Valentines Heart Mini Album

Valentines Heart Mini Album

Hi all,  

Here is my Valentines Heart Mini Album.  My intent when I started designing the book was for it to look like a box of chocolates.  You know the kind that your husband is supposed to give you for Valentines,  I think I've gotten one over the years of our marriage,  I prefer flowers for sure, and that is why I added the flowers to the front cover of the album.  Photos and flowers, that is what brings great joy to my life!  Photos of my family I might add.

Here is a close up of the flowers, they are made with flower punches, I have 3 different flower shapes that I have used, one also from Heartfelt Creations Stamp and Die sets. I distress each flower using a small stamp pad, with these flowers I used a pink and a red stamp pad.  I then spray each flower after it is punched with water from a spray bottle and crunch it in my hands.  Then I assemble the flower, gluing about 4-5 punched flowers in a stack, staggering the petals, and crunch them again in my hands to create this look.  I added dew drops, and tear drops to form the shape of  a heart, and tucked them in around the arrangement.  I also added a bird die cut from Spellbinders die, a tear drop for her wing, and lips cut from the glitter lips cs, a felt filigree heart, and swirled leaves.  This is what constitutes my flower arrangement on the front of the book.
I used the Glitter Valentine CS for the cover of the Album.

I cut a tag from cream paper and added the Love filigree felt word, and a heart made of 2 red tear drops.  The tag is topped with a cream ribbon tied with pink string.   The entire edge of the album cover has a fine line of glitter.

Here are the other pages of the book, some pages have journaling tags on them and glitter heart die cuts.  Others are blank to just add whatever size photo you have to the book.  The book measures about 9 inches wide.  Some pages look just as though it could be a box of chocolates.

Have a very Happy Valentines Day!

Ciao,

Robin


Products used in the album:

Wild About You Product Line

Glitter Valentine CS
Valentine Stripe CS
Glitter lips CS
Classic Roses CS
Glitter Chipboard Hearts
Glitter Red Journaling tags
Glittter Red Letters
Viva Rubon
Glitter Red Sorbet CS
Glitter Red Classic Swirl CS
Forbidden Love Dew drops
Glitter Gold Fleur
Glitter Brown Chipboard
Orange Circles Vellum
Hunter Green Glitter Dot CS
Kiwi Glitter Sorbet CS

The Pantry

For years I have just endured our pantry.  When we had the kitchen remodeled and the fronts of the cupboards redone, Dana built a pantry in the corner of the kitchen.  It was great at the time, and we could fit tons of boxes of bottled food in it.  When he built it, life was crazy, 6 kids living at home, and life was pulling me along, so I never painted it, or really organized it very well, even though you could find things in it.

Here is the pantry with all the shelves taken out, gutted, originally the sheves were the entire size of the pantry, so I could not touch the back of the pantry wall, so this is an overdue project.

This year for Christmas, I asked for the remodel of the pantry. One of my bucket list items for a long time.  This section of the house is old, very old.  We heard once that it was a house moved in from 40 miles away, and then added onto.  It has beautiful original wood floors and very crooked walls.  So to ask Dana this feat, to pull everything out and remodel the shelves was truly an act of love on his part.

On Monday afternoon this week, we started.  I had just finished painting the guest bedroom, and so Dana was ready to tackle this new project.  It took us an hour to pull everything from the shelves of the pantry, how could there possibly be so much in there.

The last shelf was cleared, and a box, which I thought for years until Monday, was filled with bottled cherries, became a treasured box of childhood memories.  I collected tea cups, which my mother and I started when I was around 12.  Each place we visited we purchased a tea cup for my collection.  Every room from then on, had a shelf built in it by my dad to showcase my tea cups.  When we moved to this house, I know I packed the tea cups, but I never could find them.  Even this year when we cleaned the top storage of our garage, I thought for sure they would show up.  But no tea cups.  And over the years I had sent the boys to the top of the garage in search of these tea cups.  But on Monday, we found them.  I unwrapped one of them, and gasped.  I KNOW what this is!!!!  How fun is this.  It has been 22 years since I have looked at them!!!  Well, they are still wrapped in newspaper in a special place for now, that will be for a day after Christmas to dedicate time to reminisce with my tea cups, and find just the right shelf for these treasures.

Back to the pantry.  The table, the floor, the hall, all full of food from the pantry and an empty pantry corner was ready to be built.  Now that it was empty, it was time for paint.  I found a old can from 15 years ago of white paint, and spackled the holes, caulked the cracks, and painted the walls before shelves were installed.  Instead of one HUGE shelf, I wanted to be able to walk into the pantry, and have shelves to organize cans of food, and quart jars of juice, tomatoes, apples, and whatever else I love to can in the summer and fall months.  I also wanted a shelf for appliances.  The best discovery of the day was..... a outlet at the bottom of the closet we forgot over the years was there.  Voila, now I can have a light and electricity in the pantry! 

