...just my one cent...

Win a Melly Kay Custom Blythe!

2010-11-07T20:40:00.003-05:00

Melly Kay is giving away one of her gorgeous customs over at Blythe Life, Bellatrix Gamma Ray!

Photos by Melly Kay

Be sure to stop by and read all about Melly Kay and her awesome dollies. I'm getting a doll done by her in March...I can't wait!

Busy, busy, busy!

2010-10-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

I've been hard at work on my Blythe headbands. I'm so excited....I think people will really like them! They should be up for sale in my shop the next couple days. If you're a member at Plastic Paradise, I'm also a sponsor for the Treasure Hunt at the end of the week.

Oh, and lest you think I dress poor Jubilee in crazy Barbie and the Rockers pants on a regular basis, she wore them especially for this photo (which is probably one of my favorite Blythe shots I've done so far!):

Today is Wednesday, so that means One Buck Wednesday over at JessicaSprague.com! You can get the super cute KD Candy Coated Garden kit for a buck today:

So, head over there and get it! More to come soon!

The latest from Kitschy Digitals

2010-10-03T20:32:00.005-05:00

I'm a week late in posting this, but Danielle has done it again....another amazing Kitschy Digitals kit, Braided! Also be sure to check out the KD site to see the new look!

I did something a little different this time. I printed the rosettes out onto printable canvas in three sizes per style, then layered them for dimension. I added some embroidered felt leaves I made, vintage buttons, then attached an alligator clip for a cute hair accessory (modeled by my gorgeous sister).

Things have been busy around here. Our little man just turned one a couple days ago. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! He started taking his first steps last Tuesday, too! We are having a blast watching him grow. He is so much fun.

He likes chewing on unopened popsicles. He has molars coming in, so I think it feels good on his gums. He already has 10 teeth!

My latest project has been fabric headbands for Blythe. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I finally found a way to make the back stretchy that I'm happy with. I'll have them on sale in my Etsy shop very soon. Here is the first one I started fooling around with, using vintage yo yos from the 1930's:

More to come....as always, I have a lot to catch up on!

Fresh Blooms Kit

2010-09-09T08:25:00.003-05:00

Danielle has created another amazing Kitschy Digitals kit.....Fresh Blooms!

Here's the layout I did with the kit:

As always, I printed the elements on to textured Bazzill, then paper scrapped as I normally would. You get the look of pretty hand-rolled flowers without the bulk!

Check here and here to see the gorgeous projects the other KD Girls did with the kit.

The big 3-0.

2010-09-06T12:11:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday was my 30th birthday. I just don't FEEL like I'm already 30! Not that I find it old or anything. It just seems like time is flying by, especially this past year since Fisher was born. Chad made it a special day for me, though. I have such a sweet husband.

Fisher and I recently got back from a trip to Savannah, GA with my parents and sister. It was great, because we haven't done something like that as a family in SO LONG! We had a wonderful time.

And this sweet thing was my gift from my parents:

My mom made her hat, too! I named her Ivey (another one of the girl names we liked when I was pregnant), and she is a custom by Friends With Blythe. I am just smitten with her! The first one was taken at Back in the Day Bakery (home of the most AMAZING banana pudding you will ever taste in your life!), and the second one was taken at the Roundhouse Museum, both in Savannah.

A new Kitschy Digitals kit and layout, Savannah photos and Fisher's 11 month photos to come!

One Buck Wednesday

2010-08-25T07:37:00.004-05:00

Today, you can get the Carnivale Photo Booth Frames from Kitschy Digitals for only $1.00:

You DO NOT have to be a digital scrapper to use these. I just print them out onto white cardstock, measure the area for the photos, then print the photos that size to layer over the top on my page. Or, you could add the photos in on the computer, and print everything out together. They'll be $1.00 until midnight tonight, so head over to JessicaSprague.com and get yours!

Our Sweet Boy.

2010-08-23T13:51:00.002-05:00

Just a couple new photos of our sweet kid:

He's growing so fast, but it's a blast, let me tell you. He has a mind of his own, and he's hilarious! I am cherishing every single little moment with him.

Tribal Bellydancer

2010-08-19T12:53:00.005-05:00

My sister and I both used to bellydance up until about 2 years ago. We never got to do photos of her in costume when she was dancing, so last time I went up for a visit, we got her all dolled up in my Tribal stuff and did some photos. I haven't edited ALL of the ones that I like, but here are two of my favorites:

She's just gorgeous. I LOVE taking photos of her! She's wearing one of my button rings...you can see it in the black and white one.

Still working like crazy on new embellishments that will be appearing in the shop update in about a month. I'm also on a purging kick. I'm so closed in in my craft room by all the STUFF, and feel the need for space and simplicity. Good thing my friend is having a yard sale here soon when it cools off a bit. Cause I'm getting rid of LOTS.

New Kitschy Digitals Kit

2010-08-17T08:04:00.006-05:00

Danielle has released another awesome Kitschy Digitals kit, Calico Dream:

It comes with tons of cute, retro calico papers, as well as flower cut-outs and a sheet of printable gift tags! Here is the layout I did using the kit:

As always, I printed all the elements and papers out onto textured Bazzill, then paper scrapped as usual. The background paper and red scallop are Sassafras.

And bonus- all the Kitschy Digitals kits, including the new one, are 30% off this week through Sunday over at JessicaSprague.com!

Hey, two posts in one week! I'm getting better. I want to stay on top of my blog. I'm going to start having a giveaway every Monday here in about a month. Gotta get to planning lil' man's first birthday! More to come soon, I still have lots to share!

Waaay behind on posting. Eeeep.

2010-08-15T09:10:00.008-05:00

So, first off, to make you smile, here's a cute photo of my little man:

This is his 9 month photo. And he's already 10 1/2 months. And I JUST did some 10 month photos (although I DO take photos of him almost every day!). Ack. He was "talking" to me when I took the photo. This one's my favorite yet, though, and it's gonna be hard to beat!

My two latest layouts:

This one uses the Chalkboard Papers kit from Kitschy Digitals. I printed out parts of the papers, then cut out the shapes to use. I used actual chalk to write the "teehee" onto the paper.

On this one I used the Candy Coated Garden kit, also from Kitschy Digitals. These flowers just look AMAZING printed out. They look so real and jump right off the paper. It was fun doing a girly page. The doilies, frame, and feathers are also from KD. Here's a detail shot:

I've been working on some fun new embellishments for my poor, neglected Etsy shop. I've been selling my vintage button rings at the shop I work at (and they've been selling like CRAZY!), so I haven't made much else. I'm aiming to get a lot of stuff made and get my shop full and running by the time I go back to work full time in mid-October. That gives me plenty of time to not stress over it!

Lots more to come: Bellydancing photos of my sister, a handmade paper Blythe dress, and a new girl coming soon!

A couple new layouts!

2010-06-26T21:16:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to share my two latest layouts! I tell you, I just don't get sick of Sassafras....or handstitching for that matter. Lots of those on both pages.

The fabric embellishments like the one I used on my Jubilee LO are available in my shop. So fun....I just couldn't resist using one after I made them!

I also just finished up another batch of Vintage Button Rings, as well. Here's a peek of the designs before they were cleaned and assembled:

I've already taken the photos, now I just need to get them edited and listed in my shop. More to come soon....a new Kitschy Digitals LO is in the works!

Anyone want 33 FREE digital kits?

2010-06-19T10:13:00.005-05:00

JessicaSprague.com is having a blog hop this weekend to celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of the site, and you can collect free digital kits from all the site's designers! As I said, they're all FREE, but only for this weekend. All the details are HERE and you start with Jessica's blog HERE.

Here's the Kitschy Digitals kit from Danielle:

And here's the Hybrid LO I did using the kit:

The cool thing is that all 33 kits are color coordinated, so you can mix and match. And you don't have to be a digital scrapper to use them. I print digital elements out on textured carstock, then paper scrap as I normally would. Since I don't have a 12x12 printer, I patchwork the papers in the background to cover a whole 12x12 piece of paper. You could even do this for other crafts....card making, gift wrapping....it's not just limited to scrapbooking.

Get out there and collect all your kits!

Layouts and babies and dollies...

2010-06-16T08:24:00.012-05:00

Of course, I have been a bad blogger AGAIN! I have so much to share! First of all are the layouts I have done for Kitschy Digitals in the last month. Danielle released some AWESOME kits in May. Here are the layouts I did with them:

On my 7 Months layout, I used the Watercolor Doilies Paper Collection. Since I don't have a 12x12 printer, I just resized them to 3x3, printed them all out, and made a patchwork background. This way I was able to use ALL the papers. The frame and the lemon are also from KD.

On the Coral Jean layout, I used the Granny's Attic Kit. This is my absolute favorite kit that Danielle has made! I just love it. I printed out the potholder in several sizes, then layered it with pop dots in between. I also did the silk flower in layers to add dimension, then sewed little pearls over the printed ones. Those are ACTUAL yo yos, pins, and buttons. The printed stuff looks so real you can hardly tell the difference!

I also wanted to share Fisher's 8 month photos. This cute kid is growing so fast! His EIGHTH tooth just came through this morning! When I was doing the photos, he kept smiling as soon as I'd take the camera away from my face, but he was "talking" through all of them, and they turned out cute, anyways:

I know I'm biased since he's my son, but isn't he just the cutest?! I love taking photos on our front deck because I like woodgrain look in the background.

One last thing to share. My dolly family is now up to two:

This is Jubilee. She's a Sugaroni Custom Blythe that I adopted from Plastic Paradise, and I just adore her red hair and freckles.

Oh, and don't forget today is One Buck Wednesday over at JessicaSprague.com. You can get the super cool Granny's Sewing Basket kit for only $1!

Well, that gets me caught up for the most part. I have some fun fabric and other supplies for new goodies I will be making, so I'll post photos of that stuff in the next couple days.

Ugh....spam comments!

