A few weeks ago I posted the first few pages of my December Daily album. I just love the concept of December Daily (DD); to document each day in December up until Christmas. Especially since the kids are little, this is such an incredible way to savor the Christmas Season all year long! Ali Edwards has been the master-mind behind this mini-album. To read her thoughts on DD, and see her album foundation from this year, go here. To see a completed album, go here. (i love comparing her foundations to what she actually does with the pages- Brilliant!)

My album is by 7 gypsies and is a 6x6 Book Kit album. The front and back are chipboard and the pages are just paper. At first I thought it would be too small, now i think it's just perfect. I will probably use alot of wallet pics, 4x6 and even 6x6.

Most all patterned paper is from Making Memories - the Holiday Vintage Findings Line, Fa la la Line and Mistletoe. (i used alot of solid colored cardstock and kraft paper).

Numbers are leftovers from my stash, Making Memories, and Little Yellow Bicycle.

Now it's time for pictures!

Here is the front cover of my album:

All paper and embellishments on cover are by Making Memories Vintage Findings. Jenni Bowling circle alpha stickers and Fiskars Apron Lace punch is used.

Inside: Jenni Bowlin Calendar. Transparency is by Fancy Pants

The actual page for Day 1 is by 7 gypsies. I am okay with taking out the pages that come with the book and using something else. The Story Ticket is by Tim Holtz

Day 2: Paper by Making Memories, Tear out page by Making Memories. Stamps and tag are vintage (from etsy). I believe the number 2 is by American Crafts.

Day three. I punched the number 3 out of a vintage deck of cards and used pop dots to add deminsion. Used card stock and a rub-on circle to put around it. Red Dot patterned paper by Making Memories and Ruler Ribbon by Ribbon Trends (hobby lobby) . Envelope (opposite side) is vintage.

Day 4: Making Memories(MM) embellishment on envelope. Vintage and MM embellishments on day 4 page. I used patterened paper, scallop punched the top in order to make a pocket to place pictures in. I just used adhesive around the sides to adhere. I would have sewed it down but i am a MORON with a sewing maching. Maybe that should be a 2010 goal ;)

Day 5: Vintage "Away in a Manger" Sheet Music. Vintage Santa. Jenni Bowlin Tag and Alphas. Opposite Page: Jenni Bowlin journal tag. MAking Memories paper.

Day 6: Vintage Paper, Making Memories wood letters, Red frame was cut out of a "Memory" Game- cardstock that held the game cards together :) Opposite Page, Envelope by Maya Road. Vintage Santa.

Day 7: Journal Card by Elle's Studio. sticker by Little Yellow Bicycle (LYB)

Day 8 part 1: Left Side lined paper by Jenni Bowlin (i think) Transparency (i just cut a regular transparency folder to size) with Number 8 Sticker and Santa Sticker by Paper Studio

Day 8 part 2: Jenni Bowlin Jolly Bingo Card. Rub on Circle over number 8. Hambly Rub on Stitching

Day 9- sheet music paper by Making Memories, ticket by Jenni Bowlin. Green paper by Making Memories, number 9 is LYB.

Day 10: Making Memories Green Paper. (i plan to put a photo and journaling in white space). Brown paper is actually a shopping paper bag from Trader Joes last year. Can't take credit for that one- it's all Ali Edwards. Embellishments by Jenni B and MM.

Day 11: Green Paper- not sure- Making Memories. Number sticker is LYB

Day 12- opposite side is sheet music by Making Memories with cardstock circle punches. Red paper by MM, LYB number sticker

Day 13- opposite page. Making Memories Red paper. Circle Punches and Santa Sticker. 7 gypsies post card for Day 13.

I think this is my favorite page- can you guess why? It's the Starbucks red cup! The cup and it's peppermint hot chocolates are frequent visitors in our house during the holidays :) I can't claim this idea as my own... got it here (Ali Edwards again)


Yummy a closer look. (and yes it's a clean cup;)


Day 15- I covered the back of the cup with Making Memories paper, and Page 15 is actually a green envelope. Tag is by Elle's Studio and circle alphabet by Jenni Bowlin. Red Numbers by American Crafts.

Wow! That was intense! Thanks for hanging in there:) I hope this inspires you with your own December Daily album and Christmas Crafting! : ) I plan to post Dec 16- Dec 25 on Monday!
I hope/plan to post completed pages throughout December- we'll see how it goes, especially since Tuesday is Dec 1! WOW!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving!

