Scrappy Times

A Work in Progress-Disney Album 2009

2012-01-18T14:34:00.006-06:00

With Caleb starting kindergarten in August I had high hopes of re-starting and finishing my Disney 2009 album. I approached this album differently than I approach my normal scrapbooking. I learned a long time ago that I could never scrap every picture, nor did I want to, so I just started scrapping the pictures that moved me, or the ones that helped tell a story that I wanted to tell. Well, for this vacation album, I wanted to treat it more like a picture album that did have most, if not all, of the pictures from the trip. Over the last couple of years we've been lucky enough to go to Disney several times because of a conference that John goes to every October and it just so happened that it was in Orlando in 2008, Anaheim in 2009, and then back to Orlando in 2010, but in the overall scheme of things going to Disney is not something that we get to do that often.

I finally figured out how I wanted to approach this album. I didn't want to just do a photobook in Shutterfly-I wanted a little more control over it and wanted it to be a bit fancier than that. So, I decided to approach it like my Holidays in Hand album that was taught at Jessica Sprague. Jessica had a template that you used for this album and it was easily manipulated into different configurations. So I decided to use that template throughout this album and then just keep it simple with different papers to match the pictures on the page, a few elements, the journaling and that would be that. That was the idea anyway. I did a few pages and they were turning out ok. I wasn't turning cartwheels over them or anything, but I was making progress. Here's an example of one of the first pages:

Paper and Elements-Crystal Wilkerson Sweet Summertime

Oh, and I was also going to try to do the album with kits I already had in my stash. I'd bought several Disney type kits and had a lot of other bright, cheery, kits that I thought I'd fall back on. Well, I started getting bored with the project and the pages and went looking for a little bit of Disney inspiration. That's when I found Steph's post on The Daily Digi about scrapping Disney. I found two things in that post that really inspired me: 1) Sweet Shoppe Designs-Steph posted several kits from the Sweet Shoppe and I LOVED them. So, I looked the Sweet Shoppe up and I have been hanging out there ever since. My scrapping budget has a very big dent in it now. 2) Aaron Morris-He had some layouts featured on the post that Steph wrote and I loved his style. Turns out he's on the creative team at the Sweet Shoppe. I loved the clustering that he does on his layouts and then I found out that he had a new class at Big Picture Scrapbooking on clustering. I signed up, loved it, and alas, my simple Disney album has morphed into a crazy, clustery, complicated album. I keep telling myself to tone it back down a bit, but then I think the page looks a little sad, and empty and I start adding things to it. Oh well. I'm getting close to being done. Here's a look at some of my clustery pages:

Traci Reed-Wordy Bubbles
Kit-Dani Mogstad That Old Black Magic

Kit-Mouse Magic 1&2 Melissa Bennet

Kit-Julie Billingsly Carnival Thrills
All Templates-Holiday In Hand Template from Jessica Sprague

Elf on the Shelf-Mr. Peppermint

2012-01-17T14:34:00.012-06:00

Yes, Christmas is just a memory now, but we had a lot of fun with Mr. Peppermint this year so I thought I'd show you some of the highlights. Most of these ideas were not original. I saw them on pinterest or message boards. I really enjoyed doing this year because Caleb got such a kick out of it. It was much more fun to have Mr. Peppermint do things than to just move to a different spot every day. Caleb told lots of people about Mr. Peppermint and would always say, "He's always up to something!" Kind of like someone else I know! I am proud to say that I've already done a layout on this, so I will share that too.

Template:Cindy Schneider's Double It Up Set Six from The Sweet Shoppe
Kit: Katie Pertiet's Elfin Magic from Designer Digitals

Caleb at 5

2011-12-30T16:24:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to do this layout for months. I like to do a layout every 6 months or so that shows what Caleb is doing at that point in his life. I finally got off my tush and made the layout the other day. I love it. The photos on the left side were taken by my friend Melissa Abadie during our family photo shoot that she did a few weeks ago. I used the kit Blink of an Eye from Traci Reed and Kristin Cronin Barrow, Word Bubbles by Traci Reed, Fill Er UP font by Darci Baldwin, and Half Pack 21 Template by Cindy Schneider.

Half Marathon, 13.1 Miles, or in layman's terms, a long freaking way

2011-07-01T20:22:00.005-05:00

Well, this post is a little late, but it seems like everything in my life is late these days so this just goes right along. One of the reasons that this post is late is because I've been debating on ordering the photos of myself from the half. I have a hard time justifying spending $70 on pictures of me with little to no makeup on, but I figured to commemorate my fist half that I had to have some photo documentation of it. Proof of little to no makeup, proof of sweat, and proof of accomplishment. So, I bit the bullet, ordered the pics, wrote down my experience with the half marathon and made a scrapbook layout. So, here's the layout. You can click on the second page to read the journaling.

Digital template by Cathy Zielske, papers by Crystal Wilkerson

Additional sets for sale

2011-06-23T21:01:00.002-05:00

Friendship alpha small-$7

Felicity -$7

D1377 Around the block $7

D1257 Make it count $7

Postmarked $3

CTMH Items updated

2011-06-23T09:44:00.003-05:00

I am dropping to “former consultant” on June 30th and would like to sell off some of my stash. If you are interested in any of the items you can email me at cojored@gmail.com. I ship based on weight so please include your zip code with any inquiries and I will let you know how much shipping will be. I prefer Paypal for payment at cojored@gmail.com. Your prompt payment is very much appreciated as I only have a few more days to sell these items on the CTMH board. I will ship the items out as soon as I receive payment.

Blocks
1x1 block $2.00 (3 available)
1x1.5 block $2.25
2x3.5 block $3.75

Sassy Strands Spring Harmony $2.00

Sassy Strands Summer Carnival $2.00

E size Rustic Alphabet E1002 $10

D1375 Treasures $7

D1204 Delight in Everything $7

D1309 Heartthrob $7

D1406 True friends $7

D1307 Annotations $7

D1330 Connections $7

D1221 Delightful Alphabet $7

D1112 Seasonal Celebration $7

D1227 Legendary Moments $7

D1254 Soul Mates $7

D1247 From Me to You $7

D1339 moments in time $7

D1208 Ticket Tags $7

D1066 Romantic Backgrounds $7

C1359 Sweet Baby $5.00

C1279 Roughin' It $5.00

C1290 Memory Labels $5.00

B1306 Cottage Floral $3.50

B1337 set from Twitterpated $3.50

Spring Cleaning

2011-05-30T15:47:00.018-05:00

I'm doing some spring cleaning and cleaning out some items from my scrapbook collection. These are the items I've listed on the CTMH bulletin board. If you are interested in any of the items you can email me at cojored@gmail.com. I ship based on weight so please include your zip code with any inquiries and I will let you know how much shipping will be.

Blocks
1x1 block $2.00 (3 available)
1x1.5 block $2.25
2x3.5 block $3.75
4x4 block $5.25

Sassy Strands Spring Harmony $2.00

Sassy Strands Summer Carnival $2.00

E size Rustic Alphabet E1002 $15

D1257 Make it Count $12

D1375 Treasures $12

D1204 Delight in Everything $8

D1309 Heartthrob $8

D1011 In the Wild $8

D1406 True friends $8

D1418 Felicity Alphabet $8

D1377 Around the Block $8

D1307 Annotations $8

D1330 Connections $8

D1221 Delightful Alphabet $8

D1112 Seasonal Celebration $8

D1363 Picture Perfect $8

D1227 Legendary Moments $8

D1254 Soul Mates $8

D1247 From Me to You $8

D1339 moments in time $8

D1208 Ticket Tags $8

D1066 Romantic Backgrounds $8

C1359 Sweet Baby $6.50

C1279 Roughin' It $6.50

C1290 Memory Labels $6.50

B1306 Cottage Floral $4.50

B1337 set from Twitterpated $4.50

B1322 Believe in your Dream $4.50

B1321 Reach for the Stars $4.50

B1210 Flutter $4.50

W189 CTMH alphabet $8.00

W328 Postmarked (item to cut up to give to customers as incentives 3 stamps missing) $4.00

Big Dreams

2011-05-19T19:48:00.003-05:00

Caleb's preschool graduation was this morning. I just about fell out of my chair when I heard what he wants to be when he grows up. You just never know what's going to come out of that child's mouth.

Where We Live

2011-03-22T19:49:00.003-05:00

I was inspired to do this layout last week after hosting a play date at our house for some of Caleb's friends. Caleb's friends love all of his riding toys and it just kind of struck me that I love where we live and love that Caleb can have the kind of childhood that I had when I was growing up. The house I grew up in had a big yard and we had an empty lot next to us that we would ride our 4 wheeler on. Our neighbors had a dirt bike, so that lot got lots of use. Now I have a big yard and I am lucky to have a 75 acre "lot" next to our house. I'm glad my boy has lots of room to play. Here is the layout:

All papers and elements by Echo Park- Life is Good collection with the exception of the blue tag which is from Crystal Wilkerson's Sweet Vintage Charm Collection. I used Pioneer Woman's seventies action on all of the photos to give them that vintage feel.

The journaling reads:
Yesterday we had a play date at our house and it really made me think about how much I love where we live. We started searching for a new house when I was pregnant with Caleb. We wanted a big yard, a nice neighborhood, and a house that was kid friendly. When John and I first saw this house, I had a strong feeling that this was the one. That was despite the fact that in the kitchen the linoleum floors were an off white with a blue and green pattern, the counters had blue countertops, and the cabinets were a honeyed oak color and were too short for the high ceilings. We did get the house and immediately started remodeling it. I was eight months pregnant when we moved in and before we had Caleb we painted almost every room in the house, enclosed the formals, added on a porch, and gutted and remodeled the kitchen. My goal was to have everything finished by the time I had Caleb. We missed it by about two weeks. Our next door neighbor, Felix, laid the tile floor and backsplash while I was in the hospital and the countertops were finished a week or so later. But, what I love most about living here is the space that we have for Caleb to play. We have a little over half an acre, so there is plenty of room for him to play. We have a trampoline, a fort, two sandboxes, and more riding toys than one child should have. We live on a street that has a total of four houses and dead ends into a 75 acre field. We have virtually no traffic so Caleb can ride down the driveway and into the street without much concern. We ride our bikes through the neighborhood, and know a lot of our neighbors. Caleb rides his four wheeler, go cart, and now his motorcycle in our yard and in the field next to us. When I was talking to our friends yesterday I realized how grateful I am that we have a home that allows us to indulge in all of these outdoor activities whenever we want. I really love where we live.

Just keep running, Just keep running....

