(diva)logues

"You're as cold as ice, cold as ice, I know... "

 

Cold weather is a sign that it's time to hide in my craftroom & get caught up on some scrapbooking.  Not that I'll ever be "caught up" on it.

And that hiding only takes place after I get my daily work-out in.  I'll leave the house to do that in ANY weather. 

Well maybe not a tornado.  Or ice. 

But rain & snow are just fine with me.  I have an umbrella & boots.  

I can even bust out the neon pink leg warmers if necessary.  I'm pretty versatile like that. 

And working with warm-weather photos & colorful paper makes a cold, gloomy & windy day seem brighter as well.  You can dwell on the negative or look for the positive in every moment. 

 

A mix of products here, but mostly Simple Stories DIY on these 2 pages + SRM Stickers...

 

 

Bryn usually looks at all my pages when they're finished.  When she saw that 2nd one she said, "You ampersand me???"

I said, "Ampersand is what the "and" sign on the keyboard is called."

She said, "Oh.  Ok."

 

See... I don't always give her "pimento answers."  Sometimes I'm honest right away.  LOL

 

Off to get a massage for this beat up body of mine.  Then 2 classes tomorrow & one on Saturday.

Bring it on!!

 

 

"Let me be your ruler... you can call me queen bee... and baby I'll rule... "

TGIF... and the weekend is upon us.  It will be a weekend full of lots of Zumba + a crazy girl's night in between.  It's kinda my favorite kind of weekend.  The only thing better might be a crazy girl's weekend... like out of town... but I'll take what I can get for now.

And speaking of girl's weekends... the one I had in Pittsburgh for a Zumba class a few months ago with Lil Jon on stage was pretty darn FUN.  It wasn't a weekend, just 2 nights in the middle of the week, but a total BLAST nonetheless.  And I'm finally getting around to doing something with all the photos.  Once again... all I have are iPhone photos.  Fairly sure I probably brought my camera with me & then conveniently left it in the hotel room.  Too big to carry around, especially while dancing.  Some of the photos actually turned out pretty good though... especially that photo of the city taken from across the river...

This is the exact same page design I just used for the Vegas page I posted the other day, but since I have a lot of pics again... it works.  And more American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neopolitan on here.  I seem to be getting a lot of use out of that collection lately...

 

 

Ok then.  Bring on the weekend! 

I am ready to DANCE!!!

"Hey baby let's go to Vegas..."

So I was kinda thinking I should probably do something with the photos from my last 2 trips to Vegas before we go again next month.  2 more nights at the Venetian coming up.  We kinda dig that place if you haven't noticed. 

This will be the 4th time in the last 2 years.

I've almost finished up the couple's trip we took to Vegas last October, when we stayed at our friend's time-share.  I put a lot of the photos into a divided page protector & am just working on a cover page to go along with it using some random wallet-size photos + my journaling. 

Maybe I'll post that when I'm finished.  It's pretty basic in design though.  I'm in the middle of doing the same thing with all the photos from my birthday night with my friends this year.  Most of the photos went into a divided page protector (because I have SO many).... + one cover page that I'm still working on.  Makes it a little easier to get more photos into the scrapbook without having to cram them all onto one page, like I normally do.  

And coincidentally... like I did on this page I've got today!  LOL

These photos are from our trip in March for Valentine's weekend. This was the trip when we saw the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill show.  Also when Bob talked to Tim in the work-out room the next morning, while I was conveniently running on the treadmill & didn't know what was going on. 

Oh well.  I did see Tim McHottie from across the room.

Anyway... all of the photos were taken with the iPhone.  I'm getting REALLY bad about not bringing my good camera anywhere... thus bad quality photos.  BUT... bad quality photos are better than no photos at all so...... oh well I'm using them anyway!

More American Crafts paper + letter stickers.... lots of photos & still room for some memorabilia...

 

Tim  & Faith opened their show with "Hey baby let's go to Vegas."  Kinda cute...

 

Sin City.  Here we go again.

I am ready...

Save the drama for yo mama...

Happy Monday after a FUN weekend.  A bunch of friends from Zumba participated in the St Louis GLO Run over the weekend.  It was a night time 5K... lots of glow sticks, costumes, a DJ spinning tunes before & after the race.  It was a race, but I'd swear it was more of a Zumbathon.  Our group of about 20 was right in front of the stage.  And every time they'd play a song we do in Zumba... we'd all break out in dance... and everyone behind us was following along.  It was awesome.  TOTAL blast. There are a TON of party pics from that night, but this one is my favorite...

 

 

Gotta love any event where you can sport a wig, hat & costume... and still look totally normal.

 

In the meantime... I have a 12-year daughter already dealing with friend drama at school... over a BOY of all things.  I guess I knew all this was coming, but I'm not prepared for this.  Things were SO much simpler in elementary school.   

