MAMBI Happy Planner DIY Tutorial

Good Thursday to you!!! I hope you have had a wonderful week!! 
Today I'd like to share with you a simple DIY for your MAMBI Happy Planner. 

In February the new MAMBI Happy Planner IG Challenge begins on Instagram. You can get the list from their blog sidebar: MAMBI BLOG

I wanted to keep this list handy in my MAMBI and being able to move it through each new week:

Some may ask, "What is this challenge?" Its a challenge on Instagram, a social media site, where you share photos. So with this list, you post a photo a day for that particular word aka subject. For example on Feb. 1, you post a photo or "selfie" of yourself and type a brief introduction. day 2 Feb 2nd: sticker: Post a photo of your favorite sticker(s), etc.

I found these cute adhesive backed "pockets" at Target's $ Spot. Each package comes with 4 and they are $1. I planned on using them to hold photos in my planner, that way I could switch them out from time to time and move them around in my planner. 

But when I saw this challenge, I thought this pocket would work great for my list. 



I started out by picking some cardstock to put my pocket on. This is a scrap piece from a 4x4 paper pad. 


I used a pencil to mark where to punch my holes.

I used a standard hole puncher and punched the holes in place.

I then used my scissors to cut a "slat" on each side of the holes. This makes it "PoP" into my discs. The second slat I cut was a little too wide, but it still popped into the disc and stayed put.

I put my list into my pocket, and adhered it to my cardstock piece. 

Now I have my list for the month of February. I can also replace it with the next Challenge list!

Have a great day!!

Be blessed!!

DIY Banner Tutorial

Good Sunday evening to all of you!!! I didn't get much crafting done this weekend. It was a little busy this past week. 
But I do have lots of projects in mind for the near future. 

This evening I'm sharing a Banner Tutorial with you, requested by a young cousin of mine. Sofia is attending college and wants to decorate her dorm with a cute banner. I am flattered that she asked ME to show her how to make her own banner! 
So here you go Sofia, this one is for YOU!!! 

This is the Faith Banner I made and have hanging in my office. I made this a few months ago, so looking around in my mess for the exact supplies I used was nearly impossible. But I can show you some items I used or have used to make some quick, easy, and inexpensive banners.

For the banner above I used the plain Kraft banner pieces by AM (American Crafts), I found these at Joann Fabrics, but you can also find them at WalMart (red chevron one is from Walmart) and Target $1 spot has a cute variety too! These are great because they are reversible! So if I don't use the Red Chevron print, I can flip it over and use the plain Kraft side. I found the triangular shaped banner with white heart doilies and red twine for $1!! 

Targets $ spot is the way to go!!

Then I looked around my old scrapbooking stash and found some letters. You can use stickers, Poster Letter Pads (WalMart) or again....Target's $ spot has some cute fabric letter stickers for $3!!!

To decorate your banner you can use anything...for this banner I used white and black vintage seam binding. I found this whole roll at the thrift store for .50 cents! For the banner above I used these stickers, some I cut apart to stick on each banner flag. 

But you can use anything to decorate your banner, stickers, buttons, lace, ribbon, beads, rhinestones, etc!!!

The circles were cut with a Cricut machine and stencil, But you can cut circles by hand if you wish. You can also find some large stickers at WalMart if you don't want to cut scrapbooking paper. Think of using some Circle Chalk Stickers found at (WalMart).

I used glue dots and glue tape to adhere my pieces. You can also use a glue stick or double sided tape. 

I've had this cricut since my cardmaking/scrapbooking days. Bought it with a 40% off coupon at Michael's Craft Store. 

And pictured below are some goodies I found at Goodwill this past weekend! I am thinking of upcycling them into some cute projects!!!

Check back for the transformation!!!

Have a blessed week! And Happy Crafting!!!

Be Creative Everyday! a DIY Tutorial

This has been my theme for this 3 day weekend. Every day since Saturday, I have tried to make something. Whether it was a big project or a small one, I was creating something everyday. 

Today's project was made by using things in my stash. I have been meaning to purge my craft room and what better way to purge, then by crafting while I'm purging!!! It's alot more fun this way!

Today I created this wreath out of book pages!! And I cannot take credit for the idea. I actually saw something like this on Pinterest, she used a grapevine wreath, but I used what I had.

