(diva)logues

Cardinals Care Run Home For Kids 6K...

We got up early on Sunday morning to drive Bob downtown.  He ran in the Cardinals Care Run Home for Kids 6K race.  6 kilometers is about 3.7 miles. 

The race paid tribute to Stan Musial’s legacy, promoted health and fitness, and served as a major fundraiser for the team’s community fund, Cardinals Care.  Each runner was required to commit to a fundraising goal of $150. 

Cardinal legend, Lou Brock, was the master of ceremonies & kicked off the race...

Fred Bird was all over the place.  Bryn loved that!

 

The race began at the Stan Musial statue right outside Busch Stadium...

As soon as Bob took off, Bryn & I went into the stadium to get a front row seat, as the finish line was home plate...

The runners finished up the last leg of the race by running into one of the gates on the other side of the stadium.  I was watching the time on my watch because I knew approximately when to expect Bob & sure enough, we saw him run in the gate right on time!

Fred Bird greeted the runners as they ran across the finish line...

The first thing Bob said was, "It was really HOT out there."

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I really should've worn one of my Cardinals t-shirts to the race.  I think it was too early & I was still half asleep or something.  Bryn, of course, was all decked out... she's always stylin'!

Bob finished 54th overall & FIRST place in his age division with a time of 31:32!  SO proud of him!  And DANG he's running fast these days!  I need kick up the training so I can keep up with that boy! 

What's your favorite?

 

Can you name your favorite scrapbooking manufacturer?  That's a tough one for me.  At the top of my list, of course, would be Nikki Sivils & SRM Stickers.  They have both been SO good to me & I can't say enough what an honor it is for me to design for them.  I adore both their products & find it easy to get inspired when creating with them.  The funny thing is though, I didn't use either one of their products to make this page!  It's just a mix of random things I found on my table & kept adding.  It really is how I like creating the best... by mixing different manufacturer's lines together! 

Of course, I'm still intending to make a mini book about my trip to CHA, but when given the newest challenge at These Are A Few of My Favorite Things, I decided to make a page about CHA where ALL the manufacturers hang out!  Check out the blog for a peek at the prize up for grabs this time.  Michelle Baca, on our team, has started her own company making her own 12x12 display frames & she is sending one to the winner of this challenge!  I purchased one the other day & I LOVE it!  You can find them here!  And as for the challenge... clearly I'm not alone when it comes to trying to choose just one favorite.  Most of us said, "we love them ALL!" 

Dance Club started today, so Bryn was at school at 8am.  Long day.  I'm off to Spin class!  My work-out schedule changed beginning last week when my Zumba class was switched from Monday to Thursday.  So now I'm doing Spin twice a week, instead of once.  It's a GREAT work-out so I guess it's all good, but I'd RATHER be starting my week off with Zumba...   

Happy Monday!

One of the many Zumba songs that start my day off with a major smile & a LOT of sweating...

Ima party... and party... and party... and par and par... and party... Enjoy your weekend!

Happy mail...

   

When I ordered my decal dry erase wall calendar from Pottery Barn Teen on Monday, the website told me the item was on backorder until August 30th.  I was suprised when I received a shipping notice email the other day and the UPS site said the delivery date would be the 27th.  Love when that happens!  So, with the help of my little assistant, Bryn, we got it hung up & I added our September calendar to it.  (Cannot believe it's almost September!)  I bought a package of 8 double-sided dry erase markers at Target the other day... they have a different color on both ends.  So you have 8 markers, but 16 different colors.  Of course I used almost all the colors to write everything down!  I'm easily amused, what can I say?

Also delivered today, was a big stack of photos from Austria.  I need to get serious about making a mini album for that trip...

Ordinarily I print my photos at home.  But when I have a huge amount of photos, like from a big trip, I have them printed through Snapfish.  Depending on what special they're running & which one is the better deal, I'll either have them shipped to me or I'll pick them up at the store.  This time it was cheaper to have it shipped. 

I still need to work on CHA photos, too, but one mini at a time.

Our weekend isn't too terribly busy.  I'm getting up to do Zumba & run in the morning, while Bob & Bryn drive downtown to pick up his race packet.  He's running in a 6K race on Sunday morning & the finish line is home plate at Busch Stadium.  Bryn & I will be sitting in the stands with the camera, waiting for him to finish.  Should be fun!  He's already told me more than once that there will be no "Game Night" for him tomorrow night so he can get up & function for the race on Sunday (ie... no wine + popcorn). Hilarious!  There's always next weekend though & I'll be waiting with the popcorn popper! 

Hope you enjoy your weekend! 

A few current random things I never want to forget...

The babies going with us everywhere...

 

Finding love notes on the kitchen counter...

Being thankful for my good health so I can sweat my butt off every day, especially in Zumba, which never ceases to put a huge smile on my face...

Finding Bryn's drawings in random spots in the house...

 

Having a space to create (even if I do end up on the floor)...

 
Being amused by Bob's disgust over the nut grass situation this summer...

Yummy seafood & veggies at a restaurant close to home...

 
Wishing that summer hadn't ended so soon, so I could still be hanging out with this girl all day...

