What I've been reading

One of my favorite books this year was The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. As a papercrafter, I loved how she made magic out origami. And if that wasn't enough, walking through someone's heart was an amazing experience. I had to buy The Glass Magician as soon as I finished the first book and I loved it just as much.

I bought the Hattie Davish Mysteries by Anna Loan-Wilsey for my mother-in-law (a historical fiction/mystery fan) and they finally made their way to my hands. A Lack of Temperance was a delightful read and I jumped straight into Anything but Civil. Last week she brought me A Sense of Entitlement, and I can't wait to read it.

Of Stardust by February Grace was a cute read, but even though I really liked the characters, I thought it was short on plot. I'm still debating if I want to read In Starlight to see where the story goes.

As I'm critiquing T. F. Walsh's sequel to Cloaked in Fur, I decided to read First Moon by Michelle Fox to have a sense of a different werewolf romance. I enjoyed both books, each unique in their setting and plot.

I've been a Sue Grafton fan for years and even got my mother-in-law addicted to the ABC collection. I'm halfway through V is for Vengeance,but it's taking me a lot longer to get into it than most of her other Kinsey Millhone books.

Any book recommendations?

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Swimming

Here are two swimming layouts for the 2011 scrapbook with American Crafts Shoreline papers and stickers from the Scraptastic September 2012 kit.

Other: Core'dinations card stock, Paper Trunk alphabet, American Crafts Remarks and Thickers alphabets, BoBunny gems, unknown button.

Flag and Bazzil card stock from the kit. Other: My Mind's Eye Journal card, American Crafts Thickers, unknown ribbon and heart sticker.

Not sure I'm getting caught up with my scrapbooking, but I'm hopping I'm not falling farther behind.

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Happy Halloween!

With Dada out of town, I can't hand out candy and take the boys trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. I'll be setting some candy out along with this sign:

 Doodlebug Halloween Parade papers and embellishments from the Apron Strings October '13 STBB kit; assorted Sassafras Lass large and glitter alphabet stickers; Pink Paislee white alphabet stickers; Viva Decor glitter pen; Sakura gel pens; unknown cardstock and ribbon.

May your candy last the night...

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Nerdy birthday cards

Here is another round of cards I made for people at work, both with Jillibean Atomic Soup and the Simon Says Stamp sentiment die:

Other: Coredinations cardstock, Stampin' Up! Night of Navy cardstock, Viva Decor paper pens, unknown buttons.

Other: Memory Box Stencil, Ranger Texture Paste, Jillibean Soup note card, WRMK stitch piercer, embroidery floss, SU! Early Espresso cardstock.

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Childish things

I'm in love with Childish Things by Fancy Pants. I made two layouts this month with this patterned paper collection:

Other: Simple Stories Year-o-graphy paper, Ranger Glossy Accents, Viva Decor paper pens.

Other: Cosmo Cricket alphabet stickers, American Crafts buttons, Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and Crumb Cake ink, Sakura gel pen, re-purposed tag, safety pin, embroidery floss, washi tape.

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Sweet New Year

I made two Rosh Hashanah cards this year.

 Jillibean Soup note card and Apple Cheddar papers, Stampin' Up Countless Sayings 2 stamp, Sassafras glitter alphabet stickers, Queen & Co. pearls, Glossy Accents.

Stampin' Up! patterned paper, markers (More Mustard and Calipso Coral), and cardstock (Whisper White); Versafine Tuxedo Black ink; American Crafts clear embossing powder; Tim Holtz distress inks (Barn Door and Antique Linen); Offray ribbon; stamp from EttyonEtsy; Darice note card.

May your year be as sweet as apples with honey.

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Summer pages

As I wait for feedback on my latest manuscript, I've been pouring my creative energy into my long-neglected scrapbook.

 Another page made with American Crafts Mayberry papers and stickers, plus my favorite Thickers alphabet.

This one was a stash-buster. SEI paper, Sassafras Lass Blossoms, Colorbox transparency, Recollections accordion flower, Crayola stickers, Viva Decor paper and glitter pens, unknown buttons.

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Stamping on cards

I made another two birthday cards this week. Lots of stamping, which I haven't done much before.

 

Stampin' Up! Wildflower Meadow stamp, matching embossing folder, and card stock (Whisper White and Not Quite Navy). I inked the stamp with Crumb Cake then colored the stamp with Night of Navy, Real Red, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Garden Green before stamping (all from SU!). Sentiment die from Simon Says Stamp.

SU! card stock, and Tape it and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets; Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Borders sentiment stamp, inks (Schoolhouse Red, Lipstick Red, Slate, and Fog), and jewels; Jillibean Soup staples paper; Versafine black ink; Versamark embossing ink; American Crafts clear embossing powder; and K&Co. layered sticker. I really liked the effect of clear embossing over black ink (although the photo doesn't do it justice).

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Hello & Favorites

I finally got a chance to put some scrapbook pages together.

Sassafras Lass papers; Hampton Art glitter alphabet; October Afternoon mini-alphabet; Jillibean Soup numbers and hearts; Signo gel pen; Glossy Accents; unknown cardstock. This is probably the most journaling I've ever done on a layout.

American Crafts Mayberry papers and stickers; K&Co. flower stickers; Jillibean Soup mini-alphabet.

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Summer Books

I realized I forgot to post the books I read this summer, so here they are.

My favorite was the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Shadow and Bone hooked me from the start and I was ready for Siege and Storm by the time Ruin and Rising was published. No need to wait even a day in between the books.

Out of Magic by C.D. Coffelt, like most novellas, left me wishing for more. But I have a strong promise that the next book in the series will be released shortly.

Easy Bake Coven by Liz Schulte was a cute, fast read, but the ending didn't make me want to jump onto book 2 like the Grisha one did.

I really enjoyed West of Paradise by Marcy Hatch. I love the time travel vacation premise and the wild west descriptions showed so much historic research that I felt I was there with the characters.

Another favorite was the Apollo Academy by Kimberly P. Chase. I picked it up because it is supposed to be a new adult sci-fi. Even though I didn't notice much difference from young adult, I went directly to the author's page after I finished to see when the sequel was coming out. Unfortunately, not until next year.

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