Real Life with Carla

Hey everyone

2011-01-31T05:42:00.000-08:00

I decided to open a new blog:

http://carlascuriouslycraftychaos.blogspot.com/

I wanted to have a blog that was strickly for creating, my design team work for Sassy Lil Sketches and for Bella Creations.
Im not sure how often I will be updating this blog, so if you want to see what I have been up to, go check out:

http://carlascuriouslycraftychaos.blogspot.com/

New Year New Beginning

2011-01-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here it is the first week of Jan, its a new year. So to start things off some changes.................
GREAT NEWS..............there is a new scrappy web site that my good friend Lacee has opened that you must check out....................
Bella Creations

I have to tell you that this is going to be a GREAT GREAT venture with Lacee, I am one of the DT members and am so happy to join her on her new site.

We have some fantastic girls working on the DT, and we have alot of ideas for challenges and prizes up our sleeves too. So come on over and check it out.

Steampunk challenge

2010-12-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

This is a challenge that I did for PAGES IN TIME

The DT was give a couple of images to use, we had to pick one and create something with it. I decided that I wanted to try to do a canvas. So this is a 12x12 canvas that I painted the back ground, and then used some of the G45 line of Steampunk, some 7 gypsy embellies and rubons, primas and doodling. I had alot of fun creating this. Go check out Pages in Time
for more awesome inspiring ideas!

OOOOOO Christmas TREE OOOOO Christmas TREE

2010-12-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

I have been such a bad blogger, I really need to blog more. So here is a picture of my Christmas tree that I put up this past weekend. All my decorations are up and Im starting to get into the holiday spirit. I even plan on looking for some really yummy cookie recipes, going and buying a bunch of baking stuff and spending my weekend baking this weekend. Our annual WHITE ELEPHANT gift exchange is at my house this year and that will be next weekend. Looking forward to that. We do a very nice brunch with about 10 plus woman and have a very nice day. Well thanks for stopping by and checking out my tree.

Time for life to start again

2010-11-14T16:10:00.001-08:00

Time for me to get back to scrapping. I am going through withdrawls...LOL. With the move, all the packing and unpacking and settling down, I havent been able to do anything. Finally today I was able to finish my scrappy organization in my room, and Im going to start creating tonight while I sit here and watch tv........
Let the creative juices start flowing!

We are pretty much settled in now

2010-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

living room furniture

Kitchen

Dining room

Fireplace wall

Fireplace wall

This is the bathroom

These are just a few pictures. I will have more probably this weekend, as I still have to get window treatments up and finish off my bedroom.scrappy area.

New beginning

2010-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially on the MOVE again..........LOL For those of you that know me I think we tend to move every year. Well we have for the past few years anyways, just havent found a place to settle and call HOME............But.........this is it. This will be our home, its cozy and cute and roomy enough for me and the kids and the dogs and the cats.................
So we are moving in this weekend. Cant wait to get settled in and comfy!

Winner of the BLOG HOP

2010-10-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

My winner that was chosen for the blog hop to get my RAK that I will be sending out and was never able to post a picture of is WANITA. You were comment #34, please send me your address so that I my get your rak out to you! Congrats

First ever Dirty Scraps Blog Hop

2010-10-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

*Note from Carla*

Good morning all you wonderful crafters,

Can you believe it has been 10 months since this blog first began.

Pinky formed Dirty Scraps because she had a passion

for crafting everything from the most wonderful day to

the worst day. For all of the Dt members...scrapbooking is ART and ART

is therapeutic, we are honored and humbled by the amazing

following Dirty Scraps has, and even more amazed every

month by the amazing work of our Design Team.

Thank YOU for participating in the very first

Please take a moment to visit our sponsors as well,

we work very hard

To get great sponsors for every challenge!

Dirty Scraps Blog Hop!

Welcome everyone to Dirty Scraps very first blog hop.

Are you ready for some excitement?

Are you ready to hop from blog to blog and leave a

comment and become a follower?

Well we are ready to invite you over to all of the DT’s blogs to

check out their eye candy goodies that you will have a chance to win.

Here is how it works.

You start out here at Dirty Scraps http://dirtyscraps.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment and make sure that if you aren’t a follower you become one.

You will then go to the Marlene’s Blog http://myspotofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment on her blog and become a follower if you want to win her prize.

Marlene will have a link to the next DT member that you will then

hop over to and do the same thing, and so on and so on until you get to the last

blog which is going to be PINKY.

You must leave a comment not only on the Dirty Scraps blog and be a follower,

but you also have to leave a comment on all the DTs blogs as well.

You only have to become a follower of the DT members blog that you

would like to win a prize from. Choose one or choose them all.

Not only will you have a chance to win a cute goodie

from a DT member for visiting their blog,

but you will also have a chance to win one of our

BIG Prizes from our awesome sponsors. See the pictures below:

We have not one but TWO Prize packages from LIZ

*Thank you Liz*

Which includes paper packs and SPELLBINDERS!! and so much more!

The spellbinders work in your die cutting machine to make

these images and MORE!

http://javaortea4me.blogspot.com/

Spellbinders Impressabilities

and much more from LIZ!

The PURPOSE KIT from Scrapbooking From The Inside Out

*Thank you SFTIO*

Each month, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out’s kits are based on an emotion, covering everything from freedom and gratitude to loss and safety. These kits help you explore every side of yourself - your inner struggles and triumphs, your relationships, and your goals and dreams. Not only does each kit use color, design and symbolism to help you tell a deeper story, but our industry-exclusive FREE Inspiration Page each month provides you with a multimedia support system - including meaningful journaling prompts, a music playlist, quotes, photos and evocative challenges to make your tender heart and creative mind and hands flow.

And last but of course NOT LEAST!

A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO....

http://cropstop.com/

READY, SET, GO…………………………………..

http://hafscraps.blogspot.com/

There is some confusion about the blog that you are suppose to go to next, and for some reason the link that I have to Holly's blog will not work, it takes you to Marlenes blog.
So please visit Holly's blog:

http://hafscraps.blogspot.com/

Dirty Scraps blog hop

2010-09-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, as we wind down the summer and head into fall, and (BRRRR I dont even want to think about winter yet) fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the cool weather, I love the trees that turn vibrant colors, pumpkin carving and making pumpkin seeds. With all that being said:

Dirty Scraps is having their very first blog hop, scheduled for Oct 23rd at midnight central time and ending October 24th at midnight central time.
The Dirty Scraps DT members are very excited to have our first blog hop and are looking forward to getting some new followers and seeing our loyal followers join us for our hop.
So mark your calendars because you are not going to want to miss this hop. Not only do we have some AWESOME sponsors that will be giving away prizes, but each DT member will also have a little goodie of their own (mostly related to fall) that you can have a chance to win! You wont want to miss all the great goodies that you could have a chance to win, I have taken a SNEAK PEAK at a few of them myself....and Im excited for everyone that will get a chance to win. So dont forget to mark your calendar's and be prepared to join our hop!

