Wendy's Way

New Photos

I've been so busy lately, started a new job, kids are just crazy with stuff (which of course means I am crazy with kid stuff) I haven't been able to jump online much at all lately.  I have some new photos that I'd like to share though.  These are just a couple of my current favorites;

This first one is my cousin and his son, he is a single dad and I'm going to frame this shot (with the quote) and give it to him for Father's Day.

This second shot is just Richard at a local park, love this little guy!!

Oh wow, so so cold!!

I can't believe how cold it is, there is actually a frost warning tonight!  Wow, where did spring go?? 
Anyway...not too much to report, just a couple photos to share tonight.  Hope all is well!

A building in NY.....

and some eye candy...this is an Abercrombie and Fitch Model...wow...my daughter is on the left:-)

I'm a Working Woman!

Yes, it's true, after about ten years??  I've gone back to work.  Only part-time but it's so much fun.  It reminds me of the corporate world that I just loved so much.  I am working in a funeral home (I know it's sounds strange right?  People are usually like ?? Are you kidding!) but it's really great!  I love working with the families, doing tributes, seeing the wonderful lives that have been lived to the fullest.  Yes, it's very hard when I see a younger person's file and that part will never be easy, but it's really mostly all general office work so I do enjoy it.  I am also doing the "lunch monitor" thing at my son's school.  I'm not sure if that will last in the fall but it's so fun to get to see him everyday.  I have to see how it goes and make some decisions as to if I'm going to stick with the lunch monitor thing or just drop it.  My plan is to try and get a full time job in the school system so I'm on the kids schedule....I'm not sure if that will happen though so I just may drop the school thing and do the office thing more if I can.  We shall see....for now it works though and I'm really excited about my first paycheck - ha ha!!

Things are hard for me now....I recently got separated from my husband so I've been pretty quiet but I know that God has a plan for me and I tell myself that everyday.  It will get better, that I do know, it's just getting there that's the hard part.  One day at a time is how I'm living my life.  The kids are fine, thank goodness and I know that I will be too...

Well I don't want to end on a sad note, so let's see...I went to my first Broadway show last week and it was AMAZING!  We saw Grease (and if you know anything about Broadway and/or Grease the leads did a reality tv show for their part...it was a contest that was judged by Olivia Newton John and other "famous" Broadway people)  The winners are in the play "Laura and Max" and we got their autographs (along with other actors and actresses in the show).  It was so fun!!  Here are a couple shots and I'll have more to share - I got some really amazing photos that day!

This is Laura and Max, or better know as "Danny and Sandy" from Grease...along with my daughter and her two friends.  (My daughter is the one in the center.)

Horse Crafts

So, I'm the "official" craft mom at the barn my daughter rides at.  My "job" is to come up with little crafts for the kids to do at mini camp.  Of course I help out with some other things too if I can and just have fun!  I swear I feel like a little kid again myself doing all this stuff, it's so much fun and the kids that attend are just adorable.  We did a little horse photo folder thing (and keep in mind that some of these children are only five years old so we can't do anything too complicated).  The folder was a hit, they were able to write their ponies name and their favorite part of the day on their "info." card inside the folder.  I also take a photo of them with their pony to use on their memory craft.  Now some of these kids come back week after week so the projects need to be different (that's the fun part for me).  Here's the little photo folder we did;

One weekend we did the photo "explosion" album I created for Paper House.  That was fun but a bit tricky for some of the little ones;-)

Next is my favorite so far.  We did a little wooden wall hanger, this was cute.  I actually wanted to make it pink since they are all girls usually but I didn't have any pink "horse" paper, so I designed my own.  It came out so cute.  We decoupaged the paper onto the wooden piece then used "sparkle" Mod Podge for the top (the kids loved that!) and I just used some photos, flowers and bookplates to finish up.  Oh the little horse shoes (aren't they cute!) are by Provo Craft.  This one went over really well. 

Here's the paper I made;

What a day! In the 70's - Spring is HERE!

Finally!!  My gosh it was so cold these past few days.  I love the winter but this is a bit much, I'm ready for the warmer days, outside play, macaroni salads and bb-q ribs...ha ha!  Bring it on!!

Not too much to chat about today but I do have a couple of layouts to share, and I'm very happy with these, they both just make me smile.  The first one is my little guy, he's just always so ready and willing to give me that smile and believe me, I sure do ask him a LOT! 