Tonight, after all the dust has settled and everyone has gone to bed (yes even todd too:) , I am sitting here folding laundry,having a bowl of popcorn, and thanking God for all the wonderful blessings he had given me. Blessings I do not deserve. Blessings I am so thankful for.

For Jesus, for my salvation through Him. For my husband: for his love, leadership, and God- pursuing heart. For my two children, Jonah and Jordan, who have made me a mother, and have changed me into a better person. For our health. For my amazing family: Mom, Dad, Annie and Ben. For my entire extended family- the ones who grew up next door to me and the ones who are a few hours down South. For ALL my cousins who are more like siblings. For my incredible in-law family: Pappy, Nikki, the extended Hufford family, and for the Russell family. And for friends who pretty much are family- you know who you are :). For hobbies that make me giddy, for a family business, and for laughter!

For growing up in a household that honored and served the Lord, and provided a heritage established in the Word of God that I can pass down to Jonah and Jordan. I take that for granted too often. For a Christian Education from Pre-K until 12 grade. For Trials- yes, even the trials and hardships that have drawn me closer to Him and have built character.

Thank you Lord for all that you have me.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!
(pics from today coming soon- too tired to upload tonight ;)

Recent Crafty

Hey there!

Sorry i have been MIA on the blog front this past week- wow, it's been a crazy week! Todd has been extra busy at work, meaning i am extra busy at home :) However i DO still find time for crafty - it's my sanity / happy place! Hehehehe!

Here are a few recent layout I did that feature Lily Bee Design's Vintage Poppy Line:

Jordan and her "de-de" (blankie). Seriously, it's like the 5th member (and 6th, since there are two) members of our family. they go every-where! Had to document this precious little relationship since i can definitely relate (i took my blankie to college!!!!!!)

"De-De" Lily Bee Vintage Poppy Papers, Tim Holtz Ticket, Making Memories pearl brads, Hambly Stitching Rub On, Fiskars Punch, Jenni Bowlin circle alphas, American Crafts alphas.

And how about this little dynamic duo? There are really QUITE A PAIR. Just tonight as I was cleaning up dinner, I could hear them in the living room having a conversation about "Jenni", uh, er, me, i guess. what in the world!? They talk about me and use my first name behind my back!

"Quite a Pair" Lily Bee Vintage Poppy Papers, Elle's Studio tags, Basic Grey green doilies, EK Success punch used for the scalloping, Prima Gold Flower Making Memories (wood) alphabets, American Crafts (pink) alphas.

And then this one I put in an envelope and gave to my love. He is so busy with work these days. Just wanted to remind him to keep on truckin' until the busy work season is over and we sail away HERE. (woot!)

"Keep on Truckin'" Lily Bee Papers, Studio Calico "Homefront" stickers, Jenni Bowlin circle alphabet stickers and American Crafts alphas

And here is another one of my little Jor being a mommy to her baby. It is seriously the funniest thing to see her sitting with her baby while they suck their thumbs together. and the weird thing is they sorta look alike!!! ha!

"Lil' Mommy" Lily Bee Vintage Poppy Papers, K&Co Wood grain paper, K&Co rub ons, American Crafts alphas, Studio Calico Homefront Stickers, bits and pieces from Studio Calico Marketplace and Yearbook kits

Hope you enjoyed the latest from my scrap desk! : ) I am HOPING to have some pictures of a completed December Daily this coming weekend!

This is TODAY...

You know the phrase, "This is TODAY, on NBC....."

Well, on Friday morning, after we have risen from our turkey coma's, I hope you tune into NBC's Today Show, so you can see this story....

Yes, this coming "Black" Friday Morning my 8th grade Bible teacher at our small(ish:) Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis will have a story on the Today Show, can you believe it?

Lucky # 7

This past Monday, Todd and I celebrated our SEVENTH anniversary! It is amazing that seven years have gone by so fast. It is hard to remember my life without Todd in it.


Our story of how we met is a little interesting... We both went to Purdue University and lived in neighboring fraternity and sorority houses. Our houses did many social events together AND we had many many numerous mutual friends. We even both attended the same Christian Greek Organization, Greek InterVarsity, however we never officially met.

