Recent Projects

Can I say that I just loooooove this picture of Xander?!! The title for this came to me as soon as I took one look at those big brown eyes!

Journaling: Dear Santa, I've been good...Honest!

I'm going to teach this altered frame at Scrapper's Cove January 18th. I love how quickly and easily this came together!

TFL!

Christmas Photos

'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring...except ME! As with every Christmas, I'm always the one up in the wee hours of the night sneaking presents under the tree, making sure everything is in the right place, finishing the baking, taking the photos, putting on the finishing touches and making sure Santa enjoys his cookies! This year, I wrapped 2 days before Christmas, instead of Christmas Eve and I cut down my baking tremendously so I was actually able to get into bed before 2 am, and it was the first CHristmas that I didn't make a big Christmas breakfast! Momma was TIRED!

This is the final look of the tree before the hoopla of Christmas morning.

Donovan forgot to leave Santa a cookie, so I took care of that and made sure to let him know that Santa enjoyed her....err his cookie very much!

Happy first Christmas to my little Santa baby! We were the first 2 up on Christmas. Donovan is not an early bird and not even the anticipation of new presents can get him up early. Thats just fine by me- it gives me a chance to catch some more Z's after staying up late. Troy felt crappy, so he was dragging his butt too.

Donovan took joy in giving Xander his first present to open (Baby Tad).

This is the way Xander chose to open his presents!

These two little boys are my greatest gifts and I thank God for them every single day!

Me at my family's day after Christmas celebration held at my sister's house

The boys with their Pop-Pop- he had shirts made for them to wear for Christmas. Donovan's shirt read "Pop-Pop's Monster", Xans' read "I'm the Boss" and Pop-Pop's had a pic of Xan and read "Pop-Pop says I'm the Boss!" Too cute!

TFL!

Merry Christmas...Happy Kwanzaa!!

I hope you all had a wonderfully joyous Christmas...I know we sure did!! As usual, we spent the morning at home watching the kids open Christmas presents; this year was Xander's first Christmas, so it was extra special for our family. For a little kid who's famous for ripping paper to shreds, he didn't do that to his presents....he was just happy tearing off a piece of wrapping paper and eating it! LOL! This was the first Christmas that I didn't make breakfast for my guys, I was so tired from all of the cookies that I made at the last minute, the last minute Christmas Eve shopping (mostly for myself) and the late night gift wrapping! Instead I sent Troy out for Dunkin' Donuts.

We travelled to Trenton to spend the rest of Christmas with Troy's family as we normally do. We had a beautiful buffet style dinner at my in law's that the whole family takes part in putting together. Renee (MIL) did the majority of the cooking since it was at her house. I made watermelon and apple martinis, which were very strong since I used schapps and flavored rum instead of the non alcoholic mixers! Can you say cotton mouth?...good grief, my mouth feels like a desert!

Today, the boys and I will travel to Deptford to spend the "day after Christmas" with my family. This is our made up holiday so we get to spend Christmas with everyone, but not feel the rush of having to go from house to house, especially since we are all so spread out over the state.

I'm running a little behind with preparations for my sister's house. I need to make the chicken parmesan and the cornbread...we usually do an Italian meal for our celebration, I mean one can only eat so much turkey and stuffing! We're also having green salad, vegetable ziti and lasagna....of course some desserts, including my cookie platter.

I'll post pictures from our celebrations later!

Today is also the first day of Kwanzaa!! Here's a LO I did a few days ago about the holiday.

based on this sketch by beggahuna

The title nguzo saba is Swahili for 7 Principles (1 for each day of Kwanzaa) **journaling taken from a Kwanzaa website**

Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

The Kwanzaa diecut was originally 1 piece and blue. I inked it black and cut the 2 symbols off, the coated "kwanzaa" with glitter.

Here are two more Christmas cards I made using Tinsel Town.

Thanks for taking a peek...have a happy new year!!

Last Savvy N Sassy Ribbon Kit Projects

So this is my last month on savvynsassy's DT...huh, I'm sure gonna miss getting those awesome little ribbon cards in the mail each month! This month, I had the pleasure of working with the Snow Bunnies kit and I loved it! This kit works well with winter pages, summer pages, baby pages...etc!

I used the turquoise faux suede lace-up tape and the mini turquoise ric rac to spice up this summery LO of my cutie pie nephew.

I used the coral satin edge organza and Pink Paislee's Tinsel Town for this project. It's an altered toilet paper roll...I guess you can call it my "Bailout Christmas Present"! LOL! I created this as gift packaging for the refrigerator magnets I made.

If you're looking for a quick, easy, and cheap gift? Then these little fridge magnets are just the thing for you! (this was one of the challenges during the last crop at scrap-diner.com)

I made 50 of these for less than 5 bucks...can't beat that!