Dana spent 2 days cutting shelves, measuring, and re-cutting shelves, because old houses just are not square.  By the end of Wednesday, I'm pretty sure he was not loving this project at all.  Most of the time having to re-cut boards 3-4 times to make them fit.  I painted shelves before they were installed, and after installation touched up again, and the boards that the shelves sit on were painted too.  The entire pantry was white!  And by Wednesday evening we were ready to move in.  Even this was a task in itself. 

 The new pantry, door open, light on!

 Bottom of the pantry, plastic food containers in a row labeled!

 I can actually see by rows what food in in the pantry and what needs to be replaced.

 There is room for rows of jars, which we have lots of.

My favorite shelf, the appliance shelf, there is a strip plug on the wall, so these appliances can be used on this shelf if needed.

I have been saving containers to put flour, sugar, oats, lentils, and all those bulk food items we purchase in containers the same size and look.  Thursday the labels were printed, food put in the containers, cans all found a home, and appliances placed in their new home.  It was pure joy to finish this project.  And of course it never would have happened without a loving husband willing to build it for me. 

One of the great things with the appliance shelf, is I don't have to take the toaster out of the cupboard to the counter to use, it is plugged into the new power strip Dana installed in the pantry and we just toast in the pantry.  I could even use the crock pots the same way.  It really is such a fun convienence!

Bonus to this project, Dana also reorganized and cleaned the fruit room! This project took him Thursday and most of Friday to complete, it is a pretty good size fruit room.  I didn't ask, he just did it.  Great bonus for Christmas,  I so love this man. 

Well, what do you think of my new remodeled and organized pantry.  It brings us both so much joy! 

Hugs,

Robin

Visiting Family in Colorado

Our son Jeremiah and his family live in Colorado.  Tara and him have 4 sons, and another on the way.  We decided that we would visit them the week of New Years, giving us time during school holiday to have time with the older boys.

 Making a Home Depot Gingerbread House

We helped them move to Colorado last May into their home where they are starting a new part of their lives after Jer graduating from UVU. The move was a feat all in itself, and the house they found was so nice after a year and a half in a tiny apartment.

Weston

For us to come back and see them all moved in and settled was quite fun.  Braxton loves his new big back yard, digging for treasures in the dirt is his favorite.  Weston was a newborn when they moved, so to see his growth crawling up and now down the stairs, walking around all the furniture, and opening cupboards and unloading them, just such joy for us to experience.  It was also fun to see Jeremiah with his boys.  A father interacting with his children, holding Weston when he was tired and ready for bed, while he fell asleep in his arms singing his little boy song.  It is always fun to see first hand how the children you raised love the children they are raising.  The interaction with their own children, teaching, talking, loving.

Braxton

We brought with us a fun activity to do with the older boys.  I found Star Wars snowflake templates on the internet, and we printed them out, after an hour of figuring out how to make them large enough to cut, we started our cutting activity.  A card table was set up in the living room just for our snowflakes, scissors, paper, and excitement. It really was a feat.  There are some really small parts to cut on those snowflakes, but with duo help we made these snowflakes.  I was using an exacto knife to get the eyes, ears, and mouth cut out.  Tara and Braxton were cutting partners and Porter and Tyson cut the outside edges out by themselves, and we created some fabulous snowflakes!  Porter just kept going, he even started designing his own snowflakes.  It was a hit!  We all had fun.

Tyson, Me, and Tara

Braxton, Tara, Me

Porter

Our Snowflakes

Our biggest surprise was Weston, and how much he looks like his grandpa.  I thought, mmm, he looks like him now, his eyes, his cheesy smile, the shape of his face.  But, when we arrived home, a few days later I found a framed picture of Dana as a baby, and I'm not sure there is much of Tara in that boy.  Those are very true O'Crowley genes in that boy for sure.

Dana and Weston

Weston, Dana, Braxton, Jeremiah

Dana and Jer spent most of their time together working on little things in the house, just fixing here and there.  Dana loves to have projects to do all the time.  This is just what and who he is.  So there were light fixtures changed, doorways framed, and just bonding going on.  Braxton had his little tool box out, hammer, screwdriver, helping along the way.  He too is a busy little boy, and talk!  No one can talk as much as Braxton, well it seems that way.

Weston learning to walk

We watched movies at night and were caught up on the Avengers series.  Had to see Ironman and who and what he was.  Dana and I haven't ever read the comics of these Super Heros, so it was fun to learn about these characters and their personalities and achievements.  Ahhh the love of Super Heros.

 Braxton and Weston

Braxton and Weston

I guess this is all for now,  it was a fun trip, and a great time with this O'Crowley Colorado Family.

Hugs,

Robin

Snow in my yard

Snow in My Yard

This year the snow just keeps coming, keeps giving!  I am loving it so much, even the cold is not bothering me that much. My nice feather comforter makes up for it at night.  I love this season of white, the beauty of the white that glitters in the sun, and the crunch as you walk quietly through the snow.  I love the softness of it's look, and the freshness of my face as the cold touches it in the winter months.  It just always feels so fresh and light especially after the snow has fallen.  It is such a crisp feeling, that I enjoy it while it stays.

