photo collages - perfect for blogging, school projects, photo cards, business presentations and more! I chose to create all of my layouts in a square format, but you can just as easily choose portrait or landscape oriented rectangles as well. If all of those options sound overwhelming, no need to worry! My Memories offers online software tutorials to walk you step-by-step through the process.

Of course, where the software truly shines is in its ability to create incredible digital scrapbooking layouts in minutes. Honestly, minutes. I used to spend hours creating traditional paper scrapbook layouts, but My Memories allows me to create dozens of layouts in the same time frame. I'm incredibly indecisive, so I LOVE that I can change my papers, embellishments and photo layouts over and over again with just a few quick clicks until I'm satisfied! I threw together this pumpkin patch layout in three minutes, no joke.

When it's this easy, there's no reason why you can't have tons of albums full of beautifully organized family memories! You don't have to take my word for it though...just check out the product information page to read about all the fantastic features, and stop by the My Memories Facebook page to see some of the awesome layouts created by other adoring My Memories fans. You won't be disappointed!

My Memories is offering one lucky reader a FULL version of My Memories Suite v 2.0 software! To enter you must be a follower of Mom's Crafty Space. Please visit the My Memories store and leave a comment on this post telling me which scrapbook kit is your favorite. For additional entries (please leave a seperate comment for each) like Mom's Crafty Space on Facebook and like My Memories on Facebook. Giveaway will end on Monday, November 14th at 8:00 PM PST.

Can't wait? Want an even better deal? My Memories has graciously agreed to offer a special code just for Mom's Crafty Space readers! Enter code STMMMS56151 at checkout to receive My Memories Suite v 2.0 for only $29.97 ($10 off regular price!) PLUS they'll include a $10 coupon to spend on additional scrapbooking goodies in their store. That's a $20 savings! Don't wait any longer to start preserving those treasured memories!   

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Lego Minifig Display

My five-year-old is a Legoaholic, so naturally we have loads and loads of minifig guys all over the house - sometimes with the most interesting body part combinations and configurations. I ran across these divided wood shadow boxes at the Dollar Tree awhile back, and I knew that it would be a perfect way for my boys to show off some of their most favorite Lego guys. They gave it a coat of varigated blue-purple paint, hung it up on the playroom wall, and now we have an endlessly rotating display of Lego creativity...not to mention that there are less body parts on the floor just begging to be stepped on!

 

Gotta love that Baywatch-style Lego babe ;)

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Dreamcatchers

A couple of months ago my boys started having some bad dreams (usually about spiders or rattlesnakes), so we whipped up these little dreamcatchers with some yarn, feathers and craft sticks. They worked like a charm until last week when Sutton started having nightmares about big black widow spiders again. He told me that his dreamcatcher must be so full of his old bad dreams that it couldn't hold any more. We took his dreamcatcher over to the garbage can and shook out all the bad dreams to empty it, but since he was still a little hesitant to go to sleep we decided to make one more big dreamcatcher to go in the middle of both boys' beds. This time we meant serious business.

I used the center ring from a 4" embroidery hoop and embroidery floss to create the web. The boys requested a rainbow dreamcatcher, so I made sure that each color was represented in some small way. It's hard to see the green, but it is used to tie the feathers to the dreamcatcher. So far this new dreamcatcher is working its magic very well! Sutton seems to think that his old dreamcatcher works by catching bad dreams and letting only the good dreams come through, but that this new one has magical powers that allow it to catch bad dreams and then actually turn the bad dreams into good dreams. That way it won't get filled up and stop working like the old one did. He has even come up with his own little routine of talking to his new dreamcatcher at bedtime and reminding it to catch all of his bad dreams and turn them into beautiful ones. ♥  

For a great tutorial on how to easily create your own dreamcatcher, check out this post over at Natural Kids.

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{Giveaway} Shutterfly Holiday Cards!

Giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to Lynsey, Jessica & Lucas. I'll be emailing you shortly! :)

I am so excited to have been invited to participate in Shutterfly's holiday card giveaway again this year! Shutterfly has the best quality cards, hands down, and I really know what I'm talking about since I spent most of 2008 jumping around from vendor to vendor testing out products and comparing quality and styles. Shutterfly blew the competition away, and they have become my go-to company for cards, calendars, photo gifts and, of course, photo prints and enlargements.

This year Shutterfly's selection of holiday cards is bigger and better than ever! I love that they have such a wide variety to choose from, especially because we send both Christmas and Hanukkah cards to different sides of our family. Shutterfly always comes through with something perfect for us! The only problem I have is choosing which cards to use...last year I ended up picking five since I couldn't decide!

This year I think I'm going to try to narrow down my options to one card that will work for both holidays, and so far my favorites are:

Don't you just adore the vintage look of this one?!?

