For Scrapping Out Loud!

DT Call at Twisted Cards!

2011-11-21T10:07:00.001-05:00

The Twisted Sketches blog is looking for some talented card designers. Check out the call here!

Twisted Sketches #127

2011-11-09T18:20:00.000-05:00

It's time for the unveiling of Twisted Sketches #127! You can view the sketch and the team's fabulous work here! This week's twist is chipboard; any how, any way!
Here's my take:

My chipboard comes from Magistical Memories; love that row of bubbles! It's painted from being used to mask on several other layouts...I almost hated to actually use the chip piece!
papers: American Crafts, Basic Grey
letters: American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket
date stamp: K & Company
embellishments: Basic Grey and American Crafts

Have you ever made a mistake on a layout and realized it after everything's thoroughly glued down? The first who can tell me what mistake I made will get a small RAK in the mail. ;)

Twisted Sketches #123

2011-10-12T22:51:00.000-04:00

Time for a new sketch! Head on over to Twisted Sketches to take a gander at the sketch and the many interpretations of the fantastic DT! This week's twist is "envelope"...any how, any way!
Here's my take for the week:

This is my daughter and one of her best friends after giving each other makeovers. They have so much fun playing together :) I picked up this dress-up paper at Hobby Lobby a few years ago; with girls, I knew it would come in handy eventually :) I drew out the scallops and hand cut them. The photo mats are Daisy D's and I can't remember who made the foam letters :)
Thanks for looking!

Twisted Sketches #121

2011-09-28T21:53:00.001-04:00

Another great sketch has been posted over at Twisted Sketches! This week's twist is "Punch"...any way, any how!
Here's my take on the sketch:

This was made with Scarlet Lime's August kit; Basic Grey (papers, fabric flowers, stickers), Glitz designs (papers), American Crafts (Thickers, papers). I border punched the three paper strips.
Happy scrapping!

Twisted Sketches #119

2011-09-16T21:36:00.000-04:00

Another great sketch has been posted over at Twisted Sketches! This week's twist is "Start"...any way, any how!
Here's my take on the sketch:

I used a kraft base and some pretty pink Bittersweet papers (Basic Grey). Add in a few Cosmo Cricket and Prima flowers, a Making Memories journal spot, and some Thickers, and there you have it! This photo is of my oldest playing dress-up with one of our cats. This cat is soooooo patient; we like to say that she loves the abuse. Any kind of attention is good attention in Kung Pao's world! My twist is that this moment was the start of a long afternoon...for the cat ;)

Twisted Sketches #117

2011-09-01T21:53:00.000-04:00

You can find this week's fantastic sketch here. The twist is long; any how, any way!

Kraft cardstock from Hobby Lobby, bricks from template by Crafter's workshop, Crate paper pps, K&Co brads, Prima flower, Fancy Pants alphas.
The photo is of my friend's New Orleans wedding in 2008. Link up your layout on Twisted Sketches so I can see what you've done!

Twisted Sketches #115

2011-08-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

The new sketch is live, and the Twisted Sisters really did a great job on it! This week's twist is "clear"--any how, any way!

Here's my take on it:

I mostly used the July Scarlet Lime kit (papers from American Crafts, Sassafras Lass, Basic Grey, and Cosmo Cricket; Thickers from American Crafts; and embellishments from Basic Grey), and added a flocked transparency from Fancy Pants for my clear twist.

I hope you come and play along!

I am a Twisted Sister!

2011-08-03T20:34:00.000-04:00

I have been holding this in for a couple of weeks now and I'm so excited to be able to announce that I am a Twisted Sister, designing for Twisted Sketches!! There will be a new sketch posted every Wednesday (with a new card sketch posted on Saturdays), and each one with have its own twist.
You can find the current sketch here; sketch 114 was the DT application and you can see everyone's super creative take on it! This was mine:

The twist is vintage, and my take on the twist is the photos--this is me and my paternal grandfather in 1978. I have so many fond memories of playing with Grandpa in the pool! He passed away nearly three years ago now, but I haven't been able to bring myself to scrap these yet. It felt really good--I sure do miss him!
The little fish were fussy cut from Fancy Pants Beach Babe papers, as was the big wave/flourish shape. I added some jewels and buttons, tore the edges of my white base and then added a blue behind; the edges of the blue were inked in a lime green (chalk in from the dollar bin at Michaels). Thanks for looking!

It's been too long!