Can I just go back to being a room mom?  You know... the room mom that mentioned that I was always the only mom that would organize & be in charge of every party every year... and sometimes I just didn't have time for dat.  

Yeah... I want that back.

Ughhh.  Hopefully someday she ends up with a HUGE group of awesome friends like I have. Total drama-free friends.  I am blessed.

 

Ok then.

The other day at Target, I found this little gem.  Granted this Amercian Crafts paper pad is from last year (it's SO last year)... but for $4.48 (regularly $14.99) it's in my cart...

 

Just some photos on here from this year's St Patrick's Day parade when my parents took Bryn & my niece with them.  It's become somewhat of a tradition...

Since it's clearly NOT a St Patrick's themed collection... I used SRM Stickers + some paper piecing (a heart punch) to create my shamrock to give it more of an Irish theme...

 

One of the local news stations had a photographer at the race, who took the photo of Bryn & my niece.  Found that on their website. 

I mean why wouldn't they get photographed?  They really ARE kinda cute...  even if I am WAY partial.

 

Also made a birthday card with this collection for a friend who celebrated a birthday over the weekend, but didn't leave myself enough time to photograph it before I gave it to her.

Awesome weekend filled with Zumba, family, friends & FUN.  Couldn't ask for more than that.

 

Have a GREAT week, everyone!  

"This is a good place for a stick-up..."

Remember that Airwick commercial from the early 80's?

It crossed my mind. 

Again.

For like 3 days in a row actually.

Oh my... oh my... oh my...

 

Been trying to organize my digital photo files recently.... deleting some... putting LOTS of them in a folder holding photos that I've already put onto scrapbook pages... and realizing how much is still out there that I haven't done anything with yet.  Even worse than the photos on my laptop...  all the photos on my iPhone.  It's like they're out of sight... out of mind.  Oy.

Anyway in doing so, I found these birthday pics from Bryn's 9th birthday.  She'll be 12 next month... so the pics are 3 years old.  I know for sure I put the pics from her birthday "party" in the book that year, but somehow these from the actual day of her birthday never made it. 

The page is pretty simple in design, but there's a lot going on in the photos... and of course I had to use as many photos as possible, as usual!  The products are a mix of Simple Stories SNAP, American Crafts,  My Minds Eye and some graph paper, of course, because it makes me happy...  LOL 

 

Do the Airwick stick-ups still exist? 

If so... I'd like to order a case please....

Oh and I'm teaching Zumba again tonight.  This week I've taught classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND I have a short little stint tomorrow morning at a Mother's Day party at the Y. 

Goodness... I should probably go buy a new pair of shoes or something...  ;-)

"We will, we will, ROCK YOU..."

Ok so who wants to see more SNAP?

Cricket... cricket...

Well obviously I do, so here we go!   It's really just a few of the journaling spots on here, but let's face it... that's what most of the collection is & why I love it.   The photos are from Bryn's band concert in December that also involved the "parent concert" I'd been practicing for too.   The things I will do for this child...

I added a SRM We've Got Your Border sticker sentiment to the bottom of my journaling spot.  And the musical notes is a very OLD clear overlay on blue cardstock to match the letter & number Thickers.  The polka dot paper on the sides is Echo Park Springtime...

I shared this video Bob took of our stellar performance on Facebook last month, but I thought I'd share it here too since it goes along with the photos.  It's totally hilarious.  Actually we sounded a lot better than I thought we would though.  And yes, that's me right in front.  My friend commented on Facebook that I was "first chair"... something only those who have played in band would understand.  Cracked me up though!!! 

Did we or did we not rock Hot Cross Buns?

 

Ok nevermind, don't answer that...

"I never can say goodbye...no, no, no, no, I..."

Well, it's here... the final packing day for my sister before she drives to her new home in Denver tomorrow.  Bryn & I are going over to help finish boxing things up with her & my mom.  While I'm still pouting about her moving, I am grateful for all the extra time I've been able to spend with her in the past month.  Most months we don't get to see each other as often, so this has been awesome and we've had many laughs!  

As I mentioned on Monday, there were a LOT of photos from my birthday weekend (too many to post), but here's a few already showing up on a new page.  My sister & I have birthdays within 4 days of each other, so we usually celebrate together.  These photos were from Friday night's celebration...

 

It's a combination of products of course... Nikki Sivils for the birthday gifts & cupcake, KI Memories' blue chevron paper and SRM Stickers (for the MAY sentiment, the Make A Wish border & the numbers) + various other things found on my craft table.  Haven't used my Glossy Accents in awhile, so I put some of that on my candle "flame..."

I always enjoy Bryn's critiques of my pages.  Last night when she saw my finished page she said, "I didn't like how that page looked when you were working on it, but it turned out really cute!" 

Uhhhh.... thanks?? 

I'm already back home from my early Spin class this morning and we'll be heading over to Marci's to pack after lunch today.  

And give lots of hugs + kisses goodbye.