To create these, you will need the following supplies:

marble accents (the ones with the flat edge) on sale for 88 cents at AC Moore

E-6000 adhesive (used my 50% off coupon and got this for less than 2 bucks)

a 3/4" punch

3/4" magnets ( I used the 30" magnetic strip and just cut them down to size- 99 cents)

ETA: don't use the magnetic strip, the don't hold paper that well...just get the regular 3/4" magnets

patterned paper scraps.

1. Punch the circles from patterned paper.

2. Apply a drop of glue to the magnet. Put the paper circle on it and press down until completely covered.

3. Apply a drop of glue to the flat side of the marble and the press onto the paper circle until the glue reaches all the way to the edge.

4. Allow to dry completely overnight.

**NOTE: for the first few minutes after assembling, check to make sure that the magnet and marble haven't moved (some will slide to the side, just adjust and allow to dry).**

Blog Awards

I love that bloggers honor each other with these little awards as a way to say thanks for the inspiration! It's nice to be appreciated, dontcha think? I've been bad with putting up mine lately...I received a couple of awards recently... from Helena and KJ...thank you ladies and thank you to everyone who has given me an award! I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments...you all inspire me so much, too!

This award comes from Aja, if you've never visited her blog, check it out! She has some gorgeous pics of her cutie pies up now!

"Pay It Forward":
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Provide links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

I'm nominating these ladies because they are all different, but each inspires me in so many ways:
Ken ~she is so creative, just look at all of the adorable buttons and cards and things in her esty shop!
Jenni ~she can rock an altered project like nobody's business!
Pamela ~she has incredible style, especially when it comes to layering!
Mimi ~she is such a versatile scrapper; masculine LOs, feminine LOs, you name it Mimi rocks it!
Veronica ~she takes some of the most beautiful and endearing photographs ever!

Dream Girls Challenge #18

This is the last Dream Girl challenge for 2008!! I can't believe the year is just about over! To end our challenge in 2008 we've decided to make this a little easier and give you a sketch created for us to by Liz Qualman. The twists: add bling to your LO and use a Holiday song in the title. Check here to see what the Divas created!

I wanted to use multiple photos so I changed things up a bit...I swapped the journaling, photos, and title but still kept the basic design of the sketch.

I've been dying to use up some of my Sass stash. I love the way the little birds and the little caterpillar look like they are marching along! The chipboard bracket frames and music notes are from Magistical Memories...gotta love their stuff!

Thanks for looking! Hope you play along with us!

The Last Of My Acrylic Album

Before I get to the acrylic albums, let me show you this cute little ornament I made today...it's the first ornament I've ever made and I'm quite proud of it. I've been following the 12 Days of Christmas ornaments on the pink paislee blog (man, those ladies are mad talented and very creative) when I saw the first ornament posted by Danielle, I thought "hey, I have a box like that", so I decided to make my own! The cool thing about this little ornament is that it doubles as a gift box...how cute is that? I used pink paislee's tinsel town line here, some prima gems, heidi swapp and bazzill flowers, and of course ribbon from savvynsassy's December Snow Bunnies kit...this is my last month on their DT, too. (sniff, sniff)

Too bad I already have the color scheme picked out for my tree, I'm really diggin' the apple green and pink...hmmm, maybe next year!

OK, so like I said, this is also my last month with My Acrylic Album. It has truly been a pleasure creating for the team for the past 11 months. When I first started with them, I had never created an acrylic album, I'd used plenty of acrylic/clear products but my first acrylic album was this one. Now I have about 11 acrylic albums under my belt (and more to come because they are ever so addictive), and a couple of acrylic plaques...I've even designed an acrylic album for the company!! How awesome is that? So for all of you out there who are still scurred to try an acrylic album, I say go for it, there is no right or wrong way to do it!

This castle album is so cute; it's part of the new releases found here. When I received this in the mail, I knew what I wanted to do with it. I am the only female in a house with 3 males and "queen of the castle" automatically came to mind!

I wish I had the opportunity to take better photos of this, but I have been getting home from work later than normal, which means it's completely dark out, which means poor photo quality, but you get the gist of it.

I used Crate Paper's Prudence line along with K&Co's intricately designed die cut paper.

This is one of my fave pics of me taken at my sister's wedding in May 2007.

The one in the green was taken this Thanksgiving...I can tell I've gained weight since returning to work, which is why I will be working it out starting January 3rd (I picked that day because it's 7 months before my 35th birthday and I want to be 25 pounds lighter by then). Shoot, I'm trying to be a hot momma...know what I mean?

