I have been slacking on my blog. Oops. :)
Did you have a lovely Valentine's Day? I woke up to some beautiful flowers and a gorgeous pair of earrings. Then I was surprised with some chocolate covered strawberries at work! Followed by a wonderful cooked meal by my husband. I sure am loved!

Time has really been slipping past so quickly... I cannot believe that February is already in the second half of the month. I even forgot to post about my latest entry to the Iron Craft Challenge! Our challenge was hearts and flowers so I decided to go with some handmade Valentines!

My sister came over a few weeks ago (on the 2nd) and we really had a fun time making Valentines and watching Groundhog Day. Check out some of her lovely work below!

If you follow me on Vine and Instagram, you've probably seen a couple videos and a photo of my progress of cleaning out my craft nook. I'll have an update post soon!

xo. Lauren

Paper: Kiss Me (Bella Blvd.); Kraft (Recollections); Early Espresso and Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); generic dark blue
Stamps: XO Roller Date Stamp (American Crafts); Smitty's ABCs (Lawn Fawn); I Heart Hearts (retired - Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Momento); Melon Mambo and Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ribbon & Twine: Blushing Bride 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon (retired - Stampin' Up!); Peppermint Twine (Divine Twine); pink pom pom trim, green ribbon
Embellishments: Dear Lizzy Foam Thickers, XO Heart Buttons Wood Embellishents (American Crafts); Heart & Cloud and Love Grid Washi Tape (Freckled Fawn); Envelope and Mustache Wood Flourishes (Kaisercraft); Basic Pearls (Stampin' Up!); Gold and White Sequins, Pink and White Tags (Studio Calico); red floss, toothpicks, white thread
Tools: sewing machine, typewritter

I think I'm doomed to prep for any holidays. Life changes affected Halloween (and in turn Thanksgiving and Christmas). And now I catch a cold when I should be prepping for Valentine's Day! Bleh. So, crafting has been on hold and my craft nook has been piling high of stuff since I've been too sickly to do anything about it other than to just add to it. So. This cold is wrapping itself up (thank you, Jesus) and I'll post tomorrow about the fun I had my lil' sis making Valentine's Day cards but I'm going to have to take next week to re-organize my craft crap. I mean stuff. I mean supplies. :)

Hope your Friday is fun filled. I'm excited to eat gluten free pizza at home, some NyQuil and continue Season 2 of Vampire Diaries. Yep, you read that right. I'm addicted. It's Buffy-like and that makes me happy.

xo. Lauren

Oh Friday, I'm so glad you're here. Although one of my dearest friends will be moving next week and today was his last day at work. He truly has been a wonderful mentor, friend and well... a great "work dad." He has a daughter my age and really has been such a great person to talk to when it came to stuff in my life -- both at work and personal. I am so thankful for everything these past (almost) 3 years and even though he will still work for the company, it will difficult to not wander to his office to talk. It is comforting knowing that he will still be a phone call or office communicator message away.

Anywho, before I get any more emotional today... This was a simple card I made using a sketch from Studio Calico and a challenge from Moxie Fab until I realized I wasn't using Studio Calico product and the challenge was 10 different types of embellishments. Oh well. I still love it! I love the lines, the simple and clean look and the sequins! Plus I had just opened this Amy Tangering paper and couldn't wait to use it. So fun!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Anyone else planning on eating on Sunday for the Superbowl? I have NO CLUE who is even playing, I just know there's gonna be food. Woo!

xo. Lauren

Paper: Ready Set Go by Amy Tangerine (American Crafts); grey cardstock
Stamps: Picture It (Avery Elle)
Ink: Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!)
Embellishments: Satin Gold Sequins (Studio Calico); white thread
Tools: sewing machine

1. Being gluten free has been getting easier. Not quite as tasty, but definitely easier. Especially thanks to these guys. And look! I even made it back to the gym.

2. I changed my name last Friday. Officially a Taylor. AND, finally put our deposit down for our wedding reception/celebration. :)

3. I like taking pictures of my dog. I think she's funny looking and does weird things. I think she's annoyed by my picture taking.

4. What's more fun than food and white wine? Not much. Ladies night with Hunger Games. Nothing says a good time like Chardonnay and jalepeno poppers. Just sayin'. I brought this amazing hot blueberry cheddar dip with toasty bread (and gluten free chips).

5. We have had the most amazing sunsets this week. Seriously. So gorgeous.

6. I'm not really that excited the last Star Wars movies are going to be made. But this made me laugh.

7. When you leave your phone at your little sister-in-law's house, you get funny photos. But, then her sister puts them on her blog and Facebook. So.

I started thinking about Valentine's Day and I decided to look around my Pinterest board (holiday // valentine) for some ideas for Valentines. The people I'll be seeing that day besides my husband are going to be co-workers. And since I'm an engineer, it is safe for you to assume that I work with mostly guys. Pretty much all guys. In fact I'm the only girl in Engineering at this site. Thank goodness for Customer Service and the Office Managers! There's some ladies in those groups. :)

So when thinking about making Valentines for guys, I wanted to make something that's not lovey dovey (awkward) and preferably quick and easy. Most guys around here don't really value crafty things. So. Less time spent the better. Here is a collection of ideas that I moved from Valentine's Day board in to my Pinsday board (blog // pinsday inspiration). Check 'em out:

I absolutely LOVE these little pouches! I think I'll make some to give to a few people but with 30ish folks here at our site, I really don't think I want to stitch together 30ish pouches. I like my co-workers, but probably not that much. Maybe. We'll see... I'd have to find some more heart shapped doilies! I only have a few.