Click HERE to go to Dirty Scraps Blog

PIT Thursday Sketch

2010-09-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have to say that I love love love this sketch and I will have to play around with it this weekend. What great inspiration over at PAGES IN TIME

Another Halloween ATC

2010-09-17T05:25:00.001-07:00

Im loving these, they are so much fun to make, small, quick nd cute.

ATC's

2010-09-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have been on a roll making ATC's for Halloween. I never thought that I would get into something like this, but.........Pages in Time has a fun ATC group that I got involved with. So I tried my first one and BAM....I got hooked. They are so cute and fun to make...Love them! So we are doing a swap over at Pages in time, and then we will do a fall/winter swap too...cant wait to start digging into my fall scrappy supplies.

You are not going to want to miss

2010-09-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

PAGES IN TIME on line crop this weekend. It will start Friday evening 9-10 at 6 pm Est and end Sunday evening 9-12 at 12 am Est. We will have lots of things for you do participate in, challanges, games and of course alot of inspiration to choose from. We will be giving RAKS out and some prizes from the PIT as well........................
You dont want to miss this fun filled weekend of our on line crop. So hop on over and enjoy!

9-10-10 OK let the count down begin.............come on over to the pit and have some fun this weekend with our on line crop. There are LOTS of GOODIES to be won and lots of challenges and games to be played............you really dont want to miss out! Cant wait to see you there.

Pages in Time Thursday Sketch

2010-09-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the sketch for this weeks PAGES IN TIME

Vintage ATC

2010-09-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have been having fun working on a few ATC's. They are small, simple and fun to do. Here is one that i did that is vintage.
I used alcohol ink (3) colors for the back ground. I then cut the simple lady out of an old mag that I had and adhered it to the card. I traced around the cut out with a brown marker. I added BLING for earrings. I then did some stickles to give the hat a little bling and added some tiny gems to the stickles and let it dry. A little piece of lace at the top, glued 3 small pearls down and added a jolees cute flower to the top. I also ink/chalked the sides of the card.
I also wanted you to see a couple of the pages that are in this magazine that I have to work with...so much fun!

Blog Hop Winners!

2010-08-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone for making our first blog hop a huge success! We hope you will come back and join us for the online crop Sept. 10-12. There will be challenges, games, RAK's, and lots of fun! And in case you didn't already know, we have a chat box in the bottom right corner. Just click on it. During the crop there will always be someone to chat with if you have questions. Okay, now to the important stuff, the winners of the blog hop. They are:

Barbara's blog-Scrap Happenings-Mad Red Hare

Helene's blog-Lotsa Scrap-Sandi Smith

Lacee's blog-Scrap Like There is no Tomorrow-Lili

Victoria's blog- Victoria's Mellifluous Musings-Cindy Atkins

Marie's blog-Scrapbooking My Life-Martica

Carla's blog-Real Life with Carla-Megan

Maggie's blog-maggiescontrolledchaos-Lisa (feathers)

The Pages in Time giveaway winner is: Kelly Fluttersbye

Thanks everyone

2010-08-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

For stopping by and participating in the PIT blog hop. Lots of comments and so glad to know that everyone liked the DT's banners.
NOW, who are the winners you will ask?
Come back here tomorrow to find out, we will be announcing the winners for all the banners that were listed on each one of the DT's blogs.
Im crossing my fingers and wishing all of you luck!

Sixth stop on the Pages In Time Create Blog Hop

2010-08-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the sixth PIT stop!! Well we gave you a sneak peak of what you can win, and now while you are hopping you will be able to see how hard the DT has been working on these GREAT banners that we are giving away. That's right you heard me, we are giving them away! The banner's aren't the only thing you could win. Karen, the owner of Pages in Time has given us some prizes to give away too! How cool is that?

What's next you ask, how do I win one of these awesome banners?

Well to start with, to win my banner you need to post a comment here and become a follower of my blog. For your chance to win one of the prizes from Karen who is the owner of Pages in Time you must go to all of the Design Team blogs and Karens Blog and become a follower and leave comments.

Lastly you will go to Pages in Time and leave a comment on the first page of the forum. You won't be able to miss it. I will give you the link to your next PIT stop which is Maggie. You are going to love her banner! And she will give you a link to the next Design Team member blog and it will continue in that way. Okay, that's all there is to it.

Click On MAGGIES name to get to her blog.

Now ready to see the banner that you can win from me? Here you go:

Here is another Twilight ATC

2010-08-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

I made this last night, loved the color of this picture and just wanted to play around with it. These are pretty fun to make.

Twilight ATC

2010-08-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well this is the first ATC that I have ever made. We have a couple of groups over at PAGES IN TIME, one of them dedicated to Twilight and another dedicated to tags and ATC's and things. There were some other members on the board that were making these ATC's and I thought that they were just so cute. I just wanted to TRY my hand at it and this is what I came up with.

Pages In Time Blog Hop

2010-08-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Pages In Time Design Team will be having a blog hop August 28-29, 2010. We have created some beautiful projects! There will be RAKs and I have heard talk of prizes! You won't want to miss this! So mark your calendars! Here are some sneak peeks from the Design Team (hmmmmm, which one is mine?????):

Here is my take on the sketch for Pages In time

2010-08-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is my take on the sketch over at Pages in time. This is a great sketch. I had so much fun with this, and I know its early for for Christmas but this is a page that I did for my girlfriends album of her little girl Gianna and this is a picture of Gianna last Christmas

I Heart Jacob

2010-08-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is a page that I did today for a mini challenge over at Pages in Time

Seems that there are several of us there that LOVE Twilight, so one of the DT members gave us a challenge and this is the page that I came up with. I actually gave this to my daughter Mariah because first of all she loved the books, and the movies....well lets just say that she has watched them over and over and over again, and she HEARTS JACOB!

Thursday PIT Sketch

2010-08-12T09:34:00.001-07:00

I love this sketch, I cant wait to play around with it this weekend. That is my goal as of now. Want to join in the fun, check it out here

Cute little dress tag

2010-08-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

I made this dress tag tonight. Got the idea from a group over at Pages in Time
It was really fun and simple to do. If you are interested in making a tag like this, here is where you can get the TEMPLATE

Use your imagination and let it run wild...I did.

Mia and Sadie turn a year old!

2010-08-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

8-4-10 I can not believe that they are a year old already. I thought it would be cute to try and get some pictures of them in party hats, they thought I was playing a came with them and they kept trying to eat each others hats. I got them a couple of toys....but they decided that they liked the stuffing inside the toys more then the toys themselves.

Coming Soon - PAGES IN TIME BLOG HOP

2010-08-04T09:03:00.001-07:00

Mark your calenders for an affair you won't want to miss!!!!!! The very talented ladies at Pages In Time have scheduled a blog hop and it's gonna be fantastic!!!! The dt members have been busy creating and you won't want to miss what we have made!!! There will be RAK's and one prize for one lucky person. So don't miss out on all the fun and prizes and plan on joining us August 28th and 29th!!!!!

