Brag Book in a Mint Tin

I have a fun and inexpensive gift idea for you.  : )  How about creating a brag book that can fit inside of a mint tin? 

Let me first preface this post by saying two things…  I did not come up with this idea on my own and please excuse the poor photos of my projects…hee hee.  ; )  I have been admiring the tin albums from Shabby Miss Jenn Designs for some time and decided to try my hand at making a couple of them! 

Here are a couple photos of the first tin album that I made…

The tin is an empty Altoids tin.  : )  All of the little pages fit neatly inside of the tin.  This album set me back $4.50.  Four dollars and fifty cents!!  1.50 for the Altoids and about 3 dollars for the printing (I already had the digital graphics to make the album).  How cool is that?

How I created the album:

1.  Using the size and shape of the “pages” that are used in Shabby Miss Jenn’s tin album kits, I digitally scrapped each “page” for my tin album using Adobe Photoshop Elements and digital elements and papers from two digital scrapbooking kits that I already had on my computer (Grandma’s Scrapbooks and Birthday Sweet Treats by Shabby Miss Jenn Designs).  I saved each page as a individual .jpeg.

2.  After all of my pages for the tin album were digitally scrapped, I created a blank 12x12 inch, 300 dpi page and using Adobe, I placed all of my little individual tin album pages onto the 12x12 page and I saved that page as a .jpeg.

3.  I saved the 12x12 page that contained all of my album pages to a disc and I took the disc to Costco.  I printed out the 12x12 page for about 3 bucks.  This is what the page looked like after I printed it:

4.  I cut out each individual page from the 12x12 sheet and I hot glued the cover page to outside of the lid of the empty Altoids tin.  I hot glued a decorative page to the outside bottom of the tin and then with fine grit sand paper, I lightly distressed the edges of the lid of the tin.

Here are the individual pages…

 

Besides the pages above, I also used one of the cut out pages as a template and I made a couple of additional pages using a few of Emma’s drawings and I included them in the tin album as well.  : )

Shabby Miss Jenn has several pre scrapped tin albums available.  I scrapped each individual page for the album that you see above myself (inspired by SMJ)…however, using pre scrapped pages does save a lot of time…you just insert your photos and text using Adobe Photoshop and then you are ready to print!  If you are new to digital scrapbooking, a project using pre scrapped pages is a fun way to “get your feet wet”.  The second tin album that I made was created using Shabby Miss Jenn’s pre scrapped Love Shack Mint Tin Album. 

Here are a couple of photos of the pre scrapped album…

So much fun!  These albums will be gifts and I am also going to make one for myself!  What a cool little brag book to keep in your purse! 

Many of the photos that I used of Emma are from Erin Johnson Photography.

God bless,

Tera

Leaves

Such a creative post title…hee hee.  ; )

There’s nothing quite like a BIG pile of leaves for fall frolicking.  : D  I seriously love fall…it’s my favorite season.

Our family has only 3 paychecks left until Christmas.  Can you believe that?

While you’re  visiting, pop on over to my other blog.

God bless,

Tera

Happy Harvest

Turn off my blog music in the left column before you watch the video.  : )

God bless,

Tera

First Snow of the Season

I am so behind with my blogging.  : )  It did not snow here for the first time yesterday…or even this week…hee hee…more like a week ago.  Even so, I took a few fun photos of Emma’s first frolic in the snow this season and I wanted to share.  : ) 

The first snow arrived really, really EARLY this year and it was the “here today and almost gone tomorrow” kind of snow and we had not purchased snow pants, ski gloves or proper snow boots yet!  : O 

The adorable little snowman kit that you will see in the photos below was handmade for Emma by Emma’s great grandparents.  How fun and sweet it is to be able to use this kit and to have the sweet memory of them with us as we use it!  Emma was SO excited to be able to use it!!

God bless,

Tera

Three Years Ago Tonight

Three years ago tonight, our placement agency called us to talk to us about a baby girl that was born in Amatitlan, Guatemala less than two weeks before. 

A few hours later, we received several emails that contained  photos of the most beautiful baby that we had ever seen.  I was absolutely astounded by her beauty…the rosy cheeks…and the lips!  It was love at first sight! 

So, today we celebrate that special day…our referral-versary aka the-first-time-i-ever-saw-your-face day…one of the most amazing days of my entire life. 

It was so much fun to see this photo!  I love that she is “peeking” here…hee hee. 