2011-03-13T19:48:00.002-05:00

Last year I ran two 5Ks. For 2011, I decided that one of my goals for the year was to run a half marathon. I actually made this decision back in December and set my sights on the Rock N Roll half marathon on March 27th. I've been following two different training plans I found online and kind of merged them together. The speed workouts are no problem for me. I think it's because they are over fairly quickly. The longest speed workout is in increments of a mile. It's fairly easy to keep your concentration for a mile, and then repeat. The workouts that get to me are the tempo runs and the long runs. Tempo runs are generally 3 miles or longer and you are supposed to do this at a faster pace than your comfortable pace. Tempo runs just kill me. I don't know why they are so mentally hard for me. I know I could do it, but in the middle I always need a walk break. Long runs are also hard for me. They are at a slow pace, so I think they are almost easier than tempo runs, but not much. Last Sunday in preparation for my half marathon I ran 13.45 miles. I needed to do a run at least as long as the half so that I could prove to myself that I could do it. My pace was a lot slower than I would have liked, but I did it. Today I ran 12 miles. I was hoping to pick up the pace and run at a faster rate than last week but it didn't happen. Today I felt like I was running in pea soup. It was a very muggy day today, and windy. It wasn't an enjoyable day to run for me. Mentally I just wasn't into it, but with my race 2 weeks away I know I need to perform all of my scheduled workouts as well as possible. I didn't set any speed records again today, but I did complete the workout. When I start feeling defeated in a run and want to quit I channel Dory from Finding Nemo and instead of thinking, "just keep swimming", I think "just keep running". I've come to the conclusion that I will never be a marathoner. It just isn't in me. But for now I'm going to keep running until I get to that half marathon finish. We'll see what happens after that.

Playing catch-up

2011-03-02T18:53:00.003-06:00

I feel like I've spent the last 5 months playing catch-up. It's been that long since I've posted. Oh, I've thought about catchy little things to post, but then it never materializes. Since our trip to Disney I've just felt behind. Behind on editing and posting pictures, behind on journaling, behind on scrapbooking, behind on housework, etc, etc. So, since the first of the year, I have made a concentrated effort to get back on track. I've finally caught up on pictures, but I'm still working on the journaling, and my scrapbooks will never be "caught up". Of course about the time I was caught up with the other stuff and was ready to get busy and get some scrappin done, my computer crashed. I kept waiting for my husband to take it to his computer guy. I tried my best not to nag, and I didn't, and then he surprised me with a new computer. Great! However, then the task of transferring everything over to the new computer starts. I've never done this with digital scrapbooking files. And oh, let me tell you, it's been such a PAIN. It's not the transferring of the files, per say, but the transferring of the organization that I've done that's supposed to be embedded in the files. I use a program called ACDSee for this and it's really great for viewing your digi files, but it's a bitch to it set up and working from one computer to the next. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that this latest attempt works, because I've spent so much time on organzing and categorizing everything that I don't think that I'd do it all again. Anyhoo, I hope to get back to posting somewhat regularly. Here's to being caught up (yeah right).

A Fall Layout and an update

2010-10-24T17:09:00.004-05:00

We are back from Disney World. Our trip was great, but I'm still recovering from it and not quite ready to post about it yet. I do want to post a layout that I did yesterday from last Halloween. Yep, I'm never going to be caught up and that's ok. Yesterday we were supposed to attend my friend Melissa's annual Halloween party, but she had to reschedule due to the horrible weather we had yesterday. So, since I was thinking about her party and Halloween, I decided to do a layout from her party last year. Nobody throws a party like Melissa. She is uber organized, creative, and energetic. I don't know how she does it all, oh wait, yes I do, she doesn't sleep!

Anyway, I got my newsletter from Crystal Wilkerson, a fabulous scrapbook designer, and she had a free template and a contest on her blog. Use her template and her digital kits to enter a contest. I was in the mood, so I did it. I used her template #4 inspired by Susan Weinroth and used Crystal Wilkerson's October Sweet and October Spooky collections to do this layout. Check out Crystal's blog at http://www.creativitybycrystal.blogspot.com/

Four Years Old

2010-09-28T14:16:00.005-05:00

My baby turned 4 last month. It's a little hard to believe. Everyone always says that they grow up fast, but until you are a mom I don't think you truly realize how fast the time flies. I took Caleb out at the end of July to do his 4 year portraits. I told him that we were going to go down to the old train tracks to play. We got down there and he kept asking where Thomas was. Oops. I tried to explain that theses train tracks were old and that there weren't any trains around those tracks anymore, but he didn't seem to quite get it. We had a good time poking around and I got some really cute pictures. I finally had time to sit down today and edit them. Photoshop and I don't always get along, but I'm learning.

Obsessed

2010-09-23T14:53:00.005-05:00

I have an obsessive personality. I come by it honestly as most of the women in my family have this same trait. What this means is that when we get something on our minds we kind of beat it to death until we've either solved the problem, researched the dilemma or trip or thing we want to do to death, or bought whatever it was we were obsessed about. Currently I am obsessing about our upcoming trip to Disney World. I have bought travel guides, subscribed to the touring plans website, stalked the Disney message boards, bought a new backpack (of course, after obsessively evaluating my options and making a trip to North Dallas to try some on)and even started scrapbooking our 2009 trip (and yes I also found a Disney related message board to support that habit.) I've printed off calendars, made dining reservations and made packing lists. I've evaluated refillable water containers, bought glow sticks (for the parks at night), and searched for and bought a small, travel size "noisemaker" (ie. a white noise machine for those of you not used to my terminology) for the hotel room. I'm obsessing about what Caleb and I are going to wear to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that we will be attending one of the nights that we are there. I know it will be warm so the costume can't be too hot. We'll be riding rides so it can't be too constricting, and I'd like it to be Disney themed. I've even started dreaming about all of these obsessions. I dreamt the other night that we got there and I hadn't packed anything that was on the list-Oh the horror!

So, I will share with you a few of the scrapbook pages I've done. My original idea was to do a pretty basic digital album just to get everything documented and the album done. However, after finding the Disney scrapbooking message board all that changed and now I want it to be more elaborate. Why can't I ever be satisfied with easy?

An Uninterrupted Conversation

2010-08-06T20:40:00.003-05:00

I find myself craving an uninterrupted conversation. I've discovered that when you are a mom that you never get to a have a full, uninterrupted conversation and I've been craving that. It doesn't matter if I'm talking to my husband or a girlfriend, our conversation is inevitably interrupted. Obviously when I'm with my husband, our son is the culprit. When I'm with my girlfriends it can be any number of culprits-my kid, their kids, or other random kids. When I leave a playdate that's as much for the moms as it is for the kids I'll remember when I get home several conversations that were started and never finished. I find myself getting more and more annoyed by these interruptions. Yes, I realize your child is bleeding profusely, but can we please finish our conversation. Maybe it's time for a Moms night out!

A layout and some blathering

2010-08-03T18:09:00.003-05:00

I haven't done a very good job of posting this summer, but it seems that the only people that even look at this blog sometimes are those that write comments in Chinese. I'm not sure what the point of their comments are, but I find them rather annoying.

We've been staying really busy this summer. I had enrolled Caleb in a 2 day a week preschool program but it didn't work out so I haven't had much time to scrapbook or blog. I took him to a friends house today and instead of coming home and cleaning like I normally do, I took the time to make a layout about our July 4th. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to scrapbook and how I want to document and print the pictures that don't make my scrapbook pages. I'm not ok with my pictures just living on my hard drive. I want them to be assessible to us to look at and enjoy. I had thought about doing shutterfly books with all of my pictures and my scrapbook pages. However, when I thought about going back and doing that for all of my photos I think it would be insanely time consuming, especially trying to get it all in order for the book to be printed. Instead I think that I'm going to use the 12x12 albums with page protectors. I will print my scrapbook pages and then do very simple digital pages for the rest of the pictures. I have some easy peasy templates that I can use for the majority of the pictures. That way everything will be in one book and if I do decide to do a paper layout every once in a while that can go in the mix too. The beauty of this system is that I can print and put them in protectors and then rearrange as needed whereas a shutterfly book would have to be in order from the beginning. I've kind of been in a non creative state lately because I haven't been able to figure out how I wanted to do all of this. Now that I've finally got that straight in my head I'm hoping i can get going and make some progress. I know that sounds silly, but sometimes I really have to ponder things before I can figure out how to proceed. Without further ado here is the layout I made today:

The journaling reads:
I always loved the 4th of July as a kid. Chris, my neighbor across the street, and I would ride our bikes to the fireworks stand several times a week before the 4th to stock up on fireworks. I don’t know why we didn’t get all of our stuff in one shot, but I guess part of the fun was going, looking at all the fireworks displayed and figuring out what we would buy that day. I’m sure the people that worked the stand loved us! Then we normally didn’t shoot them all off on the 4th. I know I for one would sort of stockpile them, and dig them out of the closet to just look at them every once in a while. Then normally at the end of the summer, we would have a big firework show on the empty lot next to our house. Chris and I would take turns lighting the fireworks and digging through our stash to figure out what we’d light next. The adults would hang out in their chairs and visit and watch our show. We had lots of fun on that empty lot and every 4th of July I remember the good ole days when riding my bike to the fireworks stand was the highlight of my day.

I still get a kick out of going to the fireworks store. We have huge firework warehouses near us so it’s a little different than the mom and pop stands I frequented in my youth. This year when we set out to do our fireworks shopping I brought along the camera to document my love for fireworks and my love of seeing all those brightly colored packages just lined up and waiting to be lit. I think the employees thought I was nuts when I broke the camera out, but they just don’t understand scrapbooking and the need to have some pictures to go with the story. We picked out our goodies and Caleb got his chance to play with fireworks. So far his favorites seem to be the sparklers. I think he also appreciates the bright colors and the packages themselves. On the 4th I decided to take all the fireworks out of their packaging to make it easier to light that night. I also sorted them by category just because it made me happy (weird, I know). Caleb got a package he called his “bucket fireworks” (I’m guessing because they looked like buckets) and played with them all afternoon like army men or something. I think he may just end up being a firebug like his Mom.

Summer!

2010-06-25T19:07:00.008-05:00

It's summertime! It's been hot, humid, and busy! I thought that when we hit summer we would be a little less busy, but so far that hasn't been the case. Caleb just finished with 6 days of swim lessons and thanks to Ms. Amy, Caleb is doing so much better. We started with lots of tears, pleas, and whining. When we headed out to our second day of lessons, Caleb told me that Ms. Amy said that swimming lessons were closed forever. He was that nervous about them, but after about the 4th day, he did a turnaround and is now all about going under the water and "swimming like a shark." We've also been hitting Hawaiian Falls quite a bit and we've really enjoyed that. John went with us today and we were finally able to talk Caleb into going on some of the bigger slides, of course he loved them when he finally went down them.

We've also visited Dinosaur World in Glenrose, visited the arboretum with my niece Abby, and had a visit from Caleb's Aunt Debbie who lives in St. Louis. I wanted to surprise John with some pictures of Caleb and Morgan for Father's Day, but ended up telling him about it. He helped me coordinate times with Morgan and after two photo shoots, a bout with centipedes, Caleb being Caleb, Morgan being sick, and some really hot, humid weather managed to get some cute pictures. I got them just in time for Father's day. One of these days I'm actually going to be able to pull off a good surprise for John. Here are a few pictures of our summer:

Caleb at Dinosaur World

Abby and Caleb at the arboretum

Abby-Love this picture!