Good NEWS!

2010-07-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well Im here to share the news! I am now a DT member for PAGES IN TIME
I am so happy to be on this DT......and can't wait to start working with these talented ladies!
So the first thing I want to tell you about is the sketches that they have every Thursday. Here is July's Sketch:

Check out Karens blog where she has this sketch posted.

They also have awesome kits each month. Here is August's kit:

So stop by PAGES IN TIME, come play along with some of the challenges and the sketch for the week!

Well I think its been about a month

2010-07-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

since I have sat down to create anything. I think that it is because its summer time. I really have a hard time finding MOJO in the summer when there are so many other things to do. Of course then what was my excuse this past weekend when I pretty much laid around both days doing nothing but watching tv? I wasnt out and about and outside doing anything, stuck in the house all weekend but just didnt feel like scrapping. Fall and winter months are the months that I get things done, but when spring and summer hits the breaks come on.........and I dont do anything. How do I change this? I have done some scrappy shopping, I brouse on line galleries, I still talk scrappy things in forums, I see everyone else creating, but I just dont do it. Any tips for me?

Folded Fabric Flowers

2010-07-14T05:50:00.001-07:00

Well i have been on a flower kick lately........seems like that is all that I want to do is make flowers. I guess this is something that I can do in the summer time while sitting out on the deck versus being stuck in the house at the scrap table trying to scrap, which by the way I havent done much of. Anyways, i have been learning all of these GREAT fabric flower and ribbon and paper flower techniques over at PAGES IN TIME

Pages in Time Sketch for this week

2010-06-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a sketch that I have done for this week for Pages in Time.

More flowers

2010-06-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well for the past week...ummmmm well maybe more like 2 weeks now I have been making different flowers out of different types of things, material, paper, maps etc. Here is one that I just did again using maps.

And here are a couple more different colored fabric ones that I have done over the past couple of days.

New obsession

2010-06-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have been on a roll making fabric flowers. There was a link on PAGES In TIME where someone showed us how to make these flowers. I just thought that they were so cute and there are so many endless possibilities with these that I had to give them a try. Lets see, attached them to hair clips or head bands. How about adding a pin to the back so that you can out one in a t-shirt or a purse. Cute right? I went to Joanne Fabrics to see what I could get CHEAP. I didn't want to buy a whole bunch of material because I wasn't sure how these would turn out. So I hit the clearance section and found several colors that I knew that I could play around with. Now the fabric is tricky, since I do not know a whole lot about WHAT kind of fabric to use, I just kind of thought to myself...silky. There was alot of Polyester mixes so I just got what I could get my hands on. And my mom is a beader, so I went over to her house and scored some beads in the colors of material that I picked. Here are a few that I have made.

Dirty Scraps Challenge #11

2010-06-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Pissed off challenge over at DIRTY SCRAPS

You know I really love working with this DT. I find alot of satisfaction being able to get my feelings down in journaling and scrapping. I have always been one to get my feelings out by typing letters, even if I never did send them via email to someone, but it always made me feel better to get it written. That is how I feel when I do one of these challenges.

Dream Big

2010-06-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

This is a lay out that I did with some old photos. I was going through my folder of photos and found these. I have scrapped alot of these pictures that we took of Mariah a couple of years ago because they were just so cute.....so I decided to scrap some more. This is based off the Thursday sketch at PAGES IN TIME
the flower in the left hand was made with maps and Glimmer mist and Helmars 450 glue. I srunched it together and adhered it to a piece of cardboard with the helmars 450 glue. I also adhered everything on the page with the glue. Amazing stuff. I started using their glue a couple of months ago and because I didnt WANT to take the chance of running out, I bought another bottle. I use it all the time. HELMARS 450

Mariah graduates

2010-06-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

It was such a great day for all of us, to see her in her cap and gown and know that she is finally out of high school and on her way to college. The first of our family to attend college and Im so very very proud of her. It was a nice ceremony and we all went to Olive Garden for lunch/dinner. WOW... I still cant believe that she is out of high school, kind of makes me feel old!

Another sketch

2010-06-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

From PAGES IN TIME

This is a sketch that I did based off of the Thursday sketches at A PAGE IN TIME

I am in love

2010-05-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

And apparently others are too. I had to make one for a woman at work, and another woman wants one and Mariah's 2 friends at school wanted one. Im having alot of fun with these and the glimmer misting in different colors. Now I want MORE colors of glimmer mists. Mariah help me last night sit down at the dining room table and cut these flowers out, so Im sure that I will be making more this weekend. Arent they cute?

Paper Flowers

2010-05-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

I found this AWESOME U TUBE video on Pages in Time on how to make these really cute layered flowers out of maps, old dictionary paper and tissue paper, with glimmer mist.
Here is the link to the video:
U tube video

And here are the first attempt at the flowers. Word of advise, wait for the tissue paper to dry from the glimmer mist before you try to use it or it tears and you might get frustrated like me and not use tissue paper. Im going to attempt more of these making more layers.

Love this Sketch

2010-05-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to work on a sketch for PAGES IN TIME
Here is my take on the sketch:

This is probably one of the first times I have ever taken a sketch and totally followed it, and that is because I love this lay out, where the embellishments go and the title, I loved everything about it, so I really didnt change anything on it.

This is my Grandmother on my moms side, she passed away many many years ago, when I was about 16. I loved my grandma and this is probably one of the best pictures that I have of her. I miss her alot, after all I was her favorite grand child! LOL
These are pretty new papers that I used by Websters Pages, and the line is called Lifes portrait. Embellished with Priam flower and ribbon, BF rub ons, Thickers for the title and the butter fly is also by Prima. The leaves are my new favorite thing, they are by Petaloo and they are called Color me Crazy because you cant paint then, stamp them, chalk them, and my favorite is glimmer mist them which I did to the leaves on this page.

Sassy Lil's Sketches

2010-05-10T08:34:00.001-07:00

I totally forgot to post my Lay out that I did for SASSY LIL SKETCHES last week. I think I just had my brain wrapped around so many other things. Please go check out their blog, they ROCK the sketches and I have so much fun working with them. Here is my take on the sketch that they have going on right now. Come on over and play! It's a great place for inspiration.

Dirty SCraps blog challenge

2010-05-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dirty Scraps

Come check out the new challenge that is up At Dirty Scraps. Facts of Life is something that we all have in our lives. Its a fact that Im divorced and a single mother. Its a fact that Im a smoker and need to quit, its a fact that Im getting older and I feel it more and more every day. There are all kinds of facts in our lives that we can share......dig deep down and dirty and get it down on a creative scrap page, I dare you! Dirty Sraps has some awesome sponsors and we want you to come along and play with us.

