New routines, New way of life, New eating rules!

About three years ago I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem out of nowhwere.  However, I did notice that I wasn't losing any weight and I just kept packing on the pounds.   I had this rash that kept appearing and disappearing, and I also couldn't for the life of me get to feeling better. 

I lost 45 lbs and went Organic, non GMO, less grains/sorta Paleo and discovered a whole new world out there but then due to doctor's orders I had to give up bread too!  Oh no!    What was I going to do without my beloved comfort friend?    Well make stuff is what I decided.  

My 5 month old son and I both share this gluten allergy now as I learned recently and I've had to be more and more creative.   I now make cool snacks and eat better than before!

Here's a good trick to getting kids to snack healthily,  feel satisfied longer and not feel like they are giving up anything.

Gluten Free, Vegan, Non GMO Organic Peanut Banana Bites!

-  1 not so ripe banana.  (Firmer than softer is best)
-  1 jar of creamy organic peanut butter, 
   (mix up the oils as these have less stabilizers)
-  1 tbsp chocolate ships
    (I like the enjoy life brand because they are Soy Free)
-  1 tbsp One Degree Veganic Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps 
    (Use sparingly because of arsenic levels in brown rice)

These are delicious!  They satisfy the crunch, sweet & indulgent factor that many of our horrible, no good for you, chemical laden chocolate bars have.  

Try them with your kids, or even for yourself.  They are packed with protein, and energy to keep you and your kids satisfied. 

Enjoy! 

Project Life 2013: Doing more of what I want...

So call me a band wagoner, but I just couldn't resist after a lengthy search on Pinterest and finding so many ideas on there!  I used to think it was just "Scrapbooking a la basic" but after seeing all the layouts,  I feel that I'm a convert to the Project Life style. 

Here are just a couple of reasons why:

1.  I don't feel overwhelmed by a 12x12" layout anymore.  Just like in education, breaking it down into little pieces, 3x4, 2x3, and 4x6 helps to make the pages move along quicker and easier. 

2.  I don't feel as if I have to make a masterpiece each time I make a layout.  Journal, Picture, maybe a tiny embellie.   Its cute, quick and immediately indulgent.

3.  I like focusing on the story as opposed to obsessing about that one pearl flourish sticker.  However this doesn't mean I have to sacrifice beauty, time nor creativity.

4.  JOY:  one of my key words of the year.  I like focusing on the joyful moments in my life and scrapping them, Project life inserts and sheets allow me to focus on the joy, not the economics of scrapbooking and the many tools, elements, embellishments that I MUST use on that layout. 

5.  Immediate satisfaction:  with my first week done and the second one close to completion, I find that I don't have the photos lingering around the craft table anymore,  I have them  off the digital camera, Iphone, instagram and into their respective sleeve. 

I hope that you too will find some solace in knowing that your page can be completed with minimal effort and not stress about the many layouts that aren't finished.


Resources:

1.  Join a group:  Facebook, Cricut and personal blogs have tons of swaps where you can get started, I personally like the following two groups:

• Croppers Delight NYC Project Life 2013:   They share wonderful printables, sales, advice and inspiration.   CroppersDelightNYCProject Life 2013 group on Facebook.  I know many of them personally and their generosity and creativity would get any newbie started quickly.  They have an in house creative designer who creates gorgeous PL cards.  Closed group, ask for membership.  

• Swappin Scraps:  These women are creative geniuses!  Truly experts in their own right.  If you never join a swap and only look at their body of work, you will see what I mean about creative geniuses.  Closed group, ask for membership at www.swappinscraps.blogspot.com.
 The groups swapped items are very beautiful, and handmade.  It gives you the paper crafted look without the mass produced look of many of the other Project Life products.

The first time I did a swap, I really didn't know what I was doing, but after I received my swaps, I was just amazed at how beautiful a little PL card could be.  Inquire, ask for membership.  Swappin Scraps is also on Instagram. 

• Cricut's Monthly Swaps:     On the message boards you will find tons of swaps that will help you create the things needed for your first PL page.  You can swap full PL cards, tiny titles, big index cards, etc.  Many groups for all interests and styles.  You must have a cricut.com membership.

2.  Pinterest:   I can't believe the quality of the work I've seen out there by these graphic designers.   I also love the SVG files that are somewhat PL ready, meaning they are in 3x4 format or 4x6 format.  Here you will find the trendy stencil templates I've been seeing.