Co-workers like cookies! How fun would it be to make Convesation Hearts into cookies. But instead of cutesy, lovey phrases... You put funny phrases! I love Shoe Box's funny hearts like, "Like U As A Friend" and "Creeping Me Out." Oh, and "Platonic 4-Ever." Man, so funny. If I made these I would use, "Get Back 2 Work, "Stop Yelling," or "Close UR Door When On UR Speakerphone." That one would probably take 3 cookies.

This is seriously one of my favorite ideas. Perfect for Engineering! But probably not perfect for the rest of my co-workers. But this is great for a school Valentine, too! I'm definitely keeping this in mind for the future. Such a cute idea.

But the idea I'm going to pursue are fortune cookie Valentines! We made the cute paper ones at last month's Make & Take Club but the felt ones are just too cute. I better get to cutting circles and getting them ready. They're perfect for doing in front of the television. ;) If you make them with paper - using a die cutting machine. Like I said, less work the better.

Are you planning on making Valentines for your co-workers? What do you have planned?

xo. Lauren

I meant to post these last Friday but I got so busy that time flew by and all of a sudden it's Wednesday. So, it's going up today. I haven't been too much in a crafty mood this week so I'm not sure what Pinsday is going to be about this week... But stay tuned.

My first card in my latest Challenge Round-Up is with Moxie Fab's 75 Creative Card Challenges Week: Challenge #49 -- Make Your Own Background Paper. I really liked the bright color scheme from Studio Calico's Woodbrooke Road kit so I played around with everything and created this layout. I used the stamp in the kit with yellow and white ink to create my own background paper. I think it turned out nice and sunny! Reminds me of spring.

Kits: Woodbrooke Road Kit (Studio Calico)
Paper: Marina Mist (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Crushed Curry and Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Embellishments: Aqua Blue Sequins and Small White Tag (Studio Calico); Cappuccino Baker's Twine (The Twinery); white thread
Tools: sewing machine

And the second card today as a simple card that I had some fun with. This card is for Moxie Fab's 75 Creative Card Challenges Week: Challenge #18 -- Stamp With a Homemade Stamp. It's a bit simple, but I like it a lot. I used a red and white paint from Martha Stewart a pencil eraser! I think this would make a great Valentine's Day card to send in the mail -- it's flat!

Paper: Kraft (Recollections)
Paint: Tartan Red and Wedding Cake (Martha Stewart)
Tools: pencil with eraser

I still have a few more Valentine's to make before sending them off... How are you doing on yours?

xo. Lauren

You know what makes being gluten free better?

Cookies.

You've got to try them.

xo. Lauren

Today is the reveal of Iron Craft's 2nd Challenge: Orange! For those of you who missed my first post, Just Crafty Enough hosts a bi-weekly Iron Craft Challenge. I wasn't sure what to make at first - I want to try and challenge myself to craft outside of my comfort box - and Jonny remembered I had been wanting to make another sugar rub.

So, I gathered my supplies and made an Orange Sugar Scrub. If you're interested in making a sugar scrub of your own, here's what you'll need:

DIY Sugar Scrub
Adapted from Let Birds Fly

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp refined coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup mild flavored oil (I used grapeseed but you can use safflower or flaxseed)
• 20-30 drops of essential oil or 3-5 drops of extract (I used orange extract - but just put a few drops in at a time until you like what you smell)
• Non-toxic food coloring (just put in a drop or two at a time until you like what you see)

I decorated my mason jar with a cupcake liner, some baker's twine & a tag with the name typed onto it. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Have you made your own scrub before? Leave a me a link to your favorite!

xo. Lauren

Scrub: sugar, sea salt, refined coconut oil, grapeseed oil, orange extract, red and yellow non-toxic food coloring
Decor: Mandarin Baker's Twine (The Twinery); small tag, orange cupcake liner, mason jar, typewritter

1. I am actually getting things done for our wedding reception. I mean, "celebration." Apparently a lot of ladies out there think that if you have a reception months after your wedding, you just want gifts. So. I guess it's a celebration instead.

2. Gluten-free for four days now. It's terrible.

3. I signed up for a 5K a few months ago and forgot about it. Wah, wah. But, I did it. And took this lovely photo. So pretty!

4. Before I went gluten-free I had these gorgeous desserts and I miss it already.

5. Sigh, and this.

Is this week going by slow for you?
Maybe I need a vacation already.

This week I wanted to gain my pinspiration from pretty finds on Pinterest with the colors from the latest 10 Minute Craft Dash from Pretty Pink Posh. I found these three photos to be the prettiest with the colors. It help me envision how to use the colors. Pink and green were the featured colors, while grey was more of a background color or more subtle.

1 // 2 // 3

Well, I couldn't find a color of grey that matched what I wanted so I decided to go with green. I ran it through my big shot using the argyle embossing folder and put it under a heavy book to flatten it out. I started on my lolly and used the fun pink and red paper because it would look like a spiral. I glued the doily down, glued the lolly down and added the heart on top to hide the center. I was running out of time fast (I wanted to distress or color the heart with grey) so I threw on some enamel dots and noticed my doily and lolly were off center. BOO! But I tied on some twine and stopped the clock. I wouldn't have made it if I tired to fix it, so off center it is! :)

I was bummed I didn't get more grey in my card, but I think the enamel dots are enough. I like the concept behind this card so I might try to make another one without time constraints and see how it turns out.

Have you tried the 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge?

xo. Lauren

Kits: Wildberry Court Add-on Kit (Studio Calico)
Embellishments: Peppermint Twine (Whisker Graphics); 4" doily
Tools: Argyle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (Stampin' Up!)