Merry Christmas!

Well, we surprised the kids with a dog for Christmas.  She is an absolute doll. She's an 8 month old German Wirehair Pointer.  Sophia was so happy to finally get a dog that she cried. 

 One of the best things about getting an older puppy is that she is already potty trained, excellent on a leash & knows several commands.  We are delighted to add her to our family. We are confident that she will love the new house.

 Sophia and Bella...so sweet!

Hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a happy New Year!

Faith, Trust and Patience

Well, I may have very good news.  One last piece of paper from the sellers and we should have the news that we have been waiting for! Hopefully escrow will start on Fri. 45 days to pack, pick the paint colors and start off the New Year in a new house!  I can't wait to share this process and my new home with all of you.  I will finally have a scraproom...I will definitely keep everyone posted on that!
 Have a Merry Christmas all!

I am what I am

For many years I have wanted to get noticed by the scrapworld.  I dreamed of one day being published but, after my brief time off and creative break I have discovered that all I really want to do is create.  The external validation is no longer a goal.  Would I mind, well...no but, I am no longer going to pursue it.  No, I was not terribly aggressive in my pursuit but I think that the acknowledgment to myself has been a big step.  I accept that "I am what I am and that's all that I am"  I embrace my style & enjoy trying different things but I am going to be honest.... admitting to myself that I don't need to be published to validate my craft has been huge.   There was a time when I was up on all the trends & knew every manufacturer,  I couldn't wait to see the new products from CHA  & I eagerly placed my pre-orders for the latest and greatest.  Lately however, I have been out of the loop.  I have no idea what the current trends are and that's OK! 

 Created this Lo with my bro (the o fell off & I have to find another) products are from Colorbok.

Pics from the Christmas parade at DL. I just wanted to recreate the fun vibe from that day.  product from this LO are Studio G.
Thanks for looking, have a great week!

I scrapped!

I set my table back up & thanks to a sweet friend , I am scrapping again!   I have boxed up 70% of my scrapbook stuff so when a friend blessed me with a gift bag full of scrapbook goodies... I just had to create! 

 All of the products I used are colorbok...I love it all.  I think that she bought everything form Walmart.  I guess I may need to rethink the Walmart scrapbook area!  The pics are the kids school photos (lovely as they are) ;) Love that they included the little pics though, super fun.

 Loving these stars!  They worked so well with both the Kindergarten LO & the Disney page.

Thanks for looking! I am so happy to be scrapping & creating again....I feel like things are right with the world! Have a great day!

In a holding pattern

I have been feeling lately that my life is on hold. I really felt that we would have a house by now. I have started to accept the fact that we will probably not be in a new house till after the new year. So, rather than focus on the negative I am going to try to make the best of this situation. I certianly have enough time to pack & organize! I have also decided to put my craft table back up & have a mini version of my craft room. Me not crafting is not good for anyone. Hopefully, I will have some new projects to post next week. I have also decided to spend a little more time on my blog. My goal is at least 2 posts a week. I am praying that by next week we will know more about the house. I would love to share some good news on that front. My mind and heart have allready moved in so, I am praying that the bank agrees! I wish it were just up to the sellers but, the reality of a shoirt sale is that the bank has the upper hand . For now, I am getting a huge lesson on faith and trusting God.
Have a great weekend!

I need to create!

It has been several months since I have scrapbooked & I am starting to really feel the effects of not creating! I am toying with the idea of delving into the digital world of scrapbooking. I keep praying that we will find out about our house soon, & once we find out about the house I will be able to move forward. In my mind, I am in a holding pattern. So, to fill the void for my blog... I have reached back to post some of my older layouts. The baby is sweet Evan, wow he's grown up...he's 5 now!

When my hubby & I decided to buy a house, we really did not imagine that it would be this emotionally draining. Looking for the perfect house is hard work! Last night I had a dream about our house...I pray that we will hear something soon! The housing market has changed so drastically. I will keep you posted and hopefully soon I will have pictures of a new house to post!

well, hello stranger!

