Along for the Ride Winner

The winner of the Along for the Ride giveaway never got in touch with me, so it's time to chose a new one.  

#1-Jessica @ Life's Good Be Happy!

Congrats, Jessica!  Please send me an email so I can get you in touch with Laura for your prize!

Friend Makin' Mondays

It's Monday and that means it's time for Friend Makin' Mondays!  I'm so glad it's back!

I like...that fall is right around the corner.  Fall is such a nice change of pace after the oppressive heat here in Florida.  And I like all of the things associated with fall, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, the changing leaves, carving pumpkins, pumpkin pie and the anticipation of Christmas right around the corner.

I don't like...people that act all high and mighty and talked down to others like they are superior, when in actuality, they're duller than a box of rocks.  Trying to sound like you know it all only makes you sound like an idiot.

I love...when my husband comes home after work and our son runs up to him, crying "Daddy!" the whole way.  It just warms my heart.

I dream of...owning my own photography studio one day.

I wonder...when we'll have more kids.  And if we are blessed with more children, what they'll be like.

I know...that I have been greatly blessed in my life and am extremely grateful to my Father in Heaven for that.

I went...to the beach this weekend and it was heaven.  I love having it so close!

I have...a headache today.  Actually, I've had a headache for like a week.  It's getting annoying.

I think...I underestimate myself.  A lot.  I need to stop doing that.

I plan...on finally learning how to use my sewing my machine by the end of the year.  I've got 3 months!

I do...want to be the best me I can.  I want to be the best mom for my son, the best wife to my husband and be able to say at the end of the day, "I did all that I could." 

I regret...not being a better student in high school and for letting so many good opportunities pass me by.  I also regret not taking charge of my wedding-there are so many things I'd like to change (just details, really, but things that a girl would notice about her wedding day.)

I drink...chocolate milk like it's my job.

I wish...my daddy lived closer.  I miss seeing him.

I am...a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints.  And I am not ashamed of my beliefs.

I am not...afraid to stand up for what I believe.  But I won't stop you from having your own opinion, even if it's different from mine.

I need...some key lime pie.

I graduated...from high school over 7 years ago!  

I hope...to continue to reach the goals that I set for myself.

I want...all of my family to be closer.  I want my son to know his cousins and aunts and uncles and to build lasting relationships with them.

I sometimes...get down.  There are days that I feel completely alone and unimportant.  I try not to dwell on those days.

I always...try to find the good in things.

I can...make an awesome chicken alfredo lasagna.

I work...very hard at the goals I've set for myself, though sometimes not hard enough.

I cannot...stand when people judge others.  I try my hardest to not do that, because it's not my place to determine whether or not you're a good person, because I don't know what it is to be you.  Just like you don't know what it is to be me.

I avoid...people that will bring negativity into my life.  I just don't have any room for that.

I will...continue to challenge myself all the days of my life.

And there you have it!

Head on over to All the Weigh, where Kenz is hosting this week's FMM, so you can join in on the fun!

Wreath Update

I got some more embellishments made for my wreath!  They make me happy.  You can see them here.

It's Time...

I've got an announcement: I am now accepting advertisers!  


You may have noticed the new Sponsor section under the header.  I've still got plenty of ad space left!

This bloggity blog is looking for:

Nice, creative and inspiring people/businesses 

who are looking to get their names out there 

by having their awesome talents displayed 

on a rapidly growing blog.

Sound like you?  If you're interested in sponsoring or advertising on Scraps and Scribbles, please send me an email at courtdriver{at}gmail{dot}com.  I love promoting businesses and blogs and showing them off to my readers!  Take a look at my Who's That features if you'd like to see examples and if you'd like more information, please take a look at my PR page.

Testing, Testing

Just testing out my shiny new signature.  A big, HUGE thank you to Linda over at Craftaholics Anonymous for helping work out all of the bugs and for the awesome tutorial!  You're a life saver, Linda!

So, what do you think?

