Scrappin' my heart out!

When yer hot, yer HOT!! My creativity has been hotter than ever and I made very good use of it.

I've been participating in Simply Obsessed's Greatest Crop On Earth! for their 2nd Birthday Celebration. With the wide variety of challenges, I've managed two layouts, two cards, a tag for a future layout, two games, and lots of chatting. =) Here is what I've accomplished to date:






After a short 4 hour shift tomorrow, I'll be back to take on the days' challenges! Godspeed

Simply Obsessed Blog Hop!

We are starting the Birthday Celebration over at Simply Obsessed with a Blog Hop! SO is turning two this year and to kick off a week long celebration, we are bloggin'!

In keeping with that birthday spirit, I created a generic birthday card. I found the sketch over at Pagemaps Cardmaps in the December 2008 archives. Create a card using this sketch, link it here and share your work. Here's mine!


And your next stop is at Elizabeth 's. Enjoy!

Relay For Life - August 15th

Its starting to get a bit crazy around here! While finishing up a blog hop with Willow Traders I'm overlapping with the start of a new one over at Simply Obsessed. Forget the fact that we just finished up our Relay For Life 24 hour walk at 10am this morning.....I'm a bit drowsey, and thats an understatment. =)

I'd like to share a few pics from the event.






For those who have participated, you know the many different emotions that you feel within this 24 hour period. I find it rewarding to be able to keep spreading the word on early detection and seeing the people's faces when they finally "get it". Happy that God gave us the ability to love a total stranger therefore helping to raise money for this wonderful organization. Tearful as we walk the track during the luminaria ceremony to reflect on those names, knowing that someone has died because we couldn't find a cure soon enough. And sometimes downright silly because we have to keep ourselves awake somehow!

Yes, we laugh, we cry, we're happy and sad. We love them, we miss them. They will be in our hearts forever! Godspeed

I'm at it again!

Another weekend, another WT Blog Hop! This is becoming habit forming! But, I could think of many things much worse than this to be hooked on. =)

In between all the preparations for Relay For Life, I found time to slow down and make a layout featuring my newest grandaughter. She will be here in early to mid November and we are so excited! Here is a sneak peek of our precious one:


I created this for Life Preserver's Big Scrapper House challenge that started this week. We were to make a layout with a large monogram letter.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back to post sometime sunday after a much needed rest from our 24 hour event. =)

Godspeed

Construction Season Challenge Aug 13-14

For this round I worked hours on our Relay For Life banner that we will carry in the opening ceremonies and hang at our site. It took three tries, lots of @#%&ing, and more patience than I ever thought I had, but it's finally finished and my teammates are gonna love it! The larger photos are relatives we've lost to cancer and the smaller are of survivors.

I've learned a few things while assembling this project:

1 - Don't assume the people you've requested info from, will actually come thru without being prodded over and over and over.
2 - Trial mock ups ARE NECESSARY!!!
3 - Don't care what the packaging says, iron on transfers are NOT easy!!

But most importantly,

No matter how many years I do this, I still get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I look at these photos and think how lucky I am to have/had these people in my life. Love you all!!


Now that this is finished, I'm on to altering some more journals to sell at our site. Wish me luck!! Godspeed

Construction Season Challenge Aug 11-12

More time to create! Its cloudy kinda day today, so when all else fails, I scrap! Its been really nice to get in here and make use of my creative talents on a daily basis. I know it won't always happen this way, but while it does, I plan to take every advantage of it. =)

While visiting Chicago last month, I met up with a good friend of mine and former TSR member. Nikki and her two little boys are just so adorable! We didn't have much time to visit, but I can cherish the time we did thru this photo. We both adore the Jenni Bowlin line, so I found it only fitting to use those papers in this layout:


And what do you do with all those scraps? Make a card, you silly!! Created this for TSR's CAD challenge our wonderful DIVA Angie is hostessing this month:


Thanks for stopping by! Godspeed

Construction Season Challenge Aug 9-10

I am just lovin' this challenge! It's getting me into the scrappin' groove on a regular basis. =) This afternoon, I needed to catch up on my Card-A-Day Challenge over at The ScrapRoom and here are my latest two creations.


I'm able to use up alot of scraps from older kits this way, while adding to that basket for our silent auction at the RFL next weekend. YAY!