The littlest lawn boy-John got Caleb to help him run the blower

Morgan and Caleb

2010-05-31T18:11:00.003-05:00

I had the opportunity to take some pictures of my neighbor's boys the other day. It was supposed to be a surprise for Mother's Day, but we ended up having to reshoot it. The first shoot we did was in the middle of the afternoon and the lighting just didn't work, so we reshot and the pics turned out much better. My husband came along and was the "smile getter". I thought we got some really cute shots.

2nd 5K

2010-05-29T13:41:00.002-05:00

This year has been the year of becoming more fit and seeing what this 37 year old body can do. Last year I was pretty consistent with working out, but this year I wanted to step it up a bit. I was inspired by my niece and sister in law. They both ran a half marathon in February and that's when I decided to start running again. I ran track in junior high and high school. I did the mile and my best time ever was 6 min 16 seconds. I don't know that I'll see that time again. I also played soccer and was always known as being fast. So, I decided to dust off my running shoes and see where it took me.

I do most of my running on a treadmill. I just find it easier. I can set my water there and get to it whenever I want. I can run with the fan blowing right on me in an air conditioned environment and still manage to sweat like a pig. I started out running at a 6 on the treadmill, then 6.5, now I go between a 6.8 and a 7 and take it up to a 9 when I sprint at the end. I was really proud the other day when I ran 3.1 miles without walking at all. I'd been working toward that since I started running in February.

So back to the 5k today, it was not nearly as packed out as the dash down greenville. It was also a much more hilly course and the thing that threw me was that there were no mile markers so I felt like I was running blind. I had my stopwatch, but didn't really have anything to compare it to so I had no idea how I was doing or how far I'd gone. I really had some defeated thinking going during the race-it was really humid and I was going on about 5 hours sleep. I walked several times and was really disappointed in myself. I finally realized that I was close to the finish line and picked it up a bit. I thought I still had maybe half a block to go or so but when I turned the corner the finish line was much closer than I thought it was so I turned it up and sprinted to the end. I ended up with a time of 29 minutes and 9 seconds. I had a much better time than I thought I did. I was really tickled because my two goals for this race were to finish with a better time than I had in my first 5k, and to finish in less than 30 minutes. I accomplished both of those goals. I beat my first 5k time by about 4 minutes. I think I'm definitely making progress. However, I stayed for the awards presentations today and in my age group the top finishers had times of about 26 minutes so there is room for improvement.
Unfortunately I don't have any pics from today because I was solo at the event. Maybe I'll get some pics at my next one.

Pics of the girls

2010-05-16T20:24:00.004-05:00

I saw Brenda at church today and she gave me the go ahead to post the girls' pictures. I was really surprised at how well these turned out-mainly because it was so incredibly windy the day we did these. I guess we were in areas that helped block the wind. So without further ado here are a few of the favorites. I ramped up the color and contrast in photoshop a bit. I'm loving that I'm finally able to do some cool stuff with photoshop.

A busy month

2010-05-15T20:20:00.006-05:00

May has been a really busy month for us. Even at 3 Caleb has a lot of end of the year school stuff going on. I was in charge of the teacher appreciation luncheon at his school this year so I had that to deal with as well as a myriad of Mother's Day projects. I made this for my mom for Mother's Day. I thought it would be something that would be really useful for her as she keeps a lot of cards on hand for various occasions. Each page is a pocket page that she can store her cards in. I sewed the pockets on the paper so that the cards wouldn't get stuck in the glue-I learned that the hard way ;0) I thought that this would allow her to keep them organized as well as give her a place to write down all the dates she needs to remember. The papers are all from Close To My Heart and are from the Key To My Heart set from last year. I love this paper. All the elements and stamps are also CTMH.

This has also been an enlightening month. I've learned a lot this month-some good, some bad, but enlightening nonetheless. I'll be making some changes based on these revelations and we'll see what we see. Speaking of learning, my photography class, "Oh Shoot", ended last week and was a great experience. I learned a lot and hope to continue to improve my photography. I took my friend's daughters out and did a surprise photo shoot of them for her for Mother's Day. The pictures turned out great and she was thrilled. I need to see if I can get her permission to post them, because I'd love to show them off. It was nice to do a photo shoot where I didn't have to coax and cajole the subjects to do what I'd like. But, I would hope that teenagers would be a bit more cooperative than a fiesty 3 year old....

That's all for now. I have lots more to say, but it will have to wait for another day.

Sweet Summertime

2010-04-23T20:46:00.003-05:00

My favorite digi designer has an all new paper and digi line coming out May 1st called Sweet Summertime. If you leave her a comment on her blog by April 27th you have the chance to win this adorable kit in either digi or paper. This line is too cute. I love it. You can visit her blog at http://www.creativitybycrystal.blogspot.com/ and be sure to look for the layout by yours truly on her blog.

Obsession

2010-04-16T19:57:00.003-05:00

For those of you who know me this will not come as a surprise, but once I find something that I want or something that I want to do I become obsessed with it until I have done it, or purchased it. I found the coolest camera bags on Etsy this week and obsessed about it until I had ordered a custom bag. I want a bag that will hold my camera stuff and enough stuff for when Caleb and I go to the zoo for the day or the park or whatever. Plus these bags are super cute. I ordered a bag similar to this one, but I got the Ultimate Snugglens. I'm so excited to get it. If you want to visit this seller's site it is http://www.etsy.com/shop/gypsyrosehandbags

Texas Bluebonnets & Oh Shoot!

2010-04-15T11:57:00.005-05:00

I always have such good intentions to post and then I seem to run out of time. The last month has been really busy. I'm taking a photography class called Oh Shoot! at Jessica Sprague's website. It is taught by Candice Stringham and has been really great. I've done another class and read some books about my camera, but it never seemed to click for me. Well, I finally seem to be getting it. I've supplemented her lessons with a few books about my camera to really get this stuff into my head. I also bought a new 35 mm fixed focal length lens for doing portraits. It's got a lower aperture on it than my kit lens so I'm able to get that lovely blur that looks so good in portraits. We are on kind of a break this week from the class. Last week was our lesson on Manual Mode. I'm happy to report that I've managed to get some good shots using manual. The shots below were either taken in Manual or in Aperture priority.

Caleb pointed out that this cactus looks like Mickey Mouse, and I must say that he is correct!

By the end of the bluebonnet shoot, this is how Caleb felt about my picture taking.

At the end of the day, Caleb decided he needed to take a few pictures of me and since he'd indulged me all day I decided why not. He took quite a few interesting shots, but got some pretty good shots in too.

Gotta go get the boy from MDO. Enjoy!

Another digi layout!

2010-03-19T23:21:00.003-05:00

I finished this layout a few weeks ago and just never got around to finishing it. This layout was the second of the Digi in Deep class at Jessica Sprague's website. I think this is probably my favorite digi layout that I've done. I just started looking through old pictures and found one of Caleb when he was one and a half and then thought about some of the pics I'd taken when we went skiing in January and I knew I had the photos that I wanted to use. I'm so happy with how it turned out:

The companion page was a page that I designed and completed myself. It's not as good as Jessica's page, but I thought it turned out ok. It took forever. But, I'm learning as I go so that's a good thing. It just takes awhile to get all of this stuff in my brain.

List of materials used:
SP Lima background papers: From Monoblendz Paperie - Lima paper pack by Anna Aspnes
Rounded corner square die cut: from Border Templates pack by Katie Pertiet
Striped Paper: From Spontaneous Delight by Carrie Stephens
Dirty Journaler Label: from Dirty Journalers set by Katie Pertiet
Grunged Up Photo Block: from Grunged Up Photo Blocks No. 2 set by Katie Pertiet
Staples by Katie Pertiet

First 5K Baby!

2010-03-13T14:49:00.003-06:00

I decided about a month ago to run a 5K. My niece was going to run it and my sister in law was going to walk it. I probably didn't give myself quite enough time to train for it, but I've been working out pretty consistently for the last several months so I was in decent shape. I started running at the Y and have just been trying to ramp it up as the race got closer. I've been so stinking nervous about it that I haven't slept well the last two nights. I really wanted to run the whole thing and I think I just put too much pressure on myself. Once I got there I was fine, but I was nervous about getting there, parking, being in the right place, etc. It was definitely chilly while we were waiting, but once we got going it was fine. I ran with Holly for the first mile. I stopped at the water station at the 1 mile marker to get some water and ended up with a cup of beer. Now I like me some beer, but didn't want it while running, so I shoved that back at them and missed my chance to get my water. I kept Holly in my sights for a while after that, but lost her after going up a big hill. I think if I'd stayed with her longer that I would have done better, but I'm still proud of myself. My official time was 33 minutes 5 seconds. Not bad for a first 5K, if I do say so myself.
Before the race:

My lovely running shoes with my timing device from the race:

A digi layout for your viewing pleasure ;0)

2010-02-27T13:49:00.006-06:00

I've been doing some digital classes for about the last 6 months. I've meant to post more of the layouts that I've done, but never have. I am now taking the Digi In Deep at Jessica Sprague's website. If you are looking to learn digital her site is the place to go. I've wanted to learn photoshop for several years now and finally took the plunge. It's fun, but it is also frustrating for me. It's one of those programs where you have to constantly practice so that you don't forget what you've learned. It is also extremely complex, but it's amazing what you can do with it. So without further ado, here are my latest digi layouts. This layout is from November of last year when we planted some bushes and trees at the house. Caleb really enjoyed digging in the dirt! The first page is a straight copy of the layout that Jessica does in the first lesson:

The second page was our challenge page for this lesson. It took me forever to complete just because I have a hard time envisioning what I wanted it to look like. The circle shapes kind of throw me off. I'm just not good at incorporating them into my layouts, but I think it turned out ok.

List of supplies:
defining flowers and lumiere papers, journaling strip (red)-jen wilson
hemp tie, King Me Paper, -katie pertiet
dd wise-a la mode flourish
tag-Linda GB
barcelona button 2-lynng
funky vintage frame-NRJ
the house-hardwood 3 (blue paper)-tjd-kuwtj

Snow, snow, and more snow!

2010-02-12T17:33:00.006-06:00

I felt a bit like a kid yesterday when I saw that it was snowing. Caleb had his Valentine's Day party at school yesterday so we headed for his school yesterday morning. All the way to school he kept saying, "It's snowing! Hooray!" I'm glad he shares my enthusiasm for snow. I hung out at his school so that I could be there for his class party. There are only 5 kids in his class, so it didn't take long to pass out the their Valentines. I headed out after the party to get a few things done and then got the call that they were going to do an early release because of all of the snow.

