New Layout and Class Project

I couldn't wait to use these gorgeous pink and grey papers from Heidi Swapp's new Love Notes line. Oh my gosh, they are so pretty! I added in a few coordinating papers from Bo Bunny to complete the look.

This is our latest family portrait, I say that like we've taken many! The one and only other family portrait of us was taken when Donovan was 6 months old! LOL!

Jenny was the Pink Lady of the Month this month at Scrap-Diner.com. We all show her how awesome we think she is by lifting one of her projects. I chose to lift this one. I kept the design pretty much the same, I just made my elements bigger so I could show off more of these papers!

Here's a little sneaky teasey of my Dream Girls Challenge Blog LO coming soon.

And lastly, I'll be teaching this layout featuring Pink Paislee Enchanting line next month (May 23rd) at Scrapper's Cove.

Oh and by mid next month, I'll have something exciting to share...let's just say it has something to do with a box of pure gorgeousness that was delivered to my doorstep the other day!!! :insert happy dance and evil snicker: LOL!

TFL!

The Design X Guest Spot

I've been asked to be a guest designer at The Design Experiment. Let me tell you, this challenge prompt couldn't have come at a more perfect time!

challenge: Music plays a big part in everyone's day whether it is intended to or not. Is there a song that's stuck in your head at the moment? Why? What significance does it have in your life?

Well ya girl is having some issues right now and this is what I was feeling when I created this LO. Nothing life threatening, just some "man/woman" issues that I'm dealing with!

journaling: take a good look at my face you'll see my smile looks out of place if you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears

just going through some things
this song has become the soundtrack of my days

There are a lot of symbolic elements on this LO. I crumpled the circle because I wanted it to simulate a "broken record" (going through the same "ish" over and over)

I have the slightest idea were this little theatre face brad is from, but I thought it was appropriate for this topic. A couple of rain drops cut from American Crafts patterned paper and coated with stickles finishes off the look.

The little flap kind of reveals the sadness within. There were supposed to be 2 flaps, one on each side, but on tore completely off during distressing. I just threw it aside and kept it moving. I like the look of the one flap better.

I wasn't really crying when I snapped this photo, I just used paper glaze to trace the track a tear would make had it actually fallen from my eye. I then used stardust stickles to add a little shine to it.

These puffy letters are so shiny, especially when light hits them. I used a white pen to trace the areas that the light hit to give my letters a little more dimension and add some oomph to them!

The butterflies are synonymous with change or better times to come. I absolutely LOVE these flocked butterflies that I cut from Anna Griffin paper!!! I have used them on several projects...they are just so fun to touch.

I also tore the sides of the photo and inked them brown...just releasing a bit of anger I guess you could say! LOL!

Thanks for allowing me to share an intimate moment with you!

Some Old Forgotten Projects

I was just surfing through the 1000+ scrapbook pictures on my computer when I came across a few that I never posted on line because I was trying to get them pubbed and then forgot.

I created this one for Memory Makers Masters call about 2 years ago. I had to send it in to them...needless to say, I'll never see it again! This crooked photo is all I have left of it. You can see my sofa through the transparent portion of it.

I designed it to look like the flowers were parting to reveal my inner feelings (at the time), hence the title "Uncovered".


I created this one back in November of 2007 (I think) to parallel the "stubbornness" that both Troy and Donovan displayed at the resort we stayed in while vacationing in Jamaica.


I created this little mini a few weeks ago as a last minute entry into Kaiser's DT call. I've had those tattered cotton strips by Maisy Mo Designs in my stash forever!! They really came in handy here!

I created this one back in February for one of the wedding calls. This is about Maria, my baby sister's best friend who had us cracking up at my younger sister's wedding. She acted a fool trying to get the bouquet. See the dotted circles? That her! She dove across the floor to get the bouquet, got floor burns and the whole nine! It was hilarious. You should have heard her screaming "yeah, yeah" when the cute guy caught the garter! This was by far one of those "you had to be there" moments!

