There are good things in the works at Red Oak Lines that I'm a super excited about. Coincidentally, I just made this card a couple days ago using a leftover felt circle made by Sarah & other scraps laying on my table...
Will be posting a few photos from Girls Night as soon as I get a chance to do some editing...
We had fun last night celebrating my mom's birthday at a local Italian restaurant. The food was yummy & we were there for 3 hours, so I'm sure the restaurant was glad for us to leave so they could go home!
Today is my sister, Kaysy's, birthday. She would have been 39.
I am on my way to my friend, Stephanie's, house for a Girls Night Out. Sally is in town & we're getting together with a bunch of girls for drinks & appetizers. I am bringing the punch, a new recipe I just saw in the latest In Style magazine. Sally is spending the weekend with us, so I don't see a lot of scrapping or blogging going on, but it will be FUN! And... I'm just SURE there will be more than a few party pics from the weekend...
... here! GO! HURRY to These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things! Leave a comment there for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate!
And Sarah has a RAK on her blog, too!
Our first challenge will be posted on the 15th!
Bryn is in 2 little mini camps this summer. Soccer camp began yesterday. It's just Monday - Thursday for 2 hours in the morning. She loves it & said yesterday, "I love this camp so much, I'm going to do it every year." This is her 3rd year participating & I'm glad she enjoys it...
Next week is Bead camp at a local bead store. It's just a 1-week camp for 2 hours in the afternoon. It's crafty stuff involving beads, of course, and she obviously loves being crafty. This will be her 2nd year at this camp & she enjoyed it enough to want to do it again. Although, I think it was the owner's dog walking around the store that captivated her the most last year. In fact, when we were talking about registering again she said, "I wonder if the dog will be there again?" Oh well, it's a change of scenery even if all she cares about for 2 hours a day is the dog.
There's a challenge at the Label Tulip blog to lift one of the gallery girls' projects. I lifted Mara-May Baca's gift bag & used Nikki Sivils new line to make my bag. I also used Julie's idea to make my cherries with the corduroy brads...
And I had to re-do my Nikki Sivils layout from a couple weeks ago... minus the machine-stitching mistake I made...
I really love her new lines. So fun and so sweet!
Hip 2B Square is looking to add to their design team! This is one FUN team to work with... such a GREAT opportunity! Check out their website for requirements!
We had rain on the 4th... LOTS of rain. In fact, it's raining again today. Our plans to go to the pool, BBQ & watch the fireworks on our deck were cancelled. Instead, I decided that purging & reorganizing the craft room might be a good idea. I'm still working on it today, but finished most of what I wanted to accomplish yesterday...
We did get a slight break in the rain for long enough to light up some sparklers... left-overs from last year...
Man, was it smoky outside AND humid. I love that Bryn picked out her "Girls just wanna have SUN" tank to wear today...
My cold glass of chardonnay was frosty & "sweating" once it hit the outdoors...
Due to the rain, we watched the fireworks from our kitchen. Bryn insisted I sit on her lap...
It was a lazy day & we made the best of it. Hope your weekend was wonderful, too!
... made for the One Little Word challenge... JOY. They posted the most ADORABLE video on this challenge, too. It gave me goose bumps & made me smile. Anyway, I used my new Key Lime Pie Glimmer Mist for this one... I am lovin' misting & masking lately.
No huge plans this weekend. We are in town, just hanging out. We're planning to BBQ tomorrow night (salmon for me, pork chops or chicken for Bryn & Bob), have some wine, sit on our deck & watch the fireworks. We are very lucky to have a phenomenal view from our deck of several fireworks displays. I mean, the entire horizon is nothing but fireworks... not to mention all the fireworks in our own neighborhood. It's quite a sight to see!
Happy Independence Day to all! Have a safe & FUN weekend!
First the bad news. I have stepped down from my design team position at Scrapping Across the Universe. It was a LOT of fun while it lasted (almost a year), but I have to keep my scrappy commitments at a manageable number so I can have a life, too. I know... there's life outside of scrapping? LOL!
Here is my take on challenge #18. I'm finally getting the hang of the masking/misting thing...
I am very proud to say that I have participated in EVERY SINGLE ONE of the 18 challenges since the inception of the blog. This new challenge hasn't been posted yet, but hopefully it will be soon.
As for the GOOD news... I am going to be designing for a NEW challenge blog and I am very excited about it!
Julie came up with the idea & has been VERY busy getting everything ready! The first challenge will be posted on the 15th, so stay tuned for that! And a few of MY favorite things about this blog... talented designers that I'm very excited to be on a team with, fun challenges, prizes and ON-TIME postings of new challenges & winners! I don't know about you, but when I'm particating in a challenge & they're late more often than not... I stop playing along. How about you?
