jessica nole

i kid you not...

2009-07-29T09:27:00.003-04:00

the neighbors finally mowed their lawn- THIS MONDAY!!!

it was a jungle out there. Right now, if I could have one wish, it would be for a fence. Just on that side of the house. It was funny though because the kids were trying to slip-n-slide in it and seems completely oblivious to the fact that the grass was like 2+ feet high!

So since no one could have possibly guess that they would wait ONE MONTH to mow their lawn (hopefully this isn't just how it is) I will send each of you a nice envelope of some goodies. Please send me your address and I will be packing up your treats and getting them to the post office.
jessnole @ gmail.com

Living here is like a whole different world. The neighborhood is really wonderful and we are so happy. It's amazing what movingonly one block away can do to change your life. The other day we got to see an entire family wearing leather chaps and helmets adorned with mohawks and purple ponytails and we also have friendly neighbors who gave my daughter more baby clothes for her dolls than even a real baby needs, which were left over from their yard sale.
I almost forgot to mention that at said garage sale I found (for free!!!) a nice stack of vintage McCall's magazine, crochet and knit mags, and loads of handmade Christmas ideas from the 60's and 70's. I am so excited to see what I can create and amp up to share this coming holiday season. Finding these has made me want to start creating Christmas gifts already!

in other news, i am comletely excited about the announcement I received in my email this morning from SIStv!!!

One last thing to cheer you up! We are planning a fantastic online event for all of those people who wanted to attend Scrap In Style LIVE but couldn't. We are going to come as close as possible to replicating our live event on the website, and you WILL NOT want to miss it, TRUST. ME. Just ask anyone who attended this year's event. (Dates and more details will be coming in next week's newsletter.)

I have one word for this... AWESOME!!!

This summer is flying right by. This is the last week of tennis camp. we still haven't gone to the beach. gasp! Been thinking about where to go back to school shopping. (I haven't even bought a pencil yet) and preparing for the hubby to go on a work trip to Trinidad. We just moved and just got ourselves settled for the most part. Still have to have a yard sale. Charging the batteries to take some pics so that i can finally upload some of my projects. And seriously been thinking about my diet. Need i say- way too much lemonade mix and hot dog consumption around here! Working on a quilt, made my very first baby doll outfit and even did some embroidery. Realizing that life is good even when things aren't going perfectly (when does that happen anyways?) and looking for work outside of home. Opportunites to do some home decor jobs are knocking and really feeling the turn of 30 (years) and all of these life lessons I have learned and will continue to learn are looking much clearer than ever.

have a beautiful day!

where does this fit in with my life?

2009-07-10T11:17:00.004-04:00

so moving... and all that it entails

after 7 years of living in the same location
we have accumulated an insane amount of
(shall we call them) sentimental items.

these items range from things i someday intend
to include in a scrapping project, to items my husband
has forgotten what they go to but might one day
remember and need. such items would be tucked away
into places such as the breadbox or in a bowl that belongs to no set,
sometimes even in places like my underwear drawer
or even placed on a windowsill...
all with good intentions of finding these items a home.

so here i am in our new place with items with no home.
it is driving me absolutely crazy. there are numerous drill bits
and screwdrivers in just about every room of this place.
these items do not fit into my life in an kind of way
except that i know that they need a home and they are in my way.
but they do not belong to me so i cannot just throw them out.

it's unbelievable how much a single person an accumulate.
it's also amazing when i think of how much we have already eliminated
and still i feel like we brought too much with us.

how overwhelming it is when i think of the fact
that i still have to figure out where the out of season clothes

and decorations that i want to hold on to will go.

so far everything has been sent off to the basement.

little by little the pile is growing.
someday this summer i will have a yard sale.
i just have to breath and stay sane until the time comes.

who's up for a guessing game!!!

2009-07-09T16:49:00.003-04:00

with moving and summer taking so much of my time

i have not had any time to update or have fun

with my blog in such a long time!

so here is a little number i just came up with while sitting out on the deck,

enjoying the beautiful view.
(looking south, not west) teehee!

When will my new neighbors mow their lawn?

whoever guesses correctly will receive scrappy happymail!!

winner will be announced as soon as they mow their lawn, of course :)

a hint, just for fun...
this could happen any day now.
i have been here for 2 weeks and it's pretty tall already.

another little hint- someone put up a volleyball net this afternoon, so i
am almost sensing good intentions. teehee!

i will take a pic as soon as a find some batteries!

2009-06-02T14:12:00.007-04:00

it's been a long time, hasn't it?

i've been up to lots and lots

last day of scouts is tomorrow

this past weekend we worked on our

cub mobile and had the race.
lots o' fun!

this weekend we are off to nyc (queens & brooklyn).
kev's great grandmother passed so we are going
down for a day or two.

monet has been busy with tap, jazz & ballet.
this year she's in the big ballet
and is graduating from elementary school!
(dress shopping here we come)

so proud of her and
so excited for her!!

hubs has been traveling. now he's in nebraska!
never been there before. and believe it or not,
omaha isn't ll that bad.
it helps that he is staying at a koko key resort
with an indoor water park!!!

jealous? yeah, me too :D

only a couple weeks left of school. thanks goodness.
i am homeworked OUT!

i've read the uglies saga-
uglies, pretties, specials, and extras

and i'm almost finishd with the host,
by stephanie meyer
i tried again and again to get into this book. it was
difficult after twilight.
but if you aren't sure about it, i can tell you that it's a great story
once you get past about 150 pages.
it takes a while to get to the good stuff.
once you get there, it's a great read!

my neighbor/friend is preggo and just got married.
AND buying a house. like all in the past 5 months!
such an exciting time for her.

we've been taking some pics in between our busy schedules
of her growing belly. she is having a girl!!!
and i've been trying to teach myself to crochet booties.
i got one done- and it is CUTE.
now getting the other one to look the same,
that's a whole different story! teehee!

thought i'd share some pics i ps'd...

tried out some layering and added the brick background.
originally the background was the white siding of a house.

and this one i used a ttv layer.

and here i used a water texture. she loves dolphins, so
i though tit would be cool to
add an element of water to a photo.
i'm not so sure i love the non-realistic feel of this, but
it was definitely fun to try something different.

this one i used a canvas exture and added the KA Phraseology font
by kayla aimee terrel from her blog
would leave a link but i'm outtie- to pick up the kids from school.

there are many more- more with faces too!
i never really thought i'd get into ps'ing!

enjoy the beautiful sunshine!!!

later gaters.

2009-05-11T10:43:00.005-04:00

when i was a little girl i always knew that i wanted to be
a mommy.
what i never knew was just how rewarding
being a mother is.
my own mother was not always there for me,
which has taught me a good lesson
on what kind of mommy
i need to be.

yesterday evening i sat down at the table with
my two beautiful children
and we each made a list

mine:

1. every day i ask myself,
"what can i do to make you better people?"
(you always come first)
2. every hug & kiss is filled with so much love.
even the little squeezes and pecks n the cheek.
(of course, smooches & bear hugs are too!)
3. i always see the best in each of you. yes, even
when we are having a tough day.
(you both have those eyes that get me
every time)
4. showing you how to do things and watching
you learn with such curiosity is
one of my most favorite things to do with you.
(this makes each and every day
an adventure that i look forward to)
5. when i wish you "sweet dreams",
i really do wish you the sweetest dreams of all.
(my sweet smelling babies in jammies
truly makes me melt)

monet:
i love mommy because
1. she loves me
2. she's cute
3. she is nice
4. and pretty
5. loving
6. caring
7. joyful
8. wondrous
9. awesome
10. rockin'

jaden:
i love mommy because
1. she helps me with my chores
2. she loves me
3. she helps me on the computer
4. she helps me learn to skateboard
5. she loves when i bring her flowers
6. she give me the best presents
7. she helps me roller-skate
8. she is so pretty, prettier than a rainbow
9. she is a great homework helper
10. she shared her diet cherry vanilla dr. pepper with me

cinnamon buns, flowers, hanging plant, painted toenails,
rings, handmade gifts, dinner, time, snuggles,
help with housework, and cards

this make me feel so blessed to have such loving and
thoughtful children who love me so much

lastly,

on friday we spent some time snapping new photos of my
sweet girl! she just colors my world!

ps: tomorrow is my big 30!
i can't believe it!

xoxo
jessica

2009-05-06T08:45:00.004-04:00

it's been long enough since my last update, huh?

this layout was created using a scarlet lime kit
i did some machine sewing and loved
using those rub on stickers.
they have such a pretty glossy feel to them!

this layout was created using a studio calico kit.
on this one i used the stamps to create borders. i also
did some machine sewing on this layout!

in other news:

tennis lessons
cross country for kids
milk jug bird feeders hung
seeds to be planted
the uglies trilogy
(searching for the extras in paperback)
beginning a new book (the host)
new starbucks coffee mugs
bare hardwood flooring
new (old) dining chairs
crochet soiree (dot com)
diet cherry vanilla dr pepper
new haircuts for the whole family

six days til my 30th!!!
i am thinking of highlighting my hair.
and i have made a little mental list

like new pink sneakers (for running)
a pretty vintage necklace
a mixer
a hanging basket for my deck
and a pedi would be the cherry on top!

we shall see!

thirty is supposed to be my year.
i have all these great ambitions
and goals that i have set for myself
to have achieved by the time i turned thirty.
most of them i have been working on &
some i have been not-so-good about
but being honest about this is the first part for me.

i want to live healthier
i want to have a job that i love
i want to save money
own our own home
finish my dental work

i wish the dental work wasn't so difficult for me.
it's mostly fear
i have had route canal after route canal
and truthfully i am so tired of dealing with this.
i just want to be finished
i just want my beautiful smile back.

on my 11th birthday i was in a bicycle accident
i cracked three of my front teeth
and had to have them all crowned.
so i have been dealing with this for the past 14 years.
pretty unbelievable! i have to say though,
most of those years have been problem free
and until the past year or so
i have not had problems that have effected me
as much, physically, or emotionally.

since the accident i have had
6 route canals, four being on one tooth.
we have finally got the issue under control.
but now i face one more step closer to what i have
been waiting for.
i have to have one of the front teeth extracted
so that a bridge can be made.
overall, this is the best option because cosmetically, i will benefit.
all three teeth will be molded to match each other.
and it is the most economic, as the insurance will cover
a large amount.
but just the thought of having a front tooth extracted
places a lot of fear in me.
the waiting for the molds to be done and
the actual bridge to be made is frightening.
i will have to have a temporary tooth to fill in the gap.
i have had nightmares about this. what if it falls out?
what if it looks really out of place?
what if the insurance company gives us
a hard time and i am stuck with this
temporary tooth for weeks or months?

ugh!!

i know that it has to be done
and i have finally found a wonderful dentist
who i trust and
who i know understands how i feel about all of this
even though it's been a long haul,
i know that she is going to do what is in the best interest
of me and not just her pocket.

i can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel.
i know that i can't let this be an issue for me any longer.
i know that this will give me great self-confidence.
and i know that this will change many areas of my life
for the better.

if you actually got through this-
please know that i had to get this down.
for the sake of documenting my goals and my fears
i am getting there. i am working on them

xoxo
jessica

2009-04-13T18:10:00.004-04:00

remember my post from a few weeks back about how

you can incorporate other hobbies (crocheting) into your scrapbook pages?

on this LO i have found another way to use
crocheting!!!

this lo was inspired by my children
and st patty's day, which is when this photo was taken.
i created the crocheted border to match the patterned papers
and machine sewed it to the top of my page.

the crocheted flower i also made and attached to the page with a brad.
for the title i placed the letter stickers to a piece of card stock
and trimmed around the edges.
tiny gems and felt flowers and a felt heart create
the "rainbow" of lucky charms.

Do you see the pot of gold and leprechaun at the end of the rainbow?

that sticker was brought home from school for my by my little guy on
st. patty's day! isn't it so cute!

thanks so much for looking!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-04-13T12:06:00.004-04:00

easter sunday 2009

kev and i woke up before the kids.
i may have been a tad more excited than the kids
actually, they were both in monet bedroom
watching cartoons.
they claimed they hadn't even peeked
at what the easter bunny had brought!

i fixed coffee and pulled myself together
woke up kev and then called the kids into the dining room.

what happened next?

the family gathered together at the table.
the kids opened up their goodies.
ate candy, bit into hollow chocolate bunnies
spilled jelly bellies onto the floor.
shooed the dog away because he couldn't keep his gigantic
nose away from the smell of chocolate and peeps,
played easter themed games, blew bubbles, played tennis
ate more jelly bellies, chocolate, and peeps

and then we headed to church promptly at 10 am
no egg hunt though. do you think they were deprived of the
traditional hunt?
i just really didn't feel up to it.
we have really outdone ourselves with this holiday and truthfully,
i was just plain worn out. i did not feel like hiding eggs.

maybe next year?
maybe not. there are many to be snacked upon and
if you look on the bright side, there will be no stray
hard boiled eggs to be discovered
a week down the road. you know, the one that
no one could remember where it was hidden and the one
that no one could find?
ewww!

2009-04-10T21:56:00.006-04:00

today i made these pretty peat cup baskets from

lisa garay's tutorial at the kenner road blog

mine are smaller than the ones lisa used in her tutorial,

but this is what i had on hand.

they still fit an egg and a small handful of candy :)

they were very fun to make and the kids helped too!

the grass i made by cutting up scraps of card stock

with pinking sheers.

i ended up adding more ribbon and frills

to the handles after i took the photos

so they actually look even cuter!

thanks lisa for the most wonderful idea!!!

you always come up with the best!!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-04-09T18:42:00.003-04:00

and so tomorrow begins our spring break

there will be butterflies

fluttering about the blooming daffodils and

deep thick green grass to lay in as we watch

the clouds go by, naming each one

by species. there will be picnics and

fruity drinks and peanut butter & honey sandwhiches

mommy and daddy and daughter and son

enjoying the warn sun kissing our faces

~*~

ok, ok, really, this is what we will be doing because

we are certainly not perfect and it is defintely not warm enough

to lay in the grass. in fact, we have had snow flurries

here the past three days!

but one can dream, right!

~*~

whipping up some more of those

oh so yummy rice krispy easter egg dippers

the obvious, blowing yolks and decorating with rub ons

boiling eggs and coloring and glittering

eating plenty of chocolate

decorating the sidewalks with a rainbow of colors

stasying up late

sleeping in late

lots of crafty business

summer clothes shopping

bike riding

bakugan playing

and of course, the spring cleaning continues

~*~

right now i am reading a wonderful magazine called wondertime

the reason i share this is because i just finished reading

a wonderful little article called "No Webkins? No way!"

it describes the most wonderful game to play with your

littles that goes something like this...

(i will use my own example here)

your child pics a word as a topic, say bubbles

you describe how that word reminds you of a childhood experience

of your own. you can use this word to open up a discussion

about your own childhood.

the actual purpose is to let your child have the comfort

of knowing that you were a kid too and that you

have been down that road before.

you know, because sometimes i think our children

might think that we have

alwys been grown ups! hehehe!

but the word your child chooses can also become a great way to open

up dialogue about issues such as trouble with friends

or anything they may be having a tough time with. Isn't that

such a great opportunity to bring

up a topic without it being confrontational or too pushy?

my second thought was that this game could be a super journaling aid!

you could even use the word as your title!

i think i am going to have to give this a try myself this weekend!

til then...

have a happy easter!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-04-05T21:02:00.004-04:00

last weekend i took part in f-girl, angie backen's game

"you LIFT me up" over at scrap in style tv.

the idea was to "lift" a LO from the gallery by

a number chosen by the previous poster in the games thread in the

sis tv forums.

my layout was inspired by shadesofbliss, little man LO.

my children

sadly, i didn't get to play this weekend

but i will definitely try to play again next weekend if angie

decides to. regardless, this is such a fun game

so if you find yourself stuck in a scrappy rut,

hop on over to sistv and join in!

what we did do this weekend was a super special treat!

after seeing the new rice krispy cereal commercial with the

easter egg dippers, i knew a run to the grocery store was

in order. i had to make these with the kids.

you can find the recipe at www.ricekrispies.com.

we made ours pretty much the same as the recipe calls,

except we added sprinkles to the chocolate dipped

part of the egg. also, rather than trying to shape the

treats into eggs, i used some old egg shaped jello molds.

this was the first time i have ever actually used those things

since we almost never eat jello! i am certainly glad

that now i have a good reason for keeping

those molds around for so long!

maybe tomorrow i will add a photo. we have had nothing but

gloom here in NY for the past few days.

hopefully the sun will makes it appearance again tomorrow.

have a fabulous week!!