Godspeed.

Less than a week.....

....and we will have our Relay For Life event here in my local community. Please read here ---> Its' All Relative <--- for an opportunity to help our team raise its goal and be entered to win a scrappy RAK. Thank you and Godspeed.

Construction Season Challenge Aug 7-8

I'm just lovin' working with this paper from Basic Grey! Usually I don't use a kit for more than one layout at a time before moving on, but this one is speaking to me and the photos in such a good way. =)

In this particular photo, we had just arrived for Makayla's birthday party and as I was helping get things from the car, she ran up to her Papa and they did they're usual kiss and a hug. I turned around and this is what I saw. I quickly reached for my camera to capture this special moment that they both will treasure always.

Construction Season Challenge Aug 5-6

Didn't have quite as much time this round, but did manage to get in another layout with a card from scraps. Here's my finish items with Makayla modeling them:


Isn't she just the cutest!?! And now a close-up of the layout:


She wanted to help with the yard work a few weeks ago and insisted that she could do it herself. =) Love these BG Lemonade papers and those chipboard accents and woolies are just perfect for this layout!

Construction Season Challenge Aug 3-4

For this round, I decided on two hours per day, and a goal of two layouts and two cards. Here are the fruits of my labor:


Kinda double dipping as they call it in the scrapping world, using them here and at TSR for the LOAD challenge and the cards for our DIVA, Angie, CAD(card a day). As long as my mojo hangs on, I'll be here. =)

Back at TSR!

Things are improving for us so I was able to re-sub at TSR. And it wasn't anytime to soon. The kits this month are sa-weet!! I've been looking for three of the four featured this month, so I'm in scrappy heaven! Got my notification from the bank this afternoon, so these should be in my hot little hands by Saturday, Monday at the latest. =)

Construction Season Challenge Aug 1-2

Why I get myself in these crazy challenges I'll never know! But, here I am again over at Willow Traders in the midst of another. This part of the challenge we had to commit to a certain task in a certain amount of time. So I set my trusty timer to 60 minutes and created these five cards in the allotted time. I may have fudged just a few minutes or so, but the sun was too much to pass up on completely!


These cards will be included in a basket that I'm putting together for a silent auction we are having at our annual Relay For Life event in just under two weeks. I better get back at it. =)

Thanks for visiting!

It's A Blog Hop!

Decided to jump into my first ever Blog Hop! Willow Traders is hosting one this weekend and since I am ever so curious, thought, why not! Here I go!


I haven't scrapped one bit for about three weeks now for one reason or another, but this past week changed all that, thank goodness! This first one is using the Special Edition Basic Grey Lemonade from Scrap This Kit . These papers look just gorgeous in real life and were a perfect fit for my backyard flowers. Particularly fond of the bee on the echinachea flower.


With the week being extremely hot for our area, Butch and Makayla decided to take a dip in the cool pool as we call it. Yes, we turn the temperature in our hot tub down to 90 degrees and its feels sooooo good on a hot summer's day. And those two with super soakers are a danger to be reckoned with - watch out!


And since I was in a purging mode last night, I took my scraps and made several flowers with buttons and cut border edges with the longer pieces for future use. Yes, I've become a VERY frugal scrapper!



This was fun and I hope you enjoyed your visit with me here at Our Crazy Little World. Thanks for dropping by!

Scrap This Kit

Wanted to give a shout out to my friend Tami Taylor, who has started her own kit club. Tami has made her July debut release for her club, Scrap This Kit, with the delicious papers from Basic Grey's Lemonade and June Bug lines:

Main Kit - June Bug


Special Edition Kit - Lemonade


Each kit is loaded with lots of extra goodies and sell for $30 each. Please stop over at Scrap This Kit and check out the other kit add-ons that Tami has available.

Relay For Life

Once again our Relay For Life event is upon us. There are many different reasons I personally relay. I lost my father-in-law to cancer in 2006, my mother, mother-in-law, Butch's Uncle Billy, my brother-n-law Alan, and my daughter are all cancer survivors. I would like see great steps made towards the cure for this terrible disease during my lifetime. We are on the right track, but more research needs to be done.

So far our team has raised $830 working at a golf tournament and we are determined to reach our goal of $1,500. We each set a personal goal of $150 and time is coming up quickly for me to accomplish that. That said, I came up with a creative way, I hope, for a chance to raise my share and repay you for your generosity.