I started out with these items: a Styrofoam wreath, some ribbon, 3 old books I purchased at a yard sale a year ago! (I only used a fraction of these book pages, so I have plenty left for more future projects) and a stick of lip gloss. Lip gloss you ask?? Yes! And believe me, it wasn't so I could look pretty while crafting! LOL 

I started out by using a paper trimmer to trim my pages so they were in the shape of a square. No measuring, I just "eye-balled" it. 

Here's where the lip gloss comes into play!  I wrapped a page around my lip gloss and sorta squeezed it on there.

I applied some hot glue to my wreath:

And stuck the page on using my lip gloss to hold it down a few seconds. No burned fingers here!!!

I did this all the way around the top, worked along the edges and along the center. 

And yes, I did this on my kitchen counter!!! I was multi-tasking. I made lunch while I was crafting!

I continued to glue on book pages until it was completely full and pleasing to my eyes!

I used some of the left over scraps to cover the back of my wreath. 

I ended up using a flower I found later on in the day. I purchased this at Hobby Lobby about a year ago. Yep, I was hoarding it!

The burlap wired ribbon was a piece left over from another project. You see, I don't throw much away! And that pretty lace was actually part of the wrapping on a Christmas gift this past year. 

So this whole project just really cost me some time. If I had to put a price on it, I'd say less than $5!

Have a wonderful week!!! I'm gonna go scour my craft room and see what I can create next!

DIY Planner Dividers

Good Sunday night to you.......

I know this post is a bit late in the day, but it's my only free time right now. 
As I mentioned on my Instagram post, I am trying to do something creative everyday. Big or small, a creative project helps me to "de-stress" and makes me feel productive. Plus...it's super fun!!!

Right now I'm using my Personal Size Filofax Malden and just love it. It's soft, buttery leather keeps me coming back to it!

I have been wanting to update my dividers so I stopped by Hobby Lobby last week and found this cute paper by The Paper Studio. 

I used a current divider as a pattern and traced it onto the back side of my paper. I folded my patterned paper in half so the print would be on both sides and be thicker. 

For the tabs I punched some of the same paper w/ this punch, also by The Paper Studio. I folded the punch piece in half length wise, and adhered it between the 2 layers of paper.

I then laminated them w/ my Scotch laminator. This can be found at Walmart for about $20. My Mom got me this a couple of Christmas' ago and I love it!!! I use the heck out of it!! 

I added a stack of sticky Post-Its from Targets $1 spot. It's hard to see, but these Kraft post-its have pink lines on them. Super cute, and match so well. Pink is my favorite color!!!

I typed up my divider subjects in Word and used coordinating colors. I then adhered them to the tabs and covered w/ clear scotch tape. I do it this way just in case I ever want to switch out my divider subjects. 

And here you go...........

I'm loving this. 

Have a great night! Thank goodness I am off tomorrow because my "crafting wheels" are spinning! 

Stay tuned.........

Fastest Craft in the South!!!

Happy Saturday!! Hubby is napping and I needed a break from cleaning. I felt like being crafty!

So....I looked around my craft room mess and thought I'd try my hand at making this. I call it a  "handmade cross hanging", I'm not sure what it's really called but I had seen one a couple of weeks ago at a shop we recently visited and thought, 
"Hmmm, I KNOW I can make that!" 
and now I'm gonna show you how you can make it too!

I had bought the chevron burlap ribbon many months ago at Hobby Lobby, I bought the burlap, lace flower this past week at Hobby Lobby, it's made by The Paper Studio and it was 1/2 price. So $2 was a great price!!
The barn wood frame was given to me by my sister a long time ago...I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, so I hoarded it!!! Thank Goodness!!! 

Supplies: a frame, wide ribbon or fabric, a flower for the center, scissors, and a staple gun.

I cut the burlap ribbon into 2 pieces. One to fit the lenghth of the frame, the other to fit the width. 

I used a staple gun to secure the ends on the back of the frame. 

NEXT STEP: I used a pipe cleaner cut in half to gather the centers of the burlap ribbon, I twisted it in the back and tucked it in along the gathers. I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of this but when I realized I was almost done, I got super excited and ran over to turn on my hot glue gun ! I was so excited, I forgot to take a photo!!!! LOL

And here it is!!! Hanging on my front porch. The whole project took me about 10 mins to complete and cost me about $5!!!! 

