Club Scrap Blog Hop - Constellations

Welcome to the first Club Scrap blog hop of 2015! This month we're using the Constellations collection.  My story this month originally started out as a tragic one, but I'll show you how I was able to create a quick and fun project anyways!

If you traveled here from Tricia's blog, then you are following the hop!  If you've lost your way or just want to see all the links in one place, head over to the Club Scrap blog to see a list of all the talented bloggers participating today.

At the very beginning of the month, I started up my Pinterest mood boards again to get some ideas rolling for this kit.  I love exploring all of the different layout, card, and project ideas out there, and I had a few running around in my head while I was waiting for my kit.


Follow Marya Kaszubinski's board Constellations Mood Board - Club Scrap January 2015 Kit on Pinterest.

Then, I got home from a business trip and to my delight, my Club Scrap Lite pizza box was waiting for me!  I couldn't wait to see all the goodies inside, but I noticed the box looked a bit funny...  Once I opened it, I realized something was terribly, horribly wrong.  The box had been left out in the rain/snow/sleet instead of in our nice, covered porch and most of the paper was ruined :( :( :(  I may have reacted like this:

Ok, maybe it was a little overdramatic, but all that pretty paper!  All wrinkly and unscrappable!  I knew that Club Scrap and their awesome customer service would have my back, but I also knew I wouldn't be able to get a new kit before the blog hop, so I had some salvaging to do.

Thus, enter a star-shaped punch, a scoreboard, a needle, and the edges of the papers I could save for a quick, albeit small, 3D-star banner.

All that paper was too pretty to waste, so I punched out what I could with the star punch, then scored each peak on my scoreboard so I could fold it into a 3D shape.

I folded along the scored lines so the middle of the star ended up being raised and it looked pretty three dimensional.  I did the same thing with all of the stars I punched out.

Once I had enough, I found some fluffy, sparkly fiber from a previous Club Scrap kit and threaded it on a needle.  I then put two stars back to back and sewed these on to the fiber in pairs, making a cute little banner.

So, nothing earth-shattering this month, but now I have a pretty reminder hanging above my craft desk and a friendly note on my porch door that I get precious cargo each month that needs to be stored somewhere safe and dry!  I can't wait to get my new kit so I can put some scrapbook pages together soon to share!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you get a chance to do something quick and crafty this week!  Head on over to Hetty's blog to see what creative inspiration she has in store for you.  Pop back in next month when we're traveling with the London Calling collection!

Supplies // Paper: Club Scrap: Silver, Navy, Burgundy, Black Print (Constellations)/ Embellishments: White Fiber (Papillon)/ Tools: Martha Stewart Bone folder, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Fiskars star punch

Five Friday Favorites - January 23rd Edition

TGIF!  Hope you had a great week - I had a super busy week at work, but I'm looking forward to buckling down and doing a lot of scrapping this weekend!  Here are some fun things I've been enjoying this past week:

1. Hooray!  They've put Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 on Netflix! I'm reliving my childhood fears of Night on Bald Mountain and I still love the Firebird suite as much as the first time I heard/saw it.
2. Speaking of music, I've been in a Sia mood recently and have been playing her on repeat.  And swinging from chandeliers.
3. More things for listening!  I usually stock up on podcasts before I have to drive anywhere that will take longer than an hour, and I've really enjoyed what I've heard so far from Invisibilia.  Anything that is remotely connected to RadioLab is an automatic listen for me.
4. I made this recipe last week and it was SO DELICIOUS.  A little rich, but it will definitely be going in our rotation of recipes.
5. Finally, a little funny for your Friday, especially if you were a fan of American Girl Dolls back in the day.  I read all the books, but never got a doll.  So sad. [via]

Have a lovely weekend!

Club Scrap Card Sketch Challenge - January 2015

I'm back again hosting the Card Sketch Challenge over at the forums on Club Scrap.  Here's the sketch I came up with for January - done a little differently than usual.  I normally make the card first, then create the sketch, but my craft room was still in a state of disarray at the beginning of the month, so I had to stick with just the sketch for the first few weeks!

I used this pin as a jumping off point for my color palette.  I was happy that I got to use a lot of different papers from my stash for this card, plus a lot of stamps from one of my favorite Club Scrap collections, Full Circle.

I wanted to add some subtle dimension to this card, so I pulled the edges up from the hand-cut, wonky circles and the three vertical strips.  I love how the circles turned out - I deliberately wanted them not to be perfect and look very handmade.

I hope you all can join in on the challenge over at the forum!  See you there!

Supplies // Paper: Club Scrap: Gray (Welcome), Teal (Navajo), Lime (Painted Desert), Light Blue (Cyprus)/ Inks: Club Scrap Ash, Peridot, and Lagoon/ Embellishments: MME Enamel Dots - Cut and Paste Adorbs/ Stamps: Full Circle/ Tools: Ink Applicators

Five Friday Favorites - January 16th Edition

Happy Friday!  Hope your week was a good one - mine was a bit of a lumbering, plodding one, but I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend!  Here are a few things I've been keeping my eye on over this past week.