The second one is my daughter Lacee and her (cough cough) boyfriend....13, she'll be 14 in Sept. and she's so into everything that teens are into (well......not everything and I say that with a very proud heart!!)  I took these shots of them one day when we were out driving home.  The tracks were off the road and they just looked perfect for a mini photo shoot - they were both very good sports too! 

I'm hoping to get some more scrapping done tonight....wish me luck!!  Hope you have a beautiful WARM day!!!

and the other....

Been MIA

So busy, so sick, so much stuff going on...just crazy.  I have some fun news to share though....I have a job!  Yikes!  LOL!  I haven't worked in years, I used to do the corporate thing but when I was pregnant I stopped all together.  I have been toying with which way I wanted to go - do I go back and do the corporate thing after so many years or do I just "get a job".  Well with two kids and crazy schedules, I just "got a job" - lol!  I'm going to be a lunch monitor at my son's school...yes, I know, me a "lunch lady" how funny is that!  I'm actually very excited about it though.  My son will move up to a different school in the fall so I think that's actually a good thing, I certainly don't want to embarrass him!  I will most likely start to work after spring break in a couple weeks.  It's only a couple hours a day but I figure that's good to start, if something else opens up then maybe I'll jump on it but for now this will work.  I'll be on the same schedule as my kids too, so what more could I ask for!

Let's see...what else is new?  I have some adorable photos to share.  I did a little photo shoot of a friend's baby brother the other day, what a ham!  This kid should be a little Gerber Baby!

New Layout to Share

I thought I had posted this layout but nope, I didn't.  Last month at CX we had to do a scraplift.  I love it because we don't really have to think too much - lol!  I lifted Toni (tonisbdreaming), she's so amazing and I just adore her work.  Here is her layout;

and here is my layout...what I loved most was that this is a hybrid layout, I loved the digi frame she used! 

Wow, what a month...

I was sick all month, so sick.  I'm back up and running though and it's all good!  I just got home from the Susan Gilman Spring Show in MA, met lots of new friends and had a great time.  I went for Paper House, taught a couple of classes and did a make and take "frenzy", lots of fun.  I actually had lunch with the gals at Hero Arts (Jennifer McGuire has been my scrap idol forever and I finally got to meet her, she's so cute and sweet).  Our make and take was right next to the amazing Mr. Tim Holz, that was very cool.  I loved the fact that it was a smaller show so it was nice and you could actually chat with people, without being rushed.  Nothing like CHA...very different. 

Nothing to share right now but if you get a chance pop over to the Paper House blog, we're going to be giving away some of the kits that we just did the classes with, really cute stuff.  I'll have some layouts to share very soon too....CX assignment time once again!

Oh....actually I do have a really sweet story to share with you.  One of the ladies at the barn my daughter rides at is retiring her horse.  He's had an amazing life, won some pretty big races.  It was a very emotional day for her but she is going to retire him about an hour and a half away from the barn so she can still visit with him often.  The owner of the barn actually called up the people that owned him before and asked if they would send some stuff for the retirement ceremony, they sent a ton of stuff including his lead rope and blanket from his last big win in 2000.  It was so awesome to be a part of this, just a really nice story with such a happy ending.  Here are a couple shots from the day;

Sick sick sick

We are all so darn sick!  First Richard was sick last week, then he got a little better and bam, it just hit him hard, he's on four different meds and has to use his neubulizer (probably killed the sp on that sorry!) Then I started to get a sore throat and now I'm sick, I feel like I've been run over by a truck...yuk!  Of course now Lacee is sick too, sore throat, lost her voice, headache...just fun stuff let me tell you.  So both kids are home sick today and we are not even dressed....but that's okay...we need to rest.

Anyway, I've been doing a few things here and there...we had a mini camp day at the barn yesterday and we did a fun horse craft (I actually borrowed one of my CHA make and take idea and the kids just loved it!)  This is what we did:

To get complete instructions for this project you can visit the Paper House Blog link HERE.

Let's see, what else....I made a couple cards, the first one was for a little friend of my son's who loves baseball, he had a party this past weekend;

This second card is for a very dear friend who made some amazing bracelets for me to give as gifts.  She also made me a bracelet that is just beautiful, this lady is so very talented in so many different areas, beading, scrapbooking, paper crafting and much more...she just started a blog too, you have to check her out! Natalie Goward  Here is the little card I made for her using the brand new sweet Garden line from Making Memories, love it!!