2009-04-01T22:19:00.002-04:00

i'm normally not much of a morning person.

it takes me a while to wake up and i must

have my coffee first. First meaning

before i actually talk to anyone.

but this morning was very different.

i got my behind out of bed earlier than usual. had my coffee.

and worked out.

what a burst of energy!!!

April Fools

when i woke jaden up, a great idea to play a joke

poppe dinto my head. yes, he was easy bait.

but never have i been able to get over on anyone like this before!

Me: Jaden, wake up! it's your birthday!

Jaden: huh? it's my birthday?

It's already june?

Me: yeah! wake up! All your friends are here for your party!

Jaden: they are?

and then he hurried out of his bed into my arms and

i squeezed him laughing out loud

APRIL FOOLS!!!

Tonight a not so funny joke was played by monet

on jaden. poor guy!

we were at his cub scouts den meeting.

tonight we were sharing our collecitons.

jaden comes to me with a very concerned look.

he says, "mom, monet took my binder

with all my pokemon cards

and went into the girls bathroom!"

so i went to find her and there she was

with the binder in one hand

and in the other hand,

an entire 3 inch stack of his cards pulled out of the pockets.

that was not so much an april fools joke

but more of a "i'm gonna get you for______ kind of joke".

happy april 1!

2009-03-31T09:21:00.005-04:00

today is the day we clean our dry erase calendar

it doesn't seem like such a big deal

but this month i am excited about this event!

we will be focusing

a lot more on simplifying our lives

and focusing on things that are personally fulfilling.

i really believe that this will give us more free time to

do more of the things we enjoy.

And to live healthier, happier lives!

April 1 is going to be a clean slate!

(love those beautiful brown eyes!)

(this would be the "get that camera away from me, mom!" look)

(a true sign of great weather!)

xoxo,
jessica

2009-03-30T12:31:00.002-04:00

have you heard what tomorrow is?

i am so excited!!!

be sure to visit the gcd studios blog for some fabulous giveaways!!

2009-03-24T18:16:00.004-04:00

i have a child who likes to eat day and night

this particular child is very lean and healthy

but i worry that eating an entire bag of chips ahoy could

lead her into some serious poor food choices.

so today i remembered back to when

ashley wren introduced me to bento.

i though, well, this could be a great way to

get my kids to LOVE eating healthy food. especially if they

are helping me with all the fun.

and it will possibly encourage me to enjoy being in the kitchen

a little more.

so here are a few pics of our

first bento experience- (we did after-school snack)

and no. this is not actually a bento box, but

we worked with what i could find at walmart for now.

and so what! it's so cute and colorful!

i would actually like boxes with more room at some point.

Jaden's (the dino box) had lucky charms and bananas

& monet (heart box) had carrots, ranch dip, green grapes,

and a chocolate chip high fiber granola bar.

i will give some of the fun recipes and have them

try some new foods, but for now,

i've decided to keep it to foods i know they enjoy!

i have to admit that i was a but concerned with the time

involved but actually it wasn't so bad

and i got to spend some great quality time with the kids in

the kitchen. it really only took about 10 minutes

and they didn't let me do very much!

if you haven't ever seen this flickr group- you must!!!

i know, i know, i am too old to play with my food.

but honestly, it is almost as good as scrappin!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-03-20T10:06:00.011-04:00

lately, i've been browsing through

some papercrafting and scrapbooking

magazines i've saved.

i still have many from 2006 and some from 2007.

as i browse i see how much

the papercrafting/scrapbooking industry

has evolved in such a short time.

as i reflect on how much my own creative style has changed,

i can see how the techniques i have experimented with

and adopted as a part of my own personal scrapbooking style,

has become somewhat

tedious and time consuming and maybe to a beginner

scrapbooker, too complicated.

~*~

what types of techniques have you

been wanting to try but haven't had

the time or motivation to just go for it?

Is there some techniques that at some point

you used all the time but have since moved beyond

and discovered new ideas that you rely on?

~*~

this layout features crocheted flowers.

never before had i crocheted flowers

but i really wanted to give this a try.

i have very basic crocheting skills, taught to me

by my grandmother over 15 years ago.

i have only made a few blankets with granny squares,

so other than that i have not had any experience with

following crocheting patterns.

Basically, what i am saying is if you try it,

you will likely get it and become addicted!

i loved the way crocheted flowers add a touch

of color and texture, can be used

to layer other elements, and have such versatility.

you really can come up with your own patterns

once you have the beginning basics down!

and if you goof, you can always

pull out your stitches and try again!

that is how i executed this idea.

i started with googling "crocheted flowers".

after spending a short time

studying the basic terms and stitches

i grabbed my hook

and some embroidery floss

(you can absolutely use yarn as well)

and began to practice. most crocheting websites

provide you with very basic patterns.

here is one to get you started:

3 in1 flower

Also, crochet pattern central is an excellent

place to begin your search for the perfect flowers

to add to your projects!

before you know it, you will want to see

how far you can take this basic crocheted flower

idea, even farther!!

have an awesome weekend!!!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-03-19T09:44:00.002-04:00

maybe it was the newest sis tv webisode

or possibly just that tomorrow is the first

day of spring...

i've been spending my morning

sorting through clothes.

i'm using aby garvey's simplify 101 suggestions for purging

three question's to ask myself...

do you use it, do you need it, do you love it?

i'm beginning to swap winter clothes for summer

tossing my sons 5 & 6 sized clothes to make room for 7 & 8's

he's growing SO much!

last week i went through all my scrap supplies

and now have a pile to give away about a foot high

next i will move on to my daughters closet

and then my own. i have tons of button up tops that i

have been holding onto, just in case i find a job

i might need a dress shirt for

you know, to hold me over until i can buy a new work wardrobe.

but the reality is, i have not found employment

and truthfully, i don't know that i'd wear those tops.

they are definitely not up with the times.

i don't love them. i don't use them. and i don't need them.

it is a short school week, so we have an extra day at home to

get lots accomplished.

let's hope that everyone else is as motivated as me!

have a great thursday!!!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-03-17T21:52:00.003-04:00

happy st. patty's day!!!

did you remember to wear green?

we took a few pictures today. the weather was

gorgeous and the sun was high, so i thought

what better time to take some new photos!

jaden was hammin' it up for me.

the other day i was trying to take a nice photo of him

and he kept giving me a cheese face.

you know, when they get all awkward in front

of the camera?

i think he was making up for that today!

the girls are pretty easy. someday

i should pull them one by one and

go crazy with the camera. (monet & her friends)

i am sure that they would love it!

they even dressed up in green for the occasion :)

i am so excited that tomorrow's forecast is looking

even better than today's!

we walked home from school and spent most of the after noon

outside playing.

i even had my first dd iced coffee this afternoon.

ahhh! good times!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-03-16T09:47:00.005-04:00

happy mail- on it's way!!

i did a little shopping over the weekend

just happened to put a little extra away to do some fun shopping

which i haven't done in a very long time.

first i went to elle's studio.

they are giving a little treat away in each order-

i wonder what it could be!

~*~

i picked out the 2009 calendar mini- brights

{which i plan to fill through the months}

chic note tags- brights

{fun yummy colors}

saltwater taffy journaling tags- set of 8

{more yummy colors}

and i am super excited about...

cut outs: my dear

{aren't they too cute for words?}

Then I headed over to the elle's studio etsy shop

where i found this stamp,

which comes as 5 separate pieces

and i feel so lucky because it was the last one!!

~*~

I also took a peek at the speckled egg

because their store is filled with some super cute vintage items.

i fell in love with their glass & plastic embellishments,

especially the plastic cuteness!

vintage plastic frame setting, one in each color

plastic owl beads in vintage white and vintage aqua

vintage lacy plastic beads in pink,

vintage tiny leaves,

for making more of those gorgeous crocheted necklaces!

i am so excited to be the recipient of some

pretty little packages in the mail!

I made a card for my sister,

who's baby girl is due any day now!

2009-03-15T18:42:00.008-04:00

Spring is a very special time of year

when the animals come out of their long winters sleep.

the young ones might frolic in the meadows.

i wonder if they dream of the sweet air that comes every spring,

if they see the glorious colors of Gods canvas,

if they awaken from their slumber and it is all there,

real and alive.

i used lots of little dimensional stickers,

felt and buttons, rhinestones

and glitter rub ons to create the feel

of a blooming meadow, drawing attention to the

envelope containing the photos and journaling.

The journaling and photos are tucked into the envelope

Journaling reads:

Only as high as i reach can i grow,
only as far as i seek can i go.
only as deep as i look can i see,
only as much as i dream can i be.
~Karen Ravn~

Techniques used: stamping, heat embossing, and hand sewing the title

To create the deer accent

I played with stamping and heat embossing. I used the fluid chalk

on an acrylic stamp and impressed it

onto the white cardstock.

Next, I used an xacto knoife and

carefully cut out the deer from the image.

Then I went over the image with the stamp using versamark.

I sprinkled generously with clear embossing powder

and heated until it melted with a heat gun.

Last I cut the image using scalloped scissors and

attached a piece of a vintage music sheet with glue.

Last, I adhered using double sided foam tape.

To create the hand-stitched title I used

my computer monitor like a light box.

Open up a word program and type your word.

Resize as desired. Hold your layout up onto the monitor

and with pencil, lightly trace the letters.

This will help you to achieve evenly spaced and neat lettering.

Then I pierced holes over the lines I traced in even intervals,

being careful not to pierce the paper too closely

so that the paper doesn't tear.

Once I stitched through all of the pierce holes

I reinforced the back of the LO with tape.

happy creating!!

xoxo
jessica

2009-03-14T17:10:00.003-04:00

~*~

today was the day my two guys have been waiting for...

the pack 101 pinewood derby

last night we put the finishing touches on

the car.

he didn't win, but he came in 2nd place for his den.

i have to say that we gave it

a good try for being first-timers!

some of these guys are pros!

we learned a lot, so next year

we can think more about how the car is designed

and how we balance the weight and

set the wheels.

from what i hear, that is the trick.

it was a good morning. all smiling faces.

even for all the boys whose cars didn't win

a prize. it was fun to see how creative some

of the scouts were.

i didn't take pics of all of the cars, but one

of the boys made an itouch. that was my favorite.

it was very cool. there was also a bakugan (sp?)

and a police car. and even a tech deck!

good times!

xoxo
jessica

2009-03-13T22:25:00.005-04:00

~*~

i've never been one to submit my work

for magazines or design teams.

but i have to say that after 7 years of scrapping and

learning that scrapbooking is not just a hobby for me,

but a part of my life and who i am

has made me realize that i could take this

a little bit further. I can share my work, the

creations i love to make, with others who love

scrapping as much as i do.

this week i applied to the

gcd studios (a new manufacturer) design team,

if you haven't heard of them yet,

you can visit them at their new blog or

at the gcd studios website!

they have been holding giveaways and contests on the blog

if you want to try your chances at winning some of their

fabulous new designs (10 new lines).

i am so excited, my friends!

wish me luck!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

i also submitted my project

for the spring green style star contest

over at sistv.

the work that has been submitted is so full of

spring happiness! go take a look!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

i would love it if you could also wish

my little man, jaden some luck!

tomorrow

is his very first pinewood derby race!!!

i just put the finishing touches on his car

(i will share pics of that tomorrow)

flames and goblins

maybe we should call it the speed demon.

all the way....to the finish line!!!

have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,
jessica

2009-03-10T12:59:00.009-04:00

i love, love, love this little boy,

who happens to be my long time friend's son

i have been watching him for the

past two days, and so

i decided it was time to snap a few pics of him

and to my surprise, he is quite the little ham in

front of the camera!

in other news, i have been busy making a necklace

which my daughter has claimed as her own.

it fit around her neck, so

i suppose it was meant to be!

i was inspired by the

necklaces found here.

i just made mine a simpler version!

i am pretty sure that she is feeling like a total diva!

xoxo
jessica

2009-03-05T22:37:00.009-05:00

new bits, old bits, and vintage bits.

all put together makes me so happy.

i love using up some old things i have had

for way too long

and finding new cute things like the

deer and mushroom from

kitschy digitals

and then putting them all together

the pj's, yep. i had to do a page about my best boy in his pj's.

he loves to hang out around the house in them.

and who could resist taking pictures of him

in all of his mario brothers

cuteness!

little miss multi talented

i live vicariously through her

all the things i didn't get to do as a kid

i want her to experience it all

not only is she willing to try new things

but she's so willing to learn and has so much fun doing it!

this page has a little story behind it

the kids both wanted an electric scooter

but neither of them had enough money to buy it.

we thought it would be a great thing

for them to really work for

but we figured up the numbers

and learned it would take months,

even a year or two for them to earn enough

to purchase their

own scooters with their own money.

birthdays came and they were each given amounts of money,

that not even i have ever been

given as birthday gifts {lucky kids}

we came up with the idea

that they could put their money together

to purchase the scooter but they would each hold

50/50 ownership of the electric scooter.

that meant, no arguing over who goes first...

not fighting about who's been on longer...

making sure it is charged for the next persons turn...

making sure to put it away because these babies

are a hot commodity around here.

so these 2 luckies have themselves a pretty cool ride

because they put their heads together

and came to a mutual agreement

and have shown great responsibility.

so all in all, a wish come true, for each of us!

i will have to make more layouts about this subject-

it's proven to be a real milestone!

i also made a thank you card

for my friend sheryl.

sheryl has shown such kindness,

i can't even begin

to thank her enough

lots of scrapping happened

this past weekend.

i was stuffed up and sneezing

and feeling

quite miserable.

i'm so happy i finally was able

to sit down to create!

have a great weekend!

i hope that the hopes of spring

brings you some sunshine!!

xoxo

jessica

2009-02-24T09:03:00.002-05:00

quickly, just because i haven't updated in a bit

the love dares

kids reading in their beds

clothing articles from the 1800's
at the walter elwood museum

candy bar sales for 5th grade activities

getting back on track from winter break

crocheting a rainbow afghan for my girl

loving my friends who are so helpful and supportive

quiet evenings alone while kev is at work

lots of journaling

dodge ball tournament half time shows

looking at inspiring photography

the past week was full of good times.
just doing things that bring happiness.
i have put the paper aside.
im not sure why really,
maybe it's time to take it all down
and put it all back
in a new and inspiring way.

i was thinking of bringing an old table up and repainting it
to use as my work surface rather than
the one i am using.
i desperately want to invest in new shelves
but i know that will have to wait.
i am thinking maybe the modular cube shelves from target
since we don't have an ikea nearby.
i saw a new basket from target that i would love to pick up
to add to my table. just to serve as a place to store things
which i would like to be out where i can see what i have
and actually use those things i love.

i am thinking about doing an art journal
to go with the book i am reading,
the love dares.
there are many verses and other things in the book
that i have highlighted and
i would really like to focus and reflect on.

xoxo
jessica

2009-02-16T12:03:00.004-05:00

i love this little man.

he is my #1 boy.

every day he brings smiles to my face.

he melts my heart.

he is who brings out the silly girl in me.

he makes me want to sing happy disney songs,

and he is always up for giving me

a foot massage or giant squishy hugs.

he promises to be my valentine forever

and he shares his candy with me.

this little man even gives me his cherry

when we go out for sundaes.

happy belated valentine's day

2009-02-15T18:34:00.000-05:00

2009-02-06T11:42:00.003-05:00

yesterday i asked at SIStv

how to use scrapblog.

there have been several times

i tried to figure it out and have

failed. given up. kaput.

melissa gave me the most

fabulous, simple instructions

and guess what!

i think i get it now!

so thank you, i am now officially

addicted to scrapblog.

this is the banner i made.

i don't know yet if it will be the {one}

but i thought i'd share it anyway.

xoxo
jessica

2009-02-05T13:51:00.006-05:00

how would you like
a little peek at my {new} old blog!!!

i have been working hard to

get things just right!

do you like it so far?

