FRUSTRATION!!!

Ever been accused of something that you didn't even know was wrong in the first place? Right now I am so frustrated, I just want to scream!! We received a parking citation yesterday, that unfortunately I didn't find until this morning at 6:25am, on my way to work no less. The frustrating part about it all is, we could have parked the rig in the driveway if we'd known it was illegally parked where it was at! How can one know these things if not posted?? Why not a courtesy knock on the front door? DAMN!

April has been a VERY TRYING month for Butch & I and we just want it over and done with. NOW!! Bring on a kinder, gentler May, PLEASE!!!!

Happy Saturday!

Today we are just chillin'. Nothing like a laid back day after a long work week and readying the yard for the season. =)

Yesterday was a day of discovery. While working in our backyard, Makayla spotted some ladybugs. At first she just wanted to look:


but curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to hold one:


Which she thought was cool until it started crawling! She flicked it off and decided she would just look from now on!!

And speaking of spring things, how about these Bleeding Hearts! They are so HUGE this year and blooming like crazy!


And this morning, I decided a bit of scrapping was in order. Here is Nicole & Makayla making our Easter posies a few weeks ago. I used the Cosmos Cricket Girl Friday papers from my The ScrapRoom April kit. I love my crafty buddies!!


Have a great day! Godspeed

Just to say Hello!

Using the Making Memories Love Notes line, I created this card for my April card swap group. I had a hard time trying to use this paper for layouts, but it came together quite nicely for this. =)


It is a glorious Spring day in the Pacific Northwest, so I'm off to enjoy it!

Godspeed.

Just wanna say....

....you know when you've seen the perfect picture cause all you want to do is look at it and go "AWWWW!" Well, I scrapped it so I can say that over and over and over as many times as I want!


Come on, say it with me..... "AWWWWW!"

Spring layouts

A few weekends ago we had the pleasure of some beautiful sunshine and spectacular warm days and decided to make the best of them! We picked Makayla up around 11AM and had a fun filled day.......

feeding the ducks:


playing in the park:


doing some spring cleaning outdoors:


and celebrating Makayla's Great Grandma's 72nd birthday:

And yes, we were pooped when it was all said and done, but one of those days that you never wanted to end! =)

Godspeed.

Happy Easter!

I know I'm a day early, but wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter! This afternoon was filled with a flurry of activities including making these pretties for our dinnertable tomorrow. Nicole, Makayla, and myself had fun with buttons, felt, ribbon, paper, and glue dots to create these pretty flowers! And since tomorrow we'll be getting together, we made some cute little cupcakes for dessert. I don't know of a better way to spend an afternoon!!

Guess What?

Today at The ScrapRoom its my turn as Guest Designer! Thanks Janine!! The topic today is:

April 4 - Layered Felt Flowers
I discovered a newfound love for felt on my layouts and cards and when asked, this one seems to be right up my alley! I used some felt shapes from my ever growing stash and others I cut using my Original Sizzix and some dies I have. Here are the three samples I made:

Sewn with a button center:

Layered and attached with a brad:

Sewn together with a beaded center:

Each took only a few minutes to put together and with a little imagination, one could make plenty ahead of time for those layouts or cards! Have fun!

HELLO SUNSHINE!!

Really!! The sun is shining right now as I type and is forcasted to last thru the weekend! I won't be here long but wanted to share with you some cute little embellies that our Diva Janine at The ScrapRoom has challenged us to make. She'll be doing this all month and so far, I'm loving them all!!

April 1 - Paper Posies
Just scrunch your paper scraps, rip out three different sized circles, ink the edges, and attach your favorite fastener, which I sewed a button:



April 2 - Add glitter to sticker letters
Unfortunately, I don't have any glitter, but will definitely keep this one in mind for the future. There's nothing worse than needing just one more letter but its the wrong color! Now, I could just make my own!!

April 3 - Add Pattern Paper to Chipboard
I just traced my chipboard shape onto my pattern paper, cut it out, attached with Elmer's Spray Adhesive, and it was dry in 30 seconds. Next I sanded the edges with an emery board and spritzed on some Maya Road Red Mist. While it was drying I punched a circle for my center, then inked both it and the flower base. To assembled I used a pop dot for attaching the center flower for depth, and a glue dot for the button.