So that's pretty much it for now....I hope everyone is doing well!

Upcoming Classes for Paper House

Hello, how are you today?  I'm pretty happy because I just finished up a pretty big project.  I'll be teaching two fun classes for Paper House at the Spring Susan Gillman show in MA this month.  I am doing a mini album and a card class.  Want a look at the projects?  Well I'm gonna show you anyway, ha ha!  I had so much fun making these, really felt good to scrap again.  Let me know what you think!  Happy "hump" day!!

Mini Album - Paper House - Summer Fun

My pages are not in order, sorry!  The one with the green flip flop with the journaling is the last page in the album...just fyi:-)

Here are the cards - these were a lot of fun to make too!  My favorite is the "Love Always"..I just love the paper!

Love Always

Baby Card

"Thinking of You" Card

Wedding Card

Birthday Card - Tri Fold

So now I'm off to do my CX projects for the month...fun fun fun!!

Been so darn busy....

I haven't had much time at all to do my online thing.  So much going on, all in a good way though.  I am helping the owner of the barn my daughter rides at with some marketing.  She's the sweetest lady and has such an amazing barn/riding program and she just does so much for us so I love that I'm able to help out with a few things like her brochure and postcards.  She has a mini camp coming up and then this summer she'll run several weekly camps so I designed her brochure and camp postcards.......take a look;
The Brochure (it's a tri-fold)

These are the little 5x7 postcards I did for her camps...they came out so nice, we printed these on matte inkjet photo paper.

 

I've also been busy with an upcoming class I'm teaching at the Susan Gillman Spring Show.   I'm representing Paper House and we are doing a mini album (summer theme) and an all occasion card class.  It's a weekend show and I'm pretty excited about it.  I may even bring Lacee with me, we'll see.  I'll share the class projects very soon, I just need to take some photos of them.

Well that's it for now....I hope you had a wonderful weekend, did you remember to turn your clocks ahead?! 
xxoo
Wendy

Fun Challenge!

Hey!  Just thought I'd share that I'm hosting a fun challenge over at Creative Express with another design team member, Becki (CKMommy), such a sweet lady!!  Together we are hosting a "color combo/glitter" challenge (it's the first ever too!!)  The winner will receive $75 in product AND a guest design team spot with lots and lots of perks!  Check it out:

Guest Design Team Challenge - Creative Express

Sorry so quiet!

Oh I've been so darn busy!  This past weekend was a lot of fun but now I'm beat, just worn out.  My little guy turned NINE on Sunday....how is that possible, I have a teenager and a nine year old.  Wow.  He had a really cool skateboarding party at a local indoor skate park.  Here are a couple of shots I took that day;

                                                                                                                                                                                                      
this is my little cousin, he's so cute and so darn brave!

and one just for fun....lots of PSing here...

It just started to snow outside...and I get to do a bit of scrapping now so I hope you have a lovely, warm and scrappy day just like me!
xxoo
Wendy

WOOHOO! Snow Day RAK/Challenge!

I love, love the snow!  Living in New England I am used to it and let me say it again, I just love it!   This has been one of "those" years though, hardly no snow at all, and what we did get was nothing to talk about.  Dustings.....what's that about!  ha ha!  So last night the kids and I prayed we would have some snow to get excited about and this morning...schools are closed and we are having some snow fun today!  Now of course we'll be inside for "most" of the day which means I get to scrap!  Yes, we still have to go do a few things and we will take a trip to the barn so Lacee can ride a bit but I just know today it going to be F U N!  Which brings me to my newest challenge (and this will be a good one since I haven't offered up a RAK in a while);

SNOW DAY CHALLENGE/RAK - Daily Happiness
Create a layout (or card or paper craft project- anything goes here) about the things that make you happy everyday.  Little things that just make you smile.  For me it's easy;

The snow...... or better yet a snow day!
My caramel lattes from Dunkin' Donuts and my white mochas from Star Bucks (both with skim please)...yum!
Happy Mail (thanks again Joybear!)

So just little things like this that make you HAPPY!  Can't wait to see what you come up with....I'll pull a name at random and send out a fun prize package that will include some new CHA goodies along with some other fun staple type stuff we all need!  Happy Scrapping!

