I finally felt like scrapping again

I loved the sketch from Sketch Inspiration (#235) this week, so I got back into my huge stack of photos from the Phoenix trip I took in June with my twin sister, Karen!!!  I totally love to scrap simply and get a lot of photos in my layout. I used some Pebbles, My Mind's Eye papers, a fun flag from Nikki Sivils, some letter brads (maybe Paper Suite from Hobby Lobby), a fun journaling spot from Pink Paislee and some stamping/inking from CTMH for this simple layout from the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. I found a fun new (to me) anything goes challenge  at CropStop, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Can't Scrapbook to Save My Life Weekend

So, I decided to make a mini book.  It is called an x-book!  It is an easy book that you make with just one sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper and then decorate! The only thing hard about making this book was the Modge Podge.  It wasn't required, but I wanted to give the book some stability!  I had embossed a cool bird and flourish image with a Cuttlebug folder over the sun before attaching it to the cover.  I was also thrilled to be able to get 9 photos on the six "pages." The book is really tiny--about 4 1/4" by 2 1/4".  I decided to use some of the many photos from the Phoenix vacation to fit The Paper Variety's challenge this week!

Phoenix - Sisters at the Desert Botanical Gardens Take 2

I realize this looks a little dark and boring in the photo, but it looks half-way decent in person!  I'm in the mood to scrap some of my many Phoenix photos from the trip my sister and I took in June, 2011.  I used Sketchy Thursday's sketch and a color challenge from Just Us Girls.  I'm using up some of my stash.  I decided to use 6 brads and some old Basic Grey paper that I've had for a long time. It is hard to tell, but I did use one of my favorite Fiskars border punchs on this, too!  And, I made a rosette out of some left over paper from Scenic Route that I used on the last layout I posted!

Thanks for visiting! It makes my day!

Phoenix - Sisters and First Day of School for Mitch

This is my twin sister and me at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens.  This was our FIRST trip that we have taken with just the two of us since we left home so many years ago that I don't even want to count!!!  I haven't played over at Artful Delight in a while, but I really loved this sketch and had some pictures that I thought would work really well with it!  I'm also entering this at Moxie Fab World's Fabulous Felt! challenge (one of the flowers) and Simon Says Stamp challenge to add bling (to the butterflies).

Oh, and here is a photo of the first day of the last year of high school for Mitch!

Thanks for visiting! Hope you are having a great weekend!

In the Mood for Orange

I made this for The Paper Variety's Challenge 38 to use two or more types! I used 4 technically.  This was made from an 8 x 10 collage I got at Walgreen's this morning.  We were at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix!  The paper and arrow are Scenic Route! The cactus was from Destinations Cricut cartridge which was then embossed and inked!  The sun is several layers of Cricut images with a fun button type thing I got at the Phoenix Scrapbook Cottage!

This is the first of many layouts to come from our Phoenix trip!!! The collage made it pretty easy to do!

Also, while you are here, look at these cuties that I recently had sent to me from some very talented ladies!  Thanks again ladies!!

1.  This beautiful clutch is from Edeenut  from her Etsy store.  Isn't it darling?  She also has some fun bags for kids!! Check her out!

and

2.  This lovely hair clip is from Maria Angelina Gonzales from her Etsy store! It is so pretty! I know someone who is getting married next year with an orange/hot pink theme. Wouldn't this look cute in the flower girl's hair??!! I'm sure Maria could customize to any color/fabric combo...

P.S. Don't forget to look at the review of my favorite Phoenix area restaurant in the post below!

And in the Category of Best Restaurant in the Phoenix Area: Engrained!

Kelly, Chef John, Karen, and the Executive Chef Jerome.

Simple, but fun!  Remember, this is on campus and part of ASU's food service program! The prices were great and the food compared to some of the finest restaurants I've tried throughout the United States.

Here I am loving the soup! AMAZING!

The Mousakka! AMAZING!

The Tilapia (which I didn't photograph well at all--the plate was gorgeous with fresh herbs!) Also AMAZING!

Fresh bread (photographed even worse). This would have been better fresh from the oven, but it was still good.

The cake! Need I say more???? AMAZING!

Ok, so I am a foodie! You can tell by looking at me that I like food, but you may not be able to tell how much I enjoy fine cuisine!  My sister and I were lucky to meet Chef John on the light rail during our recent visit to Phoenix!  He invited us out to try the restaurant Engrained (where he is a chef) located on the Arizona State University campus.  They are all about sustainability, and the dishes he described sounded great! So, we thought we’d be adventurous and head out on the light rail which took us all the way out to ASU in Tempe!  We wound our way through the beautiful ASU campus to the Memorial Union.  We peered into the restaurant and saw Chef John busily preparing some gorgeous meals along with the other staff there.  We quickly stopped by to say hi and get his recommendation for the day!  He took time out to show us all of the day’s delights!  We finally decided to split a lamb and eggplant Moussaka as well as the tilapia.  During our visit we also tried a yummy yellow heirloom tomato cold soup paired with cold watermelon soup!  Then, we tried a yummy cake that had fresh fruit and coconut.  Chef John brought everything out personally to us, and we felt really special! This place is a hidden gem! The food is as good as it gets! It is plated beautifully and is full of textures and layers of flavor.  If you EVER get to the Phoenix area, you MUST try this out!!! It really is amazing! 

Phoenix Scrapbook Cottage Rocks -- photo heavy

EAT

STAY and SLEEP

 I was so lucky to win a weekend scrapbook retreat for me and a friend at the Phoenix Scrapbook Cottage. So, my twin sister and I decided it would be a fun time and a good excuse to take a trip together (for the first time, I might add).  We booked our airline tickets and headed out for the weekend! I'll be giving a review of some restaurants and things to do in the area later!  We had a lot of fun!  I had no idea how much fun you could have scrap-booking without all of the distractions of the household!!  The rooms were spacious and beautiful.  Plus, the girls provided snacks (think chocolate and snack mixes) and drinks. They had plenty of varieties of soda, but we drank a lot of water!  They also had a paper corner and some embellies if you don't have quite what you need to finish a page!  They also had lots of inks and stamps for your use as well as a Cricut (and a few cartridges) and a 12 x 12 printer (which we didn't use)!  If you are thinking about staying in a retreat, I'd recommend this place! It is close to the airport and light rail. There are some fun things to do in Phoenix, and it is so easy to get around on the light rail! We even headed out to Tempe on the light rail!  The only complaint I had was about the heat.  So, if you are going, I'd recommend Spring or Fall!

Stay tuned for a review of my favorite restaurant in the area! It is a hidden treasure!!! You can't miss it if you are in the area!

Disclosure:  I won the retreat weekend but was not asked to do the review. The opinions are my own!

Phoenix

Can't wait to tell you all about our trip! Hope you will pop back in when I do. I have to tell you about some great restaurants (especially ENGRAINED), a scrapbook cottage, and lots more!

Thanks for visiting. I may never get caught up on all of the blog posts you all have been creating while I've been gone, but I hope to get back to regular blogging soon!! 

We got in at 5:00 a.m. this morning due to a "small" flight delay! ha ha...