Time to start thinking about trips to Denver...

"If you really want more... scream it out louder..."

I guess I needed more.  Washi tape, that is.  Because the orange/yellow set was calling my name when I found it in another Target.  They didn't have those colors at my Target when I purchased the red set.  I probably really didn't NEED more of this tape, but it's like my never-ending supply of bakers twine.  Can you ever really have too much of a good thing?  

Don't answer that.   

Granted I probably won't actually use ALL of my supply, but I am using some of it anyway...

I also used the free journaling cards from KI Memories that they posted on National Scrapbooking Day.  I cut off the days of the week though before I added my new tape across the top.  The card in the middle was another free download.  My patterned paper & letter stickers are from the KI Memories Hot Date collection.  Totally unintentional that I combined all that KI Memories... just a coincidence.  I mean, usually my pages are a mish mash of manufacturers so why start doing things the "right" way now.  No thank you.  LOL

If I even told you how many times I changed this page after photographing & editing it in Photoshop...  it would be disturbing.  Sometimes it's hard for me to really "see" the page until I photograph it though. 

That is me... I am strange.  What can I say?

Off to hit the treadmill and start on Fifty Shades Darker.  Something tells me I'm not going to get a lot accomplished today...

Teacher Appreciation Week...

It's Teacher Appreciation Week & today was lunch for the staff at school.  In addition to sending a salad for their special lunch today, I also put together a gift to send for Bryn's teacher, thanks to some very inspiring ideas I saw on Facebook today from a very crafty friend.  Not only did she have this same "Keep Calm It's Almost Summer" theme that I stole from her, but she had FIVE different sets of gifts/themes for each day of this week for her daughter's teachers.  Love, love, love it! 

Also gotta love having inspiring & crafty friends! 

So... I googled "Keep Calm images." There are hundreds!  Just right clicked the one I wanted & saved it to my computer.  Then I printed the image to use for my card.  It's very simple in design, but I did add an American Crafts sticker + another cloud cut from my American Crafts paper (both from the City Park collection) to cover up the crown.  I machine stitched around the frame of the card to finish it off... 

The tote bag is filled with a few summer things + a gift card...

 

Thank you again, Dawn.  Even on her birthday today, she's still just as generous of her time & creativity as ever!  I'm just SURE her daughter's teachers are feeling pretty darn special this week... and hopefully Bryn's teacher will too!

"Turn up the music, I need it in my life yeah... turn up the music, just turn it up louder..."

 Happy Monday! 

I've received a several emails from out-of-town friends about the storms in our area over the weekend, since it made national news.  The weather was different for everyone around here.  My parents, who live a half hour away, only had rain.  We had 2 separate hail storms on Saturday night.  The first one happened around 6pm and shortly after that a tornado siren was sounding.  No tornadoes touched near our home, thankfully, and we were only under the warning for an hour... which was good since we had dinner reservations for Bob's birthday.  LOL  The 2nd hailstorm happened around midnight that night.  Very unusual to have hail twice in the same day. 

Bob's State Farm office is in a different area of St Louis and that area probably sustained the worst hail damage of anywhere.  Needless to say, he & his staff will be very busy taking claims today & probably all week.  The airport is also in the area & my sister's car was parked in an uncovered lot over the weekend while she was out of town.  She came home to a badly beat-up car.  Add that to the list of claims from Bob's policyholders...  ;-)   

Bob turned another year older yesterday.  We celebrated his birthday on Saturday night at a restaurant and then again on Sunday night at our house with family.  Bob also went to the Cardinals game with my dad yesterday.  They each got a mini replica of the 2011 World Series trophy with their paid admission.  Their seats were in the Champions Club (an all-inclusive area with food + drinks) which was a Christmas gift from my sister.  Fun day for them, except the Cardinals lost. 

In addition to celebrating his birthday, I also managed to get quite a bit accomplished.  I finished choreographing a new Zumba routine that I'll be using in class today and finished 4 new scrapbook pages.  Slowly trying to get through old photos from last year that I still haven't used yet. 

Like this event.  My friend's daughter & I share the same birthday.  And I always tell her we're cool girls.  Well even without the shared birthday we're cool girls, but that's beside the point... 

I used a random mix of Echo Park paper & letter stickers, Nikki Sivils scalloped border strips, SRM border stickers and American Crafts + the Twinery for my "balloons"...

Time to put on my dancing shoes & go teach ZUMBA!

Have a great week, everyone! 

All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten...

I got inspired to use some new products that were SO GENEROUSLY sent to me recently.  The products are for an upcoming manufacturer's cross promotion that will be happening soon, but I also wanted to use them just for fun!