We both graduated college (Todd in '00, I was in '01) and didn't meet until September 13, 2001. Yes, that was two days after 9-11. We both went to a prayer meeting for 9-11 at Grace Community Church's single group (which for me to go alone is RARE esp to a singles group- i felt like it was CLEARANCE RACK and just felt weird going... so that was definitely a God thing and humorous to think he used a SINGLES group for me to meet my future husband- in spite of my bad attitude towards it:). After the prayer and worship time, i was darting out (remember, not a fan?) and we passed each other. We both did a, "HEY, i know you...." and officially met. We sat on a table and talked for 20minutes or so. Exchanged emails and went on our merry way.

Well, I got home that night, checked my email, and i ALREADY had an email from Todd AND while i was reading it he IM'd me (remember the good old AOL IM???). Interested, much? We didn't really "date" at first, just hung out together for about a month and then I would consider us officially dating. And engagement? That happened six months after we met. YEAH. I guess you could say we knew pretty fast that we were who God chose us for one another.


We got married on November 16, 2002. Our ceremony was at 7:30 pm (because we are night owls! ...or... at least me;) at First Baptist Church of Indianapolis and our reception was at Fountain Square Theatre. One of my favorite parts of our wedding ceremony (besides the vows, OF COURSE!) is that we had Randall Goodgame come play "Jerusalem" during the unity candle lighting. That song gives me chills EVERY time i hear it. Randall is an amazing singer/songwriter (In addition to his own albums, he has written songs for Caedmon's Call). We were fortunate enough to have Randall perform at our Rehearsal Dinner the night before our wedding. We had dinner with our family, wedding party, and many friends, and had a mini-concert afterwards. lots of laughs, great music, great food, and lots of people. AMAZING! That was such an incredible weekend- hard to believe it was seven years and two babies ago!

(below is a youtube video featuring Randall Goodgame's song "Jerusalem", the song he sang live during our wedding. It is SO special to us. The song is put to images of unborn babies in the womb- amazing... i realize the images are totally unrelated to this post, but i would love for you to listen to this (and would LOVE for you to watch if you desire) or hit play, enjoy the music, and continue reading. I promise you will enjoy either way!:)



We left after our wedding to have a fun weekend in Chicago and decided to wait to go on our honeymoon after Thanksgiving. So early December we left for Hawaii! We visitied the Big Island, Maui, and Kauaii. Ohhhh... how i wish we can go back again someday.

So this past Monday we celebrated SEVEN years! We had an awesome time going out to dinner (without kids:) at Bonefish grill. My surprise to Todd was this little #7 Container (great price at Anthro!). At dinner we filled out 7 Goals for our Year 7.It was so much fun!!!! I always love dinners that we can reflect or look forward to the year ahead. Todd, I am SO thankful to be your wife. Happy 7!

(spice jar container from Anthropologie and lined paper by Lily Bee)

A few things....

Just wanted to pop in real quick! So the other day I had my hair cut and colored and i went DRASTIC....


Yes that is RED (and dark brown) you see. I have been doing blonde highlights for YEARS and went a tad darker last time around. This time i wanted to go darker and my stylist suggested to make it red. So red it is! Sometimes i do a double take when i walk past a mirror :)

About a month ago I won a drawing at The Paper Life and the prize was Studio Calico's October Kit, Yearbook. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the kit! (Thanks to the Paper Life and Stephanie Howell for this awesome prize!) I was able to use it and put together a layout for Jonah and his trip to the pumpkin patch. He was so funny when he pretended his hands were a map and ran through the trees trying to find the perfect pumpkin. Where do they come up with these things?


Supplies used from the Studio Calico October Kit

A few weeks ago all these gorgeous leaves were in our front yard. It was so fun playing in them. Now the trees are almost bare and the leaves are gone. It's so pretty when they are still colorful and have just fallen from the trees!



I can't believe my sweet Jonah is going to be FOUR in less than 2 months. Where has the time gone? I have just gotten used to saying he is three and a half... now he is almost four!!!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Cupcakes and Christmas: Some Craftiness for your Friday afternoon

Wanted to drop in and share a fun layout I did a few months ago.

We had Jordan's birthday photoshoot last February at the Flying Cupcake in Indy. (Megan, i got this idea from you and gracyn!) Oooooh how i LOVED this place. It is all of my favorite things in one little store- cupcakes and vintage decor. I could sit in there and enjoy the atmosphere (and prob eat their cupcakes) all day!!!!!!!!

Paper: Sassafras, Cosmo Cricket. Punch: Fiskars. Stickers: Sassafras, Martha Stewart. Milkshake Card: Studio Calico. Butterfly Cork: Chatterbox. Frame: K&Company. Tag: Making Memories. Alphas: American Crafts and Making Memories.