Mini Grad Album

2010-04-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

I had fun making this albumn. I actually had some cardboard 12x12 pieces that I cut down to make the album, punched wholes into it with my cropadile and went to work. The paper I used is the Tim Holtz paper stack Vintage Shabby. Just a bunch of this and a bunch of that, I had fun working with bright colors. Once we get pictures of Mariahs graduation on June 5th she will be able to add them to this book.
This book was so easy to make with the Helmars 450 glue, that stuff is the bomb! I have always been a FREAK about adhesive, always trying this and trying that and on the hunt for something that I could use on everything, and I finally found it with their 450! Helmars ROCKS!

Dirty Scraps is looking for SPONSORS

2010-04-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Dirty Scraps Blog is in need of Sponsors for their awesome challenges. Do you know someone that wants to donate? If so, contact me at carladirtyscrapsdt@yahoo.com.

If you havent been to the Dirty Scraps Blog, you must go check it out. We have awesome challenges twice a month on the 10th and the 25th! We would love to see your take on these challenges, we dig deep down and dirty as DT members to help motivate and get your mojo going!

Dirty Scraps Challenge #7

2010-04-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Save the Drama for yo' Momma!

We challenge you this week to scrap a Dramatic Moment!
Whether you are a drama mama and love it or you hate drama and just want it to go away, scrap a dramatic moment or scrap how you feel about drama!
Make it your page and make it the way you want it!
Scrap it dirty!!

This challenge is SPONSORED, we have a PRIZE and details will be posted later.

This was a great challenge for me to work with because there was one long stretch of my life that was nothing but DRAMA with a friend, a friend that had a great heart, and I loved her to death but I could only take so much. Here is my lay out and my journaling:

Here is the journaling:
I couldn't deal with the drama anymore.
I couldn't deal with the constant
neediness from you. I had a husband
and 2 small children to take care of. But
it seemed like you always thought that
you needed me more then they did.
You always asked too much of me,
and I did my best to be there for you.
But there comes a time when enough
is enough. And as you stated, we had
our last Supper together. Things
could have been fine after that talk, but
you continued to be the dramatic person
that you always were, you never made
an effort to change and I had to remove
the drama from my life. I will always
remember you, but it will only be a
memory, there is no more room for
a friendship that was always about
DRAMA. Have a good life.

Get your SASSY on!!!!

2010-04-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's that time again, SASSY Lil' Sketches has a new sketch up for you to play with. I love playing with Cherie's Sketches, it really brings alot of creativity out in me. I love when the reveals come out and I get to see what every one has done with the sketch, the different creativity that flows with each different lay out that get's created. So hop on over and take a peak and play along!
Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

2010-04-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

You need to get over to SCRAPFREAK and check out their new kit! They are starting kits now over at my favorite place to visit and shop, so go on over and check it out, its really CUTE!

Indulge

2010-03-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

This is just a random page that I did of how I like to Indulge with a good cup of coffee. I used some of the new G45 line, and I used a stamp and also a Tim Holtz Mask which was the first time I had used one. I did it with alcohol ink. It was alot of fun playing with that, they look cute and I had to pull up his web site to figure out how to do it, but I think now that I know I am going to want more. I just got a couple of the little ones to play with.

Dirty Scraps Challenge #6

2010-03-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

You need to go over to the Dirty Scraps blog and check out challenge # 6!

I know we all have those moments when we say
"Man I was totally wrong what was I thinking??" or "Where was my head??"
It is always a good thing to look back...reflect
on a mistake or lesson learned and remember how we got here in life
and how that mistake or lesson helped us move along.
After all what good are mistakes if we do not learn from them?
So this week's challenge is to scrap one of those DOH! moments!
It does not have to be negative,
it can be a positive outcome, or great lesson learned...
Now go get DIRTY!!!!!

Team Dirty did an awesome job with the lay outs for this challenge and we are here to inspire you to jump in and get Dirty with us. Check it out!

Dirty Scraps PRIZE....Our FIRST ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Im so excited, you have to check out this awesome prize that Dirty Scraps is giving out.

This is what Pinky Posted in the Dirty Scraps Blog:

You know we don't normally have prizes, frankly because I have not had time to line up sponsors just yet, but Timeless Daydreams contacted me and GENEROUSLY offered
an ENTIRE KIT as a prize for challenge #5, so please do join in the fun.

This is the kit, it is Vintage, don't you just LOVE IT!

Thank you Dolores & Michele form Timeless Daydreams.
Since they are sponsoring us this month, please do check their site out
and their amazing kits as well!
This month they are hosting a CONTEST of their own..

Timeless Daydreams presents March Madness!!

Are you ready to be our next Guest Designer? Ready for the challenges we'll present?
There will be Five Rounds to participate in.

Enter a layout created within the last 3 months that portrays your best work. This is your official entry!!! The deadline for the Qualifying Round is March 14th.
All entries must be uploaded into the March Madness Gallery under Qualifying Round.
25 Contestants will be picked from this round to move onto the Opening Round - Contestants will be announced March 16th!!!
3 Ladies will be picked from the final round!

You will need a minimum of 25 posts to play.

Good Luck to all who apply!

So go here!
Register and play along, I can tell you now,
I don't recommend many sites to crafters but this place is VERY kind and
have some amazing people on it!
http://timelessdaydreams.com/index.php?

Now go get dirty!!
Thanks Timeless!

It's hard to believe

2010-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

How big my girls have gotten. I just still remember getting them in OCT and how tiny they were, i could carry both of them around in both of my arms for the longest time, especially as sick as little Mia was and not gaining weight but loosing weight everytime I turned around and took her to the vet. But as you can see they are both nice and big and Healthy now. They wont be a year old until 8-4-10, so they still have a few months before they are a full year old. Im sure that they still have alot of growing yet to do too.

Sasy Lil' Sketches Going Green Blog Hop!

2010-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Sassy Lil' Sketches "Going Green" Blog Hop

When? Friday, March 12th through Sunday, March 14th

Create a project (card, layout or altered) using "Going Green" sketch AND
one of the "Going Green" criteria below:
"Go Green:" Do a project that is predominantly green in color.
"Reduce:" Reduce your stash by creating a project where all the product used are at least one year old (no new stuff).
"Reuse:" Do a project with left overs from a previous project.
"Recycle:" Do a project with an item that was used for something else first.

We will be offering a random Grand Prize for one participant.
Participants can get their name in for the Grand Prize by 1) becoming a follower of Sassy Lil' Sketches, 2) leaving a comment on each of the DT's Blog,
or 3) by doing the "Going Green" Challenge and linking it to Mr. Linky at http://sassylilsketches.blogspot.com by 9 P.M EST on Sunday, March 14th.

Here is the sketch:

Here is my take on the sketch:

I used "Reduce:" Reduce your stash by creating a project where all the product used are at least one year old (no new stuff). Everything that I have on this lay out is at least a year old, and I also believe that the paper is recycled because it was actually in my stash of scraps and I have no idea how old it is.