 
Hope you're having a great day!

Trying out new things...

When you hang out with amazing card makers, like on the SRM Stickers design team, you can't help but pick up some of their techniques.  These techniques, mind you, are not new to everyone, just to me.  Take embossing, for instance.  Many people do it... like Ellen, who's adorable card was the final straw at inspiring me to want to attempt this.  Sometimes it's just a matter of having the right tools though.  And since I certainly don't "need" more product, adding more tools to my stash has been my focus lately. 

My parents gave me the Sizzix Big Kick for my birthday.  I purchased a few dies to go with it & especially love that it will cut more than just paper... like felt for example... love that.  So, the other day when I was at Michaels I decided to buy a Cuttlebug embossing plate (they were all 40% off) and see if I could make it work with my Sizzix.  I grabbed a piece of pink Core'dinations cardstock & after a few attempts to get the thickness right, I made my first piece of embossed paper.  I lightly sanded over the top of my embossing to allow some of the darker pink core to show & voila!

 

Of course no card is complete without some SRM Stickers on there...

 

The bunting flags were purchased from Pretty Little Studio and the hanging toy is just an old, old sticker from my stash.

And speaking of trying out new things, I ordered a set of Copic markers.  I had a 50% off online coupon for Joann's and they happen to sell quite few sets there... making the price a lot sweeter.  I'd share that code with you, but when I went back to get the online code again I noticed that yesterday was the expiration date.  Here's one for free shipping over $35 though (PIA251)... every little bit helps, right?   

We'll see how it goes.  Maybe I'll be doing some more stamping after all? 

Is this cool or what?

I was looking through the new Pottery Barn Teen catalog today.  We get all the Pottery Barn catalogs here.  You order from them once & you're forever on their mailing list.  It's like Victoria's Secret... Bob swears we get 3 of those catalogs a day.  I think it might be more like 3 a week... he tends to exaggerate.  Either way, it's a waste of paper & it constantly provokes me to shop... which I'm sure is their intention.  Today I shopped immediately though.  I found this dry erase calendar decal.  It's a decal, so it goes onto the wall & is removeable, without pulling up the paint.  You use dry erase pens with it... 

The dimensions are perfect... 39" wide x 25" high... for where I want to put it.  I've been trying to decide what to do with the wall above our "share bins" in the craft room & this will be perfect, considering the craft room is essentially where our family hangs out...

If you missed the post on my craft room & what the heck our "share bins" are... you can see it here. 

The calendar is on backorder until the 30th... BOO.  I'll post photos once I receive it & get it adhered though.  And if you're more of a chalkboard kinda girl... they have a black chalkboard decal that is equally as cute.  I just thought the dry erase markers might be less messy. 

Have a great week!  

565 square feet of bliss...

But, who's counting?  Besides Bob, that is.  He reminded me of the total square footage of my craft room the other day when the woman that cuts his hair said she wouldn't mind having a craft room in her house, but doesn't have the space for it. 

He said, "Well, how would you like a craft room that's 565 square feet?" 

She said, "Whoa."

We built this room a few years ago in part of our unfinished basement area.  For me, it was a dream come true, as I'd spent years designing this room in my head.  It was fun to watch it all come together... a total labor of love.

So, here it is... in all it's pinkness.  It's the one room in the house (besides Bryn's), that I went girly.  Really girly.  You see CREATE as you enter the room.  I put letters on stretch canvas.  They were actually cardstock letters in my scrapping stash that I enlarged on the printer & then Modge Podged onto the canvas.  It was a very cheap way to add visual interest to that big plain wall...

 

 

I keep this set of bins here to store Bryn's ginormous family of Webkinz, as well as scrapping supplies that I no longer use.  I call it our "share bins."  I really do try to get rid of unused stash regularly and I make Bryn do the same... emphasis on the "make" part.  She doesn't really like to keep all her scrapping stuff organized.   

 

 

 

One of my favorite things about the room is the faux black board that I painted using a magnetic paint.  I taped it off & then painted a white border around it so it appeared to be a chalk board hanging there.  It holds Bryn's art work.  The chair is for Bob.  He sits there at night while I'm in here & watches the flat screen TV across the room.

 

I wanted built-in shelves to store my scrapbooks.  I can see now that I'm going to have to do some rearranging.  The basket of mini books is getting way out of hand & spilling over.  I have 15 scrapbooks (3 of them are upstairs in the living room), and they are all bursting at the seams, filled as much as I possibly could!  We all know there will be MORE, so eventually there won't be any fun stuff on the top shelf... just more books!  

My work area is on the left... Bryn's desk is on the right.  I had the 2 areas split up by the small wall to define the work spaces & hung a clock up there, so I know how much time I've lost track of while in here.  LOL

 

I ♥ ZUMBA...

 

 

The white table in the middle of the room is where I do most of my work... when I haven't ended up on the floor, that is.  Usually when I'm in the midst of a kit or some project, the table is a huge mound of stuff leaving me no room to create.  And I pity the fool that tries to step around my landmine of stuff all over the floor.  LOL. 