2011-07-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

Wow, we hit Spring Break, and then the end of school just smacked me upside the head! I've been busy busy busy juggling both girls with me at home AND at work. I've been stuck in that ridiculous Midwestern heat wave that's been deep frying us here in Michigan for the last week and a half, and boy, does that really take it out of you! I haven't been crafting as much as I'd like to, but I have a few projects that I'd like to share. :)

I made this mixed-media piece for my daughter's dance studio. They have a silent auction each year at the spring recital; the funding goes toward field trips, scholarships for dance camps and to bring in special instructors for classes. I used a lot of paint, Mod Podge, patterned paper (Imaginisce), ink (Staz-On, Distress Ink), stamps (Glitz), stickers (Jolee's)...oh, it was fun. And the best part was that it brought in the second largest amount at the auction!

My dad and his girlfriend decided to have a commitment ceremony rather than a traditional wedding last summer. We had a family reunion at my dad's campground (Long Lake Outdoor Center); it was a wonderful weekend! I used some heavy Distress Inking, bubble wrap painting and a bit of burlap under the photos. No patterned paper in this one! (Bazzill, Prima, Distress Ink)

Hmmm...ok, I think one more :)

The girls and I stopped for lunch one day at Panchero's and the baby was in such a happy mood! She was laughing and making faces at her sister. My girls love their Mexican food; Evie like quesadillas and Ellie likes beans! This layout was made with my June 2011 Scarlet Lime kit; all kinds of goodies from Sassafras Lass, Glitz, Basic Grey, and more. I added some Glimmer Mist and badges from American Crafts.

I challenge you!

2011-04-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

It was 80 degrees in central Michigan just over a week ago. We had snow on Monday. It's not really been terribly cold (40s), but with the damp it feels so chilly. I think it probably has something to do with our minds knowing that it's supposed to be spring, too.
So who's with me in shaking the blues (and the chills!) with a little scrappy challenge? One of my favorite challenge sites is The Color Room; each week, they release a sketch with associated color palette. I love their sketches, and trying to stay within the palette is a real challenge. I almost never get them done on time, though, so I'm challenging myself (and you!) to tackle this week's palette:

Maybe these bright, summery colors will cheer me up!

I also have a layout to share with you; I won a prize pack full of the new Beach Babe line from Fancy Pants on Facebook a bit ago, and used it for some old summer photos of one of my sisters and me. I love how this turned out; the colors, papers and embellishments in this line are sooooo fun!

This collection has a whole package of the cutest, coordinating chipboard banners! I painted the edges of mine in a lime green. I was also super excited to finally use some teeny little clothespins that my friend Heidi gave me a while ago!

Someday...

2011-04-15T08:07:00.000-04:00

I just love these photos of the baby...with the weather finally nice enough to go out and play, Evie has been spending time in the backyard. Ellie isn't jealous, but she loves to stand at the sliding doors and watch Sissy playing! She bounces, shrieks, bangs, and babbles at big sister. I love the bottom photo because you can see her cheeks all puffed up because she's grinning at her big sister. :)

This is based on a Page Maps sketch. I thought these Fancy Pants Road Show papers captured the mood I felt with the photos: joyful, because my babies are happy, but also a little somber because they're growing so fast. Before I know it, both of them will be running free out there. It seems like they need me a little less every day. I've been doodling a lot lately, and I really love how it works with this design.

Another little angel

2011-04-11T15:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday?
I'm beating off my case of the Mondays with some scrap therapy! I made this for the May Guest DT call over at Sketchy Thursdays, using their sketch:

Most of this is just simple layering; I did use some decorative scissors around the border. The center is Puerto Rico Glimmer Mist underneath my "stamp"--a felt coaster and some white paint. I free-handed the clouds from some coordinating paper (all of these papers are Creative Memories Wishes & Dreams). The final touch was picking out some of the stars on the background paper with silver blending filament. :)

My Birthday Girl

2011-04-08T23:06:00.005-04:00

I can't believe my itty bitty baby girl is a year old!
To celebrate, we had a one-derful (haha, aren't I funny?) birthday party with our family and friends. Ellie got to attack her very own chocolate cake. I'm sure you'll see photos in upcoming layouts. :)

I created this layout using one of my favorites from her one year photo session. I love that I can take my kids into the studio whenever I want!!
To create the blocks on the background cs, I used three shades of Glimmer Mist and four sheets of scrap cs/cardboard. I blocked off the areas I didn't want Glimmer Mist-ed and sprayed away, one block at a time. The patterns within the blocks were made by a napkin used as a blotter. After it all dried, I doodled the black lines around the blocks.
This design is loosely based on a sketch from The Color Room (Palette 51). I love their sketches, and need to make a real effort to get my interpretations on sketch and palette done BEFORE the deadline! ;)

Miss Art's Papercrafting School

2011-04-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

If you haven't yet, check them out! The site will go live May 1 with exciting classes and kits :)

Halloween time!

