Ready Set Create Dec/Jan issue

Just sharing my publications from Ready Set Create Dec/Jan issue. You can still buy this issue from Ready Set Create and it has more than just Holiday items in it, in fact the holiday section is a small part of this issue! Lots of inspiration to be had. I had this paper bag book in the color combo section.

Of course there are some holiday items and I submitted a few to Jen and she published just about everything I emailed her ;) Love it when that happens! First up for the holidays is this tree ornament I made :)

All products by one heart... one mind

Then onto the holiday cards! You know I am all about the cards. Nice and simple for the first card this issue. Just let the paper do the talking.

Supplies: Cardstock & Stickers : DCWV; Paper: Creative Imaginations & Flair; Rub-ons: JoAnns.

Then one card I really liked that I made this year in my marathon "get all my England cards sent early" creative surge. I love the design on this one. Used it before but love how this one looks with the rub-on stitching too.

Supplies: Cardstock: DCWV; Paper: Creative Imaginations; Epoxy: Hallmark; Rub-ons: one heart... one mind.

Then a couple of older cards I still had in my stash that I figured I'd submit also (remember even in projects are older, submit them anyway! You never know what the editors are looking for).

Supplies: Cardstock: DCWV; Paper, chipboard & sticker: Scrapworks.

And finally another older card, with lots of bling on the chipboard. I love the Scrapworks blingy chipboard. Glitter gets everywhere, but it's growing on me.

Supplies: Cardstock: DCWV; Paper &chipboard: Scrapworks.

So that's my projects from the current issue of Ready Set Create. Don't forget to check out the RSC blog to purchase your copy. Over 200 pages of inspiration!

Di

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Workout Wednesday

Time for another edition of

As I mentioned last week it's a weekly round-up of my posts from my fitness blog, workoutwithdi.com so here is this weeks recap:

too much choice zaps energy levels

healthy fats can lower cholesterol

Happy Holidays

Christmas dinner calorie countdown

5 healthy tips for the holidays

don't sign up for that gym membership yet!

Remember to stop by the fitness blog for health & fitness updates, articles, workout tips and more! I have LOTS planned in the New Year including video's, reviews and so much more!

Di

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deck the halls

"With boughs of holly".... Yep you're going to be singing that all day now! I can't believe that Christmas is done! Time to move onto the new year! Anyway I thought today I'd share a card I made recently using some TLC products. I used the TLC products on a project before and had some pieces left over so figured I'd create some cards.

Supplies: Paper, Cardstock & Chipboard: TLC; Ribbon: JoAnns; Rub-on: one heart... one mind;

Hope you had a great christmas!!!

Di

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Crafty Inspiration

More crafty inspiration from around the Web

Sprik Space has this printable available on her blog. Year at a glance calendar for 2011. Time appropriate! The calendar is 5x7 and available in assorted colors, check out the blog for more details.

Snickerdoodle shares with us these homemade plant markers made from spoons. I love repurposing items and these look easy enough to make. Leftover spoons can be found at thrift stores and garage sales if you don't have enough laying around the house!

Suzannah from Adventures in Dressmaking shares a little how-to on taking in an oversize sweater. I thought this one would be appropriate for all those wanting to lose weight in the New Year! Instead of buying new clothes, alter then ones you have!

I am LOVING this sweater refashion from Polka Dots and Pizza! It's a quick no-sew project and such a great idea for those slightly baggy tops that are losing their shape! Check out a full how-to on the Polka Dots and pizza blog

Etsy Inspiration - More handmade inspiration from Etsy this week.

As I am now teaching yoga/piyo I find myself drawn to all things yoga including this Namaste pendant from Jersey608. Lots of great jewelry in her store!

Enjoy!

Di

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Holiday Magic

Happy Christmas everyone! I decided to post today, then take tomorrow off from blogging so I could get some "family time". Today I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and share with you a holiday card I made recently.

Supplies: Ink: CTMH; Stamp: Fiskars; Paper & Chipboard: TLC

See you on Sunday!

Di

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Workout Wednesday

New feature on this blog will be a weekly round-up post of all the goings on at my new health & fitness website WorkOut with Di. Each week I'll just post a small recap of posts and topics that I covered on my fitness blog, links to any videos, and a quick facebook/twitter plug.

If you are looking to lose weight in the New Year, get in shape, get healthier, get fitter and simply just get moving then check out WorkOut with Di! Posts will be packed with inspiration, motivation, workouts, exercise info, nutrition, healthy recipes and so much more!

What the Biggest loser finale tells us about weight loss
Biggest Loser Finale - season 10
Coming Soon

Make 2011 the year you commit to get fit!

Di

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fa la la la la...

Christmas is almost here! I don't know about you but, for me, it only seems two minutes since it was last Christmas. This is my second card using TLC products, I have one more to share on Christmas Eve and then that paper is DONE! Whoohoo! I love using up product in my stash :)

Supplies: Cardstock & Paper: TLC; Ribbon: Offray; Rub-On: one heart... one mind; Epoxy: Misc

I'll still be posting throughout the holiday season, but I am taking Christmas day off so no post from me that day. I'm guessing we'll all be a little busy that day though ;) Happy Holidays!