This was so EASY and I wish I would have tried it sooner!!


So, check them out this month and get inspired! Now, I'm going out to play in the sunshine!!

The Results Are In!

But unfortunately, I wasn't the big winner or even a runner up. But it was sooooo much fun and it was great to get know the ladies over at Life Preservers better! Congrats to the winners and Von has promised us another fun game in the future.

March Sheetload

I've been dabbling in cards on and off now for about a year and some of the best inspiration comes from Sheetload Of Cards. I decided this month to use their sketch in my monthly card swapping group and our theme was Male or Female Adult Birthday:


The photo is one taken of the roses from my Valentine this year. He has such good taste, doesn't he!

Cruise Wk #8

Well, we are heading home now to sunny Southern California. It's been a fun cruise and about to get interesting. Yes there is still a layout, but a tricky twist to be revealed on this coming Sunday. Hmmmm, what does that crusie director have in store for us??

This week, no procrastinating from moi! We are to make a layout based on this sketch by Mindy at Restless Creativity :


And my take on her sketch is Makayla transplanting her little sprouts into larger containers. She was so careful and had to do it by herself!


I'll have to check back with ya on Sunday for the finale and maybe some exciting news!! Afterall, a year subscription to Life Preservers is at stake!!

Cruise Wk #7

After Tokyo, we set sail for the states. Enroute, we had a thief going thru our cabins rummaging thru all our scrapbook supplies!! By the time it was discovered we were only left with three brads, a yard of ribbon, one piece of pattern paper, two flowers, and one 12x12 sheet of cardstock. We were sent into the ballroom under lockdown until the thief could be found! So, we made the best of it since they also made it an open bar to contain this cruise ship full of angry scrappers!! We can get vicious if need be, I tell ya!! Anyways, we land in the chilly air of Alaska and using just the items listed above, in addition to adhesive, black pen, scissors, and paper cutters, we had to create our next layout.

So, here I am, procrastinating is my middle name, and waited until late sunday to get mine posted. While looking at the rest of the layouts, two things stuck out to me.....they were all 12x12 and no titles. I thought, okay these gals have been at sea too long! NO!! It was me, I messed up!!!


All I can say, is the cruise director was so kind and allowed me continue on the cruise with the rest of the scrappers. She is the bestest cruise director!!

And just one more thing. I really thought it looked too plain, so I had to go back and add some cut little rubons. Shhhhh, don't tell Von!! But doesn't it just add to the whole layout! =)

Catch up time!!

EGADS!! Where did March go??

First let me catch you all up on my virtual cruise. Week #6 ended up being a crazy port of call for me and no time to scrap! Remember that free pass I spoke about? Well, I used it already. We ended up in Tokyo, Japan and the sushi was just too good to ignore and since I'm not a raw fish eater on a regular basis, it didn't like my system all that much!! I know, TMI!! =) That's what so fun about this virtual stuff, you can just make up excuses as you go! LOL!!

Cruise Wk #5

This particular week on the cruise we were to create a layout that was anything but a 12 x 12 size. Since I've been dabbling in the 8 1/2 x 11, it was perfect for me. I found this sketch in Scrapbooks Etc.'s 2008 Page Planner. By the way, I also earned myself a 'free pass' for the cruise just in case I get overwhelmed by life one of these weeks!

These photos are from this past weekend when we celebrated Greg's birthday.

Cruise Wk #4

Got a bit behind in posts about our virtual cruise. So, let's get caught up.

This cruise has been a blast and this is week #4. Unfortunately, during the week we were accidentally locked in our cabins while at port. It was quite lonely in there and the object was to do a layout of those we'd miss the most. This one was especially easy for me, since my husband,children & grandaughter, are the most important part of me.

These photos are from this past Christmas:

Framed Artwork

Well, I did it. I finally decided that some of my layouts need to be seen, not hidden away in books on the shelf. Since its "almost" Spring, I decided to showcase my most recent floral photo layout.


Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn't cooperating today and my home is rather dark, so, I photographed this near a brighter window instead of its proper placement in my kitchen. How I long for bright, sunny skies .......

Enjoy!

It's coming!!

Spring is on its way and lookie what I saw outside my bedroom window!! Love the site of the crocus in bloom, cause it means Spring is almost here!!