On a side note... Bryn is doing better. Her mouth is still a bit sore, but we went back to the ortho yesterday & I think we have this adjusting thing worked out. They showed me a different way to do it, that I think will be easier. I had braces for about 3 years when I was young, but never had to wear an expander. And while I vividly remember the pain & the tears, I think I feel it even worse being the MOM. Someday, though, she'll be happy that her beautiful smile is even more beautiful...
... in fact, it was simply traumatic. Looks like we're heading back to the orthodontist tomorrow morning.
Anyone been through this?
Bryn is wearing braces & an expander on the roof of her mouth as of today. She's talking funny & having trouble eating, but it's all new & she'll eventually get used to it. She picked the colors pink & purple for her bands. I get the fun role of being the "expander adjuster" every day for the next 21 days. Why does Mommy get the role of causing more pain? Lots of food on the no-no list... most of which she didn't eat anyway... but popcorn is going to be a toughie. How do you have "game night" without popcorn? But... we will adjust.
I just found out that my Nikki Sivils tri-fold card I posted yesterday is going to be included in her CHA Summer 2009 Trade Show Catalog... which is an incredible honor! I really think she's going to WOW everyone at CHA this summer! For more inspiration from our design team you can find it on 2peas by searching for Nikki Sivils! Nikki should have her website (along with a gallery) up & running soon, but it was pretty cool to see so much inspiration on the new lines in one spot!
We went to the Cardinals game this afternoon. We gave Bob tickets to the game for Father's Day. Baking in the sun for 3 hours (& sweating like a pig) is not on my top 10 list of things I love to do... but Bob enjoyed it. We both ran 4 miles this morning before we left for the game, so staying hydrated today was a must...
I really love the new ballpark. I think that every time I come here. Makes me feel like I'm in another city when I can see the cityscape while watching the game. We didn't have that view in the old ballpark...
Thankfully, Bryn brought her fan/mister thingy from Disney World today & thankfully she shared it with me. We made a deal to switch every 5 minutes (although I think she had 10 minutes to my 2 minutes, but who's counting... besides me, who was sweating like a pig?)
I made another card with Nikki Sivils scrapbooking supplies. It's a tri-fold card...
I love to create "scenes," and her new lines are making it VERY easy for me to do!
Hope you had a GREAT weekend!
My "Rainy Day Luau" layout is on the Memory Makers featured ideas page today!
More layouts with the new Nikki Sivils product line...
I am loving these new lines. So fun to play with & so fun for paper-piecing. I hand-cut my sun & my picnic basket on this one...
Everything used on both layouts was from her line, except my title letters & stitching.
I also made a quick card...
Hoping that the Nikki Sivils site goes live this week, so you can see ALL the inspiring design team creations with her YUMMY new products!
Suddenly, I'm craving cherries...
Well, I have a layout in this magazine, but I have yet to see it...
In exchange for publishing my layout, they promised to send me an issue of the magazine. It went to press on May 20th. I have sent 3 emails now asking if my layout was in there & if so, that I hadn't yet received my copy. Unfortunately, to date, the emails have been ignored. Yesterday, I resorted to emailing Christine Middlecamp, who's beautiful work graced the cover, and asked her if she could tell me if my layout was in there. She kindly took the time to check & responded to me that it was indeed in there! Thank you, Christine!
For someone like me, who has only been published twice in an online magazine, it really meant a LOT to me to find out that my work was going to be published in a traditional magazine (even if it is in FRANCE!)
Well... I guess I'll just have to keep after it until I finally somehow get my hands on the issue.
Bob spent his morning playing in a golf tournament with my dad. All was fine & dandy until my dad accidentally threw him airborne out of the golf cart when he hit an unforeseen hole on the path. Bob said he thinks he rolled down the hill about 10 feet. It's amusing & disturbing all at the same time. What's really unbelievable? There was no alcohol involved in this acrobatic feet. Thankfully, he was not hurt. When the tournament ended, he came home & took Bryn to the subdivision pool for awhile. Then we had my family over for dinner... grilled salmon, pork chops, BBQ'd ribs, grilled veggies, salad & a side of pasta. My mom brought over 2 home-made cherry pies... yummy! So, all in all I think Bob had a great Father's Day, but it was VERY hot & humid yesterday. And... since the majority of his day was spent outside, I think he was a bit drained (& sore) by the end of the day.
You two are the loves of my life. I'm forever thankful you both came into my life...
Off to the orthodontist for Bryn's expander (it will be on the roof of her mouth). Then next Monday, the braces go on. I've been there. Poor baby...
I was at home yesterday waiting for the heating/AC guy to come over to do our Spring check-up (I know it's almost the first day of Summer... they're a bit late finally getting to us). When the doorbell rang, I assumed it was him. To my surprise it was the mail carrier leaving a couple boxes on my front porch... one of them being the first 3 product lines from NIKKI SIVILS!