As for my title...I'm not sure I exactly executed what I had in mind.  It's a bit sloppy.  Originally I planned to use letter stickers, but had a sudden change of heart & decided to use some of my new twine.  I hand-wrote my title in pencil & then covered my lines in Beacon's 3-in-1 Craft Glue... just a couple letters at a time because this adhesive dries quickly.  Love that!  Then I covered my glue lines with my Maraschino twine from The Twinery and dotted my "i's" with tiny Want 2 Scrap red pearls (also using some of the bigger sized pearls for my flowers)...

Bryn (aka. my best & worst critic) said she loved my title.  I said I thought it looked like a Kindergartener did it.  No offense, of course, to all the Kindergarteners of the world...

Oh well... 2 points for trying something new.  Right?

I used some of my new paper + chipboard pieces from the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan collection... so sweet & girly!  And although that collection offers a piece of paper with layered ruffled crepe paper on it, I decided to make my own.  Pink crepe paper + machine stitching = a cheap substitute.  It's an easy little technique that's SO last year, but hey... Bryn was impressed! 

It's MONDAY!  Time to teach Zumba!  Best way to start the week, if I do say so myself!  ;-)

I drove all night... to get to you.... (and then you weren't there...?)

The other day while flipping through my blog reader, I came across a card someone had made with buildings on it.  I'm fairly sure it was a stamped image.  But after seeing it, I asked Bryn to draw some buildings onto white cardstock for me, so I could cut them out & use them on a page.  You know how much I like patterned paper with buildings on them.  I've been known to use them over & over again... ;-)

I thought the card I saw was on the Moxie Fab blog, but now I can't find it there... or anywhere else for that matter!  So if you know the image/stamp I'm talking about, leave me a comment so I can give credit for Bryn's inspiration.  I think she just copied them.  Although I was busy doing something else while she was hard at work, so I can't be certain! 

Anyway... aside from Bryn's buildings on here (that I also embellished with a little bling on the clock), I used some OLD, OLD K & Company letters, a couple American Crafts embellishments, a couple SRM sticker sentiments, a free printable journaling tag, some grey paper from that All Girl Recollections paper pad & the yellow paper is Bo Bunny...

I added pop dots underneath the middle building just to give some dimension...

In other news... I received an email today regarding our tickets to see Celine Dion in Vegas.  The show has been cancelled due to weakness in her right vocal cord.  She's been prescribed voice-rest until the end of April.  Are you kidding me?!! 

Looks like we're going to have to make new plans.  PRONTO! 

Hala hala!

The Winter 2012 Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Trade Show is just around the corner and once again, I have the amazing opportunity to create projects to be on display there.  While I'd love to actually BE in Anaheim for the show, it's just as cool to have my work there representing me.  New product is on it's way to my door step & I'm excited to get to work, since I'll have a pretty quick deadline to meet.  I love this time of year!

While I'm waiting though, I'm still keeping up with some new found inspiration to finish pages using what I already have.  On this one, I used some Amy Tangerine paper for my background, some graph-patterned paper from Bryn's American Girl paper pad, and lots of SRM Thanksgiving & fall-themed stickers.  I just printed 6 wallet-size photos & then cropped them a bit smaller to fit...

I attended one CRAZY FUN birthday party on Saturday night.  Aside from my 40th birthday party, it was probably the most fun party I've been to since college.  Didn't get home & in bed until 2am.  Way too late for me... but totally worth it!  Love those girls! 

Happy Monday & have a GREAT week!     

Resolutions...

I haven't really made a list of resolutions yet, but have a few in mind.  Like disconnecting from my phone more often & being more "present" when everyone's home.  Bryn gets on me about that.  I'd also like us to get back in a routine of going to church.  Seems that the busier the weekends get for us, the easier it is to sleep in on Sundays.   

Creatively-speaking, I have some goals in mind too... since I've been feeling uninspired & somewhat burnt-out for awhile now.  I want to get back to creating, just for the sake of creating so I can get photos & memories into the books.  I have so many photos of so many events that are piling up.  And then by the time I get around to doing something with them, I just can't remember the details as well for my journaling.  As far as I'm concerned, that's the most important part, so I feel like I've been failing there lately.

Like these photos for instance.  This night happened back in June.  And it's just one of many pages that I want to get to, but haven't yet... either because I've waited for the right product or I simply just had other things I'd rather do.  Either way, I want back that feeling of doing this because I LOVE it and it's important to me to document our lives... NOT just because I've made commitments to do it.  So when I'm not creating for one of the manufacturers I design for... I prefer to just use what's on hand.  I love to use a mix of products & manufacturers.  Is it the "right" way to design?  I don't really care whether it is or not!  It's me... and it's easier to stay true to me, than to force something else...       

Another page in the book! 

Off to my annual doctor's visit.  Had to say NO to shopping with a friend today because of it.  Now THAT sucks.  LOL

Top eleven in '11...

Happy 2012!  We had a FUN & memorable weekend... a great way to ring in the new year!  And the Zumbathon was a BLAST yesterday.  Getting my tired butt out of bed that morning was the most difficult part, but once I got there... all was GREAT!  Best way to start the new year EVER!   