Di

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Crafty Inspirations

This week is the "oh heck Christmas is almost here" edition of crafty round-up from the web...

Delightful Order shares this quick gift idea for coffee lovers. I love quick and easy gifts and this one looks super easy to put together! Check it out Delightful Order blog.

Really hoping in the New Year that I get time to do a few more crafty projects, including crochet/knitting again. I love this little Rudolph crocheted by Amieggs too fun, so cute!

Stuck for a last minute gift? Printables are the way to go! Simply print these Naughty/Nice coupons from while he was napping for a quick and easy gift that costs nothing!

I've shared my wine charms on my blog before before I love this little twisty idea from ectetorize! Very cool right? And so festive! Perfect for those holiday parties!

Remember to share any projects you've made recently in the comments  below and they may get selected to be featured here in the Weekly crafty round up!

Happy crafting!

Di

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Birthday recap

Family keep asking me what I got for my birthday so I figure I'd just do a blog post with the details of my Birthday gifts. I'm including a few things I got recently that weren't strictly birthday presents but as I received them around my birthday we're counting them as "birthday fun". So in no particular order here are things I've been given recently:

Canon PowerShot SD1300IS 12 MP Digital Camera

I'll be the first in line to say I LOVE my digital SLR BUT as everyday camera's they have one major drawback - they are bulky! We'd bought a smaller digital camera a year or so ago but weren't happy with it overall. Sure it was small but it was SLOW. Seriously between shots it would take forever to be ready again, not good! So we purchased this camera and though I haven't put it through it's paces properly yet, so far I am loving it! It has everything you need in a small pocket camera: it's small, it does macro/landscape, timer, option to turn off flash, lots of megapixels, zoom, and more. I've taken a few photo's with it already and very happy with it so far, but look for a full review of Canon PowerShot coming soon! Though I have to say for under $110 you can't go wrong really!

Motorola T325 Bluetooth Portable Car Speaker

I mentioned recently that I got upgraded from my iPhone 3G to an iPhone 4. I love the iPhone 4 and all it's features but still had one problem - driving. Here in California like it is in many parts of the US and indeed the world now it's illegal to drive using a phone without a handsfree device. I'd tried the little earpiece things but honestly they suck.

1. They are never charged when you need to use them;
2. They are small, so small that you lose them, even in the small area of a car;
3. if you are like me, they just never fit right. I admit I have the same problem with most earbuds for the iPod (though I have found some that fit GREAT, will share details soon!);

So what to do? Well as usual Bob bought one of these Motorola Bluetooth Portable Car Speaker to try and we loved them, so he got me one for my car. Basically it's a little speaker device that fits onto your sun visor, it turns on AUTOMATICALLY when your phone is in range, so you don't need to do anything when you get in your car. It has voice calling, tap the button once, wait for the beep then say "call: Bob Hickman" and it does it all for you! Awesomeness! Love it! I hope to do a video review of these cos they are SO COOL! We also recommended them to one of our friends and he bought one too. Seriously, so much better than the little ear piece things!

Philips Sonicare Power Toothbrush

 

I'll admit it's not the sexiest of gifts, but sometimes practical is the order of the day right? Bob recently got one of these and has been raving about it and said I needed one. Now before you chip in that all we needed are extra Replacement Brush Heads, yes that would be great but as we have 2 bathrooms we each use a bathroom for our personal hygiene needs so we just opted to get another whole unit. After using  the Philips Sonicare Power Toothbrush for a few days I have to say that compared to the Oral-B Electric Power Toothbrush it's AMAZING. My teeth feel so much cleaner. I will say the vibrating gets some getting used to but the new unit starts slow and gets stronger each time you use it, though it still tends to tickle my tongue a little, lol. Definitely recommend this, as does our dentist, which was the reason Bob switched in the first place.



What else? I got new wiper blade for my car, oh the excitement! Oh we  also went shopping and I bought some new underwear, but I really don't think it's appropriate sharing that on my blog ;)

Chat soon!


Di

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Post birthday celebrations

Yesterday was my birthday and tonight we'll be going out to celebrate some more! A couple we know well, the wife has her birthday on the 18th so each year we go out all four of us to celebrate. Tonight seems apt as it's the day after m birthday and the day before hers. Plus Saturday we can't make it as we have a housewarming party to attend. Busy time of year December!!!

Just decided to continue my birthday celebrating and share a card I made recently with the November card sentiment freebie. I made a few cards with that freebie that I'll be sharing over the next few weeks!

Supplies: Sentiment freebie; Cardstock & Paper: EK Success;

Just to get you all running around like headless chickens - ONE WEEK TILL CHRISTMAS!

Enjoy your day!

Di

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Happy Birthday to me!