I cannot say enough how CUTE her new product lines are! Needless to say, I had to start making something with them. I made a couple quick cards & then stayed up until 1:00am making a layout. Why is it that I feel the most creative when I should be sleeping?
I'm happy to say that I actually did some misting/masking on the last layout that turned out decent for once! Never, never give up! LOL! And, yes, those are bread tabs on my flower... "Bread(less) Tabs" to be exact! How cool is it that she added them to her line?! It'll be the next trend in scrapping, I'm sure!
I used all 3 product lines to create these projects ("Henry's Brilliance," "Victoria's Street" & "My Sweet Cherry Pie") I know Scrapbook Generation in Springfield, MO. is carrying her line and will keep you updated as I hear where you're able to purchase these new supplies.
I just read Rinnavation. I love Lisa Rinna & have been a fan of hers all the way back to Days of Our Lives. I think I like her because she's just a few years older than me, but she's still doing all she can to look good, feel good & slow down the hands of time. And like most of my role-models, she works hard for her body & looks better in her 40's than she ever did in her 20's. I can very much relate to that.
It's a very easy read & I finished it in just 2 days. In it, she talks about doing cleanses & detoxing. One thing that works for her is SoCal cleanse, which I just ordered & received in only 2 days. Super fast shipping & I didn't pay for that to happen either!
I also ordered some Spirulina to add to smoothies, for which she gives several recipes. You can read more about each on their websites & she has her reasons in the book. My reason for doing some cleansing/detoxing is really my sugar intake... specifically chocolate (or Dark Chocolate Raisinets, which I can manage to down quite a few of in one sitting). While I do work my a-- off every day to allow for the extra calories, I've heard more than once that sugar really is the worst thing you can put into your body. So... I'm making some positive changes. I already have a multi-vitamin + vitamin D + Omega 3 that I take daily, but I just want to add more good stuff.
I have also made & tried her home-made cleanse she included in the book. I have to say it's the oddest tasting thing I've ever tried, but I guess it works. (2 T. of fresh lemon or lime juice, 1 T. pure maple syrup, dash of cayenne pepper & 8 oz. of water).
Her Ballroom Body Blast dvd is a ton of fun, too. Lately on my running days, I've been running for a 1/2 hour on the treadmill... about 3.2 miles... & then doing this dvd. It's similar to my Zumba stuff I do on Mondays, so between LOVING Dancing With the Stars & LOVING Zumba, it's a win-win dvd.
And speaking of feeling good, nothing makes me feel better than a new pair of shoes (well, actually I have a list of things that make me happy that include more than a new pair of shoes, but you know what I mean!). Here's my latest purchase, that I can't wait to wear with my "boyfriend" jeans & a tee...
Found these lovelies here. You can use 2 coupon codes at once (SUMMERLUV for $10 off any purchase of $49 or more and SHIP2ME for free standard shipping on $35 or more.)
I have zero desire to be in my 20's again... ZERO. But I don't exactly want to LOOK my age either. No one's going to mistake me for a 20-year old (other than maybe that "blind" cashier at Whole Foods who carded me about a week after I turned 41... not that I was complaining, mind you), but I really don't want to LOOK my age either. I'd rather look a few years younger than I am. But the bottom line is that you can't just do it on the outside. It starts with what you put into your body. Junk in, junk out. I agree with the general message of Lisa's book. It takes some effort, but it's as simple as eating right, exercising & taking a few minutes on your appearance every day. It takes as much effort to throw on a sundress & some flip flops to run your errands, as it does to put on some sweats & a t-shirt.
When you FEEL good, you LOOK good.
Challenge #17 is up at Scrapping Across the Universe! The challenge this time is about dinner parties, family gatherings, maybe an awkward situation that happened at the dinner table? My take on it involved "date night" of course!
Check out the blog for more inspiring ideas & to see the prize that's up for grabs! Jenneke has generously donated it this time!
And I know, I'm sorry... it's that darn American Crafts paper again. It is almost embarrassing, how many things I've made with one sheet of paper in the past few months. It's 5 lay-outs & 1 card to be exact. I just love that paper, I can't help it. You'll be happy to know it's all gone now, so you won't see it anymore. LOL!
And speaking of Scrapping Across the Universe... we were all featured here for using the 3 indy papir line of paper for our last challenge!
Check out this giveaway from October Afternoon. Yes, I think I am looking for Road Map!
The new Hip 2B Square kit is SO FUN! Tons of new Cosmo Cricket and Sassafras Lass. I made 4 layouts & 3 cards...
You can see the rest of my layouts & cards here!
The kits are so FUN, so full of great product & for only $25/month... I think it's a BARGAIN!
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
~ Regina Brett
I have the honor of Guest Designing for Ad This again! This week the challenge is to use this ad as inspiration...
...plus "the twist" is to use 5 diferent mediums. Here's my take on it...