2010-10-13T09:29:00.004-04:00

This is my oldest daughter, Evie, carving pumpkins with Daddy and I a couple of years ago. She was so cute, and we had such a good time :)

You can find this super cute Bingo card set here at The Cutting Cafe. Regina has created some SUPER CUTE Halloween and fall themed printable stamps and cutting files. Head over and check them out!

Let's Celebrate With the Flamingo!

2010-10-05T22:35:00.003-04:00

October brings the second anniversary of Flamingo Scraps! Keep an eye on their blog and find them on Facebook to see some fantastic prizes, contests and giveaways! The layout below was created using the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante line, purchased from FS, of course. They have a wonderful Vintage/Steampunk Grab Bag chock full of old and new lace, metal parts, trims, and more. The lace and metal watch parts on my page came from the grab bag. It's kind of hard to see, but I misted Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist around a square mask in the center of my page.

October also brings my turn as the Guest Design Team! I'm so excited. Fellow DT'r Diana and I were introduced on the blog on October 1. Diana will be guest blogging on Tuesdays and I will be posting photography and Photoshop tips on Thursdays.

New Cutting Cafe Layout!

2010-09-12T12:30:00.003-04:00

For this design, I used two new templates fromThe Cutting Cafe; "That's what little girls are made of" and the "circle scallop set." I printed them on patterned paper, hand cut, and then mounted using foam tape.

Guest DT!

2010-08-20T08:17:00.003-04:00

i'm so excited to announce that I'll be joining flamingo scraps' guest design team for the month of october!
you can check out the official announcement here, and their awesome ebay store here. i'm truly honored to be asked to participate, and i'm really looking forward to the ride!

Summery Fun!

2010-07-28T12:40:00.005-04:00

I used an image from the Birthday Fun printable stamp set from The Cutting Cafe. I colored it in using Photoshop, and also added three more candles...since it's my big girl's seventh birthday!

I used the Summer Fun background stamp set from The Cutting Cafe. I printed the outline design onto a sheet of patterned paper to use in my background. I love how this turned out, so summery!

it's been a while...

2010-07-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

My first Cutting Cafe projects!

2010-07-22T20:40:00.001-04:00

I made this birthday card for my mom. The scalloped circle with sentiment is a printable stamp from The Cutting Cafe, the Birthday Fun set. Super simple--I just printed it out on the cardstock I wanted to use and hand cut it out! I sewed along the borders of each block of pp and then decided it needed a bit more. Since my hands weren't going to stitch any more, I doodled the border. :)

This layout was made for a challenge on scrapbook.com. It had to be a two page layout featuring something sweet with a primarily chocolate color scheme. The Cutting Cafe's Birthday Fun set was again the perfect match. I re-colored the scalloped circle to white and then resized the cupcake and cut it out. I used Stickles to put a border on the circle and to "color" in the cupcake. I love how it turned out! (This design is based on a layout in Scrapbook Trends magazine).

agc weekly photos

2010-07-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

fireworks
barbecue
watermelon :)

Exciting News!

2010-06-27T21:47:00.002-04:00

I've been asked to join the design team at The Cutting Cafe! I'm really excited about working with Regina's fantastic cutting files and printable stamps, and also with the other talented ladies of the design team.
To celebrate the occasion, there is a 2 for 1 sale: for every set you purchase, you can choose one of equal or lesser value for free!

more layouts!

2010-06-23T22:42:00.004-04:00

i can hardly believe that our wedding was 10 years ago! husband said "classic" when i found the picture, and i thought it was perfect for the layout! he says it's because i had a classic gown and the photo is in b/w, but i think he's referring to my champagne bottle (i couldn't find my glass!) and the hiking up of my skirt (i was really hot, that's a lot of tulle!!) this is a pretty simple layout; i cut three of the flowers out of the bo bunny paper and then layered them with pop dots :)

evie's fourth birthday. i think it's pretty straightforward, just strips of some cool pp (they have shiny embossing).

this was done for a challenge to scrap your take on the song "livin' the life" we were to scrap a question, statement or interjection about the life we're living. it made me think about where i am, and realize that i'm happy to be here. times may be hard, but i have a wonderful husband (who is still my best friend after 15 years together) and two great kids!

the challenge here was to scrap an imperfect photo and boy, did i have one. my poor husband is extremely camera challenged (he can handle our point and shoot alright, but is so lost when i hand him my slr) and only took 3 photos of me with our new baby in the hospital, and all three of them, he focused on the background rather than us. it makes me rather sad; i have photos of all of our friends and family that visited us, photos galore of daddy and big sister, and very little of me. :(

and i leave you with extreme cuteness:

Photos!

