A Crafty Soiree #36 & A Thank You

Before we get started, since this is my first time back since Monday's annoucement, I'd like to thank my readers for their support and condolences after I shared a college sorority sister passed away over the weekend.  I attended the viewing and it was very comforting to see and visit with my other sisters and share memories we each had of times with Dianna.  It was definitely very tragic, she was only 33 and a vibrant person full of personality.  I think we are all still reeling from the shock of it all, she was a very private person and only a handful of people even knew she was sick.  Finding all your comments along with thoughts and prayers in my inbox when I returned really meant a lot. 

While the week started on a very sad note indeed, it was followed almost immediately by one of the happiest events...the birth of a new baby boy!  Not mine, not yet ☺, but the first child of my younger Godbrother Micheal and his wife Jessica.  They welcomed an adorable sweet new love, Benjamin Michael on Monday.   This week I noticed that three party goers shared handmade stuffed animal projects that I thought were the cutest!  I've tried my hand at handmade softies myself, with varying results but all of these are very gift worthy indeed!

Over at Karima's Crafts you'll find a tutorial on how to make one of these handmade owls.  Her daughters even made their own, looks like a fun beginner hand sewing activity.

At Muffins & More, a white unicorn one with a pink horn and a green saddle was requested from the Easter bunny.  I'd say that's one bunny that really came through!  You'll have to visit Ms. Muffin's blog to read the cute bit about what her daughter had to say when she got it.

And if you're not much of a sewer but still want to give handmade, Morela at My View-Finder has made this delightful Prarie Doll Laura.  I loved that series, I still have all mine in fact, and the bonnet is so sweet!  She sells this doll and others, like a really cute puppy, through Etsy.
<a href="http://www.katiesnestingspot.com/" target="_blank"><img width="150" border="0" alt="A Crafty Soiree" src="http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv157/KTnestingspot/Blog%20Buttons/FeaturedOnBlueButtoncopy.jpg" /></a>Ladies, for being our features this week, we're happy to offer you our special Crafty Soiree Ribbon! It's yours to proudly display! Don't forget to check out today's Crafty Soiree post at Yesterday on Tuesday, we both pick three participants to feature each week so you might have been featured by Malia. But you'll have to visit her to find out! <a href="http://www.katiesnestingspot.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img width="150" border="0" alt="Katie's Nesting Spot" src="http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv157/KTnestingspot/Blog%20Buttons/KatiesNestingSpotButtoncopy.jpg" /></a>Now it's your turn to link up! The linky will be open for a week, so you have plenty of time to join us! Here are some guidelines for our guests:

• Link up your creative projects! Crafts, Kid Crafts, Decor, Recipes, Sewing and Organizing tips are are welcome.
• Add up to FOUR links to share, you can link up projects from your archives, but please make sure it's not something you've previously linked up to A Crafty Soiree AND you add a link back to the party!
• Add your links to the specific posts and not your blog's homepage.
• Add my Crafty Soiree button above or link back to me in your posts, so others can find us and join in!
• Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All partygoers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
• Please consider following the hostesses, me and Malia, we want to get to know our guests.
• Most importantly... enjoy yourself and have fun!

Don't forget, A Crafty Soiree is hosted on two blogs, so when you link up on one your link will automatically show up on the other one too! Please note, by linking up to A Crafty Soiree, you're giving permission to feature your project and photos in the future, with proper credit of course☺

In Memory of Dianna

I have some sad news to share, I've learned on Sunday that my friend and sorority sister lost her two year battle with breast cancer.  She was just 33 years old.  In honor of her memory, I will be observing a few days of silence on the blog.  Be back on Thursday with A Crafty Soiree, after the wake and funeral.

Scrapbook Pages: Silly Fun

My favorite memories to scrap are always the fun little moments in life.  Recently I've caught up on four of those times, starting with the first this classic moment I think most of us experience with our kid, pasta face!  These pictures always bring a smile to my face and I think the bright energetic colors of the supplies enhance the mood of this mealtime. 

The back of our couch has seen better days, to camouflage it and add some color I like to hang blankets over the back.  They've provided the added benefit of hours of fun for ER.  Over the years she's played Peek-A-Boo in it, turned it into a tent, and put babies in the folded part calling it their cradle.

The supplies for this page are outside of my norm, but using a paper pad complete with sticker alphabet and die cuts made this easy to assemble.  I used paper strips to get a little bit of my own handwriting on the page, something I'm always trying to do more often.

I don't know about your kiddos, but I suspect they're like ER and have a talent for turning anything into a toy.  She still likes to play with our laundry basket, and yes it does still end up on her head from time to time!  It's also been a sled for her babies and a row boat too, aren't imaginations great?

While these pictures on a whole aren't very good, they're dark and blurry they do the trick for me and bring back memories of her little voice singing as she danced around the kitchen.  I used strawberry paper because her tank top and shorts both have the berries on it.  I think the bright colors compensate for the darker ones in the photos.  Another fun touch are the glittery chipboard letters and epoxy charm. 

The last page I just finished over the weekend, these pictures of ER wearing my slipper socks have long stumped me.  I found the inspiration for it, inside of Wendy Smedley's recent book Start Scrapbooking, a library check out.  I highly recommend it, it's got great basics and the designs have clean lines.  It's also a fun one to peruse even if you've been papercrafting awhile, I found many things to sticky note!

Shared At: Craft-O-Maniac, Making the World Cuter, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Embellishing Life, Skip to My Lou,

Supplies: Pasta Face: Doodlebug Design, Peek-a-Boo: K&Company, Silly Fun: Colorbok and K&Co, Sock Girl: 3 Bugs in a Rug, Jolee's Boutique, other.