2010-06-09T07:04:00.004-05:00

I have been getting TONS of spam advertising comments on my blog lately, so I've turned on comment moderation. I hate to have to do that, but I'm so tired of going and deleting all those comments. Please don't let this keep you from commenting when I actually DO update!

I do have some stuff to update with, but I'm visiting with family right now. In the meantime, check out my Flickr, because I've been keeping that pretty up to date lately.

New Family Member

2010-04-27T13:42:00.006-05:00

So, I've wanted a Blythe doll since FOREVER! Okay, maybe for several years, then. And of course between Danielle and the few other girls on the Kitschy Digitals team that have them, I've been drooling. Well.....my wait is over! My mom got me a Cassiopeia Spice as a wonderful gift. Here's Coral Jean, or CJ for short:

I am extremely pleased with how the hamburger photo came out. My mom recently brought me all my old Barbie stuff (before we even ordered the doll!) and when I found it, this photo formed in my head. She's so fun to photograph.

In scrapping news....Danielle has released two more Kitschy Digitals kits that are pretty darn amazing:

They're both available at JessicaSprague.com. Check out the Kitschy Digitals Blog to see lots of gorgeous projects made with these kits, and for some awesome inspiration in general.

More pics of my adorable kid comin' up next. :)

Kitschy Digitals Sale

2010-04-17T20:51:00.003-05:00

Head over to JessicaSprague.com RIGHT NOW for the sale on Kitschy Digitals!

Kitschy Digitals Layout

2010-03-31T12:44:00.006-05:00

Here's the first layout I've done for Kitschy Digitals. I've gotta tell you...it's so fun having a baby to photograph and scrap! Last month, my Mom and I took Fisher to Arkansas to surprise Grandma. She hadn't met Fisher yet...he's her 28th Great Grandchild. They look so sweet together.

This is the most I've ever used digital elements on a page, and I really like it! You can make everything exactly the size you want it, and it all looks so great printed out. I printed everything on textured white Bazzill, so it adds a little extra something to the look of the elements.

Kitschy Digitals items used: Frame (Thrift Store Chic Frames Kit), Pink Leaves (Olivia Kit), Wooden Plaque (Skyler Kit), Round Scallops and Scalloped Border (made using the Fabric Covered Buttons Kit on Photoshop).

In baby news....Fisher started solid foods AND went to the beach for the first (and second and third!) time this last week, so I have some fun photos to share!

In the works....

2010-03-20T21:23:00.003-05:00

This is what I'm working on right now for my Etsy shop...little flower embellishments! They're made of paper and fabric, and will be available in several colors.

Coming very soon! I have a nice little stack finished already. :)

Our Sweet Boy.

2010-03-19T10:22:00.003-05:00

A new photo of our little Fisher. He's already 5 1/2 months old. Growing so fast!

I'm really proud of this photo. I just love how it turned out. Definitely need to frame this one!

Kitschy Digitals!

2010-03-17T11:14:00.010-05:00

I am so happy to announce that I am one of the new Creative Team Members for Kitschy Digitals! Woohoo! I've been so excited about this and about to burst at the seams wanting to tell everyone since the end of last week. Check out Danielle's blog to see the complete announcement. I'm on a team with some amazingly talented ladies!

I even took a new photo of myself for the occasion. Now I have a current photo on everything instead of using one that is like three years old!

Also, the brand spaking new Vintage Cameras Kit is $1.00 for today only (until midnight) on JessicaSprague.com. Woodgrain and cute vintage camera graphics...how can you not love that? So, get on over there and check it out!

This is a card I made using the kit. It's tough to tell, but the flowers and border are made from papers from the kit. The frame is from the Thift Store Chic Picture Frames Deux kit.

There are some scrappy type items coming soon for my Etsy shop, and new rings and brooches in the works...not to mention stuff I've photographed and still need to list. I just got over 70 different colors of wool felt and 5 pounds of designer fabric scraps, so I'm all set to do some crafting! Happy St. Patty's Day!

The Perfect Collar

2010-02-18T14:39:00.012-05:00

As any of you who know me or follow my blog know, we have a Boston Terrier named Pickle:

I was browsing on Etsy this morning, and, by chance, I found the most perfect collar ever:

Forget the fact that I JUST got both Marley and Pickle new matching collars a week ago, Chad and I agreed this was just too good to pass up. It was his size and everything! I got it from California Collars. They even have a Boston Terrier on their avatar. It was collar fate.

So much to catch up on!

2010-02-17T09:42:00.011-05:00

I have been caught up in getting my new Etsy shop going that my poor blog has been neglected! You will start seeing a lot more posting from now on.

First, Fisher's 4 month photo....he turned 4 months two weeks ago, but I still have to share this toothy picture!

Two teeth already, can you believe it?! He likes to show them off. He is such a fun baby... belly laughs like crazy, smiles at everyone he meets, and loves to play. He has started rolling over from his tummy to his back, and can almost sit up by himself. And the drooling and spit bubbles....oh my!

Now, about my Etsy shop....I wanted to really get serious about my shop now that I have finally found my little niche with the stuff I like to make. My new shop is called Just My One Cent, and the address is onecoppercent.etsy.com. Now everything is uniform with my blog, even the colors I use in my header and on my packaging. I even went digital for about an hour to make my header from the one I use here. I'm concentrating on handmade embellishments for scrapbooking, papercrafting, and gift wrapping, as well as handmade brooches and rings.

I have also created a Facebook Fan Page, and I have a Flickr Photostream of all my items.

Here is a sampling of what you'll find:

And here is my packaging:

There in the background of all my photos is one of my nre toys from Christmas...a vintage Smith Corona Classic 12 typewriter! I've wanted an old typrwriter for SO long. It came from Etsy, of course!

I'm still working on getting everything listed in my shop, but lots more is on the way! Since I've been spending SO MUCH time on Etsy, I've come across some really awesome stuff, so I've decided Fridays are going to be Etsy Favorites posts. I'm also going to update on things to come, what I'm making as well as some tutorials I have in the works. And of course photos of little Man, too.

Have a great day, everyone!

3 months!

2010-01-05T22:34:00.005-05:00

I tell you, my kid just gets cuter every day! We had fun this morning with tummy time on the bed. Here's his 3-month photo in his Green Eggs and Ham jammies:

I have SO many photos of him already...lots to scrap! I am enjoying just being a mommy and spending time with this sweet guy. He's getting more interested in toys, and he LOVES Dr. Seuss books. I think it's a combination of the rhyming and the bold illustrations.

Another cute photo...he's always so happy in the morning. This one is from a few days ago:

Tonight I had him in the wrap while I was putting groceries away, and he just cracked up for no reason. It was the cutest thing ever! That's the closest we've gotten to a belly laugh so far. I can't wait for those.

Little Fisher's popular this week....

2009-12-26T21:18:00.004-05:00

My Fisher at 2 Months layout is really getting around this week! Yay!

First, it was chosen for the Catwalk on SIS TV:

Then, I won the favorite photos challenge from last week on the American Crafts blog:

It really is great when you get recognition for a layout you're super proud of, and it's even better because it has such a special photo on it! It just gives me the warm fuzzies.

Finally...some Fisher layouts!

2009-12-21T11:38:00.005-05:00

Before I get to the layouts, a little news....Fisher is already getting his first tooth, can you believe it?! Not even 3 months yet. Chad discovered it on Thursday morning. It's the bottom front right one. Now that I know he has a tooth coming in, it's obvious he's been teething, drooling and chewing on his hands a lot. He's doing pretty well, but still feels icky sometimes.

It is so good to do some scrapping, especially when I have all these great photos of my adorable boy! Here's one I did yesterday....a little Cosmo cricket and Studio Calico love, and of course at least a touch of Sassafras. I really like those SC Fab Rips. Definitely need more of those!

This is the one that I did about a month and a half ago that I just took the time to photograph. Lots of Sassafras on this one!

My next objective is to get down to business making more stuff for my Etsy shop. I really want to start taking that seriously, and work hard to fill it up and advertise, since I'm pretty much a stay at home mom for the next year. Fisher is loving his Jumperoo, so he hangs out with me in the scraproom and plays while I get creative.

Another Fisher photo!

2009-12-15T23:01:00.006-05:00

Fisher is almost 11 weeks old, and here I am still working on his 2 month photos! I can't help it..I have such a cute kid!

I just love all his little rolls! He gets lots of kisses, that's for sure.

One of these days I'll remember to take a photo of the layout I've done. I'm almost done decorating our tree, so there will be cute Christmas photos coming up, as well as *hopefully* some new stuff for my shop. I have some cool ideas in my head, I just have to find the time to sit down and make some stuff!

Something Crafty.

2009-12-04T13:17:00.005-05:00

This is the brooch I made for my sister for her birthday. I am so happy with how it turned out...I think it's my favorite that I've made so far. I used one of these Prima flowers at the center. I loved those things since I first saw them, and knew I needed to make something cool with them.

I still need to photograph the layout I did...it's full of cute baby and Sassafras goodness. I'll get that up soon!

Growing so fast!

2009-12-02T18:06:00.005-05:00

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. Fisher is already 2 months old! I took the time to do some posed type shots of him today. Most of the gagillion photos I have so far are more of the snapshot variety. Look how much he's changed just since my last post!

We sure do have a cute kid, if I do say so myself! I have done a couple crafty things in the past month which I still need to post...a layout of my little man, and a brooch I made for my sister. I'll get those up very soon!

We are getting our Christmas tree in a few days. I can't wait to get some photos in front of it!

A few photos.

2009-10-23T12:02:00.004-05:00

Well, I actually have a TON of photos, but I'll just post a few. Fisher is already 3 weeks old today! I can't believe it. It has been both harder and more wonderful than we could have ever imagined, but everything has been so worth it.

Pictures of babies with their Daddies just melt my heart. :) I have two sweet guys.

I have to say, my Sleepy Wrap has been a lifesaver. It is wonderful for those times he just wants to be held. I can have him snuggled up to me and still have use of my hands. He loves being in it....he looks like a little frog with his legs all tucked up on my chest. Hehee.

