much needed day out.....

Decided after the chaotic past week at work that I needed a day out with Nicole. We decided to see the "sights" of Portland and take in a bit of its uniqueness.

Breakfast at the food cart "Flavour"

 A trip to Saturday Market

Spotted some great signs

And just HAD to have a Voodoo Donut and stood in this

 line that wrapped around for almost an hour!

But it was soooooo worth it! 

The signature Voodoo Doll donut....

and of course, a maple bar with BACON!!

We also made a quick stop into Powell's Bookstore for some Easter gifts for Ruby & Makayla. Such a fun day and one we will repeat again very soon! 

Godspeed

cute cards & a couple layouts

I spotted this idea over at the  Cosmo Cricket blog and it was a quick and fun activity for Makayla and I to assemble while she was over visiting this morning. It took all of 30 minutes and a few scraps of paper and we each ended up with a set of three note cards. Cuteness!

And since I'm already blogging, here are a few more layouts from the past couple days. And yes, the date on the first one is correct. Those photos are from 2012! I think I'll forever be behind in my scrapping!

Now off to catch up on a few more!

Godspeed

get up!

Maggie loves giving special 'wake up calls' to Butch! She'll nuzzle and snuggle while giving lots and lots of puppy kisses!

A mix of older papers with newer products made this a quick and easy layout to pull together. TFL!

Godspeed

Welcome SPRING!

Our first day of Spring was typical of the PNW with rain, then sunshine, then more rain, and on and on!

Daffodils in full bloom!

Columbine shooting sprouts for flowers

And Bleeding Hearts peeking out to catch a glimpse of the sun!

Spring is my favorite season with all the newness that Mother Nature surrounds us with!

Godspeed

better late than never!

I've been trying really hard to get motivated enough to complete my Holidays 2012 album and I think it finally kicked into gear today! Its not that I don't want to document them, but I'm just ready for SPRING and warmer weather! So my little brain has decided that if I get them scrapped now, maybe, just maybe, Spring will be here shortly. Yeah I know, like that really matters, but it is Our Crazy Little World and I like my place in it. ;-)

 I love it when the pattern paper makes a great backdrop, just add some paper and you're done!

 My first try at Project Life. Not sure if I'd make it a steady diet, but it sure 

did help in getting these precious photos scrapped!

And these papers and photos were meant for each other! CRAZINESS!!

Now onto my next layout before all this mojo wears off!

Godspeed

i color beautiful

Sometimes you just come across a special moment in your normal everyday routine that you know you just have to capture. This is one of those! It was just "yesterday" when she was all scribbles, and now concentrates very hard to keep it within in lines.

Oh how I wish time could just slow down a bit!

Godspeed

Playtime!

A few weeks back I posted HERE about a technique I did with the Creative Jumpstart 2013 group. Decided to play again and just love the color combo I used and wanted to share with you.

Blended with the brayer to create this background.....

cut my tags to the desired size, added a bit of paint, and stamped on some images.....

Not sure where they're going to end up, but what a way to relax and get a bit creative!

Godspeed

Cropping!

Been having a blast the past couple days yucking it up with my scrapping buddies and getting some much needed play time. I dug deep into my stash of The ScrapRoom kits, found some oldie but goodies waiting for just the right pictures, and didn't even make a scratch......

 Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine - 2008

 SEI Poppy - 2008

Basic Grey Sugar Rush - 2009

October Afternoon Farm Fresh - 2009

 Bella Blvd. One Fall Day - 2010

WOW!! I did dig REALLY DEEP!! I'll have a couple more to post later. Thanks for stopping by!

Godspeed

Happy Valentine's Day!

finished!

LOVE the way this came out!

I knew I had to incorporate that heart because youngest grandaughter helped me tear and glue down the papers used to make it. Makes it even more special!

Now time to clean up my mess so I can break out my Cocoa Daisy kit that arrived at my doorstep today!

Godspeed

Relaxing!