So lets begin this blog hop by going over and visiting Deanna's blog:

http://momentstocherish-deanna.blogspot.com/

2010-03-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Here is the lay out that I did for the Dirty Scraps DT this month. We were suppose to use the word Dream and possibly spin it towards a dream that fell apart, or a dream that was never fullfilled, etc. I had a hard time with this one. I had already submitted a lay out for my marriage falling apart for another challenge and that was something that I just did not want to do again. I couldn't really dig deep enough for this one to come up with a dream that was shattered or never fullfilled. Heck maybe I'm one of those people that just lives day to day and doesn't have any dreams? Anyways I always liked this picture of me and the dolphin and I had always dreampt about wanting to one day swim with the dolphins, and this was a dream that was fullfilled. So this was the page that I decided to do. It is about DREAMS, just not shattered or broken dreams, this was a dream that came true for me.

Here is what the challange reads:

We all have them...hopes, dreams, fears... but this time I wanted to concentrate on those dreams, more specifically acknowledging those shattered dreams. Scrap about a shattered dream.Maybe your dream was to have 2.5 kids a home and a successful career. But you are divorced and raising the kids on your own. Maybe your dream was to be a dancer? Heck maybe it was to be a secretary? We all grow up and even if they are not our prominent dreams and we are completely satisfied with our current lives...we all had those dreams that sort of flew away. I love my life but I can think of several dreams I did not see through. It's NOT a bad thing, it is just life and the way life flows. I truly believe it is a positive thing because out path in life leads us on many roads, not just the ones we plan for. You can take this layout in any direction you want :)
Now go get dirty!

Sassy Lil' Sketches

2010-03-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

Sassy Lil Sketches has amazing Sketches for you to follow and create your own beautiful pages! I have so much fun every month when I have to design a page for their sketches and totally look forward to it always. Here is the sketch that I got to play with:

So jump on over to their site and play along! Its alot of fun!

Dental work

2010-03-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

I have recently went through dental work on my mouth. Lots of things were done that I have been wanting done for awhile so that I would have a better smile. I am finally on the road to recovery after having some stuff done this past week, and Im very happy with my new and improved smile.

I also want to share a picture of the hair style that I am trying to grow mine out for. I love this style and right now Im smack dab in the middle of the growing out part which I hate. But this is what I want my hair to look like.

Cute paper flowers

2010-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea on a site and I thought, how cute are those? I have everything here to make these, Im gonna do it. So you use your Cricut with the accent essentials cartridge, cut the flowers in 4 different sizes, I did mine 1 1/2 inches, 2 inches, 2 1/2 inches and 3 inches. Take these flowers and put them through your swiss dot embossing folder by cuttlebug, or any other embossing one that you want to use. Ink the edges, then curl them. I used my bone to curl the edges. I then put a hole in the center of the purple one and attached a big rhinestone brad, and attached the leaves. On the off white one I used a button and actually sewed the button to the center.

Get Sassy with Dirty Fit girls blog hop!

2010-02-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

-----------------------
"Get Sassy with the Dirty FITgirls Blog Hop"
Sassy Lil' Sketches, Dirty Scraps, & ScrapFIT have put together a mini-blog hop challenge for your enjoyment!

At each of the 3 challenge blogs you will get a requirement for your layout.

Link up your "Get Sassy with the Dirty FITgirls" layout to Sassy Lil' Sketches, Dirty Scraps & ScrapFIT by midnight Sunday, Feb 28th and you will have a chance to win a prize at all 3 challenge blogs.

Let the hop begin!
Start at Sassy Lil' Sketches. This is where you will get your sketch requirement.
The next hop is to Dirty Scraps. Pinky will post her "reflection" requirement.
The last hop is to ScrapFIT for the embellishment requirement.
We can't wait to see what you create!!!

Snow Dogs

2010-02-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

This is a lay out that I did for a guest designer spot on scrapfreak.com We were to pick another lay out from someone that posts in the gallery to LIFT. I was chosen to lift a lay out by Cathy and this is my take on it.

We love you dad

2010-02-13T11:29:00.001-08:00

This is a lay out that I did for a friend of mine who's b-day is this week. Its a picture of him and his girls, and I will give this to him in a 12x12 frame.

Dirty Scraps Challenge #3

2010-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Team RAW is up, and its time for that Challenge #3, go check out Dirty Scraps blog by clicking on the Dirty Scraps blinky. I love love love that I am a DT member for this sight, it really inspires me to dig deep and get journaling done on lay outs that I thought I would never ever do. I lost sight of the journaling aspect of scrap booking awhile ago, I just wanted to CREATE and make everything pretty like every one else was doing. But guess what, where are the memories that I want to preserve that I want my kids children to look back on? And Im not talking about ALL GOOD either. This is life, these are things that happen to us, these are things that I want my grandkids to know about. And yeh, there are going to be some ugly times, why cant we have those memories too? So this challenge was based on the word BROKEN.
This week's challenge will encourage you to really dig deep...
Challenge #3
Broken, that's the key word for this week...
we all have broken relationships, whether it be an ex boyfriend, an ex husband/wife, a broken relationship with a friend, or even God.
So this week's challenge is to scrap a broken relationship.
Heck you could have broken off your relationship with cigarettes, or Dr. Pepper! LOL
Make the challenge work for YOU, after all its' YOUR book and YOUR page, just get down and deep or have fun and make it light~

So go GET DIRTY GIRLS!

Sassy Sketches

2010-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ok girls, here is my lay out for the Sassy Sketches DT, the challenge is up....click on the Sassy Sketches blinky on my blog and hop on over and take a look at the amazing work that some of the girls have done. Cherie and Katie are doing such a fabulous job and have amazing sketches to inspire all of us. I love working with them and I cant wait to see what others come up with. So jump on over and check it out!

Is this really me?

2010-01-25T15:50:00.001-08:00

This is a lay out that I did to play along with DIRTY SCRAPS. The Dirty girls were up for this challenge, but the RAW girls could play along too so I did. The next challenge I am assigned to and I already have the layout started. This blog amazes me and Im so lucky to work with such talented scrappers that don't mind getting out there and showing the world the good the bad and the ugly! I am amazed at how I could sit here and really dig deep and get journaling done on a time in my life when I was just not happy and knew that I needed to make a change.
The journaling reads:
Is this really me? Was I really that big? I never felt that big. But I see the pictures, I see the fat face, I see the fat body. Maybe this is why I was depressed? Maybe this is why I was unhappy? Maybe this is why I had to be put on depression medication? I had to do something about this, I had to do something for myself. I wanted to be happy again. I wanted to have energy again. I wanted to be there for my kids. Health and happiness is what I wanted. So I decided that I was going to take the plunge and have gastric bypass. I knew that I had to do something drastic, because diets just didn't work for me. Now 7 years later I'm still healthy and feel great. Look at me now. It was the best decision that I ever made.

Dt for Sassy Lil' Sketches

2010-01-24T07:26:00.001-08:00

WOW, so I am officially a DT member for Sassy little sketches! This is an awesome sight that Katie and Cherie have put together for lots of sketches every month and cards too. I can not wait to create and be a part of this amazing team. Check it out, click on the blinky and go have some fun with their sketches! These girls ROCK!