I'm a happy girl!!!

I love the Lights of Christmas!

Well, it's almost time to pack up my Christmas decor. I'm a little sad because I LOVE the glow of the lights at night. They are very pretty and I find them soothing. 
I was thinking I'm just NOT ready to put these away. So I looked around and thought, "How can I keep some in my daily home decor?"

I gathered my indoor birdhouses, some pellon left over from the Christmas village, an extra string of lights, and a bag of Cinnamon pinecones I bought during the Christmas clearance:

I found a barnwood frame and snowflake box in my craft stash. I ran outside and snipped some mesquite tree branches and spray painted them white.  And here you go....This is what I have so far....

I'm thinking if I make "seasonal" I can display year round...

and Have My LIGHTS!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!! LOL

Have a wonderful day!!!

Last Week of 2015 in my Happy Planner

HaPPY nEW yEAR!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful start to their New Year!!! 
Just wanted to pop in today and share my last week of 2015 and my Overall view (so far) of my January Monthly spread. 

I used various stickers and patterned paper scraps in this spread. Also used some Bible verse stickers by The Paper Studio. I switched from my smaller blue rings into some larger PINK rings but I am not sure this is gonna work. My pages are getting "stuck" as a try to turn them. Not fun. 

Here is my January spread so far. I used washi tape by Recollections (Michael's craft store), Patterned paper scraps by Dear Lizzy, Quote stickers by MAMBI, Hello Journaling card is either from WalMart or a Project Life card. (Got this in a swap) Stuck on some gold glitter 2016 stickers. "Think Happy Thoughts" clear card was received from "Theplanneraddict" (Muneeza), got this in a Pocket Letter swap. 

Stamps that I used are these:

Got these in a swap! I love them!!!!

Have a blessed Saturday! See you soon!

Advent Illustrated: Day 2 "Light" and What is Advent?

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a bit behind in my Advent Illustrated Challenge. I came down with a bad stomach flu and it set me back a few days. 
But, as I my Mother always says..."There's worse things!" Ooops, I meant to share my favorite, "Better late than never!" he, he!!!!

The verse for Day 2 was:

 Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

The focus word was "LIGHT". So....I used a photo that I took one day of the sun peaking out from some clouds. I printed it out on vellum paper and cut it into a circle to resemble our earth.  I used various stickers and illustrated the words, "God is the Light of the World", after reading this chapter, this is how I applied the word "Light"  to the bible verses. 

So you may be asking..."What is Advent?"

I wondered the same thing before beginning this challenge.

I found a wonderful explanation here:

Christianity.com

What Is Advent?                              

For many Christians unfamiliar with the liturgical year, there may be some confusion surrounding the meaning of the Advent season. Some people may know that the Advent season focuses on expectation and think that it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. This is part of the story, but there’s more to Advent.

he History of Advent                                 

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4^th and 5^th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (John 2:1). During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.

By the 6^th century, however, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the “coming” they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas.

Advent Today                                   

Today, the Advent season lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. At that time, the new Christian year begins with the twelve-day celebration of Christmastide, which lasts from Christmas Eve until Epiphany on January 6. (Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27th and December 3rd each year.) 

Advent symbolizes the present situation of the church in these “last days” (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2), as God’s people wait for the return of Christ in glory to consummate his eternal kingdom. The church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Israel looked back to God’s past gracious actions on their behalf in leading them out of Egypt in the Exodus, and on this basis they called for God once again to act for them. In the same way, the church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in celebration while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when he returns for his people. In this light, the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” perfectly represents the church’s cry during the Advent season:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

Have a wonderful Monday!!!

Advent Illustrated-Day 1 Grace Day

Good evening. I am a bit behind in sharing my Advent Illustrated Challenge. It started last Sunday, Nov. 29th, which was a Grace Day. I used that to journal a verse I came upon while watching a Pastor preach on You Tube. I apologize for not remembering his name...I just sorta came upon him. But it was a good thing because I've often wondered if our pets go to heaven, most will say "No, there's no mention of it in the Bible." But I heard this verse, while this Pastor preached. He even had it printed on his sweatshirt. It was:

Psalm 36:6

"Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals."

Not sure what you believe, but for me, it gives me great comfort in knowing that I might just be reunited with my best friend, Holly, whom I lost tragically September 2013. 

and Cash, our buddy, whom we lost July 31, 2014 to cancer. 