I know, it's been a while. We have had a change of focus lately. We had planned on building a house but, with the current shift in the housing market we are opting to buy instead. We started looking in July & we are still looking! We think we may have found one but now we just have to play the waiting game. Meanwhile, I have been packing up the house and going through everything to clear clutter & be ahead of the game when we finally do move. Needless to say, part of what I have packed up is my scrapbook area! Yep, I have not scrapbooked for 4 months! I have been so focused on finding the perfect house. On the bright side...if we do get the house that we want, it has the perfect area for a dream scrapbook room! I have still been taking pictures though & at my sweet boy's field trip to the pumpkin patch I was nominated as class photographer. Love this shot of the hummingbird.

Have a happy halloween weekend all!

Every Girl a princess

Had fun with this LO channeling multiple Disney themes. I added clocks to echo Cinderella's relationship with time, stars to wish upon, gems & a silver frame to further the notion of a princess. I didn't want to go to girly but I did want to make it pretty & worthy of a princess. For the frame I used a gel crayon from Faber Castell. They are super easy to use and the mess is minimal. I love the effect that it has with the cb.

Supplies: The pp & sicker letters are Sassafras; flowers: Prima; Clocks & brads: Making Memories; stars: Recollections. The other items I have had so long that I don't recall the manufacturer.

Here's another close up, a portion of the cb is poking out so you can see a close up of the gel crayon.

I love playing a round with my scrapbook style & trying out new looks. I love the creativity of scrapbooking. May you always have fun a create!

Christmas in July

I have set aside my Disney Los for awhile to work on Christmas LOs. Most of the paper is from Colorbok from Walmart. Proving that you can make a fabulous Lo with any product! You don't have to have the latest & greatest to record your memories. I think that the real trick is using whatever products that you have on hand to create Los that are timeless. "Snowball Fight" Although the title doesn't show up very well in the photo, it's there LOL. The pics show all the action for the LO so I kept embellishments simple. I love the pop of color to help balance all of the white snow.

close up of pg 2. notice the spray of snow...love that effect.

close up of pg 1. I used the frame to really focus on the group shot. I think that you can imagine how much fun these guys had!

"Cousin, Friend" These pics were taken at a skating rink so the lighting was not optimal. The flowers that I added are Sassafras. Love the relationship that I have with my cousin, we are still very close.

"Snow Fun" Love these pics! They showcase the action and fun that these kids were having! Used some MME in addition to the colorbok. I had a close up shot of this Lo but I forgot to add it. For a fun touch I added gem swirls to the last picture to give an idea of speed. The swirls and the glittery letters are MM.

Happy Monday!

the big cheese

Well, here we are meeting the big cheese himself. I am so happy that I was able to carve a little time out to create a couple LOs. I always feel a little off when I go to long without scrapping! For my Mickey Lo I used images from the Disney Cricut cart, Bazzill CS, Sassafras flowers & MM rub-ons.

"Sweet Boy" For this Lo I used MM collection almost exclusively. The title at the bottom of the page is difficult to see from the pic I took, but they are felt letters and look much better IRL. The felt stars are not that shocking orange either. LOL. One of these days I will perfect taking pics of my Los, hopefully.

I have some serious catching up to do in the blog world. So many blogs to read...so little time!

Have a great week!

busy, oh so busy!

Between directing VBS and travelling every chance we get, I have not been scrapping at all in the last few weeks. I have been taking many photos however & should have many LO's to post once things settle down a bit!