I hope you're able to play along! I sure do enjoy using their ads & "twists" to stretch my creativity in ways I may have never tried otherwise.
Happy Monday!
The skating party for 3 was fun. Bob & my mom both skated with the 3 girls. I did make an attempt to skate around once, then decided I didn't want to be diving onto the floor & turned my skates back in. I told my mom I was much more balanced on my 4-inch platform heels. Plus, after seeing my sister wear a boot for 4 weeks over a stress fracture, I just didn't want to go there. Bryn had fun skating, eating popcorn & cotton candy, collecting money in the "money machine" and opening her gifts...
A few other favorite photos from this birthday week...
I believe she may have had a longer celebration than I did this year. This family ♥'s to party!
I finished 6 new layouts & 3 new cards in the past few days that I should be able to post early this week. Also, you still have today to submit your work for Scrapping Across the Universe for a chance to win Gudrun's ADORABLE paper line! Hurry!!! You don't want to miss out on such a GREAT prize package!
And one more thing... for those of you receiving my GCD tags, I did punch them out of the 12x12 sheets to make them easier to mail. They went out on Friday, so look for some HAPPY MAIL soon!
Happy Saturday to you!
Received some "happy mail" today from the Crop Suey blog. It was some paper & stickers from Pebbles (the Linnie Bell line)...
Bob spent the night with his dad tonight (and will again tomorrow night) since his dad is having surgery tomorrow... so Bryn & I went to dinner with her teacher from 1st grade. She's the sweetest... I enjoy her company.
And a layout using some clusters of tags & things I've been saving. It was submitted to the Willie B's design team call for an "all about me" layout...
Working out & working on some projects tomorrow. Will be kind of a boring day... the kind I love to have sometimes...
VERY excited after receiving a phone call yesterday...
Ready for take-off (or was I just landing? Hard to tell...)
No, I didn't just become 6 months pregnant...
I received a call from Nikki Sivils...
... who told me I had been chosen to be on Willie B's design team, her new scrapbooking company! She is debuting her new line at CHA in Orlando this summer and I'll be part of the team to help her get her company off the ground & running! I literally screamed & jumped up & down when I hung up the phone! Bryn just looked at me smiling, wondering WTH I was doing, I'm sure! "My Sweet Cherry Pie" is her first paper line...
CONGRATULATIONS to all the other girls on the team & a special congrats to my friend, Julie, who was also chosen to be on the Willie B's design team. So very excited for you, too, my friend!
My able-bodied photographer/assistant helped me set up this photo shoot & then asked if she could do it, too. She said, "I'll be jumping for joy since it's my birthday tomorrow."
And excited she is. Today is her birthday! It's my favorite day of the whole year. I still cannot believe I have an 8-year old. I cannot believe she will be in 3rd grade in a few months & wearing braces in just a couple weeks. We are celebrating today with shopping & an early dinner... per her request. It's her favorite thing to do. Where does she get that?
And finally... I'm sending out tags to all 9 who commented on my RAK blog post if you want them! So... Aimee, Beth P., Julie, Jess, Kim W., Sasha F., Amber & Nicole... email me with your address & I'll send them out this week. (Jenneke... yours are going in the mail with a few more extras!)
Yesterday was Bryn's Luau-themed family birthday party. Bob & I both got up early yesterday to run & then spent the morning decorating the backyard, deck & patio for the party that was set to begin at 1pm. It was hot & humid and there were spot showers in the forecast. I had grass skirts for the food tables, parrots hanging, Limbo sticks in the yard and the beer/water/soda was on ice. I decided to use the Beach Bum beer 6-pack holders for centerpieces & condiment holders...
I made sand bucket "goodie bags" for the kids. Bryn helped me with the napkins/utensils the other day by using her palm tree stamp & sun stamp to make tags for each set. I tied each set with raffia. She loves nothing more than to feel like she has an important job helping me out with stuff...
Bob finished BBQ'g early so he wouldn't have to be out there during the party and all of a sudden we started to hear thunder & lightening... and then it POURED.
Soooo... we reorganized & put all the food out INSIDE the house & left everything outside as is. We were only inside for a couple hours, long enough to eat lunch & chat for awhile and then it cleared up outside & turned out to be a beautiful day. In fact, the temperature had dropped & the humidity was a LOT lower. So we moved the party outside, even though the furniture was pretty wet...
Bryn & I made the cupcakes... no dairy, eggs or nuts. If you or someone you know has food allergies, I'd be happy to email you the product info. Everyone raved about how good they were & couldn't believe there were no eggs in them. I used to make them from scratch, but found a mix in the "whole foods" aisle at the store. All I add to it is water & soy butter... so much faster & easier!
She loved ALL her gifts, but not suprisingly was very excited about the camera we gave her as her early birthday gift (she gets the rest tomorrow on her REAL birthday)...
It turned out to be a GREAT party & a beautiful day. Bryn enjoyed it & that's ALL that matters!