I have 2 Clip-it-Ups on the table, my paper cutter & a pile or 2 of paper that I want to use in the near future.  The pile seems to grow constantly, so I eventually have to tell myself to just put it away for now & get over it.  Underneath I keep the trash can & a recycle bin (removed for photo)...

 

 

We have a 3rd work area under the TV.  Our other laptop sits there, along with another printer & my sewing machine. 

 

I hung peg board (painted the same green color as the wall behind it) above this area that I call my wrapping station.  It's where I store my wrapping paper, ribbons for gifts, gift bags, etc.  The peg board is an extra place to hang things, like scissors, tape, glue gun, packing materials, etc.  I have a huge card spinner that I confiscated from my sister, a smaller card spinner & my baby blue typewriter...

Our craft room has been featured on a local TV news program twice.  You can check out the first time right here.

The cabinet doors open to a pull out drawer that has a bin to hold all my gift bags.  Next to that I keep extra school supplies and small gift items that I like to have on hand, just incase I need a quick last minute gift.

I wanted extra long drawers to hold rolls of wrapping paper.  The top drawer holds ribbon & decorative items for wrapping gifts, the bottom 2 drawers hold rolls of wrapping paper.

 

 

 

Here's views of some of my other storage ideas in the room for my scrapping supplies.  ..

My magazines are something else I try to put in the recycle bin reguarly.  I'll go back through old ones, tear out pages that inpsire me & put them in a binder.  I can tend to hoard magazines, too... fashion, scrapbooking, interior design, etc...

My paper collection is small compared to some (see below).  It doesn't look like a lot, but I've got it down to what I think I might potentially use.  If I don't think I might use it, it's in the share bins.  Out with the old, in with the new.  I have given away boxes full of product to friends & sold a HUGE bin of paper at a garage sale one year.  That paper bin was a popular spot at the sale, too.  Finally someone came in toward the end of the day & just said, "How much for the whole thing?"  Yes! 

 

 

Finally came up with a storage solution for my ever-growing collection of punches.  Most of the punches fit in this door shoe bag holder.  The extra large punches are in a drawer (a very deep drawer... plenty of room for more ;-)...

The ribbon storage isn't great, but I manage to find what I need anyway...

A box in this drawer holds all my ink pads.  Then I have my bigger stamp sets in here too...

Individual stamps in bottom drawer...

I have extra long hanging files in a couple drawers & keep my "scraps" filed by color.  I went through & purged this file drawer a few days ago & got rid of an entire recycle bin of scraps.  I keep the tiniest pieces of paper... thinking I might use it some day.  It's pathetic.  Out with the old, Deana, out with the old...

I have a few drawer organizers like this one, in some of the drawers...

Bryn has all her own stash, hanging files, etc.  I won't open any of those... too scary.  And does having her own stash keep her out of my stuff?  No.  She thinks I'm her own personal Michaels store.  LOL

I spend a lot of time in here, actually we all do.  It's really as much a family room as it is a craft room.

 

If you have any ideas for fun ways to organize in a craft room, please let me know!  I love to see how other people store all their supplies!

It's HIP 2B in a kit club...

A sneak peek at the August HIP 2B SQUARE kit has been posted!

 

Go here to join the club!  The kits are ALWAYS packed with adorable product for a very reasonable price!

 
I'm excited to say that I have a layout in the September issue of Scrapbook Trends.  It will probably be a few months before I receive my copy, so I downloaded it just to see for sure that it was in there.  I'm still having a difficult time trying to find the issue of Cards Magazine that I'm in, so I figure the search for this one will have the same result.  That was the main reason I went to Archivers the other day.  I just KNEW they would have it.  However, when I asked them where all their magazines went they replied, "Oh, we stopped selling them about 4 months ago."  Perfect.  Just when I finally start getting published. 

Anyway, I did see a lot of my friends in there, so CONGRATS friends!  And a big congrats to Amy from my SRM Stickers team who made the cover!

"But Friday, never hesitate..."

It's day #2 of SRM Stickers + Cosmo Cricket inspiration!  In addition to sending the new Togetherness line to the SRM team, Cosmo Cricket was generous enough to send us 1 additional new line... something different for everyone.  A few of us received Matilda, their Halloween line.  I think it's darling!  Even though it was only released in a 6x6 paper pad format, it's still very versatile and can be used for more than just cards!

You probably already have quite a bit of white & black cardstock in your stash... it tends to be a staple.  I found that this line works well with that neutral background.  I also love the bold, black fonts found on SRM Stickers & love that they are clear.  They work well over everything!  You can find all the Halloween stickers I used right here!  Don't forget to check out the blog for more inspiration using the other new Cosmo Cricket lines... and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win.  Did you know that Cosmo Cricket was also doing a giveaway?  Check out their blog, too! 

And speaking of SRM Stickers... I just happened to add one of them to Bryn's first day of school layout.