And following suit in annual tradition of the yearly round-up... here's my top 11 favorite pages from the past year...

Some trends I noticed while reviewing my work from this past year:  stars, word bubbles, banners & 8x10 photos...cropped to fit.

At least you didn't have to see an over-abundance of clouds & rainbows though.  LOL   

Hope you all had a FUN weekend!  And here's to making 2012 a FABULOUS year!

"Here comes the rain again... falling on my head like a memory..."

I decided to take a little break from the cold weather + Christmas paper last night and went through old photos that I hadn't printed yet.  I've also had a couple pieces of paper & cut-outs from the Simple Stories 100 Days of Summer line sitting on my craft table for months and went with some photos from this summer.  It's always amusing to see photos of the 3 of us.  Stephanie has a way of making Sally & I look extremely pale.  LOL

I added some SRM sticker sentiments from the Hello set and some Glossy Accents on the tree.  It became apparent when I took this photo that I forgot one dot, too.  Too bad, so sad...

Love that yellow chevron so much. 

Planning to get to some more older warm weather photos later today, too.  I've got sun & the beach on my brain on this cold, rainy day... maybe that will help.  

"... this FREESE frame moment can't be wrong... "

Somehow I managed to miss the end of the best baseball game ever.  At least as far as Bob's concerned.  Who knew?  I went to bed during the 7th inning of game #6 of the World Series, when we were losing 7-5, because I had to get up early today.  Apparently shortly after that, is when all the excitement began.  Let's just say, I could NOT believe it when I got up at 5:45 to run before my (& Bryn's) dentist appointment this morning, that the Cardinals won the game.  All I can say is... there's no way St Louis won't win it tonight.  NO. WAY.  The Cardinals fans are going to be cray-cray Downtown tonight... and, well... everywhere.  Freese is the man!   

And speaking of my dentist appointment...  I left his office in tears this morning.  I've been able to get to know the people in his office pretty well over the past year with all my dental work and also because his office is in the same building as Bob's and they're friends.  So when his dental assistant said hello to me before my appointment, I asked how her mom was because the last time we spoke she had cancer.  She told me she passed away 11 days ago.  So... she talked & talked about everything.  I started to get teary-eyed, but she had to get to her next appointment so I kept it together.  Then, after my hygenist finished with me, she came in & sat down by me while I was waiting for the dentist and started talking about her mom again AND brought up my sister.  I don't always cry when I talk about Kaysy, but between her losing her best friend & me losing mine, my voice was cracking... tears... everything.  And all I had was that damn bib they tie around your neck to dry my tears.  Then she told me she was taking "pills" because it was the only way she could keep from wanting to jump off a cliff and I thought, "Can you give me some?  Because I'm a mess right now."  LOL!  Good grief.  I was still crying when I got in the car.  Bryn just looked at me like I was nutty. 

And umm... I am. 

Anyhoo... you already know that, so here's something you don't know about... this new page.  I'm still digging through my new American Crafts stash... mixing up my City Park, Amy Tangerine & Margarita collections.        

... there's those buildings again... ;-)

There now.  I feel better just thinking about fun times with my friends.  And more fun this weekend, too, with an upcoming Halloween party.  I'll be dressing up as "Pocahottie."  Not kidding.  That really is the name of the costume.  And Bryn decided to be an Indian, too.  Minus the "hottie-ness."  LOL  So, of course, that means Bob's going to have to be a cowboy.  Cowboys + Indians... it just makes sense. 

But first, a friend of Bryn's is staying the night for a sleep-over tonight AND then Zumba tomorrow morning.  Can't wait... I ♥ ZUMBA!

And for the first time in 10 1/2 years, I just officially became an employee.  Part-time... at the Y... as an instructor.  This is what happens when you love Zumba as much as I do.  Your friend manages to make you start working again and suddenly becomes your boss.  Gotta love it!  LOL 

FYI... Zumbathon coming up at the YMCA.  New Year's Day.  It's for a GREAT cause & I guarantee it will be your BEST 2 hours EVER.  More information to come... so mark your calendars if you're local!   

Zumba love...

Before leaving town this week, I found some time to create with the big mess of products sitting on my craft table... and quite frankly, all over my floor.  Things tend to get scattered all over the place when I'm in create mode.  And please don't come in & try to tip-toe through the big mess.  Makes me nervous.  LOL  I am happy to say though, that I did clean & straighten up the craft room before I left.  Hate coming back home to a mess.  Yay me. 

So... this one is a mix of mostly American Crafts & some Bella Blvd.  I also added a Zumba clothing tag for another punch of color, as well as to play off the circle design in the paper.  Did I mention I buy a lot of Zumba clothes?  A girl's gotta have options... ;-)

These aren't great quality photos, but my scrapbooks are full of pages with imperfect photos.  It's the memories that matter.  And this night is a really good memory...           