On our way home I told him that when we got home that we would play out in the snow. I got another rendition of "It's snowing and we get to play in it. Hooray!" So, we got home and the search began for all of our snow clothes. Luckily we had just been skiing so they were fairly easy to find. We got all bundled up and headed out. Several of our neighbors were out too, and Caleb was excited that his buddy Matthew was outside playing. Caleb had said that he wanted to make a snowman, so I started building one. I've never had the experience of just rolling a snowball and rolling it around to make a big ball, but this snow worked that way. In fact, when I was making the middle ball for my snowman, it got so big that I ended up making it the base of a second snowman. John got home and he helped me get the snowman put together. We started our search to outfit the snowman. We used rocks for his face, and sticks for his arms. Caleb started getting excited at that point and said that our snowman looked like Frosty. John found the snowman a hat, and when he put the hat on our snowman Caleb asked if the snowman was going to come to life! Too funny. He really got into the Frosty the Snowman song this Christmas.

Here's Caleb just as we got outside!

And here he is perched on the makings of our snowman.

And here we are with "Frosty"!

Then in true Jones family tradition, John hooked up a sled to the four wheeler and took Caleb and the neighborhood kids sledding. When I was a kid, my Dad would do the same for us. Caleb had a blast with the sledding. If we had done it all night, I don't think that he would have gotten bored with it.

We did finally come in for a while to warm up. I got dinner started and after some hot cocoa and marshmallows John and Caleb headed out for another round of snow fun. This time they headed out to the back yard where Caleb discovered that his fort was covered in snow. What do you do when your slide is covered in snow? Well, you slide down it, of course. Caleb was fascinated with sliding down and landing in the snow. Then Caleb and John decided it would be funny to come knock at the door and try to peg me with a snowball when I opened it. Caleb would get so tickled that he could hardly stand. Then I'd shut the door and open it again and he'd have another giggling fit. After being out for quite a while John told him that they probably needed to come in. Caleb said, "I'm sorry Dad, but I'm having too much fun to go inside."

This morning when we got up Caleb was very anxious to go out again. We actually have received record snowfall amounts and got more than a foot of snow. Caleb played on the slide some more and then I put him on the trampoline that was covered in snow. He was just amazed at it all. He got to play some more with Jacob and Matthew and he and Jacob had a snow ball fight. Caleb was cool with that until some snow went under his shirt. I didn't see it happen and he started saying, "My tummy hurts!" Then I realized it was the snow that was just freezing him. He also ate plenty of snow. Every time he fell down he would lay in the snow and lick it. He kept saying that it tasted like ice cream. He is so funny. After we were out for a while we came inside to warm up and to get some lunch. I asked Caleb what he wanted to eat and he said "marshmallow lasagna." I told him that I didn't know how to make marshmallow lasanga, and asked him how to make it. He said that you get some marshmallows, put some cheese on them, stir it in a circle and then add some chocolate. Sounds like a lovely combo, but those are three of his favorites.

Check out how deep it was.

My little snow eater

John made it home from work and helped Caleb make a snow fort. Then of course they had to have a snowball fight. Caleb can't ever get anyone because he's laughing so hard when you get him.

We have definitely enjoyed the snow, and I know Caleb will be sad to see it go.

A few layouts

2010-02-03T17:09:00.006-06:00

Well, this is some sort of record for me. I don't think I've ever finished scrapping a trip so quickly. I don't get much of an opportunity to scrapbook snow pages, so I pulled out all the snow themed embellishments I've collected over the years and my Aspen paper packet from Close To My Heart and went to town. I ended up using a lot of old stuff from my stash and that felt good too. The metal letters on this first layout I bought at Joann's years ago on clearance and finally used some of them. The journaling on all the layouts are basically the blog entries
I made about the trip, just tweaked a little. While my new hero may be the queen of simple scrapping, I don't know if I can make that leap. I like adding a bit of bling to keep things interesting, but that's the great thing about scrapping. They are your pages and you can make them any way you like.

The layout below is from Christmas 2008. I used the It's a Guy Thing paper packet from CTMH. This layout took forever, but I like the way it turned out.

I have a new hero

2010-01-22T15:00:00.003-06:00

On the very long drive back from New Mexico (10 hours) I was actually able to read a book that I've been wanting to read for several months now. This was cool on several levels because I normally can't read in the car without getting a huge headache and I got to read a great book. It's called Clean and Simple Scrapbooking - The Sequel by Cathy Zielske. So, if you haven't figured it out Cathy Zielske is my new hero. I just loved this book. Most of it was stuff that you've heard before if you've delved into the hobby that is scrapbooking, but the way it was presented was both humorous and inspiring.

But after reading the book, I was ready to go scrap. I've kind of been in a weird in between place with my scrapping. I've started devling into the digital realm, but I still love the hands on aspect of paper scrapping-so I've ended up doing neither because I'm terrible at making decisions. I also finally "get" the layouts devoted to your favorite cup of coffee or how much you love paper towels(Cathy has one on paper towels in the book). I don't know that I'll be scrapping a 2 page spread on my love for diet dr. pepper, but I did finally realize that I need to start putting a little more of ME in my scrapbooks. I've concentrated on recording Caleb's life to the exculsion of everything else. I need to remember to take the time to focus on other aspects of my life. Caleb might be interested to know what his mom was into in 2010. He might think it's interesting that I love 80s music, time to myself, and Mexican food.

I liked the fact that her book was real and showed us a glimpse into her life. I like that she scraps very specific things about people at that particular moment. The little things are the things that we forget ,5, 10 years down the road, but a lot of the time the little things are what makes life fun, interesting, and humorous.

I also really liked her chapter on journaling. One of the reasons I started a blog in the first place was so that I could write about life events as they happened and then be able to go back and use that post as my journaling for my scrapping. In that vein I'm hoping that this blog becomes a much more interesting place in the next year. I'm going to try to get better at giving my thoughts a concrete home. I will still post layouts, but I'm also going to post about life in general.

Gotta go now. Life is calling.

The rest of the NM trip

2010-01-21T12:39:00.008-06:00

Our third and last day in New Mexico started with Caleb's ski lesson. We saw one of the instructors, Josh, working with a 4 year old the previous day so we requested that he teach Caleb's lesson because he worked really well with the other little boy. Plus, Josh can ski backwards in front of his students. John and I don't quite have that trick down. John and I really talked the lesson up so that Caleb would listen and do what he was asked. John told him that he was going to have a ski partner show him how to be a better skier. I think the partner bit comes from the Buzz Lightyear movie because Caleb's always talking about Buzz's partner from that movie. Anyway, the lesson started and off go Caleb and Josh. It was really cute watching Caleb take his lesson. They worked together for a while. Josh showed him how to put on his skis and then they skied down to get on the rope. Caleb was already a pro with the tow rope. They would ski down with Josh giving Caleb pointers and then they'd get back on the rope. This went on for a while and then I noticed that they'd taken off their skis and were walking back up to the building. Apparently Caleb told Josh that he needed a little break and that he needed to talk to his mom and dad. So, we took a little break, got Caleb some blue Gatorade, and then Josh came over and said that he had to take over another lesson at 10 so that if we wanted to get the lesson in before noon that it had to be then. So, we sent Caleb off again with his partner and they continued their lesson.

After Caleb's lesson, we decided to go tubing for a while. They have a little tow rope that takes you to the top of the mountain. This was much better than having to hoof it up the mountain with your sled in tow. Everyone has to sled down on their on tube, or tuba, as Caleb was calling it. So, after Caleb had a couple of run ins with the cable, he decided to climb onto our tube with us and we would hang on to his empty one as we went up the mountain. I got lots of hugs and kisses on our way to the top. The tubing was a lot of fun, but it was a bit cold. The snow was pretty hard and as a result you had to dig your toes into it to slow down and eventually stop. Well, let me rephrase, if you didn't want to end up with any broken bones that's what you did. There were 2 broken bones that day of folks that were more into speed than sense. One had a broken collar bone and one a broken leg. Believe me, we made sure that we slowed down. So much so that in fact, my trusty hiking boots of about 13 years bit the dirt. The soles started coming apart from the shoes because of the snow being forced into them. Before the end of the day, I had one shoe that was completely without a sole. My feet never did get wet though. Anyway, tubing was fun, but did make for some chilly rides as the snow tends to get in your pant legs and the spray from digging your toes in covers your back with snow. At the end of the day, I had icicles for hair. Caleb really enjoyed himself and one little boy of about 10 remarked on how brave Caleb was for tubing. I think our little dare devil takes after me and my dad who are both dare devils. I'm not quite the dare devil that I was when I was a kid. I think motherhood tends to bring out the caution/common sense in a person. We tubed for about 2 hours then headed to the cabin for lunch. When we got back there was a huge youth group that showed up to tube, so we decided to go practice skiing with Caleb again.

This time, both me and John stayed in our regular shoes and just let Caleb ski. I think his lesson really paid off because he finally seemed to get the hang of the snow plow a bit. Then after practicing for quite a bit more, he finally figured out how to stop. And it wasn't any safe snow plow stop, oh no, it was more of a bad ass skid to the side kind of stop. Oh how I wish we could have had one more day on the mountain because we definitely would have taken our boy to the top of that mountain and skied all the way down. Ah well. Next year. Finally the youth group left at 3 so we headed over to the tubes to get another hour in. John went down once and opted to sit out for the rest of the time. Caleb and I went down quite a few times, and I got to experience tubing without waterproof pants as I'd changed clothes at lunch since my pants had gotten snow in them. Let me just say that my nether region has not been so cold in quite some time. We closed the place down though and got the last run of the day. Our little trip was fun. I wish we'd known that the whole school came to ski on Friday and that the tubing was only on the weekends, but all in all it was a good time.

Our Little Snow Bunny/Kamakazi Skier

2010-01-15T17:19:00.014-06:00

Caleb's been dying to see the snow so we decided to take a little trip to Cloudcroft, NM for a little tubing and skiing. Yesterday we got in around noon so we decided to just go do a little sledding. John and I definitely got a workout going up and down the hill. I had never really been downhill sledding so it was a new experience for me too. John took Caleb down the first time on a tube and Caleb enjoyed that. Then I got a little ambitious on our first run down and went all the way to the top and ended up scaring Caleb a bit (and me too). But, we finally got him going down on his little saucer and he liked that. We weren't able to take a ton of pics because we took our small camera and it ran out of batteries, of course, not long after we got there. When we were through sledding I took a few pics of Caleb with the good camera. I wanted some shots of him with the snow coming down. It was so cute because he normally doesn't really want to pose, but I told him we were going to take a few pics and he just started hamming it up. He smiled, and tried to catch the snowflakes on his tongue and said "I love this place!" Now that's some great justification for driving 10 hours one way to play in the snow!

Today we decided to hit the slopes. Unfortunately for us, the entire elementary and middle school from Cloudcroft were there too. Really. We got a bunny slope pass for me and Caleb but the line was so long to go up the little tow rope that John ended up pulling Caleb up the slope so that he could ski down to me. Our little kamikaze skier wanted to go FAST, but never figured out to stop, so me or John would have to intercept him on the way down. Luckily the kids left at 2 so we pretty much had the bunny slope to ourselves after that. Caleb had great balance and seldom fell, but he just never figured out how to stop. He's going to have a lesson tomorrow so hopefully they can help him learn to stop so that we can do something other than the bunny slope tomorrow.

