FREE {organized simplicity} & 2012 book list...

One of my goals for 2012 is to read more! Those who know me personally, know that before I had Little Bit I worked at the local library for 6 years! I love books but I just don't make enough time to read. It would take me months to get through a book. Well I have a long list of books fiction and nonfiction that I would like to read so I decided to make reading more of a priority this year. I have been setting aside time most nights to read before going to bed. Here a few of the books on my list...

A Turn in the Road {currently reading}

The Help

The Best of Me

David: Seeking a Heart Like His {currently reading}

Grace for the Good Girl

One Thousand Gifts

Organized Simplicity {You can get a free Kindle Edition on Amazon.com right now! Don't have a Kindle, don't worry. I have the Kindle app on my phone and that's how I read the electronic books I get for free. There is also a PC version you can download.}


The Perfectly Imperfect Home

We will see how far I get with this list and if anything else gets added to it! I for sure know there will be more decorating books added to this list once we get into our new house!

What are you reading or hope to read this year?

Labels for Education

I recently received a sampling of products from Meijer. These are just a few of the many participating products in the program Labels for Education. This program is similar to Boxtops where you collect labels from products and turn them in for points at the school of your choice to earn educational products.

Just a handful of the participating products are pictured here....Glad, Campbell's soups, Emerald snacks, Post cereals and even select magazines like Real Simple! Check out a complete list of participating products here.

Here is an example of what the labels look like. This was on the can of Campbell's Select Harvest soup...and is worth 5 points. Just clip the label and turn them into your school so they can start earning freebies through this great program!

finishing up 2011...

This past weekend I attended an overnight crop with a few friends. We had a blast and I completed 19 12x12 pages! I was so excited to complete my album for 2011! So I thought I would share a couple of my favorite layouts I put together...

I had several random pics of Little Bit and some of her friends enjoying activities together over the summer. I decided to throw them all in one layout and title it {summer fun}.

I really liked these yellow letter stickers but didn't have enough to complete my title...I almost didn't use them. Then the idea hit me to use the leftover part of the sticker. Once you peel the letter off there is a little colored border still on the sheet. So I cut around it and tada...outline letters! I love how it turned out!

This layout took me a little while to complete but I love it!!! I used a layout I had found in a scrapbooking magazine as inspiration and got to work cutting....{I cut out alot for this layout, but it was well worth it!} Most of the papers I used where from a fall paper pack I had found in Target's dollar section a while back.

I free-handed a large and small pumpkin to use as patterns, then used the different patterned paper to create the finished pumpkins. The leaves were cut from a full 12x12 sheet of paper with leaves all over it. I also cut out little triangles to use for the banner on the far right.

Sometimes it is fun to create a layout that you really throw yourself into, with lots of different elements but sometimes it is nice to complete a simple, no brainer page as well. That is how I felt about my last page. When I found this Amy Tangerine paper, I instantly fell in love with it...the colors, the camera and the stitching! :D I let it do the work for me on this layout. I just added the purple paper strip for the pictures and the FRIENDS title to complete the page!

Now I am excited to start my project life style scrapbooking for 2012! What are you plans for scrapping in the new year?