Now I am really itching for a moment to scrap all these photos, but I also don't want to put my little guy down! He's getting used to being in his bouncy seat in here with me, so maybe soon!

He's here!

2009-10-09T12:42:00.003-05:00

Fisher Alan, born Friday October 2, 2009 at 10:13pm, 9lbs 2 oz, 21" long.

This photo was taken yesterday. He's already a week old today (well...tonight!). This week has just flown by.

So....I had another ultrasound and Dr. appointment last Thursday, and it had been decided I would be induced on Monday October 5 (two days before my due date) because they didn't want him to get any bigger. Well, little Fisher had plans of his own, because my water broke Friday morning, and he came into the world 15 hours later. The labor and delivery went without a hitch, but I had some complications after, so we didn't get to come home until Tuesday. Everything is fine now, and we're all doing great. It's still a little surreal that we have a baby now, but we are so happy, and we just can't stop staring at and cuddling with our sweet little guy.

Another Layout!

2009-09-23T12:40:00.004-05:00

Here's the layout I said I was going to do of Pickle. I am so happy with how my layouts are turning out lately, especially these last two. I think I'm getting back into my groove. Thank goodness!

RIght now I'm working on some Halloween embellishments for my Etsy shop. They're looking pretty cool, too. I should have those up in the next couple days.

Hey, I scrapped again.

2009-09-20T11:02:00.003-05:00

My comment at the end of my last post about my "big ol' belly" inspired me to do this layout. I just love how it turned out. I'm all about happy, colorful, busy layouts! It's my new favorite.

I am going to scrap more today. I took a super cute photo of Pickle a couple days ago that needs to be on a layout. Have a great day!

Latest Projects

2009-09-18T13:51:00.005-05:00

The other day, I randomly decided that I wanted to embroider something. I don't know why I never thought of doing it sooner, seeing as I sew on every papercrafting and scrapbooking project I do. I took Elsie's online class back at the enf of last year, so I pulled out the super cute embroidery patterns she provided, and made this to go over the changing table in the nursery:

The frame and, of course, the underwear are from Elsie, and I just traced a computer font for "change me". I still need to get an oval hoop of cute frame to put it in.

I've also FINALLY added something to my poor, negelected Etsy shop. Nine new things to be exact. These are my absolute favorite:

I also found out a couple days ago that two of my felt brooches are going to be in the February/March issue of Simply Handmade! I can't wait to see them.

On the baby front, all is well. I'm 37 weeks now, and lugging my big ol' belly around. I have the hospital suitcase packed already, just in case, and Chad is installing the carrier bases in the trucks this weekend. I feel pretty decent, but there are all those end-of pregnancy aches and pains to deal with. It's getting so close, we're pretty excited!

And now, since my body is cooperating and letting me be comfortable in this chair for a while, I am going to do some scrapping!

36 Weeks

2009-09-10T13:59:00.007-05:00

Just had my last ultrasound this morning, and look what we saw:

That's our baby! I haven't had an ultrasound since 20 weeks when we found out he was a boy, and they couldn't really get us a clear picture of anything that looked like a baby..other than the "necessary" stuff. You can see his nose, puckered lips, chin, and little hands balled up. It's so exciting! And he's definitely a boy...they showed up some very clear proof of that.

I'm feeling pretty good in general, but I'm getting uncomfortable, especially at night. No complaints, though...it's all worth it. I can't believe he's almost here!

Yes, I DO still scrap!

2009-08-28T10:54:00.004-05:00

I have a couple new layouts. I should get more thing done now because I have more time off from work. Only the month of September to go, then it's off to wait for the little one to get here! Still enjoying scrapping my childhood photos. I was snacking on some starburst, and the wrappers reminded me of this Sassafras paper. I then proceeded to make flowers out of the wrappers.

A much simpler layout....but this one is SO heavy because it has so many layers!

Now for some baby stuff! This is Fisher's going home outfit. A friend of ours worked for Tommy Kids and got us all kinds of cute clothes. I just love the little whales.

Another nursery view. We've had the closet doors on for a while, and I have the diaper stacker filled (with lots of extras in the closet!). We do still need to hang the mobile. My mom made the quilt that is hanging on the end of the crib. I can't wait to see our baby boy in his cute little room. Only 6 weeks to go now!

More crafty-type stuff to come soon. I've also been working on some cool mini kits for my poor neglected etsy shop. Kind of Jenni Bowlin Junque Box-esque....but different. Have a great day!

Everything is going great...

2009-07-19T10:19:00.005-05:00

....I just haven't really felt like blogging lately! The baby is doing wonderful. We're having a boy! His name is going to be Fisher Everett. I will be 29 weeks on Wednesday, and my belly is really poking out now! He's an active little one....I love sitting and watching my tummy move around. He really goes crazy when Chad or I read to him.

The nursery is almost done. We still have to get a few more things, and the closet and main doors are going back on today. We got just about everything from Ikea, and I love the look of it. My mom has made a quilt for the crib, too, so that will be here in a few days when she comes down. This is how it looks so far:

Still have to get all the little clothes in the drawers of the dresser (just out of the photo to the left) washed and hung up. I still have time, though...I just want everything done so we're not rushing at the last minute!

And yes, I do still scrap! Not super often, but I do still get to it once in a while. Here are a few things I've done lately:

Well, that's about all for now. I think I might try to scrap today. I have a couple things that are sitting here half-finished. Have a good day!

Sorry...

2009-04-20T16:56:00.004-05:00

Okay, I have updates, I swear! I will post everything soon. I just haven't been on the computer too much lately.

Everything is going great with the baby. I'll be 16 weeks on Wednesday, and I've been nausea and sickness-free for about 2 1/2 weeks now. Thank goodness. It was getting pretty rough. My next appt. is on the 30th, and the Doctor said they will schedule a time for me to go to the hospital and be put on the big fancy ultrasound machine so we can find out the gender of the baby! I can't wait!

I do have some crafty-type stuff to update, too. I just have to get all the photos uploaded and whatnot.

The Most Important Update Ever....For Now.

2009-03-05T20:53:00.004-05:00

Yes, that is a baby! I am 9 weeks along, and this is my first ultrasound from last week. We've known for about 3 weeks now, but wanted to wait until I had my first appointment with the doctor to tell everyone. This is our first child, and we couldn't be more excited!

I was SO SICK during weeks 7 and 8. ALL DAY sickness. I was on a steady diet of crackers and toast for about a week straight. I seem to be getting better. I only feel a little yucky in first thing the morning until I eat, and I can actually eat normal food now. Let's just hope I get lucky.

Now I just can't wait until we find out what we're having so I can start shopping! I know I am going to drive myself crazy researching everything. I have ideas floating around in my head, and can't wait to get them out!

I DO actually have other stuff to update with, but this was the most exciting, important part, so I wanted to make sure I got this posted. More to come soon, and I'll have another ultrasound photo in 2 weeks!

Hooray for Polaroids.

2009-02-05T22:37:00.008-05:00

I promised a polaroid post. I only have one thing to show, but hey...at least it's something, right?

I just have to say, the negatives are way cool. More so than the actual photos since I spent a whole pack of film just messing around and getting used to the camera. I'm ordering a bunch more film tomorrow, and will be prepared to take a massive amount of non-crap photos.

So, here is my front door, in all its glowy, scratchy, funky negative glory:

I love how it looks old. The negatives are wet for some time after you peel the photo off, and no matter how hard you try, something gets stuck to them, you touch them, or drop them. But it makes for great marks when you scan the image. And you get a built in grungy frame.

I have actually been doing some *gasp* SCRAP-RELATED stuff. Valentine's cards, of course. A post on those coming sometime in the future when I actually sit down and upload the photos.And finish the cards. But I will try to make it soon.

Supermassive Update.

2009-01-29T20:40:00.010-05:00

So....what have I been up to for the last month, you ask? Why, making things for my Etsy Shop, of course! I FINALLY had time to photograph, edit, and list everything today, and I didn't want to post it here before I got it all up in my shop. Because I'm secretive like that. Without further ado:

My latest thing is brooches. Wearing them and making them. I got really inspired right before Christmas, and I have been making them like a mad woman. Here are a couple I've made for friends, and one I made for myself (the red, black, and green one):

Here is my super cute packaging:

And here is what I've been doing with the satin flowers I make.

In other news, I now have a working Polaroid Super Shooter Land Camera that takes peel-apart polaroid film. I am so in love. The negatives are almost cooler than the photos. I've been using Fuji film to get myself used to it so I don't waste any precious Polaroid film. I had a Colorpack III, but unfortunately it didn't work. I found my "new" one for next to nothing. I have to scan everything and I want to play around with them in photoshop, so there will be a polaroid post coming up soon. Very soon. Promise. But don't hold your breath on the "very" part. Heh.

Blogging: Yule Edition

2008-12-25T11:22:00.003-05:00

I have been remiss in updating my blog of late, but what better thing to update with than festive, Christmassy pictures?

This is from the lighting of the lighthouse a couple weeks ago.

Here are a few wrapped gifts....some of the ones that got sent off to family.

And lastly, our Christmas tree for this year. We decided not to get a big one since it's a quiet Christmas this year, but it turned out really cute.

I decided to go with the red and gold theme because of the lava lamp. It's one of the original ones. I think it was Chad's grandma's. Very cool.

If you hadn't already heard, Sara at SoML is changing the structure of the kits, and going to a quarterly release. She will still be selling in the SoML shop, and releasing her super cool stamps. You can read her announcement HERE.

I've also been hard at work on lots of stuff for my Etsy Shop. I'm FINALLY really excited about something I've made to add. I just need to get some little boxes and finish taking photos, then I will update.

Have a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, everyone! I'm off to help finish up in the kitchen.

A New Layout.

2008-12-04T14:19:00.005-05:00

Here is the first page I have finished with the December Story of My Life kit:

This page was a little sad to do. My Grandpa passed away a few years ago, and this is the first page I've done about him. He was one of my very favorite people. I love how it turned out, and I'm glad I was able to do one of my special pictures justice!