Yep today I get to enter the last year of my 30's, by celebrating my 39th birthday. I have a project that I am doing throughout this year to commemorate this momentous year, but I can't share it yet as it's for Scrapbooking.com January edition, so you'll have to wait a little longer to see that. *check back January!*

Today I'll be mostly eating a lot, and shopping. Bob is off work so we get to spend the day together :) Thanks to family and friends for all the Birthday cards, and birthday wishes, love you all!

Di

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Holiday Gift Ideas - Craft Edition

Ok so here it is, crafty gift ideas for the holidays! I've been scrapbooking and crafting for almost a decade now and I own so many tools and supplies it's not even funny, so I figured I'd share my favorite products, wishlist supplies, and more. Remember ladies the trick is to leave this blog open on your computer browser "accidentally" whilst you know your significant other is looking. Or just email them the link ;) Prices vary from $10 upwards!

Magazine subscription

I've read almost every craft magazine out there and my favorite used to be Simple Scrapbooks (yep I still miss it!), now though I have to say that Scrapbooks Etc. has filled the gap for me. I just love that it's not just scrapbooking, but cards and other crafts. I also like Paper Crafts for that reason but feel I love magazine subscriptions as they a gift that continues giving all year round. covers more styles, and is just a tad more inspirational, for me anyways. I love magazine subscriptions as they a gift that continues giving all year round.

ATG Gun

By far one of the BEST products I ever bought for my crafting was my ATG gun. My friend Nancy recommended this to me and I LOVE it. Really makes crafting quick! I got the Scotch ATG714 Adhesive Applicator in 1/4" width (shown to left) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this thing! Seriously if you don't have one, you need one! IMO these things are MUST HAVES for all Scrapbookers. The adhesive is super strong too! Plus I get through about 10-12 refills rolls a year which is a GREAT DEAL cheaper than the rolls of tape than I was using previously!

Better Printer

I can't stress enough that I LOVE printing my photo's from home. I am very much a "go with the layout as it happens" person and I don't plan ahead the layouts I am going to scrapbook. As such the convenience of being able to print at home is important for me. Recently I got the opportunity to try a Wide Format Printer and OMG I am in LOVE. Really a decent printer to print at home would go a LONG way to helping out any scrapbooker! I'll be doing a full blog  post review of this printer soon but so far, I love it! The quality is better than most processing places!


Camera upgrades

I know we can't all afford an SLR Camera but really look at the camera your Scrapbooker is using and see if there is at least an upgrade. Even so the SLR Camera's are really coming down in price now, so it may be in your budget if you can stretch it a little? Even if you can't upgrade how about a new lens, bag, tripod or some other cameraGadget?

Albums

We all have our personal favorite brands and supplies, and I thought I'd share my transition regarding albums. When I first started scrapbooking I used the Pioneer Postbound Albums, great albums but what I found was that I'm not a chronological scrapbooker, I prefer to just go with the flow and see where the mood took me. A lot of that was a learning experience and working through "Big Picture Scrapbooking" book. In that Stacy Julian shared that she used the American Crafts D-Ring Album (So does Cathy Zeilske!) and so I bought one and I LOVE these albums! D-ring are just the way for me. I can combine page sizes too! Definitely LOVE these albums and recommend them!


Die Cutter

Everyone will have their opinion on die cutters but they are definitely here to stay. I still have my Sizzix, and sizzlet converter but use my Craft Robo more than that. Honestly when  the electronic cutters came out I knew the Craft Robo was more my style as I want to design my own stuff and not rely on cartridges like you do with the Cricut. Either way though whatever the product, most scrapbookers would love the option these products give.

Scrapbook Kits

You can buy one off kits for Scrapbooking from many suppliers now, the whole kit and kaboodle in one package all perfectly coordinated. Scrapbook Kits are also great for newbies to Scrapbooking as everything is contained in one kit, quick and easy! Combined with an album (see above) you are set for the perfect gift. If you are looking to spend a little more than $10-20 then how about giving a kit subscription? There are tons of kit clubs online just do a google search for Scrapbook kits.

Idea Books

I love Scrapbooking books, and books are always a good gift idea. My favorites include Page Maps, Scrapbook Page Maps 2, Scrapbooking Made Easy, Books by Ali Edwards, Books by Cathy Zielske (my ultimate favorites),, Books by Donna Downey and also The Big Picture

Stamps

I think every Scrapbookers  first epiphany is when the discover that Stampsare actually really good value, as long as you purchase wisely! My favorites are for Alphabet and sentiment stamps. Whether you love the santa on a surfboard or just plain alphabets stamping has something for everyone. They can make projects quick and easy, or you can get technical and delve into the stamping techniques. Stamps are a tool that will grow with you as you dive further into crafting.

Anything

Seriously we crafters are NOT fussy! If you buy us a DCWV paper stack we'll be happy! Remember just about all of us love adhesive, brads, paper, and anything pretty! I am so not a glitter person IRL but love it on cards! Same with rhinestones! Put together you're own gift package, or just see what's on sale at your local scrapbook store. Maybe even sign up the recipient for classes?

Basically we'll grateful for anything :)

Di

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