New Layout

Just finished my CX projects and I am so very happy!  I had to do a scraplift, which I already posted here, that one was easy...I love doing lifts, they always come out so different but they are so much fun, it's all about the inspiration I tell ya!  Anyway..the second assignment was a bit trickier this month.  We all had to use the same three products, glitter, embossing dies and very, very pretty paper ribbon.  I had such a hard time with it.  This is what I finally came up with and I'm pretty happy with it (or maybe I'm just happy that I have both assignments done and ready to be mailed E A R L Y!) 

See that little dot in the center of the flower here?  That's a glue dot, lol!  I put some glitter on it first, then a gem...pretty neat flower center I thought, ah well...just humor me, ha!

Anyway....I'm hoping to get some shots of the kiddies today (and me...maybe I'll have Lacee take a photo of me too) we all had our hair done last night by my cousin's girlfriend who is in training to be a beautician, she did such a wonderful job and was here all night with us.  I think I'll go by here a nice bottle of wine as a thank you.  Speaking of thank you's - I have so many to get out, just have to make them first.  Have a wonderful Monday....no school today, just hanging out.  I love days like this.

Quick Little Post

Just a quick post tonight...I have so much to do tomorrow and I need to get some sleep.  My son and I just got home from seeing Spiderwick, cute movie, he enjoyed it (much more so than I did;-)  My daughter went with a friend to see Step It Up, that dance movie so I figured we would go and see something he wanted to.  Anyway, I was able to do just a quick walk at CHA and I did stop by the Heidi Swapp booth and do the make and take, very cute and very fast.  I needed a card for my aunt for Valentine's Day so I used the make and take and just added some ribbon, gems, a photo corner, a butterfly (and if Robyn and Kristy see this you know what butterfly I used...scan baby scan!!) then I just mounted it on cardstock.  Pretty simple but I love stuff like that.  (Please excuse the very poor photo of the card...it was late I took one flash shot and called it a day, lol)......

BEST CHA EVER!

What a trip!  This was one of the best CHA trips I've had.  I can't recall how many times I've gone but this was a great one.  I had such a blast hanging out with the incredibly sweet and REAL Robyn Weatherspoon...I can't tell you how much I love this lady!  She is so down to earth and just a real "people person", not to mention that this woman can S C R A P! Paper House absolutely loves Robyn so I know she'll be back with us again and again! 

We were able to hook up with some other friends as well and the absolute highlight of my trip was Monday night dinner with Robyn and Kristy Lee.  I had so much fun and haven't laughed that hard in years.  These girls are so real and I'm so happy to call them my friends.  Here is a shot of Kristy and Robyn that I took while we were waiting to go inside for dinner (which was soooo yummy!);

I also got some really cute shots of Ms. Robyn;

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!  Inside and Out...seriously.
Robyn took a few shots of me too (I had asked her because I really needed a new avitar...reminds me I need to change my profile pic too;-)  I hate, just hate my photo being taken too but I have to say Robyn did a great job!  I actually like it, so thanks Robyn, a lot!!

I also got to see the amazingly talented and just super, super sweet Teri Anderson.  Teri is so wonderful, I was so happy that we got to chat for a little bit, not long enough though:-(  I hope we get to spend a little more time together next time T...we'll make sure of it!

Let's see...I also got to meet a wonderful CX gal, Merideth (better known as CouchDiva), we had lunch together and took some photos, that was fun!

I also finally got to meet the super sweet Heather Thompson, she's just as cute as I knew she would be!  I was able to see Greta Hammond and chat with her again, so fun!  Loved peeking at all of her amazing creations in the Scenic Route booth...fun fun stuff!