Got 5 minutes? Make a cake!!

Cake in a mug that is! Such an easy recipe that our Makayla helped make it! I found this over at Life Preserver's and just knew I had to try it.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (optional) and vanilla extract. Mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, and rise it does!! Look here:




But it does settle back down before its thru baking.



And finally, my critics had to make sure it was good enough to eat! Looks like it got the nod of approval:


There is definitely plenty for two per mug and, when served warm with whipped topping, made for an EXCELLENT quick dessert idea! Go ahead, be brave, but remember, its not calorie free! But then again, a substitution for the sugar and low fat topping would help. Just trying to help my girlfriends out here!

ENJOY!

Our recent port of call

This week Life Preserver's Cruise Around The World In 8 Layouts port of call was Acropolis Hill in Athens, Greece. The kit club's owner, Von, loves the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, hence the location this week. She's a clever one I tell ya!!

Anyways, we were to do a layout on our favorite movie. Since I'm a sucker for the prince coming in to save the damzel in distress, I chose Snow White. With all the snow we've had this winter, I wanted to scrap this photo in a layout and this challenge was just the ticket. Here's my submission for this week:



I love this Bo Bunny Winter Whisper kit from the month of January!! Did I mention Von has great taste in papers, too!!

Sad day......

I made it official today, I cancelled my subscription to The ScrapRoom. I feel so sad. I could sit here and have a pity party for myself, but what good would that do? So instead, let me tell ya a little bit about them......

Tammy's kits have always been the best bang for the buck. I may not have cared for every kit, but that's where my creativity came in. If I didn't like them for a layout, a card or project usually came to mind. I have missed my monthly kits since November, and only felt it was fair to give her a heads up and just cancel altogether.

If any of you are interested, she has some fabulous choices for the upcoming months that I'm sure you'd enjoy! And her customer service has always been topnotch and I always appreciated her prompt replies to my concerns. Check her out, you'll be glad you did!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

So what do you and your sweetheart have planned? Butch is now on his way home! We did celebrate on tuesday cause we didn't think he'd be home, so I guess we get to do repeats. Don't get to do that too often!!

So, while waiting for him, I decided to list some things in my Etsy store BJ's Boutique. So far there's only two notecards on there, but I plan on adding new stuff this next week. I'm so excited because I already see two hits on the one card, and its only been listed for less than 30 minutes! =)

I would have listed more, but this darn sinus headache is doing me in and the screen looks blurry. So I think its time for another round of hotpacks on my face to relieve the pressure.

Godspeed.....

Whosh!!

And another month has passed me by!! Things have just been hairy around here and just trying to deal with the economic situation of today's world is enough to make a person want to run away from it all. Believe me, if Butch & I knew for sure that we could handle being away from our kids and that adorable Makayla, we'd be living in a tent somewhere on one of the Hawaiian Islands by now! Some days we just want to sell all this "stuff" and just RUN!!!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out.......

I've been on a crusie of sorts with the gals at Life Preservers and having a blast! It's called Cruise Around The World In 8 Layouts, whereas you have to solve the clue for the week and then scrap a layout based on the clues. Week one's clue was the tourist symbol for the state of Virginia. Do ya know what it is? See if you can figure it out in my layout:


And week two, was based on a clue about Errol Barrow, a national hero of this Carribean country. Once we guessed which country, we were given the clue to base our layout on. Can you guess which country they are referring to?? And again, my layout based on the clue which had to do with the colors of a photo:



I promise to keep you posted with the remaining six ports of call when they come. =) I figure any distraction from reality right now, is a very good thing!!

My entry!

A neat sketch site I visit weekly is 52 Sketches...52 weeks and this week I actually have time to sit down and make a layout the week its posted! So here it is, little Makayla, our "snow angel":


I used MME Be Merry, Bazzill cardstock, Heidi Swap ghost snowflake, handmade snowflake from CraftydsCreations.etsy.com, Making Memories tiny alphas, American Craft felt thickers, and buttons from my stash. TFL!

Money saving idea

With my trips to the LSS not as frequent, and having to cut back on my kit club buying, I've decided to become more and more frugal with my supplies. Sure, I would use up smaller papers to make cards, or alter an item in the past, but just recently I've become SERIOUS about stretching my scrapbooking dollars!