I have some ideas rolling around in my head, I just have to sit down and actually DO something about them. I have acquired a few new toys in the past week...a melting pot, UTEE, and a Cricut (along with the Indie Art cartridge I have been coveting since I first saw it!), so there should be all kinds of fun stuff coming out of my craft room soon.

More SoML to come, too!

Better late than never.

2008-11-25T14:28:00.009-05:00

Okay, so I know I said I'd update on Thursdays. My family was in town, and we went to see Twilight Friday night! It was AMAZING. All I have to say is that Robert Pattinson is now officially one of the sexiest men on the planet. He is an awesome Edward.

I have a weird schedule at work this week because of Thanksgiving. So, being off today, here is everything I had to catch up on.

First...my gorgeous new Brighton purse. I am in love. Working in a place that has cool stuff has its advantages....not to mention my bosses and everyone I work with are awesome. We also sell Vera Bradley, and I am going to get a Puccini wallet to go with it.

Here are the other two layouts I did with the November SoML kit. I think I am definitely getting my groove back and breaking out of my shell of similar-looking layouts. I just love how these turned out.

And, last but not least, my layout for the latest challenge at Inspired by Amelie. This one was fun and different. Again...loving how this one turned out. Challenge 9 is up now. It's a little late this month because everyone has been so busy, but be sure to check it out and join us!

That's it for now. More is on the way. I have the December Story of my Life kit sitting here on my desk, and it is to die for. It has a bit of a Christmas theme, but also leaves tons of room to do other stuff. It's up there on my list of favorites. You can see peekies on Sara's blog here and here. Definitely check it out on the 1st!

I probably won't get the chance to post Thursday, so I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! Is you don't celebrate it....then have a happy Thursday!

Just one thing to share.

2008-11-13T10:48:00.005-05:00

I have finished one SoML layout so far with the November kit, and another is almost finished here on my desk. It's tough not having two days in a row off anymore...and especially after getting used to not working for three months and having unlimited time to get stuff done! Here is the one I have finished so far. I just love this picture of Chad:

Is anyone else excited for the Twilight movie? Just a little over a week, now! A group of us already have our tickets. I really hope after all the hype it's as good as it looks. I'm still a little (let's be honest A LOT) bummed that Harry Potter got bumped back, but Nobel Son is supposed to FINALLY be released to theatres in December, so that makes up for it. Just a bit. If you know me at all, it will be blatantly obvious why I am excited about it.

More SoML stuff up next!

I FINALLY stopped being lazy.

2008-11-09T10:12:00.011-05:00

I know it's been just about forever since I have posted a proper update. Working full time at a job that doesn't have me in front of a computer all day provides little time to stay on top of my blog. I am going to TRY to update at least once a week. It'll PROBABLY be on Thursdays.

So, on to the new stuff. I added a few new things to the shop. A new style of larger crochet flowers from my mom, a new tag style I came up with, and the first of the awl/paper piercers made by my dad.

I made this card about a month ago for the Card Sketch a Day blog. It's a great blog if you're a card maker. Be sure to check it out!

Last month's Inspired by Amelie challenge...silly things you wonder about. You think this was silly enough? I think about odd things like this all the time. The new challenge should be up any time now!

The final item from the October Story of My Life kit. A cute little haunted house mini. Of course, I haven't decorated the inside, but what else is new? I NEVER finish mini albums, but I sure do love making the outside part.

November SoML stuff and my newest Inspired by Amelie layout to come in a few days!

I promise....

2008-10-30T21:17:00.004-05:00

....I will update soon! I have been back at work for a few weeks, so that has been taking up my time. I do have a few things to share, I just need to sit down and write out a post.

I am giving out candy to all the kids at the Halloween Walk tomorrow, so hopefully someone will get pictures. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Tool Sneaky Peeky!

2008-10-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

Here are a few examples of the handmade tools that will be available at Nelo Paperie at the end of the month! My mom sent me this picture of the awls that my dad has completed (I'm pretty sure he made the cup, too). Aren't they gorgeous? They can be used as paper piercers, but are strong enough to punch leather and chipboard, too. The black one has a hand-hammered copper cap on it. I'm definitely keeping one. I hope he is able to make some embellishments, too...he makes some really cool stuff, so I know whatever he comes up with would be amazing!

My latest creations...

2008-10-03T15:39:00.011-05:00

First up, the latest from Story of My Life. The October kit was really fun to work with. It has a vintage Halloween theme, and has tons of the amazing Basic Grey Ambrosia papers. I made one of my big flowers with the sheet music that came in the kit for the first layout:

I still have to finish my project with this kit, so that will be coming in the next few days.

My First Day of School layout was picked as the Layout of the Day on 2Peas on Monday! Wow. It made my day.

I made some new goodies for my shop. I am loving felt right now. I put it on almost all my layouts, so I thought my shop could use some more felt, too. These come in a pack of two of the same color, and are about 2 1/2" across. They're versatile, too. They can be used for scrapping, attached to a gift, pinned to a hat, or worn as a brooch.

I also did a reshoot of most of my products. The white background wasn't working for me, and I wanted something that popped a bit more. Besides, woodgrain = awesome.

My Mom told me that my Dad is working away on some handmade tools for the shop, and POSSIBLY some handmade metal embellishments! They are coming down to visit at the end of the month, and he'll bring them down to me then, so keep your eye out for some extra cool stuff.

More to come soon! I have lots of things rolling around in my head, just waiting to get out.

Layout, photo, stuff....

2008-09-29T10:25:00.006-05:00

My first day of Kindergarten. I was SO cute! I FINALLY finished this layout...I started it last weekend, and FINALLY got around to finishing it this weekend. All the other stuff I worked on was for the October SoML kit. You'll see those on Wednesday, but I will say that you will get to see a variation of my big paper flowers in action. I want to put those things on every layout.

Also, my new favorite photo. I have to say, we have some AMAZING clouds here, and the sky is always so blue. Well, except for the past couple days.

This is our range tower....and also one of the photos that will be sold in the Lighthouse Museum! I'm so excited about having some of my local photos there... it will be great exposure. Now I just need to work on an "About the Artist" page...I've never included those before.

Off to finish with my SoML kit. More layouts and fun goodies for the store coming soon!

New in my Etsy Shop

2008-09-26T09:30:00.003-05:00

I just love these guys. I've been on a big felt kick lately, so they combine all my favorites: felt, scallops, buttons, and blue and red together. When I was making them, I thought they'd be super cute on favor boxes or something like that, but they are also great on cards and layouts. A friend of mine in my scrap group used on on a card, and it looked awesome! They come as a set of 4, and can be found here in my shop.

I've been working with our Park's support organization putting together a blog, You Tube and Flickr accounts, adn all that good stuff for our Lighthouse and Museum. It's fun...I'm learning all kinds of stuff about the light and Boca Grande in general. You can see the blog here. I made the header, too. It was fun to break out the distress inks...I haven't walked around with inky fingers for ages!

I'm off to a 2pm-Midnight Scrap Pink crop today, so hopefully I'll get all kinds of stuff done. Have a great day, everyone!

It's open!

2008-09-18T20:00:00.008-05:00

Finally! Nelo Paperie is now open for business! I don't have TOO much in there, yet, but there is definitely more to come. Here are a couple things you can find there so far:

I'm really happy with how it's looking. I have a lot more up my sleeve, it's just a matter of getting it done! I love for everyone to at least stop by...nelopaperie.etsy.com. And spread the word if you like what you see!

In scrapping news, Little Miss Poopy Pants is really getting around! It was featured on the Sassafras Lass blog a few days ago. I didn't even know until I got a comment on SIS TV telling me about it! Pretty cool.

I've taken up playing the Fife again. I also play the flute and piccolo, but hadn't picked up ANY of them in about 3 years. We are having a Halloween candlelight ghost tour here at the Lighthouse. I'll be in 1890 period dress and playing the Fife in the background. I was a Civil War reenactor for several years after high school. I'm looking forward to getting back to my roots a bit, even if it is 26 years later than I'm used to.

Bobble head puppy.

2008-09-14T17:01:00.006-05:00

Here's a layout I made for this challenge over on the Challenge U 2 blog. This blog is run by my scrappy, bloggy, email friend Jen, and it's great if you need a quick idea to get you started.

I am convinced I have the cutest, squishy-face puppy ever. After I finished this, I realized the design is just like the the other stuff I've done in the past week. Oh well...who cares if all my stuff looks the same? And this one got some Bam Pop love. I love Bam Pop. And felt. And straight pins. And apparently stars, because I've had at least one on all of my past 6 projects.

There's still a week to join in on challenge 7 at Inspired by Amelie. One lucky scrapper will get a fabulous Red Velvet kit!

...even MORE SoML!

2008-09-13T11:02:00.004-05:00

Here's the last of the September SoML projects:

This was made with a Jenni Bowlin book. I haven't decorated the inside yet. I am the worst about that...I love decorating the outside, but I never seem to get around to finishing the whole thing. It looks really pretty on my shelf, though!

I filled about 6 pages front and back this morning with sketches and ideas for my Etsy shop. The opening is still a little ways off, but I'm going to try and hit the preparations hard next week. I want it to be up and running before I go back to work, or I will never finish.

For now, though, I'm dying to get into all my new goodies, and scrap a couple things.

Random updates...

2008-09-12T09:36:00.014-05:00

First up a card I made with the SoML September kit:

I just love how it turned out. Probably my favorite card I've made. There was just so much cool stuff in this kit.

I made the Catwalk again, for the second time in three weeks over at SIS TV! This time, it was my Little Miss Poopy Pants page, chosen by Lisa Garay. Cindy also had one of her SoML pages chosen for the catwalk, and Sally had one of her SoML pages chosen as Layout of the Day a few days ago! Cool.