 

Flower pots out the back door

Branches from the big Poplar tree out the back of our house.  It has given us shade for many, many years.  I love this tree.

More branches from the tree, big clump of snow on the branch.

The front of my house.  I always love how it looks in the snow, and the contrast of the white with the yellow stucco

Evening light, snow piled on top.

Our apple orchard, really Dana is my Johnny Appleseed.  I think we have enough apple trees for the entire neighborhood, but when it is time to harvest and we are making cider, I love it.  Fresh cider is the absolute best.  We didn't have any apples this year, the freeze came while they were in bloom.  Hopefully 2013 will be better.

An old metal basin by the garden

Trees in the front yard, with the lamp post.  I always love to take photos of the lamp post.

The bird bath in the garden.  I love it all year long.

The sundial in the back flower bed, I always wanted one, and it will someday be in the right direction to tell the right time.

Snow on the branches of the pine tree in our front yard.  Just in huge bunches!

My angel in my back flower bed.  She speaks to me as I look out into the garden.  She is always happy, and is so beautiful.  I feel at home when I weed around her.  She belongs here.

The wood pile by our back door.  Dana loves to get a fire going in the wood stove he built for us in the early years of our marriage.  I love the little bits of snow here and there.  I have always loved the look of a wood pile.

Well, this is home for me in the winter.  Snow, cold, and a home full of love.  I so love the winter months, and really appreciate them more after living in Africa for 2 years.  I am so happy to live where there are 4 seasons, even though snow can be cold, it warms my heart to see it, to feel it, to enjoy it.

Have a great day, and may each day of your winter be snow fun.

Hugs,

Robin



Frosty Winter 6x6 Mini Book

Frosty Winter 6x6 Mini Book

I love winter, especially when there is snow. Last year there was very little snow, so I am loving this

year alot. I'm sure Dana is not, as he does all the snow shoveling. Thank goodness for a snow blower for our huge driveway!

Here are my Polar Bears I put out for winter, and our Frosty Winter book at their feet.

This 8x8 mini book is so easy to make and such a joy to have this month.

This is a closer look at the book all put together.

I used from the Russian Winter Collection on the robinsnest-scrap.com website.

The Cardstock papers I used are Glitter Winter Snowflake CS, Glitter Snow Angels CS, Glitter Winter Words CS, Glitter Blue Journaling sheets, Snowmen, Glitter Blue Chipboard, Glitter Silver Chipboard.

This is the front cover of the book. I used the Winter word sheet and traced shapes around the words and cut them out, and behind them is a blue glitter journaling tag cut from the sheet of tags. I also used black dew drops for the buttons for the glitter snowman, solid white dew drops in frosty and the snowman clippie. I also used the blue glitter letters for the 2012, and blue glitter chipboard with a Spellbinders snowflake die for the snowflake. White diamond drops with a white dew drop in the center for the other snowflake. Alot of product is on this little front cover of this book, but snowwwww cute.

This is the second page of 8 in the book. All pages are cut the same shape for the background of the book. Another journaling tag, word from the word sheet and blue and silver chipboard snowflakes cut from Spellbinders dies. I used Blue 6mm dew drops on the icy, and black diamond drops on the snowflake, this comes from the Glacier Diamond Drops bottle.

Page 3 I used 2 journaling tags on top of each other, a Snowman, Diamond drops in blue and white from the Glacier Diamond Drops bottle, and a White dew drop.

Page 4 is created again from the same shape cut from the Glitter Winter Snowflakes CS, Snow falling is from the Winter Words Glitter CS sheet, another snowman, journaling tag, chipboard snowflakes cut from Spellbinders dies, and snowflakes made from the Glacier Diamond Drop Bottle.

Page 6 is using the same products as the other pages.

Page 7 doesn't have much room even for a small picture, unless you put it in the oval journaling tag. But I love the snowballs, I made white snowballs from the 6mm white dew drops with little dashes showing where they came from. I love the swirl, cut from chipboard and a Spellbinder die.

The Snow Angels page is so fun, I imagine the kids in the snow making these. We will be in Colorado on the 2nd of January, I hope to gets some photos of the boys there making snow angels for this book. I used the snow angel glitter CS, and words from the Winter word sheet.

The last page is Frigid for sure. I used the same Robins Nest Products you can find on our website.

This is a fun book to put instagram photos on, or just cut your regular photos to a smaller size.

The book is bound together by a blue ring, and on the ring is our sheer snowflake ribbon. Snoooow Cute for Winter.

I plan to write my feelings about snow in this book in the next few days, and share some instagram photos in it with our grandchildren in the snow.  It wil be pure joy to do this.

Hope you have enjoyed my Frosty Winter Book. You can also purchase the book as a kit from our website.

Have a fun January!

Ciao,

Robin