Five Questions Friday

It's Friday and that means it's time for 5 Questions Friday over at My Little Life.




Head on over and join in the fun!


1. How many pets do you have?

We have 2 ball pythons, Kali and Isis.  Kali is the larger one.  We've had her for 4 years-since she was just a baby-and we got Isis last spring so that Kali would have some company.  We've also had a cat, a Rose-Haired tarantula (she was my husband's) and several fish.

2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?

I really don't know.  I know this probably sounds lame, but I really do like my life and am perfectly content being me!  I think it might be fun to be someone famous for just a day-just to see what it's like.

3. What is your favorite money saving tip?

Hmmm...that's a toughy.  I'm a big fan of coupons and I almost never pay full price for anything.  If I see something that I want, I ask myself, "Will I still love it in a year?  Will I have to buy other things to go with it or does it work with what I already own?  If I leave the store without it, will I be regretting it later today?"  That's how I make sure it's something I won't have buyer's regret over and if it's in my budget, I buy it.  But I always make sure our needs are taken care of before our wants.

4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?

I want my son to be happy-to have a wife that he's just crazy about and who feels the same about him; to have a career that he loves waking up for every morning and to be able to enjoy the little things in life.  I want him to feel successful and like what he does is important.  I want him to be respectful of others-of their opinions, of their feelings, of their beliefs and of just them as people.

5. What is your favorite quote?


I have so many!  But I think my absolute favorite is:
"We must be our own before we can be another's." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fashion Friday: Holey Tee Revamp #1

Remember my sad holey tees?  Well, I promised I'd show you what I did to "fix" them.  Here are the first three.

This one I actually did a while ago, but it was the first of the holey tees to get a make-over.

This one had several spots with holes, which was tricky.

I cut out black flowers and sewed them on over the holes.  I plan on sewing on a few more to make it look more "natural."

This one was a mess-it had a HUGE patch of holes.

I cut 5 rectangles, including the spot with the holes, along the bottom of the shirt.  Then I choose a fabric that was a lighter shade of pink and cut out rectangles that were just bigger than the rectangles I cut in the shirt.  I placed them behind the holes and attached them with a light pink thread.  The result is this:

I quite like it.  It looks like the lighter fabric is woven through like a ribbon.  I'm thinking about adding a little bow on one end.  What do you think?

Silhouette Giveaway Palooza!

It seems everyone is giving away a Silhouette right now. That's just fine by me! Hopefully that means I'll win one *fingers crossed!*

The lovely Kathleen at Grograin Fabulous is giving one away:

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

As is the wonderful Char at Crap I've Made:

Crap, It's a Silhouette

And the amazing Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming (you might have noticed her button on my side bar):

Dreaming of a Silhouette

Tipping Thursday: 9 Step Beauty Routine

Wow!  My first video post!  My sister-in-law Charlene was gracious enough to be my model.  Thanks again, Char, for letting me use your face! : )

This routine should only take you about 10 minutes, start to finish.  You can adjust this routine to fit your time constraints or desired final look.  There might even be some steps that you don't ever use-you might not be the eyeliner type-and that's just fine.  Just remember: Beauty is about healthy, glowing skin, so always start off your routine by prepping your face with skincare.  The basics should include cleanser, followed by toner and finished off with a moisturizer with an SPF (if your foundation has an SPF, that's fine, too.)  Never skip those steps!!!!!!

Step 1

Foundation: Apply foundation using a foundation brush to even skin tone, especially around the nose and eyes to eliminate redness.  Your foundation should match your skin exactly.  To determine this, draw a line using your foundation along your jaw line.  If you can't tell it's there, it matches.  *If you use a tinted moisturizer, as I do, that counts as your foundation, so you can skip this step.  Also, if you use a cream-to-powder foundation, you should apply your foundation as if it were your powder and skip this step as well.