All packed and moved...

2007-09-22T12:22:00.000-04:00

I am HERE now!!!!

Can't wait to see you there!

shabby to fabby...

2007-09-20T09:03:00.001-04:00

Homework, homework, and more homework. I feel like *I* am back in school again.I can't believ ehow much work Monet has been coming home with. I have come to the conclusion that (a) she needs to have extra help in reading or (b) she needs a tutor at home. This week has taught me that I am, without a doubt, going to have less time for extra-curricular activities and will have to come up with some new time management ideas. There is not enough time in the day to do evrything that needs to be done. I have even had difficulty finding time to walk the dog.

However, Two days ago I had time to jog with the dog, scrap, and take the kids to children's church. That day felt so rewarding. I really accomplished so much.
needless to say, that was the one day this week that Monet didn't have more than three things to do for homework!

Here is my Personal Challenge. The challenge was to scrap what you are feeling right now.

I didn't get to wear pink but I did wear a salmon colored pair of capris and a pink flower hair clip. I ended up stopping at the Dollar Tree where I found some fabulous things for Christmas decorating. I picked up eight frames in yellow, tan, antique white, and red. I plam to use these to frame gifts. I also found some miniature wreaths made of berries and little glass beads. I think I might actually use these to wrap aorund candles. Then I found some silver berries which I plan to add to a gorgeous garland that I made last year to hang in the dining room doorway. It feels weird shopping for Christmas already but it seems that the stores begin stocking the shelves earlier every year. I would hate to miss out on all the good stuff if I waited!

Here is my Favorite Moments Layout I did for Kerry Lynn's Challenges:

This photo is of my husband and I at Vacation Bible Camp this past August. He totally threw me for a loop when he decided that he wanted to come along with the kids and I. He even came back for the last day when we had a huge picnic and some really great water fun for the kids. This day was definitely a day that I will never forget!

I am waiting on an order from a fabulous online store called Speckled Egg. I cannot wait to have in my hands some wonderful German glitter alphabets, wings, crowns, trims amongst other lovely vintage goodies that I am stocking up on to begin make all of my Christmas treasures. This year will be full of giving handmade pretties for all of my friends and family.

Tomorrow night is my big night. It will be the first scrapbooking crop! I put together a fabulous door prize for 1 lucky scrapper, packed full of Imagination Project & 7 Gypsies goodness. I am going to make up some place settings that each person attending can write their name on the card and itthey will all go into a bowl for one name to be be drawn.
I also picked up a great value paper pack at Walmart to share with beginners who may not have supplies but would like to join in the fabulous fun! I can't believe how loaded some of these packs are! Hopefully there will be some left so I can play too!

We will order pizza and have snacks and drinks- lots of laughing and even an area separate from the crop room for some of the kids to hang out. Can you tell I'm super excited!

This weekend is looking to be a great one for me- Here's to hoping your is fabulous too!

TGIF!

2007-09-14T08:59:00.000-04:00

It's Friday!!! A very busy/frustrating week just passed and I am so thankful that the weekend is here!
Every school-morning I have two extra kids to tote along- today was one of those days that I was thinking to myself that even though it can be difficult to get 4 kids off to school- I am glad that I do because it tests my patience...in a good way. I am not among the most patient people. But today I wasn't far behind them. This says a lot considering yesterday was a really difficult day as far as testing my patience goes.
We live in what used to be a quiet neighborhood. Just in the last year things have changed so much with two new amilies who moved in. One upstairs from me and one next door. I am right int he middle of it all. And it surely tests my patience on a daily basis. The people upstaris dont put their children to bed unti sometimes after midnight. They ride bikes, skateboard, and run laps through the house at all hours of the night with loud music. Some nights I can't even think straight. I forgot what peace and quiet is. THere are 3 adults and four children living in a two bedroom apartment.
The people next door let their kids do pretty much whatever they want. So these kids think it's okay to play with other kids toys without asking and are constantly coming up onto my porch and looking into my windows. Not only do I think this is plain rude, but it's very distracting when my kids are doing homework or reading their books.
I know that I am not the only person who has lived her for a long time who feels the changes and is feeling the way I do about these two families. But I feel like I have it rougher (not trying to pity myself) but I am right under and next to all of this. My personal space is disrespected on a daily basis and I have no right to quiet at night when we are trying to get to bed at a decent hour (8:30 for the kids).

I used to love living here and even seriosly considered buying this house. My husband and I talked about living here until our kids were out of school. It's sad to see our neighborhood change like this because there are people who do not understand that this is a residential area- people get up early to go to work or school and it's not a party/hangout spot. It's difficult when you try hard to take care of your home and have friendly relationships with your neighbors but you are constantly being disrespected. Not to mention, living with people who have completely different standards for living. I hate to say that people should conform but to a degree I think that it would be a nice idea as far as consideration goes. Some people need to know when to put their big girl panties on and act in a way that doesn't feel completely disrespectful to others. But then, some people don't care about anyone but themselves.

Yesterday Jaden had his first cleaning at the dentist! He is one little boy with a lot of questions. I thought that with all those questions he might find interest in being a Dental Hygenist himself! He was completely amazed at how everything worked! And took so much interest in how to take good care of his teeth! It's nice when other people tell them all about it because he doesn't seem to believe me when I tell him that fruit snacks will rot your teeth!

Monet has had so much homeowrk this week I am beginning to thin she may be able to skip right from 4th grade to high school! Last night she did homework from 3:30 until 9:30. Of course there was dinner and a snack, and a few thing shta tse helped me with around the house but my gish- math, reading, study for 20 spelling words, AND study those little correction doodles! I am flustered at how anyone could expect a 9 year old to have enough nergy to do all of that in one evening. It makes me sad becaue with so much homework she had no time to be a kid a tall yesterday. he did work all day at school and then all evening at home. Then she went to bed in tears, exhausted and overwhelmed. We didn't even get to study all of her words either. I just coudn't keep her up that long.
we talked thoughand I told herthat she really needed to work faster- we need to work on that. And during the week, she willhave to make more responsible choices with what she chooses to do- she will likely have to study spelling words. She won't have much time to play with her new doll house or to ride her bike. Cartoons will be long forgotten once the week starts again. I feel like that is a lot to expect from a child her age. But at the same time I understand that withal lof the standards our kids have to meet, they have to be pushed. It just breaks my heart to see her have to be pushed through things instead of learning about quality and pride in her work.

I started late with the challenges over at Poppy Ink but never-the-less, I did join in with Challenge #2! Let me tell you that Heather has put up some really great prizes! Oh, and challenges too! I had a good time creating this Layout yesterday for the 2nd challenge...

We had to draw or doodle, use 5 pieces of ribbon, and use staples

I traced some leaf templates and then cut & distressed them. Before I glued the leafs down I doodled around the edges. The ribbon I sewed around the photo matte, gathering it here and there with black thread. The matte is stapled onto the background paper.

I can't wait to see what the next challenge is- and Heather's Overembellishing & Layering class which will be held on Monday the 24th at 7 pm!

Breanne has made up a blog for all of the Personal Challenges to be posted at! Mine is up in the gallery- actually all three of them!
So if you're ready to dig deep and maybe peel back some layers of the onion, this is a great challenge blog for you!

I got my SoML kit in the mail! I really can't say enough about how much I love the kits that Sara puts together! I am in love with every bit and piece that Sara has put into this kit! I ordered the add-on as well and some extra HS and AC letter stickers, which are ON SALE!! There are 6 pages of sale items, so be sure to check out the goodies!

I am really looking forward to seeing who the Guest Designer will be for October over at SoML! I can only imagine she will be fabulous!

2007-09-09T19:52:00.000-04:00

The wonderful Miss Moxie aka Morgan is who I am gifting the Elsie "Music Therapy" print to! When I saw the print I knew that it was meant for her! Isn't it wonderful when you see something that is just perfect for someone you know, who you think is sweet and could use a nice gift! I will get to meet Morgan at the crop on Oct 8 at mlpa, so I thought I'd hold onto it until then and give it to her in person.

The first week of school went great. The kids both really like their teachers this year. Jaden is in Kindergarten. So far the transistion has been smooth as butter. I am hoping that this pattern continues. Monet hasn't had homework yet but I am sure that will change come tomorrow. She's a big 4th grader now! She has informed me that they are changing classes this year for a couple of classes to prepare them for Middle School. I think that is pretty cool!

I had another great discussion with my Pastor and his wife about the scrapbooking classes at our church. They seem very excited and are interested in trying this out for our Outreach Ministry. If that doesn't fly then we can try to do the program separate from the church by pretty much letting me use the space to hold the functions. Either way I still get to teach which is awesome but I still think it would be great if we used it as outreach. We will see what God wants it to be and go with that.

I worked on some layouts for Breanne's Personal Challenges. They are tough to do but each one let me get some feelings down on paper that I probably would not have otherwise. They are not the pretty moments. They are actually about events that happened in my life that I would rather erase or well, have rather not have had to deal with at all. But then I think about these moments, even though they are not something I would normally tell others about- and realize that they have made me who I am today. And I don't think I turned out all too shabby!

mlpa

2007-09-04T08:32:00.000-04:00

Arent' they so pretty! I am seriously rushing Fall but it is my very favorite season. Besides, I picked them up at the market for $2.99!

I am so excited. I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it (MLPA) at first but when I asked my friend Dany if she wanted to go, she was like "Heck Yeah!!!"

So we are there! October 6th all day! I can't wait to meet all of you who are going in person! THere are still spots open right now so if you are in the area, let breanne know in this thread.

I have a wonderful surprise for one lucky girl who will be there and I really can't wait to give it to her! Over at SIS I started a thread to see if anyone could guess who she is... You can play too!
Here is the print...
It's PERFECT!!! So I had to get it!

Here are the other projects I worked on over the weekend I said I'd post:

This is the project I want to do at my church. I hope that everyone enjoys- who doesn't love a cute garland?

This is a 6 X 12 I did with the August Poppy Ink Kit. I love the colors and they really worked great withthe photo.
I also wante dto share with you how I made the water look so cool- I used an acid wash filter I downloaded to photoshop. Acid wash makes water look so cool- almost lagoon-ish!

A littl ecloseup of the small cluster at the bottom of the page- cause I am lovin' all things glitter lately!

Tomorrow is the big day!!! Remind me to charge my batteries to take some 1st day piccies. My baby is off to Kindergarten and my daughter is heading to 4th grade. WOW!

I can't decide if I'm going to induldge in myself this first day or if I'm going to step to it and start applying for jobs....

monday, monday!!

2007-09-03T10:31:00.000-04:00

I still have a terrible cough- passed it on to my hubby and together we are praying that the kids don't end up with it. School starts Wednesday!!! They are excited, we are excited, and then we are all a little sad all at the same time because summer vaca is at it's end.

I did a scrap area overhaul! The table I had to work at was WAY too small so I pulled out a larger tabletop I had been storing in the front closet. I had forgotten that I even had that! Anyhow, I tried to not move anything but of course the tabletop was too large to fit where I had the table riginally. So I moved everything around and what do you know? It looks great and all of my stuff in in order. Well, truthfully, it's not in order but I know where everything is! Maybe I will share pictures of that later because I am really loving how it feels in my space.

This weekend was productive in scrappy terms. I worked on three projects (maybe more, I'm working on my 1st coffee still), two which I will share now with you since I haven't taken photos of the others =)
The first is a box that I covered just for fun and well, to look nicer in my scrap area. I am using it to hold my small but growing ephemera stash. It makes me all kinds of happy to think of that box being full!

Here is a little detail of the posie. It's made with the instructions gigi made up over at OLW.
She's one fabulous flower maker so I had to try it out!

A little glitter and voila! Isn't she gorgeous!

This totally inspiring Fashionista is challenges SISters something fierce! Every Monday she is posting a new prompt for her FAVORITE MOMENTS Challenge.
Here is the First Challenge

The prompt for this Challenge is "What I Know"

Here is mine:

And a little detail of my journaling:

I spoke to my Pastor last night some more about starting the crops and classes. I worked on a project that I am hoping I will be able to teach before the season passes. I really love how it came out so I will take a picture in a few and share with you. I would love to hear your feedback, so please check back!

Have a wonderful Labor Day!

Addcited to etsy shops...

2007-08-31T09:58:00.000-04:00

I have decided that I am definitely doing the majority of my Christmas shopping from some etsy shops. Whatever doesn't come from an etsy shop will more than likely be handcrafted by me. I think that this is a wonderful way to support artists and a great way to bring beautiful art into other's lives who may not think to give something handmade to themselves. There is always something more to appreciate about recieving a gift that was handmade by the giver or even someone else.

I just recently ordered this lovely vintage ring from Just Be Jewelry Designs for my very good friend. I came across the link while visiting Rebecca Sower's blog. All of the jewelry at Just Be is so pretty, it was hard to decide which was the perfect piece but once I recieved it in the mail, there was no question about it, this is the perfect ring. It's even more beautiful in person.
Speaking of Rebecca Sower, I just have to tell you that she has some beautiful handcrafted lovelies in her etsy shop. I am really loving the vintage sheet music. I am thinking that these will make some seriously awesome creations to give as Christmas gifts.
A few weeks ago I ordered some sweets from Kerry Lynn, Fashionista from SIS tv. She has created some lovely little divider tabs from vintage wallpaper that I am totally lovin! She also has some flowers and arrows, amongst quite a few other unique items.

Today is rainy and cool which is a relief for me as I've had a terrible head cold and some respiratory issues going on. I headed up to urgent care last night. I couldn't take that heavy feeling in my chest any longer. I left feeling a whole lot better just from being in a different quatily of air! I can't believe how hazy it got here. And then the rain came.

Wishing you a lovely weekend. It's our last weekend of summer vacation! We are officially on our schooltime bedtime schedule! It's been a great, relaxing summer after all.

It's funny....

2007-08-25T16:45:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get irritated when my son holds onto my legs but then there are moments like in this photo that I rethink all of that and appreciate that this child loves everything about me and looks up to me in so many ways I can't even begin to list. It's momnets like these that I wish I could turn back the time and "re-do" every time he hung onto me and I told him to stop- and that I could have felt the same way I did the moment I took this photo.

The photo in this LO was teken when my neighbors peony bush was in full bloom. I actually think it bloomed fuller this year then any year before. It was breathtaking and I could smell the sweet fragrance even from where I live, across the street.

The 21st was my daughters 9th birthday? We didn't do anything big but the wishes came true! Her grandfather (my FIL) sent her money, which happened to be exactly enough for her to buy what she wanted.