My birthday box from 2Peas finally came today! Check out all these goodies my mom sent me:

I'm so glad I picked out all that Love Elsie stuff, considering that the line is no more...I will miss it, it's my absolute favorite. If you don't know the scoop on this, Elsie resigned from KI to take on some other projects. She wrote about it on her blog here, at the bottom of the post.

I also got a suprise box from Amazon, from my sister, with an Alan Rickman movie! It's The Search for John Gissing. I've been wanting to see it for ages....it was never released in theatres.

I've made a few changes in my mind about the Etsy shop. I've come up with a few new ideas, and I also decided to change the name. I always knew if I ever had any kind of shop it would be called Nelo Paperie. Nelo (pronounced knee-low) is short for Penelope. I had a friend a few years back who said once that if her name was Penelope, she'd go by Nelo instead of Penny. I've loved it ever since. So, the shop will be called Nelo Paperie and will have all kinds of cool suff, including the awesome crocheted type embellies I mentioned before. I'm even thinking of having some custom designed papers....I have to look into it. All kinds of ideas are popping out of my head!

In completely random news....apparently the new, big trend at Fashion Week was Harem Pants. Looks like I can start wearing my bellydance costumes out and about and be completely in style. Hehee.

More September SoML.

2008-09-09T09:55:00.005-05:00

I've finished two more layouts with the September SoML kit. I'm right in the middle of more...you should see my table. It's an absolute nightmare right now!

The "Little Miss Poopy Pants" one started kind of slow, and I just started throwing stuff on the page to see how it looked. I think it ended up being my favorite! I'm really happy with all three layouts I did this month.

I took some photos of the items for the Etsy shop. I want to reshoot some, because I'm picky about my photography, and I didn't like them. I swear, I WILL eventually get the shop open, but I want to do everything right and not rush it! Oh, and if you want another little sneak...check out the flower on the lower left corner of the "You & Me" layout.

Be sure to check out the new challenge on the Inspired by Amelie blog, which is up now. It's my first one as a member of the team. All the ladies came up with excellent designs!

More to come soon. Now to wade my way through this sea of paper on my desk...

The big 2-8.

2008-09-06T08:04:00.013-05:00

So, I turned 28 yesterday. I keep thinking, "Wow, I'm almost 30," but then somehow it doesn't bother me. Chad is already 32, maybe that's why it's not a big deal. As I told my sister on the phone, my birthdays don't make me feel old, HERS do. She'll be 20 this year. Geez.

Anyways, I had a great day. When we got up, Chad brought me a sweet card and a Key Lime Pie for a birthday cake. Yum! He even had the dogs bring me a card, complete with "Mommy" written on the envelope. It was hilarious, you have to see this card:

It looks JUST like Pickle, floppy ears and all.

We went up to Venice, and Chad took me to see Bottle Shock. I've been waiting to see it for what seems like forever! It was a great movie. If it's even possible, Alan Rickman's voice is even BETTER when he speaks French. If you haven't heard of it, it's about the "Judgement of Paris"...the 1976 blind wine tasting when California wines won against French wines.

While we were in Venice, we stopped by the Tervis factory store. We love these glasses. We have all these other nice cups and glasses and these are all we use. They're great because they don't sweat, and you can get lids and straws for them. I found the cutest design ever:

On top of this stuff, Chad's mom paid for me to go to our local Scrap Pink event later this month, and my mom got me a virtual truckload of scrapping goodies, which are on their way from 2 Peas as we speak. I'm so excited for both. They are too good to me, and I am so grateful.

I got my September Story of My Life kit on Thursday. My gosh, you guys, this one is awesome, you have to check it out! I've finished one layout so far, and I just LOVE it:

I've been wanting to scrap this picture of my mom. I really like using copies of all her baby pictures. They're so cute! We are so fortunate that my Grandma has always written places and dates on the pictures.

Challenge 7 over at the Inspired by Amelie blog will be up tomorrow. This was a really fun one, so be sure to drop by and join in!

The Etsy Shop is still coming along. Just a few more things to do. More layouts and maybe a few more photos from around town to come.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon....

2008-08-31T09:51:00.008-05:00

Yep, I'm doing it....I'm opening an Etsy shop. Here's a little peek:

I've thought about opening one for quite a while, but before we moved, I was WAY too busy with my job and my thousand hobbies. Now, I still have a month until I start work, and when I do, I will have a 5 minute commute, rather than almost an hour one way. So, I figured it's now or never!

It's going to be called Punky Poo, and is going to feature mainly unique and fun handmade embellishments. The shop is kind of a joint effort with my mom. She is making some of the things that I don't know how to make....like things of the crocheted nature. She called me Punky Poo when I was little, so I thought it would be the perfect shop name. I've spent the past several days getting things ready. I still have to figure out prices, make my banner, and photograph everything, so I'm guessing it will be about a week before the grand opening. I hope you will all at least check it out!

A good day...

2008-08-27T15:00:00.006-05:00

I'm a day behind on this but....

...I was chosen as on of the new Inspired by Amelie girls! I got the email yesterday. I am so excited about this. There are lots of talented ladies on that team, and the challenges are unique and fun.

And, as yesterday was Tuesday, the Catwalk for the week was posted on the SIS TV site. My Little Lori ATC was chosen for it by Martha Bonneau (subcultcha on the site). It was pretty cool to see my cute little card on there. So yeah, yesterday was a pretty good day.

I'm on an ATC kick.

2008-08-24T19:48:00.008-05:00

So, it seems I'm all about the ATC's lately. I have four new ones:

Staples have been making a big comeback in my stuff. I used them all the time when I first started scrapping a few years ago, and now it's all fun and trendy to use them again. Cheap and cool!

I also made a blog header for the fabulous Sara Berry. I'm so glad she likes it...it's already displayed on her blog, so check it out! Definitely keep an eye out for the September Story of My Life kit. It's going to be Kawaii themed with awesome Sassafras papers, so it promises to be super fun and super cute!

More scrapping.

2008-08-17T08:45:00.006-05:00

Man, I'm loving all this time I have to get scrapping done. It's been a while since I've done this much! I'm definitely going to enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sure I will be bored out of my mind by the time my job starts, though...I still have like 6 more weeks.

So, for the past couple days I've been working on the Inspired by Amelie challenge....Likes and Dislikes. This was fun. I also took inspiration from the way they described her mother and father's likes and dislikes in the movie, and structured my journaling that way. I thought it was cute and funny.

I bought the Basic Grey Obscure papers way back in November when I went to Ruban Rouge in Tampa, and I'm FINALLY using them. One of my favorite paper lines EVER.

Next up on the to-do list, a header for Sara's blog, and layouts for a couple more challenges. I also have some new photos, but I have to go through them and process them first. They should be up tomorrow. We've had to batten down the hatches in case Fay decides to visit. Luckily, at this house, we have the clear corrugated shutters, so it's not like living in a cave. My Breaking Dawn book is supposed to be here tomorrow, so I'll be able to read during the storm.

New Header.

2008-08-13T14:29:00.005-05:00

Well, as you can see, I've updated the header. I finished it last night. I had a lot of fun making it....it makes the blog look more crafty. I LOVE wood grain contact paper. Thank you to Sara for putting it in one of our kits a couple months ago!

I have also found a new favorite website. My friend told me about it the other night. Pandora.com. It's a free site where you type in a band or song, and it creates a music channel for you with music similar to your choice. If you don't like a particular song, you can check the "thumbs down" and it won't play stuff like that any more. It's awesome...check it out!

All kinds of stuff.

2008-08-11T12:06:00.006-05:00

I finished a couple ATCs for my 7gypsies card holder as I had planned. The first one was inspired by this post on Lucrecer's Art Slam blog.

And, as promised, I took a quick photo of my scrap room.

I still need to get some curtains for the windows. I think I'm just going to get some short valance curtains in a funky color. Most of my stuff is in the dresser. There are 3 more drawers behind the doors in the middle. I put all my acrylic stamps on the mirror, and I found that I am now actually USING THEM! I have all my adhesives and the tools I use the most out on the table, as well as some other assorted things I like. There's a little more, but I'll take more in-depth photos later!

Last night, I was messing around with some of the pictures of me in my costume from my performance a couple weeks ago, and came up with this. I think it turned out pretty cool. I'm using it as my profile photo on MySpace.

On the agenda today....I am going to make a header for the blog out of paper. I should have it updated sometime today or tomorrow.

Insert witty title here...

2008-08-09T12:31:00.010-05:00

So, I have a new layout. I took a bunch of really good pictures of Chad the other day, so there will be lots of layouts with him coming up. I love this picture. Chad always tells me he doesn't like Pickle just to bug me. Now I have proof he DOES like him! Hehee.

In non-scrapping related news....we got a new toy. A freaking awesome golf cart! This will be my ride when I start working in October. It's so fun, and much easier to zip around town in. Not to mention that it's electric, so NO GAS, thank goodness!

That's about it for now. I am going to start making some ATCs, I think. I have had the 7gypsies card holder since October, so I think it's time to use it. I like being able to make something small and quick when I don't want to get into doing a whole layout. I've been wanting to follow Lucrecer's Art Slam, so now that I have time to sit and scrap, I'm going to do it on cards instead of in a Journal.

Oh, and if you haven't seen the Inspired by Amelie blog, check it out. I just found it through the SIS TV site. Two of the SoML girls are on the team, and I didn't even know about it! The work all the ladies do over there is awesome.

SoML Layouts

2008-08-07T09:04:00.011-05:00

Okay, I have LOTS of stuff to post, all form the Story of My Life kits. Here is everything from the July kit:

And here's my work from the August kit:

That's all for now. I'm going to do some more scrapping today, and I took more pictures at the beach last night, so we'll see how those turned out. Pictures of my scrap room are also coming up soon! I'll try to remember to take some today.

Boca Grande

2008-08-03T10:59:00.012-05:00

We are in the new house in Boca Grande. It will be 4 weeks on Thursday. Wow. Time flies. Everything is all put away, my scrap room is done, and we are all settled in. Chad loves his new job. This place is amazing. It's how living in Florida is SUPPOSED to be.