3.  Facebook:  Facebook itself has many cute pictures and sayings that are easily printable from your computer.  Click on the picture, hit save as, save to your target directory, Print onnice cardstock or photo paper and you have an instant Filler card (a card to fill int he empty spaces).

4.  Magazine publishers:  Creating Keepsakes website often has quotes, titles and journal spots that are also easily printable.  Check back often, they have great ideas in the gallery as well. 

I wish you many hours of creating memories with your loved ones, and less hours trying to document them.  In the end, what good is that Scrabble sticker you are hoarding, if you never actually have the time to play it.

 My best wishes, for a productive Project Life.

S.

First Tilda card by Magnolia Stamps: A lesson in patience...

I guess I should subtitle this as to Copic or not to Copic, that is the question. 

I received a free Tilda stamp from Magnolia magazine a current favorite of mine, however, I have never understood the fascination with the Tilda and Edwin series.  I don't know why and I often felt attacked when I stated that, and I really really wanted to like them even if only because of the beautiful creations produced from this uniquely cute but ugly stamps!  There I said it, they're so ugly they're cute!   But once I got my hand on one, (dare I confess this?), I colored and stamped her multiple times, and even loved it!

I made Tilda in my own caramel colored likeness, I thought she needed a little color to differentiate her from her often pinkish look as seen on most cards but truth be told, I just couldn't get the colors right.  Something that made me wonder was "Why go through all of this work?"

What discouraged me most as a 6 Copic marker owning scrapper was the amount of colors you needed as per the many Copic Tilda videos I watched on Youtube New Years day, it was overwhelming!  After a very full cart on A Cherry On Top.com, a personal favorite, I had to make some choices, college tuition or Copics, I chose the daughters college tuition!   Ha!   I delved into my Distress Markers and played around with it a bit.   What you see in the above drawing is a result of the outlining primarily done in Distress Markers,  while the red and green colors in her outfit were done primarily with Copic and the shading with the Distress Markers  as well.

 

If you look at the above picture you can see that her leggings are a little bit off as I tried to copy some of the techniques from Youtube, but, I wasn't satisfied because the distress markers seemed to pill my Stamping UP white stamping cardstock, which is usually an optimal stamping cardstock.  

 

In the end, I did the best I could with my first try. 
To the left of it I added some Melissa Frances trim, some Making Memories gold fiber and a generic craft store rose.   I like the balance of the two flowers.

On the top right you will notice that the graying/shadowing I tried to create from one of the tutorials was a miserable fail and I had to eventually cover it with a photo corner. 

My final thought after having finished it on some Tim Holtz Christmas papers is that I will give it another try and will attempt to use only the Copic Markers since  the shading needed for the "Magnolia style".  The Distress Markers just don't allow for that kind of blending without destroying your paper.  Or at least I haven't had success with it.   I ordered a couple of other Magnolia's and some Sugar Nellie's my favorites, and I will update you as to my failure or success with them. 

Until then, lots of crafting love into the blogosphere!

Material's Used:

Tilda - Magnolia free stamp from the Magnolia magazine out this month.
Tim Holtz Holiday Stack
Bazzill Card Stock
Cricut Gigantic Flowers
Recollections Bling
Making Memories Fibers
Melissa Frances Trims

Updated Swap News....

Hi ya ladies,  we are now at six people!   
` See below for the following months:

January:    Diana Hawkins

February:  Salima

March:      Ines Rivera

April:         Ines Rivera


May:         Christine Rodriguez


June:        Lillian Rosario

July:         Rosemarie 


August:    Christine Rodriguez

September:  Diana Hawkins

October:       Lillian Rosario

November:     Rosemarie 

December:    Salima

I recommend not starting til Sunday in case we get more takers in that case we will only have to do one month.  Thanks for your understanding.  If you have any questions let me know!   


If you have a cutter machine, I'm attaching some SVG flourishes for your cutting enjoyment later on this week!    These are not originally mine, all credit goes to the author in the file and are not for sale according to CCC.

Happy Scrappy thoughts!

Salima.

2013 Swap Challenge!

Happy holidays to you all in the paper crafting world!  Since I've last posted we've been quite busy here in New York with more sever weather and busy with the holidays.  This year  I took my time learning a new skill;  baking!  I've known how to bake a decent sugar cookie for quite some time and I can sometimes make an above average apple pie with said sugar cookie dough crust, but I baked things I hadn't before.  I made a perfect yellow cake batter for the Christmas trees in my holiday treat tins and I made my very first yule log!  All documented in pictures to scrap and post soon!