2010-06-20T16:36:00.003-04:00

For Anything Goes Challenge on scrapbook.com, week three photos:

my choice: teeny pink toes :)

outdoors: Evie's rock soup

movement: Evie "rollerskating"...look at those ballet hands!

hero: in honor of Father's Day, my husband and the daddy of my girls: a real hero every day

cross: Evie's artwork. Love that her Jesus on the cross is smiling. I asked her why and she said because he was so happy to make the sacrifice for everyone else, even though it hurt, because he loves us so much. She's so sweet. And so smart, too.

Ellie @ 2 months

2010-06-14T00:11:00.001-04:00

ellie belly at 2 months :) my sweet little baby girl!

2010-06-10T20:48:00.005-04:00

so far, my favorite photo of the bean and one of my favorite lifts ever; thanks for the inspiration melissa w :)

this was done for a challenge on scrapbook.com; since the internet has become so prevalent in our lives, we were challenged to create a layout featuring an online site we frequent. i based this on a pagemap from june. i used two facebook apps to tally the most-used words in my status updates and then to choose the statuses i found the most amusing or to be milestones, or a few that i felt just captured my life. i think the snapshot this provides of the last year of my life is pretty neat.

this is a little outside my normal style, but i like how it turned out. this was also for a scraplift challenge on scraplift.com
the large star chipboard is covered in a mix of pearl ex & glossy accents and gold stickles. it's from magistical memories; i bought some of their chip and LOVE it!

this is the closest i can come to a masculine layout ;)

one of my best friends got married in new orleans a few years ago and i'm still working on the wedding layouts :)

my daughter and a couple of friends entertaining themselves at hobby lobby while their moms scrap-shopped. we may have set up the first shot...

i made my own mist; equal parts mod podge and water. i used pearl ex and adirondack inks for the color, and used a piece of chip (magistical memories again) for the mask. and seriously...who DOESN'T love a little baby booty??

Evie's recital

2010-06-06T10:15:00.003-04:00

who: Evie, the ballerina

what: spring dance recital (Evie's class)

when: Friday, June 4 at 7 pm

where: on the big stage!

why: to dance!

(June AGC weekly photo challenge)

Holy blog candy Batman!

2010-05-13T08:04:00.004-04:00

Check out this birthday blog candy giveaway!

The rose border is a piece of Prima's Sew Cute stitched mulberry paper; I hand cut out the bordered edge. The piece under the photo is another corner of the paper.

Isn't she a cute little bean? This heart tree is chipboard from Magistical Memories; I love their chip! It's thin and flexible and the cuts are so elaborate and clean! I dry brushed it with some pink paint and then used a Photo Stain Distress Ink pad to brush across in the opposite direction for some contrast.

a bit of baby love

2010-05-02T23:32:00.004-04:00

I've been busy scrapping my Ellie belly :)

This uses the February 2010 Commit2Paper kit, which you can find here. I love these Little Yellow Bicycle papers and embellishments. This is based on a PageMaps sketch. I love a naked baby!

This is mostly all Prima; I added some Bazzill chipboard, Tsukineko ink and a piece of vintage lace from my stash (I inherited a couple of boxes full of vintage trims from my husband's grandmother when she gave up her sewing supplies!) I attached the lace with a few cross stitches. The chipboard was painted with luminous pigment powder mixed with Diamond Glaze, on top of a coat of acrylic paint. All her little parts are so sweet :)

This is the Crate Paper Katlin collection and another PageMaps sketch. I love Thickers in general, but these puffy glitter Thickers are beyond fabulous! At 10 days old, I was already amazed at how many expressions my little bean has.

I love Bazzill dotted swiss cardstock! The papers here are from a Sandylion Disney Princess paper pack; the flowers were cut from a sheet of patterned paper. Evie loves being a big sister so far and wants to hold Ellie all the time. She got the biggest kick out of taking these photos :)

Prima's April Pick!