Thanks for traveling back in {scrap} time with me!

Blog Award

I received this cute little blog award from Tanisha. Gotta love her name! I'm supposed to give this to 10 people, but I'm having such a hard time choosing. I get so much inspiration from so many different people...so if you're reading this, I'm dedicating this award to YOU! Thanks for inspiring me!

E.R.

We had yet another ER visit tonight. I was in Shop Rite picking up a few things for a new recipe I wanted to try for dinner when I received a call from Xander's daycare. I thought it was a little weird and figured something was wrong because it was 25 minutes before I was to pick him up. The director told me that Xander had fallen into the cubbies, bumped his head, and now has a knot on his head! Ugh! When I reached his school the teachers were icing the lump on his forehead. My baby is ALWAYS bumping his head, but never hard enough to cause a hickey. I took him to the ER just to make sure there was no damage, you know at this age, the front of the head is still so soft. After 2 hours we were released with a clean bill of health! The X-ray showed no fractures or anything like that. The doc told me to wake him every 3-4 hours and check him out. If everything looks good in 12-24 hours, then there's no problem. He's going to have a nice black and bruise tomorrow, though!

More From MLS

Finished up a couple more projects for My Little Shoebox. This was a quick and easy card- I made the butterfly using 2 photo corners and the letter "I".

Thanks Katie for sending me the houndstooth ribbon!!!!!

A quick LO of my Xan at 5 months.

Looking for a way to jazz up chipboard? Here I coated the alpha with Hampton Arts glitter glue and then added some kaiser pearls to finish of the "blingy" look!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with this line! TFL!

I'm A Cowgirl!

I've been dying to share my news! I've been chosen to be a part of the Moo Crew for Purple Cow! YAY! I'm so excited!

Here's the announcement that was posted to their blog along with the list of other ladies that round out the DT.

It has been a long month for a lot of very talented Designers, but the time has come….. we have chosen our winners! We want to thank all of you who entered. Every single one of you gave us beautiful pages and projects to look at. The lucky winners will be receiving some fantastic tools and products from or partners, and of course, they will be paid for their projects we publish for them. Since we loved everything that everyone sent, and because we want to make sure that everyone who entered our DT Call knows how much we appreciate their hard work and enthusiasm for Purple Cows, EVERYONE who submitted and entry will be receiving a prize!
But there were so many who entered, and only eleven spots to fill. So without further ado, the winners are listed below, along with their geographical location. (In no particular order)

Cory Phillips – San Francisco
Cristal Pinky Hobbs - Nashville
Jing Jing Nickel – Twin Cities
Krysten NG – New York City
Robin Gibson – North Carolina
Samantha Sibbet – San Diego
Tanisha Long – Newark/Philadelphia
Elisa Kammerdiener - Seattle
Liana Suwandi – Dallas
Paula Nelson-Hart – Salt Lake City
Cecilly Hart – Provo
Vennita Wilson – Las Vegas
Lynn Warner - Illinois

***Special International Design Team Member***
Michelle Jackson-Mogford - United Kingdom

MLS Plus Hambly

Can I just say that Suzy has to be one of the hardest working women in the industry? Really! She teamed us up with Hambly for this month's projects! Sigh, I *heart* Hambly*! I was able to pick out some products from their site that coordinated with the My Little Shoebox line I'm working with for this month. Fun stuff let me tell you!

OK, I am totally loving the Enjoy Life line!!! Super fun to work with and the colors are fabulous together!

The photo on this LO is of my adorable little men on Easter Sunday. Where would I be without the 2 of them? They brighten my life and as Donovan says to me "make my heart so happy".

I did a self portrait photo shoot the other and this was one of the "bloopers", but it fit so well with the idea for this LO! Don'tcha just love that...no mistakes, just opportunities! LOL!

journaling: I love music; it plays an integral part in my life. I don't think a day goes by where I don't have the radio on. My fave songs are the ones that transport me back to a different time & remind me of the things I had long forgotten. Music makes me very happy! photo: 4/17/09

I think I pushed it a bit trying to make the music note simulate the letter "N", but you get the point. LOL!