Now if only I could be doing Zumba with my friends right now... all would be perfect in my world.  But... I'm hitting the treadmill instead. 

Don't forget to check out the My Memories Suite giveaway.  You have until Sunday evening to leave a comment! 

"You know, I don't care which dress we get. I just need to get off this white carpet..."

Just a quick post today with a few random things...

• I'm loving this list of 50 Rules For Dad's of Daughters.  It made me cry.  So what else is new? 

 

• I made a quick page using a design I use often, but what can I say?  Little scene... lots of photos... journaling...  completed page.  And you know why the bat is on there, right?  Yep... the baby bat named "Oscar" that she saw in the mud cave.  So gross. 

 

• The movie Bridesmaids... have you seen it yet?  Umm... laugh out loud to the point of crying... in one scene anyway.  Because I had food poisoning once, so I can totally relate.  Funniest movie I've seen in a LONG time. 

 

• And the Cardinals are playing again tonight.  Are they going to the play-offs, or not?  We shall see...

"He's a cold-hearted snake... look into his eyes..."

Well, Labor Day weekend has come & gone.  Ours was just a typical weekend, but we did manage to take a trip to the zoo on Monday.  And while the weather that day was phenomenal... one word sums up the day.  CROWDED.  We kinda knew it wouldn't be a great idea to go on a holiday, but seriously.  I think everyone in St Louis was there.  It took us almost an hour just to park. 

And I may have had a minor panic attack when I saw a lady carrying around a snake in the children's zoo.  So, I yelled to Bob that I was leaving the building & would meet them outside.  He & Bryn came out a few minutes later & asked why I left so fast. 

He said, "Was it because it stunk in there?" 

LOL... yeah, wasn't so fond of that either, but ummm, no. 

Told them about the snake, so they ran back in because Bryn wanted to pet it. 

She's not my daughter.

I believe Bob took a photo of it with his iPhone, but I have no desire to see it thank-you-very-much.

Moving on to happier thoughts...

I created a new page about my niece's recent birthday.  Just a mix here of Amy Tangerine paper + some Doodlebug Designs embellishments I received in a package of goodies from Scrapbook Trends Magazine when they published one of my pages, plus a few other random things....

 

I was out of yellow S stickers, so I pieced mine together & added a flower on top to disguise the handiwork...

 

And a special thank you to my friend, Erin, who emailed me about today's Scrapbook Steal because she thought it was something I might like.  And I guess I did, because I bought it.  Because I really do need more scrapbooking stuff...   

 

I do loving having friends that are enablers...  LOL!  I hope you bought it, too, Erin!  You KNOW you need more stuff, too! 

Have a great day, everyone! 

"Wastin' away again in Margaritaville... searchin' for my lost shaker of salt... salt... where's the... "

Actually I'm not into margaritas.  Not at all.  I might have one, on the rare occasion that we are in a Mexican restaurant, but it has to be a frozen fruit margarita... like peach or watermelon.  Just not into tequila.  It's bad news.  And that's all I'll say about that.  LOL 

The Margarita collection from American Crafts, on the other hand, is GREAT news!  I love it.  And I've had some of the collection for awhile now, but I've finally had a week to sit down & do something with it.  Yes... I said a week, because it took me that long to create & re-create these 2 pages when I was thinking something's not looking quite right here.  And that paper with the buildings on it... yes, I had to have it.  Reminds me of the paper with the buildings on it from my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite Craft Fair collection... that I probably used on AT LEAST 20 different projects.  And that's not an exaggeration, as you are already painfully aware. 

So, now that we know I can sometimes take way too long to create 2 pages AND I hoard American Crafts paper with buildings on it... let's get to the pages.  On this first one, I used my border punch to create the waves and then made my own flag banner, using the bar code strip at the bottom of my flags to add a little more interest...

 

Love that crab sticker.  And please.  No crabs on trips.  Leave that nonsense at home. 

 

Used my circle punch on the next page to create my border & then used a left-over punched circle in my title.  More bar code strips, too.  Some fun ones in this collection, so I had to use them... 

 

Speaking of the Craft Fair collection, I felt the need to add a couple little bits on here.  There can never be too much Craft Fair, as far as I'm concerned...

 

And... I made a card with this collection, too.  Because that buildings paper goes a long way.  Don't laugh.  You know you all have your favorites, too...

 

 

It's a busy week ahead, but lots of FUN things planned.  There could be some more party pics... just sayin'.  Looking forward to it all! 

Have a GREAT week everyone! 

I ♥ SRM Stickers...

Just received my free copies of Scrapbook Trends Magazine along with some free scrapbooking supplies in return for my page that they published in their September issue... 

 

 

SRM Stickers simply make your projects look great.  And that page is FULL of them! 

You want to meet when? Let me pencil you in...

I'll pencil you in on my new calendar, that is! 