Step 2

Concealer: Use your fingers or a concealer brush to apply concealer under the eyes, up to the lower lashline and into the inner corners.  If you have dark under eye circles, I recommend using a shade just slightly lighter than your natural shade to counteract the darkness.  Smooth and blend by gently patting with fingertips.  For under the eyes, use your ring finger as it is the weakest finger on your hand and will put less pressure on the delicate skin under your eyes.  For blemishes and other discolorations, dab on a concealer in your exact shade and wait a few seconds before blending.  

Step 3

Powder: Using a powder brush, gently dust powder over face, trying to avoid areas with concealer, especially blemishes or dry, cracked areas (powder will make these areas look cakey), except around the eyes.  To apply without making your skin look dusty or cakey, swirl your brush over your powder, turn the brush upside down and gently tap to evenly distribute the powder into the bristles and lightly swirl in circular motions over your skin. 

Step 4

Eyeshadow: Begin by priming the eyes with an eye primer.  This will help lengthen the life of your eyeshadow throughout the day, and keep your shadow from creasing and your liner and mascara from running.  For a simple everyday look, choose one shade and sweep it from your lashline to just above your crease.  To give you eyes more definition for your day look, choose a light, medium and dark shade.  The medium color will be your base-apply it on your lid from your lashline to your crease.  The dark shade will be for adding definition to your eyes-apply it in your crease by using an angled brush and sweeping from the outer corner in towards the inner corner, stopping about 3If /4 of the way across (never all the way across the crease, from corner to corner.  This will make your lids look heavy.)  The light shade will be used to highlight your brow-apply it from the crease to the brow bone.  *Depending on your color choices and occasion, you might want to only use two colors-just one on the lid and one on the brow, skipping the crease color.  This look is intended to be simple, so feel free to adjust as needed.

Step 5

Liner-Use either an eye liner or a brush and shadow to line your lid.  Apply as close to the base of the lashes as possible.  After lining the upper lashline, look straight ahead to see if there are any gaps that need to be filled.  *A tip to avoid those gaps is to gently pull your eyelid straight by placing your finger on the outer corner of your eye and pulling out just slightly.  This will give you a straight and tight surface to work on.  Then, if you decide you want to, smudge out the line to soften it.  Line lower lashline if desired.  If you do line the bottom, again, try to get as close to the base of the lashes as possible and be sure that the top and bottom lines meet at the outer corner of the eye.

Step 6

Lashes: Begin by curling lashes, if desired.  Gently clamp the curler around the lashes as close to the base of the lashes as you feel comfortable.  Pump about 15 times and repeat on other eye.  *Never EVER clamp the eyelash curler all the way down and never clamp it down and hold-this will cause your lashes to break over time.  And never EVER curl your lashes AFTER applying your mascara-this too will cause your lashes to break.  After curling, apply one coat of mascara to top and bottom lashes.  Start at lash base and sweep up and out, wiggling slightly from side to side-this helps to evenly coat each lash.  Be sure to wipe off excess mascara, especially the tip-this will reduce clumps and flakes.  Comb out after mascara is dry to remove any clumps.  If desired, apply a second coat.  When applying a second coat, let the first coat dry completely before applying the second and comb out when almost dry-these both will help reduce clumps and flakes.

Step 7

Blush/Bronzer: If applying both blush and bronzer, apply the bronzer first (unless you're going for a "bronzed" look, then keep it minimal and apply over blush.)  Smile to determine where the apples of your cheeks are, and using a blush brush, start at the apples and blend upwards towards (but not actually to or in) your hairline in small circles, then downwards to blend and soften color.  Repeat with blush.  Be sure to tap off excess before applying so that you get a more natural-looking flush.

Step 8

Brows: This is when I usually comb out my eyelashes so it gives the mascara enough time to dry.  Use your brow comb/brush and comb your brows towards your temples to put unruly hairs in place.  *To get them to stay put, I put a tiny amount of hair gel in my hand and lightly run the brush over it before combing them.