For more information on the 

Advent Illustrated Challenge there is a Facebook group lead by the author of this book:

It is also available at Amazon.com...that's where I got my copy.

And you can read about it here: Advent Illustrated Challenge by Sara Laughed

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

I'll be sharing Days 2 and 3 tomorrow. 

Journaling Bible: Romans 15:4

Good Tuesday afternoon to you......
I started working on this lastnight. It's been a rough 6 days and I felt I needed to remind myself the purpose of God's word and His promises.

This week's verse at Documented Faith is:

ROMANS 15:4

“And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope.” 

I love these weekly verses because as I'm reading it and I continue to read that Chapter I ask myself.."How can I apply this to my life at this very time?"  Most weeks  I'm like "Wow! This is FOR me!!!" 

I thank God for this group, it has allowed me to read God's word, pray about it, think about it, and express some creativity as I celebrate God's word! 

For this I used various stickers and my black fine point sharp. Heart Washi was from Target's $1 spot. 

 This was a free printable available at the site, I just added some pink color to it. 

Thank you for stopping by!!! 

Have a blessed week!

Journaling Bible: Hebrews 3:15

Good Sunday evening to you! As you know, for some time now I have been participating in a Bible Journaling group called Documented Faith. It is hosted by Stephanie Ackerman, each month she chooses a "theme word", this month it is Encourage. 

You can read more about the group and get each verse here: DOCUMENTED FAITH

This week's verse is 

Hebrews 3:13:

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."

Each day is a new opportunity to Encourage someone in need. 

I kept it simple this week. I used a rubber stamp, a black sharpie and some alphabet stickers. 

Staz-On ink pad: HOBBY LOBBY, Alphabet Stickers: JOANN FABRICS $1 SPOT, Sharpie Marker and Pencil; WALMART, Swiss Pixies rubberstamp-online C.C. DESIGNS. 

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!

Journaling Bible: Incorporating my Photo

First I'd like to Thank God for our men and women who serve or have served our beautiful Country:
the 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

So yesterday, I was reading my journaling bible and thinking about what verse I wanted to create a layout for. I call my small pieces of art: "Layouts." That comes from my scrapbooking days. 
Some have asked me what bible I use, I am including that in my photos. It is an ESV Journaling Bible by Crossway. It was made specifically for writing or drawing in the margins.

When I create my "layout", I try really hard not to alter or cover up the words. You see, this is a bible that I read, so I still want to be able to read the Word and I want anyone that picks up this bible to be able to enjoy my little pieces of art and still read God's Word. 

Yesterday I took a photo and found that it went perfectly with 
Psalm 34:8
"Taste and See that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" 

I wanted to somehow incorporate this photo into my page, but again, not cover up the words. 
I have seen where others use clear labels and print on them and adhere them to their pages, but I didn't have any of those, and I live out in the boon docks...so I improvised and used Vellum paper. Again, thank God I saved my supplies from my scrapbooking/cardmaking days!

Here it is:

I used tiny glue dots to adhere my photo. I ran the vellum thru my printer, and photo printed well. I let this dry before applying.  As you can see, you are still able to 

read the words where the photo overlapped. I found this verse in my sticker book but it was in a long format, so I cut it up and adhered it to fit.

Supplies used: Vellum (to print photo on)-Hobby Lobby,  "Lace" border sticker (Dollar Tree), Kraft Tab by The Paper Studio-Hobby Lobby,  Patterned Paper: 4x4 Paper Pad by Basic Grey (Nook and Pantry Collection)-ordered online many moons ago, Bible Verse: Religious Sticker pad by The Paper Studio-Hobby Lobby, Clear Rubber Stamps: Kaiser Craft "Confetti"-Michael's, Courtyard  "La*di*dah"-Big Lots, Tiny Glue Dots by Elmer's-Walmart, Date stamp-K&C Company-Walmart

And this is my Bible. It's an ESV Journaling Bible by Crossway. I ordered this last year from the Family Christian Store website w/ a 40% off coupon. 

Again...Happy Veteran's Day!! Here are a few of my family members who served:

My Grandpa Trini in the center, My father Tony and my brother Anthony. Others pictured are my Uncle Nando, and cousin Scott.

Thank you for stopping by! 

Have a blessed Wednesday!