Today on the SRM Stickers blog, they are featuring calendars!  I, along with a few other designers, decided to tackle one.  I have to admit, it did take me a few days to complete this calendar.  But, I left it on my craft table & would work on it as I found free time.  It was fun to make & now is the perfect time to make one for yourself before the holidays are upon us! 

To make my SRM Stickers calendar, I started with the 8x8 size.  They also have 6x6, 12x12 and Baby's First Year calendars! 

And from there, I used some old stuff + some new stuff and LOTS of SRM Stickers!  I mean seriously, I think I may have used 1 sticker from every single SRM Sticker sheet ever made to complete this calendar.  Ok, maybe not really.  But there are quite a FEW!  If you have any questions on a particular product though, just leave me a comment & I'll let you know what I used!  

 

With the holidays quickly approaching, these calendars would certainly make a great gift!  You could personalize them even more by adding photos!  Check out the SRM Stickers blog today, to see how the other designers created with their calendars!  I swear the SRM girls provide ENDLESS inspiration for me every single day! 

I'm blogging here today if you have a chance to hop on over!  Have a GREAT week!

All you need is LOVE...

Our assignment for July at SRM Stickers was to use the same sticker... 3 different ways... using a clean + simple style.  I'm not exactly sure WHAT my style is... but clean lines are typical of my work.  I used the same sticker ("all you need is love") 3 times & hopefully I have clean + simple as well. 

Not only did I use the same sticker... on my 3 projects... ALL the sentiments on my page & my cards were taken from this same sticker sheet! 

   

 

There's so much versatility in the sticker sentiments.  Of course they are great for card-making.  But I love that the same sentiments can be used on scrapbook pages & blend seemlessly over your patterned paper.  In fact, on my Anniversary page, my "all you need is love" sticker was put onto a strip of Dear Lizzy adhesive-backed fabric.  They really do stick on just about anything!  I love that SRM Stickers are clear.  I've mentioned that over & over again.  Rub-ons be gone.  The wave of the future is the clear sticker! 

Check out the blog all month for other inspiring ways to use the same sticker, 3 different ways! 

No really. What is up with the pencil topper craze?

I'm not kidding.  They have taken over our home.  Ok, well maybe it's not THAT bad.  Is there a pencil-topper craze in your home or is this something that just happened here?  It started over halfway through the school year when one boy, a boy Bryn was (still is?) smitten with, brought some to school.  Soon, most everyone in the class had purchased some and were getting involved in trading them.  Evidently it got so out of hand that her teacher finally had to say, "No more pencil toppers in the classroom."  Sheesh.

And, yes, I know.  You're wondering, "Is she ever going to find something OTHER THAN "Craft Fair" to create with?  And, ummmmm, no... I'm just not tired of it yet.  And considering those owls look like some of the bug-eyed pencil toppers in Bryn's collection... it was a must.  ;-)

It's HIP to use the same piece of patterned paper to make 5 layouts & a set of mini cards. Isn't it?

The HIP 2B SQUARE kit for April is packed FULL of new Dear Lizzy & new October Afternoon!  I had SO MUCH FUN with it!  In fact, there was one patterned paper by October Afternoon that I loved so much, I used it somehow on every single project except the last card in this post...

   

For this first page, I knew when I saw the Dear Lizzy paper with the colorful circles that I wanted to make balloons with it.  What I wasn't sure about, was how I was going to make the "strings."  Now, I'll be the first to admit that my solution to said "string" is not exactly a sensible one for the scrapbook's sake, as it's going to be smashed the minute it closes, but it looks fun for right now.  I cut some thin strips of patterned paper & wrapped each one around a pencil tightly, so it was swirled when it was unwound.  Did that even make sense? 

 

 

The next page is simply a page-gone-awry.  I try to cluster & then I make mistakes, then I try to cover it up.  Then I try to doodle a border, which I have to cover up.  It just went from good intentions to a disaster.  I won't point everything out that's bugging me about this, so let's just move quickly past it.  LOL...

Couldn't NOT use this fun flag border, could I?  I really love those blue polka-dot Thickers, too, by the way...

Melanie sent the team a sketch by Allison Davis.  Rather than make a 2-pager with it, I flipped it on it's side & made a single page design with some photos from Mother's Day.  My title letters came from the October Afternoon stickers that actually spelled out MEMORIES.  I just pulled the 2 M's + an O... and voila... a title...

 

Here's another photo on the next page that I've tried over & over again to use, but just couldn't find the right product combo.  October Afternoon to the rescue!  Since the kit comes with green & blue letter sticker sets, neither of which would work for this page, I used my black StazOn ink pad to make my blue Thickers, black!  I did add my own crepe paper to make my ruffled border, too.  That typewriter sticker is just TOO fun...

Melanie also asked us to make a set of 4 mini cards, sized 3x3.  That is small!  I can honestly say I don't think I've made a set of cards this small ever, but they would be GREAT for adding to a gift...