2010-04-16T10:41:00.001-04:00

Check out Prima's pick for April--such a cute collection! I can really see these used for layouts with my new baby girl :)

Link to Prima's blog

2010-03-27T10:45:00.000-04:00

I'd like to introduce our new addition, Eleanor Leigh. She was born Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 6:55am, weighing 6 pounds, 13.8 ounces & was 20 inches long.

Birth Day:

Her Announcement:

Our Family:

Big Sister Evie loves our new baby:

July c2p and fun in the sun :)

2009-07-12T21:55:00.000-04:00

The July Commit2Paper kit is packed full of summer sun--Fancy Pants Designs Summer Soiree papers and a cool 12x12" transparency, fun golden ric rak, Prancer Thickers in red, Bazzil 1.5" Primula flowers, and coordinating Bazzill cardstock. I had so much fun with this kit!!

are YOU groovy?

2009-07-12T20:16:00.000-04:00

for july, groovy deb challenged us to create a "zero angles" layout--a layout containing no right angles. it was such a fun challenge! here's my take on it:

be sure to cruise on over to if it's groovy to see what the rest of the dt came up with and to enter your creation--there's a great rak up for grabs!!

the two page team has been busy, too. you can see the sketch we used at if it's groovy, and this month, our technique was paint! i used white paint all over--the edges of the layout, the patterned paper squares and the lollipop flowers are all dry brushed with white paint. i also used a stamp with white paint and i like how it turned out! i used a white paint pen to outline the title letters and to journal with. :) here it is!

Ballet Recital

2009-06-19T17:55:00.001-04:00

evie rocked her first recital. it was a long week, but both smith families made it through relatively intact. the chilis were up for a week so they could see evie's performance. my mom, my sister, our friend bonnie, and her daughter also made it.

june c2p!!

2009-06-18T22:11:00.001-04:00

lots of summery fun, full of bright colors, fun prints and gorgeous butterflies and birdies :) get yours!

2009-06-09T07:53:00.000-04:00

you've still got time! a basic grey collection pack of your choice is waiting for you :)

and don't forget to hit the next stop on the blog train by visiting Nik!

Are you ready for a Groovy Blog Hop?

2009-06-04T22:26:00.000-04:00

that's right, us groovy girls are doing a blog hop crop challenge. to sweeten the deal, our theme is the 80s! oh, the 80s!! hair, movies, music, fashion.
so here's how it works: if you've wandered over here, feel free to hop on over to Nik's Blog for your next blog hop crop stop. each groovy dt member is sponsoring her own challenge and prize, so you've got until june 14th to win all kinds of groovy goodness!
when i think back on the 80s, i remember most how MUCH of everything there was. hair was big, fashions were loud (and can you say big earrings?), music was extreme. it was the decade of excess! so i challenge you to go to extremes and use too much on your layout--let's see those puppies decked out to the max dude! the prize for my challenge will be a basic grey collection pack of your choice. link your layout here in my comments by june 14 to enter my random drawing, and don't forget to check out the other blogs in the blog train for even more prizes!
here's my sample layout:

sneak peek!

2009-05-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

i just received my june c2p kit and i had to run to take the picture of it before i tear into it and absolutely devour it!!!
what's that you say?
you want to see too?

well, ok, but just a peek. cruise on over to commit2paper in the next few days to see the whole kit!

...and now i've got some scrapping to do!

by the way...have you finished your GROOVY salad and green goddess layouts yet? only a few days left to get them in!

may c2p layouts

2009-05-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

the may commit2paper kit was fantastic to play with! it includes 6 patterned papers (2 of each design) from the paper trunk maybe baby collection, a sheet of die cuts, artsy.licious splendid treasures in kohl, glitter thickers, prima crystal flourish, and some pretty ribbon.
here are my may creations:

and while you're at c2p, don't forget to check out the blow out sale! all 2008 kits are on clearance for $15 plus shipping. THAT is a steal my friends :)

everyone needs a good challenge every now and then :)

2009-05-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

hello my friends!
i just wanted to remind you that the month is halfway over! don't worry, you still have time for Groovy Deborah's out of the box challenges!
did you know that the month of june is national salad month? yup, you heard me right. it's time to celebrate salad! whether you love it or hate it (or just wanna use those yummy salad colors), let's see what you've got! here's my take on the challenge:

cruise on over to check out the other Groovy Chicks' challenge layouts. give me your salad story; link your entry back to me by 5/28 and i'll send you a RAK just for playing along :)
this layout was made with the may commit2paper kit; check out the rest of the Inspiration Squad layouts here and get yourself a kit before they're gone. :)

also, don't forget to check out Deb's Groovy Green Goddess Challenge while you're looking around If It's Groovy.

cheers!

yayayayayayay!