   

And I know you're thinking, "She already scrapped that?"  But don't worry... there's still Austria, CHA, dance recital, blah, blah, blah... that I haven't tackled yet.  I'm a chronological scrapper that sometimes gets a bit off-track when I happen to find something that inspires me... ;-)

 

Another layout here using a mix of old + new.  The laser cut apple paper was just purchased at Archivers a few days ago.  I went looking for the new Crate Paper School Spirit line, only to find out they don't have it (among other things I wanted).  Annoying.  So I went with this cute paper from Creative Imaginations.  Have no clue if it's old or new (my guess is old), but it's new to me so that's all that matters... LOL.

And by the way... I really DO have photos to share from my craft room, but since I've had a lot of projects to share every day, it keeps getting put off.  It will be a long post in itself, so I didn't want to combine it with other things.  But it will happen... maybe this weekend? 

As for Bryn... she's had a great 2 days of 4th grade.  So happy about that.  Not that I'm surprised, mind you.

And, yes, I will try to fit in a tutorial on my little paper ribbon-looking technique.  Thanks for asking!

I have more time to myself, but even more going on.  So what else is new?  Off to the Y for my interval class so she can kick my butt.  Why does that class never get easy? 

Have a GREAT weekend!

SRM Stickers + Cosmo Cricket = "Togetherness"...

SRM Stickers is featuring Cosmo Cricket's new Togetherness line on the blog today.  Cosmo Cricket sent us Togetherness + 1 other new line (for me it was the Matilda line... I love it!).  They have been SO generous with us this year, that I thanked Lindsay personally while I was at CHA.  Thank you again, Cosmo Cricket!  And can I just say that I LOVE the Togetherness line?!  It was easy to get inspired with it, especially when adding SRM Stickers...

I used a few different sticker sheets to make the page... the new Hello stickers, Everyday Girl & Everyday Boy stickers and the new We've Got Your Number stickers (great for making list-type journaling!)

I'm into this new little paper technique I picked up from the oh-so-talented, Nina, while at CHA.  The red border strip was cut & curved a bit to look like ribbon.  Then I added my sentiment stickers on top of that.  You'll see that technique again on this next card, which was made using the sketch that Jenyfur provided...

 
 
The sentiment, heart, cherries & strawberry all came from the new Sweet sticker sheet.  Here's a closer view of the paper technique I used again...

Another card here using the new Spring Sticker Sentiments...

I made a little window on the front of the card using a square punch.  Then I added a frame around that by using a scalloped square punch that was slightly bigger.  The kite was just paper-pieced together...

And a little something I made for Bryn, with school in mind.  I used the Fourth Grade stickers with the School Days stickers.  She loves to read, so it should come in handy...

Check out the SRM blog for more inspiring ways to use the Togetherness line with SRM Stickers... you will be amazed & inspired!  And did I mention there's a huge prize up for grabs if you play along with the card sketch challenge?  How about some Togetherness & SRM Stickers?!  Head over to the blog for details!

Off to 4th grade...

This morning Bryn was off to 4th grade.  I gave her this card & an American Girl planner/datebook.  I hear 4th grade is a tough year with lots of work at school  and homework.  Then there's the extra-curricular stuff she wants to be involved in, plus volleyball beginning soon... so I thought this would be a good way to keep herself organized. 

Now we're officially back to our school routine... up early... eat breakfast, make Bryn's lunch (she can never eat the cafeteria food because of her food allergies... not that she's missing out on delicious food or anything!)... out to the bus stop by 8:30.  School this year will be 15 minutes earlier in the morning & 15 minutes later in the afternoon, making the school day 9:00-4:00. 

She was excited & all blinged out for the first day.  Even her tennis shoes had some major bling going on...

The bus part was a bit traumatic.  A little boy, who's new to our bus stop & going into kindergarten this year, clearly didn't want to go to school today.  When the bus came everyone got on & then I noticed that boy with his mom pushing him/walking him forward to get on the bus.  He was bawling & didn't want to go, so she was lifting him up the steps, almost falling backward herself.  I was standing there getting tears in MY eyes watching the whole thing.  He finally sat there in the front seat & she got off the bus, but I'm sure all the kids were quiet wondering what was going on.  As we were walking away, Bob said to me, "Sheesh, she should've just driven him to school."  I agree.  School should be FUN, not traumatic.  So... I've been thinking about that poor little guy all morning.  Hopefully his day got better.

As soon as that was over, I photographed & edited some projects I finished last night for our SRM Stickers feature with the new Cosmo Cricket lines.  I'll be posting that tomorrow!  Then I was off to Spin class, Michaels & the grocery store.  It's been a crazy busy day so far & before I know it, it'll be time to pick up Bryn from school & I won't have everything accomplished.  But... I guess tomorrow is another day!

It's all about the school supplies...

With back to school time upon us (our first day is tomorrow), it's a great time for SRM Stickers to feature a lot of school-themed projects! 