After having participated in one of the most rewarding holiday title swaps at swappinscraps.blogspot.com hosted by a dear friend, I decided it was time to venture into the world of swapping myself!   I am so happy to announce my very first Iheartscraps swap. 

The project life swaps and title swaps I've participated in have been challenging and rewarding, but most of all, extremely practical.   I look forward to being able to use a finished product made by a fellow crafter and not just another manufacturer, but someone who took the time to choose the papers carefully, the embellishments and who put the love of crafting into it.  I would like to offer the same to my fellow crafting friends. 

For my very first swap, I would like to introduce an 8x8 Mini Calendar book swap.   I need at least 6 people to sign up and take 2 months.   If we can find 12 people to do just one of the months that would be spectacular.   The concept is that each person will create 2 8x8" layouts for 2 months.  I will be creating the covers for all of the mini books because as many of you know I loooove looove looove making book covers!   I will in addition sign up for as many months as we need.   With that being said, I was thinking that a date of February 15th would be good because we give ourselves time to get over the holiday craze as well as treating our fellow crafting sisters to a post Valentines gift!

The sign ups and more details will be posted below!   Can't wait to see all of your crafty genius!

Swap #1

2013 Mini book

Wouldn't it be great to have the years layouts planned out, without being bogged down with all of that work?  Lets get together and get our mini books done so that we can spend less time planning and getting bogged down in the infinite number of layouts we didn't accomplish.   I know personally, I would love to have a pre-planned page for me to add pictures to!   Get out those cricuts ladies, dust off those svg cutters, and get to using some of those hoarded, ehem, I meant collected supplies!  

Sign up dates:   January 6, 2013

Due date:        February 15, 2013 to me by mail or in person. 

Return date:   February 22, 2013  to you by mail or in person

Format:             8"x8"  square or scalloped edged pages.

                           Circles will be more challenging to bind together.     

                     

Please allow enough space  on the left hand side for it to be bound by me with the cinch.  If you would rather it hole punched please let us know before we all start so that we can make arrangements for your page.

Description

Create a calendar page for the month.  Wouldn't it be great to have the years layouts planned out, without being bogged down with all of that work?  Lets get together and get our mini books done so that we can spend less time planning and getting bogged down in the infinite number of layouts we didn't accomplish.   I know personally, I would love to have a pre-planned page for me to add pictures to!   Get out those cricuts ladies, dust off those svg cutters, and get to using some of those hoarded, ehem, I meant collected supplies!  

Sign up dates:   January 6, 2013

Due date:        February 15, 2013 to me by mail or in person. 

Return date:   February 22, 2013  to you by mail or in person

Format:             8"x8"  square or scalloped edged pages.

                           Circles will be more challenging to bind together.     

                     

Please allow enough space  on the left hand side for it to be bound by me with the cinch.  If you would rather it hole punched please let us know before we all start so that we can make arrangements for your page.

Description

Create a calendar page for the month or months you sign up for.

Calendar page must include

- Title at least an inch tall.

- Title must be easily visible on the page.

- At least one embellishment

- At least one set of card stock and patterned paper.  The patterned paper can be stamped background if you choose.

- At least a fiber or interactive item on the page, doesn't have to be both!  You can choose I thought it would be fun and challenging to add an interactive item to the mix.

-Event related, but not necessarily religious.   For example you don't have to only do New Year for January, you can also do Martin Luther King Day, National Soup Month, or National Hobby month with the Title of the month as well.  This is especially great, if you have a connection with one of the items.  Think outside the box and lets see how much fun we can conjure up!

This should be a lot of fun and can't wait to see what we all come up with!   

 If you have any questions you can email me at iheartscraps@gmail.com or FB me at the same email address.

h or months you sign up for.

Calendar page must include

- Title at least an inch tall.

- Title must be easily visible on the page.

- At least one embellishment

- At least one set of card stock and patterned paper.  The patterned paper can be stamped background if you choose.

- At least a fiber or interactive item on the page, doesn't have to be both!  You can choose I thought it would be fun and challenging to add an interactive item to the mix.