I also saw the sweet Kelly Goree again, sitting doing her fun make and takes at the Basic Grey booth...and my gosh, this is the BEST release they have ever had...and we all know they've done a lot of amazing stuff....if you haven't checked out the new Basic Grey you really need to, just really cool stuff...I can't wait to get some!  I have the Two Scoops line already .....I think I'll play tonight;-)

I also ran into Sonda Tadlock, again not too much time to spend:-(  CHA really is crazy busy...we had such a blast doing our make and take and I told Robyn in all the years I've done this I've never had anyone cheer for me...ha ha!  She had our booth rockin'!!  The make and take really went over well...Paper House is amazing though, they always give out so much stuff and we just have F U N!  I have to share a short little story and I promise I won't mention any names...heeeee.....okay so Robyn and I are doing a quick walk and we stop at a booth to do a quick make and take.  We finish the make and take and then in the same booth are some other products just sitting on the desk (lots of them too...so we knew they were for taking).  Anyway, we both grabbed a few samples and this lady comes over and says "THOSE ARE FOR A MAKE AND TAKE" and she was pretty rude let me tell you....so we both just gave her this shocked look and put our stuff back.  Now at our booth, we encourage people to take the product, if they can't do the make and take because of time...then hey, just take it with you, we have instructions posted on the website...oh, need a kit for a friend, no problem...here ya go...easy, nice and you know what, it gets the product out there and gets people using it.  If you are going to be rude why on earth would people come back?  I don't know...just doesn't make sense to me. 

Okay...I have to run...I'm going to do some scrapping tonight, yipppeeeee!!!! 

All in all it was a wonderful trip, so many new exciting things that I just have to have!

So I'm off to CA!!

I'm pretty excited but just so tired and not feeling well...I hate that.  It's so late too...have to get some sleep.  I had a terrible cold one year at CHA and it was awful.  I hope that doesn't happen again...sigh.  Anyway, I wanted to say bye and to let you know that I just posted the second make and take that Paper House is doing on their blog.  We are going to give away a bunch of the make and takes to those of you who can't attend the show....if you can, take a peek and post me a quick message to be entered in the prize drawing.  I'll be back on Wednesday....have a super week!!!

PAPER HOUSE BLOG LINK....PRIZE POST

Here's the second make and take we are doing...both are posted on the Paper House Blog - link is above.

New Layout

I did a layout for no reason at all but to scrap...wow, it felt great!  This is the little pony we've been leasing for about a year now.  My daughter has really bonded with her and I can't even begin to describe how much she has done for my daughter.  Confidence, strength and just all out fun...all things that this little mare have given my Lacee.  I made a brad and button border using different sizes of brads and mini buttons.  Basic Grey paper and American Crafts chipboard.  Thanks for taking a peek! 

Quickest Mini Photo Shoot Ever

So we're driving home from my son's football game this morning and my daughter's "boy friend" is with us (notice the way I spaced that;-).  I had to drive by this place I've been wanting to stop at and do a photo shoot for so long, so I just pull over.  I say to the kids, "out of the car and smile" - lol...they were so good, really being cute and just letting me snap a couple of photos to see how the spot would work out and if I wanted to consider taking some clients there in the future.  I love the spot, nothing around, nothing to try and avoid while shooting the photos, you know, really nice.  It was so cold though and a bit muddy, but I know I'll be going back soon....here are just a few shots that I did up very quickly so I could send them home with her friend; 

fun fun fun...so cute aren't they!

Here are some other fun shots I've been wanting to share.  My son is on the "Dream Team" at karate, he loves it.  He gets to preform in front on all the kids that are testing, and of course anyone else that comes to watch the show.  He is one of the youngest on the team.  To get on this special team you need to pass three tests I believe, he did is pretty quickly because he was so determined to make this team.  Now he performs every month.  They do this cool show and part of it is they all line up and do a flying side kick to break some boards.  My little guy was the first to go since he's the youngest/smallest on the team for this particular performance.  So he goes, breaks his board and all the kids ohhh and ahhh...talk about a confidence builder.  Then, after he does it he "goes down" and the next kid jumps over him.  Now my son has also been the second child to go (never the third yet though) and he's had to jump over a kid too, it just depends on who is the smallest at the time of the show, lol.   Here are  a couple of shots from the last show...keep in mind that I blurred out all the faces for privacy. 

This is Richard waiting for the next kid to jump.....

This is just to give you an idea of what happens...they end up with a lot of kids on the floor - lol!!
My son now has his brown belt because he was able to test last weekend.  I can't believe he almost has a black belt, what an accomplishment! 

Anyway...better get some sleep, I told the kiddies they could have some friends over tomorrow for the Super Bowl so I have a lot of "cooking" to do!  Have a great night.....
xxoo
Wendy

Happy Friday!