I am officially a DT member for Dirty Scraps

2010-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to become a part of this team and love what Pinky has in store for us so far. This is going to get me to dig real deep and get back to the reason that I love to scrap. Come play along, it's fun and inspirational and I will have to say that it will be very therapeutic for me.

http://dirtyscraps.blogspot.com/

Dirty Scraps Challenge Blog

2010-01-11T06:29:00.000-08:00

I did this page for the Dirty Scraps Challenge.
This is all about what one of my PEEVES is and what a Positive spin would be on the Peeve.
My journaling reads:

My PEEVE:
My 18 year old daugther thinking that she knows more then me. It doesn't matter how many times I give her my opinion about something, she is going to do the opposite. I know this from a recent expierence. She has gotten a couple of tattoos which I am totally not against, one on her back and one on the back of her neck. When she informed me that she wanted one on her wrist I tried to discourage this. Oh child of mine, you will regret that one day. You want to go to college and be a teacher one day, why would you want to put some stupid stars on your wrist that have no signifigance what so ever? What is the purpose of that? Not to mention that she is not going back to the same place that she got the first two tattoos, she is going to some random stranger to save a few extra bucks. Some girls that she works with went to this guy who works out of his house, and she was impressed with his work. I told her that she should really go back to the place that she has gone to before because she knows they will do a good job, but she wouldn't listen to me. So off she went.
Well guess what? She came home in tears. This guy did not do a good job on the stars on her wrist and messed one of them up. She was so upset. But being a mom I had to try and console her and not rub it in her face that "I TOLD YOU SO"

My Positive:
I know I have raised a good daughter. I know that she does well in school, stays out of trouble for the most part, and will be one of the first in our family to attend college. So I am proud of her. I know how I was at this age and even when I was 16 and 17, I was a nightmare for my parents for alot of things that I pulled as a teenager. So for Mariah to not listen to some of the things that I try to give her advise about, especially this whole tattoo thing being one of the worst things that she can do to disappoint me, I really must be thankful for that. I also know that as she gets older one day she will consider taking my advise for once. I remember as I got older I finally started hearing what my mother had to say. One day she will grow up. This is a fact, because I did.

Licky nose off my face.

2009-12-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

I am totally in love with this picture. Isnt it one of those pictures that you would see on a calendar and go AWWWWWW, how cute?

I was just snapping away with my camera and when I looked and saw that I got this shot of MIA I just went AWWWWWW, how cute.

Another year older

2009-12-16T05:28:00.001-08:00

Just another year older. Yesterday I had my 45th b-day. Makes me realize how CLOSE I am to being 50 years old. WOW!
My kids got me a pair of earrings and slippers. I dont know why they bothered with the slippers, they are fluffy HOT pink slippers that Mia and Sadie just LOVE! LOL
My really good friends Mary Jo and Heather bought me some Brighton Jewelry! They know that I LOVE Brighton, so here is what I got! LOVE you girls!

First winter snow

2009-12-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well my girls Mia and Sadie had their first winter snow. It was funny to watch them run around the yard playing in the snow. And of course I had to get the camera out and take pictures. Here are just a few. Mia was funny at one point she buried her head in the snow and pushed with her nose and made a snow ball.

Back to scrapping

2009-11-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

Here are just a couple of pages that I have completed for my girlfriend Michelle and her husband Steve. I am doing a baby ablum for their new daughter Gianna.

More pics of my girls

2009-11-07T09:09:00.001-08:00

Here are two new pictures of my girls. Sadie outside this morning with a stick in her mouth. Mia inside this morning with her favorite toys around her...SOCKS....yes she goes upstairs finds socks in the kids rooms and brings them downstairs. RJ picked up all the socks and surrounded her in them. She is too funny, but this is a habit that I think that I need to break her of, or the kids will have to learn how to pick up their socks.

BAD BLOGGER

2009-11-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

I have been so bad at blogging, and was just talking to a friend about it last night and have decided that Im going to get back here and start blogging again. So much has been going on since the kids and I moved I just havent had time for much. But now that fall is here, and I officially got RJ through driving school and a car, I am no longer a TAXI CAB MOM.
Well a little about what has been goin on, we moved into a house with a big back yard the beginning of Sept. It took awhile to get settled but we finally did. It didnt take long for the kids to talk me into getting a puppy. UMMMMM they have been wanting one for a long time but we just couldnt do that living with my parents for a year. Now being in this house with a big back yard, I caved and instead of getting 1 puppy I got 2 puppies. Yes we named them Mia and Sadie. They are golden retrievers and here are a few pictures.

New place to live

2009-08-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well after almost a year of me and Mariah and RJ living with my mom and dad, we can finally move out and back into our own place. I was so lucky to find this house, it just kind of fell into my lap, perfect timing, perfect location, its the right size, its the right price (we are renting)all in all we are very happy. This week we have cleaned and started moving stuff out of mom and dads. This weekend with the help of alot of friends we will be able to get the rest of the bigger stuff out of mom and dads, and all of our stuff out of storage and be moved in by Saturday. So its been a busy week but I wanted to share pictures of our new home. Now if I can only tell them to stop bugging me already about getting a dog. GEEZ can we move in and get settled first? Im just saying!

Why do I not blog anymore?

2009-08-14T09:46:00.001-07:00

I remember once upon a time I use to blog faithfully once a week. Now look at me, its been forever since I updated.

The summer has been just busy, As Im sure that everyone else's is. I know its nuts right now for me because RJ is playing football for his high school and they have had alot of weight lifting early hours and now practice. So I have been playing taxi cab mom alot. Which I dont mind, Im glad that he is involved in a sport.
He will be 16 on Tuesday......and next month he will be able to go for his drivers Lic. Now I need to be on the look out for a car for him.

I have been having alot of fun with my Canon Rebel. I just took a few pictures of my daughters best friend last weekend so I thought that I would share them here.

I got a little scrappy mojo back

2009-07-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

I have done a couple of pages lately. These are two that I will share. The craft paper one is of my daughter Mariah.

The baby is my girlfriends daughter Gianna that is only about 9 weeks old now. Im doing a scrap book for her.

More photos

2009-07-02T18:33:00.001-07:00

Cute little guy standing in the grass.

This is the Iowa river that the house faces.

This house is right on the Iowa river, my girlfriends mother grew up in this house. It will not be torn down because it is some kind of historica mark.

I took this picture when I was in Iowa.

This is my girlfriends dog Bear. He is a Japanese Akita.

Summertime reading

2009-06-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the way that is goes for me almost every year, in the fall and winter I get more involved in scrapping and less involved in reading. In the spring and summer I get more involved with reading and less involved with scrapping. In the summer I can lay in the pool with a nice cold drink on a float, my reading sunglasses and a good book. Its so relaxing to me.
I wanted to share with some of you that dont visit with me on the Freak the current series of books that Im reading right now and seriously cant get my nose out of. For those of you that have been talking to me about them, you know where Im coming from.
And I blame this all on one of my dear friends who told me that I needed to read this series and made me stop and buy the first book. I was HOOKED right away.