Jingle layout with glitter rub-ons

2009-11-12T13:08:00.004-06:00

The pictures that I used on this layout are really not that great. These are from Christmas

Eve 2008. Caleb was and is still at the stage where he's just not that into posing, especially when it isn't his idea. The picture of my mom isn't that great, but she and Caleb are snuggling and I wanted to use a pic of her in the layout. My parents came in last year and spent the night with us so that they could see Caleb get all of his goodies from Santa on Christmas morning so I wanted to do a layout just of Christmas Eve night because it was a break in tradition for us.

List of items used-all items are from Close to My Heart:

Jingle Level 2 Paper Packet X7115B

Jingle Level 2 Stickease X7115c

Clear Sparkles Z1104

Glitter Rub-Ons Z1222

Dimensional Elements simple alphabet Z1048

Liquid glass Z679-used this to coat the j and the y to make them shiny

White daisy organdy ribbon

The Sale You've Been Waiting For......

2009-10-22T19:13:00.003-05:00

We've been watching and waiting for it and now it is almost here! That's right. Close To My Heart's buy 2 stamp sets, get 1 free sale is back. Starting November 3-30th when you buy 2 stamp sets (sizes A, B, C, D, and/or E only) at full retail price you will receive a third stamp set of your choice for FREE (of equal or lesser value)—a savings of up to $22.95 US.

Here are the answers to your FAQs:
What are the campaign details?
Dates: November 3–30, 2009
Featured Product(s): My Acrylix® Stamp Sets
For Customers: Purchase any two stamp sets (sizes A, B, C, D, and/or E only) at full retail price and receive a third stamp set of your choice for FREE (of equal or lesser value)—a savings of up to $22.95 US
What stamp sets are included in Stampaganza 2009?
Customers may choose their FREE set from any current stamp set we sell (excluding E-size, customizable (K), Art & Soul®, Workshops on the Go™ and Stamp of the Month) that is of equal or lesser value than the lowest price set the customer purchases.
Where can I see the stamps sets available in Stampaganza 2009?
Customers may select stamp sets that are included in any 2009 Idea Book and the current Product Review.
Will tax and shipping/handling be charged on this promotion?
No tax is charged on FREE stamp sets. For Gathering and Individual orders, shipping/handling (for US and CAN) is always charged based on the full retail value of the item. For EZ Invite and MyCTMH orders, shipping/handling is charged based on the weight of the item.

Disney Layouts from 2008 trip

2009-10-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

In anticipation of our Disney trip this year, I started trying to finish up our Disney World layouts from last year. After doing so many layouts and seeing no end in sight, I started trying to keep the layouts fairly simple. Or as simple as I could allow myself to make them ;0) I relied heavily on Cherish, Imagine, and Reflections and also on stickease. I've finally come to the realization that every layout that I do doesn't have to be a "masterpiece". I can use things that make my layouts easier to put together and my memories are still recorded and I'm able to get more done!

Here are the layouts from Animal Kingdom:

Tree of Life layout
All materials from Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Bella Level 2 Paper Packet
Craft Buttons Basic Assortment (new in the Winter catalog)
Twill
Ticket Tags Stamp Set

Letter Stickers are from Thickers

Meeting Mickey Mouse in Animal Kingdom
Back Country Level 2 Paper Packet
Back Country Level 2 Stickease
Twill
Pewter Brads
Tiny Typewriter Stamp Set
Moments In Time Stampset

Adventures in Animal Kingdom
Back Country Level 2 Paper Packet
Back Country Level 2 Stickease
Brad Assortment Autumn Harvest

Goofy
Tinkerin' Level 2 Paper Packet
Brad Assortment Autumn Harvest

Stickles from Ranger

Layouts from Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom
Free Spirit Level 2 Paper Packet
Autumn Terracotta photos turns (discontinued)

Once Upon a Time Can Happen Anytime
Daydream level 2 Paper Packet
Daydream Stickease
RicRac Collection (hollyhock & white)
Pretty Pins

Please let me know if you have any questions!

The rest of the California trip

2009-10-13T20:19:00.006-05:00

Well, I had hoped to post to my blog everyday during our vacation but it didn't happen. I ended up so tired that I tried to nap everyday when Caleb napped but I usually just laid there. Saturday we went to the beach and then John and I had to go to the Coosemans party. About the time we were going to leave some friends and customers of John came in so we ended up staying at the party til around 11:30. The next night we all went to eat in downtown Disney and then I took the girls back to the park to watch the fireworks and Fantasmic. The fireworks were really cool. Disney was doing a special Halloween fireworks show and it was just so cool. We never did get a great seat, but what we did see was spectacular. Then we were further amazed when we saw Fantasmic. I've never seen such an amazing show. You can't appreciate it until you've seen it. We had a lot of fun at the parks. Going early was the key to riding everything. The days that I thought would be busy weren't and the days I thought would be slow were busy. Crazy. It was still a great time to go as I'm sure the crowds weren't nearly as thick as they are at other times.

Caleb had a lot of fun. I tried to immerse him in all things Disney in the weeks before our trip. I wanted him to have some knowlege of all the stories if possible, and I think it did help him have a better time. He was really into Peter Pan, and Pinnochio. I thought he would flip over the Peter Pan ride because it is so neat, but he didn't seem that impressed with it. That was probably good because it's a really popular ride and is always busy. He did love the Pinnochio ride though and he got to ride it 4 times. I think his favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. We probably rode that 8 times. It's a cute ride. You are trying to help Buzz defeat Zurg and you get to shoot at targets all through the ride. It's a lot of fun and a little addicting. Caleb was a lot more timid with the characters this year. He would kind of back up to them and look at them over his shoulder and then have a bit of a grimace on his face. It was funny. Here are some pics in no particular order.

Day 1 at Disneyland-October 1st

2009-10-01T18:43:00.013-05:00

We made it to California last night, and after a bit of a search (ie. husband got the wrong directions from someone, then wouldn't stop to put the right address into the GPS) we found the hotel. We found the room and dropped the bags off and then John, Steph, and Krystan went to get us some groceries. As they were leaving the fireworks were going off over at Disneyland. I was glad Caleb got to check them out from a distance to get a bit used to them. The noise sometimes scares him a bit. Finally got settled in-Caleb decided to be a big boy and sleep in the room with the girls on the top bunk! I was a bit scared about that, but he made it through the night without falling.

We woke up bright and early this morning. We got our bus passes and finally got to Disney's California Adventure Park about 9:45 or so. They were supposed to open at 10, but we got in right away. After a slight delay with 2 of the tickets printing wrong we headed over to ride Soaring. On the way we saw Lightning McQeen and Mater and Caleb went to have a chat with them. He was very interested in checking them out and not real interested in posing. He would have been content to hang out there for quite a while.

Then we headed over to Soaring and had just a very short wait. Very cool ride. It's a flight simulation ride and it's supposed to feel like you are on a hang glider. It's a bit of a shock when you start out. I lost my stomach and Caleb was a bit worried. I told him to close his eyes if he got scared and he did keep his eyes closed a good bit of the ride. You see this big screen and the wind blows over you and it does feel a bit like you are flying through the air. You go through clouds, a stream in the mountains, Disneyland at night, an orchard, over the ocean and a big cargo carrier, and several others I'm forgetting. When we asked Caleb when we got off the ride if he wanted to go again, he said NO! After that we headed over to ride the Toy Story Mania ride. We got over there and it was broken down, so John and Steph rode California Screaming and Krystan took Caleb on King Triton's carousel. After we rode the carousel we headed over to the ferris wheel and saw Jessie from Toy Story posing for pics. We got in line for that and when it was Caleb's turn he turned shy. Krystan took him up there so we did get a pic.

Then we headed for the ferris wheel and got in line. John and Steph joined us and we got on. It was pretty lame. It took forever to load and then we went one circuit around and that was it. It was fun to see everything from so high up though.

After that ride for some reason I thought the Mailboomer would be interesting to try. Steph, of course, agreed so off we went. There was little wait or I probably would have backed out. THis ride resembles the games at fairs where people hit the thing with a hammer and see if they can ring the bell, however on this ride, you are the device that goes up. You get in and you immediately are catapulted through the air to the top of this thing and then immediately fall down. I'm surprised I didn't pee my pants. Then you just kind of casually go up and down. It's not bad after that initial rise and fall.

Krys and Caleb went over to ride the Jumping Jellyfish. It's a kiddie ride that takes you up in the air and kind of floats you back down. Caleb looked nervous but seemed to like it.

We decided to try to get on Mulholland Madness again-they said Caleb was too short a bit earlier but just by a hair so we tried it again and were able to get him on. It's a small little rollercoaster and Caleb loved it and wanted to do it again. We tried but this time they wouldn't let him on. We didn't get any pics of that ride dang it because I didn't realize that John wasn't riding until it was too late. Oh well. We heard at this time that the Toy Story mania ride was back up and running so we got in line for it. It was about a 20 minute wait, but was a ton of fun. You have to put on 3D glasses and you ride a little car and go through different shooting galleries. It keeps score and was so much fun. John creamed me, but I'll get him next time. I think we all enjoyed that ride.
After that we decided to get some lunch and had pizza at Pizz Om Mow Wow. It was tasty and it was nice to rest for a bit.

We headed over to the Hollywood Studios portion of the park and saw Snow White and Dopey and the kiddos got their pics taken with them.

We went in the Animation Studio and checked out the exhibits in there and saw the show with the turtle from Nemo named Crush. It's an interactive show. You are watching it on a movie type screen, but he interacts with the crowd. He points people out and the CM (cast member) goes over with the microphone so that the people can talk to him. I was hoping that caleb would get to talk, but he didn't. It was a cute show.

After that we caught the Playhouse Disney show that features the gangs from The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, and Handy Manny. Caleb was glued to it, but by the end you could tell he was whipped so we headed back to the hotel for a nap and that's where we stand as of now. More later!

After Caleb's nap we headed out for Disneyland again. We had planned on going back to DCA but we didn't head out til after 6 and DCA closed at 6 so we went over to Disneyland. The crowds were substantially heavier at DL. People were already staking out their spots for the fireworks that started at 8pm. We had planned to go to Fantasyland but detoured to Tomorrowland instead because of the crowds. The kids rode The Astro-Orbiter first. This was one of Caleb's favorite rides last year and he really enjoyed it again.

Our next stop was Star Tours. It's a flight simulation ride that has you racing through space. Caleb and I hated it, but the girls loved it. It was loud and rough and messed with my equilibrium. Wish rides didn't effect me so. After that we headed over and rode Buzz Lightyear and that was a lot of fun. You ride through and shoot targets and fight Zurg. The only problem with that ride is that you end up in a store that sales all kinds of Toy Story stuff and Caleb wants it all.