I always thought that if I tried my hand at painting, I would be horrible at it, make too many mistakes and spend too much money on things I'd just toss, so never gave it a shot. But since taking it a bit farther and doing mixed media, that fear is a thing of the past!

I love being able to layer papers, create different textures with different mediums, and eventually it hits me - This isn't necessarily what I had in mind when I started, but like the way its turning out! Example is this one I've had on my table for a couple days. It started out like this:

But look at it now!

I was trying to incorporate a large heart into this, but not so sure now, but who knows, stranger things have been created! I'll be back with my progress later.....

Godspeed

February goals!

Yep! Its that time again! I do much better when I set some goals especially in my creating area. Life tends to just bog me down and it seems my creativity has to take a back burner, but since setting goals, I make it a point to get in here and play! Besides, play makes me happy, and happy is good for the heart & soul!

#1 - create a layout to completion every other day

#2 - finish scrapping 2012 Christmas photos

By combining #1 & #2 I should easily accomplish them IF I don't get sidetracked - *snicker*!! And if I happen to kill off a kit or two, that'll help boost the numbers over at The ScrapRoom's Kit Killer Challenge! A win-win for all. ;-)

#3 - Keep up with my Canvas Create class by Donna Downey. I don't want to get behind on the first class before the second shows up in my email box! 

I think that's a hefty enough set of goals to get me going. After all, if the sun does pop out, I'd much rather be out there soaking up the rays! Wish me luck!!

Godspeed

OLW

That is the topic of my layout this posting - One Little Word, and mine is FOCUS as I stated in an earlier posting. I want release all those feelings and situations of the past and focus on my year ahead without it bogging me down. In my layout, I represented the "letting the old me go" with a kit at The ScrapRoom from 2007 that needs to be used up once and for all! And the "focus on the year ahead" is the stenciled arrows and tracing with an opaque white pen as me looking ahead to the start of a new year. Its not my normal scrapping, but it made me happy and I'm glad I took that leap ahead and focused on what I wanted instead of the norm as before!

Thanks for stopping by!

Godspeed

Experimenting!

Not sure what anyone else does when you wake at 12:30AM and can't get back to sleep, but me, I tend to venture into my crafty area and dig in! I've been receiving daily videos from Creative Jump Start 2013 for the entire month of January and I can tell you I've picked up some awesome ideas to incorporate into my layouts, mini albums, and mixed media. I think there's still time to sign up, so just following the link above and check them out!

Here is a technique from Nathalie Kalbach that I found pretty darn sweet and just had to try! I have a bunch of 3" scrap strips sitting here & taped them together, grabbed my paints, the rubber brayer, and went to work....

dab on small dots of paints......

roll one way.....

and then the other......

grabbed a alpha stencil, mixed up my ink, and spritzed away!

Not sure exactly what I'll be doing with this in the future, but do see at least a tag or two to incorporate into layouts, and maybe, just maybe, some of it will show up in a mixed media project! Try it, you might enjoy the "freedom" this type of playing gives you!

Godspeed

Field trip!

The Portland Aquarium opened just before Christmas and we've been wanting to make a visit to check things out. Although they are just in the beginning stages and some of the exhibits aren't quite complete, we had a wonderful time exploring the fishes:

Can't wait to sort and develop the numerous photos we took today and get them scrapped!

Godspeed

changes....

Yep, got to start making some changes and I'm starting with the amount of time I spend on this computer! Hours and hours of the internet, Facebook, and all that other stuff associated with it has taken over my life and it needs to change, NOW! I love chatting with people, but lets face it, most of them I chat with I've never actually met in person. We have common interests, but I'm getting a bit too sucked in and its not healthy. I sit on my backside for HOURS on end when I should be cleaning, doing laundry, creating with my hands, baking, or even taking a stroll outside with Maggie on the leash.

So, I'm going to FOCUS on the amount of time I spend on here and set the timer for 15 minutes. Once that timer goes off, I have to force myself to do something constructive for at least an hour before returning. I'm even catching myself checking the internet with my phone at work!! I'm  an ADDICT!! and its time to break that bad habit, starting now.