   

I realized that Bryn is going into 4th grade & it never occurred to me to incorporate the school supply list we're given every year on a scrapbook page.  Even though it was marked on from when we did our shopping, I wanted to use it as-is.  I also used a photo of Bryn's new backpack, which now that I think about it, is pretty cool that it has an "04" on there... 4th grade!  Then I added a small photo of her with her favorite little friends right now, Jack & Annie.  The page has a mix of products on there.  I used 4 different sheets of school-themed SRM Stickers, all found here!  The lined background paper is Nikki Sivils, as are the ruler & orange paper for the star.  The little pink tag that says, "This book belongs to:" was a one of the sweet little things my friend, Kim, sent me along with my order from her etsy store.  I asked Bryn to write her name on it for me.  I wanted the page to look like everthing had been put into a folder pocket.  Check out more inspiring ideas from the team on the SRM Stickers blog!

And speaking of my order from Kim's etsy store, here's Bryn wearing her new headband...

It appears she accidentally pulled out part of the crocheted flower when she put it on.  It certainly did NOT come like that!  You can check out all of Kim's adorable creations here! 

Off to run and then Bryn & I are going to get her hair cut, do a little shopping & then meet Bob for an early dinner.  Her first day of school outfit has been planned & she'll be getting in bed early tonight! 

Noteworthy...

The July HIP 2B SQUARE kit includes a Maya Road Large Tag Coaster book.  At 4 1/2" x 8" it's a decent size to use for photos that don't have to be cropped too much.  I like that!  However, rather than use it to make a mini book, which I had originally intended, I decided to make a couple notebooks instead.  I painted the front & back covers white & then embellished from there.  I like how the accordian flower turned out using the zig zag paper in the main kit.  It was totally unintentional that it turned out like that... I may have to make some more!

 
The inside is simply lined paper that I adhered by stapling the stack to the back cover. 

It's always nice to have gifts on hand when you need something at the last minute.  It could also make a great little teacher's gift, too!

I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning the craftroom, getting rid of unused supplies, reorganizing, etc.  It was not what I planned on doing... it was just something that evolved after cleaning the rest of the house.  "Spring cleaning" in August perhaps?  Anyway, I'm thinking of doing a post this week, with photos from my room.  And I have come to the conclusion that the amount of supplies I have here is somewhat insane.  But then again when it comes to this hobby... so am I.  LOL

We have a busy 2 days coming up... trying to fit in some errands like the orthodontist & a haircut before school begins, plus some fun stuff too!  But first... Zumba!  Hope you have a great week!

Saturday night fever (minus the disco lights)...

I love Saturday nights.  It's the night we usually deem "game night" or "movie night" or sometimes we just end up in the craft room.  LOL!  I don't know what it is, but I enjoy it.  Really... I do.  Not sure if it's the getting older factor or perhaps the fact that I just might be addicted to popcorn.  I mean, you do NEED to have popcorn on Saturday night.  Well... assuming you're at home, that is.  If I'm not at home, I guess a boatload of chocolate will suffice.  Heehee. 

I think by now you've figured out that the newest challenge at These Are A Few of My Favorite Things is your FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK.  And since we're talking about days of the week, I thought I'd use a sheet from my 8x8 SRM Stickers calendar as a background.  I made my own moon by cutting a circle with my circle punch & then I just hand-cut the rest until it looked like it was in a decent crescent shape.  (Shocking that I made a moon instead of a sun, eh?  Well, it is night-time, you know!)  I also snagged a card from our "80's Game" since that's the game we were playing in the photos...

And can I just say that Bob is so NOT amused that I used a photo of him wearing his reading glasses.  I said, "Well, that's how you look on game night... that's how you read the questions."  He said, "It makes me look old."  I said, "Well I know people younger than you that wear reading glasses."  He just shook his head.  I guess that would kind of stink if I wasn't in control of what photos went into the scrapbook.  Can't imagine the flattering photos he might choose of me.  LOL!

And speaking of Saturday nights, ours involved the movie Sideways.  We've seen it at least 4 or 5 times now, but it's always entertaining.  We also watched the movie Death at a Funeral on Friday night.  It was pretty funny & had a LOT of laugh out loud moments!  Tonight we're going to watch Seven Pounds.  I rented it to watch it last night, but since I'm pretty sure it's a major tear-jerker, I put it off until tonight.  Going to Zumba with swollen eyes on Monday morning will be so attractive... LOL

     
I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Hooray for flag banners (and dessert)...

   

Today is my day to post over at the Nikki Sivils blog.  You can see this card, along with several other projects, using lots of flag banners (and punches, for that matter!)  Head over there to check it out if you have time today! 

Date night was fun!  It was utterly gluttonous, but we went home happy, as always...

After having seafood ceviche for an appetizer, salads, risotto for Bob & a grilled tuna for me... we moved on to Baileys Chocolate Bar for dessert and had, what we both decided, was the BEST dessert of our whole life.

And I quote from the menu:  "Carmelized banana, Baileys, chocolate & vanilla ice creams, nuts, homemade chocolate & caramel sauces, whipped cream... on top of a brownie.  Not for the faint of heart."  It cost $14 and was enough to feed an army (or... just Bob & me).  And seriously, it was gluttonous... like enough dessert for 2 days.  But damn, it was good.  Thank goodness we don't live very close...

 

Off to the Y.  You KNOW I'm headed there after that feast!  Have a GREAT weekend!  I hope yours is full of a few sweet treats, too!

Did you register too?

If so, I'll "see" you in class!