1. I had been looking at linocuts on Pinterest for some reason (isn't that how Pinterest usually works?) and then this post popped into my Feedly reader - perfect timing!  I love these prints - wouldn't it be fun to try to recreate these with stamps I already have?  Hmmm....
2. I haven't been hit with a major cold this season yet (knock on wood) but this recipe sounds pretty wonderful, even if you are not sick.  Also the fact that it's called "A Hot Toddy for When You Hate Life" is pretty amazing.
3. I loved this post from Kelly Purkey - it really resonated with me and why I scrapbook/memory keep.  If I ever have a case of scrapbooker's block, it's things like this that remind me why I do the things I do.
4. Still not quite done with my scrap room, and I'm itching to get creative and make something with paper.  It's tempting to dive right in and start creating, but I have one really good chance of setting things up the way I want it and should do that first.  Wah.  Cause I definitely want to scraplift this colorful layout by Lisa Dickinson.  Womp womp.
5. Maybe it's because we're in a new house (and Jason has been extremely good about cleaning up my messes.  One of the reasons why I love him.) but I have been cooking a lot and it's been great!  We're definitely trying to be more budget conscious because we're surrounding by a lot of amazing restautants and bars that are within walking/stumbling distance, so we're trying to make a lot of cheap food at home.  This recipe for curried lentils was yummy and cheap!  Definitely add the fried egg on top for an added bonus.

On to the weekend and oh I'm looking forward to it!  Hope yours is wonderful too.

Wanderlust Wednesday - Auckland

I have been so lucky to have had the opportunity to travel so many amazing places, and I can't wait to get all of my pictures and words in albums some day.  Until I do (and before I forget all of the details of these adventures), I'm going to document my travels here most Wednesdays.

I'll start with one of my earlier trips - the two(ish) weeks Jason and I spent visiting my friend in New Zealand.  She was living in Auckland for 6 months, and graciously let us stay with her and took some vacation time with us to explore the islands of New Zealand.

The Sky Tower from Ponsonby

My friend's apartment was in the Ponsonby neighborhood, and this is definitely the place you want to be if you are young, want to eat, drink, and dance, or simply can stay up past 11pm.  There are a ton of restaurants, both cheap and expensive, along the main street and plenty of bars.  It was your typical downtown scene, but it was in New Zealand.  So, different.  When you're out and about, I recommend sticking with wine and beer - liquor in New Zealand is expensive, so you may end up paying more than you bargained for if you order a cocktail.

All those yachts in Waitemata Harbour

Despite the fact that we flew in and out of Auckland, we didn't really spend a lot of time there - probably about two days in total, most of which were spent either on Waiheke or Rangitoto Islands (more about those in a separate post).  I love cities and urban life, but there was so much to explore in this country that I wanted to make sure I got to a lot of it.  And with two big islands to explore, we had a lot of ground to cover.

Rangitoto as seen from Auckland

Public transport was pretty easy to figure out, including the ferries, and one of the best things we saw is that at certain crosswalks, you can walk diagonally from one corner to the other at certain times.  Why don't we have that?  It makes so much sense!

We were easily able to get downtown by bus and take a stroll around Waitemata Harbour at sunset.  There are a ton of things to do there, including shops, restaurants, and gazing longingly at the giant yachts you will never, ever be able to afford.  Jason ended up doing the relaxing thing by taking advantage of these oversized lounge chairs.

I scrapped a little bit about the harbor here, but I have a few other pages to do until I consider Auckland completely scrapped.

I've also completed the title page for my New Zealand album, so you can see below all the places I'll be taking you over the next few Wednesdays!

Created with the Studio Calico Roundabout Kit - see more details here.

I'm looking forward to reliving my travel adventures of the past few years over the coming weeks!

This Past Week (and then some...)

I'm trying to get better about writing down daily occurrences in my planner/journal/cocktail napkins as I'm attempting to be really good with Project Life this year (i.e. stick with it more than a few weeks this time), so I figure my blog might be a good place to keep photos and words together, outside of my scrapbook.  The first few days of January were a very fun, productive, and relaxing beginning to the year!


Jason and I started off the new year with some traveling, but nothing too crazy!  We spent New Year's Eve at my friend's Manhattan apartment, watching all of the crazy people standing out in the cold to be in Times Square on television.  Jason and I did some exploring before we caught our bus back home - we walked along the High Line since it was pretty nice day out, especially for January!

My office is dangerously close to a pretty good restaurant/brewery, so Jason and I have been taking advantage of the good Happy Hour specials they have - half off all appetizers and beers.   That's my kind of deal!  I justify stopping here weekly since we can walk there - totally walking off all of those calories I drink!  (Right?  R...Right?)

Jason and I officially, as a couple, survived IKEA.  We even bought furniture and put it together without killing each other.  Either we have the same taste in home furnishings, or Jason is really, really good at agreeing with me.  It might be a little bit of both.  We got our living room and the dining room all set!  (In case you were wondering, we bought the Karlstad, the Ekenäset, Lerhamn chairs for our dining room, and the only impulse buy of the day - a Korken bottle!)