Click here ---> The American Cancer Society <--- and donate $5 or more to any member of my team. (All donations are tax deductible and you will receive a statement immediately for your donation.) I will put you into a drawing for a chance to win a great RAK! It's my way of saying thank you for your time and generosity!

Thanks! Godspeed.....

Summer sweetness from the oven!

With the abundance of fresh fruits showing up in roadside stands and in our grocery stores, I decided it was time to bake! Since apples or peaches aren't ready just yet - no hurry cause summer ends way too soon! - I went ahead and used bing cherries instead. Not your usual staple in a fruit crisp, but the yummy sweetness of this year's crop is just too good to pass up.

Fresh Cherry Crisp
* 1 lb. of cherries
The longest part of this recipe is pitting the cherries. Don't need a pitter, a sharp knife will do! Just cut the cherry in half, twist slightly, one side will come off in your hand, the other will have the pit remain. Cut around the pit and pop it out. Once you have them all finished, pour and spread in a 10x10 baking dish.

* Mix together the following:
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

* Using a pastry cutter, cut in 1/4 cup butter or margarine. The pieces of butter/margarine should be the size of coarse crumbles:


* Spread mixture evenly over the cherries.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, times may vary depending on your oven.

Doesn't this look scrumptious!!


Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping! Since I'm trying to shed 20 lbs by January, I had to skip that step. =)

ENJOY!! Godspeed.......

Recycling Old Maps

Everybody wants to do their part to recycle and go green nowadays, seems to be the newest fad, and I just hope people really realize how important it is to recycle and reuse as much as humanly possible. I believe that we borrow this land from future generations and we must try our very best to keep it that way. Ok, off my soapbox. =)

Which leads me to the reasoning behind my babble today. I received this portion of an old map in a RAK I won and decided it would make great flowers. I'm sure you already have all these supplies on hand of some sort, so give it a shot. Did four of these in five minutes, from start to finish. =)

Gather your materials:


Scrunch and ink the wrinkles of the map:


Using whatever you have on hand, punch the map from your larger punch and the inner circle from the smaller one:


Scrunch up the inner circle, flatten, and ink the wrinkles as well as the edges of both pieces of the flower:


Layer pieces, top with a button, and stitch in place:


And VIOLA! A darling flower for your layout or cards!


So, the next time you want to discard an old map, think scrapbook materials!! Have a great day! Godspeed

How about another sketch!

Notice how I like lots of photos on a layout? Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional one photo layout, but if its all I ever did, I'd have what looks like a law library in my home! That said, here is another sketch for persons like me. Measurements are included, but can be adjusted to fit your needs. =)


And notice that circle? I just ordered the Sizing Template Jumbo Circle Pattern from Creative Memories and I just love the ease of cutting large circles now! We don't have a CM consultant in this area, so I contacted another scrapper friend at Life Preservers and here is her link if you are interested in retiring your exacto knife: Creative Memories It can be mailed directly to your home! Thanks, Joyce!!

Just a note, this sketch is for your personal use only and not to be used for submissions of any kind. Thank you!

Hope you have a pleasant day! Godspeed

Sketch #3

Took some photos this weekend of my favorite little girl and our dog, Maggie, playing together. Decided that I would use a sketch that I had created a few months back. Here is my Sketch #3:



Just a note, this sketch is for your personal use only and not to be used for submissions of any kind. Thank you!

My mid-life crisis!!

I've always tinkered with the idea of being a redhead ever since Butch mentioned it a few years back. I would pick the stuff up in the store, walk around looking at other things for a bit, and always return it to its rightful spot in the store. Yep, I was a bit on the chicken side, but that's a HUGE change to undertake. You know how life is, you get distracted with other 'stuff' and you let it slide.

I think what has had me thinking about my hair color more and more is the description that some pooh-pooh customer had when she/he complained about something I did/said/didn't give it to them for free ...... who the hell knows! Anyways, that description was "the older lady with the long gray hair and glasses"!! I just about DIED!! WOW! Somebody thinks I should just pull out my cane and forever sit in my rocking chair until my day to meet Our Maker comes!! At least that's what my brain was telling me. I was pissed, and then hurt, and then decided I MUST do something about that. =) Nope, I refuse to let anyone keep this "old lady blah, blah, blah" down for long!