2009-05-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

the may/june issue of scrap'n art magazine is out...with FOUR of my layouts! i'm so excited. :) you can download a free copy here--this is the last month the magazine will be free. there's lots of really cool stuff inside so check it out!

who doesn't love a little blog candy?

2009-04-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

check it out here, these posies are fantastic!

http://scrappincecile.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-spring-blog-candy.html

and here is an awesome kit!

http://lovejoyscrap.blogspot.com/2009/04/national-scrapbook-day-rak.html

Evie and the butterflies

2009-04-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

we had such a nice afternoon at the butterfly house, located near the 4h children's gardens at msu.

2009-04-28T16:32:00.001-04:00

i haven't been very good at updating, but i thought perhaps a photo post would be fun. :) easter was fun. we had an easter egg hunt for the kids. this photo of my sister, brother and i is the first one we've done in a couple of years. and evie and cousin makenna had lots of fun playing together :)
i seem to have taken a lot of photos of evie eating this month. poor kid. so here is ice cream at coldstone creamery and the biggest, reddest strawberries i've ever seen. i'm going to add some pics of evie at the butterfly house in another post because i can't make this darn thing rearrange the photos!!

if it's groovy!

2009-04-02T07:55:00.000-04:00

i can finally announce that ms. groovy deborah has invited me to become a member of her groovy design team. how exciting! i'll be working on 2 page layouts (ooooh a challenge!) and also participating in her monthly challenge. i was asked fairly close to the april deadline (and i'm pretty sure the surgeon took my sb mojo gland instead of the one he was supposed to remove), so i haven't got a layout for april. yet. but i'll be working on it!
this month is national frog month (go figure!), and that's the theme for deborah's monthly RAK opportunity. so pull out your froggies, whether they be princes or toadies, and hop on over to if it's groovy to enter the contest :)

2009-03-30T13:44:00.000-04:00

i'm not usually the type to pass things like this on, let alone pray for anything, but i find i cannot resist this poor, innocent baby and the struggle he and his family are going through. if you have it within yourself, please send a prayer their way:

2009-03-21T23:12:00.000-04:00

i had the surgery on thursday. ask me again in a week, but at this point i never would have chosen the procedure if i'd known it was going to be this painful. i feel like i've had a good pounding in the face by a very large man with brass knuckles, a scent of garlic and a name like vinny. my poor nose hurts (as do the rest of my sinuses) and is swollen to nearly twice it's size. this too shall pass?

i haven't gotten much scrapping done, but i manage to finish all of my c2p layouts before the deadline (well one was a little late...) sweet bug, let's go fly a kit, bubble beard, and swimsuit models were done with the delicious march kit; fancy pants daily grind papers and embellishments. while i really like most of amy's kits and always have fun working with them, this one is definitely in my top three. :)

although i've been out of it (i had a panic attack coming down from the anesthesia and that in and of itself was scary, and then vicodin is just not good to me), evie was very excited coming home from her ballet class today--they got to try on their costumes for the upcoming spring recital. i must have missed the day miss liz showed the pictures, but that'll be a nice surprise. i believe they will be blue and lavendar butterflies :) she was also told that she needs to practice at home, so we'll have to work on that. evie's not so good with independent activity. like me, she prefers to be with other people. :) school has been going very well for her--this year has been amazing to me. she's READING! and getting so good at spelling and sounding things out!

andy's about the same. they lost someone at work and so he's been busier than usual, having to take customer support calls. he'd rather program but is glad that this is spurring the new sales guy to help out with the phones more.

i've started a new project for my sister--she gave me a shoebox full of pictures that i'm scrapping for her. don't really know why i've taken on another project when i have many many many shoeboxes full of photos, myself, except that i'm no good at saying no, especially when it's from someone i love and also a sincere compliment. :) so the "too much party" and two senior prom layouts are for her.

squeeeeee!

2009-03-13T19:32:00.001-04:00

i've just received notice that four of my layouts will be published in the next issue of scrap 'n art ezine! i'm so excited :D :D :D
i will have to take these down for the period between april and july, but i'm just so tickled!!

lots of catching up to do!