Step 9

Lips: Apply lipstick or gloss with a lip brush and use your finger to lightly blend color and give lips a softer look.  If using lip liner, apply after lipstick by lining lips with a creamy lip pencil and blending away any harsh lines with a lip brush or your fingers.

And you're done!

What I'm Wearing #4-Weekend Edition

I've been trying to do a better job of documenting what I wear.  Mostly because it forces me to actually think about my outfits.  My husband thinks the whole thing is ridiculous, but oh well.

Here's what been going on, wardrobe-wise, the last two weekends:

*Disclaimer: I have awful lighting in my apartment and since it's been raining almost non-stop, I had to take a lot of them inside.  And there is not a single full length mirror, so a lot of my pics are from the waist up.*

The hubs and I went to a movie (we saw Inception-awesome movie for those of you who haven't seen it yet!  i highly recommend it) and our movie theater is always freezing so it gave me an excuse to wear my cute new cardigan.  Nothing fancy, since we were just sitting in a dark movie theater, but I still wanted to feel cute : )

Yellow and grey striped cardigan: Forever 21

White tee: Forever 21

Dark wash skinny jeans: Thrifted American Eagle

Just after a day of errands.  You might be wondering why, again, I am wearing a sweater, in Florida, in the middle of August.  This cardigan is super-lightweight so I can layer it over tanks without roasting!  Love it!

Island print tank: mark.

Brown summer cardigan: American Eagle

Shell necklace: present from the hubs from Puerto Rico

After a day of running errands with my brother.  I wanted something cute but comfy and this sure was!

Rolled-sleeve pink button up top: H&M

White tank: Forever 21

Dark wash skinny jeans: thrifted American Eagle

Black sandals: Charlotte Russe

Necklace: made by ME!

This Sunday was kind of a grey day, both clothing and weather-wise.  We've been blanketed by rain here for almost a week and it's driving me nuts!  I figured a nice splash of color would liven things up a bit, for me at least.

Purple Cardigan: Forever 21

White Ruffle Henley: Old Navy

Grey Pencil Skirt: H&M

Chain Necklace: Charlotte Russe

Black Flats: Chinese Laundry

Later I changed into this:

I don't like just sitting around the house in a skirt if I don't have to, so after church I slipped into a comfy pair of plaid shorts.

Plaid shorts: Roxy

White ruffle henley: Old Navy

Black sandals: Charlotte Russe

Who's That: Coupon Clippin' Mommy

It's time to announce a winner!  The lucky Scraps and Scribbles reader who gets to call Laura's cozy theirs is:

#5, Holly M. of Beach Cove Jewelry!

Congrats, Holly!  Please send me an email by Monday so that I can get you in touch with Laura for your prize!

This week's Who's That is the lovely Stephanie from Coupon Clippin' Mommy.  

Stephanie and I "interviewed" each other and I had a wonderful time getting to know her.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.  I'm a 30 year old Mom of 2, married for 8 years to my wonderful husband.  I'm a stay at home mom with an undergrad and graduate degree from Virginia Tech.  The fall is my favorite time of the year with college football in full swing.  I enjoy spending time with my family and extended family which includes an identical twin sister.

How would you describe your personality?  I'm very outgoing and love to be around people.  I am always doing more than one thing at a time and hate to just sit and do nothing.

What inspires you? My kids!

I collect quotes for my blog. Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share?

Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.

Home is where you hang your memories

What is one thing about you that not many people know? Not many of my blogging buddies know I am an identical twin!

What’s your favorite book? I love organizational books.

What kind of music do you listen to? Country, Christian and kids music!

Hobbies: scrapbooking, stamping, card making, reading and blogging.

Tell me a little bit about your blog.

The mission of Coupon Clippin' Mommy is to Save my readers time and money with some of the best deals around and to Share great products with them through reviews and giveaways.

Why did you start blogging? I have had a personal blog since my Son was a few months old.  I started Coupon Clippin' Mommy a while ago but didn't focus on it until January of this year when I bought my .com.