A few months ago, I would have thrown out these small strips of paper, but since I'm such a user of scallops, I put my trusty Fiskars Threading Water Punch to work! You may think some of these pieces are just too small, but once you find yourself grabbing for them time and time again, you'll look at them in a whole new light.



I keep them in Ziploc storage bags by size, i.e., 1" to 6" in one bag and everything above in another. Hope this little tidbit can help you make your scrapping dollars go farther!

Has it REALLY been a month?!?

I can't believe the Holidays came and went and I didn't post here! I promise to catch up before heading back to work on thursday, after my vacation. First, I want to show off my newest reorganizing I've done in my scrap area! I will say, I'm pretty fond of it and, although its not quite complete, its so much nicer than what I was using for the past two years!
The before:

And now with my new desk:

......storage cubes:

......and my drawers that pretty much house my embellies, stamps, and finished cards. Oh, and the bottom one, that's for Makayla's treasures!

Thank you IKEA for the wonderful products to make this space possible!! So what do ya think? =)

It's complete!

Our tree just isn't finished until Makayla and Papa get the star on the top! NOW we can bring on the Christmas festivities!



Happy Holidays to All!!

I am finished!

With making the Holiday cards that is. Decided to mix it up a bit this year and go half with Holiday photo greeting card and the other half handmade. Actually, my real reason is I'm just flat running out of time and if we don't get them mailed next week, some may not get to their final destinations in time. Now the next not so small feat, is to gather up all those addresses and make sure no one has moved and if they have, to make sure I actually have the correct one.

I am so in the cookie making mood today! All those calories are gonna sneak up on me pronto and before I know it, that pair of jeans I bought a month ago may not fit the same way. EGADS! The thought!! So, I must refrain from going overboard, at least that's what I keep telling myself. =)

Got the house all festive now and with the help of my Little Elf, Makayla, we managed to decorate the tree as well. She is just too cute this year! I think she finally gets it, and the activities of the season are so fun to see thru a child's eyes. Here she is last week when we picked out the tree for us. Love the look of excitement on her face!

I WON!

After a long day at the salt mines, I came home, started checking out some of my favorite scrappin' message boards and was I plesantly surprised!! Over at Life Preservers they randomly passed out Pink Tickets in the November kit and I was one of the lucky ones. But to actually have MY number drawn was FABULOUS!! Here is my prize and I just can't wait to receive it. =)

> December Featured Mega & December exclusive stamps <

Can you see me doing the Happy Dance?!?

CupCards {to go}

Oh my goodness! This is a new kit club just for cards and it is WONDERFUL!! CupCards {to go} has created the most adorable kits for the cardmaker in all of us. The December kit is only the second month and I like it even better than the first. Do yourself a favor and check 'em out. I think the New Year will be bringing me a new kit!

Quick gift

Thought I'd share a quick gift idea with you. This is something I found at Sheetload the other day. Very inexpensive and quick to assemble. I'm sure someone on your Christmas list would love to receive this!

A great sunny morning to you!

YES!! We have sunshine for two whole days in a row! Excited doesn't even start to describe how I feel! I think Maggie deserves a walk in the fresh air today. =)

Yesterday, I felt I was doing a scrappin' marathon and managed to get lots done. Christmas cards, a couple for Thanksgiving, and then polished off the pics from the pumpkin patch. Well, almost, I have one set left, but haven't quite figured out how I want it look just yet. So, here's what I did get assembled:




And aren't these just the cutest?! Makayla wanted to do a "project" this past week and we made these placecards for our Thanksgiving dinner table. She helped glue the bases together and since I decorated the front, she did the backs. Love that look on her face! =)



Thanks for allowing me to share tidbits of my life with you. Godspeed.

Stories At Hand

Before I forget, I'm take this class by Jessica Sprague and is it ever fabulous! It was free and free is a wonderful price in today's economy, so I figured, why not. It has tons of prompts to get you journaling about you and your family members. She has it neatly formatted in pdf files for you to download and print off to make this darling notebook for yourself to refer back when journaling on layouts, or just because. I thought I would use my Bind It All, but can't seem to locate the 2" coils, so I guess I'm off to find me some jumprings. Where there's a will, there's a way!


Once I get it all done, I'll post again, just in case you feel you need one!