The large photo was taken this summer; I love it although I look tired, but what Xander was only 3 months old at the time, so that explains it! LOL!

To create the front and back covers, I applied the brick rub-on to the inside of the covers, then sprayed with adhesive and coated with glitter. To stop the glitter from flaking off, I lightly sprayed the surface with adhesive, then lightly heat embossed.

This is MAA's butterfly album found here. I just took it apart, used my crop-a-dile to punch a second hole and created name plaques for my goddaughter, my niece, and my 2 friend's daughters for Christmas.

This is my goddaughter's, I'll post the rest later.

Thanks for taking a peek!

8 Months Old...Already?!

Goodness, time flies!!!! My boo-boo turned 8 months old yesterday. I took him to his pediatrician because he was missing his 6 months shots (because he was sick everytime she wanted to give them to him), of course he didn't like that one bit, but he was a trooper! He is 21 lbs 1 oz and 28 1/2" long...mommy's big boy.

We went through the whole "what's he doing now" bit and I told the doc that he is still not crawling or pulling himself up and although he can sit up unassisted if I sit him up, he can't go from lying to sitting by himself. So she's sending him for an early intervation evaluation for gross motor skills. Other than that, he's all good! His fine motor skills are great...he pulls himself into a standing position if he holds my hands and he walks all over the house, holding my hands of course.

But anyway, here's a pic of my Xan taken about a week ago, sporting his new grille...see the 2 little baby pegs? Isn't he cute?

Do You Love Fabulous Ribbon?

Well guess what...savvynsassy is having a DT Call!!! Here are the deets:

Savvy n Sassy will be looking for TWO energetic and creative designers who love ribbon to join our design team!If you are interested in receiving a new and exciting ribbon card in the mail each month filled with beautiful designs and colors then this call is for you!Each month you will receive our Ribbon Kit of the Month in the mail. In turn, you will provide for us three projects/layouts to showcase in our gallery. These items created are not sole property of Savvy N Sassy. You will be able to post them in other online galleries, blogs, submissions etc. The only stipulation we ask is that you just add in the "ribbon provided by Savvy N Sassy" phrase when sharing your layouts.You will also be responsible for 1 or 2 "How to" entries on the Savvy n Sassy Blog. You'll also be responsible for participating in our "Frame of the Day" and "Question of the Day".Design Team members will receive a discount on stock in store and free shipping on purchases with each months kit. (as long as they are lettermail, larger items will be charged extra)As a design team member, we are seeking individuals who are interested in bonding with the team as a whole, have time to post and upload layouts to share and inspire with everyone on a regular basis. All applicants must be active in the forum/gallery in that they are familiar with our members and the overall environment of SnS.If you are interested and believe you would be a fit for our team then please submit the following:-- User name in SNS forums-- three projects or layouts showcasing your use of ribbon (created in the last 3 months)-- small bio about yourself including email and snail mail address-- list of any other design teams you are on-- please acknowledge how much time you are comfortable with to devote to Savvy n Sassy each month-- Link to your Blog-- Link to your online Gallery-- Why would you like to be a Designer for Savvy n Sassy?Term begins January 1st, 2009 and runs until the end of June 2009Submit your application by 12 Midnight (MST) Dec 23rd to:submissions@savvynsassy.comNew team will be announced on Dec 30th.Good Luck!!!

My Latest And A Sneak

Huuuuh...I've been feeling a little nostalgic lately. I always get this way around this time of year; there's something about Christmas that always transports me back to my childhood, growing up in Camden... helping my mom decorate the apartment, the smells of cakes and pies and turkey and lasagna...mmmmm!

Every time I think of decorations, I remember the year I was DETERMINED to remove a painted nail from our front door! Every year prior, this nail bothered me...it always punctured the red foil that my mom picked out to cover the door and it just plain got on my nerve. So this one particular day, I decided to get the hammer, stand on a chair and get this nail out if it was the last thing I did. My mom stood behind me, cautioning me to "be careful" as I twisted and pulled and twisted and pulled. Finally the nail came out......

Yeah, it came out with such a force that I was sent flying backwards! I fell on top of my mom, we both hit the floor, the chair fell on top of me...the hammer went flying across the room....it was a funny sight! My mom and I laid on the floor for about 5 minutes laughing our butts off!!! But the most important thing is....the nail came out!! LOL!

I journalled a few Christmas memories from my childhood on this LO created for my DT at scrap-diner.com. I used the pagemap from Basic Grey's December newsletter and products from the Wassail line. This is actually a picture of my tree from last year, but I used it to journal past memories since I don't have any old pictures.

