Silhouette PixScan

As soon as Silhouette America launched the PixScan I knew I had to have it. I absolutely love buying new stamp sets, but absolutely hated having to buy a more expensive matching die set for every stamp set I buy. The PixScan mat really helps me because now I do not have to have dies for every stamp set I have. Below is a wedding card I made using WPlus9 Fresh Cut Wreaths. I am incredibly happy with how well the Silhouette Cameo worked with the PixScan mat!

I've read on some posts on Instgram that some people are having issues calibrating their mats, or something of the sort, with their machines. I had absolutely zero issues. It worked perfectly the first time I went to use it. My iPhone 5s worked seamlessly with the program. Plus with iCloud Photostream for Apple Products, I didn't even have to connect my iPhone to my iMac to download the photo for the PixScan mat! I highly recommend this mat to everyone with a Silhouette product!!!

Silhouette Cameo

Stamp Set: WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Wreath

Ink: Hero Arts Grape Juice, Hero Arts Soft Purple, Hero Arts Silver

Sketch Challenge #237

Recently I bought the new Lawn Fawn Sweater Weather 6x6 paper pad. I absolutely love Lawn Fawn EVERYTHING as it is all so adorable and easy to use in projects. Here is the first card I've got around to making with my new pad. 

Paper: Lawn Fawn Sweater Weather

Silhouette Cameo for leaf cuts 

Sketch Challenge #240

It's hard to believe that it is already time to start on Christmas cards, so that when December hits, it isn't a mad house. Today I used Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge #240 to get started. 

Almost all supplies were from the 
December 2013 Card Kit 
from Simon Says Stamp
Patterned papers are Doodlebug

OWH Sketch Challenge #238

With 2 weddings coming up this next weekend, I looked to the Operation Write Home sketches to find inspiration for a layout. Here is what I came up with for Sketch Challenge #238. 

Ink: Hero Arts Shadow Ink - Grape Juice

Sequins: Neat and Tangled 

Stamp Set: Lawn Fawn - So Much To Say

Paper: Various scraps & Doodlebug 

Fourth of July

This card was made for the weekly Silhouette Blog challenge. I am sending it to my husband over seas! I used a combination of Lawn Fawn star stamps, a Hero Arts stamp set for the sentiment, and the 3D bow with stickels on it!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Today when I woke up, I spent my normal 20 minutes checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Nearly every time I log into Pinterest I see posts about "freezer meals for a month for $100" or other things along those lines. I was never too inspired by them until today. As I'm laying in bed with no plans prior to work, I thought to myself, I could do that. Sure enough I work up and started planning. The pin that I went off of had shopping lists, recipes, and a ton of other resources for first timers. I printed off everything she said to print off and went to the grocery store. I spent an hour gathering the copious amount of supplies that the list had, and let me tell you, I felt awesome going through the checkout line with 11 onions and 8 zucchinis. My grocery bill was exactly $97.97. I did grab a few other things we needed from around the house but not many. To begin with, this is already about $20-50 less than our trips to the grocery store.

Anyways, once I got home I organized everything on my counter and went to work.

I started with labeling my gallon ziploc baggies for what the meal was inside and the date. The recipes on the website all yielded services of 5-8 and because it's just my husband and I, I decided to split everything in half. Hopefully this works okay, I guess I'll find out as I make them all. In the end I spent about two hours cutting everything up. My hands hurt and won't stop shaking. It's definitely an uncomfortable feeling, however, it excites me to know that I have twenty meals in my freezer right now that require zero preparation other than putting them in a crockpot when I want to eat them.

 I am pretty darn excited and proud of myself. I hope this post inspires some of you to try this out! I'll report back more information once I've had an opportunity to try out some of the meals. My plan is, if it all works out well, to use my own crockpot cookbook and create my own lists and recipes (not all of them on the initial website are ones I'd like to eat over and over again).

Holiday Spirit!

Today I got around to cutting out some paper bows for my Christmas tree with my Silhouette Cameo. I saw this idea on Instagram and knew I had to copy it. I used this bow from the Silhouette Online Store. Although it's just a simple bow, I think it adds just enough femininity to the tree. I just love it!