Simplifying my Scrapbook Page

While I haven't been doing a ton of scrapbooking lately, I've been trying to scrap some of last school year's photos.  That way I won't feel quite so overwhelmed when I start to print this school year's photos!  When I was looking at the pictures of the scrapbook pages, I noticed a common design thread running through these pages:  Grouping my photos into a block.  

There are a few reasons why I think that look works for me:

1. It takes the guesswork out of trying to position my pictures in just the right way.
2. I can fit a lot of pictures onto one page or a two page layout.
3. I use a lot of 4x6 uncropped pictures, and I don't like to overlap them very often.

Even though these two pages can stand on their own, they also work as a two page layout.

One more thing I used a lot on these photos and pages was a thin line of white paint to make the photos or paper stand out without cutting extra mats.  In the Pumpkin guts single page above I double matted the finished Jack-O-Lantern photo, but grouped the three related photos together with a single mat behind.

As you can see, the Halloween pictures were out that day!

I'm linking here!

Candy Corn

Some Candy Corn Facts you never knew you wanted to know:

*October 30th is National Candy Corn Day
*One serving of candy corn contains only about 140 calories
*Candy corn has 3.57 calories per kernel
*More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9billion pieces -- enough to circle the moon nearly four times if laid end-to-end.
*Halloween accounts for 75% of the annual candy corn production
*A cup of candy corn has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.
*Candy Corn was invented by George Renninger and produced by the Wunderlee Candy Company in the 1880's. In 1900, the Goelitz Candy Company, now Jelly Belly Candy Company, started mass producing  candy corn, but, due to the lack of machinery, it was only made available seasonally from March to November. Its recipe is unchanged from the original.
*Candy corn isn't just for Halloween there is also:
Reindeer corn for Christmas (red, green, and white)
Indian corn (it's chocolate and vanilla flavored)
Cupid corn for Valentine's Day (red, pink, and white)
Bunny corn for Easter (pastel-colored)


Have some fun with your kids: try to stick them onto your teeth to look like a vampire, jack-o-lantern, or hillbilly! Who cares about cavities!!

Here is another HUGE recipe, but it can be cut in half to be more manageable. This is great for a Halloween party or to give away to friends and neighbors! Just decorate paper lunch sacks with some Halloween stickers, fold top of bag over, punch two holes through the top and lace a festive ribbon and tie with a bow.

Candy Corn Popcorn
24 cups popped popcorn
2 cups walnut halves
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Apple pie spice {or cinnamon}
½ tsp. Baking soda
2 packages candy corn {12.5 oz each} The chocolate candy corn is good, too


Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine popcorn and walnuts in a lightly greased large roasting pan. In a heavy large saucepan, melt butter over med-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Boil 5 minutes without stirring.


Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, apple pie spice, and baking soda. {Mixture will foam} Pour syrup over popcorn mixture; stir until well coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on lightly greased foil to cool. Sprinkle candy corn over popcorn mixture. Store in airtight container.


Yield: about 30 cups popcorn mix


Linking here:

Check out the rest of the great holiday ideas here!