The past 3 days...

2007-08-23T00:16:00.000-04:00

On the 20th I spoke with my Pastor about teaching scrapbooking classes and holding crops to help raise money for our building fund. I was so nervous to bring up the idea but I was thrilled when he agreed tht it was a great idea. He let me know that there were 2 ways we could do it- through Ministry with our outreach program or separate with me being the business owner. But he said that if one way doesn't work, the other should!
I have been running over ideas and the details in my mind and on paper/computer, making plans, and getting all giddy! This is so huge! And the best par tof it is I really feel that all of this has God's blessing.
We will have a meeting on Monday to discuss it all further so if you happen to think of it please pray for me!!!

Also, I have been working on a mini made from 4 paper bags. What a blast I have been having creating this mini. I think this will be my first project I teach because it's so simple, affordable, and FUN! There are many pics to follow but I must share with you =)

thanks for looking at my project!

going through and getting rid of the old and organizing the new...

2007-08-20T08:55:00.000-04:00

That's what I've been up to. Like knee deep. I have put together 5 kits out of oldies but goodies. I can't believe how much I have that I never used. Lots was given to me from a friend who does work for manufacturers and lots I have purchased but never used. Some of it I had overflow of the same product And could never use it all. It all seemed like such a waste but now I am excited that I will make some of that money back to put toward new supplies and see how others can be creative.

The first kit I put together sold within 30 minutes of me putting it in the bag. The "It's Your Day!" Kit was made out of wacky paper that I would never have thought of using but it came out so stinkin' cute. My friend has dibs on that one! One is called Mother Love" made up from some GinX ans Sassafras Las papers. Two kits are for baby boy (sweet dreams) and baby girl (precious treasures). Totally cute!

"Sweet Dreams" Kit

"Precious Treasures" Kit {Sale Pending}

"Mother Love" Kit

Here is Kit # 5: It's Your Day! {Sale pending}

Now I am working on a mini tag book. I have the tags all cut and the reinforcement labels in place. Now I have to add all the bits of goodness and it will be set to package also!

The first day of school is just around the corner. I was putting off purchasing sneakers for my son until the very last minute. Mostly just to avaiod scuffs and wear & tear but low and behold, his sandals busted apart during his rough play. Dang it! So we ran off to Payless to pick out a pair of sneakers since he HAD to have shoes to wear for church and to havesshoes on his feet, besides! Can you believe my child didn't have a pair of shoes to hold him over one more week? The child seriously grew out of everything over the summer, last years sneaks included. I found the cutest pair of "slipper shoes" for my daughter while I was there. They are cheetah print with a sweet embroidered rose and rhinestones. BOGO- so I had to pick out a pair for her too!

We are still debating whether or not we are going to let her pick out Heelies for sneakers. I understand why she wants them- they are fun as heck. And she has been asking for them for months oo. But I just don't see how they can be supportive for Phys Ed activities. Of course I try to explain that to her, but you try explaining something like that to a 9 year old! Like, right over her head!

Off to create more kits!!
Have a wonderful day!

Whew! Some much needed breathing space!

2007-08-17T16:52:00.000-04:00

...And some shopping!

I totally needed a break- just to be me and take some serious me time. My kids are great about letting me have space- cause they like to do their thing anyhow. Dh, on the other hand, he likes lots of attention and likes to stay busy constantly. Needless to say, I'm just not likethat. I like to do thing swhen I am ready- and they do get done. I work best when I procratinate and then I am under pressure. I suppose that has something to do with how my parents are. I dunno- but that is just how I am.
An how- who else is so excited to hang with the kids tonight to watch HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL II!!! I know I am!
We made a trip to Walmart today andfound the cutest little school accessory case and ended up picking up a couple more HSM notebooks. THey are way too cute. DD's birthday is riht around the corner, so I grabbed htem to save for the big day. It doesn't even mattter to her that they are for school- as long as it's HSM related.

We also found a really cute Japanese inspired tote with the most adorable, colorful heart and mushroom designs on it. We decided that would make a great book bag- rather than the traditional backpack. Ds picked out a hotwheels backpack. lol, go figure!

Here's what I worked on a few nights ago. Some friends came over to scrap. I actually completed this in that time and totally love how it came out!

I made this with the sweet, sweet Love, Elsie LOLA line. I handstitched some bits & bobs around the photo and used some fun rub-ons and stickers too! The B&W letter stickers I picked up at Lowe's for $2!!!

Me & My Sister chillin' on the 4th of July!

Scallops and flowers are my thang lately

2007-08-16T19:50:00.000-04:00

I was totally inspired by Kerry Lynn's Round Robin Layout to pull out my scalloped bazzill tag and create something that I could hang in my home without feeling silly about it. I love how this came out.

I tied a bunch of ribbon through the top.
I hand stitched around the entire tag with black embroidery floss. I think it tiesd the black rub-on letters from SoML kits together nicely.

I hand stitched down the left side ofthe tag with embroidery floss to add even more texture. I made the blue flower from Bazzill cardstock and aded a gem brad from EK Success.

The flower on top is made from CratePaper and Bazzill and a Foof-a-La button. I used the Basic Grey Precision File set to distess the edges of all of the flowers and then bent the petals upward using my thumb nail. If you really work it with your nail, the petals flip right up.
The corner flower was cut from the time cards from Poppy Ink Kits and another Foof-a-La button.

The flower sticker is a little something I picked up at my local antique shop.
I distressed the Lil' Davis letters and used liquid chalk to ink them.

Thanks so much for looking! I always appreciate your comments so much! =D

my heart sings

2007-08-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

This littl eboy makes myheart sing. He is such a happy, adventurous, imaginitive child. I am sitting here laughing at myselfbecuase it soumds like I am advertising him or something. But actually it jus that he makes me so proud. I can't believe he is five and will be starting kindergarten in just a few weeks. We are so excited. I know he is going to love it because he is so outgoing and smart.

Sweet as candy is the prefect way to describe my little girl. She has so many friends and it's really no wonde rbecause she is kind to others and is always giving and thinkin gin the interest of others before herself. She is muli-talented and isn't afraid to show off her skills to you. Dancing, singing, double-dutch are just a few of the many things she loves to do.

I like lists

2007-08-02T17:39:00.000-04:00

But I promise I won't go list crazy and start making all kinds of list-ish blog posts or scrapping lists on every LO...

anyhow,last night I made up a new schedule. Ever since school finished for the sumer, we have been lost. We haven't been on any kind of schedule like we are when school is in session. What was the solution? Make a list. Now the kids have times for this and that- chores and playtime. I have a list to go by. And best of all, so does the hubby. I like the list because it gives us guidence - so we don't get lost in the day. So, YEAH for lists!!!

THIS rocks my world right now. I am hooked and it's only the first.

here's what I did for it:

I have been sewing. I don't usually enjoy sewing but the end result is making jess a very happy girl =)

this makes jess a happy girl too =)
Stacey Fike is the August Guest Desighner at SoML. She ROCKED the kit and makes me want to buy it so badly. Even though I am broke right now. I might pay a bill next week instead, just so I can get it before it possibly sells out.
Check Stacey's gallery over at SoML if you haven't. And then check out all the other designers galleries while you are at it! You will be SO INSPIRED!!!

DAREJACK still has me in serious create some great stuff mode...KC is up and it's gonna be killa!

some other stuff I have been meaning to get posted but hubs had the camera in new mexico and arizona

enjoy your weekend and stay cool!

Once again...

2007-07-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

DH left yesterday for Farmington, New Mexico. It has been a while since he's been on a trip. I really can't even remember the last place he was, he's been home for so long!

So many friends ask me if I like it when he leaves. My usual response is I am glad because for the past 2.5 years he has been traveling a lot for work and I feel that it has made our marraige stronger. It has made me stronger and him. We can get along with each other and we can get along without each other. Plus, it's nice to have a break from each other too. Especially when you are used to spending time apart and doing things your own way for so long.

The timing couldn't have been much better either. My friend is going to be man-less and (lucky her) childless for a whole week. So we are going to hang tight and experiment with a new project! I am very excited for this!

It is HOT outside!! I think I should get out there and clean the kids pool so they can take a dip this afternoon. About a week ago Jaden rode his bike past the pool and popped a nice hole in it. I finally got around to patching the hole last night. Now it needs to be scrubbed and refilled. We had so many cool days last week, I didn't feel so motivated. But now that it's so hot, I don't want to stand out there in the baking hot sun either. But for the kiddos, I'll do it =)

I'm off pour another cup of coffee and somehow muster up the energy to get moving today!
Have a great one!

another art card

2007-07-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

it's a 2 for 1!!! I had some, let's say, extra time on my hand stoday. Both kids were over at neighbors houses today and the hubby went out for a bit. So I got to play =)

details, discover, smile

Simple

I used packing tape to cover these. I found it at a friends house and she said to take it- I knew just what I wanted to do with it right then. I like the kraft color of it and figured what the heck!

I used up some old rub-ons that I never thought I'd have use for too. I love it when I get an idea to use up old stuff.
Also, a friend stopped by who is scrapping a weding shower album for her friend. SO I got to get rid of some old rob and bob stuff and some DCWV papers that I've had for about a year now. Plus I gave her lots of letter stickers, buttons, some die cut flowers and hearts, and a few charms. Oh, and a handfull of ribbons too!
I'd say it has been a productive day!

Art Cards

2007-07-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

These babies are so much fun to make! I think the best part for me is that I get *almost* instant greatification because they are done so quick, unlike a layout which can take me hours, sometimes days, to finish.

From all of the LO"s I did over the weekend it's nice to shift things as well. I also like to play with my stamps, so when I am making an art card I feel like it's the perfect opportunity to actually pull the stamps out and use them.

Yesterday I did a little bit of shopping. We stopped at the not-so-local, not-so-great scrap store. THe ONLY thing I like about it is that I can get my bazzill, adhesive, and some stamping ink and leave spending less then $30. I did pick up a three pack of some large bazzill tags to decorate. But that was it.
My friend and I stopped at a really nice Chinese Restuant. DELICIOUS!!! Next we sdstopped at a department store called Peebles. I know where I am doing all of my Christmas clothes shopping. Here I've been wondering, "where have all the little girls clothes gone that make your little girl actually look like a little girl?" I finally found it and even better...everything is disounted. I picked out for my daughter a pair of Bobby Jack cargo shorts 40% off $24.00. Not bad at all. And the dresses~ oh my goodness!!! They were just the sweetest. From play dresses to dress-up dresses, perfect for church.

Anyhow here is my art card I worked on this morning, front and back:

I did these LO's right before the weekend:

non-CHA Challenges @ SIS TV!!!

2007-07-22T01:29:00.000-04:00

I have been scrapping pretty much all day! Whew! I am one whipped mama who is ready for bed! But first I leave you with my submissions.
If you have nothing to do feel like leaving some lubbin, head over to MY SIS TV GALLERY =D

This mini was made for writergirl's "I can see clearly now" challenge:

This LO is for eliseblaha's "Use paint to create" challenge:

This one is for GreenApple Girl's challenge "Getting To Know You":

Lauriedevine's Challenge to "Show your SISta soem LUB. I lifted Amber Ulmer's Flamboyan LO:

I also did the "Clean Your Plate" Challenge by Laurie:

I didn't get to go to CHA this year- but you kknow what- it's all good because I have been working on challenges that SISters have been kind enough to donate items for prizes and think of the most awesome challenges for us SISters.

It wasn't easy using all those Love, Elsie cardstock stickers BUT I have another pack and some Lola on the way too =D

Diane Rigdon's DIgi Challenge- I did 2. It was a ton of fun because they are so different but from the same kit!

I think that's it for tonight! I have no idea how I'm gonna make it to church tomorrow- I will be so tired!!!

Have a fabulous rest of the weekend and if you have nothing better to do (doubt you do!) then join us over at SIS TV for a couple of challenges =D

later gators!

days later....

2007-07-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

This is the fabulous package I received from Dotty! Yes ladies, that is a package of SIS TV Kelli Crowe Collection of "Window Shopping". That means I have two of each paper now!!! I won't feel so guilty for cutting it now =P

SoML has got to be the most awesome kit store on the planet. Seriously. For August, Sara is hookin' us up with some new BamPop!!! And those link necklaces with the plastic charms that hook on. Gawsh, I had one of those with tons of charms hanging of fit. Didn't those come in gumball machines or something? I can't believe she found those and they are so perfect for this 80's themed kit.

I also organized my new space yesterday. It took me a while to want to get in there and do it but wow, now that I did, it looks so much better. There is still a bit of stuff to figure out to make the space the way I would like it to be but what I have for now will do. Oh! That reminds me. At Goodwill I found stacking poly cubes, the kind that snap together, 2 rows, 3 cubes high, for just $15. I don't think they will last forever, but for now they will work great! So here are new pics of my space...

These are the new cubes. Not the *best* looking things in the world, but hey, they do the trick for now =D I seriously would much rather own an antique cabinet of some sort.

I swung the bookcase around so that all of my stuff wasn't exposed to the entire living room. Things get messy and I don't like to see it *all of the time*. It's all organized now. I even sorted the buttons =D

I really love this hanging wire fruit basket, so I had to incorporate it somehow into my scrap space. I tied bits of colorful ribbons to it and utilized it 1st basket is bling, 2nd basket is chipboard (some of it), 3rd basket is letters (except for the sticker variety)

This is the view from the living room. Not too shabby, is it? I am thinking of putting a table runner or some kind or a piece vintage linen over the shelf to hide the backing of the bookcase a bit. Also the fish tank is going to have to retreat to my sons bedroom I really like it there but I am so worried that one of the kids or a pet will knock it over onto all of my scrappy goodness. That would totally break my heart.

Have a Happy Hump Day =D

Pizza Tonight!

2007-07-13T22:13:00.001-04:00

My friend came to hang out with me pretty much all day! What great treat it is when someone comes over just to chill and keep you company! It totally inpsired me to scrap a little tag while she was here to add to my new art card book I am making. Yup, another WIP for me! Just what I needed huh?

I had two days of happy mail this week! First came a package from Sara, owner of SoML. She totally hooked me up with the cutest bits of things that I can't wait to incorporate into a LO. Also my friend Dolly, who is the Creative Director at Green Tangerines in California sent me THE MOST AWESOME PACKAGE EVER!!!! I will post a photo tomorrow 'cause my batteries just died on me. I will also get up a pic of the goodies Sara sent too- minus the Hello Kitty stuff cause my BFF would die if she knew I had those and didn't give them to her! So cause I lub her so much, hope you don't mind Sara, I passed them over to her! It totally made her day and she said she'd scrap picks of her puppy with them =D

So much has happened since the last time I blogged but I won't bore you with all the little details about my daughter's sleepovers and my lazy beach bum days... I will share with you what I found at Target for less than $4.......................

Art Card 1 front & back

Sassafras Las PP and rub-pn, FancyPants Designs journaling stamp, red ricrac, button
The journailing is from an Eryka Badu song that I lub.

Basic Grey PP and letter stickers (phoebe collection) Hambly Studios rub-on

Art Card 2 front & back

Tinkering Ink PP, FancyPants Designs Diecuts (journaling & border), Queen & Co. felt border, embroidery floss

Hambly Studios PP, Kelli Crowe Collection PP, Poppy Ink Stamp, Heidi Swapp Bling, Basic Grey fibers (phoebe collection) Tab is from a goodie bag Sara Berry sent me =D

Art Tag 1

Journaling spot from the SIS TV Kelli Crowe Colletion
SIS TV Kelli Crowe Collection journaling spot, Love, Elsie Cardstock Sticker (roxie), embridery floss

Oh, and not that this post needs to be any longer BUT I need to ask you all for suggestions or ideas. I REALLY need to get my new scrap space in order. Since we adopted Bo, I had to move all of my stuff. We have a super long living room so I secitoned off a small L-cove area off with the couch. Now I have this little nook to put all my goods- here are the pics so you can see. Right now it's a mess. I know where everything is but since it's in my living room I need to keep it somewhat neat, really. Well, as neat as I possibly can.

this is to the right of the bookcase. I'm think some kind of drawer storage for my kits. What do you think?