It was a battle getting him out of there and at that point we decided to leave. It was around 8 so we headed for the exit, but stopped to watch a bit of the fireworks at the castle. The fireworks have a Halloween theme right now and are actually based on Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before christmas. The little bit that we could see of the show was awesome and I hope we get to see more of it before the trip is finished. It's just so hard to get a good seat unless you stake it out hours before and it gets extremely crowded in front of the castle and all the way down Main Street.

Good News for Caleb

2009-09-15T22:22:00.004-05:00

We had our long awaited appointment at Scottish Rite Hospital yesterday to figure out if Caleb has arthritis. He has been doing better lately but still has mornings where he wakes up stiff and occasionally has a bad night with his legs hurting. We got good news. The doctor examined Caleb, watched him walk around, and asked us lots of questions. She does not think that Caleb has arthritis-Yay! She said that his joint pain was probably a combination of things. She said that arthritis is a symptom of Kawasaki disease and that he probably did have a touch of arthritis with the Kawasaki disease, but like his other symptoms that it was going away. She also said that Caleb has hyper mobile joints, which basically means that he is ultra flexible and that that can cause pain. She said that his ankles kind of roll when he walks so they sent us down to another part of the hospital where they gave us some inserts to put in his shoes that are supposed to help give him the support he needs. What a relief to finally have some answers and to hopefully put this behind us. It's been a long two months and I'm thankful that they don't foresee any long term medical issues with Caleb. Thank you all for the prayers and support.

Caleb's first year scrapbook is finally done!

2009-08-31T20:03:00.006-05:00

In honor of Caleb's 3rd birthday, I felt it was time to finally finish his first year album. LOL. I don't scrap in order and just do what interests me at the time but I was ready to get the first year wrapped up. I ended up with 3, yes 3 albums for his first year. The first one chronicles my pregnancy all the way up to him going home from the hospital. The second one goes through his fifth month, and then I finally got smart and got a 3 ring album for the rest of the year. It is packed with layouts. I guess his first year will be very well documented. So, all I had left was the title page and the last page. I used CTMH Animal Cookies L2 paper-I love this pack. I also used the stickease and some Dimensional Elements. I covered the DE in stickles for the sparkle effect. I used a sketch in Becky Fleck's Page Maps book for this layout. That's the first time I've used a sketch out of that book. I really wish she had included the dimensions of all the papers she used on the layouts. There are some cute ideas in her book, but I found it difficult to duplicate the sketch because of the lack of dimensions.

And here is the last page. When I started it, I intended for the title to be "What a Year". After I started printing the pics for it, I decided that it needed to be "Oh How I Love This Face!" The title was cut using All Mixed Up and was welded in Design Studio. I used the foam numbers from CTMH for the numbers. These are pics of him at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months. The "months old" was cut with Opposites Attract and was also welded in Design Studio.

Now if I could just get his second and third years done I'd be doing good!

Caleb is 3!

2009-08-31T16:24:00.006-05:00

I can't believe that my sweet baby boy turned 3 yesterday. Where in the world does the time go? We had a party for him with family and just a few friends. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday all he would tell me was "a birthday cake and balloons". Well, he definitely got his birthday cake and balloons.

He was also really into his party hat, until the party started that is.

Here is a pic of our little family. I try to get a shot of all 3 of us for his birthday every year.

We also rented a bounce house/slide combo and he had an absolute blast on it. They dropped it off about 10am on Saturday and he played on it for about 2 hours then. When he got up from his nap and remembered it was out there he headed out there again. It was a hit at the party and then we got to play with it on Sunday too. They didn't pick it up until around 8pm on Sunday so we got lots of use out of it.

He had a great party and got lots of fun gifts. He is really into Toy Story right now and got several toys in that theme and has been completely enamored with them.

We had a nice weekend and then topped it off with a visit to the Arboretum this morning. I wanted to get some 3 year portraits and I got a couple of cute shots-what more could I want?

And for the record, we have our hopefully last cardiologist appointment tomorrow. At $1000 a pop, I won't be sad to see those go. Obviously the important thing is that Caleb is fine, and so far all signs point to no problems with his heart. We have our rhematologist appt at Scottish Rite on September 14th to address the joint pain that he's been having. He's still been having a few problems along those lines so I'm glad we have that appt set up.

Baby Hunter!

2009-08-31T16:15:00.004-05:00

My brother Kyle and his wife Jennie welcomed their first child into the world on August 27th. Hunter Reed was born around 8pm after about 14 hours of labor and was finally born by c section. Both Hunter and Jennie are doing well and got to go home yesterday. Here is a pic of sweet Baby Hunter.

Caleb seems to be doing better!

2009-08-08T11:46:00.005-05:00

We had a Dr. filled week. Last weekend Caleb hurt all weekend. He kept saying his feet hurt. We went to the pediatrician on Monday, and then the cardiologist Tuesday. The good news is that the swelling in his coronary arteries is gone. The bad news is that they didn't really know what was causing his joint pain. The pediatrician and cardiologist talked and they thought it might be viral induced arthritis. We did some bloodwork and they will send it to a rheumatologist and see if they think he needs to come in for an appointment. Tuesday was probably his worst day yet. He could hardly walk and cried if you picked him up like it hurt him. Thankfully by the next day the pain seemed to just disappear. The last few days have been good. He's had very little fever, hasn't woken up in the night with pain, and he seems to not be having any joint pain. All those prayers are working.

I've been majorly stressed about all of this and have been in kind of a funk. I finally kind of got off my butt and tried to be productive this week. I cleaned out some closets and took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill. It always feels good to let go of clutter or stuff you don't need. I also found a little bit of time to scrap. Lately I've been trying to do some stuff that isn't quite so time consuming. I feel so behind and want to get these memories recorded so I'm trying to use the stickease that comes with the paper to get my layouts done more quickly. Here is a layout I did using CTMH Tinkerin'. I used the Level 2 papers stickease:

A twist of fate

2009-08-03T19:21:00.005-05:00

July did not unravel the way that I had planned it to. I enrolled Caleb in the First Steps program and planned for him to spend Tuesdays and Thursdays there from 9-2. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I thought we would spend our days swimming and trying to find fun ways to beat the heat. Weekends are usually a grab bag. We seem to spend a lot of time travelling to my parent's house or spending time at various family members houses. Then there's the task of finding a church. We've been on the hunt for a new church for quite a while now. I've been praying about it for probably 3 years. We like a lot of things about our old church, Hillcrest Baptist, but it is really far from our current home-30 minutes at best, and we'd like to find something in our immediate community. Anyway....

I took Caleb to the Dr. on July 7th because he was running a fever and had thrown up. The Dr. said it was tonsillitis and gave us an antibiotic. In the past when he's had tonsillitis after 1 or 2 doses of the antibiotic he was feeling much better. That was not the case this time. He ran a pretty high fever all week even with taking Advil and Tylenol and the antibiotic. John took him back to the Dr. on the 10th because he didn't seem to be getting any better and he had also thrown up a few times. Our regular pediatrician wasn't there so we saw a different dr. and she ran a test for strep. It came back negative and she seemed to think Caleb might have something called Kawasaki disease because of some of the other symptoms that had shown up later in the week. He had swollen lymp nodes, red eyes, a high fever, and a rash on his hands and feet. She referred us to Children's hospital. We headed over there to the ER. After 4 doctors looked at him they decided he had a bad viral infection. We felt a surge of relief when we were told that it wasn't Kawasaki, but I told John on the way home that I hoped that the drs. at Children's were right as opposed to his pediatrician. How do you know who is right? Is one dr. smarter than the other? Are the drs. at Children's the experts? These were the thoughts going through my mind on the way home. Another week went by and Caleb didn't seem measurably better. I took him back to his pediatrician on the 20th because he was still running fever and had also started limping. His pediatrician said that he hadn't been satisfied with Children's diagnosis and he sent us to Charlton to get an Echo cardiogram done. Gee thanks-wish he'd told us that when we'd left Children's. Kawasaki disease causes swelling around the heart. After the echo was read they determined that Caleb did have Kawasaki, so we checked into Medical City hospital on July 20th so that Caleb could have the treatment for Kawasaki done, which is an IV of hemoglobin. Definitely not a fun experience watching your 2 year old being held down to get an IV. We did another Echo there and there was just a small amount of swelling and the cardiologist didn't think there would be any long term problems. We were released the next day around noon. Caleb is still not 100%. In fact we went back to the pediatrican this morning because he's having a lot of pain in his joints and has still been running a fever. Apparently that is still consistent with Kawasaki and the fact that it wasn't treated early enough-that part really sucks since we took him to the dr. not once, but twice that first week.

We also cancelled our plans for our 7th anniversary. John had a food show in Monterey, CA and I opted not to go since Caleb was still running a fever and not up to speed. I had been looking forward to getting away with John. Caleb did end up spending a couple of days with my Mom on the 27th and 28th so we did at least get to go out to dinner once John got home from CA.

We head back to the cardiologist tomorrow for a checkup and another echo. I'm hoping that the coronary arteries are back to normal and that there are no long term effects from this thing.
And since I record just about everything, here are a few pics of Caleb in the hospital. John got him this scuba diver in the hospital and Caleb named him Scuba Rusty-not sure where he came up with that name.

Here he is checking Scuba Rusty's blood pressure:

And helping the nurse take his temperature. He wasn't trusting anybody after that IV experience.

And cheesing for the camera after eating his favorite, Pepperoni Pizza:

New Campaigns for August

2009-07-23T19:52:00.002-05:00

Campaign for August 3-17
YOU DO SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE ELSE; LET CLOSE TO MY HEART DO SOMETHING
for you! This August 3–17, place a minimum order of $100 and you not only get the
August Stamp of the Month, My Acrylix® It’s Your Day stamp set, for FREE, but we’ll
throw in a My Reflections® Level 2 paper packet as well (a total retail value of $39.90)!
How about even more thanks? We’ll also cover the tax and shipping/handling on the
free products! Act fast, time is already running out. This Thanks-a-bration only lasts
until August 17!

Campaign for August 18 through the end of September
National Stamping Month Celebrates the Everyday!September is National Stamping Month and we’re celebrating early and in a big way, with something for everyone! Between August 18–September 30 when you or your customers purchase a minimum of $60 in stamp sets (A, B, C, D, and E-size; some exclusions apply), you’ll receive a FREE Everyday Celebration card kit containing materials to handcraft 16 exquisite cards. Join the stamping festivities by making a qualifying purchase, or buy the kit outright for just $39.95. Hostesses and new Consultants can also get the card kit free during September. We’re also holding a drawing where we’ll give away an Everyday Celebration card kit each day in September.

Happy to post Hunter's First year album!