I finally went out and about yesterday to take some photos on Friday. Our beaches here are gorgeous. The water is so green and clear. And I must say, I love my polarized filter.

I also took some random shots around town. Here is our "downtown" area, if you can really call it that. It's a nice, small town.

Here's our local grocery store. For big grocery trips, we go off the island to Publix or Wal-Mart. Next to it are a couple little restaurants. Everyone drives golf carts around the island.

Another restaurant, The Temptation. I just like the name. We haven't eaten there yet.

This is where I'll be working when season starts back up in October. It's a gift shop and clothing store.

This is our local weekly newspaper. All the little kiosks are painted in cool designs like this one.

That is about it for now. I still need to take pictures of my scrap room and the inside of the house. I love living here, and I am looking forward to season. Apparently there is something going on ALL THE TIME when everyone comes back. It's pretty quiet here now. I was told there are only 1,000 full time residents on the entire island.

More updates to come...I have LOTS of scrapbooking stuff to post!

A super huge update...

2008-06-23T12:31:00.007-05:00

It appears that I have gotten behind on posting yet AGAIN. I have an excuse this time, though. We are moving! My husband got a promotion, and we will be moving to Boca Grande, FL on Gasparilla Island in a couple weeks. Here is my new house (which is super close to the beach):

And here is a view of the water around the island:

I can't wait! I'm not looking forward to the actual process of moving, but it will be exciting to be in the new house! At least we're only moving an hour north. Naples is nice, but I'm ready for something smaller and more quiet for sure. I've already packed my scrap room, so the BIG job is finished.

And now, lots of layouts. The first one is from the May SoML kit, and the rest are from the June kit:

Not only am I moving in about 2 weeks, but I also have my first solo bellydance performance coming up at the end of July. I still have to finish my choreography AND make this kick-butt studded leather yarn/coin belt. And dye my gloves. And do a trial run of my hair and make-up. And practice the whole thing once it's finished. And do all my layouts for the July SoML kit. It's going to be a busy month for me!

One SoML May Layout

2008-05-15T09:02:00.007-05:00

I'm still working on finishing my projects with the May SoML kit. Having all kinds of stuff going on three weekends in a row really puts a person behind! Here's the layout I did so far:

The picture turned out really dark when I photographed the layout. I'll need to do a re-take, cause her eyes look AMAZING in the actual photo.

I went home the first weekend of this month to go to the Shrimp Festival. I got there on Thursday, because my sister was supposed to be in the parade with the bellydance studio she takes classes at. There ended up being a mix-up with the deadline for the parade application, so they were told at the last minute they could not be in the parade. I had just gotten all this cool new stuff I was going to dress her up in, and she was disappointed that she wasn't going to be able to wear it. We dressed her in some of it anyways...thus, Half Tribal. Man she would have looked awesome in the whole get-up but we didn't get time to do the whole thing to take pictures.

The weekend before, I was in Fort Lauderdale for 4 days with all my bellydance buddies for Spirit of the Tribes. I took lots of classes, stayed up late, and got to meet all kinds of awesome dancers. Man, it was rough going to work the Monday after, but I sure can't wait until next year to do it all over again!

Here's some of us Naples girls hanging out by the pool. Ariellah and Mavi were sweet enough to join us for a picture.

Everyone was so nice! I have more pictures that will be popping up on layouts soon. I have to say thank you to Ali for taking all the photos. I took a grand total of 2 the whole time. What the heck kind of scrapbooker am I?

Then, the middle of April, I did another 3-day workshop with Ansuya. I love taking classes from her. She is one of the nicest people ever, and I learn so much. My sister was able to join me for this one. This time, we did props....candles, fan, cane, and sword. I freaking love sword, but man were my knees bruised from the floorwork. And that's WITH knee pads.

More to come soon!

It's Official!

2008-05-06T07:51:00.007-05:00

I am now officially a published scrapbooker! My first layout is in the May 2008 Scrapbook Trends under High School Memories:

It is so surreal to see one of my pages in a magazine. I still haven't gotten over it!

I also have a couple layouts I finished at a crop a few weeks ago, but never got around to posting. I finally broke out the Bazzill stitching templates for these. Man, I love those things.

I still have one that's almost done, and I will be working on the May Story of My Life (the kit is amazing!) stuff this weekend, as I've been out of town a lot. Pictures from my travels to come, too.

And, OH-HOLY-CRAP, the first trailer for the Twilight movie was released yesterday.

Is it December yet?

April Goodness...

2008-04-15T11:46:00.008-05:00

As promised (and only a couple days late!) here is what I did with the April SoML kit, La Primavera:

I absolutely LOVE the Daisy D's Wonder Years line. The collaged, stitched look is just my style.

More layouts to come in a couple days. I did some really fun ones with lots of hand stitching over the weekend.

The May 2008 Scrapbook Trends is available now, too! If you already have it, check for my Band Geeks layout in the High School Memories section. I can't wait to see it!

Time for some big-time updating!

2008-04-10T16:19:00.008-05:00

Okay, I have so much stuff to catch up on! I will start with this: I have finally read the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer, and I am flipping OBSESSED. I am talking obsession of Harry Potter proportions. I walked around in a starry-eyed daze the entire time I was reading the books (I read the three that are out so far in about 4 days!), and maybe for a week afterward. They are that good. You must read them if you haven't. Period.

Okay, and I'm also a month behind on posting my Story of my Life work! Here's what I did for March:

Story of My Life also celebrated its 1 year anniversary this month! So, congrats to Sara on a great year! I'll be posting my April stuff on Monday, so I don't end up having the longest blog post ever.

I'm going to be super busy the next few weekends with all kinds of belly dancing events, including my second round of classes with the fabulous Ansuya, whom we are SO lucky to have living here in Naples, now. We'll be working with props this time, so maybe I'll have some pictures of me balancing my sword on my head to post. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone, and I am going to a crop tomorrow, so I should have all kinds of stuff to post next week, on top of the April SoML stuff.

February SoML Stuff

2008-02-01T10:20:00.000-05:00

Hey, look at me...posting twice in one week! And I'm actually posting my February SoML stuff on the first of the month, can you believe it? February kits are always my favorites, because they're usually filled with all kinds of pink and hearts. There was lots of Cosmo Cricket in this kit, which I just fell in love with. So without further ado, here they are:

I think I am going to frame the Happy one. We've been married for 5 years, and that's only the second layout I've done with a wedding picture. The first one was like the third page I ever scrapped, and it was mediocre at best. I'm really happy with all my stuff this month. I'll be adding more Valentines soon, too.

January SoML

2008-01-29T10:58:00.001-05:00

January's Story of My Life kit was awesome....ATC themed with lots of vintage ephemera. I went for a more simple approach this time, but I am very pleased with the results. The bottom two are ATC's.

I did something I never thought I'd do...leave the centers in my chipboard letters. Somehow, it just worked on these, and I like it. Look at me being all trendy. Hehee.

I'm working on February right now. Sara should have all the kits and designs up on the 1st, so I'll put my layouts up here some time next week. I'm still trying to finish my Deck of Me that I got really behind on about 6 months ago. I'm determined to get it done eventually. I have several of those to post, too, if I ever get around to taking pictures of them!

December Stuff...

2007-12-21T09:55:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd post all the projects I did with the December Story of My Life kit, since I'm sure this is the last day I'll get a chance to post before Christmas. There's a lot this time....I just couldn't stop making stuff!

The 'My Favorite' layout is VERY Elsie inspired. I really like how the 'Elsie Scallops' turned out. Also, check out Sara's blog for a peek at the January SoML kit- it's going to be ATC inspired.

I also found out yesterday that I am going to have one of my layouts published in the May 2008 Scrapbook Trends! I am so excited. This is my very first pub. Keep an eye out in that issue under the 'High School Memories' section.

We're going to see Sweeney Todd today! I already have the tickets, and I downloaded the soundtrack (which I highly recommend- it's very good) off of iTunes when it was released on Tuesday. I can't wait for 7:15 tonight!

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday, everyone!

New Photos

2007-12-17T08:55:00.000-05:00

I took these photos over Thanksgiving weekend when we went to visit my family. My favorite photo spot....Fort Clinch in Fernandina Beach, FL. I love all the old brick and the way the light comes through the windows. I always get shots I love there.

My photography has been pushed to the back burner lately, and I'm putting an end to that! I take lots of photos, I just haven't been doing anything with them. I hadn't updated my DeviantArt gallery in amost a year and a half, and last night I added 10 new photos to it. Some I've posted here, and I've scrapped a few, but I pretty much forgot about updating that.....now to get my 2Peas gallery up to date. I think I'll work on that during lunch today.

I am also counting down until Friday, because Sweeney Todd comes out at theaters! I've been waiting on this one for a while. I can't believe Christmas is already next week. Time flies.

More stuff to come in the next couple days. I have the December SoML stuff, and the ATC's that I made for a swap.

Finally! An Update!

2007-12-12T09:23:00.000-05:00

It seems like almost this whole year, or at least the past 6 months, I have been SO bad at keeping my blog updated. I usually do it during my lunch break at work, but lately I've been working while I eat! So, that being said, I obviously have a lot of updating to do, which I will spread over the next few days. Today, I will post my stuff from the November Story of My Life kit:

I love my bird ornament. It's made from one of the 'pages' from a Maya Road chipboard album. I added the crystal from my own stash.

As soon as I showed the "It's All Ours" page to Chad, he let me know that our land is actually 36 acres, not 37 1/2. I haven't decided if I want to try to fix that. I may just scribble a note on the back.

Okay, so....more to come. I'll be posting my December SoML stuff, that I just finished over the weekend, as well as the cards I made for an ATC swap we did on the SoML boards last month.

Some New Stuff

2007-10-25T10:29:00.000-05:00

I actually did these a little while back, I just haven't taken the time to post them, so here they are:

The Smell the Flowers one was inspired by an Ali Edwards on that was in CK as few months ago. Mostly picture placement and the idea for the stamps at top.