Winner(s) for my RAK posted tomorrow!
Made a layout for the new Ad This challenge. Used their ad for inspiration + 3 different mediums to give it color (blue thread, patterned paper, beads, trim, a magnet... well, I guess that's more than 3)...
It was inspired by Sasha's use of letter beads. Every time I see one of her layouts I am reminded that I, too, have a huge stash of those letter beads that I could be using.
PS... Sat at Walgreens' clinic for 2 hours this morning and found out that Bryn has Strep throat. Thankfully after 24 hours on the antibiotic, she'll no longer be contagious. This is good since we'll have about 20 family members at our home tomorrow for her birthday BBQ/luau! Poor baby. Crossing my fingers that Bob & I haven't been given any germs...
We spent the afternoon playing with Sydney & then watching her last session of Little Gym yesterday. She was a star!
I love how close these 2 are... like sisters... only they're cousins (of sisters!). Always hugging each other, holding hands... it's precious.
I'm feeling slightly unorganized about Bryn's Luau-themed family birthday party on Sunday. I have most of what I need, but still have quite a bit to accomplish. But... at least I have a dress to wear...
I ♥ Forever 21.
Bryn is not feeling well today. She has a bit of a cough, a low fever & just feeling generally icky. So... my plans of going to the Y this morning & running a bunch of much-needed errands will be put off until Bob comes home from work this evening. I've gotta wrap things up!
I need some new inspiration. So... I thought I'd do another RAK & give away some cute GCD tags! The tags have bright, fun patterns & colors and worked well in my Hawaii mini that I just finished. Leave me a link of something inspiring you lately & I'll throw your name in for the RAK. I may just have to give away more than 1 set, so don't be shy... comment away! I'll pick a winner(s) on Sunday evening! Have a great weekend!
... to scrap all my Hawaii photos. Since I've already made a couple 12x12 layouts with some of the photos, I decided to make a mini album with the rest & use smaller photos. I also love doing minis because you can use all the scraps, tags & embellies you can't seem to part with. I was able to use a few of my new GCD tags in my book, too. Some of my pages didn't photograph well, but you get the idea...
So glad I kept a journal every day during that trip. It really made it very easy to put the journaling in this book, without having to rely on my ever-fading memory.
I don't remember why I ended up on Bob Greene's email list, because I haven't paid to join his program.... BUT I do like reading his emails. This time it's about going outside to your local track. I know from training for my 1/2 marathon's, that the best way to work on your time is to do speed work (wind sprints). Wind sprints are also a GREAT way to burn calories quicker than say to run the same amount of time at an even pace. Here's the except from the email:
After a long, cold winter, you can finally take your exercise routine outside. A great place to blast calories: Your local track. Walk for 10 minutes to warm up and then 5 minutes to cool down. For each move, do one to three sets. On your mark, get set, go!
Wind Sprints
What they are: Sprints that are run at a pace that's just slightly faster than you could maintain for several minutes.
How to: Run the entire length of one straight section of the track. Walk slowly through the curve to recover. And repeat the "sprint" down the length of the next straightaway. One set is two full laps around the track.
Easier option: Focus on a fast "power walking" pace.
Stadium Stairs
What this is: Heart-pumping activity that tones the buttocks, thighs and calves.
How to: Run up a flight of stairs then move one flight over and walk down. Run as many flights as you can in five minutes; that's one set.
Easier option: Walk up instead of running and exaggerate lifting your knee and pushing off with the opposite foot with each step.
I try to do something different every day of the week to keep my body guessing (running, Zumba, Spin, Sculpt, sometimes Step). When you do the same thing every day, your body gets accustomed to it & stops showing results. Adding resistance training (weights) to your work-out will show you GREAT results. And the best part of toning up & gaining muscle... muscle burns fat even at rest! That's what you want... your body working for you even when you're not working out!
A new challenge has been posted at Scrapping Across the Universe. I used GOOD NEWS as my inspiration & made a reduced-size copy of the postcard I received stating that I was excused from Jury Duty! It was the BEST news I'd received in a long time! This month Gudrun sent us paper from her ADORABLE line to use for our layouts and she has also graciously donated the prize for this challenge! Check out the blog for more inspiring ideas & post your layout for a chance to win!
Lovin' that pinwheel tutorial! Here's what I did with it... photos from Bryn's 2nd grade Achievement Party last week...
One of these days I need to use my sewing machine for something other than paper projects.
Last day of school! Looking so forward to hanging out with Bryn all summer!
What a fast & furious weekend. Saturday night was Bryn's dance recital...
This afternoon she attended a birthday party at a pool. This evening her cheerleading club from school performed at a Frontier League baseball game. I took a lot of photos, but don't want to post them with the school name on all the shirts... so I'll just post a cropped photo of Bryn with Daffy Duck...