2009-07-13T15:31:00.014-05:00

I was beginning to think that I'd never finish it, but I finally did. I finally decided to go with the K and Company baby boy line because I love this paper and I loved the fact that it came with so many premade embellies. Well, come to find out that the chipboard letters that I purchased 2 years ago and used in my sons album are not the same as they are now. The quality now is pretty disappointing. The letters are shiny and after I opened the new packages of them I hated them and didn't use any of them. However, I did use a few of the stickers and chipboard designs. All the layouts are based on layouts in Cherish, Imagine, or Reflections. My cricut definitely got a workout doing this album. I used the following cartridges: New Arrival, Doodlecharms, Zoobaloo, Cuttin Up, Alphalicious, Paper Dolls, Walk in My Garden, Mini Monograms and Fabulous Finds. Probably some others too, but that's all I can think of for now. I do my baby albums a little differently than most people. Since I know that I am so freaking anal that it would make me crazy to do all of the firsts, holidays, etc., I just do a 2 page layout for each month and then have a 2 page pocket page layout of calendar pages so that the new mom can write all the good stuff down. I used poems that I found on scrapbook.com. Hope you enjoy!

Ella's Album

2009-07-12T18:45:00.003-05:00

I've had some requests to repost Ella's baby album. Ella is my niece and I made this album for my sister for her baby shower.

Lots of layouts to share

2009-06-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

I'm way behind on posting layouts. We went to Florida a few weeks ago and I've just been busy with Summer stuff. Caleb had swimming lessons all last week and I had LASIK surgery this morning, so life has been crazy. I got on a kick before we left for Florida to get some of last Summer's layouts done. So, here they are:

Beach Baby
This was from our trip to Pensacola in 2008.
Moon Doggie Level 2 Paper Packet X7111B
Sketch was from Imagine-Personality Presence p90
June word puzzle stamp set D1288
August word puzzle stamp set D1290
Moments in Time stamp set D1339
Cricut Cartridges:
Doodlecharms for the sand castle
Stamped for the title-I stretched this in Design Studio

Gathering Seashells at Sunrise
This layout is also from our 2008 trip to Pensacola.
Sketch from Reflections-left side Title Topper p18, right side quartet jigsaw p113
Liquid glass to make the title letters shiny Z679
Emporium Level 2 paper pack X7105B
Emporium Stickease X7105C
Pewter Designer Brads Z1146
Dimensional Elements Framed Fun Z1140
Ricrac Collection-Sweet Leaf Ricrac Z1052

On the Trail
This layout is from our trip to Colorado in August 2008.
Sketch from Imagine-Ensemble Piece p40
Back Country Level 2 Paper Packet X7110B
Back Country Stickease X7110C
Dimensional Elements In Color-Adventure Z1158
Twill Z1099
Photo Hangers Z293
Foundry Bookplates Z1147

Picture Perfect
This layout is from April 2009 at the Dallas Arboretum.
Sketch is from Imagine Sweet Symphony p24
Emporium Level 2 paper pack X7105B
Picture Perfect Stamp Set D1363
Connections Stamp Set D1330
Today's Date Stamp Set D1286
Colonial White Collection-Colonial White Ricrac Z1126
Clear Buttons Z1155

Caleb at 2 and 1/2
These were taken at Getzendanner park in the Spring. The layout was inspired by a fellow consultant Vicki Wizniuk. This was my first attempt at using one of our recorders and I love it. I think I'll get Caleb to make a recording every 6 months or so, so that I can capture his little voice. I interviewed him on this recording and he tells me his name, where we live, how old he is and the prayer that we say at night.

Stardust Level 2 Paper Pack X7109B
Clear Buttons Z1155
White Daisy Grossgrain Z270
Voice Recorder Z1132
White Daisy Pigment Ink Z2163

It's always something

2009-06-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

We just got back from Florida and had a great time. We went to visit John's mom and hang out on the beach. We got back early yesterday morning and after a well deserved nap I unpacked and did laundry. I noticed a funky smell in the playroom which is right next door to our hall bathroom. We had some problems with the toilet last week and John put new guts in it. Apparently something was not right because the flap didn't close properly after it's last use and it ran the whole time we were gone. And to top that it apprently overflowed and it seeped under the baseboards into the playroom. So, now the playroom/scraproom smells like a sewer. I steam cleaned the carpet this afternoon and have fans going in there now. I sure hope it clears the smell. It just seems that something is always going wrong.

June CTMH special-A Deal A Day

2009-05-30T19:10:00.001-05:00

Take advantage of a different deal each day during June on my website at http://corey.myctmh.com.Each special will run for just one day—23 hours to be exact, from 10 a.m. (CT) to 9 a.m. (CT) the following day. The hour between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. will be used to finalize all pending transactions, clear the queue, and launch the next “deal.”There will be two different types of “deals” offered on my site through this exciting promotion:

1. Receive a free item with a qualifying purchase. On 24 of the 30 days in June, you can receive a specially-selected current product absolutely free (tax does apply on free items in the US) when you purchase a My Acrylix® stamp set, size A, B, C, D, or E (excluding Stamp of the Month, customized or K-size sets, and Art & Soul featured stamp sets). Please read additional information about qualifying stamp sets. The free product will change daily and there can be only one free item per order. Shoppers will also save big on shipping when orders meet all Deal-a-Day guidelines. Please read on for shipping requirements.
2. Receive 50% off or more on “Great Goodies” boxes. On 6 of the 30 days in June, you can purchase a “mystery” box filled with “Great Goodies.” Contents will vary by box and include both current and retired favorite stamp sets, paper packs, embellishments, and other great products. The six “Great Goodies” boxes will all have different pricing of at least 50% off retail, with some at even deeper discounts! Note that we have made every effort to differentiate the 6 “Great Goodies” options so you can purchase boxes on different dates and receive a wide variety of differing products! No qualifying purchase is required on the days a “Goodies” box is the deal; discounted shipping is also available when orders meet all Deal-a-Day guidelines. Please read on for shipping requirements.
Also note that in order to give shoppers the best possible deal on products and shipping, Deal-a-Day purchases must include ONLY Deal-a-Day items and nothing else. Simplifying the guidelines will streamline the shipments of orders and that is also how we’re able to discount shipping for this exciting and unique promotion.This means:
On “Great Goodies” days, only one “Great Goodies” box and no other items may be checked out in a single transaction.
On the “free item with qualifying purchase” days, only one stamp set and the free item may be checked out in one transaction.
If there are additional or different items in the cart, the system will not recognize the purchase as a “Deal-a-Day” purchase and neither the “deal” nor the discounted shipping will be accepted.

In order to receive this great shipping discount to add to the great product deals, ONLY Deal-a-Day qualifying items may be in the shopping cart at checkout.Discounted pricing by area is as follows:
Free Items Shipping/HandlingIncludes one stamp set and the free item = $3 US.Great Goodies Boxes Shipping/HandlingShipping will be based on the price of each Great Goodies box, but will be deeply, deeply discounted and represent only a fraction of the value of the contents. Shipping pricing will be clearly posted at checkout on each day that a Great Goodies box is offered.
As a little hint, Great Goodies boxes shipping to the continental US will range from just $6-$10. This is going to be an incredible value for shoppers all the way around. Watch your MyCTMH site for Great Goodies days to see the specific shipping pricing for each box to your area.

Happy shopping and let me know if you have any questions. Also please note that it is not necessary to type the www in front of my website. http://corey.myctmh.com

Massive project-FInally finished!

2009-05-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

I agreed to do 9 altered clipboards for the teachers at my son's preschool. I guess that wasn't real smart since I'd never done one, but I figured that they wouldn't be hard to do. Boy, was I wrong! I had so many problems from the start. I used my tape runner to adhere the paper to the board on the first one that I did. After I did that I discovered that when using Mod Podge on top of a project you also need to use it to adhere the paper to your project or your paper will bubble. Lovely. Second problem was that I tried stamping on it. Guess what? Mod Podge smeared the ink. So, lesson to self, don't stamp or ink on something if you plan to mod podge it. I ended up completely redoing the first one. Then to add to the dilemma, the CTMH clipboards are a weird size. They are 12 and 1/2 by 14 and 1/2. So to get the border across the bottom, I cut the 12x12 cardstock diagonally from corner to corner and then the cardstock was long enough to go across the bottom. I was pretty pleased with the end product despite the numerous problems. I used the Animal Cookies paper from Close To My Heart to cover the boards. I cut the flowers on my cricut using George, the letters were cut using Alphalicious, and the words on the back of the boards were cut using Graphically Speaking. So without further ado, here they are:

I put a poem on the back and this is what it says:

One Hundred Years From Now
by Forest Witcraft

One hundred years from now
it will not matter
what kind of car I drove,
what kind of house I lived in,
how much money was in my
bank account,
nor what my clothes looked like.
But, the world may be a better place
because I was important
in the life of a child.

CTMH Blog Hop!

2009-04-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Blog hop. Over 40 CTMH consultants are celebrating the release of the Summer Idea Book by sharing their amazing creations using the new product via their blogs. Just click on the link at the end of each post to hop to the next blog. If you have come here from Jen's blog, you are on the right path. If you did not come from Jen's the blog hop starts at Erin's blog. There is a complete list at the bottom of this post.

I used the new Animal Cookies paper pack for this layout. This paper is adorable and so versatile.

This layout is based on a layout in Imagine called Medley on page 34.

List of supplies used:

Animal Cookies Level 2 Paper Pack X7112B

Animal Cookies Level 2 Stickease X7112C

Sweet Baby Stamp Set C1359

Tulip Stamp Pad Z2116

White Daisy Pigment Ink Z2163

Summer Carnival B rad Assortment Z296

Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabet lowercase Z1048

Liquid Glass Z679

I random stamped the tulip cardstock with stamps from the Sweet Baby set in Tulip Ink to give the cardstock just a little umph. I cut "Let's get" on my cricut using the Opposites Attract cartridge. Then I covered the letters in liquid glass and then applied glitter to them. I also did that on the chipboard letters "wild." I also heat embossed the date and polka dots with white embossing powder to make it stand out a little more. The date stamp was from the January stamp of the month. The rhinestone frame is from our Connections club rewards. Ask me how you can earn a set of the rhinestone frames.

This next layout also uses the Animal Cookies paper.

This layout is based on the layout in Imagine on page 66 called Memoirs Complete.

List of supplies used:

Animal Cookies Level 2 Paper Pack X7112B

Animal Cookies Level 2 Stickease X7112C

Craft Buttons Summer Collection Z1282

Summer Collection Bigger Brads Z296

Tiny Typewriter stamp D1222

White embossing powder Z673

Liquid glass Z679

The word "the" in the title was made with chipboard circles covered with the Animal Cookies paper. I then stamped the letters with the Tiny Typewriter Alphabet stamp and then heat embossed the letters with white embossing powder. Then to get the epoxy look, I covered the circles with liquid glass and let it dry. The words zoo crew were cut with my cricut using the Zoobaloo cartridge and were also covered with liquid glass.