This card is the ONLY thing I made from this kit that DOESN'T have that October Afternoon paper on it.  I still have some left, too, so I imagine it will pop up somewhere else in the future...

 

For more information on the fabulous HIP 2B SQUARE kits, contact Kimberly!

Celebrate Life...

A new month... a new challenge posted at the SRM Stickers blog!  The focus this month is about celebrating life.  The timing of Ali Edwards' "A Week in the Life" project worked out perfectly for me with this month's theme.  I used a lot of the Everyday Life stickers to complete my mini... 

I used my Jenni Bowlin banner stickers that my sweet friend, Melanie, sent me on this next page...

I used the following SRM Stickers products (find them all here) to complete my mini book...

8x8 Keepsake Calendar

Express Yourself #42038 Everyday Life

Say it with Stickers #39045 Outdoors

Sticker Months Small #48090 Snappy

Quick Cards #52007 Thanks

Year of Memories #48002 2010

 

I really like how the calendar pages helped me keep my book cohesive.  I wanted this project to be as fast & easy as possible, so it really helped to have my patterned paper pack, calendar pages, & sticker sets picked out once I got started.  I love how the SRM Stickers blend seamlessly over my photos, too.  

 

Make your own layout, card or project with the "Celebrate Life" theme & post it here for a chance to win lots of SRM goodies! 

Monday. Let the madness begin...

  

I'm just finishing up my "Week in the Life" project.  I need to find out if SRM Stickers wants to use it before I post my book though.

I have a very busy week ahead.  Kind of glad I tackled that project last week and not this week.  Today after I pick up Bryn late from school after her Drama Club, we go back up there a half-hour later for my Parent Dance practice.  Last week was the first practice.  She asked if anyone was a former cheerleader.  A couple of us raised our hands.  So... yours truly gets to stand on 2 poor parent's legs & play a guitar during the dance when we'll be performing on the same night as the kids.  Oh, how I love to make a fool out of myself for my daughter's enjoyment.  Or not... 

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with the girls, then off to the dentist before I have to pick up Bryn.  This time my visit to the dentist is for fun.  I get to have a consultation for some veneers.  I've been wanting to get Invisalign mostly because my 2 front teeth have gone a bit crooked again.  So, Bob just told me he talked to our dentist (who works in the same office building with him) & got the info on veneers.  He told me it's my birthday, Mother's Day, anniversary present (all those coming up in May).  A few veneers on the top row, means I don't go through a year & a half of braces... AGAIN.  Some people want new boobs... I want straight teeth.  LOL!

Wednesday after Spin class, I'm going to get a facial.  I swear it's been almost a year since the last one & it was time to quit putting it off.  Plus, the gift card I still have from the spa is going to expire in May.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute here. 

Thursday is Bob's birthday.  Let the birthday celebrations begin.  His is in April, mine in May, Bryn is in June.  Poor Bryn has to live with 2 Taurus "The Bulls."  My sister's is in May, too.  Lots of stubborness in this family...

Zodiac tiles found here.

We are going out to lunch to celebrate & then out to an early dinner with Bryn, since she has dance class that night.  So far, Friday is still pretty open.  Saturday we attend a First Communion in Illinois for Evan.  I think Saturday night should be "Game Night" again.  We had way too much fun the other night.  Of course, that may have been because Bob had a long day at the zoo & needed some wine & popcorn!  With any luck, I'll be sleeping in on Sunday morning.

Craft-wise... a new challenge is going to be posted at the Nikki Sivils blog on Thursday and SRM Stickers is involved in a Blog Hop with Bo Bunny begining on Thursday.  My day on the Bunny Hop is Friday & I got to create with the Flower Child line.  Thank you BO BUNNY!    

Stay tuned & enjoy your week! 

Feeling good...

It's my last challenge Guest Designing with Scrapping the Music.  It's been a FUN month & I've enjoyed having the inspiration of the past 4 songs, as they prompted 4 pages that may have never been created otherwise.  So thank you again to Scrapping the Music! 

The song this week is "WHAT'S SO BAD ABOUT FEELING GOOD" by Ben Lee.  I took my inspiration from part of the song title & the page was also inspired by a post my friend Toni did awhile back on her beauty must-haves...

A new challenge has been posted at the SRM Stickers blog today!  The month of March is all about BABIES!  So create something baby-related & you may be chosen as the Guest Designer for May!  

Well... the Olympics are over, but we sure got our fill in this home.  Bryn had a 2-week long assignment to complete from her PE teacher on the topic of the Olympics.  Every day they had something different to do.  One day the assignment was to draw a picture of your favorite Olympic sport.  I liked her drawing so much, I made a copy of it so I can save it.... maybe on a page? 

And speaking of FEELING GOOD... I'm off to my favorite way to start the week... Zumba class!

Happy Monday!

Dinner time...

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!