Latest Zsiage DT Projects

Just a few things I've been working on for my DT position ot Zsiage.

I actually stamped this flourish pattern using a large flourish stamp, Ranger's black paint dabber and then outlining with black diamond stickles.

Top view

Photo of Donovan kissing my belly - he loves his little brother already!

A quick V-day card I made today

I'm The Mother Of A 4 Year Old!

Four years ago I gave birth to this tiny little boy who stole my heart the minute I laid eyes on him. Now he's 4! The time seems to have flown by and my baby is becoming a big boy!

He was so excited about today as he is becoming more aware of his birthday. I let him have a birthday party in school toady, complete with chocolate cake (his favorite), ice cream, and goodie bags which he helped me prepare last night. I can tell you I had no problem waking him up for school this morning...I wonder why! LOL!

Here's my little (or shall I say big) 4 year old. I'm going to miss the way he said "I'm three" (I'm dree).
My baby made a wish over this cake and I hope and pray that all of his wishes come true!

We still have another party planned for him this weekend at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Tagged By Trisha

I've been tagged by my girl Trisha! I have to blog what I'm going right now, so here it is:

I'm sitting in my favorite spot on the couch with my laptop on my lap. I'm surfing between my favorite scrap MBs and taking a break from an altered project I started. I'm listening to Blue's Clues on the TV because that's what Donovan is watching. I'm drinking juice after eating pizza and wondering why the heck we ate take-out this whole weekend and trying to think of some quick healthy meals for the rest of the week. I'm thinking about how much fun I had demonstrating a V-day card at the LSS where I teach. I'm yawning and rubbing my eyes because I am pooped!! That's about it!

Now it's your turn!

Scrapping and Procrastinating

I have been having a great time creating layouts for the challenges at scrap-diner.com- my mojo is flowing. Unfortunately, I haven't been so productive with house cleaning! My house is a mess! A trifling mess...I need to light a fire under my butt like RIGHT NOW!!!

Tonight I'm taking Donovan to see Diego Live as an early birthday gift, he is going to LOVE it! I can't believe my baby is going to be 4 on Tuesday!!

Here's are some of the challenge LOs I did. This one was for the journaling challenge.
I had fun with the journaling on this LO - I chose something a little more cheeky telling about the "break-up" with my Honda and Me!
journaling: Isn’t that the excuse some people use when they want to dump someone, but not make them feel like crap? Well in this case Honda, it is you! You see we’ve been together for many years, 8 to be exact. We’ve had some good times, but in the end you’ve changed and I’m sorry to say this but I have to let you go. We spent lots of fun times together, going on road trips, hanging out and listening to our favorite tunes on the radio. Recently, you’ve began to shut down on me, you’re not the same car I knew 8 years ago. The more money I put into you, the more you betrayed me and it just came to a point where you weren’t worth it anymore. Sorry to be so harsh, but it’s true. Our family is growing, but you’re incapable of growing with us and we no longer feel safe with you. With that off track window you make me feel cold and not as cozy as I used to feel with you. It’s almost like you were trying to drive me away! I hate to say this, but I’ve found someone else, a much younger model. He’s a 2008 Nissan Sentra, you’ve probably seen him parked in the driveway. Don’t worry I won’t put you out to pasture. I’ll hook you up with someone who’s looking for a more mature, slightly damaged car in need of a little shaping. So this is goodbye Honda Civic, we certainly had some good times, didn’t we?

I created this one for the multi photo challenge- I had to use at least 4 pics one a one pager.

journaling- never so free as in childhood.I went a little stickle crazy on this one! LOL! I added stickles to all of the snowflakes and the handstitched border...looks so sparkly IRL!

Details of the stickles covered snowflakes and hand stitching.

This one was created for the altered embellishment challenge. I altered the lace cardstock by painting the border white and the title numbers orange, I altered the acrylic alpha by outlining with paint, I added bling to the numbers and penwork to the scalloped border.

journaling: hey li'l man, it's mommy- I just want you to know how excited I am for you to join our family. I can't wait to meet you, to kiss those wrinkly feet and those sweet baby cheeks. I'm enjoying this time that we have together, just you and me bonding. I must admit, when I thought of having a family, I'd always imagined one boy and one girl, but having 2 little boys is the best surprise and the greatest gift God has blessed me with. When I found out you were a boy, I began to look forward to life with 2 rambunctious little boys! I love you so much already, Mommy 1/23/08

Close-up of the details. I dropped one of the wet painted letters on the pic and ended up painting the edges of the photo with orange paint.