I'm currently working on an ATC card swap that we're doing over on the SoML boards. I'm doing all mine the same, but they're pretty cool. Lots of paint and glitter....something I haven't used in a while. I've been on a total glitter kick....

...which explains why I splurged Tuesday and ordered all 12 of THESE. A little pricey, but hey- it was a commission week, I've been sick, and I haven't bought any supplies in a while. After dealing with kidney stones and recovery for the past 2 weeks, I freaking deserve $60 worth of glitter!

October SoML Layouts!

2007-10-16T08:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I'm late YET AGAIN, but here they are without further ado:

The October Story of My Life kit was super cool this month as usual! Sara went in a bit of a different direction than would be expected for an October kit. Instead of Fall or Halloween themed, she did a "Dia de los Muertos" kit. Very fun and festive.

In other SoML news, Sara has posted the peek for the November kit on both her blog and the SoML forum. I also want to welcome a new member to the Design Team, the fabulous Stacey Fike! And our Guest Designer for November.....the awesome Kristina Contes! Lots of fun stuff happening for November, for sure.

There will be more coming soon. I have 5 layouts and a card to post, and I have actually taken pictures of them!

September SoML

2007-09-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

Wow, it seems like the only time I post any more is once a month after I do my SoML stuff! I really need to get on top of my blogging. Well, without further ado, here's what I did with the awesome September Story of My Life kit!

And will you check out that seal LO? I used NINE photos. That's my personal record. The digital photo booth frame on the smaller pictures came from Pink Ink Studios. Check them out, they have some really cool stuff.

I am also the October Guest Designer over at Kit 'n Kaboodles. The October kit just went live yesterday, and I'll have my layouts done within the week, and will post them here after they go up on the site. I have one done already, and it's really fun. The whole kit is black, white, and pink. Right up my alley!

I do have three other layouts to post as well, I just need to photograph them. I might actually have two posts in one week!

More New Stuff

2007-08-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

More new layouts that I did about a week ago! This first one is for the August Designer's Challenge at Story of my Life. The challenge was to scrap a size that you don't normally scrap. I was going to do a 6x12, but one of the ladies in my scrap group suggested doing a round one. It was pretty fun! I just love that photo of my sister.

This next one is one I did at the monthly crop with my scrap group. That's my grandma when she was about 15. I finally used this Hambly transparency I got in a Poppy Ink kit about a year ago.

And finally, a card I made for my friends who recently found out they are expecting their first child. I could use the Love, Elsie fabric paper on everything. I makes great flowers!

As always, I DO have more stuff to post, it's just a matter of me NOT being lazy and taking pictures of it. I'm also very behind on posting layouts in my 2 Peas Gallery. I have about 10 or so layouts that need to go in there. It takes me months to do that many LO's, so that shows you how long it's been since I've updated THAT. Well, have a great week, everyone!

August SoML Layouts

2007-08-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

So, of course AGAIN, I took forever to post these. This month's kit was super fun to scrap with. The layout about my sister's chucks is my new favorite. I just love the picture, too.

I did go back to my roots a little with this one, too. I did a lot of inking, something that I used to do ALL THE TIME, but haven't done in a while. I don't know why...it looks good!

I also have a Baby card and a couple of my Deck of Me cards to show. I'll post those in a couple days. The monthly crop with my scrap group is this Saturday, so I'll have all kinds of goodies to post next week. My mom is coming to visit this weekend, so she'll be going to the crop with me. It'll be so fun!

New Layouts

2007-07-30T14:37:00.000-05:00

Here's some more new layouts. I did these a couple weeks ago at a crop, but I just got around to taking pictures of them this weekend. The first one has a lot of stuff from the June zingBOOM kit, and is inspired by one of the layouts Elsie did with the kit. I took that photo of my sister when she was visiting recently. I just love how it turned out!

I'll have my layouts for the August Story of My Life kit up on Wednesday after Sara puts them up on the site. I love this kit, and one of the layouts I did is my new absolute favorite of all the ones I've done in the past few months.

Now to just get caught up with posting all these in my 2 Peas gallery. Ack.

So, I finally decided to update.

2007-07-25T10:40:00.000-05:00

I know I am officially the worst blogger ever, seeing as I haven't updated in over a month. I should have posted these layouts from the July SoML kit a good three weeks ago, so I figured I should post them now, since the one from the August kit will be done soon. So, here's what I did with the July kit:

Definitely be sure to check out Sara's Blog for a peek at the August kit. It's funky and 80's themed and has an awesome cassette stamp. You can see the stamp on her blog too. I got mine the end of last week, and it is WAY fun!

I do have several things to update about, so I'm going to make it a goal to update AT LEAST every few days. Have a great day!

New Layouts and a Discovery

2007-06-12T08:09:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I went to the monthly crop with the scrap group I belong to. Here are the fun layouts I did. I have another one with some of Chad's fire pictures, too, but I haven't finished it yet. You can also see these in my 2 Peas Gallery.

Now...I have made the ultimate make-up discovery. It was recommended by another dancer on Tribe.net: Urban Decay Primer Potion.

This stuff is just freaking awesome. I have tried a lot of other eye make-up primers, and none have worked. My eye shadow and liner ends up in a crease an hour after I put it on no matter what. Never a good makeup day. But this stuff.....just wow. I used it for the first time on Saturday. I put my make-up on at 8am, and it was still intact at midnight when I got home from the crop. There was even some minor sweating in there. Best $15 I've ever spent!

Well, we're off to San Diego tomorrow! We'll be back next week and I'll have lots of cool pictures to share. Have a great week, everyone!

June SoML Layouts

2007-06-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

This month's Story of My Life kit is awesome! I had a great time working with it. It's packed with lots of fun Love, Elsie stuff. I'm in love with the fabric paper. I made some really cool flowers with it. I need more! Anyways, here's what I did this month. You can also see them in my 2 Peas gallery.

Be sure to check out the rest of the SoML gallery, as well. The fabulous Christina Padilla is the Guest Designer this month, and everyone did some great work, as usual!

I have another layout sitting in my camera just waiting to make a visit to my blog, and I'm going to a crop this weekend, so more coming soon! We'll be in San Diego for a week starting Wednesday, so I'll have lots of cool photos in about a week and a half. Have a great day!

Graduation.

2007-05-25T10:22:00.000-05:00

So, this is the gorgeous kid that graduated from high school last weekend. My sister, Beverly.

It was kind of weird for me, because she graduated from the same HS as me, so it brought back a lot of memories. That, and I can't believe she's flippin' 18 and out of school! I feel old. One thing they did that I thought was cool, was instead of giving flowers to just the girls, they all got yellow Leis after they accepted their fake diplomas. I wish we would have thought of that!

We also got to meet her cutie boyfriend, Nick. He's so sweet to her, and I'm happy she's finally with a guy that she can be her self with.

Now, completely Un-Graduation related, here's the birthday card I made for my Mom.

Also, Sara put up a picture of the FULL June SoML kit early! Here it is:

This kit is awesome! I should be getting mine in a few days....I can't wait to make some cool pages with it.

Well, have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! The fires have started up again, so hopefully Chad will be able to stay home rather than fight fires. Ack.

Fire Photos

2007-05-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

As promised, here's a couple fire photos. That's my dear husband Chad in the first one. I think these are from Friday if I remember correctly.

I was a little off on the size of the park in my other post, too. I said it was 80,000 acres...it's actually 96,000. He said it took over an hour from the entrance of the park to get to the fire he was working on. And he had to take an ATV to get there.

The good news is that we had A LOT of rain the past couple days, and they were finally able to completely pull out yesterday. It's so good to have him home at a reasonable time, and safe! Now let's just hope all these other fires going on get taken care of soon.

Completely unrelated to fires...if you haven't already, be sure to check out Sara's blog for some peekies of the SoML June kit! Scroll down a bit to see the stamp designs. I'm really excited for this one. Lots of cool stuff!

zingBOOM Love!

2007-05-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

I FINALLY got the chance to break out some zingBOOM stuff. I have to say, I just love Tinkering Ink paper. I think it's one of my new favorites. I thought the mushroom playing card was too cute, so the color scheme of the whole layout is based on that. You can also see this in my 2 Peas Gallery.

If you haven't been to the BAM POP Pop Art Gallery lately, check it out! A bunch of us SoML girls have layouts in the latest gallery update. I have the Pickle Monster and Band Geeks ones from the SoML April kit. I now have a total of 4 in the gallery. Man, I love working with BAM POP stuff. Now to use those alpha stamps I just HAD to have!

Chad's still on the fire, and he's managed to get some really cool photos of the actual fire, not just smoke like the last one. I'll share those tomorrow!

So, this is our reality right now....

2007-05-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

Fires. They're just all around us right now...I can't even tell you how many are going on just in Southwest Florida alone. The entire city has been in a haze of smoke for the past couple days. This is the view from just down the street from where I live. A bunch of fires started this weekend from all the lightning we had with the hellacious storms that brought lots of tornadoes and lightning, but very little rain. This is in Picayune Strand State Forest. My husband has been helping out at one of about 20 of the fires just down the road from us in Fakahatchee Strand State Park (this park is huge at about 80,000 acres, or something like that). He says the one he was on was 3 miles long, and they are expecting it to meet up with the fire above today. Ack.

People are getting arrested and fined for even throwing cigarette butts out of their cars, too. I believe a couple fires north of us started that way.

Then, there's that HUGE fire in South Georgia, not too far from where my parents live in North Florida. The smoke from that has actually reached ORLANDO. In the middle of the state. Can you believe it?

And hey, only a couple weeks until the official start of Hurricane season. Yay. Why do I live in Florida, again?

Finally, some new stuff!

2007-05-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

I finally have some new layouts to share! The May kit for Story of My Life was awesome as expected! Sara jam packed so much cool stuff into it. Here are my design team layouts:

The last one was for a prompt that Sara gave us, to do a layout about something we missed. I just love this photo of myself when I was 3, so I built a layout around it. I also did an altered item as well, but I don't want to post it here since it is going to be a part of my Mom's Mother's Day gift. You can see it in the SoML gallery (no peeking, Momma!).