I created this Spring Acrylic Wall Hanging using the heavy acrylic sheet by Hambly. I swear these papers made me feel so happy creating with them...this is a result of that!

I used Hambly wood grain rub-on on the chipboard tree trunk and then went stickle crazy on everything else. LOL!

These darn things are so hard to photograph! Here it is with a lighter background- you get the clear feel of it a little better.

Thanks for taking a peek!

MLS Overlay Tutorial

This month the MLS design team is on assignment. Our focus is to come up with a different way to use My Little Shoebox overlays and chipboard. Totally fun for me because I love coming up with different way to make products my own.

As you know, MLS overlays are all white which is one of the things I love most about them because I can come up with ways to add a little color!

I started off by cutting the piece I wanted from the overlay sheet (in this case, the rainbow) and attaching it to my layout using Zip dry paper glue. You could use glue dots or spray adhesive as well.
Color your overlay using markers that will write on slick surfaces. Here I used Sakura Permapaque markers and a red zig pen (had to let this one dry first).

The go over the colored sections with glitter glue in the same color. Here I used red, yellow, orange and pink stickles and green glitter glue from Hampton Arts. I then added a little sparkle to the clouds by outlining them with stardust stickles.

Allow to dry completely and voila! there you have it, a personalized embellishment!

Here's another creative way to add color to the overlays. I used butterscotch alcohol ink to change the color of the flower.

I hope you have fun creating with MLS products and don't forget, there's still time to submit for the DT call!!!

TFL!!

DreamGirls Challenge Blog Has Moved

We are now at dreamgirlschallengeblog.blogspot.com

For this challenge I hd to use a movie quote for my title, use chipboard and visible journaling.


TFL!

Basement Renovation Is Complete!

YAY!! Fred did an amazing job on our basement In just 1 month, he single handedly transformed our dingy, cold basement into a beautiful, warm, addition to our home. I love how it turned out!

I took way more photos, but here are some to give you an idea of the entire transformation. This is what we started with.

He framed the entire basement and attached the sheet rock to that.

Here you can see the formation of the laundry and storage rooms on either side of the staircase and you can see how he encased the stairway.

The framework of my scrap area

The sheet rock goes up. Lots of sanding and dust all over the place.

The ceiling and recessed lighting. How do you like my paint job? Man, it took me forever to paint. I still need to go over a few spots around the chair rail, but truth be told, it may stay just the way it is! The color is pumpkin butter...doesn't it sound delicious? I thought it was very warm for a basement.

The laundry room and storage room are now separated from the main living space (the doors on the side of the stair case). They actually connect under the stairs, which is kind of cool. Those areas were left unfinished, but I plan to one day go in and paint them at some point.

Lowe's installed the carpet. I was so thrilled to find this berber, it's a light sandy color with the color of the walls woven into it. It really makes everything pop and the padding makes the floors so comfortable. Troy painted the hallway. We went with white and I like the transition it creates.

I finally moved all of my scrap stuff from the living room down to my little solace. I found those tall black shelves for $49 each and the paper rack came in handy. I bought it for $40 from a LSS that went out of business. I didn't know I had so much cardstock! I still need more shelving so I can replace the plastic bins...I'm trying to keep everything stored as neatly as possible since my area is an open space. So this is what it is so far. I'll definitely add my own little touches as time goes on and will post updates when I do. I saw this big comfy chair that I want to put in the left corner where the printer is. I want to get a really tall desk, possibly a kitchen island with lots of storage space...I saw one at IKEA that I fell in love with! That will go right in the middle of the floor facing outward so I can keep and eye on the boys while we're hanging out here. I want to get one of those embellishment cabinets by Making Memories. Yeah, it's going to take a minute to get it just like I want it, but for now, it's functional and I can scrap!

Guess What?!!!