What has been the most rewarding thing about blogging? The networking with others and learning about/trying some great products.  As a stay at home mom this gives me an opportunity to have something that's my own.

What have you learned/gotten out of blogging? Blogging has allowed me to use some of my creativeness and have an outlet while being a stay at home Mom.

What do you hope your readers get from your blog? I hope they find products that they would like to try, catch some good deals and find my random posts entertaining.

What goals do you have for your blog? I want to provide information/products that keep my readers coming back.  I hope that my blog helps someone learn something new or have the opportunity to try out a new product.

List your 3 favorite blog posts that you've written.  

http://www.couponclippinmommy.com/2010/01/double-couponing.html

http://www.couponclippinmommy.com/2009/11/internet-printable-coupons.html

http://www.couponclippinmommy.com/2010/01/carolina-pad-review-giveaway.html

What is your favorite product that you have reviewed?

That's a hard one, I would have to say the hand stamped necklace is one of my favorite products.

http://www.couponclippinmommy.com/2010/04/charitable-creations-hand-stamped.html

What advertiser would you like to work with given a chance? Any of the big name toy companies.

What is one thing you wish you had known before you started you blog? It's time consuming to keep up with it all.

How do you balance blogging, family and free time? Not very well but I'm learning.  I try to get my blogging done while kids are napping or in the evenings.

What are your contact details (email, company, blog, facebook, myspace, forums, etc)?

couponclippinmommy at yahoo dot com

http://www.couponclippinmommy.com/

http://www.facebook.com/couponclippinmommy

http://twitter.com/CouponClippin

Thanks so much for coming over today, Stephanie!  And you can check out my side of the interview over at her blog, Coupon Clippin' Mommy.

Hand-made Goodie of the Week: Pin Cushion Wristlet

Sorry that this is so late, all.  My day took an unexpected turn right after lunch wen I had to take the hubby to the ER.  He had been having some weird things happening with his arm and face and we decided it needed a professional opinion.  He's home and fine, so no worries there.  But it did suck up my ENTIRE afternoon.  So, without any further delay, here's this week's project.

Oh, and hey, don't forget about our Along for the Ride giveaway-it ends tonight at midnight, so you still have some time to enter!

Pin Cushion Wristlet

This is so handy when you're sewing!  You've got your pins right there when you're moving around.  And it didn't cost me a dime-I used items I already had!

To make yours, you'll need:

Elastic

Fabric, polyfill, needle and thread (to make your mini pin cushion)

Old, clean plastic lid

Hot glue and glue gun

As you can see, my cushion was already made (I didn't need it as just a pin cushion since I made my awesome pin cushion can.)  To make one, cut out two pieces of fabric in whatever shape suits your fancy, sew closed around the edges leaving a small opening for the stuffing, stuff and sew close the opening.  Ta-da!

Cut a length of elastic about 1 inch shorter than the circumference of your wrist.

Then cut out a piece of the lid.  It should be as wide as the widest part of your cushion and, depending on how big your shape is, about 2 inches long.  I just kind of eyeballed it, and you are welcome to do the same : )

Place a thin line of hot glue along one edge of the plastic piece and stick on one end of the elastic.  Repeat with the other end.

So it looks like this.  

Cover the remaining plastic with hot glue and

Attach your cushion.

Add pins and get sewing!

Featured!

It has to be the hugest compliments when someone else features something you've made on their blog.  It seriously makes my day when I see my stuff featured!  I hope you all feel the same way when I show off your stuff here!  If you've been featured, make sure you grab and button and show it off!

Most recently, my surprise cupcakes were over at Craftaholics Anonymous last week and Erin from Where Beauty Meets Function showed off my jewelry organization.  

Thanks, guys, for the shout outs and the support!

Tipping Thursday (a day late): Shaping Your Eyebrows

Don't forget to enter our Along for the Ride giveaway and our Facebook fan giveaway (it ends tomorrow at midnight!)

My younger brother came to visit me yesterday and we spent the day at the pool and running errands together, so I didn't get to post my tip for this week yesterday.  So here it is, a day late!