Sunday after New Year's Day, we ended up going back to NYC to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of our friend's restaurant North River and bar Dead Drop.  It was nice to see friends we hadn't been able to meet up with in a while, and it was definitely fun to watch the boys play bartender.

It started to look a little bit like winter in New Jersey this past week!  This town is stinkin' picturesque sometimes.  The trains start to look magical and the river looks pretty cool too!  (See first picture and that pun was not intended...)

We ended this week with a Lazy Sunday - Jason watching football on TV with me engrossed in Downton Abbey next to him.  I'm pretty sure my show was much more exciting.

First week of 2015 down, 51 more to go!

Five Friday Favorites - January 9th Edition

Whew, a busy week at work this was!  First week back in 2015 and everyone was being so productive!  I was pretty productive too - caught up on (most) emails, the house is (almost) settled, and I started working on a (hopeful) blog schedule.  I think if I have specific blog goals each week, it might help me actually have a regular posting schedule...

On to some fun things on the interwebs I've read this week!  (Or have been hoarding in my "save for later" category in Feedly...)

1. I finally have a workable kitchen that more than one person can comfortably stand in, so I really want to explore (my OLW) the art of canning this year.  Just have to find a local farmer's market and I can start to delve into these 80+ canning recipes! [via]
2. Jason has been very productive in finishing the unpacking that I had left lying around for a few weeks in only a few days, and he even hung up all of our vintage travel posters. For the Harry Potter nerd in me, I think I need to add a few of these to my collection! [via]
3. I have a soft spot for bookends, and was thinking of trying my hand at these to go along with our new decor.  I'm thinking maybe white and gold, since I'm so classy?
4. January always gives me a hankering for a new calendar, and I thought this paint chip calendar would be an easy DIY the next time you were at the hardware store. [via]
5. I've seen this posted in several places, but I thought it was a really good read for the new year (or whenever you need a change of perspective).  Here's a reminder from Shauna Niequist to treat yo' self and use the things you have while you have them.  I think I'll bring out the good china for Sunday dinner this week, just because it's pretty!

Hope your week was a lovely one!

Five Friday Favorites - January 2nd Edition

I read a lot of blogs throughout the week (related to crafting, scrapbooking, cooking, even some that I categorize as "guilty pleasures") and I love gathering ideas for future projects and recipes via my feedly reader.  Here are some fun things I've been keeping my eye on this past week!

1. I'm planning on doing Project Life (for real this time...yeah) this year and think these free printable calendars might make for some fun filler cards once a month. [via]
2. I hope to get back into the swing of knitting/crocheting things soon, and thought this Audrey hat would be a quick, classic piece that would get a lot of use over the coming months.
3. As I packed up my craftroom (and am slowly unpacking it), I realized that I had a decent stash of jewelry making supplies and tools, so I hope I can explore making some of my own jewelry in 2015.  This Anthropologie knock-off knot necklace DIY seems like a fun, fast project. [via]
4. Jason and I have this thing for Trader Joe's Thai Lime & Chili Cashews - we buy a bag and it disappears in about 10 minutes, plus or minus a minute.  I'm going to try my hand at this recipe for Spicy Fried Mixed Nuts and see if we can keep those around any longer...[via]
5. Club Scrap had their monthly blog hop showcasing the Reunion collection this week, and I'm still working my way through it - there are too many great projects, I can't handle it!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and have time to make something fun!

OLW 2015 - Explore

Watercolor Lettering by Livy Long via Pinterest

It's a new year and the proverbial resolutions have tagged along with it!  Every January I feel like this is the year that I will change everything and be that person who is physically fit, eats exactly the right things, reads 100 books in a year, knits 20 sweaters, sends cards for everyone's birthdays/anniversaries/holidays, and scraps the past 30 years worth of photos by March

So not happening this year.

I am in a fantastic position where I have just moved to another state and I feel like I can leave bad habits behind and start good habits here, but I also have to be realistic and make sure I'm not biting more off than I can chew.

This is where (I hope) One Little Word comes in.

My word for 2015 is Explore, and while this word may not seem like it will inspire year-long improvements in habits, I think this will really help me stick to my goals in 2015.

Digital Print by Ana Vicki via Pinterest

In 2015, I want to explore:

• My new hometown
• New areas for hiking
• The history of my new area
• My creative side (more)
• My relationships with my boyfriend, friends, and family more deeply
• What it's like to live a more frugal life
• My love for reading (that seems to have slipped by the wayside)
• My career and where it can take me

I hope and expect more areas of exploration will come up over the year, and I'm very excited to take my own one little word to heart and see how it impacts my life in 2015.  I will be sharing the results from my explorations here (which hopefully means I will be updating more regularly!  Fingers crossed.)

Here's to exploring 2015!

Print by Opus and Verse via Pinterest