I cut a 12x12 piece of cardboard for the background, sprayed it with gold glimmer mist, dry brushed it with acrylic paint, and lightly inked it. It's so sparkly IRL!

journaling- I remember:
ordering Chinese and staying up late to help decorate
mom making lasagna and pineapple upside down cake
opening one gift at 8:00 pm on Christmas Eve
getting at least one board game every year
using cotton balls to mimic snow
mom playing Christmas records
candy and walnuts on the table

I crumpled the lollipop flower for extra dimension.


I added staples, lace and twine for added texture.

I created this LO for the Pink Lady lift at scrap-diner. Every month a member of the site is put in the spotlight and other members are encouraged to show her some love by lifting one of her projects. I lifted this LO by Wendy. I love the bold circle pattern she used and the way she matted the photo and journaling. I replaced the single embellie from her with a cluster of embellies and added some paint.

journaling: when my sisters and I get together, this is what happens. We get silly, talk junk, and crack on one another! What would I do without these goofy girls? TT and Nett 11/27/08

close-up of the embellies

Here's a little sneaky of the next Dream Girl's challenge!

Thanks for your continued support!

WOW!

This is just too freakin' awesome for words! I have been featured on Bo Bunny's blog in the "You've Got Talent Section"!!! Can I just tell you that I was blown away when Julia contacted me and asked me to do it? I'm still like...wow...speechless...and smilin' like Chester Cheetah! I just love their stuff, especially the new Christmas line!!

If you want to check out my interview and the Bo Bunny projects that I created, just click here. Be sure to leave a comment and be entered for this week's Bo Bunny giveaway!

WOW!

My Acrylic Album

The new acrylic albums have been revealed and they are fabulous!!!

Oh Christmas Tree
In the Dog House
Paw
Stocking
Polka Dot Heart
Gingerbread House
Puppy Bling
Purse
Castle
Fire Hydrant
Night on the Town
Circle
Inchies
Snow Globe

Check out the store and get 20% off your order. The coupon is valid NOW thru December 5, 2008, just enter the following code during checkout to redeem at www.myacrylicalbum.com:
MAA20

Please feel free to spread the word and share this coupon!

These are such fun albums, you've gotta check 'em out!

2 Layouts and Some Christmas Stuff

The new Dreamgirls challenge is up!! Challenge #17 is scrap SOMETHING (not someone) you can't live without...and the twists...use paint and chipboard.

I created this LO about my camera, it's like another appendage to me and I would be lost without it! I dry brushed paint across the background and the chipboard heart.

I used a lot of rub-ons; the black ones are 7 gypsies and the white brick rub-on is an old one by EK Success, it's actually a 12x12 rub-on, I just cut a section of it to use here.

By the way congratulations to newest Dreamgirl Divas: Elizabeth Carney, Sophia Soh, Chataqua M. Yardley , Susan Dupre, and Erin Gudge. Looking forward to working with these very talented ladies!

The following projects were created for scrap-diner. This one was actually a lift of November's Pink Lady of the Month- KimberlyKay. I lifted this LO of hers.

I love this photo of Donovan and couldn't wait for the perfect opportunity to scrap it. Lots of Making Memories product here!

I journalled directly on the photo, it reads: journaling: I wonder what could possibly be on your mind that would cause you to look so much older than 4 years of age. Are you thinking of your future or remembering something from your short past? Are you thinking of a cure for cancer or world hunger or wondering what the next episode of Little Bill will be about? Whatever it it, it sure looks important! I hope you always take a moment to stop and think things through! 11/30/08

Quick card made with Basic Grey's Wassail line and using card sketch #18 from creativelyyours...this was my last month as a DT member there...I had a ton of fun creating cards for the blog, especially since I'd never thought of myself as a card designer.

Another quick project using Wassail (I love Christmas papers). I swear this took all of 10 minutes or less. This tin used to be purple and housed a bottle of perfume. One of my coworkers had given it to me for Christmas last year. I wasn't too fond of the perfume, but I kept the tin because I knew I could alter it...funny how scrappers think...right!

I wrapped a piece of ribbon from savvynsassy's November Ice Storm kit around the lid, covered the top with another piece of BG Wassail, then fashioned a ribbon flower and layered it with 2 flowers...there you have it, a nice little gift tin!

Thanks for taking a peek!

It's December 1st!

Not only does that mean Christmas is a mere 24 days away and the new year just 1 month away...today is World AIDS Day! This is the day when individuals and organizations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. While we have come a long way since 1988, there is still much more to be done.

People living with HIV:

33 million people living with HIV worldwide

30.8 million adults

15.5 million women

2.0 million children under 15

New HIV cases in 2007:

2.7 million total new cases

2.3 million adults

370,000 children under 15

HIV-related deaths in 2007:

2.0 million total death

Do you know your status?