Jumping back into make-up and such, I thought I'd share with you all how to properly shape and groom your eyebrows.  This can be tricky for some of us.  I know it took me a while to master and have my brows match.  

Start by sectioning off your brow.  Using a pencil as a guide, line up the inner corner of your eye with your brow.  That's where your brow should start, straight up from the corner of your eye.  Then mark it with a colored liner.  I like to use a colored one because it shows up better so I know where to pluck when it's time.

Then mark where your arch should be-this is directly above your pupil.

To determine where your brow should end, take your pencil and place it diagonally from the outer corner of your eye and mark it.

I also like to make sure that my brows are even across (I once had one that was higher than the other and it constantly looked like I had one eyebrow raised) so I again take my pencil, place it straight across my forehead where I want my brows to be and mark it with my liner.

So your brow should look something like this when it's all marked up.

Use your marks as a guide when you pluck and then repeat on the other side.

Once you've removed all the stray hairs with your tweezers, it's time to trim your brows.  Using a brow comb, brush your eyebrow up towards your hairline.  

(Sorry this one is blurry!)  Then trim the hairs that extend past the natural line of your brows.  To keep them in place once you're all finished, you can:

*Use an eyebrow gel-it usually looks like mascara, but it's clear and you just brush it on.

*Comb them in place and set with a small squirt of hairspray

*Just leave them be and hope they behave

Or

(this is what I do) Take a minute amount of hair gel, like smaller than a pea-sized and run your eyebrow brush through it then brush them into place.  It's just enough gel to keep them put without them getting crunchy or flaky throughout the day.

And there you go!

Some other shaping Do's and Don'ts (via Allure Magazine):

*DON'T wax eyebrows if you take Accutane or use Retin-A or Renova.  The wax can pull off skin.

*DON'T over tweeze.  It's the most common mistake and can result in spindly lines of hair that leave the eyes "bulgy," according to Denise Chaplin.

*DO have an arch, but be careful: "Many women attempt to create an arch by tweezing too much near the inner corner of the brow," says Chaplin, "so they have this weird opening underneath and brows either look very round or like a polywog."

*DON'T commit these tweezing sins: trimming too much; leaving brows one width all the way across, which makes the nose look wide; tweezing the space between each eyebrow (the space above your nose) too wide, which makes your eyes look too far apart and your face wider; taking too much off of the ends, which makes eyes look smaller and closer together.

*The ideal brow is full, perfectly arched and proportioned.

Now, perfection is a little hard to attain, so here's a way to cheat:

Paula Dorf Eyebrow Stencil Kit, CVS, $25

You just take the stencil, fill in your brow and tweeze the remaining hairs.

I found a kit that was just the stencils at CVS also for a lot cheaper, but I can't remember the brand and I couldn't find them online.

Weekend Giveaways!

There are a ton-and I mean A TON-of giveaways going on right now!  I wish I could win them all!

I'm sure you all know by now how much I adore Lisa Leonard and all of her lovely creations.  Well, being the fabulous lady that she is, she's celebrating her birthday with an awesome giveaway!  Head on over to her blog to check it out-and wish her a happy birthday!

If you've never been over to 30Days, you seriously don't know what you're missing.  Especially this week.  The amazing Mique is doing an entire week of giveaways!!!!  There's too many to list here, so you'll just have to go check them out on 30Days for yourself!  But I promise, you'll want to win one of everything!

Tea Rose Home just turned 2 and Sachiko is celebrating with this wonderful Amy Butler pattern giveaway!  I love Amy Butler patterns!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Target?!  Mommy Minded is giving away a $25 gift card to Target to one lucky reader!  Oh, I hope it's me!

And speaking of giveaways, don't forget to enter our Along for the Ride giveaway and our Facebook fan giveaway (it ends tomorrow at midnight!)

If you're throwing an awesome giveaway on your blog or know of one, let me know and I'll add it to this post!