Not much space here but in all actuallity I need only about a 15 x 15 space to work on. THe rest can hold scrappy stuff.

THese are hanging fruit baskets I picked up a long time ago at an antique shop and thought they'd be great to store scrappy stuff. Maybe my stamps rather than storing them in a shobox?

This absolutely "tweet" thing my friend picked up for me at Joanne's. I was eyeing it months ago and it went on clearance finally, so she grabbed it! I lub her! RIght now I am using it to store some tools and as a place to stick something I want to use frequently, like scissors and my corner punch.

Okay, if you have any suggestions, please share them with me!! I need cheap storage solutions and opinions on how I should arrange things without taking over the living room =D
I would like it to look like a creative space too. I don't like to hide my stuff away, ya know. But I want it to look pretty at the same time.

7/7/7

2007-07-07T17:37:00.001-04:00

Yup, it's a good day. I have been chillin- even though I should be doing something productive. But hey, it's only one day and it's such a perfect day to just hang out and do nadda!

Some fun pics that my sis and I took the other day- actually, on the 4th. We hung out at my house and did pretty much nothing
'cept goof around and take silly pics of each other.
Theone of the cat is hil-friggen-arious!!! THat thing is baby jaguars house or something, from diego. Jaden thought it'd make a great hat for Socks but geez he looked so ridiculous we had to take a pic.

I got my SoML kit- WoW! AMAZING!!! I am so, so in lve with this kit and seriosuly can't wait to play!
Buttons galore- and the MR book is da bomb!!! oh, and the ribbon...TDF!

As Promised

2007-07-05T08:45:00.000-04:00

It's been just over a week since we got Bo. So far things are going great! I am really surprised at how well he has adjusted. It is the cutest thing ever when he sits out on the porch with us and he watches the kids ride bikes up and down the street and whenever someone comes to say "hi", Bo likes to greet them too!

The Day before was Jaden's birthday. Here are a couple of funny photos that I took of him and the one and only thing that he asked for! What an easy kid to please!

Isn't that the funiest face you've seen all week? =)

Another fun thing going on here is that our neighbors put up a pool. Of course my kids aren't home much anymore, but that just means a clean house for me :)

I ordered my SoML kit and add-on and I am finally getting the Basic Grey Precision File set! Yippee!!! Check it out!

oh...and Happy 4th of July!!

Quick update

2007-06-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

We have Bo here. Everything went great. He's such an awesome dog and he's adjusting very well. As you can probably tell, we have been spending lots of time with him. I haven't done hardly any scrappy stuff. Well, I did work on a CJ and I will be ready to mail it tomorrow! Other than that my hands are hot to get into my goods. Especially since I moved all of my stuff to a new scrap area to keep it safe from dog drewl. lol

My sons birthday was on the 26th and then the 27th was the day we got Bo. I hava a babysitting job starting ont he 5th for a few weeks too which will be keeping me busy but also will allow me to order my goods from SoML. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't order this coming months kit because it looks so awesome. I think I would cry, literally, if I had to miss out!

Other than that not much going on...I will update with pics as soon as I get them on my computer!

Today we get to meet him!

2007-06-22T12:11:00.000-04:00

In just a couple hours we are going to meet the dog we are looking to adopt. I am so excited I can barely hold myself together!

Yesterday I was a busy bee making some new felty things for my etsy shop. I would like to sell them in sets of 5 so I have lots more to make before I list them up but for your viewing pleasure I will share a peek of my creations here. YOu can also find them in my gallery at SIS TV!

I also made some specialty tags that are currently listed in my etsy shop...

Scarlet Chicks.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

What a BIG Baby!!!

2007-06-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

Hopefully within the next week or so this big baby, named Bo, will be our newest family member. He is a Saint Bernard who was rescued and is now living in a wonderful foster home, not far from us. We inquired about adopting a Saint a week ago and are overwhelmed with how compassionate this rescue is. We are supposed to go to meet Bo within the next week and have a home visit shortly after that. Hopefully we will be approved and will be able to keep Bo. He is a big sweetie and his Foster Mommy says she can't sing her praises about him enough.

Today I am working on some tags to add to my very neglected Etsy shop. They are cute, simple tags that maybe you could hang on a candlestick or a wreath or arrangement of sorts for an added touch. I love to play with my stamps and color pencils, so this was the perfect way to get that out of my system. Besides, having a new family member means we need to step it up a bit in the extra money department ;)

In my entry below I added a few words of inspiration that I am aiming to give a try to see what I come up with. If those words do not resinate with you maybe you could try these:

pleasure
continuously
capture
evolve
dignity

whether you use them as a journaling jumpstart, a title idea, or as an actual element, or as inspiration for a photograph, I thought it would be interesting to see how these words could stimulate your artistic self. If you come up with anything I would love for you to share what you did so link it up!

Have a peaceful and productive day!

Clap Games

2007-06-18T13:46:00.000-04:00

Do you remember playing these games with your girlfriends as a child? I remember playinghtem on the playground and at picnics and at our lockers in the hallways!
My daughter and her girlfriends are always playinghtem. It really amazes me how she can remember all of the words! But ask her all her multiplication facts, Ha!!

It's so cute how they get going faster and faster, clapping their hands in sync with each other to see who can goof first!

I thought itwould be a fun idea to make her a book doing playing these games and having her tell me all the words to the games she knows and sticking them into this little 7Gypsies mini book decorated with some Hambly Studios overlays and some Roxie by Love, Elsie. I really likethat this mini wil be something created by the both of us since I need her help with all of the words!

Just a few more dys left until we are on OFFICIAL summer vacation. I am so excited to be able to do whatever we want for a couple of weeks! Just enjoyingbeing at home with nowhere to go.

Today was my first time ever submitting for publication. I don't know exactly what made me want to do it today except for the fact that I am absolutely in love with the layout I created (see below). Hopefully I will be chosen for publication- wow,that would be like a dream come true for me!

SIS TV has put up the new Collection. The guest Designer for July is Rebecca Sower!!! I can't wait to see what comes from all scrappers withthis kit! It looks to be awesome. THey warned it would just get better and better!!!

Today is gorgeous! I want to sit out on my porch and drink some iced lemon tea :) Maybe my neighbor will join me! Have a wonderful day!

I'm going to being something new things here on my blog. Just for the sake of inspiration. I have a list of words I would like to share with you, maybe they could inspire you to use words on a layout that maybe you have not used before or maybe a words could inspire you to try a different way of placing elements or papers onto your layout.

5 for now!!!

*Synchronize
*React
*Slice
*Size
*Gradual

I will share what I come up with- so link me up to what you have done too!!
Have fun!

Laughter is beautiful!

2007-06-16T16:11:00.000-04:00

This is something I always want to remember about my son. He is such a joy. He's a happy kid, always laughing, even when he's in a serious mood. He's just a really happy kid.

I used the June Poppy Ink kit for this LO. I did pull out some Heidi Swapp ghost letters for the title and I used the rub ons from the June SoML kit but everything else is PI. I love how the hand cut flowers look. They frame the photo nicely and I love how the distressing came out.

The journaling reads:
You always find the good in everything. You are such a very happy boy, Jaden! Lots of giggles and some serious laughter is always expected when you are present. Having fun is the name of your game. You are such a true delight in our lives.

This weekend is looking to be a pleasant one. Tonight we are going to watch our friends daughter at her dance recital. I am excited to see her. It's been about five years that I have known my friend and this is the first time we have been able to make it to the recital.

I still have no idea what we are doing for Father's Day. I feel bad but I am sure I will come up with something in time! One more day. I wonder if my hubs even realizes that tomorrow is HIS day!!!

Knocked out 2 challenges today!

2007-06-15T17:54:00.000-04:00

Here's mine for OLW

It's not too often that I get so much accomplished but lately and thanks to the fabulous Sara for putting together such awesome kits, I have been having so much fun & feeling the inspiration, for reals!

Sweet Face

2007-06-15T14:29:00.000-04:00

It's a catchy sentiment that I call my daughter ever since I met my neighbor. I am sure that is who started it all. So now when my daughter asks me something I say "What's up, Sweet Face?"

This LO was done for Amber Ulmer's Designer Challenge at SoML for the June kit. We are being challenged to cut out our photo and anything else we could hand cut. So I cut the photo, the letters, and the scalloped cardstock. This was FUN!!!
Thanks for the great challenge Amber!

Here I used the ATB tape writer kit. The white was fun because I got to ink the embossed letters to make them show real nice!

The sequins in this kit are absolutely darling! I stapled 2 hearts to my journaling sticker along with some inked up notebook paper.

The past week has been SO BUSY!!! We had my sons graduation on Thursday and my daughter had a Flag Day Ceremony at her school, which I did not get to see (dh had to go and filled me in later with some jazzy video he took on his PDA). Lots of great pics- and boy was there food at the graduation! The singing was the cutest and to my surprise my big boy sang louder than everyone else!!! Last year he didn't make a peep and decided to check out the garden instead. So this year I was compltely thrown and loved every second of watching my little guy sing his heart out!

Friends, Meet Hedgie...

2007-06-12T09:46:00.001-04:00

Isn't he the sweetest? I found him at the Dollar General in the gardening section for such a bargain I couldn't justify leaving him there on the shelf. So the kids and I brought him home and he is currently residing on my TV stand- soon he will be moving to my garden once I actually get all that dirt turned and flowers planted...I'm a bit late on that task.

This week is insane. And this time it has nothing to do with my scheduling. We have a wedding to attend tonight!!! It's at a beautiful location- I am so excited to take pictures. The ceremony is small and will be done by the JOP. The real wedding will actually take place in Poland, next year. We *may* go if we have the funds to get us there and to sight-see also. I really can't justify going to Poland and not go to Aushwitz.
Dinner is after the ceremony. I am excited to do out since it's been a while since we have gone out with others. We usually just go out with the kids.

Saturday night a couple of friends came over to scrap. Of course we did WAY more chatting than scrapping but I did complete two LO's with the June SoML kit. Love this Love, Elsie. Elsie really did a stellar job putting this line together. It's so much fun to sit an imagine up all kinds of things to create with her Roxie line. Not to mention it is the perfect paper to scrap pics of friends.

I wanted to share with you how I did the title of this page...I simply stamped a sheet of cardstock using my MM foam stamps and some folk art acrylic paints- 2 of each letter and number. Then I used my trimmer to cut out rectangles-
This project took less than an hour and I have three different colors of letters saved in sandwich bags for later.

Don't be afraid to go off the page a bit. I really love taking the embellishments off the page - I think it adds some interest and is definitely out of my box!

Oh! One more thing. I didn't end up giving the Bride-to-Be the bath & body stuff...I found the COOLEST gift at TJ Max, my new most fav store in the world. It's a stationary box that is distressed and antiqued. It opens at the top and inside I put a box of Papyrus stationary, a set of monogrammed stationary and an adress book to match. The best part of the gift was the peacock letter opener. It has a Czech Crystal eye and is simply gorgeous. Of course every part of this gift I would haved loved to keep all for me- but I'm so glad that I found something that I know she will use since most of her family lives in Poland and it will look lovely in her home. I laughed to myself about how of course my gift had to be something related to my love and passion for paper. Typical.

I have some pics from the bridal shower that I would love some help dressing up to put in an album for the Bride. If digitally altering photos is something you are good at and enjoy doing I would love to see what you can do with these photos. They are nothing real fancy so that's why I think that some altering might be a fun way to dress them up before they are tucked into the album. I would love to see your creative ideas!
If you are interested please contact me.

WOW!

2007-06-08T10:10:00.000-04:00

How often do I accomplish this much? Not often at all. Seriously, I never get more than one LO done a day unless I am really feeling ambitious and you wouldn't believe it but I still haven't cut into any of my KC COllection from SIS TV!!! I feel terrible about this but there is much to do outdoors today and I really wanted to scrap some pics I had sitting around of my son.

Here are some peeks of the mini I am working on for my daughter and her friend. I really love how this is coming out. THe Basic Grey paper is just perfect for these photos I took of the girls playing dress-up.

Front Cover:

Under the flower is a velcro tab for the closure.

Inside Front Cover:

First Page:

Second Page:

Third Page:

This is a bit of a work in progress but I think I will have it completed soon. I can't wait to finish putting the book together. I made it using cardstock- no chipboard, but it's surprising,the weight of it. I think it will hold up well enough for the girls to flip through and enjoy the pages of these memories.

Joannes is having a clearance sale on many of the CK embellishments. I was suprosed tha these things were marked down so low. I just could not pass up the deals for a buck or two!! Aren't they just gorgeous! I want to do something special with those hatpins!

Thanks for looking!

Circle Journal

2007-06-05T11:11:00.000-04:00

I'm late I'm late! And I'm so, so sory! I'm headed out to the PO NOW! I swear it!

Anyhow my CJ is going to Miss Morgan first and since she's so sweet and has been waiting on me patiently I"m RAKing her some of my goodies.

okay- gotta get to that PO!!!

ETA: Back from the PO- it's officially mailed!
So here is my Circle Journal - Circle of Inspiration

Front Cover:

My Inspiration Page and one Tag included with instructions inside:

Inside Back Cover:

Back Cover:

Fun stuffs!

2007-06-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

I have been having so much fun the past couple of days- along with all of the mad shopping I've been doing, I've been scrapping non-stop. It's a good thing the weekend is here cause I know my Dd is all out of clean uniforms! I am falling way behind on laundry. OOPS!

So here is what I did originally for the OLW challenge but I don't really like it- it's not a winner in my book but I know that you will all tell me that it's beautiful cause you're all so sweet like that :)
I'm going to make another one but Im having a tough time with the word STOP without using a title that is already taken by the fabby designers. LOL- I am having some sort of title creativity block-

And here is a LO I did inspired by harpersmama because her work is so stellar, like she was born for scrapbooking. My Hubs thinks this picture of him is goofy but ya know, I love that big smile. It makes this girl melt. Seriously, that is one genuine smile right there!

And finally, I am working on a verticle hanging banner for my beautiful daughter, Monet from the May Poppy Ink Kit. This is the first part...more to follow :)

Don't you just love the beautiful mix of buttons that Heather packed in there? What's not to love?
Monet wanted me to do it horizontal like the sprout banner but I told her that she was cramping my creativity tryingto tell me what to do- and I could just as esily make it say Mother before I get too far with it- she quickly decided that she would agree with me because the Poppy love has somehow rubbed off on her!

Oh, and one more thing I am so excited about! I won Morgan's (Miss Moxie) StoryTeller Challenge at Story of My Life for my Pirates Life LO!!! Sara is going to send me a surprise for winning! Be sure to check out the challenges for June!!!

I love the 1st of the month!!

2007-05-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the night to get your SoML kits! Lots of Love, Elsie in it! I am stoked to get this baby! I can't wait! THe link own't work until Midnight to the store so you can also check here to see wha tthe kit looks like: Story Of My Life main page.

Also, the June Poppy Ink will be on it's way. I'm really thinking aout an add-on but we'll see
how much I end up spending. I know I'm getting the main kit- so that makes me totally happy!