2009-03-02T17:44:00.000-05:00

in fact, i often feel like i spend most of my life rushing to catch up on something. or with something. i really have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy things. :)

but here's a random happy thought that just happened to make itself accessible to my camera:

how can you not be happy looking at a little girl curled up under the couch cushions sleeping in a sunbeam?

the CAT scan went fine. it was weird but the entire thing lasted under 5 minutes. heck, i was in and out of the office within 15! anyway, i'm not really sure i get the whole thing; like every specialist appointment i've ever had, there was more waiting than there was time with the doctor and i never think of the questions i need to ask while i'm there. he thinks a surgical procedure that has something to do with my mucus glands and draining my sinuses will help, so i'm scheduled for 3/19. it's outpatient so it shouldn't be too bad. :)

so i have been one busy scrapper this last month! first, i finished off my february c2p inspiration squad layouts. this kit was way out of my comfort zone with it's bright blues and reds but i really got into it and managed to make some pretty layouts, too. at least i think so :)

then there are several for a weekly challenge i'm participating in:

poetry in motion--a haiku and photos showing motion

bling baby! lots of bling and at least 6 embellishments

over under sideways down--i don't remember everything lol but you had to have one vertical and one horizontal photo, an element going up and down, something with at least 3 layers, and something hidden.

the last challenge was to use the oldest, ugliest, FUGLIEST patterned paper you could find! i had this really bright and obnoxious tinkerbell paper pack. i cut out the butterflies, leaf, heart, and flower from some of the more obnoxious papers and used the pink, green and orange for blocking. :) i think it turned out rather pretty!

sorry...it's been a month since i last posted so i've got a lot. :D

i realized the day before evie's school valentine's celebration that i had no valentine's cards for her to hand out. i asked her if she wanted me to go get her some pretty ones or if she wanted to make some with me and she chose make them, of course. so we ate dinner and got to work. she went to bed and i kept working. then we lost power at 10-ish and it didn't come back on. so i finished the last 2-3 by candlelight. thank goodness there are only 10 children in her class!!

....and that's all folks! i'll be back soon with my march commit2paper layouts :)

my february c2p kit!!

2009-02-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

it's SO FUNKY! i'm having a lot of fun with the prima {you}th collection!

more snow?

2009-02-03T17:04:00.000-05:00

yes, indeed. we have now had snow on the ground (enough that you can't see grass) consistently since thanksgiving. we currently have a good 18" to 2' that's lasted since early/mid-january. and guess what i just saw when i looked out the window? yeah, you guessed it. it's snowing. oh, sure, it's light. BUT IT'S STILL SNOWING. gah.
anywho, this sinus infection that i haven't been able to kick is still kickin' my butt. it's been since the beginning of december now; i've had two rounds of antibiotics and it's still there. so my doc is sending me to an ear/nose/throat guy, which means i have to have a CAT scan. i've never had one before, trying not to dwell on it too much.
so what's a girl to do? tired, snowed in, achey in the head? well, scrap of course!!

nostalgia...

2009-01-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

was talking with my darling kt via aim tonight and remembered when we dressed evie in hot pink hi top chuck taylors for a year, year and a half. she must have had 4 or 5 pairs of those cute little sneakers. i was so bummed when i couldn't find the right size/color combo anymore. now i am determined to look for them again! 3 years later, i'm a lot more confident about online shopping so i say BRING IT ON!

here ya go kt

2009-01-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

i just thought you should know that we had marmalized pork chops last night. apparently, this is the kind of dish you get when you apply orange marmalade to said pork chops. evie proudly told me that her and daddy are "gonna marmalize that porkie!" and had to show me her prized jar of orange marmalade that they had to go to the store to purchase to effect said marmalization.
i love that she's taken an interest in cooking--it's so much easier to get a 5 year old to actually eat her dinner when she's helped to make it. amazing.
the amount of talking she can produce is truly astounding. non stop. if she's not talking, she's singing. she sings while she goes potty. she sings while she gets dressed. she sings to her babies. it takes her an hour to eat her dinner because there has to be some sort of comment interjected between bites.
she loves infomercials. she tried to bargain with me at michael's last week. "mama, if i don't buy this yo yo ball and this sword, will you buy me this mighty putty?" she can quote them. aqua globes are still her favorite, although she loves mighty putty, the slider station, and sham WOW.
a new scrapbook layout: (yes, that's pretty much all i do in my spare time)

this was for a challenge on scrapbook.com i'm participating in, a 10 week extravaganza called the scraptathlon. week 2's challenge was to create a layout about your breakfast: routine, ritual (or lack thereof) or must have food. i've been wanting to do this layout for a while--i so appreciate all the little things andy does for me. you're a good man, charlie brown. ;)