Off here to set the timer for an hour of "constructive, get something done" time! While I'm at it, I think I'll just quickly jot down what I actually did, who knows, it may work! Wish me luck!

Godspeed

Bustin' into that stash this past week!

Yep, dug REAL deep to find the papers for this first layout. They are spooktacular by Teresa Collins from 2008. I actually thought I had used them and was pleasantly surprised when I found them! They were so perfect for this layout of my grandbabies and their friend at Halloween this past year....

I want to get my photos from Christmas 2012 done before moving onto others and Fancy Pants' St Nick were just the ticket....

I'm wanting to keep them simple, without alot of embellies, so I can focus on the photos and the good times we had during our holidays! More to come......

Godspeed

Layouts!

Feels really good to get back to my scrappy stuff! In the past few days, I've made a point to be creative in some way each and every day even if only for 10 minutes here or there. This first one is from my Cocoa Daisy October kit - the kids and grandbabies dressed up for Halloween. Could you imagine a reality TV show about them?! LOL!!

Most people do a December Daily for their Holiday photos, but I never seem to have time with working extra hours and all that goes into December. So, I decided I would just scrap my photos taken in December using whatever paper fit the subject, do them in 8.5x11 since most will be one or two photos, and put them into one album and call it "Our Holidays!" And I'm off to a good start with the following......

Thanks for stopping by!

Godspeed

Staying FOCUSed!

I've decided this is a great place to keep track of my weight loss and added my "pounds lost" badge to my blog. Its just a great reminder to me to stay on track, to stick with my healthier eating patterns, and FOCUS on me! And to date, I've lost 3.8lbs.! AWESOME!!

Godspeed

FOCUS on a healthier me for 2013!

This year I chose the word FOCUS and for good reason. Life tends to get me so distracted at times that I get so caught up in "the other stuff" that I forget to FOCUS on ME! Its not that I mind one bit, but I've also noticed my pants getting tighter - again! - and need to do something about it before it really comes back to haunt me in a big way!

I've joined MyFitnessPal.com and started writing down everything that passes my lips. I want to stick as closely to the 17 Day Diet as I can and get back to making those smarter eating choices. The Holidays are over, the cookies and goodies gone, and its time to FOCUS on putting good foods in my fridge and getting this weight back to a year ago when I felt good about my insides as well as my outsides.

So far the hardest part is giving up my coffee. I don't think its the caffeine as much as my love for coffee that is getting in my way! For now I'm not beating myself up, just drinking an extra water for each cup I drink.

Writing it down here keeps me accountable and besides, I can type quicker than I can write this out!

Godspeed

Farewell 2012.....

It was definitely a year of ups and down, joys and sorrows, peace and uprisings, and life and death. I think we all have learned something with all that's happened in 2012 and will do our best to right the wrongs and embrace the rights.

My wish to all is for a year of health and happiness from the beginning of the New Year and all throughout 2013. Remember, don't wait for happiness to find you, make that happiness for yourself!

Godspeed

Oh, Christmas Tree!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This year we decided on a larger 9 foot artificial tree with the lights already attached. What a smart investment!! Less stress getting the lights "just so" and no wear and tear on the knees! Decorating is courtesy of the two cutest little girls in this world! Love their little ornament clusters, which stay in place cause that's where they're suppose to be! 

Godspeed

Christmas tag!

Its been a trying week and I just needed some cheering, I want to feel like myself again.  Decided to try my hand at making a tag to eventually use on a layout.

With a combination of mists, inks, stamps, punches, washi tape, and baker's twine, I think it came out pretty darn cute and totally did the trick for cheering me up!

Godspeed

Santa visit!

Its that time of year again! And of course you can never get them both to give you a BIG smile at the same time, but even with a half smile they sure are cute!!

HO! HO!! HO!!!

Godspeed

As promised.....

... here are more of those layouts I completed in November:

Little Ruby in her Princess chair!

Makayla helping take care of little sis - awwww!

Not sure how much I'll get accomplished in December, but in the meantime there are cards to be made and jammies to be sewn!

Godspeed