Did you get to shop at the Poppy Ink Little Pretty Stamp Shop? I ordered a bunch of new stamps. The cuckoo clock was sold out but I think I'll live. But hey, if ayone got one and decides that they don't want or need it- email me or leave me a comment. I'll buy it from you! There are still a few left for sale so you can click the link above and go shopping!
I ended up getting my hands on the stemstalk, the robot, nesting, the damask, the bird cages, and the sock monkey!!

What else...OH! I know what else! The SIS TV Kelly Crow Collection. I am expecting that here pretty soon too. Yup, I'm stockin' up for the summer. Lot's of scrappy days ahead and I can't wait! It's so hard to wait for the goodies to come in the mail but around here it's the only way to get the good stuff! ANyhow, this Collection is HAWT stuffs! Seriously!

Tomorrow I'm riding out to some outlets in Mass with my friend for some shopping! I want to hit up the Rue 21 outlet and the GAP outlet. We are on the hunt for some quality sandals which seem to be hard to come by.
We have a wedding to attend ont he 12th so we really need to get things together for that. My son needs a nice shirt and so does Dh. We all nee dnew dress shoes. Gosh, can you tell we don't go out much? I *might* buy a new dress depending on if I can find a good deal or not.

So this weekend should be pretty laid back. I want to really enjoy it cause the next couple weeks after that will be pretty hectic.
It's hot here so I'm about to go dig out some fans for the bedrooms to cool the house off real quick. I am so not ready for the AC yet. I think fans should do the job for now. Digging them out is the hard part-
Happy shopping for all you kit junkies like me! I think I need one more and I know that would be the JB kits. Dh needs a raise! Er, maybe in the fall when I start working again! I need me some of that goodness, for reals!

It's a HOT one, baby!

2007-05-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

The kids were out almost all day with the hose.It was like 90 degrees this afteroon! They had a blast!
I went to the greenhouse and picked up some begonia's and Blue moon plants for our planters on the front porch. It is looking lovely with all of my new plants from Mother's Day and my birthday. Now all I need to do is give the porch a fresh coat of paint and it will be my little paradise in the city! It has become my favorite spot to take pictures!

I am a lucky girl because I get to look at this every day.

You can tell that my daughter is getting closer to her pre-teenage years. It seems I can't get her to crack a smile for nuttin'!

A hot "summer" day isnt' a hot "summer" day unles you have some ice cream going on!

This weekend is jammed. Part of me wishes it wasn't but the other part of me is realizing that this is just part of how summer goes. I suppose I forgot after the long winter. Tonight is Women's Bible study. These are the best - the lesson is always ust what you need to hear, the company is the best, and the food is delicious!
TOmorrow I am joining a couple of friends for a barbeque and maritini's. I am not a drinker so this ought to be interesting. I haven't let loose in a while so I figure it's well deserved good clean fun- 'cept for the martini part. Ah, it could be worse, right?

Sunday is a big day. I haven't been to a church service in a long, long time. I am going to get my lazy butt up and go- and I know it's going to be good because it always is.

Monday is the church Memorial Day picnic. We have it every year and it's always the best way to begin summer. The kids always have a blast too. So this I know is the best time to get back on track with my faith and beack into the good habit of going to church every week. I know that the kids miss it and that makes me feel so bad. I know that the only way to make it right is to go back. I'm so glad that our Lord is a firgiving Lord and that His house is always open.

I hope to take many pics of the weekend!

Today I ordered the SIS TV Kelly Crowe collection. At first I wasn't sure if I loved it enough to buy it. BUT the Jeanette linked up some of the! wonderful LO's and Kelly's interview which totally changed my mind. The inspiration totally bought me and I had to prder before they sold out! I am stoked to get this baby! Wilna is rockin the KC Collection!

ALSO, SoML kits are going up for sale onthe first. I am hoping that Sara can hook a sister up and let me preorder so I KNOW I will be getting it. I am sure there will be a race for this one. So sure that I'm not even going to spill the beans about what's in it! lol You have to go and see for yourself. But remember, I am only saying this because I want to make sure I get one before you do!

Oh, and if anyone was wondering how things turned out at Memory Creators with the kit issues, I did end up gettign a refund after being toldon May 10th that my kits were shipped. I called the store yesterday and was told that they were being shipped today. What a joke huh? So I am done and over all that business. There are better kit clubs out there anyhow.
So after all that back and forth stuff, I ended up geting what I wanted. It was such a waste of my time and energy. I wish she had just refunded me in the beginning of it all.

So to end this post on a happy note I just want to say thanks for visiting me and have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing weekend

A Mother's Love

2007-05-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

This LO was created for Lu's challenge over at Soml- designer's challenge for May's kit.
If you haven't checked out the challenge - get to it! there is a prize involved and besides that- the challenge reflects the most wonderful part of life-

1. Your mother
2. Your life as a mother
3. Your thoughts on motherhood
4. A mother figure in your life
5. What you think you will be like as a mother.

Lots of details. This LO is one of those that you have to see the 3 dimensional details to really appreciate all the bits and pieces. I really love how this came out. Especially the journailing.
Ok, enough rambling on about my beautiful LO!
I want to talk about Scrap In Style TV. If ya didn't know, now you do. It's got the hottest MB eva!!!
Check it out. We'll see you there!

If you haven't heard by now...

2007-05-19T20:22:00.001-04:00

The stamp shop over at Poppy Ink will be open tomorrow night- that's May 20th at 10 MST; 12 EST...
So I let you all know because Heather Burch creates the hottest stamps! Just do me a favor and save me a stem with leaves and the cuckoo clock. That's all I ask, my friends!

I have been creating almost all day. That's about what it takes for me to finish one LO. I hardly ever complete one in less than a day. I think I am getting tedious on this one but I just can't help it. I will post a pic tomorrow when the sun is out.
Tomorrow looks like it'll be another great day for scrapping. It's been rainy & cool here for the past few days so the kids haven't wanted to play outside. This one is for Lu's May Designer Challenge for Story of My Life.

Yesterday Dh bought his new/used car. He looks way to cute driving an Audi. I think I might have to take over that car and make him drive the Explorer. Trucks ARE for guys, right?

As soon as I'm done with this LO I want to start playing with my Poppy Ink May kit. It is so stinkin' cute- I love the colors and the papers are the best to make something really special for my daughter. I'm really thinking about doing a banner like the SPROUT banner but for her bedroom. Maybe it should say her name. That's what she said she wants & she seems pretty excited about that.

Tonight we rented happy feet from movies on demand and the dang thing keep skipping. Do you think they' will give us a break on it. I stopped watching it because it's getting annoying with all the skipping. Ah well. It was $4 which beats going to Blockbuster right now in the rain.

My hubbies best friend is getting married SHORT NOTICE and Dh is the best man. So that means that we have to plan a bachelors party on two weeks! Tell me that we can make this happen! Please!

Where do you find strippers on such short notice? lmao!!! And I have to have cards made to sell for admission to cover the strippers and we have to buy tons of beer and food. Oh my goodness I think we will spend a whole week of pay on this. I hope we can pull it off.
The short notice is because the bride-to-be's parents are flying in from Poland and so they decided to get married while they are here rather than making all of us fly to Poland. I have to say that either way they did it, it would have been tricky for us and probably everyone attending.

So I have to pick out a bridal shower gift for the Bride-to-be. I don't know her REAL well because she is shy about her english- even though she probably speaks better english than me. She is Catholic and 100% Polish, well-educated and seems to hold herself to pretty high standards- except her choice in men LOL!!! So, no explicit toys and I'm even iffy about lingerie. What about a new robe (White terry) and a baskiet of pretties from Bath & Body Works? The shower is on June 10th so I don't think I would have time to have her initials embroidered. But that would have been the perfect touch. Who wouldn't want a new robe and some yummy lotions?

ok, ok...I'll stop rambling now. Any idea are mucho appreciated!

Grey's - spoilers ahead!!!

2007-05-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

Tonight was revealing.

I really never liked Chirstina and Burke's relationship. I never thought he quite loved her for HER. It seemed as if he expected her to conform to his ways.
I have this thing that I like to tell my husband when he forgets about what it means to be yourself- "Love me and love my imperfections".
If you can't love everything about a person, or at least learn to love even the things that annoy you, then is it right? Can it ever work? Could it work, really work?

Izzy needs to fall in love with a man who has no other agenda. Seriously. I feel bad for her for always getting her heart broken and it isn't her fault but she needs to be careful about who she falls for. Not that you can actually tell in any given moment who you will fall in love with. But I just felt the need to say that. I hate seeing the same person suffering heartbreak over and over again.

Calli is just getting all the good stuff. I don't mind. But I was really not expecting her to get Chief of Surgery. And I most certianly never expected her to be wanting to have a baby so soon after getting married. Ah well, whatever floats her boat. But who knows, Chief and having a baby. Talk about getting no sleep!!!

Meredith. WTF is her problem? Just when she gets the hottie McHottie McDreamy she walks away fom him right after he tells her that he needs her to stop doing that? WTF? She gives truth to the saying" You don't know what ya got til it's gone".
I can tell you right now that if I had man that kind, that hot, and that smart and successful- I would nevah walk away from that. Oh no way!

New interns? I don't know if I could love anyone else more than I love the current cast of Grey's anatomy. It sounds insane but I have grown attached, as I'm sure anyone else who has watched the show has become just as attached- so I can't be that crazy then. Can I?

Today was long. Very long. I went to the play and thanks to my daughter who did not sit next to me, I had a clingy child stuck to my arm the entire show. It was annoying and uncomfortable. The play was nice and was as entertaining as expected.

I am very tired so I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I plan to scrap to my hearts content. We'll see tomorrow night if the heart was contended since I usually want to scrap but I dont' always get what I want. :)

Night all! Hopefully I will have some new pics to post tomorrow!

Yo ho ho!

2007-05-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

Nope, it's not Captain Feathersword, but he is a big fan! lol

Here is the LO I did las tnight. I will gt back to my Plain Jane Cigar Box tonight. I just HAD to get my hands into this kit, making a LO with it. Plus I want to get in on a few challenges. One more at SoML with the kit and one at this new challenge blog

I am babysitting again for my BF's kids. THey are stuck insode today becuase it has decided to rain and I see that Mr. Weatherman says it will probably rain all week!!!

Today is a good cleaning and scrapping day- if I could only find where I put that motivation. Actually it is feeling more like a catch-up on DVR'd shows day! lol

Sneak Peeks

2007-05-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

of my project from the SoML add-on kit...

Because I just can't wait to share!!!

Wow! That was 3 posts in 1 day. I think blogging could become a compulsive disorder!

TFL! :)

Recap of last week...

2007-05-15T11:06:00.000-04:00

Here is the pic that was in yesterday's paper from the Art Show that we attended last Thursday- don't they look adorable with their faces painted?

I whippe dup this little butterfly chipboard mini for my Grandmother for Mother's Day. I added contact size pictures of the kids and I from over the past two months. I used my Fancypants Designs Journaling stamps and PP from an old Rob & Bob Sutdios paper pack that I have been wanting to use up- It came out cute! I especially like the huge amount of ribbon I used. Grama just loved it too!

This is what grama gave to me for my birthday! I LOVE them both and they are perfect for my birdcage. I just need to glue gunthem onto the perch in the cage.

Oh Snap!

2007-05-15T10:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a few days since I have updated. Sorry, life happened!
Yesterday was one great day! I was so surprised when the mailman delivered my Poppy Ink kit. I didn't think I would receive a kit until June. But it's here and I think I know just what I want to make with it! The monograms are SO PRETTY!

My friend Morgan AKA Miss Moxie is doing this really fun scraplift where a bunch of us posted a link to a LO of ours and she is going to scraplift them. After she is done lifting them she will put all of our names into a hat or something and pick a winner for THIS RAK!!! Isn't it the raddest! I really hope she picks me cause I'm such a supply snob! But if not at least I can drewl all over the LO's of whoever does win the goodies!

I am working on my add-on kit from SoML right now. The Plain JAne Cigar Box is coming out so cute. It's going to be my memory box which will more than likely contain small things and bits of things I find throughout the summer. I hope the kids will find some things to add also. The more memories, the better!
I am so in love with everything from this kit. The Imagination Project product is seriously awesome. I can't even tell you how many ideas have been whipping through my mind that I could do with those pretty coasters. Love them!!

Yesterday I had my daughter home with me from school. Her allergies have never been so bad. I ended up taking her to the doc so we could get something to try to help her get through our early pollen season. It's super high right now.

Today and tomorrow I have to babysit my BFF's kids for a few hours. These kids are so good I wish I could have them every day! I just love the baby and could sit and squeeze him all day long!

Thursday I am chaperoning a trip to the Palace Theater for my daughter's class. We are going to see the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe play. I hope it isn't cheesy because I really loved reading the Chronicles of Narnia and I loved the movie. So this play has a lot to live up to. I am praying that all ofthe kids behave themselves. Ya know, 8 and 9 year olds can be pretty silly at times and also have the capabilities to ask a million questions and make really annoying sounds. I hope for the best! At least I get to ride with a few cool Mamas that I haven't hung out with in a while.

If you haven't been over to peek at the Hambly Blog you must get over there to check out Amber Ulmers gallery. THis chica totally blows my mind. The way she combimes the products is mind-blowing! Everything looks like a real work of art. I love all of the little bits and pieces that she adds to each LO, just the right touch, every time!
Amber, everything is amazing!

I think that is all for now. I haven't taken any good pics the past few days except of my Mother's Day goodies, but I'll spare you all the details. It was a good one- nuf said! ;)
Have a great day everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2007-05-13T10:03:00.000-04:00

This weekend is great! Wow! Yesterday was my birthday and today is Mother's Day so I have the advantage of being spoiled for 2 days in a row! When I woke up yesterday I noticed two beautiful bouquets of flowers. They are so pretty. I love having fresh flowers in the house. It makes me feel so alive. DH did good this year!

If you haven't heard, SoML is having a Mother's Day Sale on all kits- the April kit which is full of BamPop papers, and the May kit which has 7Gypsies Hudson Valley papers and Cosmo Cricket papers AND the add-on for May which has Imagination Project Yesterdays papers and coasters. Everything is so delicious.

I am actually planning on creating today with the May kit and add-on.
Last night I went to my fav resurant with my friend for my birthday diner. She hooked it up- had a babysitter and everything set to go out. I love that becuase I always get stuck with seraching for a babysitter. For those of you who are moms, you know how hard tha can be. And how disappointing it can be when you can't find someone to watch the kiddos for ya. We stopped at Walmart after and I found 2 shirts- one is a flowey spaghetti strap top with the cutest little flowers and I found a tank top with what other than CHICKIES!!! Had to have that. A girl can't ever have too many birdies, right! I need to go back on Thursday to get a pair of madras shorts and a little white cropped zip up sweater. Walmart is stepping it up for us! Finally!

Later today, mayb after noon when it's warmer I will take the kids down to the field again. I picked up a new bat and another t ball to pratice with my son. DH is working nights and sleeping most of the morning so I get to do the fun sports stuff with the kids. I am hoping we can practice enough that Jaden can hit the ball without the "T". More than likey it will take a lot of practice! Some of the time I'm not sure if he's playing baseball or ballerina because when he swings he twirls around! lol
We went to his game yesterday which was a hoot. They actually played the game instead of kicking sand around. Jaden ran the bases in the right direction both times he got up- and didn't get out. So he scored two points for his team. At the end of every inning they even the score out so no one actually looses. I am not sure if I think that's a good thing or a not-so-good thing. I do want him to learn that losing is okay and next time try harder. But then I dont' want him to cry if they lose and then deal with him possibly not be interested in playing the game. But I have to remember they are 4 and 5 year olds and it's about making friends and having fun too - not winning or losing. Maybe they should just not bother keeping a score at all. ;)
For being a great team player I gifted him a pack of Big League Chew
- remember those!