Friday, love it.  I think this weekend will be a nice and easy weekend.  I want to scrap a bit, maybe work on a couple of page calls (haven't done that in forever!) and do a few more CHA layouts too if I can find the time.  Other than that I'm not doing anything.  The kids have some fun things going on so I'll be right there enjoying the moment.  I have to tell you about my son's flag football game last weekend.  He made his very first ever touchdown and I wish, oh how I wish I could have taken a photo of his face.  First of all the coach had the ball passed to him for one of the plays...just handed off so he could "run the ball".  His first time ever, and let me tell you, he ran like there was no tomorrow.  Now he's not the fastest runner but I've never seen him run as fast.  They caught him after about 30 yards or so, what a trip!  THEN...the other team has the ball, they pass it and he intercepts the ball and makes a touchdown!  Talk about the crowd going wild...lol...okay so maybe it wasn't a "crowd" and just a few moms and dads but we cheered!  It was so awesome, he will probably remember that for the rest of his life.  I was so proud.

So anyway...we are very excited about the Super bowl.  My son's team is the Giants so that makes it even more special.  The kids are each having a couple of friends over and I'll make some yummy football finger foods.  I'm really looking forward to it. 

I'm happy it's Friday!  Here's a layout I just finished up for Creative Express.  It's a symmetrical layout, with warm colors, I just used some photos I've taken over the last year.  Happy Weekend!

Online Friendship Rocks

This month for CX we had to do a story telling layout (using photos).  I went through some older photos and came across some fun shots I took when I went to meet an online friend.  The photos brought back so many memories and even though I haven't been in close contact with Melissa, I did email her and we picked up right where we left off.  I love that about her.  Online friendships to me are priceless and just as important as my friends I see all the time.  I love having a place to turn for fun, support and of course sharing. 

Anyway, I'm sure all of you bloggers know exactly what I mean!  You are all special to me too and I hope to develop even more friendships in the future!  Hey - if anyone is going to CHA in CA please let me know!  I'll be in the Paper House booth with the amazing Robyn Weatherspoon, we would love to see you!

Oh ....here's my layout that brought back the fun memories for me.....smiles!!

Winner of my RAK and FREE Digi Goodies!

Vianna!!  Congrat to you!  Please email me your address (lamram4@yahoo.com) and I'll get the Cards issue out along with some other goodies. 

Thanks so much to you all and I do plan on giving away some more fun goodies soon...promise!!  For now if you would like some free digital scrapbooking goodies visit the Outta This Funk site to see and get the new Valentine "Heart Shine" kit I put together...here is a peek at it.

Kit Download (follow the download link once you are at Outta This Funk)

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!!!

How about a little giveaway?

I have to make a trip to the PO soon so I thought I'd post a RAK.  I just got a box back from Scrapbook Trends and they always include a couple copies of the book you are published in so I figured I'd share that and then throw in some other surprise goodies.  Just leave me a quick post and let me know what you are currently working on.  Anyone working on a HOF entry??  Isn't the deadline right around the corner?  Anyway......here is the book you will receive along with some other fun goodies if you win;

It's a nice thick book with lots of beautiful cards inside. 

I'll share another layout I did for Paper House, if you get a chance check out the Paper House blog, we are giving away lots of fun stuff with CHA right around the corner.  You just need to leave a post/comment to be entered. 

So we're supposed to get some snow today, secretly I'm wishing we get a lot but I know that won't happen (although....they have been wrong lately....hmmmm).  Well I better get busy, my Creative Express monthly box just arrived with the new Basic Grey line, so, so pretty, really right up my alley and I can't wait to use it!  Have a super day!!!

Too cute not to post...Photoshop lovers..

This is just too funny (please do not open in front of kids....hint hint) nothing too bad just really funny and cute!  A very different tutorial that was featured on one of my favorite Photo newsletters Photojojo, check this out!

Cute huh, I needed a laugh like that today.  If you want to see the others just CLICK HERE, keep in mind they are not for kids but so funny!

Here's another one of my Paper House layouts for CHA, again using the papers and chipboard, I'm so happy the way they came out!