I like the "admission is FREE" part, too!  Nikki Sivils is one of the sponsors giving away prizes.  Go here for more information.

We went up to school last night to meet Bryn's new 4th grade teacher & drop off all her school supplies.  Only 6 more days until school begins.  Boooo. 

And... believe it or not, Bob & I get to have a "date night" again tonight.  Bryn's going to see "Showboat" tonight with my parents & her cousin at an outdoor theater.  I can't think of anything I'd rather NOT do myself.  The weather here has been unbearably HOT.  Anyway, Bob & I will be dining INDOORS at a restaurant & then maybe to another place for dessert until it's time to pick up Bryn & take her home.

I'm off to the post office to mail another layout to Creating Keepsakes.  They asked for another one!  Jumping up & down here...

A "HIP" July...

The July HIP 2B SQUARE kit is an "explosion" of reds & blues, plus a little green & yellow!  It's perfect for scrapping your 4th of July photos... and that Jenni Bowlin sun paper just screams summer!   

The first page I made was, of course, about our 4th of July BBQ!  I really love that sun paper, but since I had already used it last week, I wanted to try to use it in different ways with this kit.  I love the Basic Grey stickers that are included in the add-on kit, too.  I just used a star punch with the red cardstock to make the star stickers stand out a little better & put them on pop dots...

   

Of course, I had to use those Jenni Bowlin flag banner stickers!  I am in my "flag banner phase," you know. ;-)  I used the other half of the sun paper for my printed journaling.  I love all the different colors of letter stickers that are in included this month.  Lots of options make me very happy...

For the next one I found the movie poster for the Ramona & Beezus movie online & printed it on photo paper.  The brown tickets are a fun addition to this kit, too...

The 2-page sketch we were given this month is by Lucy Chesna Designs.  I REALLY struggled with this sketch.  It's a simple enough sketch, but I think my problem was that I saved it until last and had limited choices of product left to use.  After spending ALL day (& I do mean ALL day... and night for that matter!), I finally ended up with something I'm really NOT crazy about.  But finishing an assignment is better than not doing it at all, right? 

   

And here's my cards...  

  
 
I'll be back soon with my mini book that's included in the add-on kit! 

For more information on this and every other fabulous kit, contact Kimberly at HIP 2B SQUARE!

Cupcakes anyone?

I have a card in the August edition of Cards Magazine... my first time getting a card published.  I have yet to find the issue myself, but it's in there!  And thanks to my friend, Sarah (who, by the way, is on the page right next to me.... love that!), I have a photo of it.  Remember my cupcake liner skirt?

 

 

And, ummm, did you know that Sarah's card included bakers twine from moi?  DKMdiva is listed in the "supplies list" for her card.  I love it!  You can't find my shop by searching with that name, because my sign-on that I've had for years with etsy is "luvfashion," but I don't care and I told Sarah that when she asked how to list it.  The name was formed after my sister, Kaysy, passed away & it has very special meaning for me.  DKM is the first initial of mine & my sister's names.  The "diva" part... well, that's just kind of a joke between my sister, Marci, and I.  We're only "divas" in our own minds.

And speaking of my sister, Kaysy...

My parents were recently in Park City, Utah, where they travel a few times a year because they own a condo there.  3 years ago, while hiking, they made a rock formation of the letter K for my sister.  Imagine their surprise a couple weeks ago, when they took another hike & noticed it was still there, untouched...

Very cool...

Hello friends...

Bryn came home around Noon on Saturday after a long & fun 4 nights at the lake with my parents & her cousin.  We picked her up from my parent's house, stopped at Whole Foods to eat lunch & then do a little grocery shopping (or, well, a lot of grocery shopping... over an hour later!) and then headed back home to get her unpacked.  When she walked in, she noticed a box on the kitchen table with this card I made for her on top of it.  The box had the pair of running shoes she'd been eyeing for awhile now.  I bought them while she was gone because I had a 50% off raincheck + it was the "no sales tax weekend" here.  A pair of Nike's for $20 is a pretty good deal! 

I managed to finish up 3 new layouts with the July HIP 2B Square kit.  Will post everything as soon I as I finish the 2-page sketch we were asked to use + I still need to make a couple cards.  Then I also need to make a mini book with the Maya Road Large Tag Coaster book that was included in the add-on kit.  Not exactly sure yet what the theme of the book will be... CHA photos perhaps?   Hmmm...

 

Bryn & I went to Petland today.  She had gone with some neighbor friends a couple weeks ago & loved it.  When I asked if she wanted to go today, she literally ran in the room, jumped in my arms & yelled, "YES!  THANK YOU!  YES, YES, YES!"  Ok then... gotta love that response!  They have small booths where you can sit & play with the animals.  So, after holding a hamster shortly after we arrived, we proceeded to hold & play with 5 different dogs.  She was in heaven...

Although the heaven part was soured by the time we left (over an hour later) because she had hives on her arms & legs, where one of the dogs had been licking her.  She's allergic to dogs & cats, but knowing Bryn... even in her misery... she was still happy & would go back again in a heart-beat!  Needless to say, we both showered when we got home & I gave her some Benadryl.  She'll be getting sleepy early tonight now, I'm sure!  Poor baby...