So its by JR WARD and its called the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Here is a link to their site:

For someone like me who was never into the whole vampire/paranormal books, this really is something that I would not pick up and think I might like to read if I was in a book store.

Now I am only on the second book and there are a total of 7 books in this series. I think that I will be very sad when I am doen reading, but because I have talked to a few other woman who loves these books as well I have gotten some good recomendations on other aurthors that I will have to investigate.

Anya Bast is one that I have heard is GREAT...so she might be the next series of books that I will get into.

Hope you click on the link and check it out. They are really really good books.

Photos

2009-06-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

So.....I got a new camera.....well NOT BRAND new but its new to me. I did a really cool swap with a friend of mine,(THANKS MICHELLE AND STEVE) swapping my scrapbooking creations of her daughter and doing albums for her, and in return received a Canon Rebel Xt, with a standard lens of 18/55 and a zoom lens that is a 75/300. Along with a camera bag, filters, memory card, battery and charger. Oh yeh and the manual which I really need. So I played around with the camera a bit this weekend and wanted to share a couple of shots that I took with it.

BAD BLOGGER BAD SCRAPPER

2009-06-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I know I havent been out here in a while, I cant beleive how time just goes by so fast. I feel like I havent scrapped in forever....and Im bound and determined to get back into it seriously.....so for those of you that miss me...HI....for those of you that dont miss me...well......I dont miss you either...LOL
Ok here is picture that I wanted to post of me holding my girlfriends new daughter over the weekend. Man did that bring back memories. I love babies...they are just so precious.....

Cool picture

2009-05-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter took this picture. I just thought that it was so cool that I would share it. This is her friend wering the glasses, and then Mariah and her other friend taking the picture of themselves off of the reflection of the glasses.

happy Mothers Day

2009-05-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well I dont have anything new to post about right now, I just wanted to come out here and wish all of you a very very happy mothers day. The weather is suppose to be nice for us, and so Im looking forward to a nice weekend.

Prom

2009-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well the day came and went. Saturday that is, and Mariahs Prom. Hair was done, then back to the house to get ready and start the world win on pictures. There were 20 kids all meeting at a friends house, the parents were so nice with their hospitality......and there were quite a few of us parents there taking pictures. After the limo arrive all of the kids were so anxious to just get away from the parents and get in the limo, but we wouldnt let them. We had to have them all there to take pictures of the whole group by the Limo. And of course the parents got to check out the inside of it too. As Mariah would say it was RAW!
It was a beautiful day for all of them to be outdoors for prom, a little windy, but not too bad. As a parent of a girl getting ready for prom, I have to say PHEWWW Im glad that this is over.

Prom dress shopping

2009-04-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

So this is my first expiernce as a parent to have to help her daughter shop for a dress, see the expense of all of this and try to figure out how its all going to be paid for. Man.....well thank goodness she works and is pitching in. We spend two entire nights at the same mall looking for a dress. The first night was real frustrating and after about 20 dresses being tried on, she was upset. Shes a tall girl and it was hard to find something long enough. The second night at the same mall we went to one of the same stores and looked more and took our time. I was the one that picked this dress up. She kind of made a face at first because of the little bit of gathering in the front, and I told her...you never know until you try it on...right? Well she fell in love with it.
So here is.

WOW....seriously?

2009-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Where the heck is spring? This is what we got hit with Sunday.....and the good son that my boy RJ is, went out to clean up Mariahs car so that she could get to work, and then he shoveled the drive way....hes a grat kid!

Water coloring

2009-02-26T05:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a card that I made using Art Impression stamps and Marvy markers to water color with.
Being in a funk with scrap booking for the past few months, this is something new that has peaked my interest and creativity. It's like being a kid all over again coloring inside the lines, or painting with a paint brush and water colors. It takes practice....but its alot of fun to see the differet effects that you can come up with. Stamping.....then figuring out how to place other stamps to build around the main object....then working with the colors to find just the right ones that will look good with what you stamped.
Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!

Card making is fun with a dog in your lap

2009-02-22T09:49:00.001-08:00

I went over to my girlfriend Cathy's house yesterday to hang out and make some cards with her. Her lover boy dog Louie is such a sweetie. When Im over there he is always at my feet, laying down keeping me company. Yesterday and just wanted a little attention when I was working on a card, so I thought that I would share this picture. Isnt he just the cutest?

Cupcakes?

2009-02-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

So, there is alot of talk and pictures of cupcakes from alot of people on a message board that I belong to......don't really know how it all started, I think it had to do with a little teasing of someone that was craving them and everyone started posting about cupcakes.
Well a couple of weeks ago I went over to my girlfriends house to watch her kids for her and I made cupcakes with them. It was alot of fun, so I thought that I would share my pictures here!

Its a simple card

2009-01-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

Well here is a simple card that I did over the weekend. Trying to slowly pull myself out of these winter blues, I thought I would get some inspiration from my girlfriend Cathy, have her show me what the heck she was talking about BABY OIL for and see if I could make a card.
I actually made a couple of them, but for now this is what Im sharing.
Maybe this is my outlet for now instead of scrapping. They are simple and fun to do and this might be what I need to get back into creating. What do you think?

Goodness

2009-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad bad blogger. But one of the reasons for that is because I really have nothing NEW to show with scrap book pages.....I haven't scrapped in....well let's see.....oh probably almost 2 months now. Just in a funk. I know some of you have heard about it already, I seriously think it's the winter blues. I just have no interest in creating right now. Wish I knew what to do to get myself back into the groove.
I also had computer problems at home with my lap top. But that is now fixed and I'm back on line.
So....with that being said...I think Im going to go blog hop and see what everyone else is up to!

Oldie but a goodie

2009-01-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

I had to post this lay out.....
This is one of my favorite lay outs that I did a couple of years ago....but everytime I see it, it makes me smile.
I have been in a scrapbooking funk since before Christmas. But I need to get out of it because I have something that I have to do for my DD's friend that I have to have done by tomorrow night. So with that being said, I wanted to look through some of my pages and try to get some MOJO going, and hope that I have the energy to start on this page tonight!

Hello

2009-01-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cant believe that I haven't...blogged in awhile.....that is so not like me. But with the holiday's, my mom and dad being here, work and other things, I just haven't been on the computer that much.
Well I'm here now.
So 2009 I am hoping will be a better year for me and my kids. I have sat down and started a monthly budget with the help of a friend, and I am hoping that I can get some things under control and back on track. I never make New Years Eve resolutions, but this is one that I plan on keeping.
So with that being said, hope that everyone had a great holiday...and I will be blog hopping soon to catch up!
Happy New Years!