I also wanted a chance to win some fun scrapbook goodies from Nikki Sivils. Her products are fun, whimsical & so full of charm! http://www.nikkisdoghouse.blogspot.com/

Have a happy summer & don't forget the sunscreen!

spending freeeeze

After looking at the pile of scrapbook products that are slowly taking over my scrapbook space, I am putting myself on a supply diet! I am giving myself a LO goal before I can buy more scrapbook products, fifty feels like a good number. Three down, 47 to go! Acting Goofy in Toontown


supplies: cs: Bazzill; pp (and everything else) Sassafras

Going Buggy

Having fun at Flik's Fun Fair. supplies: cs: Bazzill; pp: Recollections ; felt stickers, flowers & other stickers : Sassafras

Christmas Magic

everything is Sassafras. Love these pics of the kids. They were taken by the light of the Christmas tree & assorted candlelight with no flash.
This paper is not my normal style but I like the "homespun" feel of it. It worked well for the LO to give it a nostalgia feel.

And the winner is.......

Gemini Jen
Congrats, I will get the package in the mail as soon as I get your info!
Still enjoying my Sassafras goodies. Created this LO this morning. These pics are from last summer. The kids love hanging out at the lake and these bright stickers from Sassafras were perfect, they practically shout summer! I also used a die cut sheet from a previous project. Love using scraps! I added the googly eyes to the sun for a fun feel. I don't usually go to cutesy but I couldn't resist!

Have a fun weekend all! Congrats again to Gemini Jen!

May the Force be with you

Yep, another Disney Lo. 3 of the kids got picked to do the Jedi training. They had so much fun sparring with Darth Maul. I wanted to fit a ton of pics on the LO & really focus on the intensity of the event. (I had one of Darth Vader as well but DS used it for a project. ) I love the look of focus on my nephews face, they all took the whole thing very seriously. I had to get creative for the title. I didn't have an "R" so I used a "P" with a comma as the leg. You can tell from the close up but it's not really noticeable when you look at the entire LO.
As far as supplies go I used Bazzill CS & Sandylion PP, the brads are MM.

Yesterday was field trip day & I drove with DD's class to Sacramento to see the sights. We went to the Railroad museum, Sutter's Fort & the State Capitol. It was a very looong day! I took a few pics but haven't had a chance to do any editing & as a general rule I photoshop every photo that I am going to print. Yes, it can be very time consuming but for the most part I do pretty basic clean edits so they don't take too much time. It was a rather dreary day and rained off and on throughout. This is the one shot that I took of the outside of the Capitol building. It is such a beautiful building!

I love Sassafras!

Yay! My mystery Sassafras box arrived & I am tickled pink! Love all of my new goodies. I wanted to share pictures of what I received ......the pics aren't great, but ya get the idea. As you can see, I couldn't wait to start scrapping. As soon as I opened the box, I started scrapping! You will notice a few missing items here and there :)

There are actually three of these mini pads.

12x12 paper , they are the entire collections so there are cardstock stickers in there as well. Yummo!

And here is what I have created thus far:

The patterned paper & cs stickers are Sassafras, felt flowers are Recollections and the brads are MM. I added leaves to the felt flowers to add a little extra depth. This Lo is based on a sketch from the current issue of CK.






Another LO:

CS is Bazzill; pp, cs stickers & flowers are Sassafras; border sticker Recollections. This LO is also based in a sketch from CK.

Ok....now here's the fun part! I am going to share the wealth & give a little Sassafras love. On Friday I am going to randomly draw a name from my followers to send a little sample of my Sassafras goodies . If you aren't following my blog...there's still time. I will post the name of the winner Friday!

Have a great week!

I hate waiting!

Ok, so I had hoped that I would have my mystery box from Sassafrass so I could share the wealth & do a little give away but so far, no box. I am really hoping that it comes today. I can't wait to see my new goodies!
I love these pics of my sweet nephew. They were taken w/ my 85mm & I loved the way they turned out. I decided to go a little simpler with the LO to really allow the pics to be the star.
I got some fun new art supplies on clearance at B&N so I just had to try them out. For the stars I used water color crayons. They were super easy to use... I just outlined the stars & then w/ a paintbrush & water, I painted in the center. I am pleased with how they turned out & I can't wait to use them on more projects!
As far as the rest of the supplies: cs; Bazzill; pp: MME & KI memories; letter stickers: Recollections We are having a rainy day so I opted to scan the LO. I'm afraid there's a bit of a line where the two halves meet up.