The next stop on your blog hop is Amy Edwards blog at http://www.paisleysplayhouse.blogspot.com

If you got lost in the hop, the complete list of blogs is as follows:
Erin Herring http://www.tazzygirl2000.blogspot.com/

Penny Doucette http://scrappinpenny.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Rensel http://scrapbookaddictkath.blogspot.com/

Jessica Moore http://www.jessicaspaperpetals.blogspot.com/

Colleen Porter http://www.inkemup.blogspot.com/

Sherry Thompson http://www.picturespatternsandpaper.blogspot.com/

Jen Patrick http://www.roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com/

Corey Acton http://scrappytimeswithcorey.blogspot.com/

Amy Edwards http://www.paisleysplayhouse.blogspot.com/

Amy Schultz http://www.amylizschultz.blogspot.com/

Tresa Black http://www.fabulouslyartsy.blogspot.com/

Leslie Kolic http://www.leannesscraps.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Garrison http://www.stampingwithbekah.blogspot.com/

Miranda Kurz http://www.scrampinwithmiranda.com/

Terrie Dodd http://my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com/

Traci Tanimura http://www.creativetraci.blogspot.com/

Debora Mcelhany http://www.mcdoodlesscrappinplace.blogspot.com/

Katie Paterson http://katiepaterson.blogspot.com/

Michelle Robinson http://amaizenbluelady.typepad.com/

Lori Scott http://scrapinglori.blogspot.com/

Amberlyn Gentry http://amberlyng.blogspot.com/

Wendy Kessler http://www.myscrapbookingblog.com/

Meredith Burgess http://www.meredithsscrappylife.blogspot.com/

Vicky Sullivan http://www.sullyscrapandstamp.blogspot.com/

Caren Goldstein http://www.scrappycaren.blogspot.com/

Jena Devries http://www.livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com/

Kami Welter http://www.scrappin4memories.blogspot.com/

Traci Godbee http://createwithtraci.blogspot.com/

Julie Banzon http://www.scrapbookiejulie.blogspot.com/

Laurel Seabrook http://www.want2scrap.blogspot.com/

Alisan Smith http://scrappinalistamps.blogspot.com/

Haley Dyer http://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/

Dawn Heuft http://www.stamptildawn.blogspot.com/

Ali Creel http://www.scrapali.blogspot.com/

Helen Onulak http://www.hookedonstamping.com/

Jean McNulty http://stampinmaui.blogspot.com/

Aaron Brown http://aaronsbooth32.blogspot.com/

Shannon http://www.rockinstamps.blogspot.com/

Julie Lane http://raggedydoodles.blogspot.com/

Carrie Zrodlowski http://carriesinspiration.blogspot.com/

Card using the May Stamp of the Month

2009-04-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Once again these cards were inspired by some of the other very talented CTMH consultants. I was not a big fan of this stamp set when I first saw it, but then I started seeing some of the great artwork done by other consultants and saw it's potential. These cards were doing using the Perfect Day paper from CTMH.

April Stamp of the Month artwork

2009-04-19T19:41:00.000-05:00

This card was inspired by someone on the CTMH bb. I don't remember who it was, but I'm so thankful that there are so many talented consultants who share their work. I am not a cardmaker, so making cards is always a challenge for me. This card was made using the Originals book-Background Blocks and Free Spirit paper from CTMH.

Scissor challenged!

2009-04-18T19:24:00.000-05:00

I had about 24 hours to myself this weekend. Pure Bliss! I had a Saturday to myself a few weekends ago and used that time to order pictures and kind of figure out how I wanted to scrap them. I received the pics the other day and all my new goodies from the CTMH Summer catalog. I was ready to go with pics from our Colorado vacation last year-was going to use the new Back Country paper for that. But, the trip to the zoo on Wednesday and the new Animal Cookie paper was calling to me. So, what did I do? I printed off pics of our trip to the zoo and scrapped them. I started on Friday night and finished the layouts today. I tried several different, fairly new to me, techniques. We spent about 4- 5 hours at the zoo and I spent much more time scrapping the layouts. Oh well. Why can't I just do some simple layouts sometimes, or work faster, or debate with myself less? They did turn out cute and I'll post pics tomorrow or Monday. I also stayed up way too late last night and then John called me at 8 am to inform me of his plans for the day. Gee thanks honey! I was good and awake then, so I figured I might as well head for my scrap room. After I finished up the zoo layouts I started trying to figure out a card to do for the gathering at Brenda's next week. I'm doing a mini workshop and we're doing a 2 page layout, a criss cross card, and a swinger card. I saw an adorable card on the CTMH bb that used the stamp set in the Tickled Pink set. I thought I could use that for inspiration and do my swinger card with that set. But, I forgot one key thing. I am scissor challenged. I see all this fabulous art that people have done where they cut out their stamped images, but they must have more patience than I do, and be more skilled with scissors. When I try to cut out images, it looks like the work of a first grader. Guess I'll keep working on that little skill. Well, my alone time bliss is over and I'm typing this while Caleb is in the bath. He's starting to get restless so I'll sign off for now and hopefully post some pics tomorrow.

A funk!

2009-04-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

I've kind of been in a funk the last week or so. I'm not sure exactly what's wrong. I'm just in a funk, I guess. I just finished a 9 week study on Esther by Beth Moore. It was a fabulous study and I learned a lot. I had done a study by her in the past and HATED IT! I think it was just the wrong study for me with the wrong people. I've avoided Beth Moore studies since then, but I was really glad I finally talked myself into doing another. John and I are still trying to find a church closer to our house, and still haven't really found one. However, I saw that the Sunday School class that we liked at FBC Waxahachie was doing a parenting study. We decided to go to that for the 6 weeks of the study. I've been a little disappointed in it. I thought it was going to be an indepth parenting study, but there is little homework and it is mainly just a video and a discussion every Sunday. It's not bad, just not as in depth as I had hoped. I'm really struggling with parenting right now. I naively assumed that once you had children you were somehow enlightened on how to do everything. I've discovered that that just isn't so-maybe that's where the funk is coming from. I've read several books on discipline already and am still struggling. It's just so hard to know what to do in every situation. I have certainly discovered that my 2 year old definitely has a mind of his own. He's digging in the sandbox right now, and thankfully leaving me to my ramblings. I'm sure the funk will pass in a day or two and I'll go back to the drawing board with all of my frustrations.

On another note, I'm trying to build my CTMH business again. Since the scrapbook retreat isn't going to happen for a while, I thought I'd try to get some stuff going with CTMH. Our Summer catalog comes out May1st. Consultants get to order a month early and I am loving a lot of the stuff in the new catalog. I've already placed an order and hopefully will get it next week. I just need some time to scrap and I'll be set. If you know anyone in the Dallas area or in the Wichita Falls area that would be interested in having a gathering, have them contact me. I'd love to show you and your friends all the great products that CTMH has. Here is a sneak peak at some of the new papers and stamps that are coming out in the Summer book:
Animal Cookies

Backcountry

Bella

Blog Candy on Sonia Kertznus's blog

2009-03-27T11:53:00.000-05:00

I've followed Sonia's work on the Cricut messageboard for quite some time. Go check out her blog and register to win her blog candy. She will draw a winner on April 1st.
http://www.scraps4fun.com/2009/03/blog-candy.html?showComment=1238172720000#c1801482930540701230

Scrapping is cheaper than therapy

2009-03-22T13:18:00.000-05:00

To help me get through the disappointments of the last week, I've been on a creating kick this weekend. I have been itching to work on our Disney album from last year, so last weekend I sat down with my 3 favorite sketch books: Reflections, Imagine, and Cherish and went through my pictures and planned out some of the layouts I wanted to do. I picked out a sketch for each set of pics that I wanted to scrap and then ordered the pics I would need. That process makes it so much easier to create when you sit down to scrap. This layout is from our almost perfect day at Disney World at the Magic Kingdom. Everything went well that day. We didn't have to wait in any long lines, the weather was nice, and we just had a great day. We left for a bit in the afternoon for Caleb to nap and then went back to eat dinner, watch the Spectro Magic parade, and watch the fireworks. The fireworks were amazing and I just stood there in awe thinking what a magical day it had been. The layout is done with CTMH's Daydream paper pack and stickers. All the embellies on the page are also from CTMH. The sketches for this layout came from Reflections.

Another Character Building Experience

2009-03-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl and things were difficult, my mom would tell me that that experience was helping God build my character. After a while, I thought, "Lord, I have enough character now. Can't something just come to me easily." So the last month has definitely been a character building experience.

There have been several things going on in my life and my family's life. My younger brother was laid off from his job on February 20th, the day before my 36th birthday. His wife is pregnant, so it was a tough blow. We all began praying for him to find a new job quickly and he did. He starts a new job tomorrow and it sounds like it will be a great opportunity for him.

John and I started talking about a new business venture back in January I guess. The idea was to open up a scrapbooking retreat somewhere in the area here. There are quite a few of these around, but they are booked solid. We thought it would be a good opportunity for us. I've always wanted to own my own business, but I never could put my finger on what it was that I would want to do. After getting a marketing degree, and then an MBA I went into the corporate world and was never happy in any of the jobs I've had. Most have been in inventory management, and it's just not that exciting. So when we started talking about this, I thought here is my chance to do something for me and work at something that is mine and that I will enjoy. We bid on a home in Corsicana that was a foreclosure, and got the bid. We had already looked at the neighborhood's zoning and it looked like it would be no problem to rezone the house for a bed and breakfast type operation. Everything has been in the works. We've been trying to get all of our loan stuff together and everything was falling into place. We checked the P&Z meeting calendar and turned in our application for the zoning change. I put together a good plan showing what we wanted to do and thought we'd have a slam dunk. We went to the meeting Thursday and the P&Z manager go up and gave the facts of what we wanted to do. He said that they sent out 17 letters to residents about our idea and received 9 negative responses. What! I had a feeling when we got to the meeting and a large group came in together that it could be a bad sign for us, and it was. We got up before the board and presented our idea. It took a bit of explaining, but most of them finally got it. They all seemed positive about our idea, but with so many residents opposed to the idea I knew it would be a battle. The residents seemed more concerned with what would happen to the house if our business failed. They were afraid that the house would be made into some sort of apartments or a duplex if we changed the zoning and didn't succeed in the business. They were also concerned with parking which we had proposed to put in the back yard with a privacy fence around it. So, the commissioners decided to turn down our proposal. They wanted us to wait a few months because they are trying to pass something that would allow people to get a Special Use Permit to run a B&B type business. Well, that's too much of a risk for us. On Friday I got a call from our mortgage company saying that instead of the 10% down they had quoted, we would now have to put 20% down. I was pretty much speechless. I finally ended up calling our realtor and she said that because the mortgage company changed the percentage that we could get out of the deal. Talk about a mixed blessing. So, that particular dream is dead, but the idea lives on and we will continue to look for a place to open our scrapbook retreat. I think we will concentrate this time on finding something a little closer to home, and possibly in the country so we won't have to deal with zoning. I was really upset and angry for the first few days after the P&Z meeting. I was angry at God for letting us go so far, to just end up at a big brick wall. But, I think this showed me how much I want to do this, and it showed me that it would really be optimal to have it closer to our house. So, we will keep plugging along and looking for that perfect setting for our retreat.