This one was for the Fun Title Challenge. I used the song lyrics to Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" for the title and journaling. I thought it fit the photo perfectly. Photo taken July 2007 on the beach in Jamaica

I painted the swirls using a Heidi Swapp mask. I then highlighted with stardust stickles and rhinestones.

Must Be My Week!

Imagine my surprise...I just found out that I made the design team for myacrylicalbum.com! Yeah, I'm smiling from ear to ear! Who doesn't love all things acrylic? I can't wait to begin my term! Check out the site: http://www.myacrylicalbum.com/

New Layouts and a Sneak Peek

If you haven't visited Scrap-Diner.com then run, don't walk! There's an 8-day Crop-A-Rama going on over there from January 18-25 - tons of challenges, prizes and loads of fun!

I created this LO for the layering challenge - this was my first time using Piggy Tales (I know...where have I been?)! This is the peter peter pumpkin eater collection and I just love the colors! The pics are of Donovan having a blast in the resort's pool in Jamaica.


I created this LO for the color challenge- the papers are from Reminisce's new Easter line.

Here's a tiny sneak peek of a LO I completed last night, it's of DH and me, I really love how it turned out- I spent a lot of time on it; it has transparent edges outlined with acrylic paint, stapled lace ribbon frame, stickled flourishes, handstitching, and a Spanish title (I thought Mi Amor had more oomph than My Love). I'm think I'm going to submit it so I'm not going to post it yet, but it's so pretty!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Pub Toot

Paper Crafts recently picked up one of my layouts titled "Lovable Colorful You" for publication in their August/September 2008 issue! I'm so excited because I've never been pubbed with them before, it's been a while since I had a layout picked up, and this layout was one that I created as part of Zsiage's design team! I can't wait to see it in print!

Pregnancy Update

Well, I am 1 day shy of 28 weeks...I'm getting close and nowhere near ready! ACK!!! I feel pretty good most days, though today was NOT one of them. I'm doing really good as far as weight gain, so far I lost 10 lbs and gained 12 lbs back...way different than when I was pregnant with Donovan, I gained 40lbs with him! With this baby I am definitely all belly and can still fit most of my regular clothes, I joke all the time and say my jeans fit better now than they did last year (but it's the truth since most of the weight loss was in my thighs and butt)! My doctor appointments have gone smoothly, I have my last monthly appt on the 8th and then I go every 2 weeks! I took the glucose tolerance test Wednesday...those are always fun (yeah right)!

Speaking of my Donovan, he's become so camera crazed and decided to jump in on my self photo shoot. I love the way this pic came out, could that little face get any more adorable? Isn't he tall? I'm 5'8" and he's already past my navel! He'll be 4 in less than 2 weeks.

Is that a basketball in my shirt? This pic came out blurry, but I kind of like the dreamy effect! Oh by the way, do you like my new 'do? I wanted to try something drastically different for the New Year, but I like the fact that my hair is growing so nicely, so I compromised and bought a wig...that's right, I'm gettin' wiggie wit' it! LOL! It's such a cute style and looks so natural!

The LSS where I teach is celebrating their 2nd anniversary the last weekend of this month and I'm going to demo glimmer mist and crackle paint. I had fun playing with both on this card...the customers will be able to do this as a make n take!

I sprayed the background with bubble gum glimmer mist and added patterned paper from Imaginisce's Valentines Line. To create the heart: I cut the heart from chipboard, covered with Ranger's black acrylic paint, coated with Ranger's old paper crackle paint, and then sprayed with glimmer mist, allowing to dry between layers. The title is my own handwriting which I colored in with a Sakura gelly roll pen.

Close up of the heart.

Another pic of my little cutie pie! I can't believe how much he has grown, I feel like I just gave birth to him!

Sister Update

Thanks everyone for the prayers and thoughts concerning my sister. Good news- she was released from the hospital this afternoon!!