Note:  on the horse layout I photographed it and the flash caught the right side of the paper, the image is perfectly clear in real life...sorry about that, the lighting was terrible but I had to get this shot and loaded so there it is...;-)

More layouts for CHA

So I had to do a lot of scrapping for Paper House this week.  I'm posting all of the layouts on the Paper "House Blog" but I'll share them here too.  A couple of these layouts are pretty special to me so I'm happy that I do get them back.  This is one of them...I did this about our dog Dawson that we had to put down last year.  He was only six years old and I miss him so very much.  I love their new dog line, really easy to work with.  The second layout uses their new cat line, which I also love (okay, that's because I designed the papers and chipboard, ha ha!)  thanks a bunch for taking a peek and I hope you are staying warm...it's so darn cold out!!  More scrapping for me tomorrow!

CHA time again!

Yes, it's time for CHA the biggest scrapbook show of the year.  I've been super busy scrapping my little heart out for Paper House and the best part is that most of the product I get to  use I actually designed!  They are releasing a bunch of chipboard that I did and then some of my paper designs.  They also have an incredible designer in house that does a lot of the paper and stickers.  It just feels so great to actually see your designs become a product and the chipboard was so much fun, my first time doing something other than papers.  I'll be posting a lot of my layouts on the Paper House Blog and I will also be posting a lot of fun give aways so take a peek if you have time!  Here is one layout I did that I think is my favorite out of the bunch.  I'll share the rest on their blog if you are interested.  Happy CHA...hope to see some of you there!

wow, I did a layout

I can't believe it...ha ha!  I actually did a layout that wasn't for any assignment!  Ah well...okay, that's not entirely true, I did this for a photo swap I was in with a wonderful lady named Anna.  Is this baby girl not the sweetest?!!  I hope she likes it because I had so much fun making this for her!  Sorry so short today...got to go get the kiddies...more scrapping tonight too, yippeeeee!!

I love the Coluzzle system

One of my favorite systems ever (I know I've said that so many times but it's so easy to use and so inexpensive and the templates just keep coming out and are cuter and cuter every time...)  Anyway, this is my latest little project.  It has a dvd inside that has a cute little slide show of the kids, just random photos from the years past.  I had to do this for Creative Express but when I get it back next year I'll have my mom's Mother's Day present all set, ha ha! 

Special Treat

So last night I took the kids to Denny's to eat (one of our favorite places because they have the best 24 hour breakfast you can find) and my dad calls me to let me know that he is watching "I am Legend" with Will Smith which is in the theaters now.  I have been wanting to see for a while and was so excited because I knew he would let me borrow the dvd, so I get the kids in bed nice and early and then sneak back downstairs to watch the movie.  It was pretty good but I think the previews really made it look much better than I expected.  I didn't care for the ending either but I figured that much.  In case you are wondering where the dvd came from my father got it from a girl who got it from "someone on the west coast", it had these little screening messages pop up and I felt so special, like I was someone on the screening list to receive the movie.  HA!  Okay now I'm dreaming right...lol, but it was a nice treat, I can't remember the last time I watched a movie that the kids couldn't watch with me....it was worth staying up until 2am....hmmm....now maybe I'll go take a nap, okay, I'm dreaming again!

Off to finish some assignments!!  Have a super day!

Happy You Year!

I think I've been watching a little bit too much Nick with my kids, this past week they celebrated New Year with a "Happy YOU Year" theme.  They asked a bunch of kids to send in videos about themselves and what their new goals for the new year are.  After seeing a bunch of different video clips I realized that I need to get back to me.  I've been so focused on everything and everyone else that I have neglected myself big time, and that's just not a good thing.  My goals are not big ones but they are meaningful ones to me.  I want to get more organized, loose some weight, eat healthier, just basic stuff but important stuff.  So after the ball dropped I began my new "You" year quest.  I have to say that so far (even though it's only been a couple of days) I feel so great about this.  I've actually already lost a couple pounds...and yes, I so know how that goes!  ha ha!!  I just have such a different outlook on life right now (I have a lot of personal issues to work out as well) but I feel good....I want to move forward, no looking back!  Happy YOU Year to you too! 