Now for the fun part! Shutterfly is offering 25 free holiday cards to THREE lucky readers!

To Enter: First, you must be a follower of Mom's Crafty Space to enter. Leave me a comment here telling me which Shutterfly holiday card is your favorite. For additional entries (please leave a seperate comment for each additional entry), like Mom's Crafty Space on Facebook, like Shutterfly on Facebook, and share this giveaway via Facebook, Twitter or your blog (please leave a link).

Giveaway will end on Tuesday, November 1st at 8:00 PM PST. Winners will be announced the following day. Good luck! 

Note: I received free holiday cards from Shutterfly for this promotion; however, all opinions expressed are 100% mine! Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register HERE.

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{Print Candee} Paper Photo Frame Tutorial

I'm over at Print Candee today showing you the step-by-step tutorial for creating these super cute (and incredibly easy!) paper photo frames. Stop on by and check it out! :)

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Apple Printed Placemats

My boys love apple stamping, and this year we decided to create something useful by printing on fabric instead of paper. We used pieces of painter's dropcloth to make these festive fall placemats for our table. We hemmed the edges quickly with iron-on Heavy Duty Stitch Witchery, and I really like the extra weight and crispness it gave them. The boys love the way their apple stamped placemats came out, and it makes me smile to see their artwork every time I look over at our table ♥

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Halloween Crayons

Resourceful Moms know that the best thing to do with leftover stubby bits of broken crayon is to melt them down and make new ones, but have you ever thought about making your new crayons in fun seasonal shapes? We used two silicone ice cube trays that we picked up at the dollar store to create these nifty rainbow pumpkin and skull crayons (okay, so the pumpkins look like ribbed circles, but those teeny little stems were the first part that my kids wanted to color with until they disappeared!). We just chopped up our peeled crayon stubs into small chunks, tossed them into the molds and put them in the oven at 175 for about 20 minutes.

My boys were really inspired to draw more than usual since the crayons produced color-changing lines, but you can always sort out your colors (a great fine motor building activity for the little guys!) ahead of time if you want to make solid color crayons. Have fun and feel great about recycling and keeping more stuff out of the trash!

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Halloween Banner

How cute is this fabric Halloween banner?!? I admit it, I'm a hardcore banner-aholic. I can't think of anything else more festive to put me in the mood for a holiday or a party...or a holiday party.

My mantle and dining room already have their own Halloween banners, so I wasn't even sure where I was going to hang this one up, but when I saw it over at Craftaholics Anonymous I knew that I had to have it! Perfectly adorable fabrics already chosen and cut for my crafting pleasure? Yes, please!

{LOVE} how it turned out, and it only took about an hour to put it all together. I had never made a fabric scrap banner before, but I have a feeling that this might be my next new holiday decorating obsession! Well, you know, if Craftaholics Anonymous wants to keep picking out and cutting all the fabric for me ;) 

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{Print Candee} Paper Mache Letters

As I was finishing up my fifth load of laundry yesterday, I decided that my laundry room was in dire need of a makeover. With three boys and a husband who works in construction I spend a lot of time hanging out in the laundry room, and the dingy off-white walls and lack of color were starting to get to me. I knew that Print Candee would come to my rescue and save me from my boring and uninspiring space! As soon as I saw the Alice Paper Pack my brain started spinning in a bunch of different directions, filled with fun ideas, and I was off and running on a new project to liven up my room.

Stop by my post over at the Print Candee Blog today to see a few more pictures and get step-by-step directions about how to create your own paper mache letters to brighten up your space!

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Kids Cook! Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Minestrone Soup {Recipe}

Sutton has been requesting "Kids Cook!" dinners practically every night these past couple of weeks - perhaps I have a budding Emeril on my hands? - so we've been making a lot of quick and easy to put together meals that the kids can prepare with minimal assistance from Mom. The most recent was minestrone soup and homemade french bread, perfect for using up all the leftover vegetables in your refrigerator and freezer!

RECIPE:

(Note: ALL amounts can be modified to suit your taste and what you have on hand!)

* 1/2 onion

* 3 stalks celery

* 2 carrots

* 1 cup diced green beans

* 2 1/2 cloves of garlic (minced)

* 1 zucchini

* 1 can kidney beans (black beans and cannellini beans are great too!)

* 1 can of diced tomatoes

* ANY leftover vegetables in your fridge, freezer or pantry! We used a can of Veg-All and frozen corn.

* Large container of chicken broth

* 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning

* 1 tbsp. of tomato paste

* 2 tbsp. olive oil

* 1 cup of uncooked pasta

DIRECTIONS:

* In a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, celery, carrots and green beans in the olive oil until the onions are translucent.

* Add your sauteed vegetables to a large stockpot and add the remaining vegetables, seasonings and chicken broth. Stir well and simmer on the stove for 2-3 hours on low heat.