We made the journey to Guatemala in about another week or so and we brought plenty of preemie outfits (Emma was barely five pounds).  And, we gave the foster mother the preemie outfits in exchange for this special pink sleeper.  I still have this sleeper (of course…hee hee) and it still smells like the fabric softener that Emma’s foster mother used when she washed it before she gave it to me (crazy, I know).  : )

I love you, Emma…  It seems like yesterday that we gathered around our laptop and saw your beautiful face for the first time.  Your face is what I look forward to seeing each and every morning.  I am SO BLESSED that you are my child.  As I always say to you…  You are a treasure and my dream come true…  and… I’ll love you forever and ever…no matter what!

God bless,

Tera

Emma’s 3rd Birthday Party

Emma’s birthday was a really fun, small family shindig. 

The party had an ice cream theme and it was fitting because Emma can’t really eat cake and cupcakes with frosting because of reflux and texture issues so we had just a few cupcakes and a build your own sundae bar for dessert instead of “cake”.  : )  She ate her cupcake cone sans frosting with gusto!  My Mother made one of the best cheesecakes I have ever eaten and she brought it in honor of my sister’s birthday. 

I had a wonderful time putting together Emma’s party decorations and I was able to make many of them myself!  I made the hats, the banner (I don’t think I managed to photograph the banner), the invitations and I even decorated Emma’s birthday shirt by printing her t’shirt design onto iron on transfer paper and then ironing the design directly onto her shirt!  It turned out very cute!  I made all of the decorations using the Ice Cream Party and Summer Treats Trinkets kits from Shabby Miss Jenn Designs.

She looked so adorable!  She was very excited for the guests to arrive!

 

Just a few of the birthday goodies and decorations.

Emma LOVED this piñata!  We found this GINORMOUS piñata at the Minnesota State Fair and we knew right away that it would be perfect for Emma’s party.  Emma knew that the piñata was in the guest bedroom and she talked about it for WEEKS before her party.  She had so much fun helping me to fill it up with goodies.

My niece Grace’s turn to give the piñata a good WHACK!

My niece Izzy managed to get the job done!  This piñata was TOUGH!  : D

Showing us her candies!

The girls soon discovered that the cone shapes from the broken piñata made fine princess hats!!

In this photo, Emma is smiling because we are all singing Happy Birthday to her!  Hee hee…she LOVED it!  When we were done singing, she asked us to do it again!

Blowing out the candles!

One of her favorite gifts!  This pizza set is so cool.  The pizza slices have velcro tops and the toppings stick right onto the slices…so cool!  The slices also velcro to one another.  I love the broccoli is one of the toppings…maybe it will serve as inspiration…hee hee.  ; D

Here she is after her party playing with all of her new stuff!  In the background, you can see pieces from her new Snap ‘N Style doll.  What a wonderful little doll!  The clothes simply snap on and off the doll and the doll is adorable…perfect for a 3 year old!  I am going to buy more of the dolls and the outfits for her for Christmas.

I think this card says it all!  Isn’t it adorable?  My niece Grace made it for Emma.

Emma IS growing up so FAST!  : O  Several months ago, we converted Emma’s crib to a toddler bed and she has been sleeping happily in it…and TONIGHT was her FIRST night in a TWIN bed!  It is so bizarre to walk into Emma’s room and see a twin bed in there instead of her crib/toddler bed.  This transfer has been kind of difficult for me and a few tears were shed last night after Emma was tucked into her crib/toddler bed for the last time.  It is so fun to see our little Emma grow and change and I feel honored to be her Mother!

God bless,

Tera

THREE???

Surely, my BABY girl does NOT look like this…

And, there is just NO WAY that she could possibly look grown up  like this…

*SIGH*

Just ONE year ago she looked like this…

And this…

*SIGH*

The tutu that Emma wore for her 2nd birthday went down to her FEET…that same tutu now comes down to her KNEES!!  : O

Where oh where did my baby go???

And, just three SHORT years ago, my teeny tiny baby looked like this…

And this…

And this…

The photos immediately above were taken when Emma was around three weeks old. We were able to visit her for the first time in Guatemala while we were signing a bit of preliminary paperwork to get the Guatemalan side of the adoption process going. Emma was barely five pounds at that time. Look at how TINY she was compared to Jason’s hand! Can you believe it?  She was swimming in the preemie clothes that we had purchased for her. 

We were SMITTEN.

I ache to reach into these photographs to hold my sweet and oh so tiny baby girl.

Emma, you are a true GIFT.  You are a treasure and Mommy’s dream come true.  Feliz cumpleaños.  Te amo mi amor.

 

Don’t worry…

More party pics to come.  : D

God bless,

Tera