Peanuts all over the ground on the other side of our seats from us, are ALWAYS disturbing to me because it's one of Bryn's life-threatening food allergies... so I find it difficult to enjoy the game...
My parents, my sister & her boyfriend were all in attendance cheering her on. We stopped for a late dinner on the way home & got right into bed to get some sleep before the last day of school tomorrow. We printed some Be A Pal Hero certificates for her classmates & I made a card for her teacher...
It was a busy weekend & we're ready for some SUMMER FUN! Oh & one more thing... for the most incredible RAK I've seen yet... a weekend at Jenneke's beautiful lake home in Holland. It's enough to make me want to jump on an airplane right now!
Yesterday was a FUN day for Bryn at school... most of which was spent outside again. They enjoyed more games, snow cones, face painting & crafts...
2nd grade was the year I met my life-long BFF, Sally, and I have to wonder if Bryn's BFF from this year will be someone she stays friends with forever, too. Such sweet memories. One more day of school on Monday & our summer begins. I, for one, am looking forward to it... but I know Bryn is, too!
I love to learn something new from someone who's work inspires me. On Studio Calico's new blog post, Davinie explains how to make a pinwheel. So... I made one for an upcoming lay-out, probably using all my photos from yesterday's 2nd grade party...
It's very easy to make & I love the dimmension it will add to a page!
Yesterday was our 9-year anniversary. Hard to believe it's been 9 years already, but it's hard to remember life before him, too. It was a good day. A normal day, but normal is good! I spent it working out & running errands, while Bob was at work & Bryn was at school. We didn't make any dinner plans for 2 reasons... Bryn had her last night of dance class before her recital this weekend AND we have dinner plans with friends tonight! We also decided NO GIFTS. May is a big month for me... Mother's Day, my birthday, our anniversary. Bob's been itching to get a new flat screen TV, so I suggested he get it & call it our anniversary gift. He did bring home roses & dinner though... and bringing home dinner is ALWAYS welcome in this house!
And speaking of our house... I just finished a lay-out for the current One Little Word challenge to use the word REFLECT. I also used some more of Gudrun's paper. I do love her clouds and YES, Julie, I am hoarding the rest of them...
I received some "happy mail" yesterday... my prize from GCD Studios for my Mother's Day layout...
It was a TON of stuff... in fact, they sent 25 sheets of the journaling spots. 25 sheets! 25 sheets of like 17 journaling spots on each. I keep thinking it must've been a mistake? I'm going to have to do another RAK soon, because as much as I LOVE to journal... I can't possibly use that many sheets of journaling spots. It was a GENEROUS gift, to say the least!
And a quick card to get rid of some of the MANY scraps on my table...
Off to work-out, then to school for the end-of-the-year party & then tonight it's Date Night!
Have a great weekend!
My design team friend, Gudrun, from Scrapping Across the Universe has her own paper line now! She graciously offered to donate paper for us to use for our upcoming challenge to be posted at the end of this month, but since she sent me SO MUCH paper... I have also made a couple cards...
Thank you again, Gudrun! Your 3ndy papir paper is absolutley ADORABLE & I had so much fun designing with it!
I also found a GREAT idea from babybokchoy's blog for using your paper packaging. I LOVED this idea of using the cover sheet for a paper pack. I used the cover sheet from my We R Memory Keepers paper pack...
... cut out a group of squares from the middle of the page & used them as the background of my card...
I stitched around the border & added a Cosmo Cricket chipboard sticker. So easy & a great way to use everything in the paper package!
Happy 9-year Anniversary, Bob! Love you!
"Do not give up; the beginning is always the hardest."
... it's been a great weekend! Ours was spent:
a little wine & a LOT of good food
Hope your weekend was just as memorable! And thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our men & women in uniform and for their families at home supporting them & missing them...
Having a little scrappy time here & there this Memorial Day weekend. Once again, I've been working on "challenges" & not the majority of my Hawaii photos I still have. BUT... I guess the reason I'm not hell-bent on scrapping them is because I kept a journal every day during the trip. My reason for scrapping events as soon as possible otherwise, is so the journaling is still fresh in my mind. The farther away from the event I get, the less detailed the journaling. I love to look back in scrapbooks from 7 years ago (or even 1 year ago, for that matter) & think, "I would've NEVER remembered THAT story if I had scrapped those photos today." NO way. And if you've read my blog long enough, you KNOW that I think the journaling is the most IMPORTANT part of the page.
So... that being said & MINUS the Hawaii pages I still need to do... this one is for the current Creative Type challenge to use numbers...
... and this one is for the current Category Stories challenge about food...
I was inspired by a digital layout I saw by Alice on We are Storytellers. And the title is such a Sarah multi-colored title, who ALWAYS inspires me!