Happy Mother's Day!

Art Show

2007-05-10T23:58:00.000-04:00

Tonight I was honored to be surrounded by so much talent and enthusiasm.
I took the kids with a friend of mine to view some artwork created by the high school students. There was one girl in particular whos work stood out to me each time I came across one of her pieces. It was funny because every piece that I immediately loved, it was hers. She had the skeleton with flowers, the cupcake, the cards, plus a few others that I did not get to photograph. I did get chance to meet her mother and a guest which was a pleasure. I know it made her mom proud to hear so many people commenting on her daughters talent. That had to be so cool for her.

So here is the link to the slideshow. I hope this baby works!

High School Art Show

The kids had their face painted too! The girl who is painting their faces is my friends sitter. Her name is Luz and her work was showcased also.

TFL! :D
Goodnight!

Little boys are irresistable

2007-05-10T10:16:00.000-04:00

to photograph!

Seriously, I need to get more good photos of my daughter though.
Today I am babysitting for my very good friend from High School. Her little boy is here with me now and this afternoon I'll have her daughter and my little guy too! This baby is such a good boy. He is playing with a few of Jaden's toys and I don't know if he actually cries because I haven't heard more than a whimper!
I see the challenge in getting good photographs of one year olds now! They don't stay still at all - so I think every photo has a bit of blur. Oh well, I'm an amateur and I don't think anyone expects professional looking pics from me- but I like to practice and I like to share so I gave it a go anyhow!

These are some photos I took of Jaden after he was riding his bike yesterday afternoon. They would have been awesome if he would have taken his helmet off but when I asked him to take it off, I found out I had no chance of that happening!
Here are a few of the many moods of Jaden!

Thanks for looking! :D And have a great day!

Bubbles!!!

2007-05-09T09:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I took my son outside to play after school. He rode his bike for a bit until he flew over the handlbars and thank God he only scraped his elbow a bit. He was such a tough guy. After we cleaned it up and put a Mater (from cars) bandage on it we decided that we would chill out and blow bubbles- well, he would blow bubbles and I would take some pictures. lol

I think that this afternoon illbe great for getting into my SoML kit and addon. I haven't even begun to create anything yet. I am strapped for time lately and it's killing me. I keep thinkign aboutwhat I want to make and the challenges I want to participate in- and of course my Circle Journal that I have yet to start.

Saturday is my 28th birthday too! My mom is coming over to visit. I am supposed to go out to eat with a friend for dinner AND my mom is going to babysit the kids so I can go out with some girlfriends. I can't hardly remember the last time I went out with a few friends, it's been that long!
Jaden has his first T Ball game on Saturday afternoon too! I am so excited but really, it's going to be pretty laid back because only like two kids on the team have a clue!
Yesterday at their practice it was so funny because while one kid was batting, the rest were playing in the sand with their mits at the pitchers' mound! Participation, huh? lol
Sunday is Mother's Day and I have already made up my mind that if I dont' get to finish up any projects, I will be doing just that on Sunday. Maybe it will rain so I can sit at the table and scrap all day without the kids bugging me to sit outside withthem so they can ride bikes! That sounds so mean but it does get old sitting out there when I have so much I can do inside! But that's what having kids is about- putting oyurself aside much of the time to make them happy! So yeah, I am hoping for a bit of rain so that I can play!

Swiming is going great too. On Thursday Jaden is going to try swiming without the floaties. Last summer he was swimming on his own and was doing well. But with the winter and no practice for a while he degressed a bit. I am excited abotu this because it would be great to se ehim making progress again. Hopefully it's a matter of him just taking advantage of the floating device and will remember how to use his arms and legs to swim on his own. We shallsee!
Monet nowlearnign different strokes and is fully swimming on her own.
After about 5 seeions each we are finally seeing a huge difference in their progress with the swimming lessons. Hopefuuly they will be swimming on their own by summer that we can join the country club pool!

Have a great day everyone! The sun is shining bright here!

My Number 1 Boy

2007-05-08T09:07:00.000-04:00

This LO is the one I was working on yesterday. I feel like maybe I should have added some more patterned paper but it's all glued down already so there's no turning back.

Angel Wings & Diamond Rings

2007-05-07T10:56:00.000-04:00

I scrapped that photo from an earlier post. Monet was thrilled htat i pulled out a photo of her. She looks so cuteinthis picture, I knew it wouldn't take long for me to print it out!

I was lovin' using the Tinkering Ink. I haven't pulled that yummy-ness out in a while! I also used a few pieces from Hambly and some old K&Co rubons I have had forever. The bling came from a candy machine- yup! LMAO! 50 cents a container- and the CS is Bazzilll Bling and Scalloped Bazzill. Flowers are all from Walmarts 97 cent packs!
TFL! :)

Super Weekend!

2007-05-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

We totally laid back this weekend. The weather was porch lounging perfect and the sidewalk is colorful fromt he kids and their sidewalk chalk art. I love that. Seriously, I love my sidewalks colored with chalk. Bright flowers, castles, hop scotch boards, and Jaden's latest favorite, robots. Who doesn't love a good robot drawing?

I worked on a LO today and promise to post up a pic tomorrow once daylight hits.

Tomorrow will NOT be a fun day. I have to visit the dentist. I really dislike going to the dentist. And that is my new vice that I am working on. It's tough to be in love with scrapbooking and not have great teeth. It's sad to be human and not have great teeth. I love to laugh and smile and I love to have my picture taken but I am always afraid of wha tpeople will think or of what I will think or if my teeth look real bad.

When I was 11 years old my dad gave me a ten speed bike for my birthday- my very first 10 speed. I was riding a few days after with some friends when a boy hit my bike with his bike and I fell face first onto the street resulting in my three front teeth being smashed out. I have crowns but if you didn't realize this, crowns don't always last forever. Eventually they discolor, your mouth grows, or you could get an infection in the roots. Any of these things means going back to have them yanked off and to be fitted for new crowns.
Let me tell ya- not my cup of tea. Not the yanking, not the shots, not the fittings, not the root canals. None of it. But because I want to look beautiful and have a healthy grill, I am going to do this. This is my year to take care of all the things having to do with my teeth this year. This teeth issue has given me a real complex but I know that it can be fixed and that makes me feel better. I want that freedom back. That freedom to laughand smile without worrying if I don't look beautiful. Especialy now that I am currently taking the meds to help me quit smoking I want to claim my confidence and my health.

Now that I have pured my heart and soul out to you about my fear of dentists I am off to bed to dream of my SoML kit. I have a feeling it will be here around Tuesday. Sara ships super quick cause she is da bomb!

PS: Tomorrows appointment isn't even that big of a deal but I am worried sick. We are going to make a "plan" so I can figure this into our budget. Hopefully she will decide to fill the tooth that I lost a filling in the other day while chewing a piece of gum. ACK!

BTW...Happy NSD!!! I did a little bit of scrappign but no crops or anything like that. I couldn't tear myslef away from my wicker loveseat long enough to participate. Maybe next year if it's raining.

I'm a Busy Bee

2007-05-03T10:31:00.000-04:00

This week is a bit on the crazy side.
Dh suprised me by coming home early. I see this car in the driveway and I'm wondering "who the heck?" then I see his big smile and realized it was him. He was driving a rental car for work. I didn't want to let him in because the table was a huge scrappy mess.
We had swimming on Thursday so that took up half of the evening. Getting Dh settled and the kids with their homework, dinner, bedtime routine, and all the little extras in between clearly had me exhausted. I went to be early at 9:30. I think I missed Grey's!!! Good thing I DVR it every week, just in case.

Yesterday was beautiful. The kids played outside for a while and I had a doctors appt.
My Doc hooked me up with a script for a new quit smoking pill that I am going to fill today!!! Just to let yu kow, I might be a bit whiney and need some love and support. I am going to do this!! Plus she said it helps take away the urge.
That same morning I felt like a total ass sitting on my porch, puffin' away as this 60-ish year old guy comes walking past as he always does for his morning walk. So I thought to myself, "I want to be in his shoes" I want to be able to take a nice walk in the morning like that and I want to feel and look great. So enough of looking like an ass with a cigarette in my hand- I am going to replace that habit with something that is good for my body. Maybe a morning walk around the block.

Another busy day. We ordered fish fry for dinner because with all of the things we did that day I did not feel like cooking or unloading and loading the dishwasher. I swore that once I owned a dishwasher I would never leave dirty dishes in the sink but reality has proven that it's no easier to have a dishwasher than it was when I was the dishwasher. Unloading clean dishes seems to take me 2 days. Anyhow, the fish was great- like butta!

I went out to my friend Jen's house to scrap for a few hours after my appointment. If you haven't seen the love that Zsiage shows to ther Dt members I have got to tell you! They sent Jen so much stuff, not just from them but from their sister companies too. She said that they send about 50 packages over a months time plus surprises to follow! Did you know that they have a huge selection of white chipboard and scrapbook film alphastructures in different sizes and fonts? WOW! I couldn't believe my envious eyes!
Here is what I worked on at Jen's house. I was super *PRODUCTIVE* which is something that almost never happens when I scrap anywhere other than my own house!

The PP is Scenic Route and so are the arrows. I used a birdie cut from the BamPop PP from my SoML Kit. Jen hooked me up with the butterfly and the idea for the thought bubble which I drew freehand with this awesome pen that puffs up when it dries.

PS: Yeah For ME!!!

I finally have a 6 month sub to Poppy Ink Kits! I will begin getting my its next month! I am so, so excited about this! I will still continue to get the SoML kits because SoML is fabulouso and that's home and home is where the heart is! Hey, this girl likes to have lots of goods and the more goods, the merrier I will be! Plus that means I will have extras to spare for upcoming RAK's which I have really been wanting to do for some time now to share the love with you. So keep checking back and you never know- I will more than likely have something available very soon. I can only handle so much and I have limited scrap storage space besides.

PSS: I am still insisting that if you haven't checked out the SoML kits you should take a peek!

No new pics of the kids ATM but I am sure I will have more soon. I have got to show you the crazy silly face my DD makes when she's doing the breast stroke at her swimming class. I sewar she's as far from being a fish as a person can be. Every time I look at her I giggle!

Have a Happy Thursday!!!

Seriously Dude...

2007-05-01T00:45:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been over to SoML yet to order a kit- you are missing out on some great goods! I have no self-control. None what-so-ever and I'm sure Sara loves me for it! lmao.

I got everything that is new- the add-on, the bird stamp, the main kit, of course, the MME bohemia chipboard which is all from the May kit not sold out And I also bought the Imagination Project Super Steno Coasters from the April Kit which are sold out again!!! But don't fret because there is still the "Did you get the memo" Coasters!

The kit and add-on are to die for! Now get over to Story of My Life and order yourself some "Story of the Lonely Sea" goodness!!! :D

night all...I am exhausted from all this excitement!

I found a really cool challenge blog

2007-04-30T22:37:00.000-04:00

that is filled with inspiration! I love Marci Lamberts work and always find her stuff so inspiring. I came across a challenge blog she started with some other fantastic scrappers here at How Much is too Much

I want to give some of these challenges a try. I am amazed at their work and use of product.

When no one else is looking...

2007-04-30T19:23:00.000-04:00

After school the kids rode bikes for a bit and I grabbed a few photos of them- See they are wearing their safety helemts!!

Days like this make me feel like "Life is Good, Man!"

Hello

2007-04-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

My Name is Jaden Nole
...and I am too darn cute! My mommy made this LO today because she wanted to be *PRODUCTIVE*

Every morning when I take Jaden to school I ask him what kind of day he is going to have. I really think that this is a choice and I like to teach him that he has full control over his choices and his behavior. So I ask, "Are we going to have a goof off day or a *PRODUCTIVE* day?" Of course he always says what I want to hear. lol

So I was productive and did this simple LO today. I used a mix of this kit and that kit and well, they worked together beautifully. The cardstock is one of the Bazzil Bling sheets I picked up at my LSS a couple weeks ago. I absolutely LOVE this color! It almost matches my blog!
The photo is a pic I took at the park last week. I love the green grass behind him.
Don't you jsut love how I had him write his name on his own on the name tag? This is what scrapbooking is all about for me! :)

TFL!! :D

The Big Night!!!

2007-04-30T09:50:00.000-04:00

It's almost here- get your CC's ready and set your alarm!!! I can't wait to see the full SoML kit! I will have to stay up to order even though I've been trying to get to bed earlier.

Today the sun came out. Finally- well, we were spoiled last week with the 80 degree weather but I sure missed it! Yeah- I like to talk about the weather. Not just because it's something to talk about but because I really do get excited! I love ig snow storms and I love hot summer days. Summer lightning storms and freak hail storms always get me in a hype too.

So today I am already completely unproductive. I think I need to switch things up a bit. I have such a short attention span don't I/I still haven't finished up that project and I have an itch to do a simple LO. Maybe I should go with the flow and not worry about having works in progress so much. There aren't any deadlines and it's not likethey are going anywhere. I really dislike that I always start things and have such a hard time finsihing them. Of course I want to finsh so I can put it in my gallery- Ugh! I should get to creating! I will feel much better if I do!

For Monet

2007-04-29T23:55:00.000-04:00

Tonight I was showing a friend the pics on my blog and Dd let it be knownthat there aren't so many pics of her- and funny thing is, she's right. I think she's in a quirky stage, almost nine and sometimes pics come out funny lookin'. Or maybe it's a girl thing since we are always so judgemental about how our photos come out. So here is a quick cute pic I took of her the other day onour front porch. After I uploaded the pics to my computer I looked through them as I always do and this one for some reason gave me this rush of feelings- those "Oh My Goodnes...my baby is growing up so fast" But it's funny because she looks so young in this one. Like it took me back to when she was five or six years old- those cheeks! I had to laugh at myself because five years ago, I never for a moment understood wha tthis felt like and maybe even yesterday I didn't quite understand it. But today I do. My baby girl is growing up and I need to cherish those days and the ones to come with every piece of me.

Where did the weekend go?

2007-04-29T18:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday wa sfull of fun stuff but today, well, how boring cn it get. I am tired and regardless how much I wanted to work on that project, al lI got done was a few pics printed and cut and one piece of paper glued. How's that for motivation? Maybe I need coffee and companionship. My porch buddy went to her sisters for the weekend so I;m a loner this weekend.
I tried to get Ds to pick up his room today and he just decided to lay down and fell asleep instead. ugh!

Yesterday was fun- here is a pick from the Opening Day Ceremony. Sorry to bore yu with all the T Ball pics butthat's what we have been busy with this past week :)

oh! How do you like the new banner? I did it all by myself!!!

Another thingy about me...

2007-04-29T14:46:00.000-04:00

How Quirky Are You. Celeste put this one up at Poppy Ink. I took the quiz and figured I'd stick it up here too-

Your Quirk Factor: 68%

You're so quirky, it's hard for you to tell the difference between quirky and normal.
No doubt about it, there's little about you that's "normal" or "average."

How Quirky Are You?

Visual DNA

2007-04-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

This is pretty cool. My Visual DNA.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

The Big Day!

2007-04-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

This evening I took Jaden to meet his coach and to pick up his uniform. They were going to have their first T Ball practice but of course it rained. Earlier to day we went to the sporting goods store to pick out a glove. It's so cute. We got him a really good glove so he could catch the ball easily. It's nice and loose rather than stiff like the cheaper gloves. He is super excited about this glove so it was totally worth paying what we did. He also got a T Ball to practice at home with.
The uniforms are pretty nice. I was surprised that pants were included. I actually thought they'd be giving us just the hats and T Shirts. But the pants are black basic baseball uniform pants. Jaden looks absolutley cuter than words. I swear if he had blue eyes he'd look like a mini Jeter!!!
Hannford is the team- the grocery store that I am proud to shop at because they are the store that REALLY saves you money. I love my grocery store!