inspiration everywhere

One of the many benefits of my job is the fact that I am surrounded by inspiration. From book covers to magazines, it's everywhere! One of my favorite magazines to flip through is "Somerset Memories". As a general rule I do not consider myself to be an "artistic scrapper" but flipping through an issue of SM is always sure to inspire! Even though it isn't my personal scrap style, I can still incorporate tidbits here and there. That is the beauty of scrapbooking. Discovering, celebrating, remembering, creating, playing, honoring, loving and oh so much more! Had fun creating the LO Practically Perfect in every way! We love Mary Poppins. Visiting with Bert & Mary was a highlight of our trip. The face characters are always wonderful for interaction & these two were no exception!
supplies: cardstock: Bazzill basics; pp: We R Memory Keepers; tag for title: packaging from stickers; letter stickers, flowers & gems: Recollections.
I wanted to give the LO a whimsical feel so I added the flourishes, flowers & gems. If you look closely you will see a hidden Mickey!
Have a great week!

starting to get the hang of things

I may be starting to get the hang of this full time thing. I think that I may have found a balance. Thankfully, I am starting to feel less overwhelmed at work & things are really starting to gel. Yep, things are still crazy but at least I am starting to get used to the madness! LOL For awhile there, I was so exhausted when I got home I couldn't even think about scrapbooking but lately I have had a little creative energy at the end of my day. I used We R Memory Keepers Retro Glam for this LO. (One of my Ross bargains) I added some gems to give it a little sparkle. These are some of my favorite Disney detail photos.

The title shows up so much better in this shot. It kinda disappears in the photo of the entire LO. I added faux stitching to the word Details to mimic the "Happiness Is" strip.

Wanted to include a pic from Sophia's art show. She drew this pastel on the sidewalk. It turned out wonderfully!

Here's what I have to deal with! Sophia refused to have her picture taken & this is what I got from the boy! He's still super cute though.

Have a great weekend!

Feels like Fall

The weather has been crazy lately. It has felt more like winter or fall. I have been bundled in fleece & our heater has had a little workout. Feeling inspired by the shift in weather I decided to pull out some fall pics from the pumpkin patch. I used Basic Grey Ambrosia for the patterned paper and the chipboard & Bazzil for the grey cardstock. Here's a close up of one of the pumpkins (Making Memories), I added a little ribbon to echo a vine.

I felt that the bottom corner needed a little more so I added this swirl. I love playing around with different looks. I am not a terribly organized or structured scrapper. I will try just about anything! I used to fear that all of my LOs looked the same. Then I figured that I am comfortable with my style and I gave up the idea that every LO had to be completely different. After all, all of my LOs have one thing in common....me.

Sometimes it's easy for me to get caught up in all of the other stuff that goes along with this hobby (way of life), the desire to be published, design teams, cool new product, the message boards. Every once in a while I need to remind myself that I am doing this for me & my family and if we like it....that's what matters most. Nope, I may never be published but my kids will always love looking through my books & that's what matters!

Have a great week!

Creative morning

So, the other day I stopped by Tuesday Morning because I hadn't been there in a while. 32$'s later I was smiling ear to ear with a brand new bag of scrapbook goodies! I scored big time! I picked up several items from Making Memories and Anna Griffin. What's fun about TM is not only do you get great deals...you also find fun items that you never knew you wanted. Case in point: I picked up some great self adhesive vinyl & some awesome clear specialty patterned paper. I can't wait to try a project with my new goodies! This morning I opened the Anna Griffin kit and created this LO of my mom & her BFF of over 30 years. Anna Griffin is not usually my style but it worked well with this pic & I figured for the right price I could try something new! I also felt inspired after flipping through the latest tips & tricks from CK. I also broke out the paint to add a little extra to the cb frame.

I have had these pics of the kids for almost a year. I used stars from a star toss that I was in, the pp is from Chatterbox (yep, that old!) & Autumn leaves.

Have a great week!