... is what I texted Bob this afternoon while out in the heat for 2 1/2 hours at the school "Olympic Games." If only I knew when I volunteered to help out that I was going to have "Date Night" the night before, I may have reconsidered! It was all good though & I can say I'm glad to be back at home, in the air-conditioning!
Went to a restaurant called Sasha's Wine Bar. For my local friends, it's a must. We went to the location on Shaw, but they also have another one (supposedly smaller) in Clayton. Wine bottles covered all the walls & they had cool wine bottle pendant lights hanging down above all the tables...
My sister joined us after dinner at the bar for a glass of wine...
We had the BEST time. Bob & I spent the night at the Sheraton afterward.
We are staying in town this weekend. Bob is participating the Senior Olympics... in the basketball free throw & around the world events on Saturday morning & their 5K on Sunday morning. We are going to visit his family in Illinois afterward on Sunday. Hopefully I'll have some crafting time this weekend, too!
How about you? Plans for Memorial Weekend? Hope it's a good one!
... is great. I would've never thought it would be... say 20 years ago. But it seems that getting older is getting better. And since we can't turn back the hands of time, trying to make the best of what IS... is the BEST thing you can do.
Tuesday was FUN! Met Christa & Stephanie for lunch at Cheesecake Factory... where else? It's almost laughable how often I can eat their food and not get sick of it. Anyway, I haven't seen either one of them since "Game Night" at our house last month & we had LOTS to catch up on. Lunch could've easily gone well into the evening, but we left about 2 hours later (since we all had errands to run & kids coming home from school) & decided we'll get together again soon with cocktails next time...
The Chocolate Godiva Cheesecake was beyond describable...
Of all the cheesecakes I've tried, I believe it was the first time I've had that one. (Bob would later decide he needed some, too, the next day). Thank you again, girls, for the GREAT gifts and your friendship most of all. Oh & by the way... I went home & searched for & then purchased Christa's handbag. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...
Yesterday was my actual birthday. I woke up to gifts from Bob & Bryn, one of which was this watch...
...took Bryn to school & went to my Spin class. LOVE that class. Hurried to get ready afterward & met Bob for lunch at PF Changs. My sister asked, "Isn't that where you went for Bob's birthday?" To which I replied, "Yes, but we can't go there with Bryn (because of her food allergies) so when we get the chance... we go." And... let's just say it's a good thing I married another Taurus. We are BOTH creatures of habit. As much as we LOVE to try new places, it doesn't bother either one of us to go back to a place we've been... again & again...
Yes, I did have on 2 earrings & no, one of them was not a bright head-light... but it does appear that way with the flash. Now I know why I wear my gold hoop earrings all the time! I stopped by Nordstrom after lunch, made a couple returns & found a dress for Date Night...
Bob said he'd bring home a surprise dinner, so Bryn & I went to Michaels after I picked her up from school. I received a gift card for Michaels & it was burning a hole in HER pocket.
When I came home, I found this postcard in my mailbox... my BEST GIFT EVER...
Thank you to the Government for excusing me from Jury Duty!!!!!
And the prettiest purple orchids were delivered from Sally...
More Chocolate Godiva Cheesecake last night for dessert because Bob had to try it too... but who's complaining? Not me!
Date Night tonight... and the party continues!
So excited to be designing again for Hip 2B Square Scrapbooking! Here's the FUN kit I received...
I made 4 layouts...
... + 3 cards...
So many CUTE things in this kit & such a FUN color/pattern combo for creating some Spring & Summer pages! Head over to the store for kits + scrapbooking products and check out the blog for more inspiring ideas from the other designers!
..."Kid of the Week" at Kids Can Scrap for the cute Mother's Day card she made! She loves that site so much!
... but we look a lot alike, have all the same mannerisms & get asked if we're twins all the time... which makes me happy since she's 7 years younger, but I'm sure she's not as amused! We looked even more alike a few years ago when she went back to her "roots" & had darker hair. It's worse if we have on hats. I've had strangers call me Marci or come up to me & ask if I might be Marci's sister... & I've never met these people before in my life. They just think we HAVE to be related. It's funny & strange all at the same time.
Off to run & then to lunch with my friends Christa & Stephanie to celebrate my birthday, which isn't until tomorrow, BUT I have more lunch plans then... with Bob! AND he just informed me on Sunday that he's arranged for us to have Date Night on Thursday night + spending the night Downtown... while Mom spends the night at our house with Bryn. YOWZA!!! I'm excited! Doesn't it seem that the older you get... the longer the birthday celebration? It goes from being one day of the year... to a week or a month of celebrating! Love that...
... and I love making cards with left-over scraps!
PS... Who's going to win Dancing With The Stars tonight?
We didn't spend a whole lot of time at home this weekend. It was a crazy fun weekend though. Had a really good dinner at "1111 Mississippi" on Saturday night for my sister's birthday... arranged by her new boyfriend Joel...
He's really very nice... I like him a lot!