* In a separate pot, cook the pasta until it is about halfway done, and then add to the soup. Continue to simmer until pasta is cooked.

Enjoy with a loaf of homemade french bread - YUMMY!

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Love Letterpress? You'll Adore Hello!Lucky!

It's that time of year again, and families are snapping zillions of photographs in the hopes of capturing that one perfect shot that will grace their holiday cards. Once you've gotten your favorite family photos together, head over to Hello!Lucky and check out their adorable selection of letterpress and digitally printed holiday photo cards. I've fallen in love with the look of letterpress lately, and Hello!Lucky offers lots of unique styles to choose from.

This San Francisco card makes me wish we lived closer to the city!

Not in San Francisco either? They also have Chicago, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and London!

Hello!Lucky also has some super fun variations on the annual Christmas newsletter tradition:

Vintage Holiday Newsletter

Top Ten Holiday Newsletter

I think my favorite is the Woodblock Ornaments photo card...

...but just in case we never score that perfect photo, Hello!Lucky has got me covered with loads of non-photo holiday cards as well.

    
Peaceable Kingdom

Christmastime Boxed Set

One of my most favorite things about Hello!Lucky is their commitment to being as green as possible. Their greeting cards are printed on 100% recycled paper produced from a paper mill powered by green energy, and their thank you cards are printed on 100% cotton paper that is tree-free and includes remnants from the textile industry. They also use biodegradable packaging on all of their cards - super cool!


Head on over to Hello!Lucky and check out all of their holiday cards as well as their full line of wedding invitations, birth announcements &  and more!
This post brought to you by Hello!Lucky. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Girl Scouts Only, Please!

Now all I need is some Liquid Nails to hang this baby up!

We had a door-to-door vacuum salesman hit us up last week, and I was totally shocked! I mean really, who buys vacuums from traveling salesmen anymore? I'd say the biggest annoyance in my neighborhood is pest control sales. We had five visits in only two weeks over the summer! I know that most salespeople are trained to ignore no soliciting signs, but at least I can say that they've been warned! Maybe I should just stop opening the door ;)

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Sunflower Seeds

We grew a bunch of sunflowers this year, so it was only natural that we turned some of our flowers into salty snacks. Most of our flowers bloomed right around the time that I was preoccupied with Simon's birthday party planning, so at first I decided to skip it...but then a second round of flowers brought the biggest one ever, so I had to give it a go! Since this was my first attempt I decided to use only the largest sunflower head and just make a single batch of seeds. I wish I had saved all of the sunflowers now, because this snack is SO tasty!

We cut the head off and allowed it to dry for two days, and then we gently brushed off the top layer of remaining yellow bits. The seeds are actually really easy to remove. You can brush a soft cloth across the top and allow the seeds to fall, or you can pick them out like I did (to avoid the choking hazard to my assistant 1-year-old) by removing one row and then using the side of your hand to push the rest of the seeds out row by row.  

Soak the seeds in salted water (about 1/4-1/2 cup of salt) overnight. Spread in a single layer on to a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the seeds start to turn golden and split. One large sunflower made two half pint jars of roasted sunflower seeds - one for us and one for my seed addicted brother-in-law! Enjoy! 

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Microcrafts {Book Review}

It was a happy mail day at my house when Microcrafts arrived earlier this week! Just released this week from Quirk Books and compiled by Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar and Katie Hatz, Microcrafts is an adorable collection of twenty-five teeny tiny (and totally cute!) crafts to create. The projects are all suitable for beginners, come together quickly, and require very little materials - the perfect way to use up even the tiniest scraps of paper, fabric and clay.

Sawyer loved going through the book with me (in fact, he stole it away and took it to bed with him one night!), and he has already claimed that this sweet puppy will be my next project.

If I have MY way, this project will be next on my list. This lovely pendant would be perfect for my ever-growing collection of felt scraps, and it even has a tiny pocket in the back to hold a photo!

I can't get over the amazing creativity behind their incredible miniature taxidermy projects - so unique and fun!

Teensy weensy kitties make the most miniscule scraps come alive!

I whipped up this cute little version of the Tom Thumb card for our fall nature table. It is a mere 1.5" x 1.75" tall - his little head is a circle from a standard hole punch! I am sure that we will make the Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel cards too since they were so easy to make and they look totally adorable :)

I can't wait to try out some more of these projects! I honestly have never been more excited by a craft book because this is the first time I have wanted to make EVERYTHING in it! The fact that numerous designers contributed to the book add to its appeal and variety, and there are even instructions for how to turn your minature creations into magnets and jewelry (perfect for holiday gift giving!). Pick up your own copy of Microcrafts today, and I promise you won't be disappointed!

* Note: I was provided with a free copy of this book from Quirk Books; however, all opinions expressed are 100% my own!

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