Again, MIA

Wow this month has hit me hard.  I've never been so busy, and just when I think it's going to slow down...nope, it doesn't.  I love the holidays don't get me wrong, I just think it's gotten way out of hand and people need to step back and realize WHY we celebrate, me included.  On Christmas Eve day I actually had a lot to be thankful for.  Lacee was kicked by a horse for the first time.  She actually was hit so hard that she flew threw the air and landed on her back (on the ice of course).  We went to the ER and spent the entire day there actually, but she just bruised her ribs and her back.  I was so scared though, I thought she broke her ribs (as did the doctor) then I thought maybe she had some internal bleeding...all these bad thoughts went through my head and of course I had to hear it once again from my family about how dangerous it is and so on and so on....I know being around horses is and can be dangerous if you are not careful, but you know what, my son was running around on the ice that same day, he could have fallen and hit his head, I mean accidents to happen and Lacee loves to be around the horses, she loves to ride...so what do I do, take all that away?  I can't.  She is safe, and the barn she's at is the best and is so very safe I really don't worry that much at all.  I'm just SO SO very thankful she's okay.  It could have been so much worse.  The most amazing thing to me is that her pony actually tried to (and did!) protect her.  The bad pony that kicked her turned back around to actually step on Lacee but Lacee's pony stood right in front of her and would not let that other one near her....that to me is incredible.  Animals are amazing they really are.

So...I have a lot of catching up to do!  A few assignments to finish up, lots of projects to do...so I'm off....I hope you all had a beautiful holiday!!  We sure did....I'm actually sore from playing our new Wii...ha ha!!

fast forward

So I was out doing some last minute shopping today and pretty much anything Christmas related was on sale.  I thought to myself, "hey, this last minute shopping isn't so bad!  I'm saving lots of money!"  Then as I turn a corner I see an entire display of St. Patrick's Day stuff and then some Valentine's Day displays.  Wow...can't we at least get through Christmas?  Rush rush rush...seems like everyone is always in a rush, pushing forward.  Sometimes I wish I could just take a step back and enjoy my days, my moments, my busy life as it is now.  Isn't that sad?  Time goes by so fast, just way too fast...one of my New Year goals (out of the very many I have) is to really slow down...I need to slow down, for my health, for my family and just because I'm missing out on way too much.  I hope you take a little time each day to reflect on the day, I've started doing that as well and I actually feel happier.  On that note...I leave you with a project I created for Creative Express.  It's for Valentine's Day but I did this one last month so to me it's not rushing, I'm actually sharing it later that I normally would.  It's filled with Hershey Kisses and Hershey Hugs...yum!

Happy "You-Year" Ball

Okay so the name of my project may be a bit hokey but I had so much fun coming up with this for my son's class craft activity.  I've been a class craft mom before and we've done some fun "holiday" themed projects but I really think this one is my favorite out of them all!  As I am sure most of you are aware that the schools don't celebrate one particular holiday, like Christmas, for example.  They try to do more of a general "holiday" type theme across the board, for parties, shows, songs and even the crafts.  Last year (and the years prior for that matter) we've done snowmen crafts.  I've done some really cute things too, I'm going to dig out the projects we've made and photograph them so I can post them on my blog.  One of the first things I do when I need a class craft is jump online, so maybe if someone searches they just might come across my projects and decide to do one or more. 

Anyway, on to this year's craft.  Keep in mind these are third graders so they are old enough to handle and care for a glass ornament (okay, okay I was at Michael's the other night and they had an amazing sale on glass ornaments, maybe I should have gotten the plastic ones but these were a great price and they are so much prettier!)  To start I went into the classroom early this morning and snapped a very quick shot of EACH child.  I then came home and printed out two photos for each child.  I then cropped them down and used an oval punch to punch them out.  I brought them to school just like that so the first step for each child was to use a glue stick and glue the two photos together to make a double sided image of themself.  Once the glue was dry enough we "rolled" the photo and stuck it inside the ornament.  Each child was also given a little sandwich baggie full of fun goodies to stick inside.  Curled gold ribbon, some little, tiny, shiny multi-colored balls, some star sequins and so on.  I then used some ultra fine glitter which stuck to the inside of the ball and the photo.  It looks so pretty in real life!!  I also added some irridecent snowflake stuff that also looks very pretty.   Once all the fun stuff was placed inside the ball each child then just had to tie on their ribbons.  They also received a Making Memories metal letter (their initial) to hang off the ornament.  My sample ornament is of both my children so I used two metal letters for their initials (you really can't see it in the photo, sorry!)

That is basically it!  We also decorated brown bags and I used a ribbon punch and some ribbon to make the bag look pretty.  The ornaments were wrapped in tissue paper and placed inside.  Fun fun fun!!!