Also, is anyone out there getting in the Christmas Spirit??? I know it's not even a week since Halloween but Starbucks has busted out their red cups and just today I consumed my first Peppermint Hot Chocolate of the season :) It seems Christmas begins sooner every year!

I have mentioned my love for Ali Edwards's crafty talent many times before. Her creative process and ideas are simply amazing! If you are a crafter and know anything about Ali Edwards, you know about DECEMBER DAILY. Every year she and hundreds of other crafters put together a small mini book that has a page dedicated to each day in December. Her philosophy is to have this book DONE before December starts. That way we can quickly document what happened on each day during that month and throw in a picture (or not). The importance is PRESERVING your families Christmas traditions and memories (not making a super fancy book). In her own words:

You simply MUST go see the foundation of her December Daily Album for this year... part 1 and part 2 .

I have never done December Daily before, but decided this is THE year! So here is what I have come up with so far (just the cover and day 1!) i have some work to do! I HOPE to keep blogging about my progress on the foundation of this album and what it looks like as i fill it out in December (there now that i said it and hit "publish" i have to do it, right?) haha.

The Cover:


Album is 6x6 three ring binder by 7 Gypsies. That way i can remove pages and add different sized elements. All paper and embelishments by Making Memories.

I think the mitten is my favorite. It's actually a hinged clip! To cute!

When you open up to the interior of the front cover this is what you see:


I hav cut down one of Jenni Bowlin's December calendars and added an "H" with Red and white paper behind it. The next "page" is an ornament transparensy (by Fancy Pants). Love adding different kinds of elements! The Circle Alphabet Stickers, and the Story ticket are also Jenni Bowlin.



And, Page 1:


(This picture was actually taken before i did the interior cover- oops!) I used a 7 gypsies Card as the actual page. I had a small pocket, not sure who made it, and plan on journaling either inside the pocket or on the actual page itself. I think a wallet pic of something from Dec 1st will fit perfectly on the pocket. Here is a close up of the pocket.

My favorite part is the numbers above the "One". Numbers 1-25 listed. Perfect! They are rub-ons from Pink Paislee.

So that's all I have done for now! I can't wait to start working on it again. I must admit it's starting to put me in the Christmas Spirit!!!!

Is anyone else doing December Daily? Leave me a comment if you are- would love to see your book too!

Sincerely, Mr. Stroup

Last night WTHR Indianapolis featured a story on my 8th Grade Bible Teacher at Heritage Christian School, Mr. Dan Stroup. He has been teaching for 30 years and writes each and every student he has ever had a birthday letter... for every birthday. I have received a letter from him for the last 17 years. This is an amazing story!!! If you haven't seen this yet, you must. (and get some kleenex:).







WTHR Anchorman Scott Swan did a wonderful job interviewing Mr. Stroup. He prefaced the story by saying in 20 years of journalism, this is his favorite story. He accurately displayed the heart of Mr Stroup, his humbleness, and love for Jesus.

If you attend Heritage, it is no secret that Mr. Stroup sends his students a birthday letter every year. However, last night as I was watching the news piece, I was hit by the magnitude of this man's legacy and how many lives he touches. Each year he writes 2,500 birthday letters.

I am so thankful for my education at Heritage and the wonderful teachers that still invest in my life.

Happy Halloween and Birthday ....

Another Halloween has come and gone, and today (Nov 2) we are celebrating Todd's 32nd Birthday!!!!!!!! It's been a big week with lots of fun celebrations at the Hufford House!!

To Todd , the Birthday Boy, here's to another amazing year!

Thank you....

...for being an amazing father.

Daily, you show your love for Jonah and Jordan. I see it in the little things you do and say to them. You should see how much they FREAK OUT when they hear the garage door go up and realize you are home from work ; ) Their little legs run SO fast to the garage door! You have been painting a beautiful picture of our Heavenly Father's PURE and TRUSTWORTHY love for them.


Thank you for being my soul mate. For having so much fun together. For all the prayers we have prayed together. For your listening, laughing, and loving. For being a husband that sticks by my side through thick and thin. Who whips me into shape when i (or my mouth) needs it. For loving me through it all. For having the times of our lives! For making me laugh, and for making me think i am the funniest person you ever met. ;) You have stolen my heart... and my toothpaste.

Happy Birthday Todd! We LOVE you SOsoSOsoSO Much!


And now... here's a little eye CANDY from our lil Trick or Treaters! (Peter Pan and Tink!)