So, alas, I went from this........


..... to this!! Short & sassy!!! Oh, and Butch says to add spicey in there, too!! I love it and think its even put a bounce in my step. =)

It's A GIRL!!

I guess we need to really listen to what the little ones around of us have to say. The only one who had it right was Makayla. She kept telling us the new baby was a girl, but we all insisted it was a boy. She was so stoked when the ultra sound technician announced it was a girl! Her eyes widened and she produced the BIGGEST grin ever on her face! So, now we can get down to the business of painting their room in our home. I told Makayla we needed to wait until we knew, so now that we do, it's PINK thru and thru!! Two tone pink for the walls, pink picture frames, pink boxes for their toys, pink this and pink that! Almost sounds like a Dr. Suess rhyme! =)

Welcome to the family, Ruby Jane, can't wait to meet you!!!

AWESOME RAK!!

Been participating in one of the DT's challenges at Life Preserver's and won this AWESOME RAK from Sandra! OMGosh!! It's just gorgeous and I can't wait to start playing with it. All those pinks and feminine colors must be a sign, as we find out tomorrow the sex of our newest grandbaby!


Thanks again, Sandra!!

Another sketch!

Since I can't really do much right now, I started fussing with a sketch that I can use for my July 4th pics. And what better than to have a 4 pic sketch, with 4"x4" photos for that July 4th layout. Too clever, aren't I!?! Here it is:


I will have my sample layout up on July 5th or 6th. So, if you have time and would like to use my sketch, please do so and link it back here so it can be seen by all those who visit!

Just a note, this sketch is for your personal use only and not to be used for submissions of any kind. Thank you!

Makayla's 4th Birthday!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my pictures are being held hostage on my media card. I wonder how much I'll have to pay in ransom to get them back? If I can even find someone who can salvage them!

Thankfully, I did print some off this past week and here is one with her pink cowgirl boots and sitting pretty atop one of her favorite horses on the farm:


Can't believe this little one is already 4 and just getting so mature. Isn't there a way to slow down time, just so we can enjoy them a little bit longer in their innocent years? Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Oh, the things that happen.....

Well, I'm starting to feel like my ole self again, a bit on the "foggy" side but managing to get myself around just fine. Saturday we got rear ended while sitting at a stoplight and I ended up with an ambulance ride to the ER.

It started out being such a fun day, out to breakfast with the kids before heading off to Makayla's dance recital. She was such a Little Princess and did such a fabulous job. =) Ya know, I'd share some pics with ya, but it seems my media card is refusing to let me have any of them and gives me this nasty card read error! Just thankful other family members have some and they are willing to share!

So after the recital is over, Butch and I head out to visit a couple scrap stores where I pick up some CC Early Bird (ADORABLE!!), and a few sheets of the OA Road Map, again ADORABLE!! The colors on these papers are so bright and cheery, and can't wait to find just the right pics for them. =)

Once Butch makes a quick stop at his cigar shop, we head home. We were both thinking of how thirsty we were and that we should pull into one of the fast food places on our way home for a soda. WHAM!! We get nailed at the light! I jolted forward and it felt like someone hit me with something hard in the back of the head! Instant headache and thought I was gonna barf!

Here come the cops, a firetruck with the paramedics, an ambulance! All this commotion is going on while Butch is being occupied by the cops and I'm getting hoisted on a body board, strapped in so tight, and hauled away! Ambulance rides SUCK!! They are the bumpiest things ever! If I wasn't injured before, I was once I got out of that thing!

Yes, I'm fine, in a bit of a fog, still a bit sore, but this too shall pass. =)

Simply Obsessed July Kit!

I think I'm gonna be in scrapbook heaven next month with this bright and festive kit from Simply Obsessed! Features Basic Grey's Lime Rickey and its just too yummy!


Also anxiously awaiting the announcement of the new Design Team for SO and its bound to be a fantastic set of ladies. I just love their work and another big push for me to join this club. They are so interactive with the members and to me that's ever so important.

Back to waiting!

The Birthday Girl!

Last night we celebrated Nicole's 31st Birthday!


And after cake and ice cream.....


....they settled into a grueling game of Chutes & Ladders.....


......where Nicole came out the victor!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICKIE!!!