Have a great week!  

Duh...

 

Just a correction to yesterday's post because I realized I made a mistake today.  The bakers twine in my etsy shop is sold in packages of 10 YARDS of twine for $1.50... not 10 feet!  The etsy shop has it listed correctly, but I typed it wrong when I was posting.  It's a bargain! 

And thank you to those of you who recently made a purchase!  As of today, I sold the last of my original 12 packages of twine that I made and have started restocking again today!  Big hugs & happy creating! 

What is it about 100+ degree weather that makes me long for FALL?

Aside from the fact that the heat & humidity stinks... it might be all the new fall fashion hitting the stores right now.  Who wants to wear these, raise your hand?

And speaking of wish lists, here's some of my favorite things I spied at CHA...

SRM Stickers We've Got Your Sticker (love that they include brown & white sentiments)...

Nikki Sivils My Friend Birdie...

 

Basic Grey Wander (imagine me using a buildings paper other than my beloved Craft Fair... heehee!)

 

Crate Paper School Spirit...

... and the Crate Paper Snow Day line...

Bella Blvd Sunny Happy Skies...

... and Bella Blvd's Socialite...

My Minds Eye Alphabet Soup...

... and My Minds Eye Blackbird...

Prima's Road Trip...

Echo Park Life is Good...

October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker...

Cosmo Cricket's Togetherness (love that ledger paper)...

 

I liked some of the new Thickers fonts also...

Just a reminder that I have a LOT of baker's twine... like enough that Bryn's grandchildren will still have plenty to use.  Each package in my etsy store contains 10 yards of red + white twine for only $1.50.  I think if you check around, you'll find that it's a real bargain...

Stay COOL this weekend!

Double date night...

Last night was fun!  We checked into our hotel about an hour & 1/2 before our dinner reservations, so we just grabbed a glass of wine at the hotel bar before heading out for dinner...

We talked to Bryn on the way to the hotel & she told us about her day at Silver Dollar City.  I've only been there once & I was about 13 years old, I think.  I'm sure it's changed quite a bit since then.  She had lots of fun, though, riding roller coasters, playing games, eating, etc.  We're missing her!   

Dinner was only 2 blocks away from the hotel.  It took longer to get out of the parking garage, than it did to drive there.  And yes, we actually drove only 2 blocks.  The temperature was 102 degrees.  I told Bob I didn't want to arrive at the restaurant sweating like a pig.  The sweating-like-a-pig look is only cute if you're working out, not when you're dining at a nice restaurant.  We met my sister & her boyfriend for dinner at Araka.  Always a lot of laughs when we're together & always the question, "Are you sisters?"  Yes.  "Are you twins?"  No.  

Went next door to the Ritz for dessert (on foot this time).  Bob & I split a brownie topped with vanilla ice cream.  It was pretty good, but not as good as the one at Bailey's Chocolate Bar.  Must go to Baileys again SOON.  It was a fun night though.  I don't get to see her enough, so we always have a lot of catching up to do.  I think we've determined that the 4 of us are going to run in the St Louis Marathon next year as a relay team.  6-7 miles I can do.  It's the 13.1 miles that I can't wrap my mind around running again (anytime soon, anyway!)   

We got up this morning & went down to the work-out room to run on the treadmill.  Thankfully the head-ache I woke up with (wine-induced, I'm sure) went away after running.  We made a few stops on the way home... wanted to return a dress I ordered & didn't like,  stopped at Target & then picked up Cheesecake Factory to-go for lunch.  Bob's at an appointment with a client right now, but then coming back home for the day.  He essentially took the day off! 

Now... where to have dinner on our 3rd date night?  A girl could get used to this...  

It appears we are now in the flag banner phase...

Seriously.  That's what I'll be thinking as I go through our scrapbooks some day.  "Here's where I was in my rainbow phase.  Here's where I was in the cloud phase.  Here's where I was in my tree phase.  Here's where I was in the flag banner phase.  Here's where I was in my bakers twine phase."  The list will go on & on.  And since I'll NEVER run out of bakers twine, that phase sadly may never end.  LOL 

I mentioned that I ordered some more Echo Park after I used some of it in the June HIP 2B SQUARE kit.  I love it.  I was surprised to see how small their booth was at CHA though.  I was hoping to see a lot of new product from them that hadn't yet appeared online.  Unfortunately, since the company just launched a few months ago, they only have 4 lines so far... 3 of which I'd already seen + a new Halloween line.  Hopefully there's more to come because I love what I see.  I mean, hello... rainbow colored paper, clouds, trees, houses, flag banners?  What's not to love? 

You'll be happy to see that there are no clouds on this one, but there is another flag banner.  Couldn't help myself...

The top page lifts to reveal more photos + more journaling.  I'm always looking for ways to be able to use more photos without taking up extra space in the scrapbook.  I machine stitched across the top of the front page to create a binding seam...

 

I also used some of my SRM Sticker sentiments around the border of my page. 