SNOW SNOW SNOW GO AWAY

2008-12-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well we are in a winter snow storm right now. It started sometime last night, and when I got up this morning it was just miserable out there. My parents and my kids were still all snuggled in bed, while I showered, made coffee and got ready to go out and clear my car off.
That was not fun. You see, normally I have RJ go outside, clear my car off and start it for me. This morning however they did not have school and there was no need for them to be up, so it was up to me. When I peeped out the window all I could see was big drifts of snow, and the recycling bins turned over and in the middle of the driveway for me to pick up. URGH. This was not going to be fun. Well I decided that I would not do my hair until I was done shoveling myself out, so I put my coat, and gloves on and wished that I had some snow boots.
I went outside and it was very very windy and I was walking in snow drifts that were up to my calves. I got in the car and started it and grabbed my snow scraper. I walked down to the end of the drive way and picked up the recycling tubs and put them back on the curb. I then trudged back to my car and started brushing off the snow.....man was it heavy.
By the time I got most of the snow off the car and got back in the house I was soaked. My hair, my feet, my gloves, my coat......I was covered in snow.
I took everything off and headed to the bathroom to dry my hair once again.
I was not looking forward to the drive into work, and Im only 10 minutes away. I left at 6:30, knowing it would be a slow drive.....and man was I right...slow....but I made it here by 7:00 which is my starting time. The roads were not good, but you just have to go slow and be careful.
It is now a little after 9:00 am and the snow is still coming down strong. Wonder how much we will have when this is all over?

SNR Play time at the pole.

2008-12-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

SNR web site

Playtime at the Pole Press Release

You’re invited to our Playtime at the Pole All-Day Christmas Crop as we celebrate Christmas with a full day of fun. This Saturday, December 13, 2008, we’ll be headed to the Pole . . . the North Pole, that is.

We have a full day of activities planned, including plenty of games, challenges, fun and a whole lot of prizes! We’ll be spending the day helping Santa and all his elves prepare for Christmas and we’ll have a great time doing it, too. So make plans to join us this Saturday, December 13, 2008 in the Scrapbook News & Review Forums. It’s going to be a great day!

Just Imagine

2008-12-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is a lay out that I did of Mariah. I thought this picture was cute, it was one that she took and photo shopped herself. She was on a TAG Football team for her school and they dressed in black and pink. Im still trying to figure out what I want to write in the hournaling box that say's just imagine....will have to be something about her graduating from high school and going on to college, but I havent figured it out yet.

Brown Eyed Girl

2008-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a lay out that I just did of my DD over the weekend. This is the My Minds Eye Laundry Line along with some Prima flowers and Maya Rd chip board letters.

White elephant gift exchange

2008-12-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

So me and some of my girlfriends do a white elephant gift exchange every year. Last year and this year we did a brunch with memosas...and lots of good food. Here are some pictures of our day yesterday. We had a nice time.
This was a very yummy egg bake that my girlfriend Heather made.

And this is the yummy bacon that her sister Jerilyn fried up for us.

This is french toast. This is a recipe that my dad does every year Christmas morning. (SHHHHH! I CANT SHARE....he told me its a secret.

And these are some yummy fried potatoes that Jerilyn did as well.

And here is a half empty glass of memosa's.

Here are a few pictures of us by the tree with our white elephant gifts.

Christmas cone

2008-12-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone......
Well this is the last Challenge that I did for:
Shortcuts

I used a full clear sheet and I made a Christmas cone with it. This cone can be hung on the wall and flowers added to it, or set on the table with napkins in it, or put candy in it for a gift for someone. The possibilities are endless.
I used Tim holtz alcohol inks on the clear sheet to see what kind of affect I could get. I used a turquiose color and a metalic silver and I love the way that it turned out.
I then folded it into a cone shape and added ribbon and took a Christmas pick apart and used it to decorate.
This was so easy to do, and with all of the colors of alcohol inks, you could make any color that you wanted to go with your home decor.
Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek...wish me LUCK!

WOW...DEC 1st already?

2008-12-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

I can not beleive that this year has gone by as fast as it has, and here we are DEC 1st, almost to the end of the year and starting 2009.
We had a nice Thanksgiving at my girlfriend Cathy's house with 17 or so other people. LOTS AND LOTS of food, and it was all very good. She did a great job hosting it and I'm Thankful that we were invited.
We brought some left overs home, but with my kids....left overs dont last, especially my boy, and especially anything SWEET.....forget it...its GONE.
Other then that I spend a pretty quiet weekend. With the exception of being on the phone with Dell Sunday because there is something wrong with my lap top. They think the video card is not good and a technician will be calling me to set up an appointment to come and replace it.
Other then that, nothing much going on in my world....

Here is my 3rd challenge for Short Cuts

2008-11-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is another card that I have made for short cuts
Check out their blog, and you can also order here

This was a clear card that I decorated with Basic Grey PP called Urban Prairie. I cut a strip and used a Martha Stewart boarder punch at the bottom.
The word Friend on the front of the card is a rub on by Flea Market Rub Ons.

When I adhered the PP down I used a piece of yellow ribbon and made a bow.
I then used rub ons by LastingImpressions for the If friends were flowers I'd pick you. I colored the edges of the white card stock with ink.

I used a little Doodlebug jewel for the center of the flower on the rub on.
I added Prima Quick Pick Flowers and again added Doodlebug jewels to the center of the flower.

On the inside of the card I used a yellow piece of card stock by Bazzill, and cut another strip of the Basic Grey paper. I then printed a poem out on white Bazzill card stock and adhered it to the card stock. I also inked the edges on this as well.
The poem reads:

It takes more than caring to be a real friend,
The nature of friendship , requires a blend
Of warmest compassion, and love deep and true,
To reach and to comfort, the way that you do.
Because I can see, that your kind of friendship
is priceless to me.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

I hope to have more done next week so keep checking back with me.

Here is my second challenge for Short Cuts

2008-11-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

These are just so cute, and so easy to work with. They are gift card holders, and they come in black, white, cream and a tan color. You alter them for the occassion that you will be giving a gift card for. I altered one for Christmas since that is just right around the corner.
Check out their blog Short Cuts
You can also order here.

I used the white gift card holder.
The pattern paper that I used is the Basic Grey Wassail line, and it was pieces of scrap paper that I had left over from another prject. So take a look at your scraps of paper to see what you can come up with.

The front flower that I have on there is a Bo Bunny holiday flower that I found in my stash that I have probably had for a couple of years.

The tag is a tag by Fancy Pants. They have this cute little bag of little tags out now called Bag O Tags. They come in different shapes, 80 of them total, 2 each of white and craft.

The brad in the middle I changed out, the Bo Bunny flower came with just a plain brad, and I wanted to add a little bling.

I tied the tag onto the brad with some twill that I also had in my stash and cant remember the last time I pulled it out to use it.

I also added ribbon on the side of the card on the front and back.

The inside cover I covered with cream colored bazzill paper and the To: and From: are a Making Memories rub on.

I then used my crop o dile and punched holes in the back and the front so that I could run the twill through and close the gift card holder by tieing it into a bow.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.