I'm going to CHA this summer!!!!!! I am so super excited! I've wanted to go for a couple of years and am finally getting my chance to go. I'm going to be hanging out with the My Little Shoebox ladies, I can already tell that I am going to have a ball with them..I can see it now, lots of loud laughing!! My plane ticket has been purchased and I am red to go! I hope to the opportunity to see a lot of the faces that I've come to know online, so if you're going, make sure to stop by the MLS booth!

Now to figure out who's going to care for my kiddos while I'm gone!

Mama Didn't Raise No Fool!

Don't you just hate it when something just doesn't sit well with you and you call the person on it and they tell you other than what you feel to be true? Don't you just hate it when someone tries to mistake you for a fool? I'm not STUPID!!! Just because I don't call everything as I see it, doesn't mean I didn't see it! Let me know what the deal is, I'm a big girl, I can handle anything! Trust me!

Vent over, 'nuff said!

I'm Taking A Little Hiatus

Just for a few more days...I have such a busy few days ahead of me; Xander's first birthday is tomorrow, his birthday party is Saturday, which means I have a party to plan, a house to clean, and people to entertain! I'm in the middle of moving into my new scrap area which is taking way more time that I had anticipated, because I have to take time out to put all of the shelves and things together and also sort through some stuff that I have, but it's going to be so worth it! Sunday is Easter and I plan to have dinner with my in-laws. I need to shop for Easter goodies...got the outfits for the boys out of the way. Phew!

Can't wait to get back to scrapping...hopefully my mojo holds out until then!

My Little Shoebox

The DT's newest project were posted on the blog today along with a ton of other designs created by some really talented ladies!


MLS's DT call is still going on, you have until May 15th to get those creations in! Click here for the info and good luck!

I Splurged

I know, we're in a middle of a recession and I should be a little more economical with spending, but someone has to stimulate the economy...right?! LOL, I just made that up...any ole excuse to explain my most recent shopping spree!


So about 3-4 years ago, I bought my Canon Rebel XT and it became like another appendage, but I've decided to move on. My shutter release has been acting a little funky and I decided to upgrade it before it completely conks out. Hence the reason I bought this little baby right here...the Rebel XSI, 12.2 MP with image stabilization. Huh, I'm in love all over again!


I purchased a few little accessories to go with my new love...

the 100mm macro lens because I'm loving macro photography. I can't wait to try this bad boy out!



and this little lens...photog friend of mine suggested this to me and I decided to go for it! I'll have to wait to play with this one because it's on back order until the end of the month.

Now all I need is an external flash and a backpack to carry all of my equipment in and I'll be set....for now! Oh, I need to get a decent tripod, too. The one I have is really cheap!

Paper Trunk & Dream Girls

Dream Girls new challenge is up and it's our first anniversary! Time sure flies when you're having fun, which is what our challenge is all about!!

Prompt: Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper Create a project using part of the lyrics as your title or journaling
You can find the lyrics hereTime after time
Product: Must have a clock visible on your LO
Technique: Sewing or faux stitching

You just HAVE to see what the Divas came up with! It never ceases to amaze me how creative these ladies are!

Here's my take on the challenge:


Journaling: I feel like I just gave birth to you, but here you are at 11 months. You're funny and full of spunk. You just started crawling- you cruise around the house getting into everything! You love to play.

supplies: Paper: Jenni Bowlin Studios, October Afternoon, Teresa Collins, Transparency: Best Creations; Chipboard: Maya Road, BasicGrey, Alphabet Stickers: Making Memories, Acrylic Clocks: Heidi Swapp, Photo Turns: 7 gypsies, Brads: Junkitz, Pen: Sharpie, Ink: Clearsnap, Other: thread, staples.

Guess what else...this month Dream Girls will be featured in Scrap Street in the Blog Bay section! We are so very excited!

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Here's the link to Paper Trunk's blog with the guest designer post and my LO is also on the front page of their website!

Have a great day and thanks for checking in!!