Good News and Not So Good News

Good news first: I received a call this afternoon letting me know that my friend had her baby girl late last night! This is the same friend that I made the babyshower favors for (see previous post). She was due 2/10/08, her doctor scheduled her for a C-section on 1/22/08, but I guess little Lillian had other plans. She's healthy and a little peanut weighing in at 5lbs 5ozs...I can't wait to meet her!

Other good news: I bought a new car today - well I didn't want to buy a new, but I HAD to because my Honda is on it's last leg. I decided to try a lease this time around and got a pretty good deal on a 2008nNissan Sentra. I love the way it drives!

Not so good news: I got a phone call at 4:24 this morning...the time alone is enough to tell you that it wasn't good. On the other end was my sister's husband; I've played bits and pieces of our conversation in my head over and over but to make a long story short he found my sister shaking in her bed and unable to move a muscle or speak. He kept saying " I don't know if she had a seizure or a stroke" and I kept asking him if she was still breathing. By the time the ambulance arrived she was babbling incoherently. I was scared, he was scared and I know she was terrified! Definitely not the way to start the day. I called my mom and baby sister so one could go and stay with her kids and the other could go to the hospital and find out what was going on. I live an hour and a half away, so the only thing I could think to do was round up the "troops". By the time my baby sis arrived at the hospital, my sister was alert and talking which I was so thankful to hear! After a trillion tests the docs came to the conclusion that she had a minor heart attack!!! I've heard of it happening in people her age but I kept thinking, she's only 30! As her big sis, I had to let her know that it's time to slow down! We were talking last week and I kept telling her that she was doing too much that she needed to take a break. My exact words were "if you don't slow down, your body will find a way to slow down".

Life is just crazy! She was supposed to come up to my house today to watch Donovan while I taught my first scrapbook class, which I ended up canceling. Of course I had to joke with her about this. The first time I talked to her I said "you know, if you didn't want to watch Donovan for me all you had to do was tell me, all this shenanigans was unneccessary"! She got a good laugh out of that one! I'm so thankful she's OK and that her husband had the sense to get up and check her!

Beyond Scrapbooking

I haven't scrapped a thing in the past 3 days because I have been busy making a bunch of goodies for my friend's baby shower tomorrow. The best part is I used some of my scrap supplies! These little bears took forever to make! It would have been so much easier to make them all one color, but of course I had to get fancified! I love the way they turned out, though!

I used cardstock and curling ribbon to create tags that read "Congrats Mark & Dee". I layered the bottom of the basket with those green foam blocks and covered with pink shredded paper and then popped the bears in! I tied a pretty pink ribbon around the basket handle and...VOILA, bears in a basket!

I really enjoyed making these little booties! The tulle circles are filled with either peppermints or hershey's kisses and tied with ribbon. I made the tags using paper from Prima's baby girl line and attached mini rattles to each one.

Each tag was handwritten and the edges inked for good measure! LOL

Blog Challenge

This is a challenge from the "Out With The Old, In With The New" Cyber challenge at scraplovers.com. "Post an entry on your blog with your top 10 scrap projects of 2007."

Here are my picks:

Just Bloggin'

I realized that it has been a while since I lasted posted any of my LOs here. I've been so busy with the holidays, but now that they are over, I have a little more time on my hands.

The photo on my Inner Beauty has to be my favorite self portrait! I love the way this LO turned out because I played with paint, one of my favorite mediums! I wish I could have gotten a better pic, though...the dark pink isn't that bright IRL.

journaling reads: here's to discovering and appreciating it!


I created Jersey Chill as my last challenge on Scrap-Diner's DT. I asked participants to create a LO showing what winter was like in ther region of the world. Living in New Jersey, this is winter to me!



here's a close-up of the flourishes covered with stickles.

here's is a close-up of an acrylic snowflake covered with stickles with a gem in the center.

On the pregnancy front, everything is going great! I feel a lot better and am very eager to meet this little baby (100 days to go)!! I've been taking bare belly pics every 4 weeks so I can track my growth, I'm 25 1/2 weeks along. During my last photo shoot, Donovan walked up and planted 2 big kisses and a heartfelt hug on his little brother and I'm so glad I captured it, although a little blurry. This photo warms my heart everytime I look at it. My big boy is all in and I can't wait to get the chance to scrap this!! (oh yeah, pardon the junk in the background, I forgot to crop the pic before uploading) LOL!