2009-01-12T23:23:00.000-05:00

just realized that i haven't uploaded this :D it was done for a challenge to use very holiday themed papers and embellishments for a layout having nothing to do with said holiday. it was fun!

my weekend's work

2009-01-12T22:25:00.001-05:00

had some good mojo this weekend and kept up with the scrapping! i was working with the soon to be release commit2paper january kit, which was bo bunny beau jardin. very pretty paper, i had lots of fun cutting it up and otherwise distressing it!

in other news, this sinus infection again is kicking my ass. i could barely function sunday and today wasn't much better. andy was sweet and took me to the doctor's office. the doc put me on a heavy duty antibiotic and told me that if it didn't take care of it this time, he would refer me to a specialist. the congestion isn't so bad in my nose and chest but i am having blinding heachaches and very sharp, severe pain around my left eye when i cough, sneeze... it'll get better.
we made pot roast for dinner tonight and got to enjoy dinner and a show. i'm very proud of myself though, i actually didn't lose my temper this time. i think i finally may have a punishment that might work for her. i told her that if she doesn't want to eat her dinner, that's fine but 1) that's it for tonight, there is nothing else to be served and 2) she can put her plate in the kitchen and very nicely and calmly go upstairs, put her jammies on and spend the rest of the evening in her room. she hates playing by herself. actually, she hates the IDEA of playing by herself. once she's up there and finds one of her gazillion toys to play with, she's fine. so we'll give it a try.
here's a good one--evie had a sleepover this last weekend and what did mom and dad do? yeah, that's right--we went grocery shopping. oh, how sad. dinner and a movie? nope. hot monkey love? nope. almost 3 hours and over $350 in grocery shopping, baby. yeah.

back to work?

2009-01-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

Monday was back to work after 2 weeks off and it was ROUGH. Busy, busy, busy! The boss decided to merge the Howell office with ours and so we've been sorting, organizing and just trying to make it all work. I've tried to help the Corunna office get caught up from some things that should have been done before Christmas. In the meantime, I'm getting waaaay behind in the wedding department; I really should buckle down and pump out some albums this week. Le sigh.
I plan to have some scrap time this weekend; I need to finish up my DT requirements for the ever so wonderful Commit2Paper kit and I'd like to work on a challenge or two that I've signed up for.
I go back and forth on the craft space issue. I use our "dining room"--trying to put all my stuff in a little cabinet and get it off the table in time for dinner. I can have the basement if I want it but then I'll be lonely. Boo. But but but! Then I'll have practically unlimited space, a larger area to scrap with and I should be able to leave the Cricut and sewing machine set up all the time. Hmm. I think I need to move downstairs. So I guess tomorrow I need to start cleaning, organizing and throwing away. ;)
That is, of course, assuming that my nose stops running long enough. Let me tell you, I look HAWT with Kleenex shoved up my nostrils, my mouth hanging open so I can breath and nice big black circles under my swollen and puffy eyes. Gotta love a good cold. :D
And so, my dear friends, I leave you with this:

2009-01-04T23:38:00.000-05:00

Scrapping away!

2009-01-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

We were able to take an extended vacation this year; both of us had two weeks off from work. We spent about 10 days at the in-laws in Maryland and then the rest, of course, at home. I have been a scrapping fool, finishing a massive (and heretofore unheard of!) 7 layouts!!

Our Christmas was pretty uneventful and very fulfilling. We were able to see most of Andy's family on this visit, which was a wonderful change. Christmas Day brought the annual brunch, which Mom hosted this year. We made the most wonderful apple cinnamon french toast; the french bread soaked up the custard all night long. Mom also had a new recipe for a quick spinach pie that turned out divine, I'll totally be making a new one of those very very soon! The following Sunday, the other half of the family came over for a tasty ham dinner and gift exchange. Evie had a lot of fun playing with little Lucas. He's so big! We also made it out to see O'ma several times and got to spend a lot of time with Andy's brother and the other guys. :)
New Year's was pretty uneventful since we drove home New Year's Eve. I had plans for a scrappy sleepover with my friend Melissa and Andy was kind enough to drop me off (don't get me started about the cars...I really don't know what we're going to do in the long run with one car).

I'm here!!

2009-01-03T19:58:00.001-05:00

I'm here! Stay with me as I begin adding and personalizing. :D