Off to Spin class & then to wait for the sprinkler guy.  Maybe I can do a little scrapbooking while I wait?   

Election day...

 

It's election day AND the beginning of "date week..."  as in 4 nights to be exact.  Bryn left for the lake this morning with my parents & her cousin, Sydney, and won't be home until Saturday afternoon.  I'm not exactly thrilled with the length of time they'll be gone, but my vote for only 3 nights was vetoed.  While I do love date night or even 2 nights, 4 nights is a bit much for Bob & me.  We both start missing Bryn really bad.  But... you know us.  The week is full of plans, so maybe by staying busy, we won't leave too much time to think about it.  ;-)

So... my day began by helping Bryn get out the door.  I also managed to get at LEAST 100 hugs + kisses before she left.  Bob drove her to my parent's house on the way into the office.  The drive started off with a BANG when he ran over the sprinkler head at the end of the driveway & broke it causing a geyser-like effect into the street & onto his car.  If I weren't so busy yelling for him to STOP as I had been attempting to take a photo of Bryn waving good-bye to me, I may have also been able to take a photo of said "geyser."  It was pretty amusing.  He said he didn't know he ran over it & couldn't hear me yelling at him because Bryn was screaming in the back seat.  I said, "Well, that's because water was spraying into the car on her!"  The antics that go on around here are endless...  LOL. 

Hopefully Jack & Annie avoided the shower.  LOL

Needless to say, he finally jumped out of the car, turned off the sprinkler system and later told me that the sprinkler company would be stopping by tomorrow to fix it.  Oh joy...  I do love waiting for people to come over.  

So, after they left I went to vote.  It literally took me 4 minutes to get out of my car, walk in, vote, & walk back to my car.  Then I came back home & ran 4 miles on the treadmill.  There's a heat warning today... supposed to be 115 degrees heat index (another reason I'm not excited about Bryn being outside all week).  I think I'll spend the rest of my day (indoors) scrapbooking.  Bob's bringing home PF Changs for dinner tonight.  We're not going out tonight because I have Spin class tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow night, however, we'll be painting the town red & then spending the night at a hotel so we don't have to drive home!  I do love to get dressed-up & let someone else do the cooking! 

Coloring isn't just for kids...

The other day when I posted my photos from CHA, I mentioned that my friend Kathy (from the SRM Stickers team) brought her Penny Black stamps + Copic markers for us to use before dinner one night.  I was able to color in one cute little girl, but my Copic skills leave a lot to be desired.  None-the-less, I brought home my little girl & thought I may be able to use her somehow.  Before I took off for CHA, I had left a card in progress on my craft table using the new Blueberry Hill line from Nikki Sivils.  My intent was to use it as part of my upcoming day to post at the Nikki Sivils blog, but for some reason when I looked at it again, it just seemed like it needed this little girl on there...

My guess is that I'll be coloring my new Penny Black stamp with my colored pencils.  I know, I know... the Penny Black team is shuddering right now.  I just don't see myself investing in Copic markers... you need SO MANY of them!  Although... never say never.  Heehee.  Now if you'd like to see some mad talent with Copic markers + Penny Black stamps, you must check out Kathy's blog.  I guarantee it will be a blog you bookmark!  

Getting back into the craft room makes me a happy girl...

It's been a great weekend so far & I was even able to fit in a little scrapping time just for fun yesterday! 

I used up some leftover October Afternoon paper that was included in the June HIP 2B SQUARE kit + some of my new 72 and Sunny stuff from Jing-Jing!  I I purchased the Jenni Bowlin sun paper before I found out it was going to be included in the July HIP 2B SQUARE kit.  I don't have my kit yet, but it looks like you'll be seeing it again.  Promise to use it in a different way though.  LOL

I curled out my sun rays to add a little more dimmension to the page (this also means it's going to get smashed the minute it goes into the scrapbook)... 

In addition to creating, I was also able to FINALLY finish editing my (diva)logues blog book for 2009 last night.  I had slurped it all using Blurb back in January, but this year when I slurped it, every page had all these funky symbols where my typed words should've been.  I thought to myself, there's NO WAY I'm going to have the patience to sit & edit over 300 pages so the wording is all correct.  So, I gave up, all-the-while wondering why this year didn't slurp correctly, when last year I had no issues?  Then a couple months ago when I was reading Laura Vegas' blog, she posted about the SAME exact issue as mine.  So, I emailed her & told her I had the SAME problem & she told me how to correct it.  So, last night, I picked up where I had last left off, finished up editing the photos in the book, & deleting anything that didn't have to be there.  So... I'm happy to say that I'll have my 2nd year of my blog committed to print!   

 

Also, there's a new challenge up at These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.  This time the challenge is your FAVORITE BAND.  With all the chaos of creating for CHA and then actually attending it too, I didn't have a chance to create something for this challenge.  BUT... my  plan was to do a play on words & make a page about the "Silly Bands" craze going on with Bryn & everyone else we know.  So... even though it will be late, I'm planning to make a page about that eventually!  Check out the blog for more inspiring ideas, as well as to see the FABULOUS prize up for grabs this time!

Have a great week!