-Event related, but not necessarily religious.   For example you don't have to only do New Year for January, you can also do Martin Luther King Day, National Soup Month, or National Hobby month with the Title of the month as well.  This is especially great, if you have a connection with one of the items.  Think outside the box and lets see how much fun we can conjure up!

This should be a lot of fun and can't wait to see what we all come up with!   

 If you have any questions you can email me at iheartscraps@gmail.com or FB me at the same email address.

Can't wait! 

Sign ups:

January -
February - Salima
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November-
December-   Salima

I chose those months but am willing to switch with anyone who needs to!  If you need any help, I posted a video on youtube of a mini book I've done in the past with lots of embellishments and pattern paper mixing.   Its under iheartscraps. 


Happy Scrapping!
Salima.

healing one swap at a time.....

Zen.  Peace.  Tranquility.  Salaam.  Paz.  or Peace, any way you say it, the feeling is all the same.  

I learned in the last 10 months how healing art is and how important it is to step back from the stress, breathe, sit at your craft table and use ordinary pieces around you, to create your own world, one scrap at a time.  

Last December, I found myself in the Emergency room with a dangerously low heart rate on the day of one of my friend's 40th birthday.  I almost didn't go.  I almost didn't want to succumb to the heart pain, the hours waiting in the ER and putting others out;  namely my husband, for little old me, but I did, and boy am I glad I did.  

What came to follow was a never ending round of tests, incessant doctor's appointments, and new issues developing.   What remained the constant in my life was the art of paper crafting. 

The doctor insisted I lose 40lbs as soon as possible to combat the increasing medical issues.   I bought myself a Smash Journal, as any good paper crafter would do to document the journey.  What I found was the solace the crafting left behind.  Out of the bedroom went unnecessary items and in its place was a designed and constructed new Scrap area for the best friend a girl could have.

In my new found healthy lifestyle, I found that I had to force myself to stop and do something creative between work and chores at home, and that's where the Swapping began. 

The swaps were not only a great opportunity to see people's work that I admired greatly, but it gave me the opportunity to stop, breathe, and create sometimes for only a few minutes at a time while a chicken roasted, dishes washed, laundry dried and papers waited for grading, but I did it.  What I found in the process of deciding what I would do for each swap, picking out papers, and inking some edges, was healing.

One swap at a time. 
 

So Thankful For You, Gratitude Project Life Swap

Halloween Project Life Swap

Create Banner Swap

So thankful for you  Project Life card for Swapping Scraps FB Group made from DCVW Mariposa Paper, Bazill Cardstock,  Martha Stewart Border Punch,  Prima Wooden Flowers, Twine, liquid crystal and journaling paper.

Halloween Project Life card for Swapping Scraps FB Group made from recycled Making Memories packaging, Cricut "A child's year",  Twine,  Stazon Inks,  Recollections Clips, Dylusions Inks Sprays, Black Pearls (unknown manufacturer.

"A"  Banner Swap:   Acrylic ATC, w/  Acrylic butterfly made from recycled acrylic packaging,  Cricut Storybook cartridge for frame and letters,  Cuttlebug Chevron embossing folder,  plastic flower embellishment ribbon, Ranger white paint dauber,  Black Stazon, Tim Holtz Rock Candy on small yellow A. 

Its all in the process......and homemade garlands.

I realized while making Christmas ornaments, that for me, its much more than the items themselves, but the process of creating them that brings me the most joy. Who doesn't love a finished product, or the supplies or lets face it the smell of the glue? But I, I revel in the little minutia of the cutting, the sorting through papers, the inking many many edges. Why not? How many opportunities in life do we get to relive Kindergarten again, not many, so I am going to live my passion, cutting, inking, and gluing till my little fingers fall off!

My friends know me by my passion for crafting but also crafting with recycled materials. I love knowing that I kept something out of the landfill, and was able to use it in an artistic way.

This ribbon garland came out of a "necessity is the mother of all inventions" type of moment. Limited funds is a commonality right now, but it doesn't need to spur limited creativity! I went into the local house stores only to find that their garlands were unnecessarily expensive and far from my simple tastes. Having left frustrated I happened upon some strips of fabric in my scrapbook area that I was saving for ribbon flowers. I started tearing and stripping and pulled out the jewelery wire, in no time and 11' later, I had a beautiful, unique garland that is truly Salima-like in every way: colorful, cheerful and simple.


Hope you enjoy!!!