When we got home I had him try on all his gear and pose for the camera. Team pictures are tomorrow as well as the Opening Day Ceremony. 10:30 we have to be there so we will be getting to bed early for a weekend night and getting up early for a Saturday at the Nole family home.

Isn't he the cutest T Ball player ever!!!

Now on a mommy note: this is huge for me! This is so different than the dance, sleep-overs, gymnastics, barbie playing, dress-up, serious girly-girl stuff that I am used to. This is so new and exciting for me as a mom. My baby is playing T Ball. He looks like such a big boy in his unform. I am emotional. I am proud. I am totally just as excited as he is about this experience. I am sad at the same time though because my husband is going to miss most of this. Today he said he wished he could be there for all of this. That was hard to hear. I wish he had been there to take Jaden to the store to get his glove and pick up his uniform and meet the coach. Kevin wishes he had been there. And tomorrow- the big day, Opening Ceremomy...dad not there. This is hard. Pictures will be taken but for this, it's not the same as missing Halloween. This is like missing a graduation ceremony. Gosh. Dh played baseball growing up. It was a huge part of his childhood. Dh was a catcher and took so much pride in his position. I know this is hard for him which scares me a bit that he will become unhappy with his current job which involves being away most of the time.
So hear I am playing mom and dad through this. But I am one very proud mom. Jaden is a charm.

Shop 'til You Drop!

2007-04-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, after school, my friend called to ask if I wanted to head to The Christmas Tree Shop. I didn't expect to find much but leave it to me- we went shopping! I stopped in The Limited Too looking for sandals for Dd but instead found these adorable shorts in pop pink, this hat in pop pink, really cute footless leggings in pink with brown hearts and a black rhinestone bracelet with a pretty black bow on it.
I didn't realize the price of the shorts until we were about to check out. Seriously, I was not thinking- I assumed they were about $25 but when I looked at the tag it said $36.50!! I almost had a heart attack. I had already said I would get them and now I was like, NO WAY!!! Well, this very, very nice lady gave up her 25% discount coupon for a friend after I asked her nicely if she had an extra. She totally saved my life! Over all I saved almost $17.00. I really would never ask someone but in this case I just coudn't justify this purchase unless I had a coupon. I am so glad that there are still nice people in this world- people who you don't even know, who are still lookin' out. So if this lady ever comes across my blog, which I somehow doubt she will, thank you so much again!

I found a new store to shop at. They aren't all that trendy but if you think about it, it's pretty close to your classic Old Navy look- and well their prices are so reasonable it would be silly not to go back there to shop. It's called Steve & Barry's University Sportswear. Mens jeans were 2 for $22!! I told my Dh that we would have to go back there to get him some new clothes. The jean shorts were the same price and the Polos were something like 2 for $12. How could you say no? I bought myself a pair of stretch jean gauchos that fit so perfectly, a zip-up hoodie (brown with a pretty orange design on the shoulder), a ribbed tank top with...get this... the cutest birds all over it! And a tshirt (navy blue with bright colored flowers) The Tshirts were 3 for about $20. Seriosuly...dude- who could say no?

So that was all after The Christmas Tree Shop. There I got a new post bound album- purple linen covered for $3.99!!!! I found a sweet bird cage- always wanted one never could justify paying $30 for one, found it for $12.99! Yup that's right. Cheap and beautiful. If you know where I can find a beautiful faux bird to put in there, let me know, link me up, whatevas. I also got two sets of new paint brushes for $1.99 each. I doubt they are the quality I would like to have but the way I am about rinsing brushes, 2 bucks is great. And that's why I bought 2 packs, lol. And last I picked up this cute sign for over one of my windows in the living room.

Tonight is Ds's first T ball practice. If it's raining we will just meet to get the uniforms and we have to run to walmart for a glove. I totally forgot to get a glove. Hopefully there are some left. If not, we will have to order one online. Tomorrow we meet for pictures. Now that is going to be too cute! I will have to try to sneak a few of my own too.

So now that I have finished totally blabbing my mouth about all of my bad money spending, have a great weekend!

Tagged again...

2007-04-26T08:49:00.000-04:00

by Miss Moxie

10 weird things about myself and then tag 7 people...

1) I choose what I want to eat according to whether or not I can put ranch dressing on it.

2) I obsessively check to see if anyone comments on my LO's.

3) I have nicknames for my two cats- Socks is Soxie Poo and Sheba is Beeba Boo. The crazy thing is that they respond!

4) I don't like having a cell phone but I do. Even though it's mostly turned off.

5) I smoke after I spend money.

6) I don't like to drink from plastic cups. Only glass.

7) Every morning the first thing I do is open all of the blinds. My dh can't stand it but it's not the beginning of the day for me until they are opened.

8) I never listen to voice mails- I think they are a waste of money.

9) I refuse to have an answering machine because if you leave a message I feel obligated to call you back- and I just might not want to! lol

10) I pick the grass out from in between the sidewalk cracks in front of my house. Dh says I look insane doing this but I can't resist pulling grass from places it shouldn't be growing. I need weed eater!!!

I tag the same people as I did in the last post... just to make it easier for all of us!

Tagged by...

2007-04-26T07:09:00.000-04:00

saraberry!
Here are 7 random things about me...

1. I have four younger siblings. One sister, three brothers.
2. I really do like it when my dh is traveling. I like to stay up late, watch my shows, browse blogs, and scrap late at night. I like to sit on the porch until it gets dark and make salads for dinner :)
3. I have more ideas than I know what to do with. Getting down on pape ris just as hard as executing the ideas onto paper!
4. I drink coffee from the day before. I can't see wasting half a pot of coffee and I reason that this is what microwaves are for!
5. I don't like to eat red meat. At one point I was vegan but dh cleaimed I was starving him so I learned to cook meat. My younger sister taught me!
6. I love to grocery shop. I don't set a tight budget. I love to have lots of food in the house!
7. I alternate kids sleeping in my bed, every other night, when dh isn't home. If I had a king size bed, I would le tthem both sleep with me.

Now I get to chose 7 friends!

Marie, Colleen, Ann Marie, Amanda, Michelle, Shelly, Jen Harrison

Have fun Girls!!! :D

Our exciting week- so far!

2007-04-25T21:11:00.000-04:00

Exciting for us anyways!
Tuesday was the last day for this session of swimming. After many, many sessions of lessons for both of my children, Dd finally made it to Level III. Needless to say Ds did not make it to Level II but he did get there once before. Just I wasn't ready to let him swim without floaties. Gosh, not at just 4 years old. Maybe I degressed him a bit but I felt at the time I had to go with my gut. He will just have to take it more seriously or I swear we'll be going to swim lessons forever! We start up again on May 1st.

Dh stopped at home in between jobs today for all of a half hour. Just enough time to repack his suitcase give us hugs and run back out the door. The kids miss him. And I miss him.
T-ball starts supposedly this Friday. The first practice! I can't wait to take pics of this! Unfortunately the practice will take place indoors- in a gym so the lighting will probably be terrible but I will definitely take pics anyways This will be Ds's first time ever playing any kind of sport involving a ball and a bat. I shoud have bought him a T-ball set to practice. Maybe tomorrow I can pick one up and take him to the field to get the feel of what to do. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow too!

I have been working on something with my kit from SoML. I am using the BamPop papers from the kit. So far- amazing and I'm loving cutting up that paper :P
I think this project will take until over the weekend to finish but if I get done sooner, I promise to post up pics!

Yesterday I took Ds to the park with a few buddies from his school. I love that park-the kids love that park- it's really a great place to let your imagination run wild- One of those wooden parks and it's set just so the sun shines right over everything- excellent for taking photos!

If it is sun-shiney your way tomorrow, I hope you get to enjoy some of it!

Weekend Fun!

2007-04-22T15:55:00.000-04:00

Some weekend photos I wanted to share.
I'm about to go back outside but thought I'd take a break from my hard life, sitting on the porch and drinking soda, to throw a few pics up!

DD's first time at the school pool jumping off the diving board! HUGE moment!

DD is serious about her jumping rope- ya know, with the movie Jump In and all- she's hooked!

Just like his Dad- so serious!

Seriously though- I did get to do ing som elaundry, ran the dishwasher, folded some clothes, and vaccumed the living and dining rooms. Plus the bathroom is partially cleaned. Not bad for a nice weekend! :P

SoML Kit Challenge #1

2007-04-21T13:53:00.001-04:00

If you haven't given this challenge a try- you are totally missing out! I had a blast creating this LO. The simplicity of it is very different from what I normally do but with the beautiful Crate Paper line- Carnival and these fabulous root beer float thickers by American Crafts, plus the little colorful sequins I used that all came in the kit-- well they are so perfect for a simple LO. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Yesterday I scrapped with my friend Jen, who just made the fabulous Zsiage DT. We headed out to the LSS and I picked up some new Bazzil Bling and some half sheets of scalloped Bazzil, cotton white Stazon, a new adhesive eraer, and a new Marvy black pen for some fresh journaling.
It was a good trip to the LSS. I didn't spend a fortune and got some basic essentials. :D

Today is absolutely beautiful. We were out for a little while. I was sitting on the porch with my neighbor and the kids were playing with a ladybug they found and created a small habitat for it on the porch with some grass, sticks, and a bit of dirt until along came Mr. Black Wasp and stung DD on her elbow. Ugh- first wasp of the year and yeah, he had to ruin DD's day by choosing to place his stinger right on my baby! With a little TLC and an ice pack, she is feeling a bit better. At elast his stinger fell out so I dont' have to pull it out with the tweezers.

I am about to go back out to enjoy some more of this awesome weather- Have a wonderful day everyone!

My agenda and learning to say NO!

2007-04-20T08:51:00.000-04:00

Today I have an agenda. I have errands to run & I want to pick up my house. I want it neat and tidy so that I have a nice clean space to get cretive in. Things went a little crazy here toward the middle of the week- the weather being nice and all. We didn't spend much time in the house but the time we did spend, it got messy. Somehow, everyone forgot to clean u after themselves. So- that's what I'm going to do today. End of story.
I get a call from my cousin-in-law. We don't speak much and I have my reasons for that. I just don't want to be associated with the drama. So I stay away. She was calling just as I was leaving to take the kids to school. I didn't answer because4 I knew what this was about. Also, I needed to get going as we were already running behind schedule.
As soon as I walk in the door it was my dh on the phone. Apparently she called his cell phone. He is away on travel so he called me back to tell me that she called. I told him I knew. Well her son had missed his bus and she needed a ride to take him to school. Now normally I would drop what I was doing but get this...she only ever calls when she needs something and I am always the last resort. I wonder if she ever thought about that. I wondered out loud to my husband why she doesn't call a friend, someone who she talks to frequently. Can't they help her out? I am surely not the only person she knows of who is home during the day.
The last time she asked me to do a favor she called at 8:30 at night to ask me if I'd pick up a script for her at the pharmacy by 9 when they close. She said they had her insurance card there and all I had to do was sign for it and drop it off to her house. So I went to pick it up for her and when I get there the pharmacist says there is no card and the bill was $20.00. I ended up not getting the script and left. She never called to ask what happened and life happened for me so I forgot to ask her about it. But I wonder still if she lied about the card and if she thought that I would have paid her bill for her anyhow. She still owes me money from 3 months ago when I helped her pay for her sons birthday party and still has not offered to pay any of it back. When we asked her about when she could pay us back she didn't give us an answer but more of an excuse and left us wondering if we would ever get our money back from her. I definitely dont' want to continue doing her favors just so I can get our money back. In a way I feel like it's worth it to let her keep the money and just not do any more favors for her.
I feel like this is not so much her issue as it is mine though. I really can't have someone who loves drama, always needs a ride, and only calls when they need a favor or money. It just doesn't work out being an "equal friendship". I have tried to be friends with her but whenever I try to have a conversation with her, she always says "I'll call you back" and don't you know, she never does, not until she needs a favor. So why should I do favors? I am not trying to be mean or selfish but I really don't feel like I have room in my life to be carting people around who don't appreciate favors like a friend would. And I certainly don't want to be someones last resort. I am sure that would make anyone feel hurt and ya know, I have friends and I dont' need this.I dont' need anyone to complicate life any more than it already is if I can avoid it, ya know? I don't know why she continues to think that I want to continuosly do favors for her and I never even get a friendly "how are you doing" or a visit, a call (or a call back) or even the time of day, for that matter, unless it's good for her.

Do you think I am wrong for saying no or feeling this way?

okay- rant over and now I am off to tidy up in preparation for being creative! I got my SoML kit in the mail yesterday. I am so excited to get to scrappin'. I really wish I didn't have to clean cause I really feel like making a mess!

Flower Power really does work!

2007-04-19T13:11:00.000-04:00

If you do the happy sunshine dance and make things that are bright and cheery- the sun is bound to respond. I mean, how could it not?

I am heading out onto my porch to do some reading! I picked up 2 new magazines this morning to read and my little guy is just begging to head out. Who could pass that up! I will be stalking the mailman tody in hopes that my SoML kit arrives in time for a scrappy weekend. This is what my pretty little hands will be creating with - so what are you waiting for?
At the SoML Store you can purchase the main kit, add-ons, exclusive stamps, and other extras.

You can take a peekie at Sara's blog to see what she has in store for May -TDF!!!

My Life Mini Album

2007-04-19T11:09:00.000-04:00

I made this little album about life changing for me a bit, how am accepting these changes, and something to add some pretties to, just because I love pretties.

To view the slideshow of My Mini Album click here!

Good Day, Sunshine

2007-04-18T09:54:00.000-04:00

The sun is still not shining but I am totally looking forward to this weekend. I saw the forecast this morning--- it's going to be in the 70's!!! As you can probably tell I am hung up on the weather and I so badly want to sit on my porch to soak up some of that warmth. A couple months ago my friend moved into her new house and gave me her wicker set- a love seat, chair and a table. It looks so cozy and makes for a great spot for my best neighbor to come sit with me to drink iced coffee and look through magazines together. The most excellent thing to do while the kids play or ride bikes.

Tomorrow dh is heading out to NJ for work. That means I get the whole place to myself for a bit- lots of fun scrappy things to do and my kit from SoML should be here by the weekend. I have some fun plans for this kit. Anyone want to join me for some scrapping?- your are always welcome!

About SoML- I'm telling you, this is the BEST place to make friends! Seriously! I am totally loving the atmosphere and the girls are fabulous. The gallery is full of inspiration and the new design team is unbelievably talented. Loving what they did for the DT entries and I can't wait to see what they come up with for the May kit.
So a big congrats to the girls at SoML>> Nicole Eshelman, Sally Hanna, Penny Lach, Amber Ulmer, and Lucrecer Braxton .I also want to congratulate my new friend Amber on being pubbed for Scrap Trends. She is so fresh- you will love her style, I promise. Plus it doesn't hurt that she has the best personality and is a fabulous cheerleader!

Here is my lil taste of sunshine I created. I hope it puts a smile on your face!!

Story of My Life DT Entry

2007-04-15T14:33:00.000-04:00

Here it is. I am so super nervous and excited all at the same time. The talent is tremendous- I am totally shaking in my pants. 4 designers will be chosen for this design team. I know that Sara is going to have one heck of a time dwindling it down to just 4 designers. THe kits are fabulous and seriously, I can tell after seeing the sneak peek for May's kit, the kits are going to get better and better! Yeah!! For Story of My Life!

Good Luck to everyone who entered for a spot on the SoML design team!