I also did another layout Saturday. I just had to use this Sassafrass Lass paper. It's one of my favorites from the last CHA. I got it in the April zingBOOM kit.

You can also see all these layouts in my 2Peas gallery, as well. I have all the materials used listed there.

I've also been working on my Deck of Me cards....I have been about 7 weeks behind! Ack! I got a couple done yesterday, so those will be coming up soon, as well as a lot of zingBOOM love, because I've gotten behind on that, too! Work's been pretty nuts lately, but it's starting to calm down, so I'll be scrapping a lot more again.

Have a great day, everyone!

Long Time No Blog

2007-04-17T08:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been so bad at updating lately! I've been SUPER busy at work with this mega-project, and by the time I get home, all I want to do is curl up in my comfy chair and read. My goal for this weekend is to get caught back up on my Deck of Me, and get some layouts done.

If you haven't seen it yet, Sara has the peekie for the May Story of My Life kit up. It's called "A Story of the Lonely Sea". Here it is:

I can't wait to work with this one! I have something planned for the tattoo stamp already. The results of the DT call should be up soon, too. Well, have a great day, everyone. I promise I'll have some new stuff up soon!

Story of My Life Layouts

2007-04-02T08:03:00.001-05:00

Here's my Layouts that I did for Story of My Life for this month! The gallery and shop are now live on the site as of yesterday evening. You can also see these layouts in my 2Peas Gallery.

This kit is so fun. Definitely check it out! Sara has some great ideas for the next couple kits, so it's going to be good!

Once again, I'm two weeks behind on my Deck of Me. Oh well. And I need to do some zingBOOM stuff, too, so I'll be posting some new stuff shortly!

Happy April, everyone. Have a great day!

It's up!

2007-03-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

The Story of My Life website is up! To see it go to www.story-kits.com! The kit will go up for sale on April 1st, and the gallery will be live at that time, too. I'm the only DT member right now, so it'll be a smallish gallery to start with. I'm not sure if Sara did some stuff, too, I know she's been super busy getting this up and running.

If you are interested in the Design Team, all the info is on a thread in the Designer's area of the Forum on the site. I believe the deadline is April 15th. All those cool tattoo icons on the left of the main page are the navigation for the site. This is definitely a fun kit to work with. You won't be disappointed! I had NO problems cranking out some awesome layouts (well, I was pretty happy with them, anyways!) with the first kit.

Definitely stop by and check it out!

Deck of Me Weeks 10 and 11

2007-03-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I did get a couple layouts done at the crop on Saturday, but they are for Story of My Life, so those will be up when the site is live. It has been SUCH a fun kit to work with! Just my style. Sara says on her blog that she's hoping to get the site up sometime between today and Wednesday, and the store with the kits will go live on April 1st, so keep an eye out! Also, if you're interested in the Design Team call, that will be posted in the Designer's area of the site.

So, here's what I CAN show. I'm caught up with my Deck of Me card. Well, I still have to do this week's but I still consider myself caught up. The prompt for week 10 was "Note to Self", and week 11 was "My Initial". I totally copied off of Emily and put my picture behind my initial, as I noticed a lot of other people did, because I thought it looked cool. (Thank you, Emily!)

I'll have more stuff to show later in the week. I need to finish up a couple more things for SoML, then I'll share a couple zingBOOM goodies that are floating aroung in my head. Have a great Monday everyone, and keep an eye out for the Story of My Life website! Believe me, you are going to want this kit!

Most Cherished Project

2007-03-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, everyone still in the MM Idol contest was asked a couple questions that they were going to post on the blog. They did the "Most Cherished Project" this week, and since I'm no longer in it, I thought I'd post it here! I never posted any of my earliest pages on 2Peas. I started with the ones I did after I joined.

So, here it is, in all it's color-clashing glory!

This is what my response to the question was:

"My most cherished project is the 2nd layout I ever did. I made it a little over a year ago when I started scrapping. It's a layout of the night I met my now husband. Someone there was taking photos of everyone, so I ended up with photos of both of us, and we both kept the post-its that we exchanged numbers on. On the back, I have journaling about the night and the conversation we had. It's not the most beautiful layout ever, but what is on it is very special to me."

I still did some pretty funky stuff, even before I joined all the message boards and stuff. I'd like to think I've gotten better at putting papers together, though.

I just thought this would be fun to post. Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm going to a crop all day tomorrow, so there will definitely be new stuff to post later.

Trying to get caught up!

2007-03-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't get through on this round of MM Idol, but you know what? It's totally okay. I had a great time, and the other ladies were awesome. I do want to thank everyone who supported me week to week, and for all your wonderful comments. I have stuff to look forward to coming up, and now I can just SCRAP! Sara says the Story of My Life website will be up VERY soon, so keep an eye out! I'll be getting my kit this week.

I have been three weeks behind on my Deck of Me. I managed to get week 9 done Monday night, so here's my card for "Inspiration Found!":

For the journaling strips, I used some awesome vintage graph paper from zingBOOM. It was in my Street Team package. I have all kinds of zingBOOM and Poppy Ink goodies sitting on my desk, just waiting to be used! I'm going to a 14-hour crop on Saturday with my scrap group, so I'm sure to get lots done. And it's at a store, AND we get 20% off. I know I'll be coming home with all kinds of CHA goodies I just NEED.

I'm also thinking I might take apart the Lei I made for challenge 2 of MM Idol and make something else out of it, like brooches or a wreath for my scrap room or something. Right now it's just laying on the back of the chair, and I'd like to be able to USE it somehow.

Oh, and one more thing. I have my second layout in the BAM POP gallery! It's this birthday one I did a couple weeks ago with Sara's thought bubble stamps.

Man, I have alot of links in my post today! Anyways, I'm going to try to at least get another Deck of Me card done tonight. Have a great day, everyone, and happy first day of Spring!

MM Idol- Challenge 3

2007-03-19T09:25:00.000-05:00

It's Monday, so that means it's time again for my MM Idol project! This week we were challenged to create a layout or project (basically anything we wanted) using only scrapbooking basics, like paper, photos, eyelets, stickers, ribbon, and buttons. We were given a short-ish list on stuff we could use. So, this is what I came up with this time: a paper photo album.

I ended up doing the cover a little different than I had originally planned, but the whole thing came together really well. The album is about 10" x 10 3/4". I think there's about 10 pages...I can't remember how many I put in it. I mainly focused on the outside, but showed the first page so you can see how it can be used. For dimension, I made my own 'pop dots' out of layers of cardstock. That was probably the most time consuming part of the whole thing. Every other little photo is bumped up slightly with about 4 layers of CS to create a bit of a tiled look. The frame is bumped up with 16 layers of CS under each corner. I actually really like this look as opposed to using foam dots for something like this, because if you see them, they match and look better. You can also see this at 2Peas HERE for a supply list.

Voting is up now, so if you'd like to vote, you can do that HERE. Good luck to all the other ladies!

Edit: I just realized I somehow disabled comments on this post. Oops, sorry!

Some Stuff.

2007-03-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

So, in case you haven't been by the MM Idol Blog since Tuesday, I DID make it to the next round! I'll be working on my project tonight....I think it has completely come together in my head now. I didn't want to rush it, then not like what I made.

A few days ago, I mentioned that my Mom sent me MORE crochet flowers. She sent me 20 or so more of the big ones like she made when she was here, and I'd venture to say about 75-100 of these cool new small ones (on the right!) They're made with embroidery thread, and range from about 1" to 2", and there are three different styles. She's so awesome.

I also made a new layout. I actually started it over the weekend, but just finished it last night. I busted out the paint for the raw chipboard letters on this one, and used staples. Stuff I haven't done in a LONG time. I've been doing more 8 1/2x11 lately, because my 12x12 album is full, and my 8 1/2 x 11 still has LOTS of room. And if I'm gonna spend money on scrapbooking stuff, it's no fun to buy albums! You can also see this layout HERE on 2Peas for the supply list.

In other news, I am SO behind on my Deck of Me cards. I have 2 to do, but I'll get to them soon. I'm still doing it, I just need to get to them. The contest is taking up alot of my spare time, but that's okay!

Everyone have a great weekend! Voting for MM Idol will be again on Monday at 9am MST, just like every other week. I'll post my project here on Monday as well!

MM Idol Round 2

2007-03-12T09:09:00.000-05:00

So, here's project #2 for MM Idol. The assignment was called Kid's Corner. We had to make a project that a kid could join you in making. I don't have any kids, so I had to kind of think back to the kind of stuff I used to do with my Mom, combined with something I'd enjoy making with my child if I had one. So, this is what I came up with:

When I was in the 9-11 age range, my Mom used to do all kinds of crafts with silk flowers and ribbon. She had a HUGE stash of all this stuff and sold her crafts. I, of course, loved to make my own little creations, and she let me use her stuff. I even got my own pink glue gun for Christmas one year, which I still have. I call this a "Scrap Flower Lei". Kind of an updated version of what I used to do with my mom.

Just about every serious scrapper I know has a HUGE flower stash, so I knew this would be something that most people could do (I obviously had a little girl in mind!). Everything is held together with plain ol' white tacky glue, so it's kid-friendly there. I envisioned setting out all the different flowers, ribbons, scrap fabric, brads, buttons, etc., and letting the kid(s) help put their very own flower creations together. Layering flowers is one of my FAVORITE crafty things to do, so I know it's something I'd enjoy doing with a child! All the flowers are attached to a loop of fabric with tacky glue (again) to form the necklace/lei. I am totally making a more tropical one for the next Jimmy Buffett concert we go to.

I'm so happy with how it turned out! I did put a HUGE dent in my flower stash, but it was worth it. Luckily my Mom sent me literally about 100 more crocheted flowers in all sizes! I'll post a picture of those tomorrow.

So, voting is up now! You can go HERE to vote. Lots of cool and unique projects this week, check it out!