... then the 6 of us moved on to "BARcelona" afterward to join all her friends. We only stayed an hour & were back home by 10pm. She was out until almost 3am. Oh to be 34 again...
Had to get up early on Sunday for the Girls On The Run race. What an incredibly beautiful day for running. If ONLY we had this for the Marathon Relay... high of 68 degrees (in the low 60's while we were running in the morning), sunny & very low humidity. I swear I could live in weather like that year-round & NEVER tire of it.
Had our photo taken with Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes was a sponsor) before the start...
Before the race began, this girl (who was blind) sang the National Anthem and THEN ran the race (with someone jogging backwards infront of her)...
You can't help but feel inspired when you see people that are blind or people in wheelchairs finishing these races.
I ran my 5K first, while Bob & Bryn cheered me on...
So MANY kids in this race, along with people like myself who were running it competitively. I'd say it was mostly girls, but a lot of young boys too... really a fun & inspiring thing to see so many kids getting out & doing something active.
I finished in my best 5K (3.1 miles) time ever... 27:09... 17th in my age division. Something about running with a bunch of kids on the course that made me a bit faster!
Mom decided to jump in & run the 1-mile FUN RUN with us. Even though she hadn't worn her running clothes, she did have her running shoes on. That race was craziness... kids trying to get to the front of the start line (even though they weren't timing it). I wore my Garmin so I'd know how fast Bryn ran it. During training, she'd been run/walking the mile in 11:20. I guess between excitement, all the kids inching to get their foot out first, & the rest of the kids taking off like a bat-outta-hell... she started SPRINTING...
... so I was sprinting to keep her in my sight & poor Gamma was thinking, "I thought you said she did about an 11 1/2-minute mile?" I was just hoping we didn't run the whole mile at that pace, but sure enough she pooped out after a couple minutes. Gamma had to cheat & run across the lawn to keep up with us though. I later told her people were probably saying, "What's up with Rosie Ruiz cheating during the 1-mile fun run?" (Incase you don't already know... she's the woman that cheated to win the Boston Marathon many years ago.) Hilarious!
Despite some cramps & stitches in her side, she finished the race in 10:50...
It was so FUN, she did so GREAT on her first race ever & I am so PROUD of her!
There was a DJ playing music all morning & after the race we jumped in with a bunch of girls & danced to a few songs...
She was very proud of her first medal...
And we had the best fans cheering us on... Papa Jack & Daddy! What a GREAT experience... parents running with their kids, kids learning to live a healthy lifestyle... & an experience I'm sure all of the kids won't soon forget. 3500 people turned out for this & I can say it's something I'd definitely do again in a heart-beat. In fact, Bryn already asked me if she can run another race with me. ☺
Happy Monday! It's a busy & FUN week ahead!
While running on the treadmill this morning, I thought about grass skirts... how I could go that route for Bryn's Luau-themed family BBQ for her birthday. So, I printed the invitation details on white cardstock, cut up a bright neon green cardstock to look like "grass" & then punched out flowers from some old patterned paper that I would probably never use otherwise. I stitched across the middle of the flowers to keep everything adhered & to give it a more finished look...
Bryn was happy with them & said, "Cute! I like them!" So that's what we'll use. I have quite a few more to make, but I'm off to a good start.
Now, I need to think about cleaning & getting an early dinner ready for Bryn. Tonight's "date night," and we're going out to celebrate my sister's birthday. I'm wearing my new black halter pantsuit...
I'll be the designated driver tonight because tomorrow morning at 9am, I'm running in a 5K (3.1 miles) for Girls on the Run charity. Then at 10am I'm doing a 1-mile "fun run" with Bryn... her 1st race ever. We both have our packets & our running bibs to wear on our shirts. She is REALLY excited. Then tomorrow evening we're celebrating Marci's AND my birthday at my parent's house. Mom is making chocolate pudding cake as requested by both of us for dessert. The challenge will be for everyone else to try to get a piece... we do LOVE it!
Hope you're enjoying your Saturday...
A new challenge is up at Scrapping Across the Universe! This time we're talking about hanging out with your friends. I went with a recent evening we hosted at our house with some friends, some wine, some food & the 80's Game...
I wanted my layout to look like a game board. I really do love to play games... especially when it's just Bryn, Bob & me at home on a Saturday night with a big bowl of popcorn! Check out the blog for more great design team inspiration & a chance to win a GREAT prize donated by my friend, Julie!
Trying to work on my photos from Hawaii & finished one more page from Easter Day using some of my goodies from my friends Jenneke (sticker & frame) & Sarah (tags, die-cuts & bunnies)...
You are both too sweet! Thank you again!
No "Game Night" for me this weekend. We are celebrating my sister's birthday on Saturday night & then on Sunday, Bryn & I are running in a race together. She is beyond excited about running in her 1st race ever!
Have a great weekend everyone!
